I’ve been pretty sick this week (I actually missed two days’ work, and I hate calling in sick) and I was actually considering just posting a list of picks until the boss told me to quit being such a crybaby. So, I sucked it up and cobbled together a column through my off-and-on periods of delirium.
Before I get to the picks, though, I have a quick follow-up on last week’s column.
As you might remember, I touched on the issue of sportsmanship, specifically extolling the example of Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy. I posted my column last Friday, and since then a couple of items caught my attention:
I guess I was ahead of the game on that one. Not the first time, won’t be the last.
Last week, I went 9-6, just edging out Mr. Silver at 8-7.
Thursday Night
Chargers at Broncos
This is a great matchup for prime time Thursday. Offensively, there’s not much difference; both teams’ running games have faced challenges due to injuries, two great QBs, slight edge to Denver in receiving depth. It’ll be the Broncos’ defence, with its superior pass rush and deeper secondary (especially with Brandon Flowers out for San Diego), that decides this contest. Winner: Broncos
Sunday
Lions at Falcons (at Wembley)
Few teams suffer as much as Atlanta by giving away a home game to travel to England. Detroit’s defence is playing extremely well, and while its offence is struggling, the Falcons’ defence doesn’t represent much of a challenge. Winner: Lions
Rams at Chiefs
Though I love Austin Davis, KCs pass rush, plus the incredible home field advantage playing at ear-splittingly loud Arrowhead affords, should be enough to give the Chiefs the edge they need. Winner: Chiefs
Texans at Titans
News out of Texan-land is that Ryan Fitzpatrick is on a short leash after the fiasco at Heinz Field on Monday night. Now, I’m no Fitzpatrick fan, but I watched that game, so if we’re assigning blame, let’s be fair. After dominating most of the first half, Houston, leading by 10, punted with 1:56 left in the 2nd quarter. The Steelers got a quick TD, going 63 yards in only two plays. After Pittsburgh kicked off, Arian Foster fumbled on the Texans’ second play, the Steelers recovered on the Houston 3, and Pittsburgh scored another TD on the very next play. After Pittsburgh kicked off again, the Texans had the ball with 1:03 to go until the half, down 14-10, mere seconds after having led 10-0. I figured Houston would just try to run out the clock and get into the locker room to regroup after the sudden and shocking turn of events. So why, in this situation, did Fitzpatrick drop back to pass on 1st down? Predictably, the ill-advised pass was tipped and intercepted, and the Steelers led 21-10 in short order. Whoever was responsible for that play call, well, to put it mildly, is a goddamn moron. There, I’m so glad I got that off my chest. As for this game, I think the Texans will be eager to atone. Winner: Texans
Vikings at Buccaneers
The Bucs aren’t very good, and have gotten thumped really bad a couple of times. They have also had some good performances, like beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and scoring 31 points against the Saints in an OT loss in New Orleans. Tampa should be well-rested after its bye, and rightful starting QB Mike Glennon should outduel the Vikes’ Teddy Bridgewater, who has struggled after his brilliant debut. Winner: Buccaneers
Seahawks at Panthers
Two teams with very similar stories thus far; both started strong, but have struggled of late, primarily because of great defences decimated by the unavailability of key players. I want to pick Cam Newton at home, but realistically, Russell Wilson is almost as good as Newton, plus Wilson has Marshawn Lynch. Winner: Seahawks
Ravens at Bengals
Based on my preseason assessment of these teams, I would have thought that Cincy takes this easily. Based on how both teams have played most recently, I’d be crazy not to pick Baltimore. I know it’s early in the season, but this could be it for the Bengals. A loss here negates the advantage of Cincy’s Week 1 win over the Ravens, and would put the Bengals three games behind Baltimore in the win column. This is a pride game. I fully expect the Bengals to leave it all on the field. Winner: Bengals
Dolphins at Jaguars
Blake Bortles got his first win a week earlier than I thought he would. Two in a row doesn’t seem out of the question for me. Winner: Jaguars
Bears at Patriots
