Each week I pick the winners of all the NFL games (or try to, anyway) without point spreads and without bias, either.
For a third straight week, my midseason revival continued. I went 8-5 for a 28-12 mark since Week Seven to bring my year-to-date, straight-up record to 78-54 (.590).
The schedule goes from 13 to 14 games as the bye weeks start to wind down. Only Baltimore, Philadelphia, Oakland and Kansas City have the week off.
NOTE: All games will be played Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.
Seattle 24, Arizona 10 (Thursday night): The Seahawks have scored 50 more points than the Cardinals and allowed 52 less. The only advantage Arizona has is the home field, but even that won’t help. The ‘Hawks home loss to Washington was nothing more than a fluke.
Pittsburgh 30, Indianapolis 17: The Steelers come off a bye week by hitting the road to play a Colts squad that has to feel good after a division win in Houston. But Indianapolis is facing Ben Roethlisberger this week, not Tom Savage.
Minnesota 26, Washington 20: The Vikings are capitalizing on quarterback woes in Chicago and Green Bay, looking to take control of the NFC North. On the other hand, the Redskins can’t again rely on a miracle catch from a receiving corps that’s among the league’s worst.
Jacksonville 20, Los Angeles Chargers 16: Jacksonville is buying into the more disciplined ways of Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone. The Chargers have sprung to life in recent weeks. What gives in this game? The Jags’ aggressive pass rush spells “problems” for LA.
New Orleans 31, Buffalo 26: This is one of the better games on the slate and one of the hardest to pick, too. The Bills are 4-0 at home, while the Saints have won six straight after a 0-2 start. I’ll pick based on the signal-callers: it’s Drew Brees over Tyrod Taylor.
Green Bay 17, Chicago 13: The Packers only recently took the all-time lead in this archrivalry, which is the oldest and best of all NFL’s feuds. Both quarterbacks–Brett Hundley and Mitch Trubisky–are green, but I think the one wearing Green and Gold is slightly better, despite the Pack’s three-game losing streak.
Tennessee 23, Cincinnati 20: The host Titans continue a four-game stretch against the AFC North. They’ll register a third straight win, too, this time over a Bengals squad that looks better under a new coordinator–but only when it maintains poise.
New York Jets 16, Tampa Bay 13: The Bucs are at home, but they won’t have quarterback Jameis Winston (shoulder) or receiver Mike Evans (suspension). I was one of many who thought Tampa Bay would be a sleeper playoff team. But now the Jets, believe it or not, are more suited to wear that title.
Detroit 31, Cleveland 9: These two franchises met several times in the 1950s with NFL championships on the line. Those days are long gone, to say the least. For the visiting and winless Browns, so are the glory days.
Los Angeles Rams 34, Houston 20: If Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson were healthy — as well as some of his defensive teammates — this could have been one of the best games of the season. But the host Rams are one of the league’s success stories and should roll to an easy home win.
San Francisco 13, New York Giants 6: This is truly the “Game of the Weak” between the teams have a grand total of one — ONE! — win between them. The ‘Niners are at home and the Giants have the more experienced quarterback … but Eli Manning might be benched. What to do? Flip a coin and pray.
Dallas 26, Atlanta 13: The Cowboys defense is better than many observers believe. Dallas is 5-0 when it allows 20 or fewer points. Not only that, the ‘Boys are at home against an offensively-challenged Falcons team that can’t shake off a Super Bowl hangover. This is the easiest pick of the week.
New England 40, Denver 20 (Sunday night): The Broncos are at home, but they got absolutely obliterated on prime-time TV by the Giants. What’s going to happen when the revived Patriots defense gets a hold of them? You know the answer.
Carolina 30, Miami 17 (Monday night): The Dolphins get to play–again, for the third time this year–under prime-time lights. They lost a blowout to Baltimore and a close game to Oakland. This one is on the road against a Panthers team that is better, especially defensively.
