The Hail Mary - Week 9

Sunday, November 8

Washington (3-4) at New England (7-0), New England favored by 14

The Redskins have had two weeks to bask in the glory of their come from behind win against Tampa Bay. That has meant two weeks for Redskins fans to continue to try to convince themselves that Kirk Cousins is good and more than just a placeholder for this season. Kirk Cousins is capable of having good games, he also is capable of having very bad games. He lives up to the definition of mediocre and if Redskins fans feel that putting up good stats against a middling Tampa Bay team makes him a franchise quarterback, then I can't convince you otherwise. I feel pretty confident in saying that against the Patriots on Sunday Cousins will throw multiple interceptions. The Patriots will get up big and then Kirk might put up some garbage time numbers and look halfway decent. The Redskins obviously have next to no chance in this game. They can't run the football so they won't be able to control possession and they can't rush the quarterback so Tom Brady is going to kill them. The Redskins just need to try to get out of this game with some dignity and prepare for a game they have a chance in when they play New Orleans next week.

Prediction: New England 38, Washington 20

Miami (3-4) at Buffalo (3-4), Buffalo favored by 3

The good vibes from the first two games of the Dan Campbell era quickly disappeared after the Dolphins were embarrassed on national television by the Patriots. The offense went back to looking toothless and the defense lost its best player, Cameron Wake for the season. With a week and a half to prepare and revenge on their minds, I am hopeful for a much stronger performance from the Dolphins this week. Last time they played Buffalo was at home and the Bills completely dominated the game. The Bills offense has been without Karlos Williams, Tyrod Taylor and Sammy Watkins the past few weeks, but are hopeful to have all of them back for this game. Miami has always struggled winning at Buffalo and I am not confident about Ryan Tannehill's ability to win in a tough road environment. The Dolphins will have to get Lamar Miller rolling in order to have a chance in this game.

Prediction: Buffalo 24, Miami 17

St. Louis (4-3) at Minnesota (5-2), Minnesota favored by 2 1/2

The Vikings are just one game back of the Packers in the NFC North. The Packers have a challenging game at Carolina, so Minnesota could possibly be in a first place tie if they can knock off St. Louis on Sunday. The emergence of Stefon Diggs at wide receiver has helped to improve Teddy Bridgewater's play and given a whole new facet of the Vikings offense that defenses have to account for. The Minnesota offensive line will be challenged all game by the fearsome Rams defensive front. Both teams can be offensively challenged at times, so more than likely this will end up being a defensive struggle. I think the defenses will cancel each other out, and the passing games will take a backseat to the powerful running of Adrian Peterson and Todd Gurley. Fans will be in for a treat watching those two running backs, arguably the two best in the game right now. I think the Vikings will win with a late Blair Walsh field goal and keep rolling.

Prediction: Minnesota 20, St. Louis 17

Green Bay (6-1) at Carolina (7-0), Green Bay favored by 2 1/2

The Packers laid a big, giant turd on national television last Sunday night in the battle of the unbeatens with the Broncos. Aaron Rodgers had the worst game of his career, being held under 100 yards passing, something I wasn't sure I even thought was possible. They better brush themselves off fast though, because it gets no easier as they travel to unbeaten Carolina. Carolina did everything they could to choke away a fourth quarter lead against Indianapolis, but they eventually prevailed in overtime. Honestly, the Packers have been scuffling on offense for the past month, the Broncos game just brought it to a shinier light. I've been accused by some of being too hard on the Panthers, and it is hard to hate on 7-0. I will likely be called a hater for my prediction that the Packers will be the team to end their undefeated run, and also that they will hang 30+ on them. I feel like we will see a Packers team with a ton of fire after their embarrassing performance. They have a defense that lives and dies off of turnovers and Cam Newton has been turnover prone at times this season. Then you have Carolina having to recover on a short week after a Monday night game, and I think it will be too much for them to overcome.

Prediction: Green Bay 34, Carolina 27

Tennessee (1-6) at New Orleans (4-4), New Orleans favored by 8

A three game winning streak has the Saints right back in the thick of things for the playoffs in the NFC. For the Titans, they have lost six straight and fired coach Ken Whisenhunt this week, replacing him with interim coach Mike Mularkey. Some people thought it was unfair that Whisnehunt only got to coach for four games with new franchise QB Marcus Mariota playing but to those people I say look at Whisenhunt's 4-30 record in his last 34 games as coach. Some guys are just meant to be coordinators and Whisenhunt is one of those people. I don't think we will see an initial Dan Campbell like effect on the Titans with Mularkey. This is a deeply flawed team, and one not filled with a lot of talent. Last week, Drew Brees had seven touchdown passes against the Giants and it looked like the Saints offense of yesteryear as they piled up 52 points. The Titans pass defense has been strong this year, but they have struggled stopping the run, so it could be Mark Ingram's time to shine on Sunday.

Prediction: New Orleans 38, Tennessee 14

Jacksonville (2-5) at New York Jets (4-3), New York Jets favored by 2 1/2

The Jets will have Ryan Fitzpatrick starting this game, busted up thumb and all. It is a must win for New York as they can't lost their third straight and start to feel in free fall mode. For Jacksonville, they are just a half game out of first place in the putrid AFC South. Blake Borkles is having a very strong season and has kept one of my six fantasy teams afloat while Tony Romo nurses back to health. The Jets defense had a poor showing last week, so I expect better out of that unit in this game. With Fitzpatrick back, even if he is hurt, I expect their offense to be much more in sync and Brandon Marshall to be a big factor in why the Jets snap their two game losing skid.

Prediction: New York Jets 27, Jacksonville 21

Oakland (4-3) at Pittsburgh (4-4), Pittsburgh favored by 4

Are the Raiders for real? They pounded the Jets in Oakland last week and sure it helped that they got to face Geno Smith instead of Ryan Fitzpatrick (never though I would type something like that), but they were still facing a good Jets defense and Derek Carr torched them. Michael Crabtree has benefited from all the attention being paid to Amari Cooper and is having a strong season. Crabtree always showed that he was good enough to be a number two in San Francisco, but it was trying to live up to the weight of being a number one that doomed him. The Steelers savior Ben Roethlisberger returned last week, then threw three picks and played no better than Mike Vick or Landry Jones had played. The Steelers are hoping that his poor performance can be chalked up to rust and he will be in for better play against Oakland. They really need him now that Le'Veon Bell has been lost for the season. De'Angelo Williams stepped in nicely the first two weeks at least, so the Steelers have to feel some security that he will be able to keep the running game afloat the rest of the season. I think the Raiders are definitely on their way up, but I am not convinced they can go cross country and win a tough road game just yet.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 33, Oakland 23

Atlanta (6-2) at San Francisco (2-6), Atlanta favored by 7

The big news out of San Francisco this week was the benching of Colin Kaepernick in favor of Blaine Gabbert. It is hard to believe that the guy who was lighting up the league just a few years ago and made Aaron Rodgers his bitch on a regular basis is now considered worse than the awful Gabbert. The falls of Kaepernick and RGIII have been stunning to watch. It seems like the end of the road for Kap in San Francisco and with the Niners losing week after week they might have a shot at trying to draft a franchise quarterback come April. The Niners have been decimated by injuries at running back as Carlos Hyde may be shut down for the season with a stress fracture in his foot and Reggie Bush tore his ACL sneezing. Then the other move the 49ers made this week was trading Vernon Davis to Denver. You may have forgotten Davis was still in the league since he has done next to nothing the past two seasons. But more than likely, he will go to Denver and start thriving, pouring further salt in the 49ers wounds. Matt Ryan has been the definition of mediocre this season but even if he doesn't play well, I am sure Devonta Freeman will run all over the 49ers. Plus, Ryan just has to hit Julio Jones with one or two throws, as the 49ers secondary will no doubt be burned constantly by him. Hey, they may even make Roddy White relevant again for a week. Sigh.

Prediction: Atlanta 23, San Francisco 9

New York Giants (4-4) at Tampa Bay (3-4), New York Giants favored by 2 1/2

The big story for this game is the return of Jason Pierre-Paul for the Giants. For those that don't know Pierre-Paul mangled one of his hands in a fireworks accident on the 4th of July. Pictures recently came out of what his hand now looks like and it isn't pretty. But JPP insists it won't stop him from rushing and sacking the quarterback. It is not often that you score 49 points and still lose but that is what happened to New York last week against the Saints. Eli Manning has been crushing it this season, throwing 17 touchdowns and just 4 picks. If the Giants had a true running game they would probably be a good team instead of a mediocre one. Tampa Bay had a very nice win at Atlanta last week and showed great resolve a week after blowing a game they should have won against Washington. Jamies Winston has been showing improvement week after week and the Bucs have been far more competitive this season than I think anyone expected. If they want to legitimize their playoff chances, a win against New York would go a long way towards that. Unfortunately, I think Eli is going to pick apart their defense, like he did New Orleans and the Giants will creep back over .500.

Prediction: New York Giants 34, Tampa Bay 31

Denver (7-0) at Indianapolis (3-5), Denver favored by 4

Peyton Manning's return to Indianapolis a second time doesn't have near the luster it did the first time. The Manning these Colts fans will see is nothing like the Manning they watched for years and years. Peyton did play well against Green Bay last weekend, but still didn't throw any touchdowns. For the first time all season, the Broncos rushing game was on points with CJ Andreson going over 100 yards and Ronnie Hillman contributing as well. Earlier this week Denver traded for Vernon Davis, and are hopeful that a change of scenery can revive his career, as Virgil Green and Owen Daniels just weren't getting it done. The Colts made changes to the coaching staff this week, firing Andrew Luck's coordinator going back to his Stanford days, Pep Hamilton. Rumor has it if the Colts lose this game then Chuck Pagano could be next to go. It appears they are dealing with the same type of dysfunction that sunk the 49ers season last year. The Denver defense is not one you want to play if you are looking to get back on track, and I expect another long day at the office for Luck and the Colts on Sunday.

