You have to excuse me this week.
Somehow, I fell behind with my writing, what with work being extra busy and lots going on in the home life, so the picks this week aren't going to be as robust as in previous weeks. In fact, part of me thought about just listing the games, with a pick, and no information what-so-ever.
That would be cheap. I'm going to try and squeeze as much in as possible since the Thursday night game kicks off in about an hour.
So here we go!
Thursday
Indianapolis (5-3) at Jacksonville (1-7) - 8:20pm NFL Network
This is known as the game no one will watch since it's widely assumed the Colts will romp in this one. I don't know if they'll romp, but the Colts are riding high after last week's emotional win and the Jags are riding out the season. What should depress Jags fans is Andrew Luck is leaps and bounds better than Blaine Gabbert, who has a year's experience on Luck.
Pick: Colts 27, Jaguars 10
Sunday
NY Giants (6-3) at Cincinnati (3-5) - 1pm FOX
The Giants are kicking themselves after letting one get away against the Steelers last week. Eli Manning had one of his worst games as a pro, but the Giants go on the road to play a disappointing Bengals team that had an extra week to prepare. I just don't think the Bengals can do it this week. The Giants should be mad and ready to run all over someone.
Pick: Giants 24, Bengals 20
Tennessee (3-6) at Miami (4-4) - 1pm CBS
I'm still trying to figure out how the Titans won 3 games this year. They are so bad on defense, yet they've managed to make most games interesting. Except last week's. That was a disgrace. I'm also trying to figure out how the Dolphins are 4-4. Ryan Tannehill hasn't looked as bad as some thought he'd be. Fins should be 6-2, but have had two tough overtime losses.
Pick: Dolphins 28, Titans 23
Detroit (4-4) at Minnesota (5-4) 1pm - FOX
The Lions are starting to pick up some steam and head to Minnesota at the right time since the Vikings are going the wrong way. Adrian Peterson has been magnificent this year, but Christian Ponder has left Vikings fans wondering how many wins they'd have with a good quarterback. The Lions have that quarterback in Matt Stafford and he's finding his rhythm at the right time.
Pick: Lions 34, Vikings 20
Buffalo (3-5) at New England (5-3) - 1pm CBS
Remember when these two teams met earlier this year? The Bills were looking to gain some serious momentum and the Patriots were soul-searching? The Bills had a 21-7 halftime lead and the northeast was thinking the Pats run was over? A funny thing happened after that. The Patriots stomped the Bills in the second half and have pretty much been rolling since, meanwhile the Bills keep giving up points. Maybe Buffalo will show up this week, but I have my doubts.
Pick: Patriots 31, Bills 24
Atlanta (8-0) at New Orleans (3-5) - 1pm FOX
I keep waiting for the Falcons to stumble and they keep winning. I was waiting for the Saints to start winning, and while it took a bit of time, Drew Brees and the offense is starting to hum a little bit, that Denver game aside. The Saints' defense is still atrocious and could be smashing all kinds of bad records, but if the offense gets rolling, it may not matter. The Falcons have been good, but they have to lose at some point, right?
Pick: Saints 35, Falcons 34
San Diego (4-4) at Tampa Bay (4-4) - 1pm CBS
Did anyone think that the Chargers and Buccaneers would have identical records at this point in the season? The Chargers have lost several games they should've won, while the Bucs have started to show signs that things are getting better in Tampa. Philip Rivers, when he isn't screaming his head off, is a good enough quarterback, but playing on the road against a confident Bucs team spells trouble. As does Doug Martin.
Pick: Buccaneers 23, Chargers 20
Denver (5-3) at Carolina (2-6) - 1pm CBS
Everytime I type "Carolina," I want to type "Caroline" for some reason. But hey! The Panthers won last week against a depleted Redskins team, so there was a one week reprieve from the whining Cam Newton show. However, Peyton Manning is coming to town and no quarterback has been more on fire than him the last few weeks. He may have lost some arm strength, but he can still get it done better than most. I think we get to hear about the suggestion box again next week.
Pick: Broncos 38, Panthers 20
Oakland (3-5) at Baltimore (6-2) - 1pm CBS
Apparently rumors of the Ravens' demise were greatly exaggerated as they pretty much had control of their game against the Browns from start to finish. The defense wasn't great, but it stood up against a young offense and now get to see how they fare against Carson Palmer and the Raiders offense, which goes from dazzling to befuddling in less than five minutes. Oh, and the Ravens are at home.
Pick: Ravens 27, Raiders 12
NY Jets (3-5) at Seattle (5-4) - 4:05 CBS
The Jets are pathetic. Even in their bye week someone finds a way to slam them, this time involving Rex Ryan. Mark Sanchez is in an unfair situation, but he's made a lot of this mess himself, but the Jets didn't help him by trading for the polarizing Tim Tebow, who now gets to hear every week how he should be the starter. Meanwhile, Seattle's defense is really good and no one wins in Seattle. The Jets can't get out of there fast enough.
Pick: Seahawks 24, Jets 9
Dallas (3-5) at Philadelphia (3-5) - 4:25pm FOX
I had a great rant ready about this being the Underachiever Bowl, and how FOX was probably looking for a way to get this game off their schedule, but time constraints limit me sadly. That said, both teams have underachieved terribly. The Eagles, once proclaimed the Dream Team, can't do anything right, and the Cowboys keep coming close to victory, only to watch it get snatched away. Yup, this is going to be a barn-burner. I wonder if Tony Romo threw an interception to Michael Vick, would he immediately fumble? Hypothetically, if Vick played defense?
Pick: Cowboys 27, Eagles 26
St. Louis (3-5) at San Francisco (6-2) - 4:25pm FOX
I feel bad for the Rams. Before Danny Amendola went down, they were a feisty bunch who could give their opponents all kinds of hell before either pulling off the victory or narrowly losing. Last week they played in London, but they apparently didn't leave the plane as they were blasted by the Patriots. Meanwhile, the 49ers had a week off. One team was overseas, another team didn't play. The team that didn't play is at home. Do we see a potential problem for the visitor? Sure do.
Pick: 49ers 34, Rams 10
Houston (7-1) at Chicago (7-1) - 8:20pm NBC
By far the best game of the week, this pits an efficient offense in Houston against the Bears opportunistic defense, and the Texans great defense against a mediocre Bears offense. I don't think the Bears will get a defensive touchdown in this game, which has been their bread and butter this season. Jay Cutler and the offense will need to make some plays against a very good Texans defense and hope that Matt Schaub and Arian Foster have a bad night.
Pick: Texans 20, Bears 17
Monday
Kansas City (1-7) at Pittsburgh (5-3) - 8:30pm ESPN
The Chiefs have yet to lead in regulation. The Steelers are rolling, having beat the Giants in the Meadowlands the previous week. How much more information do you really need to know who should win this game? Oh, and the game is in Pittsburgh.
Pick: Steelers 30, Chiefs 6
Bye week
Cleveland, Green Bay, Arizona, Washington
Last: 10-4
Overall: 60-24
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