Last week in the NFL saw the Giants defeat the Patriots in stunning similarity to Super Bowl XLII, Torrey Smith going from a scapegoat to a hero in a matter of minutes against the Steelers, the Dolphins actually getting a win for once against the Chief, Patrick Peterson impressing the country with his punt returning ability against the Rams, and Aaron Rodgers once again showing why he's the best QB on the planet right now by throwing another fantastic game (21/26, 247 yards, 4 TD), among other things. This week (our first non-bye week since week 4, yeah!), the Steelers are up against the Bengals in a pivotal AFC North matchup, the Lions and the Bears squaring off as the NFL's first flex game of the season, the Patriots and the Jets, the Colts trying to get their first win against another one of the league's bad teams, and more. It should be a very interesting weekend of football, but before that, it's time once again here at The mj15 Blog to reveal our predictions for each of week 10's sixteen different games. First, the up-to-date records:
mj15 Week 9: 9-5
mj50 Week 9: 6-8
mj15 Overall: 89-41
mj50 Overall: 78-52
And now, the actual picks. As always, starting game times are based on the Central time zone. Let's begin:
Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers (-7): Thursday- 7:20 p.m.
mj15's pick: San Diego
Thursday Night Football kicks off for the 6th year in a row, and it begins in an interesting divisional showdown between two teams trying to get out of their recent funk (and without that historically awful broadcast booth with Matt Millen and Joe Theismann). San Diego may be coming off a three game losing streak, but at least they can take comfort knowing that they're still on top of the division at 4-4, and set to face a Raiders team who is in by far worse shape than them. Carson Palmer is still very much struggling since putting on the silver and black uniform (6 interceptions in 6 quarters), and I have a feeling that it will continue facing one of the league's top five ranked passing defense on a short week. Not only that, but Darren McFadden is injured, which is a tremendous blow to a Raiders rushing attack that's the only thing that's been producing since week 7. In other words, I see this as being San Diego's first game back on track.
mj50's pick: Oakland
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Pittsburgh
While I have been very impressed with the way that the Bengals have performed this season, the fact of the matter is that they haven't done enough to show me that they could defeat a team as good as the Steelers. Five of their six wins have come against teams that are currently .500 or worse, and in the only two games that they've played against other good teams (the 49ers and the Bills) they've only managed to defeat one of them (Buffalo) and that came on a last second field goal. Meanwhile, the Steelers are coming into this game with a better offense, a defense that's able in matching up with the Bengals well-performing defense, and motivation that can only arise from giving up an uncharacteristic late-game touchdown to lose against a hated divisional rival. The match will be close, but in the end the Steelers should edge past Cincy with a win.
mj50's pick: Pittsburgh
Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-3): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Denver
Jesus Christ, Kansas City! What the hell happened? You looked so good during the last four weeks, and yet when up against arguably the worst team in the league at home you derped and lost 31-3 while allowing Matt Moore to play his best game in ages. Matt Moore! Not a good sign going up against a Denver offense that actually looks like they might be creating a decent rush-friendly offense to match the abilities of Tim Tebow, who was (dare I say) efficient last week against the Raiders, and Willis McGahee, who has been on fire since October.
mj50's pick: Denver
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) vs. Indianapolis Colts: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Jacksonville
I was about to go with the Colts because if there's anytime for them to actually get a win, it would be against another awful team from the AFC South. However, the Colts have shown no signs in the past three weeks to pick them (different story than if this took place in week 6, after the Colts played three straight competitive ballgames), so I don't see why I should until proven otherwise. Also, the Jaguars come into the game with two key factors going for them. The first is Maurice Jones-Drew (not great this year, but still better than any running back that the Colts have), while the second is their defense (ranked 5th in the league, if you would believe it). And for that, I'm actually taking my chance on them.
mj50's pick: Jacksonville
Buffalo Bills vs. Dallas Cowboys (-5.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Dallas
Both teams have been so erratic in their performance lately that it was pretty difficult for me to go with a final decision. One week, the Bills shut out the Redskins while the next week they get beat down by the Jets. Same thing with Dallas. One week, they get destroyed by the Eagles while the next week they play as if that game never happened, winning 23-13 against the Seahawks. In the end, I decided on the 'Boys for two reasons: they're 3-1 at home this season (and even in their only loss, week 4 against the Lions, they still had a lead for most of that game), and they have the potent offense to match the 28 points on average that the Bills offense put up weekly. I will stick with the choice, although I am still doubting it.
mj50's pick: Buffalo
Houston Texans (-3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Houston
What in the world has happened in Houston defensively? Over the course of the season, the team's defense has gone from that one thing that has handicapped the Texans from being among the league's elite to actually being...pretty decent. In addition to being the only team in the league not to give up more than 275 yards on average this season (making them the #1 ranked total defense), but that pass rush which was embarrassing last season (ranked dead last in the league) is actually one of the best in the NFL right now (#2, behind the Cleveland Browns). Could it be that Wade Phillips has been the remaining piece in the puzzle all along?