Prediction: Denver 28, Indianapolis 17

Philadelphia (3-4) at Dallas (2-5), Philadelphia favored by 2 1/2

Quite a bit has changed since Dallas defeated Philly in Week 2. The Eagles have gone 3-2 since then to creep back into the NFC Least race. It was that game where Tony Romo was injured and since his injury the Cowboys are 0-5. They are expecting Romo back in two weeks against Miami, but they need to at least scrape one victory while he is out to have any hopes of salvaging their season when he returns. This game will mark DeMarco Murray's return to Dallas and he will be hoping it goes much better than his first effort against the Cowboys this year. There has been talk that he should be supplanted in the starting lineup by Ryan Mathews, but Chip Kelly seems to prefer Mathews as more a change of pace kind of guy. The Cowboys defense has given up over 100 yards rushing in four of their past five games, so if Kelly is smart he will commit to the run. Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel will likely make plenty of mistakes, so each team will have ample opportunities to convert turnovers into points in this game. Dallas hasn't proven they can win without Romo and even with Dez Bryant back for a second straight game, it doesn't matter if he doesn't have a quarterback that can consistently get him the ball. I think Philly takes the win, splitting the season series and pushing Dallas closer to the brink of a lost season.  

Prediction: Philadelphia 26, Dallas 20


Monday, November 9

Chicago (2-5) at San Diego (2-6), San Diego favored by 4

A pretty lousy Monday Night game although seeing guh huh Philip Rivers and dope faced Jay Cutler play each other will bring back memories of their Broncos/Chargers tilts. Those two had a feud four years ago or so, but it seems to all be water under the bridge now. Both are fathers, I think Jay has one kid and Philip has his clan of 25 children. The Chargers lost Keenan Allen for the season, so it might be time for Stevie Johnson, Malcom Floyd and of course old dependable Antonio Gates to shine. It certainly won't be Melvin Gordon's time to shine because he is a bum.  The Bears have injuries of their own, as Matt Forte will miss this game and likely the next one with a knee injury. That means rookie Jeremy Langford should get the start and who knows, maybe he will teach Gordon a thing or two about being an effective rookie rusher.

Prediction: San Diego 29, Chicago 16

Last Week Straight Up: 9-5
Overall Straight Up: 79-40

Last Week Against the Spread: 6-7-1
Overall Against the Spread: 56-59-4

The Hail Mary - Week 8

Sunday, November 1

Detroit (1-6) "at" Kansas City (2-5) in London, England, Kansas City favored by 5

Prediction: Detroit 31, Kansas City 24

San Francisco (2-5) at St. Louis (3-3), St. Louis favored by 8

Prediction: St. Louis 24, San Francisco 12

Minnesota (4-2) at Chicago (2-4), Chicago favored by 1

Prediction: Minnesota 29, Chicago 21

Tampa Bay (2-4) at Atlanta (6-1), Atlanta favored by 7 1/2

Prediction: Atlanta 35, Tampa Bay 20

Arizona (5-2) at Cleveland (2-5), Arizona favored by 6 1/2

Prediction: Arizona 38, Cleveland 17

New York Giants (4-3) at New Orleans (3-4), New Orleans favored by 3 1/2

Prediction: New York Giants 27, New Orleans 24

San Diego (2-5) at Baltimore (1-6), Baltimore favored by 3

Prediction: Baltimore 33, San Diego 27

Cincinnati (6-0) at Pittsburgh (4-3), Line is even

Prediction: Pittsburgh 28, Cincinnati 25

Tennessee (1-5) at Houston (2-5), Line is even

Prediction: Houston 24, Tennessee 17

New York Jets (4-2) at Oakland (3-3), New York Jets favored by 2 1/2

Prediction: Oakland 26, New York Jets 20

Seattle (3-4) at Dallas (2-4), Seattle favored by 6

Prediction: Seattle 26, Dallas 17

Green Bay (6-0) at Denver (6-0), Green Bay favored by 2 1/2

Prediction: Green Bay 24, Denver 20


Monday, November 2

Indianapolis (3-4) at Carolina (6-0), Carolina favored by 7

Prediction: Carolina 31, Indianapolis 20

Last Week Straight Up: 11-3
Overall Straight Up: 70-35

Last Week Against the Spread: 7-7
Overall Against the Spread: 50-52-3

Cram Session - Week 8

Seattle (2-4) at San Francisco (2-4), Seattle favored by 6

Prediction: Seattle 20, San Francisco 16

Games That Matter To Me

Northwestern (5-2, 1-2) at Nebraska (3-4, 1-2)

Prediction: Nebraska 31, Northwestern 21


Top 10

#1 Ohio State (7-0, 3-0) at Rutgers (3-3, 1-2)

Prediction: Ohio State 45, Rutgers 17

Iowa State (2-4, 1-2) at #2 Baylor (6-0, 3-0)

Prediction: Baylor 64, Iowa State 28

#3 Utah (6-0, 3-0) at USC (3-3, 1-2)

Prediction: Utah 28, USC 27

Western Kentucky (6-1) at #5 LSU (6-0)

Prediction: LSU 34, Western Kentucky 20

#6 Clemson (6-0, 3-0) at Miami (4-2, 1-1)

Prediction: Clemson 35, Miami 20

Indiana (4-3, 0-3) at #7 Michigan State (7-0, 3-0)

Prediction: Michigan State 27, Indiana 17

Tennessee (3-3, 1-2) at #8 Alabama (6-1, 3-1)

Prediction: Alabama 28, Tennessee 18

#9 Florida State (6-0, 3-0) at Georgia Tech (2-5, 0-4)

Prediction: Florida State 42, Georgia Tech 24

Washington (3-3, 1-2) at #10 Stanford (5-1, 4-0)

Prediction: Stanford 30, Washington 20

Last Week: 7-2
Overall: 58-14

The Hail Mary - Week 5

Sunday, October 11

Washington (2-2) at Atlanta (4-0), Atlanta favored by 7 1/2

This is like a reunion game as former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and former Redskins receiver Leonard Hankerson now are with the Falcons. So far both of them are thriving. The Falcons offense has been on fire and is a large reason Atlanta is 4-0. Hankerson has surpassed Roddy White as Matt Ryan's number two target, something White is understandably not too pleased about. So far White's objections to his reduced role in the offense haven't been a distraction but it is definitely something to watch as the season goes on. The Redskins are coming off a strong team win against Philadelphia. They got a lead early and predictably lost that lead. But what was different this time was they were able to mount a game winning drive and get the win. Kirk Cousins and Pierre Garcon were excellent on that final drive. Cousins played well last week but we know he can play well at times. He has not yet been able to play well consistently and over consecutive games. The Falcons don't have a very good defense, so Cousins will have every opportunity to play well again this weekend. He would be helped by the return of DeSean Jackson, who has been saying it is his possible he could play, but I don't think that is something Washington can count on. I expect Ryan to make some big plays against the Skins hurting secondary, especially Julio Jones. I also think Hank will be hankerin' (see what I did there) to get some revenge against his former team and will make an impact as well. Then you can't forget about Falcons RB Devonta Freeman who has three rushing touchdowns in each of his last two games. The Falcons just have so many weapons offensively, I don't think Washington will be able to keep up.

Prediction: Atlanta 34, Washington 27

New Orleans (1-3) at Philadelphia (1-3), Philadelphia favored by 5

Maybe this will finally be the week the Eagles offense puts it all together for an entire game. They will have a great shot against a Saints defense that made even Brandon Weeden look competent last Sunday night. Fortunately, for the Saints, Drew Brees had a throwback type of performance and helped carry New Orleans to their first win of the season. This will be a desperation game, as the loser will sit at 1-4 and have a huge hole to try to climb out of to get in the playoff picture. Each offense has weapons galore but where the Eagles have the advantage is defensively. Their secondary isn't very good but their defensive front has been excellent at stopping the run this season. This game will come down to which offense shoots itself in the foot less, specifically by turning the ball over. The Eagles better start off well or it will feel like a road game for them because the boss will be raining down. Sam Bradford threw three touchdown passes last week and I think he can do something similar against a leaky Saints secondary.

Prediction: Philadelphia 28, New Orleans 24

Chicago (1-3) at Kansas City (1-3), Kansas City favored by 9 1/2

Somewhat surprisingly the Bears got Jay Cutler back last week and he played well enough to help lead Chicago to their first win of the year. The Chiefs are desperate for a win as they are currently on a three game losing streak. They were manhandled by the Bengals last week and the offense could only manage seven field goals. Chicago's defense actually stepped up and played well against a hot Oakland offense, which was surprising because they had spent the week leading up to the game having a fire sale of their big name defensive players. The Chiefs are typically a pretty good home team and play three of their next four games at Arrowhead. This will be a crucial four game stretch for them to salvage their season. Their defense has struggled but I think they can cause bad Jay Cutler to show up and force Cutler into some interceptions and mistakes that will be the difference in the game.

Prediction: Kansas City 31, Chicago 17

Seattle (2-2) at Cincinnati (4-0), Cincinnati favored by 3

The argument could be made that right now the Bengals are the best team in football. They get to test themselves against the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks. After an 0-2 start Seattle has climbed back to 2-2 but last week's win against Detroit was aided by a horrible officiating gaffe. Despite it being painfully obvious that K.J. Wright had illegally batted the ball out of the end zone to cause a touchback, it went uncalled. I mean he literally swung at it like it was baseball and he had a bat, how do you miss that when you are staring right at it? The Seahawks have had a hell of a time protecting Russell Wilson and I expect the Bengals fearsome front line to have a field day pressuring Wilson. Marshawn Lynch missed last week's game and is questionable, but he can't return soon enough for the Seahawks offense. This game will also serve as a good test for Andy Dalton. Dalton is off to a highly impressive start to the season, and if he can put up solid numbers against the Seahawks, it might be time to admit that Dalton has made a leap as a quarterback.

Prediction: Cincinnati 21, Seattle 17

Jacksonville (1-3) at Tampa Bay (1-3), Tampa Bay favored by 3

Bloof Bortles has played well enough that I now have given him back his last name. The results aren't there yet for the Jaguars but you can't blame Bortles. Based on how poorly Jameis Winston has played at times this year maybe I should change his name too. He has given pundits like me plenty of material for a nickname with his personal life hijinx. Looking ahead, this will be the Buccaneers best chance at a win for a long time and if they are smart they will focus on feeding the ball to Doug Martin and Charles Sims and ride them to victory.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 15, Jacksonville 13

Cleveland (1-3) at Baltimore (1-3), Baltimore favored by 6 1/2

Baltimore saved their season last Thursday against Pittsburgh thanks to Josh Scobee forgetting how to hit field goals. Despite what Snoop Dog had to say Scobee was actually very good in Jacksonville, but he wasn't able to transfer that success to Pittsburgh. But getting back to Ravens/Browns, now Baltimore will try to win another divisional game and this time they will have to do it without Steve Smith Sr. who has a very hurt back. The biggest positive for the Ravens coming out of the Steelers game was Justin Forsett finally showing up for the offense. The Ravens have the most nondescript group of receivers in the league so it is imperative for their offense that the line gives Forsett the lanes he needs to run the ball effectively. The Browns fought valiantly in San Diego and then lost like only the Browns, and maybe the Lions can. San Diego missed a game winning field goal but the Browns were offside and the Chargers hit the do over field goal to win the game. Mike Pettine wants you to know that Joe Haden is not a pussy and he will play if he feels up to it on Sunday. A broken down Haden should be able to cover guys like Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and newly acquired Chris Givens. Still, they're the Browns so they will find some way to screw up and lose this game.

