​Last Week: 9-5

Season: 70-35
 
This week, I hope to break out of my 9-5 rut. In a good way, that is. I'm off to a good start after nailing my Thursday pick. (Here it is, in case you missed it; the title pretty much says it all.)
 

Sunday

Lions at Chiefs (in London)

By playing in England, KC is giving up one of the best home-field advantages in the league. No matter, though; the Chiefs’ defence, having had some missing players return to action, has recently returned to something resembling competency. Another sloppy contest at Wembley. (Side Note: Did you know that the participants in this game will be the only ones in the NFL not to experience the immediate time change of the switch back to Standard Time? It’s true. In England, they set their clocks back one hour last week. How do I know this? Ricky Gervais’s cat Ollie told me.) Winner: Chiefs
 

Buccaneers at Falcons

Though their passing attack seems to have fizzled somewhat of late, Davante Freeman and dome-field advantage should be enough to secure a win here. Winner: Falcons

 
 
Cardinals at Browns

The Cards’ offence has looked slightly less than spectacular the past couple of contests, but there’s nothing like a trip to Cleveland to kick things back into high gear. Winner: Cardinals

 
 
49ers at Rams

The sudden ascendance of RB Todd Gurley takes a lot of pressure off QB Nick Foles in the St. Louis offence. Colin Kaepernick is in for a rough afternoon, courtesy of the Rams’ defensive front. Winner: Rams

 
 
Giants at Saints

New Orleans has looked good the past couple of weeks due to some tweaks in the offensive game plan. The well-coached Giants’ defence should counteract that, and Eli, Odell, and the gang will take care of the rest against the Saints’ horrible defence. Winner: Giants

 
 
Vikings at Bears

I struggled with this one, because I think the teams are pretty evenly matched offensively, but ultimately, I think the Vikes’ defensive superiority trumps the Bears’ home-field advantage. Winner: Vikings

 
Chargers at Ravens

I’m not repeating last week’s mistake of picking San Diego with Eric Weddle and Antonio Gates hurt. Baltimore guts out a close one at home. Winner: Ravens

 
 
Bengals at Steelers

I’ve been all-in on Cincy since before the season started, and I’m not about to pick against them now. I don’t care whether Roethlisberger plays or not; the Bengals are exorcising all of their demons this year. Winner: Bengals

 
 
Titans at Texans

Man this Houston team stinks. Terrible coaches. Listless players. Arian Foster done for the season. If I were the owner, I’d fire Bill O’Brien and Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel as soon as possible. The Titans aren’t great, but they’re nowhere near the disappointment the Texans have been. Winner: Titans

 
 
Jets at Raiders

I’m a bit worried about how Ryan Fitzpatrick will perform without C Nick Mangold, but I’m even more worried about how Derek Carr will fare against the Jets’ defence, no doubt still smarting from being bested by the Patriots. Winner: Jets

 
 
Seahawks at Cowboys

Russell Wilson scrambles around and makes just enough plays to outscore a Dallas offence that won’t be able to accomplish much against the Seattle defence. Winner: Seahawks

 
 
Packers at Broncos

This will no doubt be the best defence that Aaron Rodgers has faced yet this season. It won’t be easy, but Rodgers and the Packers’ offence will make some plays. The key to this game will be that The Green Bay defence is actually pretty good, particularly its pass rush, and Peyton Manning is a mere shadow of his former self. Winner: Packers

 
 
Monday Night

Colts at Panthers

Carolina is simply better than Indianapolis in all facets of the game right now, and are playing at home. Nothing more need be said. Winner: Panthers

_

Thursday Night

Dolphins at Patriots

Well, how about those new-look Dolphins? Since starting the season 1-3, and after replacing Head Coach Joe Philbin with Tight Ends Coach Dan Campbell, they’ve ripped off two straight wins. In those victories, they’ve scored 82 points, and their moribund pass rush has exploded for 10 sacks. Could the Pats, with all the injuries on their offensive line, be in trouble tonight?

