The NFL's ratings so far this season are down and they're not happy about it. They've been trying to figure out the reasons why, and there are a number of theories out there. Some blame the Hillary-Donald Factor, others blame uncompetitive primetime games, while still others think it's a combination of the two. Then there are those who bluntly declare that people aren't interested in watching Tom Brady's backup or the Broncos without Peyton Manning.
My theory is slightly different. The NFL is king. But we may have reached a point of oversaturation. There's a game on every freakin' night! We're not going to put our lives aside just because there's a football game on. Especially not when there's a full day of football on Sunday, then a Monday night game, then a Thursday night game, then a whole bunch of college games on Saturday for those who are so inclined. And we're definitely not going out of our way to watch Jaguars-Titans or Browns-Bills or whatever crappy Thursday night matchup they have just so every team can play a primetime game.
I've never really been a fan of the full-season Thursday night games, for a number of reasons. (The Color Rush has been added to that list of reasons, but I didn't like Thursday Night Football before that.) The players hate them, and the quality of play is never really that good, even on the rare occasion that the matchup is. And the teams that play on Thursday night often end up playing on Sunday night or Monday night the following week, so you almost forget about them when they go almost two weeks without a game.
For the record, I have no problem with the Opening Night Thursday game, and Thanksgiving games are obviously a tradition. But I digress. On to the picks...
Giants (3-3) vs. Rams (3-3): Giants-Ten years ago, the Giants played the first-ever NFL game in London. Now they play the first NFL game at Twickenham Stadium, the home of English rugby. And they play the Rams, who still played in St. Louis when they agreed to be one of the regular London teams. Since they've moved to LA, though, add 2,000 miles to the trip and a 6:30 a.m. Pacific start time. The Rams were cruising at 3-1, but have lost back-to-back games since. A trip across the Atlantic isn't exactly coming at the best time.
Browns (0-6) at Bengals (2-4): Cincinnati-Maybe the Browns will celebrate the Indians' success by winning their first game of the season. Except it probably won't happen. The Bengals are 2-4, mainly because of their brutal schedule to start the season. A visit by Cleveland may be just what the doctor ordered before they head over to London.
Redskins (4-2) at Lions (3-3): Washington-After starting 0-2, the Redskins have won four in a row. The Lions have also been playing some good football, winning two straight after that inexplicable loss to the Bears. Something's gotta give in this one. Since I think Washington's the better team, I'm going with the Redskins, who need a win to keep pace with the Cowboys.
Colts (2-4) at Titans (3-3): Indianapolis-Things are just as crazy as they usually are in the AFC South. Had the Colts won last week, they'd be in a three-way tie for first. Instead, they're in last. The Titans, meanwhile, have a chance to move into a tie for first this week if they win and the Texans lose the Osweiler Bowl on Monday night. Except, I don't think they're going to win, so that won't matter.
Saints (2-3) at Chiefs (3-2): Kansas City-That was a big win for the Chiefs last week, going into Oakland and beating a good Raiders team. The same thing can really be said for the Saints, who avoided a 1-4 start by knocking off the Panthers. New Orleans has done a lot of scoring this season, even though it has resulted in only two wins. They haven't faced a defense like Kansas City's, though. The Chiefs get to 4-2 and keep the pressure on the Broncos and Raiders.
Bills (4-2) at Dolphins (2-4): Buffalo-Rex Ryan thinks his own team is "boring." Well, Rex, that may be true, but you've still won four straight since firing your offensive coordinator. Now they head to Miami without LeSean McCoy, who went nuts on the 49ers last week. I have a friend who's a Bills fan and considers their record a "soft" 4-2 based on who they've played. The Dolphins may have beaten the Steelers last week, but they're not exactly one of the top teams, either.
Ravens (3-3) at Jets (1-5): Baltimore-When was the last time the road team played consecutive games in the same stadium? That's exactly what the Ravens are doing, though. They played the Giants last week, and now return to MetLife Stadium to play the Jets (considering the proximity of Baltimore to New York, I'm assuming they went home and came back). Last week didn't go so well for them. This one should be better.
Vikings (5-0) at Eagles (3-2): Minnesota-It was a little bit of a surprise that NBC didn't scoop this one up and flex it into Sunday night. Because it's one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. Sam Bradford was traded from the Eagles to the Vikings with a week left in the preseason, handing Philly's starting job to Carson Wentz. The trade has worked out well for all parties involved so far, especially the Vikings, who are the only remaining undefeated team. It's a shame that this game is a 1:00 regional offering instead of the national game it should be (CBS has the doubleheader this week).
Raiders (4-2) at Jaguars (2-3): Oakland-Oakland has had a very interesting season so far. They're 3-0 in 1:00 Eastern starts, but have lost two of their three home games. Fortunately they're back in the early slot, as they visit Jack Del Rio's first team. Jacksonville should keep it competitive, but I see the Raiders' East Coast mojo continuing.
Chargers (2-4) at Falcons (4-2): Atlanta-San Diego has had the lead in the fourth quarter of every game this season, but only has two wins to show for it. Atlanta, meanwhile, has been putting up video game numbers on the offensive end, and they almost pulled off the upset in Seattle last week. Some people are saying that this Falcons squad is different than the one that had that massive collapse last season. I still need to see it to believe it, but I do think they'll beat the Chargers at home.
Buccaneers (2-3) at 49ers (1-5): Tampa Bay-Colin Kaepernick's first start of the season went just about how I expected. He's not a good quarterback and San Francisco's not a good team. The Bucs aren't great, either, but they're definitely better than the 49ers. That trip to the West Coast could make this one interesting, but I think Jamies Winston gets his team to 3-3.
Patriots (5-1) at Steelers (4-2): New England-Were the Steelers caught looking ahead to this weekend's matchup with the Patriots? That Miami game had "trap game" written all over it, and it turns out that was exactly what it was. After they got smacked by the Eagles, they took it out on the Chiefs. Well, slight problem with that plan, which won't work again. They're playing the Patriots, and they're doing it without Big Ben. This could be a blowout.
Seahawks (4-1) at Cardinals (3-3): Seattle-In the various NFL Power Rankings, Seattle is a pretty consensus top five team (it's usually Minnesota-New England 1-2 in either order and Dallas-Seattle 3-4 in either order). Now they look to make a statement in a rivalry game against Arizona. The Cardinals clinched the division in Seattle last season. The Seahawks remember that. Yes, it's Week 7. But the Seahawks want to make sure the NFC West goes thru them this year. That, and they're just better than the Cardinals right now.
Texans (4-2) at Broncos (4-2): Denver-On Monday night, we've got a good one. Brock Osweiler returns to Denver against the suddenly reeling defending champs. The Broncos are one of those teams I was talking about before that plays on Thursday night, then you forget about them. Except in this case, the break might've been good. They lost twice in five days after having not lost at all since December. They've had plenty of time to straighten things out after being completely outplayed in every aspect in San Diego. Osweiler may get his ring, but that'll be the only time his former teammates show him any sort of camaraderie. It's a big game for Trevor Siemian, too. He wants to show Broncos fans that they aren't missing out on anything by not having Osweiler under center.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 9-6
Overall: 60-33
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