We've reached the halfway point of the NFL season. Which means it's time for good teams to start thinking about the playoffs and bad teams to start thinking about the draft. And everybody else has about a month to figure out which group they belong in. And, frankly, with most teams, I'm not sure where they belong myself.
Thursday Night: San Francisco (Win)
Texans (5-3) vs. Jaguars (4-4): Jacksonville-This year's final London game is Jacksonville's annual trip across the pond. They'll play the Texans in a game that's actually more important than many anticipated it would be. The AFC South is incredibly competitive, so that adds to the urgency for both teams. The Jaguars are used to this trip and coming off a couple of nice wins (albeit against bad teams). I give them the nod over a Texans squad that once again has to navigate losing J.J. Watt for the season.
Redskins (1-7) at Bills (5-2): Buffalo-They get to play the Jets and Dolphins twice each, and now the Bills get to face the Redskins! I'm not saying their 5-2 record is a fluke, but all these games against bad teams sure aren't hurting. Buffalo was outclassed by a desperate Eagles team last week. The Redskins aren't nearly as desperate. The Bills have a soft stretch before going to Dallas on Thanksgiving, and I think they take advantage of the first game in that string.
Vikings (6-2) at Chiefs (5-3): Kansas City-One week after we celebrated Super Bowl I, we celebrate Super Bowl IV, the final game in AFL history! This really was a bad time for Kansas City to lose Patrick Mahomes. With two tough NFC North opponents coming into Arrowhead. They've actually lost three out of four, with all three of those losses coming at home. And the Vikings could easily make that four straight home losses. Although, they got it together after a rough start against the Packers, and another week of practice behind Matt Moore may be enough for Andy Reid's crew to get past that slide.
Jets (1-6) at Dolphins (0-7): Jets-When I found out I don't have a FOX early game, even though the Giants are on Monday night, the Jets are away and CBS has the doubleheader (which would normally mean only a 1:00 game on FOX, I wasn't happy. Because that means this is my only early option. And this is the type of game only a mother could love. Although, if Miami accidentally wins, that could get in the way of the No.1 pick they're trying so desperately to get. The Jets haven't really played like it this season, but they're at least an actual NFL football team that's trying to win.
Bears (4-3) at Eagles (4-4): Philadelphia-Imagine what might've been had Cody Parkey not introduced us to the term "double doink" in the last meeting between these two! I can't even count how many kickers the Bears have gone thru since then, and now they're losing confidence in Mitchell Trubisky, too. Philadelphia, meanwhile, keeps going back and forth between looking great and looking lost out there. The loser here is effectively out of the playoff race. The winner, though, has very realistic wild card hopes entering the season's second half.
Colts (5-2) at Steelers (3-4): Indianapolis-For me, Indianapolis is one of the most surprising teams in the league. When Andrew Luck retired, it looked like it might be a down year for the Colts. In reality, it's been anything but. Indianapolis is 5-2, in first place, and in great shape! Pittsburgh, on the other hand, isn't any of those things. It's the Steelers who might end up having the lost season. They may manage to pull this one out, but it seems unlikely.
Titans (4-4) at Panthers (4-3): Carolina-Carolina got its butt kicked in San Francisco, snapping a four-game winning streak. We'll see if it there are any lasting effects as the Panthers return home to face a Titans team that has won two in a row. This after scoring seven points combined in losses to the Bills and Broncos. So, even though they're 4-4, I'm not completely convinced about the Titans. I'm not entirely convinced about the Panthers, either, but they're at least playing at home.
Lions (3-3-1) at Raiders (3-4): Oakland-Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time since Sept. 15, the Oakland Raiders are playing an actual home game! After six straight weeks on the road (with a trip to London included), they finally return to the Oakland Coliseum for a matchup with the Lions. NFC teams traditionally have trouble with this infrequent, cross-country trip. Throw in the Black Hole being filled for the first time in a while and things will be tough for Detroit. Yet I still think they'll find a way to win.
Buccaneers (2-5) at Seahawks (6-2): Seattle-In the NFL's 100th season, it's only fitting that the two 1976 expansion teams face each other. Tampa Bay only has two wins, but one of those was a shocker in which they dropped 55 points on the Rams at the LA Coliseum. Now they head back out west for one of the longest road trips possible in the NFL (not counting when they make teams to go London). It wouldn't actually surprise me if the Bucs can pull another upset. I can't in good faith said I think it WILL happen, though.
Browns (2-5) at Broncos (2-6): Cleveland-Expectations were high in Cleveland entering the season, and things obviously haven't going the way the Browns thought they would. The same could be said for the Broncos, who just lost Joe Flacco for the season. So, this could be seen as the "Disappointment Bowl." They've both suffered some tough losses, but Cleveland has played by far the harder schedule. The Broncos are a team they can handle, and I think they will.
Packers (7-1) at Chargers (3-5): Green Bay-Look what can happen when Aaron Rodgers is healthy and the Packers have an actual defense! Green Bay looks to make it three straight against the AFC West and maintain its lead over the red-hot Vikings. The Chargers, meanwhile, simply haven't looked like the team that made the playoffs last season. Green Bay was mighty impressive in its win over Kansas City last week, and I look for them to get to 8-1.
Patriots (8-0) at Ravens (5-2): Baltimore-People can't stop singing the praises of the Patriots' defense. And with good reason. This might be New England's best defense in the Bradicheck Era. And it's playing at historic levels. It's left some people wondering if the Patriots can go undefeated again, which I think is a long shot. They're schedule is about to get harder, starting with a Ravens team that always plays them tough. In fact, I think Baltimore will turn that 0 in the loss column into a 1.
Cowboys (4-3) at Giants (2-6): Dallas-Their annual Week 1 meeting in Dallas was a Cowboys rout. Now the Cowboys return to Met Life Stadium for the second time in a month hoping this game goes better than the first one, when they were stunned by the Jets. That loss left them in a tenuous position, which was somewhat rectified with that Sunday night win over the Eagles before their bye. The Giants, meanwhile, have dropped four straight and have proven to be a very flawed team. Don't expect this game to be much different than the first matchup.
This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 13-2
Overall: 72-49-1
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