Probably not.

I watched the entire Jets/Patriots game last Sunday. In that contest, the Pats, with their patchwork offensive line and without their most productive RB (Dion Lewis), faced one of the best defensive fronts in the league, and a secondary that includes Darrelle Revis. No doubt the game had more than a few Pats fans nervous, including at least one high-profile one. However, the Pats had Tom Brady, and despite a spate of drops by his receivers, Brady adroitly handled the Jets’ defence. I’m confident that New England will be able to take care of business against a Miami defence that has less depth than the Jets’ once you get past its defensive front. But what of the Dolphins’ sudden scoring potency? Early on in the Jets/Pats game as I watched the scoring updates come across the bottom of the screen, I noticed the rapid changes in the Texans/Dolphins game as Miami scored early and often. The network also broke in a few times with scoring highlights; what I saw was Miami QB Ryan Tannehill throwing short little dump-off-type passes to receivers who then ran through the discombobulated Texans defence untouched. As the third or fourth such highlight was shown, announcer James Brown stated excitedly, “Ryan Tannehill is on fire…” as he threw another such TD pass, and I couldn’t help thinking, “Tannehill’s on fire? He’s not doing much of anything. It’s his receivers who literally look like they’re on fire, because the Houston players look afraid to touch them.” At one point, Tannehill was 9 for 9 passing with 4 TDs. Four touchdowns on nine completions! That’s insane. Even more insane would be to expect a New England Patriots defence to play as poorly as the Texans’ defence did. New England doesn’t give up big plays, and if something isn’t working in a game, it gets fixed, pronto. So, don’t expect the Dolphins to come into Foxborough and ambush the Patriots. No doubt, Miami is playing with more emotion since the coaching change, but I’d still wager that the business-as-usual Patriots take them apart. Winner: Patriots

Last Week: 9-5

Season: 61-30

I'm on vacation this week. So I'll be keeping this brief. Also, it's my birthday today. Happy birthday, me!

Here's your list of games for the week. My pick for each game appears in bold.


Thursday Night

​Seahawks at 49ers


Sunday

Bills at Jaguars (in London)

Buccaneers at Home Team

Falcons at Titans

Saints at Colts

Vikings at Lions

Steelers at Chiefs

Browns at Rams

Texans at Dolphins

Jets at Patriots

Raiders at Chargers

Cowboys at Giants

Eagles at Panthers


Monday Night

Ravens at Cardinals

Last Week: 9-5
Season: 52-25

I’ll start things off with a few odds and ends before I get to the picks:

​1) Watching the Seahawks-Bengals game last week, I noticed this interesting score from another game:

​

I figured it was just a mistake by the FoxSports techies, until I flipped to the Rams-Packers game on a commercial and saw this:


​

How does the same mistake appear on two different networks? Doesn’t anyone check this stuff before it gets aired? Of course maybe it was just foreshadowing; the Chiefs would go on to lose that game by a single point. I wonder if Andy Reid saw the mistaken score and messed up the math.


2) A couple of weeks back, in a column praising the Bengals, I mentioned that the Bengals hadn’t gotten much respect in season predictions. I specifically mentioned that one “nitwit” had picked them to finish last in their division (I picked them to win). Just this past week, that same nitwit published an article titled, “Bengals prove again they're one of NFL's best teams in win over Seattle;” the article contains no mention of his egregious preseason pick.

​
3) Following are two quotes about the decline of Detroit’s Calvin Johnson; the first appeared in an article by a major football writer just this week:
 
“Stafford has always been the sort of quarterback comfortable throwing his receivers into big hits; it’s scary to wonder whether Johnson, who turned 30 several weeks ago, has been permanently slowed by them.”
 