Prediction: Baltimore 24, Cleveland 21

St. Louis (2-2) at Green Bay (4-0), Green Bay favored by 9

Just when I thought I had the Rams figured out as pretenders they go and beat Arizona on the road. Now with that being said in this column last week I did question just how good Arizona was and it looks like I might have been right. The Rams, specifically their defense, faces the hardest test in football right now this week when they travel to Lambeau Field. Get Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense on the road and they look mortal. But face them at Lambeau, and Rodgers is as close to perfection and unstoppable as you can get. If the Rams defense can somewhat contain the Packers, they might have a chance.The Rams offense showed a pulse last week as Todd Gurley emerged on the scene in the second half, helping St. Louis hold on to the win. Nick Foles has also been pretty good thus far, and the Rams seem to be finding new ways to keep Tavon Austin involved. Austin has always shown flashes but never been consistent. I think the Rams will give a decent accounting of themselves but no one is beating Rodgers at Lambeau right now.

Prediction: Green Bay 35, St. Louis 20

Buffalo (2-2) at Tennessee (1-2), Buffalo favored by 2 1/2

I think myself and the majority of people underestimated how much the Bills offense would miss Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy. They could do next to nothing on offense against a Giants defense that is decent, but nothing special. McCoy is definitely out for this game and Watkins is doubtful. Then you have McCoy's backup Karlos Williams, who suffered a concussion last week and he is questionable for the game Sunday. That would leave Boobie Dixon as the starter and Tyrod Taylor in a whole heap of trouble. The Titans are coming off their bye week and we will see if the week off taught them anything about finishing games. They had the Colts dead to rights a few weeks ago and let them off the hook. If they have been paying attention they will try to entice the Bills, specifically their defense, into silly penalties. Rex Ryan is okay with penalties though as long as his team cares or some such nonsense. With so many injuries on offense, I think the Bills will be tough pressed to go on the road and win this one, even against an inexperienced quarterback like Marcus Mariota.

Prediction: Tennessee 24, Buffalo 22

Arizona (3-1) at Detroit (0-4), Arizona favored by 2 1/2

The media might have to pump the brakes on anointing the Cardinals as the Super Bowl champs after their loss to the Rams last week. I have a feeling some of the Cardinals players were starting to buy into their own hype. After being served some humble pie last week, I expect a more focused Cardinals team when they face the beaten down Lions in Detroit. Detroit dropped to 0-4. their season already over in early October. Now their focus is on just getting a win at some point. They were hosed by the referees last Monday despite a respectable performance at Seattle. If they had a better, more inspiring coach than sleepy Jim Caldwell I might believe the Lions could turn things around. Their offense is non-existent and it looks like the Lions might be lucky to win 4 or 5 games this year.

Prediction: Arizona 27, Detroit 17

New England (3-0) at Dallas (2-2), New England favored by 8 1/2

This game would be more fun if it were Tom Brady going up against Tony Romo. The Cowboys are just a few weeks from getting Dez Bryant back, but how effective will he be with Brandon Weeden throwing him the ball? Weeden hasn't been terrible in his two starts, but it is hard to believe that they wouldn't have won at least one of their past two games if Romo were still under center. The Patriots offense has been blowing by teams the first three weeks and already has some bored media types asking if they could go 16-0 this year. That won't be happening, but facing a mediocre at best Cowboys defense should lead to plenty of production from Brady, Rob Gronkowski and even up and coming running back Dion Lewis. The Cowboys will have Greg Hardy making his season debut after a 4 game suspension and also Rolando McClain returning from a suspension of his own. They will make a difference as the season goes on but they will be rusty Sunday and I don't expect them to be much of a factor.

Prediction: New England 38, Dallas 24

Denver (4-0) at Oakland (2-2), Denver favored by 4 1/2

This game should tell us a lot about how the Raiders are progressing as they try to turn themselves from constant laughingstock to contenders. Their quest hit a road bump last week when they lost to the winless Bears. QB Derek Carr showed the inconsistency that comes with a second year quarterback, as after two strong games, he and the rest of the offense couldn't get much going against a poor Bears defense. The Broncos offense was back to struggling last week, although Ronnie Hillman is making it clearer by the week that he should be starting over C.J. Anderson at running back. Peyton Manning has had his way against the Raiders over the last few years, but I think the Raiders defense will cause Manning to struggle again, and it will be up to Hillman to keep his running going, allowing Denver to escape with a win.

Prediction: Denver 23, Oakland 20

San Francisco (1-3) at New York Giants (2-2), New York Giants favored by 7

So the 49ers get a chance to show a national television audience just how terrible they are. NBC probably wishes this game was scheduled for later in the season so they could flex out of it. Colin Kaepernick should be thankful that Blaine Gabbert is his backup or else he might have been replaced by now. Somehow, Gabbert is probably far worse than Kap. The 49ers offense has put up 10 total points in their past two games. They can't throw or run the ball. Last week against the Packers, the one bright spot was the defense put in their first respectable performance since the opener against the Vikings. The Giants are on a two game winning streak and Eli Manning is off to a start that resembles how he plays in the playoffs when the Giants fluke their way to Super Bowls. The 49ers secondary will have their hands full with Odell Beckham Jr. and also need to keep their attention on the fast rising Reuben Randle. It would be nice if Carlos Hyde could get going running the ball again but it is next to impossible when a defense knows you have a quarterback who can't get the ball downfield. It is quite amazing the fall from grace Kap has had the past few seasons. I expect another long, frustrating three hours of Niner watching on Sunday night.

Prediction: New York Giants 23, San Francisco 10


Monday, October 12

Pittsburgh (2-2) at San Diego (2-2), San Diego favored by 3

The Steelers offense, specifically Le'Veon Bell showed flashes against Baltimore, but it is obvious that with Mike Vick under center the offense is far less potent. Antonio Brown disappeared for long stretches of the game, something that Steelers fans haven't seen in years. The defense continues to have trouble stopping the run, which may mean we finally see Melvin Gordon resemble the running back he was in college. Through four games, he has yet to score a touchdown or clear 100 yards rushing. Part of that is because Danny Woodhead is sharing touches with him, but Gordon seems to be running tentatively and not like the power back he was at Wisconsin. Philip Rivers can still sling it with the best of them but I think the run is the key to the Chargers winning this game and not the pass. I expect Vick to look a little more comfortable this week, but field goals probably will remain an adventure for Pittsburgh, even with a new kicker. This should be a close game and the Steelers inability to get points any time they have a chance will likely come back to haunt them.

Prediction: San Diego 29, Pittsburgh 23

Last Week Straight Up: 10-5
Overall Straight Up: 41-22

Last Week Against the Spread: 4-11
Overall Against the Spread: 31-31-1

The Hail Mary - Week 4

Sunday, October 4

New York Jets (2-1) "at" Miami (1-2) in London, England, New York Jets favored by 1 1/2

Can the Dolphins leave Joe Philbin behind in London? Dolphins owner Stephen Ross seems to be the only person who has any confidence that Philbin can lead the Dolphins to the playoffs. Unfortunately for Dolphins fans he is the one who makes the decision. The Dolphins had an embarrassing home opener against Buffalo last week. Both the offense and defense were abysmal. They desperately need a win this week so they can remain at their usual mediocre level and not start to fall out of the picture. They won't be winning the AFC East, so it is all about trying to get a Wild Card spot. They desperately need to find a way to get Lamar Miller going so that Ryan Tannehill isn't forced to throw the ball all game. The Jets feel good vibes evaporated pretty quickly last Sunday when fell behind Philadelphia at home 24-0. They eventually made a game of it, but it was still a terribly disappointing defeat. They saw bad Ryan Fitzpatrick in that game and Brandon Marshall made some really boneheaded plays. Marshall will be eager to put up some big numbers against one of his former teams this week. The Jets are hopeful that Eric Decker and Chris Ivory can return to the lineup as it was painfully obvious how much they missed the two of them in the loss. The London games are always weird, so I will pick a semi weird result, a Dolphins victory.

Prediction: Miami 21, New York Jets 17

Philadelphia (1-2) at Washington (1-2), Philadelphia favored by 3

All the good vibes surrounding the Redskins got to last four days before the team reminded their fans why they are such a beaten down group of people. Kirk Cousins was dreadful against the Giants, or back to his normal self. Of course, we all heard from the Cousins excuse makers how the interceptions weren't his fault. That ignores the fact that he had several balls that were underthrown that would have been touchdowns if a halfway decent quarterback had been throwing them. I am no believer in Robert Griffin III anymore, but no one is convincing me that Cousins is any better. The handoff from Alfred Morris to Matt Jones seemed to kick into high gear last week, although Jones continues to struggle holding on to the ball. The Eagles earned themselves a much needed victory last week, largely thanks to defense and special teams. The offense still seems to be in somewhat disarray and the Eagles are waiting to find out if they will be without DeMarco Murray for a second straight week. The Redskins are usually the type of team you get well against, so I am predicting that the Eagles offense has their best, most consistent showing of the season.

Prediction: Philadelphia 32, Washington 24

Jacksonville (1-2) at Indianapolis (1-2), Indianapolis favored by 9

The Colts tour of the AFC South, i.e. their season saver, continues this weekend at home against Jacksonville. The Colts had to scramble to come back to beat the Titans, so while they got the victory, things are still very uneasy in Indy. Andre Johnson apparently left his soul behind in Houston, as he didn't even register a target in the victory. Frank Gore finally made his presence felt with a couple of touchdowns and against a porous Jacksonville defense he should be able to continue his success. Any hopes that the Jags might be turning the corner after their win over the Dolphins died in Week 3. We found out the Dolphins are really bad, and Jacksonville lost to New England by about a gazillion points. Bloof Borkles played reasonably well though and if he keeps it up I might finally give him back his real name. He may play pretty well this weekend against a sorry Indy defense, but I expect Andrew Luck to have his best game of the year and Indianapolis to cruise.