A month ago, I would have picked Chicago with little hesitation. Two weeks ago, I still might have picked them. Now? After The Bears’ most recent bed-shitting performance against the Dolphins, I don’t know what to think, but I do know that going into Foxborough and beating the Pats is not something I’m willing to bet on. Winner: Patriots
Bills at Jets
I like Kyle Orton as a steadying influence in Buffalo’s offence, but losing CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson is a lot to deal with all at once. Look for the Jets’ defence to dial up the pressure on Orton, while the Jets’ offence takes a conservative, ball-control approach to grind out a much-needed victory. Winner: Jets
Eagles at Cardinals
Unlike last season, Nick Foles has shown a tendency to go through streaks where he gets careless with the ball. If the stout Arizona run defence shuts down LeSean McCoy, Foles will have to put it up a lot. Should be interesting. Winner: Cardinals
Raiders at Browns
Hopefully for the Browns, they learned last week that you can’t just show up and expect to win just because you’re supposed to, because Derek Carr will make them pay if they screw up again this week. This has the makings of a really entertaining game with lots of scoring. Winner: Browns
Colts at Steelers
That “How to win a game in under two minutes” stuff that Pittsburgh lucked into on Monday night won’t save them against a Colts team with a steadily improving defence and an offence that features a QB who’s slightly more dangerous than Ryan Fitzpatrick. Winner: Colts
Packers at Saints
Since the Pack started the season 1-2, Aaron Rodgers has looked, for the most part, like he can do pretty much whatever he wants. He should have tons of fun against the Saints’ defence. As for Drew Brees, he’s thrown some killer picks this season, and Green Bay has some serious ball hawks on defence. Winner: Packers
Monday Night
Washington at Cowboys
The Giants hung with Dallas for a bit last week, which probably conjured up some painful memories for Cowboys’ fans. This is a different Dallas team though, and as long as the offensive line stays healthy and DeMarco Murray can keep up with his heavy workload, Tony Romo doesn’t have to force anything. Winner: Cowboys
Mr. Silver’s Picks
Chargers
Lions
Chiefs
Titans
Buccaneers
Panthers
Ravens
Jaguars
Bears
Jets
Cardinals
Browns
Colts
Packers
Washington
Before I get to the picks, though, I have a quick follow-up on last week’s column.
As you might remember, I touched on the issue of sportsmanship, specifically extolling the example of Tampa Bay’s Gerald McCoy. I posted my column last Friday, and since then a couple of items caught my attention:
- The NFL announced on October 21st that it is creating a Sportsmanship Award, which will be presented to a player "who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition."
- In his popular MMQB column, SI’s Peter King included, as one of his “Quotes of the Week,” part of the Gerald McCoy quote I used in my Friday column.
I guess I was ahead of the game on that one. Not the first time, won’t be the last.
Last week, I went 9-6, just edging out Mr. Silver at 8-7.
Thursday Night
Chargers at Broncos
This is a great matchup for prime time Thursday. Offensively, there’s not much difference; both teams’ running games have faced challenges due to injuries, two great QBs, slight edge to Denver in receiving depth. It’ll be the Broncos’ defence, with its superior pass rush and deeper secondary (especially with Brandon Flowers out for San Diego), that decides this contest. Winner: Broncos
Sunday
Lions at Falcons (at Wembley)
Few teams suffer as much as Atlanta by giving away a home game to travel to England. Detroit’s defence is playing extremely well, and while its offence is struggling, the Falcons’ defence doesn’t represent much of a challenge. Winner: Lions
Rams at Chiefs
Though I love Austin Davis, KCs pass rush, plus the incredible home field advantage playing at ear-splittingly loud Arrowhead affords, should be enough to give the Chiefs the edge they need. Winner: Chiefs
Texans at Titans