If you believe that, then here’s what I wrote in my season preview column back at the beginning of September:
 
“On offence, Lions fans can expect another season of decline from Calvin Johnson, as years of making Matthew Stafford’s off-target passes look good have taken their toll on the once invincible-seeming Megatron.”
 
 
All right, enough of that. Here’s what you came here for:


Sunday

Jets (Home)

The Jets’ defence, one of the best in the league thus far, gets DE Sheldon Richardson back in action this week after his 4-game suspension. Expect a low-scoring game. Winner: Jets
 

Cardinals at Steelers

Arizona roared back to life last week, dropping 42 on the Lions. Now, the Steelers are not the Lions, but without Big Ben, I can’t see them keeping pace with the Cards’ potent offence. Winner: Cardinals
 

Chiefs at Vikings

Since leading against the Broncos late in their Week 2 game, nothing has gone right for KC; they blew that game, then got hammered by Green Bay and Cincinnati on consecutive weeks to the tune of 74 combined points. Last week, the Chiefs watched Jamaal Charles go down with a season-ending injury, Jay Cutler lead two TD drives in the fourth quarter to beat them by one point, and their playoff hopes evaporate. The Vikings, coming off a close loss to the Broncos followed by their bye week, are looking good thanks to a solid defence and a steady diet of Adrian Peterson on offence. Winner: Vikings
 

Bengals at Bills

The Bills’ defence should provide a tough test for the Bengals, who are coming off a spectacular come-from-behind win against Seattle. In the end, though, Buffalo’s offence won’t be able to keep pace. Winner: Bengals
 

Bears at Lions

Detroit’s a mess. They can’t muster much offence, they’re riddled with injuries, and even their head coach says they can’t execute. Chicago showed a bit of life last week in their comeback win, with Jay Cutler looking particularly clutch in the 4th quarter. Winner: Bears
 
 

Broncos at Browns

The Broncos are doing it with their defence, and even without DeMarcus Ware, who might not play, they still should be able to shut down the Browns. Winner: Broncos
 

Texans at Jaguars

Bill O’Brien made the right call before the season started when he chose Brian Hoyer to be the Texans’ starting QB. However, after that he:

• Pulled Hoyer in his first start for Ryan Mallett
• Stuck with the terrible Mallet through 2 full starts
• Pulled Mallett in his third start
• Gave Mallett yet another start, only to pull him for Hoyer, who almost pulled off a comeback
• Went back to Hoyer for the team’s Week 6 game against the Jags

So, he wasted five weeks, only to end up back where he started. O’Brien might be the worst coach in the league. His total lack of leadership is reflected in the team’s unfocused play, in things such as the talented defence looking lost at times, and the team’s numerous penalties (13 for 125 yards just last week against the Colts). Now, here’s the shocker: I’m picking the Texans this week. Hoyer will be the steadying influence the team needs at QB. And also, with a win this week, the Texans should find themselves, at 2-4, only one game behind the division-leading Colts after they lose to the Pats on Sunday night. Properly motivated, Houston should prevail. Winner: Texans

​

Dolphins at Titans
​
One of these teams has one of the league’s most effective pass rushes, and it’s not the one with the gazillion-dollar free agent psycho at DT. Through four games each, Miami has but a single sack, while Tennessee has totalled 13. The Dolphins may have moved on from comatose Joe Philbin, but a coaching change won’t give the team depth on offence or defence, nor will it make Ndamukong Suh care. Winner: Titans
 

Panthers at Seahawks

Carolina is 4-0, Seattle 2-3, but the Panthers have faced a significantly softer schedule. The Panthers’ defence is good enough to keep this game close, but their offence, playing in noisy Seattle, won’t be able to hold up its end of the deal. Winner: Seahawks
 

Chargers at Packers

It’s the Packers, and it’s in Lambeau. Sure, Aaron Rodgers got picked twice last week, but at last now he can stop hearing about that stupid streak. The only streak that gets you rings is a winning streak. Winner: Packers
 