Prediction: Indianapolis 38, Jacksonville 21

New York Giants (1-2) at Buffalo (2-1), Buffalo favored by 5

Tyrod Taylor was excellent against Miami, and the Bills were ferocious on defense and back to resembling the potential playoff contenders we saw in Week 1. The Giants saved their season by defeating the Redskins but they still don't have any answers at running back, just a trio of Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen. Vereen's role is at least clear, he is the pass catcher out of the backfield, but neither Williams or Jennings have been able to establish themselves. The early secret in Buffalo is that backup Karlos Williams is outplaying LeSean McCoy, who still seems far away from his 2013 form. The Bills shouldn't play favorites based on pay and if Williams keeps running like he has, he could eventually supplant McCoy. The Bills have no choice but to go with Williams as the lead back this week since McCoy will be out with an injury. With Eli going up against Rex Ryan's influenced Bills defense, I expect him to throw his first interception of the season and make a lot of Eli faces.

Prediction: Buffalo 27, New York Giants 17

Carolina (3-0) at Tampa Bay (1-2), Carolina favored by 3

The Panthers might be the most under the radar and underwhelming 3-0 team in league history. We should find out a lot more about just how legit the Panthers are in October and early November when they play at Seattle and then host the Eagles, Colts and Packers. The Bucs offense continues to struggle and playing at Carolina won't be helpful to Jameis Winston. I wish the Bucs would get Doug Martin going, only because I have him in one of my fantasy leagues. That's about all there is to say about this boring NFC South matchup.

Prediction: Carolina 23, Tampa Bay 12

Oakland (2-1) at Chicago (0-3), Oakland favored by 3

Are the Raiders for real? They have won two straight, although those wins came against teams that are a combined 1-5, while the actual good team they faced in Cincinnati destroyed them. But, they also lost Derek Carr early in that game and I am totally starting to believe that Carr is legit. He quietly had a pretty strong rookie season last year and has carried that over to this season. Amari Cooper is looking like a bonafide number one receiver for Carr and RB Latavius Murray burst onto the scene last week with 139 yards rushing. Forget winning, the Bears just hope to score some points on Sunday. Jimmy Clausen reminded anyone in case they forgot that he is a completely terrible NFL quarterback. The Bears had 10 possessions against Seattle last week and punted on all 10 of those possessions. The team started a fire sale on defense, trading Jared Allen to the Panthers and Jon Bostic to the Patriots. The Bears probably thought they reached rock bottom with their shutout last week, but being underdogs at home to the Raiders? That is truly rock bottom.

Prediction: Oakland 28, Chicago 20

Houston (1-2) at Atlanta (3-0), Atlanta favored by 6 1/2

The Texans got a much needed win against Tampa Bay and Ryan Mallett played well enough that it made me continue to wonder why Bill O'Brien ever named Brian Hoyer the starter. They also are hoping to be able to welcome Arian Foster back to the fold this weekend, which would give their running game a badly needed boost. The Falcons might have discovered the next big thing at running back with Devonta Freeman. Freeman shredded the Cowboys and if he can become a consistent weapon to go with Julio Jones in the passing game the Falcons will be even more dangerous offensively. They still have a ways to go defensively but with how well they are playing offensively and looking at their schedule, 9-0 could be a real possibility for Atlanta.

Prediction: Atlanta 29, Houston 23

Kansas City (1-2) at Cincinnati (3-0), Cincinnati favored by 3 1/2

My AFC West pick desperately needs a win but a week after having to play undefeated Green Bay on the road, now they have to face undefeated Cincinnati on the road. The loss to Green Bay was ugly but one bright spot was that Jeremy Maclin scored a touchdown. That finally put to an end the Chiefs embarrassing string of games without a touchdown by a recover that dated back to 2013. However, their defense, especially their secondary was victimized by Aaron Rodgers. I am not comparing Andy Dalton to Rodgers but with how well Dalton has been playing this season, it could be another tough day at the office for the Chiefs secondary. A.J. Green went off for the Bengals last week against Baltimore and almost was single-handily responsible for the victory. Next week the Bengals host the Seahawks, which could serve as a telling game as far as how serious a contender Cincy is. It is just hard to get excited for their regular season success because it has meant so little the last few seasons. I think Big Red, Andy Reid will coach the Chiefs up this week and they will perform much better than they did Monday, but Cincinnati will remain unbeaten.

Prediction: Cincinnati 27, Kansas City 24

Cleveland (1-2) at San Diego (1-2), San Diego favored by 8

Injuries have hurt the Chargers early in the season and it started to show itself in their blowout loss at Minnesota last week. Now they return to the friendly confines of home and the even friendlier confines of playing the Cleveland Browns. The Chargers passing game has been strong this season but they really need to get Melvin Gordon and the rushing attack going. The Browns don't do anything well, they stink both offensively and defensively. I think this could be the game where Gordon makes his first real imprint on the NFL and the Chargers should roll to victory.

Prediction: San Diego 35, Cleveland 17

St. Louis (1-2) at Arizona (3-0), Arizona favored by 6 1/2

The Cardinals bandwagon is filling up after they destroyed yet another team last week. There is no denying that Arizona has been impressive, but so far the teams they have beaten have a combined record of 1-8. It should be another easy game on Sunday against the sorry Rams. The Rams still can no nothing offensively and continue to waste a strong defense. Todd Gurley made his season debut last week but after not playing football for a year, he has to deal with rust, as well as getting acclimated to the NFL, so the Rams can't count on any production from him for at least a few more weeks.

Prediction: Arizona 30, St. Louis 16

Green Bay (3-0) at San Francisco (1-2), Green Bay favored by 8 1/2

Colin Kaepernick's streak of owning Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will likely end in a big way on Sunday. It appears the 49ers are as bad as everyone thought they were. They can't cover anyone, can't stop the run, can't pass the ball, can't run the ball, the list goes on and on. Kaepernick was completely atrocious against the Cardinals, but hey, he says he get's to be himself now, so I guess that's cool. The Packers are looking like the best team in football. Their defense is still mediocre and a weird mix between getting pressure and causing turnovers but still allowing a lot of points. But it doesn't really matter because Aaron Rodgers is so damn good. I mean, he's turning James Jones into a Pro Bowler after the guy was cut by two teams this off-season. Eddie Lacy still hasn't really gotten on track, so if he can get some traction, look out NFL. I want to believe that the Niners will at least not embarrass themselves at home, but the fact is Green Bay is an excellent football team and the Niners are a very bad football team. I expect another ugly, long afternoon of watching them get dominated.

Prediction: Green Bay 42, San Francisco 21

Minnesota (2-1) at Denver (3-0), Denver favored by 7

The Broncos may be hitting their stride and it is all because of what appears to be a compromise between Peyton Manning and coach Gary Kubiak. Kubiak prefers his quarterback operate behind the center, while Manning prefers working out of the shotgun. The Broncos offensive line is a bit of a mess at the moment and in the first two games, while Manning was trying to do things Kubiak's way, he was struggling. So Kubiak put Manning in the Pistol against Detroit and Manning had his best game of the season. If the Denver offense can continue to improve the Broncos could be the best team in football because of how strong they are defensively. I think we will know a lot more about Minnesota after this game. Adrian Peterson has been carrying the offense the last two weeks and the play of Teddy Bridgewater is slightly concerning. He hasn't been making the leap I expected to see from him in year two. The Vikings last road game was a disaster, so it will be interesting to see if they can put some of their improved effort from the last two weeks into this game.

Prediction: Denver 23, Minnesota 17

Dallas (2-1) at New Orleans (0-3), Pick Em'

Brandon Weeden versus Luke McCown, on Sunday night! That is a possibility, and I am sure not what the NBC execs had in mind for this Sunday night game. Drew Brees is battling to try to play this week and if he does it would give the game some much needed star power. The Cowboys came flying out of the gates last week in their first game without Tony Romo, as Joseph Randle was running all over Atlanta. But as well as Dallas played in the first half of that game was as bad as they played in the second half, and they eventually lost. Their defense just doesn't appear to be good enough to make up for the pieces Dallas is missing on offense. The Saints have a lot of issues of their own and seem to suck no matter who is quarterbacking. McCown actually played pretty well against Carolina but the Saints defense couldn't get a stop late in the game when they needed it. No matter who is quarterbacking for New Orleans, I expect them to put up points and at some point in time the Saints have to win a game at home again.

Prediction: New Orleans 30, Dallas 24


Monday, October 5

Detroit (0-3) at Seattle (1-2), Seattle favored by 9

The NFL schedule makers should have known better than to give the Lions multiple prime time slots. I guess they felt good about Detroit sustaining their success off of last year's 11-5 season, but after Monday night the Lions will be one loss away from matching their loss total of last season. The decline of their offense that we have been watching the past few years has gotten worse. Matthew Stafford seems to have plateaued and Calvin Johnson hasn't looked like Megatron in a while, as injuries have seemed to have slowed him. Seattle essentially had a bye last week playing the hapless Bears. This week's game won't be as easy but the Lions have showed nothing this year to convince me they have a prayer of going out to Seattle and earning a victory. Russell Wilson and Jimmy Graham appeared to be finally getting on the same page last week, which is especially important since Marshawn Lynch is hurting right now and may not play Monday night.

Prediction: Seattle 27, Detroit 13

Last Week Straight Up: 13-3
Overall Straight Up: 31-17

Last Week Against the Spread: 10-6
Overall Against the Spread: 27-20-1

The Hail Mary - Week 3

Sunday, September 27

Philadelphia (0-2) vs. New York Jets (2-0), New York Jets favored by 2 1/2

After this past off-season when Chip Kelly put all his cards on the table and completely remade the Eagles in his vision, it was clear things would go one of two ways. He would either succeed and be labeled a genius, or he would fail and be labeled a moron and chastised for his hubris. Through two games, his tweaks to the Eagles roster, especially their offense, have been a complete and utter disaster. DeMarco Murray has 11 rushing yards on 21 carries. Shockingly, Sam Bradford hasn't torn his ACL yet but he still sucks. The Jets are a surprising 2-0 after dominating the Colts in Indianapolis on Monday Night Football. Their defense has been awesome through the first two games, especially Darrelle Revis. Revis was all over the place on Monday night, getting an interception and recovering a fumble at the goal line. Ryan Fitzpatrick has played within the offense and not tried to do much and the Jets resemble the Jets teams from Rex Ryan's first two years at the helm. They are winning with defense and doing just enough offensively. I think at some point the Eagles offense will click and start to produce but until I actually see it, I don't feel comfortable predicting it will happen. So because of that, I expect another long day at the office for the Eagles on Sunday.

