Yes, I got my Thursday night pick wrong, but I barely watched the game (that's what happens when there's a Game 5 in baseball). Now it's on to the rest of the week
49ers (1-4) at Bills (3-2): Buffalo-America's favorite oppressed minority activist makes his first start of the season this week. And LeSean McCoy responded by inviting cops to the game. It really doesn't make a difference how well Kaepernick does over the final 11 games. He's all but guaranteed to be released after the season. Oh yeah, the Bills are playing in this game, too. They're better than the 49ers, no matter who's playing quarterback for San Francisco.
Jaguars (1-3) at Bears (1-4): Jacksonville-One of these teams has to win this week. Of course, for the Bears to win, that will likely require them scoring more than 17 points. A lot of people have said that Chicago is better than its record. I'm not sure I agree. The Bears aren't good. Jacksonville, however, I think IS better than its record. Especially coming off a bye, I like the Jaguars in this one.
Rams (3-2) at Lions (2-3): Los Angeles-LA lost to Buffalo last week and is no longer in control of the NFC West. Now they hit the road to face a Lions team that knocked the Eagles from the ranks of the undefeated last week. But they've also lost to the Titans and Bears. The Lions are quite the enigma. Which Detroit team will show up? Which Rams team will show up? I think LA bounces back, while the Lions suffer a massive post-Eagles letdown.
Browns (0-5) at Titans (2-3): Tennessee-Another game where two bad teams take on each other. The Titans might be just the right team to get Cleveland over the hump...because if they can't get this one, the Browns could easily be 0-12 at their bye. Tennessee has a chance to get to .500, though. It's been a long time since the Titans were there. And they could actually be tied for first in the AFC South if the Colts beat the Texans.
Steelers (4-1) at Dolphins (1-4): Pittsburgh-That was quite a recovery from that blowout against the Eagles, wasn't it? Pittsburgh's one of the best teams in football, if not THE best, and they'll get another chance to prove it against the Dolphins.
Bengals (2-3) at Patriots (4-1): New England-Cincinnati might be the best 2-3 team in football. They've had a brutal schedule to start the season, which will start to get easier next week. They're in danger of slipping out of contention in the AFC North, though. Problem is they face the Patriots this week in Brady's first home game. We saw what he did in Cleveland in his 2016 debut. You know he'll be just as amped up to take the field in Foxboro for the first time this season.
Panthers (1-4) at Saints (1-3): New Orleans-Things have certainly gone differently for the Carolina Panthers this season, haven't they? The same could probably be said about the Saints, too. Both of these teams came into the season with high expectations, but are at risk of seeing Atlanta run away with the division. The loser of this game will likely knock themselves out of wild card contention, as well. The Panthers have lost to both the Falcons and Bucs in the last two weeks. Make that three division losses in a row.
Ravens (3-2) at Giants (2-3): Giants-Finally some relief for a Giants team that's had to go to both Minnesota and Green Bay in the last two weeks. And, frankly, they needed a trip home. After three straight losses, they badly need a win, too, before next week's journey across the pond. Baltimore's in a similar boat. Losses to the Raiders and Redskins after starting 3-0. Something's gotta give in this one. Which losing streak comes to an end? I'll say it's the home team's.
Eagles (3-1) at Redskins (3-2): Philadelphia-Not only did the Eagles suffer their first loss of the season last week, they dropped out of first place. Now they find themselves in what probably feels like a virtual must-win in Washington. The Redskins have been playing some good football themselves after an 0-2 start. The winner stays firmly in the NFC East race. I'll say that's Philly.
Chiefs (2-2) at Raiders (4-1): Oakland-When's the last time the Raiders were favored against the Chiefs? When's the last time the Raiders were legitimately considered this good? With Denver's loss, they've got a chance to move into first place. You can bet on it. Take that to Vegas.
Cowboys (4-1) at Packers (3-1): Green Bay-Talk about a marquee matchup! Dallas-Green Bay would be worthwhile anytime, but especially now with the Cowboys and Packers both coming in playing this well. Dallas has arguably been the best team not named Minnesota over the past couple of weeks. But they haven't faced an opponent anywhere near the Packers' caliber yet. Definitely not on the road. This is the biggest test Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have had so far.
Falcons (4-1) at Seahawks (3-1): Seattle-If Cowboys-Packers wasn't enough for you, the other FOX late game is Falcons-Seahawks. Four of the six NFC teams with either zero or one loss take on each other in the best pair of 4:30 games all season. There's been a lot of Matt Ryan for MVP talk, mainly because the Falcons offense has been putting up video game numbers. Their most impressive win so far came last week in Denver. But they've spent the entire week out west in preparation for Seattle. That was probably the right move for them. The problem is, they have to face the Seahawks in front of the 12th Man, which isn't a fun proposition for anybody, no matter how good they are.
Colts (2-3) at Texans (3-2): Houston-We're gonna learn a lot about the AFC South on Sunday night. Are the Texans still the best team in the division? Or can the Colts actually challenge them? We'll find out. This is Houston's division until Indy proves otherwise, though. And with the game taking place in Houston, I'm even more inclined to take the Texans.
Jets (1-4) at Cardinals (2-3): Arizona-Arizona's season has gone incredibly similar to Carolina's. But the Cardinals have at least shown some signs of life. Especially in last Thursday's win over the 49ers. Arizona's had plenty of time off to get used to life without Carson Palmer, and that extra rest is probably a good thing. The Jetropolitans, meanwhile, play their fourth road game in the first six weeks. It hasn't been an easy stretch for them, and they cap it off with a Monday night in Phoenix. That's not any easier. The Cardinals get back to .500.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 11-3
Season: 50-28
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