It's that time again. The time when I break down this Sundays games and give you my picks. As usual, home teams will be in bold. Last week I went 7-5-1. I'm also going to put my best bets at the bottom because I did pretty well last week following my "best bets". Here we go:Denver Broncos vs. Baltimore Ravens (-3.5): Denver Broncos are 6-0 right now. They've beaten every opponent that has been put in front of them including the Cowboys, Patriots and Chargers in San Diego. I have to say, I am now a believer. This should be a great game. The Ravens look to rebound at home coming off a few tough losses in the recent weeks, and they are coming off a bye. The Ravens D has been vulnerable to the pass and the Broncos really seem to be an all around solid team. The Ravens haven't allowed a rb (Broncos are very run heavy) to surpass 100 yards in 40 games until they played the Bengals. Then they allowed Adrian Peterson to surpass 100 the following week as well. I think Ray Lewis will get his defense together and shut down the Broncos run game. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, the Ravens are still very vulnerable in the pass and I think the Broncos will take advantage. I think this game will be very close and should come down to a fg.
My Pick: Broncos +3.5
Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears (-13.5): The Bears were embarrassed last week by the Bengals and the Browns are just straight up embarrassing themselves. I think the Bears will have a strong showing at win and should dominate this game on both offense and defense.
My Pick: Bears -13.5
Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills (+3.5): The Bills have looked much better in their last two games with Fitzpatrick behind the center. I'm not going to say this team is good but they have been playing much better picking up wins against the Jets and Panthers. The Texans have been looking great and have been firing on all cylinders. They had a demanding lead last week that they let slip away but still came out with the W. I think the Texans should have another strong performance both offensively and defensively. The Bills will put up some points but not enough to beat the Texans. Even if Andre Johnson sits, which he is fighting not to, they still have a lot of weapons to get the job done.
My Pick: Texans -3.5
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers (-3.5): If only this game took place before Green Bay visited the Vikings. The hype would've been so much more. Last time these two teams met, the Vikings tore apart the Packers. I don't expect that to happen this time. The Packers will be much better prepared and have patched a few things up on their O-Line. It is still pretty bad and the Vikings defensive front will do their best to put as much pressure on Rodgers as possible but Winfield being out should help the Packers cause significantly. If the Packers allow Rodgers some more time, he should be able to perform much better than last time. Unfortunately he is going against a man who has had his back against the wall many times and has came out on top many times.
My Pick: Vikings +3.5
San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts (-13): Colts are 6-0 and have looked great. Peyton Manning is definitely playing like an MVP candidate. The way he manages his team is unbelievable. I have to say he is the QB I enjoy watching the most for that reason. I believe he can pick apart any defense that is thrown in front of him. The 49ers decided to start Alex Smith this week after his strong performance last week against the Texans. We have to remember, this is the same Alex Smith who played terrible throughout several games last season. He has one strong performance, that doesn't mean you should rely on him every game. If I see a few more performances like last week, then maybe I'll have more confidence in him and his team. I still think they will not be able to handle the Colts, especially with the return of Bob Sanders.
My Pick: Colts -13
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets (-3): Last time these two met in Miami, I thought the Jets would dominate. The Dolphins have been surprisingly good. They played great against the Saints, but unfortunately they decided to stop playing in the 2nd half. The Jets D has not been the dominating force they are supposed to be, Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie and the Jets lost to the Bills. While I do expect the jets d to play much better than they did the last time these two met, I just don't know if it's enough. I will not make the same mistake twice.
My Pick: Dolphins +3
St Louis Rams vs. Detroit Lions (-3.5): Again, this game is definitely the game of the weak. Two horrible teams battling for who is slightly better than the other. I think the Rams D is a little better, they have Steven Jackson and although Bulger isn't playing great, he is experienced enough to lead his team to get their first win of the season.
My Pick: Rams +3.5
Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys (-10): The Dallas Cowboys surprisingly made a big statement when they easily defeated the Falcons. Well the Seahawks are not the Falcons; with the one game exception of when the Seahawks ripped up the Jags, who are equally bad, they have played poorly throughout the season. Now they have to head to Dallas where Miles Austin has become a stud and their defense is actually making plays. I expect a blow out.
My Pick: Dallas -10
Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers (-17): Last week the Chargers blew out the Chiefs and the Raiders got blown out by the Jets. As bad as the Raiders are, I did not expect them to get blown out by the Jets. However, despite the Chargers dominating win, I am still not believing that they are the Chargers who everyone expected them to be entering the season. This game also has a little more at stake; it is a huge rivalry. The Raiders almost beat the Chargers in the opening game of the season and I think they will turn up the intensity of their play. The Chargers should win with ease, but I still like the Raiders to cover.
My Pick: Raiders +17
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans (-3): It's official, Vince Young is going to be starting for the Titans after Kerry Collins failed to get them a win in 6 games. Only time will tell if this is the right choice or not. In their first matchup this season, the Jags dominated the Titans due to their lack of pass D. That game was also in Jacksonville, it's very hard to predict the outcome of this game due to we don't know how Vince will play. So I'm going to go with the assumption that Vince Young will choke on his first game thrown into a terrible situation. I feel bad for the guy.
My Pick: Jags +3
Carolina Panthers vs. Arizona Cardinals (-10): The Panthers have been terrible this season. I don't get how they can go from a playoff team to this bad in one season. The Cardinals on the other hand have started off a little shaky but are now picking up where they left off last year at the end of the season. Going on the road to New York and beat the Giants is something no one expected. They're defense has been playing great, and we already know their offense can be explosive, especially with what appears to be the emergence of Chris Wells in the run game. I expect the Cardinals to put on a show both offensively and defensively against a pathetic Jake Delhomme.
My Pick: Cardinals -10
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles (+1) - What a game, NY vs Philly before game 3 of the world series starring who...NY vs Philly as you all know. The Giants have been unimpressive to say the least in their past 2 showings. So has Philly though. Mcnabb hasn't been playing like his usual self. Is it the injured rib? Is it the damaged o line? Who knows. What we do know is that Westbrook is most likely out, and the Giants defense has something to prove this week.
My Pick: Giants -1
Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints (-10) - There isn't much for me to say here. If it was earlier in the season, I would say Falcons +10. But the Saints have beaten every opponent by 10+ points, and the Falcons lost to Dallas last week also on the road by more than 10 points. I would really like to see a much closer game, especially with these two teams, but unfortunately, I just don't think it's going to happen. The Saints had me scared the first half of last weeks game vs Miami, but they got their act together and Miami stopped managing the clock as much with their run game and started trusting Henne a little more; big mistake.
My Pick: Saints -10
Best Bets: These are the bets that I believe are most likely to happen. Each week the # will differ depending on how many I actually approve of.
Bears -13.5 home against the Browns
Texans -3.5 home against the Bills
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