We all know what game is on Sunday night this week. I can't wait (although, I am kind of torn because in order for the Tigers to win, there has to be a Game 7, which would be at the same time). There hasn't been this much hype surrounding a regular season game since Brett Favre's first game in Lambeau as a member of the Packers. The difference this time, though, is that Colts fans still like Peyton.
There are, of course, 12 other games to be played on Sunday, as well as the Monday night game, but for most people, there's only one that matters. As for the rest of those games...
Buccaneers (0-5) at Falcons (1-4): Atlanta-Good news, Falcons. You don't have to play an AFC East team this week. And, you didn't lose last week, either. The Falcons are also fortunate that they're playing the Bucs this week. Tampa Bay's the only team in the NFC that can manage to make the Giants look good. Even without Roddy White and Julio Jones, I think Atlanta finally picks up its second W.
Bengals (4-2) at Lions (4-2): Cincinnati-Who had both of these teams at 4-2 with one in first place and the other tied for first at the time of this meeting? Anybody? I'm still slightly confused by the Bengals. They beat the Packers and held the Patriots to six points, yet lost to Cleveland and went to overtime last week in Buffalo. In a surprisingly good matchup, I'll go with the better Bengals team. I also think that the guys in Vegas should allow side bets on how much Ndamukong Suh will be fined after he tries to decapitate Andy Dalton.
Bills (2-4) at Dolphins (3-2): Miami-One of the NFL's one-time great rivalries gets renewed with Miami on its way back to relevance. The Dolphins are coming off their bye, while the Bills almost pulled the upset against Cincinnati last week. I think that's going to be the story of the Bills' season. They'll be competitive with everybody, but the little things will be the difference in the end. That's why I'm picking Miami.
Patriots (5-1) at Jets (3-3): New England-Am I the only person who doesn't let any Rex Ryan and the Jets' talking/whining about the Patriots even register? I'm not even sure what kind of point they try to make. The Patriots have owned all three of the other teams in that division for a decade! And there isn't really anything the Jets can do to change it. At least not this year. The first game was closer than it should've been mainly because it was played in a driving rain. It'll be nice at the Meadowlands tomorrow.
Cowboys (3-3) at Eagles (3-3): Philadelphia-This is a battle for first place in the NFC Least. That's right. The Cowboys, who are just as capable of hanging with Denver as they are at almost giving away a game to the Giants, are tied for first place with the Eagles, who were 1-3 two weeks ago. It's a sad state of affairs in the NFC Least. I made this pick before Michael Vick announced he wouldn't play, but I have full confidence in Nick Foles, as well as Tony Romo and his ability to lose a winnable game.
Bears (4-2) at Redskins (1-4): Chicago-The Redskins are favored. I have no idea why. They shouldn't be. Chicago's a really good team. Washington isn't. Especially with Robert Griffin III as limited as he's been for most of the season.
Rams (3-3) at Panthers (2-3): St. Louis-Ditto on this game. I can't figure out why the Panthers are favored. Unless they only gave Carolina a slight nod because the game's in Charlotte. That shouldn't matter, though. The Rams are turning into a very formidable team. Case in point, last week's demolition of the Texans in Houston. That game wasn't close. The Panthers won last week, too, but they beat the Vikings, which barely counts. St. Louis extends its winning streak to three straight.
Chargers (3-3) at Jaguars (0-6): San Diego-There's hope for Jacksonville yet. They actually looked like something that resembled a professional football team in last week's closer-than-expected loss to the Broncos. It doesn't mean the Jaguars are going to beat a Chargers team that was very impressive on Monday night and already has a 1:00 road game win this season, but it does mean Jacksonville has a chance of not getting completely blown out in every game.
49ers (4-2) at Titans (3-3): San Francisco-It appears San Francisco has righted the ship. Three straight wins after the back-to-back losses to the Seahawks and Colts. Tennessee had the unfortunate task of going to Seattle last week, and the Titans actually kept it somewhat close, only losing by seven. They're good. That two game losing streak is no reflection on them (they played Kansas City and Seattle). Sadly for the Titans, a third straight game against a good team likely results in a third straight loss before their bye.
Browns (3-3) at Packers (3-2): Green Bay-How important was Green Bay's win in Baltimore last week? It kept the Packers even in the loss column with Chicago and Detroit, who both haven't had their bye yet. Cleveland finally lost a game last week against those aforementioned Detroit Lions. The Packers aren't a good matchup for them. Especially in Lambeau.
Texans (2-4) at Chiefs (6-0): Kansas City-CBS moved this one to the late game so it could be a national broadcast. That's probably more so that people can see Kansas City than so they can see Houston. The Texans are officially a mess. Not only have they lost four straight. They got blown out at home by St. Louis last week, and things got so bad that the fans were cheering as an injured Matt Schaub was taken off the field. Visiting one of the two undefeated teams in the NFL isn't the best way to cure all that's wrong in Houston.
Ravens (3-3) at Steelers (1-4): Baltimore-Pittsburgh finally got a win last week! It came against the Jets, but still. One of the best rivalries in the NFL is renewed with both teams badly in need of a victory. If the Ravens win, Pittsburgh can kiss its playoff chances goodbye. Likewise, if the Steelers win, Baltimore's chances of winning the division become much more difficult (especially if Cincinnati wins in Detroit). So, in other words, this is a big game. I still think Baltimore's got the goods to make a run, so they pull it off here.
Broncos (6-0) at Colts (4-2): Denver-There's no need to set the stage here. Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis. Do you really think he's going to let his team lose to the Colts? I don't.
Vikings (1-4) at Giants (0-6): Giants-That's right. I'm taking the Giants. Because as sorry as they've been this year, Monday night's game might actually be their best chance to get a win. They haven't lost since last Thursday, and this week they get an equally bad opponent. Like I said, it's actually possible the Giants don't lose this week. Otherwise, they might have to wait until their home game against the Raiders.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 10-5
Season: 59-34
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