Anyways, this is a matchup against two teams going on two very different paths. The Texans have won three straight and are firing on all cylinders at this point, while the Bucs has lost three out of their last four. Andre Johnson is out, but he's been out since week 5, and that doesn't seem to have affected Houston too much. One thing they do have, though, is a healthy Arian Foster, who has put up over 100 yards in the last three weeks and should do well again this time around against a Tampa Bay front seven ranked in the bottom ten stopping the run. There will come a time when Tampa wins again, but I just don't think it will come this Sunday.
mj50's pick: Tampa Bay
Tennessee Titans vs. Carolina Panthers (-3.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Tennessee
Slowly but surely, Chris Johnson is getting back into form after his terrible start to the season. Last week, he had his best game of the season in yards per carry (6.1), and now he's up against a vulnerable Panthers defense that has been one of the few things in the league worse than him (giving up 133 yards on average, ranked #27 in that category). I think that he will be the deciding factor to get the Titans back to over .500 against the Panthers.
mj50's pick: Tennessee
Washington Redskins vs. Miami Dolphins (-4): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Miami
Congratulations, John Beck. You've managed to turn a team from 3-2 and in contention for the NFC East to 3-5 and a Vegas underdog against a team that just last week was winless. Great job.
mj50's pick: Miami
HALFTIME! Can you believe that not once in the past two years of this column have I shown a Bill Hicks clip at halftime? Well, that's about to change! Here's his famous (NSFW) rant about Jay Leno to take this column into's second half. Spoiler alert: he doesn't think too highly of him.
New Orleans Saints (-1) vs. Atlanta Falcons: Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Atlanta
Just a gut feeling. While the Saints have been fantastic this season overall, all three of their losses have come on the road, not a good thing to have on record against one of the league's best home teams in the past four years. Plus, Matt Ryan is starting to play much more effective in the last couple of games, a good sign for an offense that is already ranked in the top ten rushing.
mj50's pick: New Orleans
Arizona Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-14): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: Philadelphia
Last week, Arizona needed a cornerback to get a 99-yard punt return in overtime just so they can defeat the Rams, for crying out loud! No way that they will be able to get a win on the road at 1 p.m./ET against a vastly superior Eagles team.
mj50's pick: Arizona
St. Louis Rams vs. Cleveland Browns (-2.5): Sunday- 12:00 p.m.
mj15's pick: St. Louis
God, this is like choosing between listening to New Boyz all day and listening to Kenny G! Well, let's see, uh...ooh, Sam Bradford! He' getting healthier by the day, so there's that. Also, Stephen Jackson should have a favorable matchup against the league's 30th ranked defense. Plus, the Browns are without both Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty at running back, and I have a very good feeling that Chris Ogbonnaya will not suddenly become the next DeMarco Murray. So, to summarize, I have the Rams getting their second win of the season in what will probably be another ugly game the likes of the Browns' game against the Seahawks from a few weeks back.
mj50's pick: St. Louis
Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) vs. Seattle Seahawks: Sunday- 3:05 p.m.
mj15's pick: Baltimore
The only way that I see the Seahawks beating the Ravens is if Baltimore plays like just like they did week 2 against the Titans (a.k.a. the first time they played a game this season after beating the Steelers), which was not good (and considering how Joe Flacco has played much worse this year against the Titans/Jaguars/Cardinals than against the Steelers/Jets/Texans, it's certainly possible). However, I just don't see that happening, not with the Seahawks being 1-5 against other teams that are currently .500 or better.
mj50's pick: Seattle
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears (-3): Sunday- 3:15 p.m.
mj15's pick: Chicago
I've said multiple times in this column before that the Bears will defeat the Lions week 10 at home, and I'm not backing down on my beliefs. The main reason the Bears lost against Detroit in week 5 was because they were at a very noisy Ford Field, where they had an incredible nine false start penalties. Now, they're at home, so we shouldn't expect that many to happen yet again. Besides, this Bears team is just a whole lot different than the one that we saw in that week 5 game. After all, Earl Bennett is back, strengthening the team's WR corps, the offensive line has improved since benching Frank Omiyale, and the team has gotten more confident in the belief that they take on anyone and beat anyone. It should be another close matchup (as Bears-Lions games have been in the past few years), but I think that Chicago should be able to get revenge on Detroit for that week 5 victory.
mj50's pick: Chicago
New York Giants vs. San Francisco Giants (-3.5): Sunday- 3:15 p.m.
mj15's pick: San Francisco
Whether you like it or not, the fact remains the same: that the 49ers have one of the best records in the NFL and are playing their best football since 2002. They've won six straight, including a remarkable-for-a-West-Coast-team four games at 1 p.m./ET, have a defense and running game that's producing results, and a quarterback in Alex Smith that is doing just good enough (i.e. not making a lot of mistakes). Now, they're up against the Giants, who are fresh off an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Patriots. While I was impressed with the Giants win, the 49ers have a better defense than New England in almost all areas. Also, San Francisco is +78 in points against their opponent at Candlestick Park. You talk about homefield advantage...that is it!
mj50's pick: San Francisco
New England Patriots vs. New York Jets (-1.5): Sunday- 7:30 p.m.
mj15's pick: New England
The main reason the Patriots lost last week (outside of Tom Brady's costly interceptions, of course) was because Eli Manning was a good enough quarterback to exploit the team's league-worst passing defense during the final five minutes. Mark Sanchez is not as good a quarterback as Eli Manning. For this very reason (and, of course, Brady) that I see the Patriots finishing this game having completed a season sweep of the Jets.
mj50's pick: New York
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers (-13.5): Monday- 7:35 p.m.
mj15's pick: Green Bay
If the Packers' game against the Saints and the Chargers have taught us anything, it's that the Packers can be beatable. They just have to face a team that also has a top five passing game, so that they can match the incredible play of Aaron Rodgers to the very end. Unfortunately for the Vikings, their passing offense (led by Christian Ponder) does not match that bill. Therefore, I expect to see the Packers head into next week with a perfect 9-0 record.
mj50's pick: Green Bay
RECAP
The Undertaker at "WrestleMania" Lock of the Week: Philadelphia over Arizona
The Patriots over Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI Upset of the Week: Tennessee over Cincinnati
The "Toy Story" vs. "The Incredibles" "I'm Not Sure" Pick: Atlanta over New Orleans
Be sure to stop by next Thursday for a recap of my week 10 results along with a preview of week 11. Enjoy the games, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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