DEN vs. SF
After the beating that Oakland laid on the Broncos, I have a very hard time believing that Denver will recover and be able to compete with, well anybody this season. San Francisco has been horribly unlucky this season, but I like Troy Smith better than most and I think they’re less likely to fail miserably than the Broncos. 49ers win.
JAC vs. DAL
While I think Jon Kitna can lead the Cowboys to a win here, I’m just not going to call for it. I don’t think they will be able to rally around Jon Kitna with all of the other media attention surrounding them. Jacksonville wins.
MIA vs. CIN
While both teams suffered tight losses last week, both teams also showed that they were able to compete with some of the strongest teams in the NFL. Miami has found a way to provide pass rush, in spite of not having a major name on the defensive line. Cincinnati, on the other hand, has been able to rank sixth in the NFL in passing offense by focusing on the offense through T.O. and Ochocinco. I think this will be pretty close, but I think the budding Dolphins defense will be able to pull this victory out.
BUF vs. KC
This could very well end in a huge upset. While Kansas City and Buffalo are at completely opposite ends of the winning scale; however Kansas City seems to pull out victories in tight games while Buffalo has shown the ability to out-tough their opponents, even if they can’t beat their opponents. I’m still picking Kansas City to win, mostly because they excel at running the ball and Buffalo is not particularly good at stopping the run. I wouldn’t be surprised if Buffalo pulled an upset though. (Watch they’ll be pathetic in this game, just because I said that.)
WAS vs. DET
Washington’s offense has been very up and down, while the defense is extremely good in the red zone. I am picking Washington to win this, just because this will be Matthew Stafford’s first game since he injured his shoulder in week 1. I think that lost time is going to hurt the chemistry between him and his receivers, at least during this game.
CAR vs. STL
I don’t think this will be a particularly good game, but St. Louis has surprised me in recent weeks and I am picking them to win, because their defense seems to have woken up.
GB vs. NYJ
The Jets have Darrelle Revis back to full health and Green Bay has lost a lot of their best players to injuries. I’m picking the Jets on the basis of that.
TEN vs. SD
San Diego has just not been able to compete with any team that has experienced any amount of success. Tennessee has found ways to just overpower their opponents through a relentless pass rush, tough defensive secondary and surprisingly efficient offense. I have a very hard time thinking that the Chargers are going to be able to correct their mistakes in time to beat the Titans.
MIN vs. NE
Regardless of whether Brett Favre plays or not, the Vikings have been falling apart over the course of the season because they have focused on passing the ball more than their power running game. New England shouldn’t have a hard time taking advantage of the injured Favre and winning the battle of field positions. New England wins.
TB vs. ARI
For some reason I think this is the easiest game to pick. Arizona will be starting either an injured rookie quarterback or a bad gunslinging quarterback against one of the better cornerback tandems in the NFL right now. I just really don’t like their chances against that. Tampa Bay wins on the road.
SEA vs. OAK
I got nothing. After what Oakland pulled off last week and with Seattle being so up and down through the season, I truly have no clue what’s going on in this matchup. I’m going to say Seattle, just on a hunch that Oakland won’t be great two weeks in a row. It’s just a guess though.
PIT vs. NO
At the beginning of the season this could have been a great matchup; however as the season has progressed, I think it has become a pure mismatch. Drew Brees has seen better days and the defensive hasn’t been getting the turnovers that allowed them to reach and win the Super Bowl last year. Pittsburgh, on the other hand has looked like nothing less than the best team in the NFL through the first half of the season. The offense has shown balance and the defense has been as strong as ever with Troy Polamalu returned. The Steelers should win handily.
HOU vs. IND *Game of the Week*
This game became the Game of the Week almost by default. I just couldn’t find any other games between two teams better than this. Houston shocked the football world with their upset of the Colts in Week 1 and now the Colts are coming back looking for revenge. The Texans could very easily win again on the basis of their strong running game, but the Colts offense has woken up and is looking like the Colts offense we all know and love (or love to hate). It should be fun to watch and, ultimately I think the Texans have the Colts number this season. Indy wins.
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