Prediction: New York Jets 24, Philadelphia 13

San Diego (1-1) at Minnesota (1-1), Minnesota favored by 2 1/2




The resurrection of Adrian Peterson started last Sunday against Detroit. Peterson wasn't perfect, and struggled with fumbles, but he ran like a man possessed and showed why the Vikings refused to ever seriously enter into any trade talks about him. Peterson is back in the comfortable confines of home this Sunday, playing a Chargers run defense that has struggled badly through the first two games. Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings passing game still appears to be a work in progress, so it becomes even more important that Peterson continue to run the ball well. The Vikings pass defense will be tested by Philip Rivers, who is completing an absurd 81% of his passes through the first two games. If he can keep his play up to close to that level and Melvin Gordon continues to become more comfortable each week, the Chargers should have a pretty potent offense. They will need that because so far their defense has been subpar. I think these teams are evenly matched so I expect a close game throughout, but for Peterson to ultimately be the difference maker.

Prediction: Minnesota 28, San Diego 23

Atlanta (2-0) at Dallas (2-0), Atlanta favored by 1 1/2

Are the Cowboys the Notre Dame of the NFL? Two weeks ago they lost Dez Bryant for at least half the season, and then last week they saw Tony Romo get injured about force him out of action for at least two months. That means the Cowboys offense is now the Brandon Weeden show. Despite what Jerry Jones said this week making Weeden sound like the second coming, Dallas should be very worried that their starting quarterback is Weeden and their number one receiver is now Terrance Williams. The running game still has been somewhat stagnant, as Joseph Randle hasn't run anywhere near to the level that DeMarco Murray was running last year. Plus, now Jason Witten is hurting and he is questionable to play. Dallas was lucky last week that they were facing such an inept offensive team in Philadelphia and they won't have that same advantage against the Falcons on Sunday. Atlanta's tour of the NFC East has come up roses so far and they have made plays on offense in crucial moments in both of their wins. Matt Ryan hasn't been spectacular but has been his usual solid self, and has had to carry the load as the Falcons haven't been able to establish a run game yet this season. With how banged up Dallas is on offense I would be shocked to see them win this game.

Prediction: Atlanta 27, Dallas 15

Indianapolis (0-2) at Tennessee (1-1), Indianapolis favored by 3

Chaos and panic abound in Indianapolis as the Colts are off to their second straight 0-2 start. Last season, they rebounded by beating up on their pathetic division and eventually finished 11-5 and made the AFC Championship. The Colts free agent acquisitions of Frank Gore and Andre Johnson have been busts so far. Gore had an awful fumble in the Monday Night loss as he was headed for a touchdown and then fumbled the ball without even being touched. Andrew Luck has been awful as well, throwing way too many interceptions and being careless. However, a turnaround could be in order as the Colts next three games are all division games. The Titans came back down to Earth last week at Cleveland after their impressive opener at Tampa. Marcus Mariota still has yet to throw an interception this season but he did fumble way too much in the loss and will have to become more careful with the football. The Colts were my pick to make the Super Bowl out of the AFC, but their playoff hopes are probably cooked if they can't even win at Tennessee. I may have underestimated the tenuous situation developing with Chuck Pagano currently being a lameduck coach.

Prediction: Indianapolis 26, Tennessee 20

Oakland (1-1) at Cleveland (1-1), Cleveland favored by 3 1/2

Josh McCown makes his return for the starter for the Browns, sending Johnny Football back to the bench. The Raiders are coming off an impressive win at home against Baltimore, where Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree all shined. It will be interesting to see if the Raiders can bring that same level of performance on the road to Cleveland. The Browns secondary, led by Joe Haden, will be up for the challenge presented by the Raiders passing game. McCown will have his opportunities against a porous Raiders secondary and it will be interesting to see if he can develop the same rapport with Travis Benjamin that Johnny Manziel had.

Prediction: Cleveland 19, Oakland 16

Cincinnati (2-0) at Baltimore (0-2), Baltimore favored by 2 1/2

Just a terrible loss from the Ravens at Oakland last week. The Bengals had completely destroyed Oakland the week before. Sure they were helped by knocking Derek Carr out of the game, but even before that had happened they were in control. The Baltimore secondary had no answers for the Raiders passing attack, and their offense and defense can't seem to get on the same page. Now they face basically a must win game at home against the undefeated Bengals. Andy Dalton has been quietly really good so far this season and has yet to throw an interception. A situation could be brewing in the Bengals backfield. Jeremy Hill fumbled it early against San Diego and then saw Giovanni Bernard take most of the carries and take advantage of his opportunity. Justin Forsett has just 111 yards rushing in two games, and the Ravens haven't done a very good job of establishing the run game. The Ravens are a tough team to beat in Baltimore, but the Bengals did it last year and I think they are playing so much better than Baltimore right now, that they will do it again.

Prediction: Cincinnati 31, Baltimore 28

Jacksonville (1-1) at New England (2-0), New England favored by 13 1/2

Well, Bloof Borkles showed me. He was an integral part of Jacksonville's upset of Miami and showed that perhaps the Jaguars will have a pulse this season. He will really have a chance to prove himself this week as the Jaguars travel to New England to take on the defending champs. The Patriots went about their business last week, and dispatched the loudmouth Bills. Any other team you might worry about them overlooking a clearly inferior opponent, but with the Patriots that isn't even a possibility. Interestingly, in last week's game Bill Belichick opted to hardly use LaGarrette Blount at running back, giving most of the carries to Dion Lewis. Lewis is proving to be a weapon both running and catching the ball, and seems to be becoming the new Shane Vereen for New England. I think Jacksonville can keep this game somewhat respectable but they never really will have New England sweating.

Prediction: New England 35, Jacksonville 21

New Orleans (0-2) at Carolina (2-0), Carolina favored by 3

Things are ugly in New Orleans. They inexplicably lost their sixth straight game at home, this time to Jamies Winston and the putrid Bucs. Now Drew Brees is hurting and poor Luke McCown who is in a commercial for something about being a backup, could become the starter if Brees can't get healthy. The question I have is who is Luke McCown's agent?  He must be really good to get a backup quarterback a national commercial. The Panthers are 2-0 in usual boring Panthers fashion. Nothing really flashy or newsworthy, just going out and beating the AFC South. Whether Brees plays or not, I like Carolina in this game, as I expect their defense to frustrate the Saints offense and Cam Newton will make enough plays to keep the Panthers ahead and on to victory.

Prediction: Carolina 24, New Orleans 17

Tampa Bay (1-1) at Houston (0-2), Houston favored by 7

The Texans have been one of the worst teams of the season thus far. They created a quarterback controversy before the first game was even over, they have no running game to speak of, and their defense has been mostly average. Arian Foster is working hard to get back and there is a chance he plays on Sunday, which couldn't come any sooner for the Texans. Jamies Winston earned his first win as an NFL starter, but its hard to tell if Tampa is improving or they were just the beneficiaries of playing a woeful Saints team. Ryan Mallett needs to find more ways to get the ball to DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans aren't going to be successful if old ass Nate Washington is leading the team in yards receiving.

Prediction: Houston 22, Tampa Bay 16

Pittsburgh (1-1) at St. Louis (1-1), Pittsburgh favored by 1

The Steelers looked like Super Bowl contenders last week as they completely obliterated the San Francisco 49ers. They also decided to shake things up a bit and start going for two point conversions after their touchdowns. You may have noticed that extra points are no longer gimmes and are now 33-yard kicks, which can actually be missed. The 49ers couldn't stop the Steelers and based on comments by Ben Roethlibserger the Steelers might continue to employ the two point conversion strategy throughout the season. The Steelers have La'Veon Bell returning from suspension for them as well, but their offense hummed along pretty well without him. The Rams on the other hand, had a terrible Sunday last week. After knocking off the Seahawks it seemed the Rams might be ready to take the next step from mediocre to good. But instead, they lost by two touchdowns to the Redskins and reminded everyone that mediocre coaches breed mediocre teams. Now even with that being said, I like the Rams to upset Pittsburgh on Sunday. Even though the stands are usually half full and in this case, I expect half the crowd to be Steelers fans, the Rams play much better at home, especially defensively. I think it is going to be a long day at the office for Roethlisberger and he will be running for his life. Roethlisberger is one of the best at throwing on the run and evading the rush but if he is doing it all game, he will eventually wear down. The Rams offense should also be buoyed by the debut of Todd Gurley.

Prediction: St. Louis 33, Pittsburgh 30

San Francisco (1-1) at Arizona (2-0), Arizona favored by 6 1/2

After a promising Week 1 victory, the team that 49ers fans feared showed up in an embarrassing Week 2 loss at Pittsburgh. The defense, specifically the secondary was dreadful, leaving receivers open all over the field. The offense only moved the ball when the game was completely out of reach and the Steelers started relaxing on defense. Things will be no easier on Sunday when the 49ers travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Arizona looks like one of the best teams in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. All three phases of the game, offense, defense and special teams are clicking for the Cardinals right now. Hell, Larry Fitzgerald returned from the dead and had 3 touchdown catches last week. Carson Palmer is once again an elite quarterback, despite being 35 years old and for years seeming like his best days were well behind him. Arizona is a tough stadium to play in and I expect the 49ers to start the game off flustered by the atmosphere. I think the Cardinals will do what they want on offense and Colin Kaepernick won't start getting the chains moving on offense until things are out of reach. Beacuse I expect the Cardinals to pull ahead quickly, that will also limit Carlos Hyde's touches, the one true weapon the offense seems to have right now. Things don't get any easier next week when Green Bay comes to San Francisco.

Prediction: Arizona 35, San Francisco 20

Buffalo (1-1) at Miami (1-1), Miami favored by 3

Both the Bills and Dolphins are coming off disappointing losses and will need a victory in this game to avoid falling two games back of the Patriots in the division. The Bills and especially their defense were knocked back down to Earth after Tom Brady and the Patriots had their way with them. The Dolphins are still waiting for Ndamukong Suh to have an impact and negative stories about Suh freelancing on defense have already started leaking out. Ryan Tannehill has played well for Miami but Lamar Miller has not and he is now questionable for this game. Tannehill and the Dolphins offense can't just be pass happy, they need Miller to start producing. LeSean McCoy has gotten off to a decent start but is looking for his first rushing touchdown of the season. I think as long as Joe Philbin remains the Dolphins coach, Miami won't take that next step to the playoffs. That means losing games like this at home that they need to and should win.