News out of Texan-land is that Ryan Fitzpatrick is on a short leash after the fiasco at Heinz Field on Monday night. Now, I’m no Fitzpatrick fan, but I watched that game, so if we’re assigning blame, let’s be fair. After dominating most of the first half, Houston, leading by 10, punted with 1:56 left in the 2nd quarter. The Steelers got a quick TD, going 63 yards in only two plays. After Pittsburgh kicked off, Arian Foster fumbled on the Texans’ second play, the Steelers recovered on the Houston 3, and Pittsburgh scored another TD on the very next play. After Pittsburgh kicked off again, the Texans had the ball with 1:03 to go until the half, down 14-10, mere seconds after having led 10-0. I figured Houston would just try to run out the clock and get into the locker room to regroup after the sudden and shocking turn of events. So why, in this situation, did Fitzpatrick drop back to pass on 1st down? Predictably, the ill-advised pass was tipped and intercepted, and the Steelers led 21-10 in short order. Whoever was responsible for that play call, well, to put it mildly, is a goddamn moron. There, I’m so glad I got that off my chest. As for this game, I think the Texans will be eager to atone. Winner: Texans
Vikings at Buccaneers
The Bucs aren’t very good, and have gotten thumped really bad a couple of times. They have also had some good performances, like beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh, and scoring 31 points against the Saints in an OT loss in New Orleans. Tampa should be well-rested after its bye, and rightful starting QB Mike Glennon should outduel the Vikes’ Teddy Bridgewater, who has struggled after his brilliant debut. Winner: Buccaneers
Seahawks at Panthers
Two teams with very similar stories thus far; both started strong, but have struggled of late, primarily because of great defences decimated by the unavailability of key players. I want to pick Cam Newton at home, but realistically, Russell Wilson is almost as good as Newton, plus Wilson has Marshawn Lynch. Winner: Seahawks
Ravens at Bengals
Based on my preseason assessment of these teams, I would have thought that Cincy takes this easily. Based on how both teams have played most recently, I’d be crazy not to pick Baltimore. I know it’s early in the season, but this could be it for the Bengals. A loss here negates the advantage of Cincy’s Week 1 win over the Ravens, and would put the Bengals three games behind Baltimore in the win column. This is a pride game. I fully expect the Bengals to leave it all on the field. Winner: Bengals
Dolphins at Jaguars
Blake Bortles got his first win a week earlier than I thought he would. Two in a row doesn’t seem out of the question for me. Winner: Jaguars
Bears at Patriots
A month ago, I would have picked Chicago with little hesitation. Two weeks ago, I still might have picked them. Now? After The Bears’ most recent bed-shitting performance against the Dolphins, I don’t know what to think, but I do know that going into Foxborough and beating the Pats is not something I’m willing to bet on. Winner: Patriots
Bills at Jets
I like Kyle Orton as a steadying influence in Buffalo’s offence, but losing CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson is a lot to deal with all at once. Look for the Jets’ defence to dial up the pressure on Orton, while the Jets’ offence takes a conservative, ball-control approach to grind out a much-needed victory. Winner: Jets
Eagles at Cardinals
Unlike last season, Nick Foles has shown a tendency to go through streaks where he gets careless with the ball. If the stout Arizona run defence shuts down LeSean McCoy, Foles will have to put it up a lot. Should be interesting. Winner: Cardinals
Raiders at Browns
Hopefully for the Browns, they learned last week that you can’t just show up and expect to win just because you’re supposed to, because Derek Carr will make them pay if they screw up again this week. This has the makings of a really entertaining game with lots of scoring. Winner: Browns
Colts at Steelers
That “How to win a game in under two minutes” stuff that Pittsburgh lucked into on Monday night won’t save them against a Colts team with a steadily improving defence and an offence that features a QB who’s slightly more dangerous than Ryan Fitzpatrick. Winner: Colts
Packers at Saints
Since the Pack started the season 1-2, Aaron Rodgers has looked, for the most part, like he can do pretty much whatever he wants. He should have tons of fun against the Saints’ defence. As for Drew Brees, he’s thrown some killer picks this season, and Green Bay has some serious ball hawks on defence. Winner: Packers
Monday Night
Washington at Cowboys
The Giants hung with Dallas for a bit last week, which probably conjured up some painful memories for Cowboys’ fans. This is a different Dallas team though, and as long as the offensive line stays healthy and DeMarco Murray can keep up with his heavy workload, Tony Romo doesn’t have to force anything. Winner: Cowboys
Mr. Silver’s Picks
Chargers
Lions
Chiefs
Titans
Buccaneers
Panthers
Ravens
Jaguars
Bears
Jets
Cardinals
Browns
Colts
Packers
Washington
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