Between work and the World Series, I've had a busy week. So busy, in fact, that I haven't been able to blog about several topics I've wanted to. But those will have to wait at least another day. Because it's Sunday, which means it's time for the weekly football picks!
As the NFL season hits the midway point, the adage "defense wins championships" sure seems to be holding true this year. The Patriots and 49ers are undefeated because of their defenses. The Packers, Saints, Chiefs and Ravens all have strong defenses, too. So it's no surprise that they're in first place, either. Although, I must admit, Patrick Mahomes' injury puts a bit of a damper on the Packers-Chiefs Sunday night game. Which is a bummer. Because that would've been an entertaining matchup (even though I was already planning on watching Astros-Nationals anyway).
Thursday Night: Minnesota (Win)
Seahawks (5-2) at Falcons (1-6): Seattle-Atlanta's season is lost, and its going to cost some people their jobs. And now Matt Ryan is out, which means things aren't going to get any better for the Falcons anytime soon. Especially against Seattle. The Seahawks' home loss to the Ravens last week was surprising not because they lost, but because of how convincing it is. Fortunately for them, the Falcons are nowhere near in the same league as Baltimore.
Eagles (3-4) at Bills (5-1): Philadelphia-This is one of the most intriguing matchups of the week. The surprising Bills have only lost to the Patriots and are currently the top AFC wild card. The Eagles, meanwhile, are one of the more confusing teams in football. They look great one week, then lay an egg the next. Like last week in Dallas. Now they've lost two in a row and are under .500. But....their next three games after this one are at home. So, a win here gives the Eagles a great chance to go on a roll. Which they'll need to do if they have any playoff aspirations.
Chargers (2-5) at Bears (3-3): Chicago-If not for the Falcons, we'd be talking about the Chargers as the most disappointing team in the league. Other than the uniforms, they simply don't look like the same team as last year. The Bears, meanwhile, look like a completely different team than they were earlier this season. After two straight losses, they need a win. Especially since the Vikings and Packers both already have six. Chicago does what it can to keep pace by handing the Chargers another close loss.
Giants (2-5) at Lions (2-3-1): Detroit-So, maybe the problems were more than just Eli. After all the fanfare and the two wins that marked the start of the Daniel Jones Era, reality has set back in for the Giants. Last week's loss to the Cardinals was their third straight. Detroit, meanwhile, have also dropped three straight. So we've got two desperate teams meeting here. The Lions were a little more competitive in their three losses than the Giants, and the game is in Detroit. Thus, the Lions are the pick.
Buccaneers (2-4) at Titans (3-4): Tennessee-Jason Pierre-Paul will evidently be activated by the Bucs for this game! Frankly, I didn't even know he was still playing! Anyway, they take on a Titans team that finally figured out how to score last week! I'm not going to give Ryan Tannehill all the credit, but the QB switch definitely worked...at least for one week. Make it two. The Titans get to .500.
Broncos (2-5) at Colts (4-2): Indianapolis-Remember when this game was Manning vs. Luck and it was such a big deal that it was one of the marquee games on "Sunday Night Football?" Oh, how times have changed! Now it's so irrelevant, that it was flexed from 4:25 to 1:00. Indianapolis took over first place in the AFC South with a victory over the Texans last week. The Broncos, meanwhile, got their butts kicked at home by Kansas City, which snapped their two-game winning streak. Other than that, Denver has lost a lot of close ones, and I think they will again.
Bengals (0-7) vs. Rams (4-3): Rams-London sure is a long way from Los Angeles! But that's the deal the Rams made when they moved back. Maybe they'll find their offense while they're over there! Unfortunately for the British fans, they'll also be subjected to watching the Bengals. The last time Cincinnati played in London, the game ended in a tie (which the Brits are used to from watching the other "football"). That seems unlikely to happen this time.
Cardinals (3-3-1) at Saints (6-1): New Orleans-The importance of a good backup quarterback. Drew Brees missed five games. The Saints went 5-0. Now he's back--one week earlier than expected--as New Orleans welcomes Arizona to the Superdome. The Cardinals have suddenly won three in a row, but let's not be too quick to jump on that bandwagon. The three teams they've beaten are Cincinnati, Atlanta and the Giants. Even without Alvin Kamara, New Orleans is in a different class.
Jets (1-5) at Jaguars (3-4): Jets-They upset Dallas convincingly, which got a lot of us believing that all the preseason Jets hype might be justified. Then Monday night's game against the Patriots happened. To call it a debacle would be generous. It was ugly from the start and never got better. Jacksonville, meanwhile, is competitive every week and has a great opportunity to even its record at 4-4 this week. For some reason, I think the Jets defense will give Gardner Minshew all sorts of problems, though.
Panthers (4-2) at 49ers (6-0): San Francisco-Last week, I got into a Facebook discussion where I said that the 49ers' being undefeated is more an indication of who they've played than how good they are. Personally, I think they're, at best, only the third-best team in the NFC. New Orleans and Green Bay are both better (and Minnesota might be, too). Don't get me wrong. San Francisco is good. That defense is legit. But they can't score! And as the schedule gets harder, the losses will start coming. Potentially as early as this week. Although, I do think their defense will come up with a big late stop and the 49ers will get to 7-0.
Browns (2-4) at Patriots (7-0): New England-When the schedule came out, so many people were looking forward to this game. And with good reason. The Browns are a good, exciting young team. They still are, even if their record doesn't indicate that. Unfortunately, facing the Patriots defense is the exact opposite of what this Cleveland team needs right now. Things are finally going to start getting harder for the Patriots soon (four of New England's seven wins have come in division games). Not until next week when they go to Baltimore, though.
Raiders (3-3) at Texans (4-3): Houston-Good call by the NFL and CBS to flex this one into the second late game. In fact, I thought they had even made it the national game for a little while (even though I knew it was unlikely they changed it from New England-Cleveland). Regardless, it's a key test for both of them. It'll also be important for playoff positioning should they both end up in the wild card race. Indy seems to have Houston's number, but the Texans play well against everybody else. That includes the Raiders, who finally get to end their six-week coast-to-coast (and across the ocean) odyssey. Whether they're 4-3 or 3-4, they'll take either one.
Packers (6-1) at Chiefs (5-2): Green Bay-Yes, it's a bummer that it won't be Rodgers vs. Mahomes. But that does nothing to take away the excitement of this matchup. It was the Super Bowl I matchup, and NBC has been promoting all week that it could easily be a Super Bowl LIV preview, as well. (And, of course, it gave NFL Network an excuse to show Super Bowl I, which is always fun!) I'd love to see Mahomes go against the Packers defense, but even if he was healthy, I'm not sure it would matter. Not with the way Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been carving up opponents this season. And, don't forget, last year's marquee interconference matchup involving the Chiefs turned into a shootout at the LA Coliseum. Don't be surprised if the same thing happens again.
Dolphins (0-6) at Steelers (2-4): Pittsburgh-America will be subjected to Miami on Monday night. I get why they did it. Dolphins-Steelers is a matchup with a lot of history that they want to feature as a part of the anniversary. I just wish the 2019 versions of these teams warranted the national showcase. In fact, this is Pittsburgh's second home Monday night game against a winless opponent this season (and it's only Week 8!). The first one went pretty well (a 27-3 victory over Cincinnati). This one shouldn't be much different.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 8-6
Overall: 59-47-1
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