Ravens at 49ers

Baltimore is razor-thin at WR, and their defence isn’t as formidable as in seasons past. The 49ers’ defence has played better than expected. This should be a low-scoring affair. Winner: 49ers
 

Patriots at Colts

Try really hard to ignore all the stupid hype leading up to this game. All you really need to remember is that the Patriots are really good, and the Colts aren’t very good at all. Winner: Patriots

 
Monday Night
 
Giants at Eagles

In this game between two very evenly-matched teams, it’s one very important missing piece that swings the balance for me. The Eagles’ defence has played pretty well this season, and without Odell Beckham Jr. going full speed (or perhaps at all), the Giants won’t have that special player on the field to demand enough of the defence’s attention to open things up for the other players to shine. I expect a close contest, but the Eagles should squeak this one out. Winner: Eagles

Thursday Night

Falcons at Saints

To me, there’s something, I don’t know, underwhelming about Atlanta’s undefeated record this season. Sure, they’ve played well, having improved on defence under new head coach Dan Quinn, and their running game, led by Devonta Freeman, is the best it’s been in years. Maybe it’s the way they’ve won, beating the Romo-and-Bryant-less Cowboys, benefiting from a late-game collapse to defeat the Giants, and bettering some disappointing teams (think, the Eagles and the barely-there Texans). Still, it’s hard to argue with 5-0, no matter how it’s earned. Another thing that's hard to argue with is that travelling to New Orleans to take on the Saints in a prime time game isn’t the tall order this season that it might have been for the Falcons in seasons past. This year’s version of the Saints doesn’t do anything particularly well. Sure, Drew Brees piles up the garbage yards, but all that distance hasn’t translated into a lot of points. And as for the defence, well, it wouldn’t qualify as mediocre in any capacity. In the offseason, Brees thought that he’d show what a manly man he is on a stupid TV show by jumping on a small crocodile and stabbing it to death with a knife. I guess that’s what millionaires do for fun. What a hero. Losing looks good on him. Winner: Falcons 

​Last Week: 10-5

Season: 43-20

Week 4 was a classic illustration of the fine line between success and failure when picking games. Case in point:

• I was 1-2 in OT games.
• In two other games, the team I picked lost by two points.
• Four of the teams I picked won by three points.
• One of those three-point wins was a gift, due to an egregious officiating error.

Based on all of that, I’ll gladly take 10-5.
​
Meanwhile, in other news, the New England Patriots return to action this week after having an early bye week. The Pats, and particularly Tom Brady, have looked nothing short of spectacular during their 3-0 start. It’s hard to believe that just a hair over five weeks ago, with just a week to go before the Pats opened the season against the Steelers, New England fans were understandably tense over facing four weeks without their star QB. Now, Brady’s on top, Roger Goodell is practically invisible, and Pats fans are feeling downright festive.

​Sunday

Bears at Chiefs

Jay Cutler led the struggling Bears, underdogs at home against the Raiders (ouch), to a narrow victory despite having a depleted receiving corps. The Chiefs have lost three in a row now, including one they should have had against division rival Denver, and followed by two sound beatings by the superior Packers and Bengals. KC needs a win at home. Winner: Chiefs
 
Seahawks at Bengals

The Seahawks come to Cincinnati riding a two-game winning streak. I’m not impressed. Much like at the end of last season, when they scored a string of victories against some really terrible QBs, Seattle has won at home against some mediocre competition. Add to that the fact that they barely beat the Lions on Monday night, and only as a result of an officiating mistake. One of the reasons for the Bengals’ hot start is their pass rush, led by the resurgent Geno Atkins, and it would be an understatement to say that Seattle does not protect Russell Wilson very well. As well as they’ve played, I’m surprised at how little respect Cincy has gotten. That should change after this weekend. Winner: Bengals
 
Falcons (Home)

