Well, last weekend was a mess. I was 9-7 for the weekend and YTD 17-14. The games are all over the place, but that is what makes football exciting. No one is eliminated yet, but the Saints need to get it in gear; too bad they are at Green Bay.
The real Zebras will be on duty starting tonight!
Houston and Atlanta look like they could have their divisions in hand. The NFC South should get better and might put up a fight, but the AFC South is depleted. Tons of division games on deck. The first quarter of the season is coming to a close, fall has started, and rivalries renewed.
Picks are below:
Cleveland (0-3) at Baltimore (2-1) – Terrible at Long in the Tooth D
last week I blew off what on paper should have been a gimme and the No1 team went down on the road. Now the Ravens have won a hard fought game on a short week. They face a division rival. All of this reeks of an upset. Not Really. Pick: Ravens
Minnesota (2-1) at Detroit (1-2) – happily Rebuilding at Confused Cats
What have we here? I was one of the few that liked the Ponder pick last year. The Vikings are a good mix of experience and youth. They have holes, but so do the Lions. How do you blow that game in TN? This is a road game against an angry team. Pick: Lions
Seattle (2-1) at St. Louis (1-2) Golden Receptions at I’m not sure what to make of you guys
The Seahawks have one legit win and one by Ref fiasco. The Rams are becoming a Jeff Fischer team. Given the events of Monday Night and the fact that this is a road game on a short week, I’ll take the home team. Pick: Rams
San Francisco (2-1) at N.Y. Jets (2-1) What just happened? at Media Hos
Upset in Minn and looking vulnerable in the NFC West, another road trip for the Niners. Jets just lost their best player. However, not sure that impacts THIS game much. Still, the Niners are better on paper and angry. The Jets like to act tough, but they are about to get punched in the mouth. Pick: 49ers
San Diego (2-1) at Kansas City (1-2) Reverting to Form at Might be Waking Up
A win over the Saints might be meaningless this season. A loss to the Falcons is nothing to lose sleep over. However, this is a division weekend and these games matter more than others. I don’t trust Rivers. Pick: Chiefs
Tennessee (1-2) at Houston (3-0) Music City Miracles at Great Expectations
The Titans scored every which way possible last week. The Texans can put the Titans in a three game hole already. Texans may be the most complete team in the league. JJ Watt is a beast and the Texans are only rushing four right now; wait for Wade to Blitz. HA HA HA!!! Pick: Texans
Carolina (1-2) at Atlanta (3-0) Pouting at Regular Season Dominants
The Falcons are hard to beat at home. The Panthers have issues with their D. The Falcons can be explosive and their D can play. Not a fun day for Cam & Co. Pick: Falcons
New England (1-2) at Buffalo (2-1) Holey Roman Empire at Overrated
Two losses on FGs in the last seconds – one they missed and one hit against them. That is how close they’re to 3-0. Still Imperial Rome is showing cracks. The Bills have beaten the Chiefs and Browns and were routed by the Jets…not impressed. Pick: The Empire
Cincinnati (2-1) at Jacksonville (1-2) Super Sophs at A really bad team
The Jags needed a miracle to win and got it last week. The Bengals survived a thriller in DC. This could get ugly early. Pick: Bengals
Miami (1-2) at Arizona (3-0) Needs a new Kicker at Potential Powerhouse
The Dolphins SHOULD have won last week except their hair-band reject of a kicker missed TWO FGs. The Cardinals are legit with that D. Their O worries me, but not against the ‘Phins. Pick: Cardinals (Watch them lay an egg after their last two victories.)
Oakland (1-2) at Denver (1-2)Enigma at Maybe not so Washed Up
Denver has played two of the top teams back to back. The Raiders beat a hard to read Steelers team. This is a key game in the race for the division title. I’ll take the home team. Pick: Broncos
Washington (1-2) at Tampa Bay (1-2)Wonderboy at Pirates
Memo to the Shanahans, complaining about the number of hits your QB takes when running the Veer makes you an idiot. Not sure what to make of the Bucs. The Redskins are hurting on D. Not sure how many comebacks RGIII can try to pull out. Pick: Bucs
New Orleans (0-3) at Green Bay (1-2) They Stink at They got Jobbed!
Wow! Last year this was a headline game. This year it has two losing teams. How the Packers deal with last week’s fiasco will say a great deal about their character. However, the team that defines turmoil is visiting. The D stinks and the O is not in synch. Pick: Packers
N.Y. Giants (2-1) at Philadelphia (2-1) Sleepwalkers at the Pretenders
Giants face a test, but the Eagles a bigger one. Giants treated the Panthers like a little brother, but head to Philly now. Eagles got a beat down in Arizona. The Eagles D is improved, but that O is all over the place. Run the Ball! Maybe that will keep Vick from being roadkill. Pick: Giants
Chicago (2-1) at Dallas (2-1) Drama Cub at Egomaniacs
Cowboys don’t inspire confidence. Forte is out for the Bears(maybe). I never see what the ‘experts’ see when it comes to how ‘talented’ Dallas is. Bears…Cutler is a meltdown away from getting a jockstrap wedgie in the locker room. Pick: Bears
BYE: Colts, Steelers
Again, no animals were harmed in making these picks. Though there was lots of swearing during many games.