Prediction: Buffalo 27, Miami 24

Chicago (0-2) at Seattle (0-2), Seattle favored by 14 1/2

After back to back road losses Seattle finally can return to the comforts of home. Even better they get to play the Bears, who might be the worst team in football. The Bears are likely without Jay Cutler for this game, meaning Jimmy Clausen will be making the start. Imagining Clausen trying to lead the Bears to victory in Seattle makes me laugh. If the Seahawks can't blow the doors off Chicago this week, something might really be wrong with the two time defending NFC champions. Their defense also will be getting back Kam Chancellor, who had seen enough and is returning to save the day!

Prediction: Seattle 38, Chicago 17

Denver (2-0) at Detroit (0-2), No Line

Much like the Seahawks, the Lions are more than happy to be returning home after opening the season with 2 road losses. They face a tough opponent in the Broncos, who showed great resiliency in their win at Kansas City last Thursday. In the first half of that game Peyton Manning and the entire team looked like 6-10 team I predicted they would be. Then in the second half Manning came alive and the defense created some turnovers and the Broncos were all of the sudden 2-0. They still haven't gotten their running game going, although in my opinion Ronnie Hillman has shown more than C.J. Anderson and should start receiving more carries. The Lions don't have much of a running game either, so expect to see lots of passes in this one. These two offenses used to be very high octane, and I think this game three years ago would have me a lot more excited for it than it would now. However, Calvin Johnson and Demaryius Thomas are two of the top receivers in football and each should make some big plays in this game. I like Denver to once again find a way to pull out a tough victory on the road.

Prediction: Denver 24, Detroit 21


Monday, September 28

Kansas City (1-1) at Green Bay (2-0), Green Bay favored by 6 1/2

Kansas City will have had 11 days to stew over their crushing home loss to the Broncos. The player stewing the most has to be Jamaal Charles. It was his crucial fumble late that cost the Chiefs. He also had a fumble earlier in the game that Denver converted into points, overshadowing what was a really strong performance for the most part from him. Alex Smith did not have a strong performance against Denver and was careless with the ball, something that is uncharacteristic of him. The Packers RB Eddie Lacy is questionable, but James Starks is experienced and stepped in against the Seahawks and nearly ran for 100 yards. The Packers offense continues to hum along, even as players go down. As long as they have Aaron Rodgers quarterbacking, it doesn't seem to matter who else is hurt. The Packers are seemingly unbeatable at Lambeau, and I expect it to be a long night for the Chiefs. Also, yes, Smith has still not thrown a touchdown to a wide receiver this year.

Prediction: Green Bay 34, Kansas City 21

Last Week Straight Up: 7-9
Overall Straight Up: 18-14

Last Week Against the Spread: 7-9
Overall Against the Spread: 17-14-1

The Hail Mary - Week 2

Sunday, September 20

San Francisco (1-0) at Pittsburgh (0-1), Pittsburgh favored by 5 1/2

I am not really pleased with the NFL schedule makers. How is it fair to make the Niners go play the Steelers on six days rest after having to fly cross country, while the Steelers would have had 10 days of rest for this game? That point aside, I was very pleased with how the 49ers looked last Monday night. There certainly was some sloppiness and the passing game could still use some work, but the defense played way better than I or anyone else expected. Also, we saw the emergence of Carlos Hyde. I expected Hyde to do well this season and even bought his jersey, but never would have guessed he would announce his presence so convincingly last Monday night. Hopefully, he can do more of that Sunday against the Steelers, who struggled at times stopping the Patriots no name running backs. The Steelers also had a tough time covering Rob Gronkowski. I mean, that isn't breaking news, everyone struggles to cover Gronk, but maybe there are some plays to be made for Vernon Davis, who actually showed a pulse against Minnesota. I hope to see the same poise out of Colin Kaepernick playing on the road, that we saw from him at home. For the Steelers, they hope that DeAngelo Williams picks up where he left off last week. Williams rushed for 127 yards and looked like his old self from 3 or 4 seasons ago. Le'Veon Bell returns next week, so the Steelers just need one more week of production out of Williams. The 49ers know that Antonio Brown will get his 5 or 6 catches, they just have to try to contain him and not let him break for big gains. I don't expect the 49ers to win this game but I do expect them to make it competitive and give a good accounting of themselves, further proving that they are still able to compete with the best this season.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 24, San Francisco 17

Detroit (0-1) at Minnesota (0-1), Minnesota favored by 3

It was an ugly start to the season for everyone's sleeper pick, the Vikings. The offense could get nothing going and the defense was run all over by Carlos Hyde. People aren't jumping off the bandwagon yet, but it will have some space open up if Minnesota loses at home to Detroit on Sunday. The Lions roared out of the gates at San Diego, including rookie Ameer Abdullah rushing for a touchdown in his first regular season carry. But then the defense fell apart and the offense started looking like the uneven unit we saw in 2014. The Lions brought on Haloti Ngata to be the new Suh but he's an older, less athletic model. The goal for the Vikings and Norv Turner specifically for this game should be to feed Adrian Peterson early and often. He seemed hesitant to go to Peterson for some reason, when Peterson should be fresher than ever after a year off. This will also be Peterson's first home game since the 2013 season, so I expect him to get a strong reaction.

Prediction: Minnesota 26, Detroit 24

St. Louis (1-0) at Washington (0-1), St. Louis favored by 3 1/2

During the off-season the Rams were declaring that with their ferocious pass rush, and the addition of Nick Foles and drafting Todd Gurley this was finally the year they would make the leap. They got off on the right foot by beating the defending NFC Champion Seahawks last week. Now to truly make the leap, you can't be a team that springs an upset from time to time because you are so pumped for the game. You have to be able to beat the teams you are supposed to beat, which is what St. Louis faces this weekend in Washington. It's funny because in previous years when these teams played it was always a game the Redskins should win and they almost never did. Kirk Cousins was slightly above mediocre in his first start of the season, certainly not this player that some Redskins fans were saying would bring them to 8 or 9 wins and was such a drastic improvement from RGIII. He was good for 2 interceptions, which it seems, he's good for just about every game. The Redskins line did a good job against the Dolphins rush, but I don't think they will have the answers for a Rams pass rush that sacked Russell Wilson six times last week. I expect to see Cousins flat on his back a lot or rushing his passes, which you guessed it, will lead to interceptions. The Skins secondary is dealing with injuries and suspensions, and Tavon Austin is the type of player that has given the Redskins fits over the years, so I expect at least one big play out of him.

Prediction: St. Louis 26, Washington 17

Houston (0-1) at Carolina (1-0), Carolina favored by 3

Houston came out completely flat for their home opener against the Chiefs and have already created a quarterback controversy one game into the season. Coach Bill O'Brien pulled Brian Hoyer in the second half in favor or Ryan Mallett. Once Mallett came into the game the Texans offense did seem to respond to him. Now O'Brien is saying this week's quarterback is a secret, despite the age old rule that secrets don't make friends. I figured he was going to go with Mallett and that has already started leaking out to the press. The Panthers won a boring game against Jacksonville, but this game against the Texans should be interesting as Cam tries to elude J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney. It was a very poor performance for the Houston defense in Week 1. The Panthers don't have a player as dynamic as Jamaal Charles, but I still think they will put up enough points to send the Texans to another loss.

Prediction: Carolina 24, Houston 17

Tampa Bay (0-1) at New Orleans (0-1), New Orleans favored by 9 1/2

The Saints are looking to break a 5 game losing streak at home against the putrid Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were walloped by Tennessee at home as Jameis Winston looked every bit the rookie he is. The Saints showed the same problems in Week 1 that we saw from them last season. Too many turnovers by Drew Brees and a defense that can't consistently stop anyone. Playing Tampa at home should at least provide a one week reprieve from what ails the Saints, if not, their problems are even worse than imagined.

Prediction: New Orleans 38, Tampa Bay 24

Arizona (1-0) at Chicago (0-1), Arizona favored by 1 1/2

Carson Palmer is back from injury and continued his winning ways as the Cardinals quarterback. One thing he had started doing last season that was different for the Cardinals organization, was taking them on the road and winning in tough places. We will find out Sunday if he still has that magic, as the Cardinals travel to Chicago. The Bears kept things interesting with Green Bay and Matt Forte had a hell of a game, but like it was the story most of 2014, it just wasn't enough and Jay Cutler couldn't make the big plays needed down the stretch. I expect Smokin Jay to throw a couple picks against the Cardinals tough secondary, and I think Palmer and the Cardinals offense, even with a depleted running back corps, will be able to pass the ball pretty much at will, leading to a relatively stress free win.

Prediction: Arizona 30, Chicago 20

New England (1-0) at Buffalo (1-0), New England favored by 1

Rex Ryan renews his battles with New England but this time as a Buffalo Bills coach. I commented last week how I didn't understand why Bills fans were so hyped for this year's team, and then they went out and dominated my AFC champion pick, the Colts. LeSean McCoy mad some plays, as did Tyrod Taylor, but annoyingly to me for fantasy football reasons, Sammy Watkins was held without catch. I would think the Bills will make a conscious effort in this game of getting Sammy the ball. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski picked up where they left off last season, connecting for 3 touchdowns and looking unstoppable in the redzone. The Patriots also will have LaGarrette Blount back in the lineup for this game after he served his 1 game suspension. The Bills have a far better defense than Pittsburgh and I am sure Ryan will be coming up with some ways to not let Gronk beat them. The Bills have had some success at home against the Patriots in recent years, but not this year. I think mental toughness will be the deciding factor late in this game, as the team that knows how to win will beat the team that is still learning.

Prediction: New England 23, Buffalo 19

San Diego (1-0) at Cincinnati (1-0), Cincinnati favored by 3 1/2

The Chargers trailed the Lions 21-3 but then stormed back to victory with Philip Rivers and the passing game looking on point. One player that had a monster game was Keenan Allen. Allen came onto the scene in 2013, surprising everyone. In 2014, he surprised everyone the wrong way by not building upon that season. However, if the start to his 2015 is any indication than he should be in for a big year. Rookie Melvin Gordon showed some flashes running the ball but also fumbled, so it was an uneven debut for him. The Bengals went to Oakland crushed the Raiders and set themselves up nicely for another season where they do well before losing right away in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see how Andy Dalton plays in this game, because if he struggles, I expect the crowd to get on him. Bengals fans were starved for success for almost two decades, now they are starving for a playoff win. These are two evenly matched teams, and I expect a close game that isn't decided until the final few minutes.