The Falcons probably won’t have it as easy this week as they did last week against a Texans squad that just didn’t show up. Having said that, Atlanta is riding high based on a tenacious defence, a strong running game, and the usual excellence of the likes of Julio Jones and Matt Ryan. Winner: Falcons
 
Jaguars at Buccaneers

The Jags almost pulled it off last week against the Colts, and should pick up a win against interstate rival Tampa and their overmatched rookie QB. Winner: Jaguars
 
Saints at Eagles

Philly’s offence has been a massive failure thus far. Fortunately for them, they get to face a terrible Saints D this week. That, plus a stout defensive effort by the home team should help secure a close victory. Winner: Eagles
 
Browns at Ravens

A close win against a Big Ben-less Steelers team doesn’t indicate that things are suddenly rosy for Baltimore, but they still should be able to beat the Browns at home. Winner: Ravens
 
Rams at Packers

The Rams have shown that they will live and die on defence with their pass rush. Aaron Rodgers’ quick, accurate passes should take care of that, while the Pack’s surprisingly good defence should take care of the rest. Winner: Packers
 
Bills at Titans

The Bills have shown an appalling lack of discipline in their two losses this season by piling up the penalty yards. Rex Ryan says he’ll get that fixed, and I believe him. Facing a soft defence, and a rookie QB, will help a lot this week. Winner: Bills
 
Cardinals at Lions

There’s no shame in losing to a superior defensive effort, as the Cards did to the Rams last week. Losing to the Lions, even if it is in Detroit, would be truly shameful for an elite team like Arizona. Winner: Cardinals
 
Patriots at Cowboys

That the Brandon Weeden-led version of the Dallas offence couldn’t get it done against New Orleans last week speaks volumes. That the most talk I’ve heard about the Cowboys this week involves a miserable human being saying stupid things shows how far the team’s fortunes have fallen. The New England Patriots 2015 Revenge Tour marches on. Winner: Patriots
 
Broncos at Raiders

Has Peyton Manning ever had the support of a defence this good? I say no. Winner: Broncos
 
49ers at Giants

The Giants stunned the favoured Bills in Buffalo last week, thanks in part to a spirited defensive effort. With Philly and Dallas struggling, this division is wide open. I told you not to quit on Coughlin, Giants’ fans. (And, happy belated b’day to devoted Giants’ fanatic and all-around meatball Chad; hope you had a good one, buddy.) Winner: Giants
 
Monday Night

Steelers at Chargers

I struggled with this pick. The Chargers have played well on offence, despite problems on the offensive line, but not as well on defence. The Steelers’ pass rush has led an extremely effective defensive effort, which could cause problems for Philip Rivers. Offensively for Pittsburgh, Michael Vick has had some extra time since last week’s Thursday night game to work with the first team offence, and the running game is sound. This should be a close one, but I’m counting on the return of TE Antonio Gates to help Rivers and co. gut out a victory. Winner: Chargers

Thursday Night

Colts at Texans

I’ll start this one off with a confession: these two teams have me completely stumped.

I’ve seen both of these teams play this season. Not much, but I’ve seen them. So far, they’ve managed to defy most of the expectations that I had for them. I’ve looked at them from any and every angle I can think of, and I see very little that sets one apart from the other. Neither team has played well. Indy’s defence has played down to expectations, while its offence has failed to live up to them, particularly alarming when Andrew Luck is behind Center. Meanwhile, as Houston coach Bill O’Brien vacillates between QBs, and the running game plods along without a healthy Arian Foster, the closest thing to offensive continuity for the Texans involves Ryan Mallett spraying passes all over the field while completing barely half of them. But at least the Texans’ defence is solid, right? Nope. JJ Watt has been great as usual (4 sacks out of a team total of 6), and that’s it.

​So, which do I choose? After looking at both teams and seeing that neither does anything particularly well, I’m making my pick based upon each team’s best player. Andrew Luck, who I love, but who has struggled, is hurt, and might not even play tonight. JJ Watt has been, and still is, JJ Watt. In a game that I don’t expect to be played at a particularly high level, somehow I see Watt chasing either a wounded Luck or Matt Hasselbeck as game-changing matchup. Winner: Texans

Last Week: 14-2
Season: 33-15
 
After starting the season 12-4, I slipped to 7-9 in Week 2, amidst a spate of upsets (you can look around; most experts got their clocks cleaned that week).  I entitled last week’s column “The Bounce Back Week,” casting my lot with several road teams. 14-2 speaks for itself.

I’m 1-0 this week, thanks to the Ravens’ dramatically getting off the winless schneid on Thursday with an OT win in Pittsburgh. Read on; I'm counting on the road teams again this week.
 
Sunday

Jets at Dolphins (In London)

Really, the only advantage that the Dolphins might have had in this game, home field advantage, is essentially nullified. Miami is underperforming on both sides of the ball; I’m not surprised by the offence, but the defence has been truly disappointing. The Jets’ defence has played extremely well; they should have no trouble shutting down the Dolphins, meaning that, mercifully, Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn't have to do too much. Winner: Jets
 
Jaguars at Colts

Though it’s tempting to look at this one as a gimme, based on their performances thus far, these teams are more closely matched than one might think. I was sorely tempted to take the Jags for the upset, and with talk of Andrew Luck not playing after missing practice due to a shoulder injury, the temptation has proven too strong. Winner: Jaguars
 
Giants at Bills

Giants fans hoping to see the other half of their high-powered WR tandem were disappointed to hear that there’s no timeline for Victor Cruz’s return to action. I’d give the Giants a better chance with a healthy Cruz in the lineup. The Bills’ defence is tough, and their offence, particularly QB Tyrod Taylor, have played well thus far. Winner: Bills
 
Panthers at Buccaneers

The Panthers are grinding out wins, and should be up to the task against an inferior Bucs team, particularly Tampa’s overmatched QB. Winner: Panthers
 
Eagles (Visitors)

The Eagles were lucky to win last week. I still haven’t seen anything from their offence that even remotely impresses me. They’re facing a team with a good defence and a strong running game, in what is expected to be wet weather. The Eagles should lose a close one. Winner: Home Team
 
Raiders at Bears

I put my faith in Carr and Co. last week in Cleveland, and they delivered. I’m doing it again against another bad team. Winner: Raiders
 
Texans at Falcons

This is a tricky one. Arian Foster is practising, and might play. Julio Jones isn’t practising. Jones and Foster; will they or won’t they? The healthy presence of either, or both, or neither is a pretty vital piece of information. I’m not particularly thrilled with this pick, but I don’t have much faith in the Texans’ offence without Foster. Winner: Falcons
 
Chiefs at Bengals

The Chiefs’ defence looks good on paper, but in reality, they’ve been disappointing, giving up an average of almost 30 points per game. In Cincinnati, against the Bengals’ potent and balanced offence, that’s not nearly good enough. Winner: Bengals
 
Browns at Chargers

San Diego got thumped in Minnesota last week. There’s nothing like a visit from the Browns to help get things back on track. Winner: Chargers
 
Packers at 49ers

This game should definitely be in contention for greatest margin of victory this week. Green Bay has bad memories of Kaepernick running wild on them a couple of seasons ago. Aaron Rodgers holds grudges. Winner: Packers
 
Rams at Cardinals

By now it should be painfully obvious how important Carson Palmer is to the fortunes of the Cardinals. That’s what makes me so anxious about games like this one, where he’ll be facing a fierce pass rush. This is a game that the Cards should win easily, but it’s one of those games where their season is literally in the balance every time Palmer drops back to pass. Winner: Cardinals
 
Vikings at Broncos

The Vikings’ offensive philosophy has quickly morphed back to the way it’s been for years; feed Adrian Peterson. A one-dimensional offence won’t be enough against a top-notch Denver D. Winner: Broncos
 
Cowboys at Saints

However limited the Cowboys might be on offence, their defence continues to play well, unlike the Saints, who don’t do anything well, even at home. Winner: Cowboys
 
Monday Night

Lions at Seahawks

The Lions have played down to expectations so far. They’re no match for the Seahawks on any field, and have no chance in Seattle. Winner: Seahawks

Tonight’s matchup pits the Baltimore Ravens against the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, naturally, I want to start out my Thursday Quick Pick column by talking about the Bengals.