Prediction: Cincinnati 27, San Diego 21

Tennessee (1-0) at Cleveland (0-1), Line is a pick em

Marcus Mariota had a debut for the ages. He barely completed any passes and had 4 touchdowns. I definitely give him his due, that's a heck of a start to your career, but lets not crown him just yet. He did it against a really bad Buccaneers team. He could be in line for another big game this week as the Titans face the awful Browns. Johnny Football was on the scene last week as Josh McCown suffered a concussion. Manziel did throw a touchdown pass but he was also a turnover machine. He may be at least saying and doing all the right things but his actual quarterbacking talent still leaves a lot to be desired. With the Colts coming to Tennessee next week, Titans fans might be really excited and feeling good about themselves at 2-0.

Prediction: Tennessee 33, Cleveland 20

Atlanta (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1), New York Giants favored by 2 1/2

These teams had opposite late game results in Week 1. The Falcons managed the clock, made the right decisions and beat the Eagles with a late field goal. The Giants squandered their chance for a win at Dallas by making just about every wrong decision you could make with the ball under 2 minutes. You have Eli Manning telling Rashad Jennings not to score even though that put them up 2 touchdowns because he doesn't think Dallas has any timeouts. Then you have the Giants passing the ball on third down, when just running it and kicking a field goal would have killed about 40 seconds. That result could end up being the difference between the Giants winning the division or earning a playoff berth. The home crowd might let them hear their displeasure from that game if the Giants start slowly on Sunday. However, I think the Giants showed some promising signs before the late collapse, especially on defense. The big task for the Giants defense will be finding a way to somehow slow down Julio Jones. For Atlanta, it will be stopping Odell Beckham Jr. who was a non-factor in Dallas. I think Beckham gets back on track this weekend and New York earns their first win.

Prediction: New York Giants 29, Atlanta 24

Miami (1-0) at Jacksonville (0-1), Miami favored by 6

The Dolphins got the win but it was one of those wins where you feel slightly dirty afterwards. Ryan Tannehill didn't look very good and the Dolphins defensive front, which was supposed to be rock solid with Ndamukong Suh, was run all over by Alfred Morris. The glass half full way of looking at it is this is just a work in progress and the Dolphins will improve. They should be 2-0 on Sunday after they beat Bloof Borkles and the pussycats. For the second straight season I was seeing Twitter clowns saying how good Borkles looked and the Jags were up and coming, blah, blah. Then they did nothing on offense and looked like the same sad sacks they have been for a while now. It would be nice if Miami could look a little better against an inferior team this weekend, but in the NFL wins are at a premium, so no matter what the score, just get a win.

Prediction: Miami 24, Jacksonville 13

Baltimore (0-1) at Oakland (0-1), Baltimore favored by 6 1/2

The Ravens had a tough luck loss to Denver, giving it away late when Joe Flacco threw a pick six. They also lost the heart and soul of their defense, Terrell Suggs for the season. The new Jack Del Rio era for the Raiders started a lot like the last 4 or 5 new eras have been for Oakland, dreadfully. They lost quarterback Derek Carr to injury and were lambasted by the Bengals. Carr's status for this game is questionable, and if he plays he gives the Raiders a slight chance versus no chance at all if Matt McGloin is the starter. I think this game will give the Ravens the opportunity to get some momentum on offense, especially Justin Forsett. Flacco needs to start finding out who he can count on receiving wise besides Steve Smith Sr. Playing the Raiders is a great chance for a receiver to step up and make some plays.

Prediction: Baltimore 35, Oakland 20

Dallas (1-0) at Philadelphia (0-1), Philadelphia favored by 5 1/2

The Cowboys snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Giants, so they got to feel good about themselves, but let me be Critical Chris here for a minute. Some people just assumed the Cowboys run game would march on without DeMarco Murray because of their offensive line. But based on Dallas' play calling, the staff doesn't appear to have the faith in Joseph Randle or Darren McFadden to be their bell cow like Murray. Some of the lack of carries was dictated by Dallas trailing, but even in the first half when the score was closer, Dallas wasn't pounding the ball with the run the same successful way they had last year. Then their offense took another hit with Dez Bryant breaking hit foot and being out at least a month now. Tony Romo was masterful on the game winning drive and is a good enough quarterback to bring others up to his level so I think the Cowboys offense will still find success. For the Eagles, their first game was a tale of two halves. The first half was a complete disaster and had everyone talking about what an idiot Chip Kelly was for turning his team over to Sam Bradford. But in the second half, Bradford got much more comfortable, they started finding ways to use Murray and they looked like a lethal unit. Murray had two touchdowns but hardly any carries so hopefully Kelly rethinks that strategy starting Sunday against Dallas. I expect to see both offenses in peak form and putting up points against shaky defenses.

Prediction: Philadelphia 38, Dallas 34

Seattle (0-1) at Green Bay (1-0), Green Bay favored by 3 1/2

It's a rematch from last season's NFC Championship game. For those that need a refresher, the Packers jumped out to a 16-0 lead and were just five minutes away from sealing the deal before they suffered an incredible choke and lost. The Packers will say all the right things about this not being a revenge game but they will be looking to get the monkey of beating the Seahawks off their backs. Aaron Rodgers has struggled mightily against Seattle but those games were in Seattle. Playing in the friendly confines of Lambeau Field should elevate his game. It also appears the Seahawks pass defense is not quite what it was, if their performance against the Rams last week is any indication. It might be that they are missing the presence of Kam Chancellor, who is still holding out for more money, despite having three years left on his contract. Rodgers showed that even without Jordy Nelson, he can still put up impressive numbers. The biggest beneficiary of Nelson's injury appears to be James Jones. Without Nelson getting injured, the Packers probably would have never brought Jones back into the fold. But there he was last week, catching two touchdown passes and looking like he had never left. The Packers defense had a hell of a time with Matt Forte last week and that could spell trouble this week as they try to stop Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch. Homefield has made a tremendous advantage for Seattle when these teams have played, and I think the Lambeau crowd will make the difference in this one.

Prediction: Green Bay 34, Seattle 26


Monday, September 21

New York Jets (1-0) at Indianapolis (0-1), Indianapolis favored by 7

The Colts come into this game as a desperate team after an embarrassing performance in Buffalo last week. Their high powered offense was shut out for most of the game and their new acquisitions Frank Gore and Andre Johnson did next to nothing. The Colts offense has to get on track because the defense is still mediocre at best. The Colts defense should be able to limit a Jets offense that doesn't have a whole ton of weapons aside from Brandon Marshall. Chris Ivory can be dangerous as a running back but he suffers from the Jets never truly committing to giving him the ball. The Jets defense, especially Darrelle Revis will present challenges for Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton. It is imperative that Gore and Johnson start producing this week and I think they will.

Prediction: Indianapolis 27, New York Jets 17

Last Week Straight Up: 11-5
Overall Straight Up: 11-5

Last Week Against the Spread: 10-5-1
Overall Against the Spread: 10-5-1

The Hail Mary - Week 1

The 2015 NFL season is upon us! After an off-season dominated by the size of balls, we can finally get back to worrying about how many times those balls cross the goal line instead of how much they weigh. It seems that most of the recent usual suspects are the main Super Bowl contenders including defending champion New England, and other recent champions Seattle, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. My favorite team, the 49ers aren't in that conversation as they are coming off one of the most tumultuous off-seasons in sports history. The Miami Dolphins feel that Ryan Tannehill is ready to make the leap to one of the league's best quarterbacks in a make or break season for coach Joe Philbin. The Minnesota Vikings are many people's sleeper to have a strong season with the return of Adrian Peterson and the continued development of Teddy Bridegewater. The Washington Redskins are another team in constant turmoil, where whose sucking who off has gotten just as much talk as how the Redskins might do in 2015. The Philadelphia Eagles made a ton of headlines as Chip Kelly continued his team overhaul, shipping off running back LeSean McCoy and letting Jeremy Maclin go to the Chiefs in free agency. He has put his trust into oft-injured Sam Bradford, who looks to keep his career alive in Philly.


Sunday, September 13

Miami at Washington, Miami favored by 3 1/2

The Dolphins made one of the biggest splashes, pun intended, in free agency by signing Ndamukong Suh. Suh will undoubtedly help a Dolphins run defense that struggled last season but the real difference in whether Miami finally returns to the playoffs or not is how Ryan Tannehill gels with his new look receiving corps. Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline are gone, replaced by Kenny Stills and Greg Jennings. The Redskins have appeared to move on from the Robert Griffin III era with Kirk Cousins being announced as the starter for the 2015 season. Now knowing how things go for Washington, Cousins will probably get hurt this game, lost for the season and Griffin will end up starting again. The Skins added some new pieces on the defensive side include Terrence "Pot Roast" Knighton and former 49er castoffs S Dashon Goldson and CB Chris Culliver. They also finally got rid of Jim Haslett as defensive coordinator, replacing him with Joe Barry, a guy who coordinated the 0-16 Lions defense. I expect a competitive, back and forth game, but for Tannehill to lead a game winning field goal drive, giving the Dolphins the victory.

Prediction: Miami 26, Washington 23

Green Bay at Chicago, Green Bay favored by 7

The Packers are my pick to take home the Lombardi trophy this year, even after losing WR Jordy Nelson for the season. When you have the best quarterback in football, those types of losses can be overcome. The loss of Nelson did help James Jones find his way back to Green Bay. Since leaving the Packers Jones has become a nobody but if he gets some decent playing time, I wouldn't be surprised to see him putting up strong numbers again. The Bears are starting the John Fox era as the fanbase grows more and more restless with Jay Cutler. The only emotion that Cutler can seem to put forth is general disinterest, so its understandable that Bears fans aren't sold on him being the guy to lead them to glory. The Packers haven't lost in Chicago since 2010 and that streak will hold up after Sunday's game.

Prediction: Green Bay 28, Chicago 17

Kansas City at Houston, Houston favored by 1

I'm high on the Chiefs and think that year three of the Big Red era of Andy Reid will be the one to give Kansas City the AFC West title. I like the addition of Jeremy Maclin to the receiving corps and think it guarantees that at least the Chiefs will have a receiver catch a touchdown this year. Alex Smith has proven that on teams that are good enough he can effectively manage them to success. Houston is strong on defense but aside from WR DeAndre Hopkins they have a ton of questions on the offensive side. Former Browns starter Brian Hoyer is now the Texans starter and Houston will also have to do without RB Arian Foster for quite some time as he injured his groin in training camp. Houston managed to win 9 games last year playing Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Mallett and Case Keenum, so J.J. Watt and that defense, especially with Jadaveon Clowney back from injury may be enough for Houston to make the playoffs this year. However, it won't be enough for them to open the season with a victory.