Imagine you’re a Cincinnati Bengals fan right now (unless you are one, in which case, as you were). Your team, pegged by some experts as a team in decline, and picked for third place in the AFC North by some (one nitwit at Sports Illustrated had them FOURTH), sits atop the division, a perfect 3-0. The Bengals just beat the Ravens IN BALTIMORE, leaving the Ravens at an unprecedented 0-3. The Steelers just lost Ben Roethlisberger for a minimum of 4-6 weeks to an MCL sprain (I’m not suggesting that anyone would or should be happy about an injury, but believe me when I tell you, Bengals fans HATE the Steelers.). And to top it all off, the Cleveland Browns (Nothing more need be said here).

Of course, regular season success has become the norm in Cincinnati since the arrival of QB Andy Dalton, evidenced by the team’s four-straight playoff appearances.  The knock on the Bengals now of course is the team’s four-straight first round exits from the playoffs. Is this the team that can avoid the same fate?
Cincinnati Bengals fans are realists; they’ve been through some pretty lean times (that’s putting it mildly), and they’ve known some serious heartache. I’m sure no one is planning any parades after only three weeks. However, things look pretty good right now in the Queen City. They’re up three games (plus a tiebreaker) on the Ravens with a home matchup later in the season, and their trip to Pittsburgh would pit them against either Roethlisberger, returning early from injury (last time he tried that, he got beaten by Tim Tebow in the playoffs), Michael Vick, or whoever replaces Vick in the event of injury (always a possibility with Vick) or being terrible (also a possibility with Vick). Add to that the continued existence of the Cleveland Browns, and the AFC North is Cincinnati’s for the taking.

What lies beyond a potential fifth-straight playoff berth? Well, there are only two paths to the playoffs’ second round; one is winning, of course, and the other involves not playing. It’s a long season. The future for the Bengals starts on Sunday. With a tough KC team coming to town looking to improve upon a disappointing 1-2 start, the Bengals will have to stay focused, no easy task after their emotional contest last week in Baltimore. Defending their home turf against the Chiefs’ challenge would be a huge statement, setting the tone for the rest of the season. Soon, you just might hear Bengals fans talking about another football B-word: bye.
 
Thursday Night

Ravens at Steelers

With Roethlisberger healthy, I would have no hesitation going with Pittsburgh here, but with Big Ben out, things get pretty murky. Here you have the Steelers, a team much more dependent on offence, working without the nigh-unstoppable combo of Roethlisberger to Brown. It’s impossible to know what positives Vick brings to the Steelers’ offensive mix, but the negatives are the same as they’ve always been: he’s an inaccurate passer, a fumbler, is interception-prone, and gets sacked a lot (twice last week in just over one quarter). Also, Vick hasn’t had much time in the Pittsburgh offence, not to mention the scant few days he’s had to work with the first team offence for this game, and Pittsburgh can’t afford to give away any games, especially with the murderous four-game stretch they’re facing after this week: at San Diego, home to Arizona, at Kansas City, and home to Cincinnati. The Ravens could not be more desperate; less than nine months removed from leading the Patriots by two touchdowns in the playoffs, their season is now in serious jeopardy of going down the tubes just as October dawns. They really need this game. It’s a toss-up, but I have to give the edge to Baltimore, because I think that they’ll force Vick to have to beat them, and he’s not up to it. Winner: Ravens