Prediction: Kansas City 21, Houston 20

Cleveland at New York Jets, New York Jets favored by 3

Josh McCown versus Ryan Fitzpatrick, feel the excitement! I expect this game to receive the least amount of attention on Red Zone, because very little scoring will be happening. The Jets made headlines by finally firing Rex Ryan and replacing him with Todd Bowles. They then made more headlines when their starting quarterback Geno Smith got his jaw broken by a now ex-teammate named IK. The Browns had their fans excited last season as they entered playoff contention going into December., but in typical Browns fashion they collapsed. They changed up their uniforms but they are still the same old poopy Browns.

Prediction: New York Jets 9, Cleveland 3

Indianapolis at Buffalo, Indianapolis favored by 2 1/2

Bills fans seem irrationally excited about the 2015 season. Sure they did pick up LeSean McCoy from the Eagles, but unless Richie Incognito taking a year off from football made him better, their offensive line is still not very good. They also have Tyrod Taylor as their quarterback, a guy who has never started an NFL game in his life and has zero career touchdown passes. Rex Ryan is back to his blustery ways, even though he hasn't been a winning coach since 2011. The Colts have Super Bowl aspirations and it would seem to be the natural progression for them under Andrew Luck. In his first three seasons they have gone Wild Card exit, Divisional Round exit and last season the AFC Championship. They have some new weapons on offense in RB Frank Gore and WR Andre Johnson, though both are pretty old, so it is clearly a win now scenario for Indy. Defensively, the Colts still appear to be mediocre, but if Gore can give them a more consistent running game to go with the lethalness of Luck it may not matter.

Prediction: Indianapolis 27, Buffalo 20

Carolina at Jacksonville, Carolina favored by 3

For the second straight year Bloof Borkles played pretty well in the preseason, making some people start saying how good he can be. Now those people are all on Twitter, which has the tendency to jump the gun on everything so maybe most football fans hold sane opinions on Borkles. Cam Newton lost his best offensive weapon, Kelvin Benjamin to the meaningless preseason which means more pressure on Luke Kuechly and the defense to drive any success the Panthers might have. Starting your season against Jacksonville is one way to at least ensure you start off the season on a high.

Prediction: Carolina 20, Jacksonville 14

Seattle at St. Louis, Seattle favored by 4

All offseason Seattle has felt the need to tell everyone that there will be no lingering effects from their crushing Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. Usually when someone has to keep telling everyone something over and over, they are overcompensating for the truth. I don't think the Seahawks will miss the playoffs or fall off a cliff but I do expect to see more of the turmoil that plagued them throughout parts of the 2014 season. For Jeff Fisher it has to be a make or break season as you would think the Rams are starting to get hip to the fact that mostly produces mediocrity. Fisher gave up on Sam Bradford and is now hopeful that Nick Foles can lead the team to glory, along with new running back Todd Gurley. The Rams boast one of the best defenses in football, so if they can get even the faint of a pulse from their offense they could be a team to contend with.

Prediction: Seattle 19, St. Louis 14

New Orleans at Arizona, Arizona favored by 2 1/2

The Saints used to never win on the road but dominated at home, then at the end of last season, they couldn't even win at home anymore, dropping five straight at the Superdome. Arizona saw a promising season go down the tubes when Carson Palmer was injured and they had no viable backup behind him. They better hope that Palmer, who is OLD, doesn't get hurt this year, as Drew Stanton is their backup. Arizona is hard to beat home and the Saints are easy to beat when they play on the road. Seems like a pretty clear cut pick to me.

Prediction: Arizona 31, New Orleans 21

Detroit at San Diego, San Diego favored by 3

The Chargers off-season was spent talking about a potential future move to Los Angeles and also signing Philip Rivers to an extension. Their team remains largely the same from last year as they were playing for the playoffs until the last game of the season but came up short. The Lions had a referee's decision go against them in a Wild Card game against Dallas, and then saw the departure of their best defensive player Ndamukong Suh. Suh and Nick Fairley were supposed to be the monsters of the defensive line for years to come and now neither player is on the roster. Their quarterback Matt Stafford had an underwhelming year last season, as did "Megatron" Calvin Johnson. Without Golden Tate's contributions the Lions could have been almost putrid on offense. I think their offense will more resemble the unit that we saw in 2011 and that will begin this weekend. However, I think their defense will also start to more likely resemble that 2011 unit, leading to a lot of high scoring losses.

Prediction: San Diego 35, Detroit 31

Tennessee at Tampa Bay, Tampa Bay favored by 3

An otherwise underwhelming matchup between the Titans and Bucs will be slightly more interesting as it pits number one pick of the Bucs QB Jameis Winston, against number two pick of the Titans QB Marcus Mariota. People have been down on Winston because of his uneven performances in preseason but then were high on Mariota for not throwing interceptions in practice. At least starting Sunday, we will have some real evidence to judge these guys on versus meaningless games and practices. I expect both players to show flashes but also make many, many mistakes, leading to a pretty ugly game.

Prediction: Tampa Bay 17, Tennessee 16

Cincinnati at Oakland, Cincinnati favored by 3 1/2

Another meaningless Bengals regular season begins. I say that because the last few years they will look good in the regular season and then look absolutely putrid in their Wild Card game, rendering the four months before that irrelevant. The Raiders would love to just be able to look putrid in a Wild Card game, having not made the playoffs in over a decade. Derek Carr had a pretty good rookie season and the Raiders are hopeful that Jack Del Rio is finally the coach to lead them back to the playoffs. I think the Raiders have some solid young pieces but are still a year or two away from being real contenders. I expect the Bengals to regress this season but at least start the season on the right note.

Prediction: Cincinnati 24, Oakland 20

Baltimore at Denver, Denver favored by 4 1/2

Probably my boldest prediction is the fall of the Denver Broncos. I picked them to go 6-10, mostly because I am not confident in Peyton Manning staying healthy this season. He didn't miss any games last season but he saw his performance dip considerably towards the end of the season. I expect that to happen early this season. I am not confident that the Broncos have the pieces in their run game or defense to pick up the slack for a less than optimal Manning. The Ravens have questions around their depth as a whole and also about some pieces on their offense. Can Justin Forsett recreate the magic of his 2014 season? How much will Joe Flacco miss the deep threat that Torrey Smith afforded him and does Steve Smith have one last strong season left in him? I think the answers to most of those questions will end up in a positive fashion for Baltimore which is why I picked them to win the AFC North. When they go to Denver and win on Sunday, many will point to it as an upset, but I will have told you the future.

Prediction: Baltimore 26, Denver 21

New York Giants at Dallas, Dallas favored by 6

NBC loves them some Giants at Cowboys to open up their Sunday night football slate. The Giants have been largely irrelevant the last few seasons, which is what the Cowboys mostly were until last year's run to an NFC East title. This year, we figure to find out the answer to the question of just how much that Cowboys offensive line was responsible for DeMarco Murray's career year last season. Murry went to Philadelphia and has been replaced by underwear and cologne thief Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. If those guys end up having big years, then that Cowboys offensive line may be just as good as the ones from their Super Bowl years in the 90s. Neither of these teams is impressive defensively, so I expect a lot of fireworks in this game, and for Eli Manning to bust out Eli face a few times. I think Tony Romo will pick up from where he left off last season and get off to a strong start to this season, helping Dallas earn the win.

Prediction: Dallas 35, New York Giants 30


Monday, September 14

Philadelphia at Atlanta, Philadelphia favored by 3

No team is harder to predict this season than the Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly made so many roster changes and definitely some questionable ones, that no one is quite sure how it will come together. My thought is there won't be mediocrity in Philadelphia this year. They will either be really good or really bad. If anyone can revive Sam Bradford's career it would probably be Chip Kelly. But while Kelly can give Bradford all the tools he needs to be successful on the field, he can't protect his ACLs which seem to be torn apart quite often. DeMarco Murray had a monster season last year, but the question is how much did the workload the Cowboys give him last year going to affect his durability in future seasons? The Eagles do have plenty of depth at running back with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles backing Murray up. The Falcons have a new head coach in former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and he will need to impart some of his wisdom to that defense quickly as they have been atrocious the last few seasons. Offense hasn't really been a problem for Atlanta and with Kyle Shanahan aboard as offensive coordinator, I think Matt Ryan and especially Julio Jones could be in for monster seasons. The Falcons running game is more of a question mark as Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have not just been battling each other, but injuries as well. I think the Monday night performance we get from Philly will be similar to the one we saw two years ago when Kelly made his debut as coach. At least for one game, Kelly will again be lauded as a genius by all the football pundits.

Prediction: Philadelphia 35, Atlanta 21

Minnesota at San Francisco, Minnesota favored by 2 1/2

The Vikings and the 49ers couldn't be headed in any more of a different direction if they tried. Minnesota is filled with optimism. QB Teddy Bridgewater had a promising rookie season, Adrian Peterson is back and perhaps even better after having a year off and Mike Zimmer is considered an up and coming elite head coach. The 49ers on the other hand had an insanely turbulent offseason. It started the day after their disappointing 2014 season ended, when Jim Harbaugh was fired, resigned, whoever you believe. Then throughout the off-season the 49ers saw Anthony Davis, Patrick Willis,  Chris Borland and Justin Smith all retire and the departures through free agency of Frank Gore and Michael Crabtree. Jim Tomsula, a loyal, longtime defensive line coach with San Francisco is now the head coach. I still have hope that the 49ers can be respectable this season, which might be blind homer optimism. The 49ers defense looks almost completely different from the group that started the season a year ago. One positive will be the return of LB NaVarro Bowman, who sat out the 2014 season due to injury. He has looked really strong in preseason play and with Willis and Smith retiring he steps in as the veteran leader on that side of the ball. The 49ers season will mostly hinge on the development of Colin Kaepernick. Kap regressed badly last season and the 49ers offense was mediocre at best. Geep Chryst takes over for Greg Roman, and Roman had definitely worn out his welcome in San Francisco. Chryst will be judged on how much better he can have Kap play this year. While Crabtree is now a Raider, it could be argued that his replacement, Torrey Smith is a better player anyway. Another player that needs to return to from is TE Vernon Davis, who was clearly not on the same page as Kap last season. The 49ers also have high hopes for Gore's replacement, second year player Carlos Hyde, who only saw limited action last year behind Gore. I think at least for one night, in front of their home fans, the 49ers will be able to put aside their terrible off-season and give us fans hope that they could make a playoff push in 2015.

Prediction: San Francisco 24, Minnesota 20