Another Thursday is upon us, which means it’s time to pick 16 more games. I went 9-6-1 last week, bringing my season total to… 9-6-1. Unfortunately I didn’t track my personal picks in the first 2 weeks; better late than never! Anyways, let’s get into it.
Jets 14-10 Broncos 
Thursday, 8:2o EST, NFL Network
Zzzzzzz…. Oh, sorry. Fell asleep for a second while thinking about this game. I don’t want to watch this game. You don’t want to watch this game. But, I think we’ll do it anyways. Thursday night’s affair is certain to be a snoozefest. The over/under is 41 for crying out loud! I’ll just take the home team here because I can. I actually think the Jets have a much better shot to win this game, but you never know what you’re going to get with this dumpster fire of a team. If the Jets lose, I expect HC Adam Gase gone by the weekend.
Colts 24-20 Bears 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
A classic matchup between two pretty good defenses and two pretty meh offenses. Perhaps the Bears attack will pick up where they left off in Atlanta and come out firing with Nick Foles at QB. Based on what I’ve seen through 3 weeks, I trust the Colts defense to stay tight and lock up the Bears. I expect a big game from Colts RB Jonathan Taylor as well, as I’m not sure how much Indy will trust Philip Rivers to throw the ball against a really good Bears secondary.
Bengals 26-23 Jaguars 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
Cat fight. The Bengals came oh so close to winning their first game led by rookie QB Joe Burrow last Sunday, but settled for a tie. I think they finally get that first W on Sunday when the Jags come to town. These are two of the worst teams in football on paper, but they’ve shown a lot of fight in their games this season. Jacksonville gets an extra 3 days of rest/preparation, but I feel much more confident in Burrow and the Bengals than I do Jacksonville.
Cowboys 30-27 Browns 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This should be a fun game. I expect to see a lot of points at JerryWorld on Sunday. The Cowboys defense hasn’t really shown up this season, especially in the secondary, so if Browns QB Baker Mayfield and RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt can get going, the Browns should make this a game. I trust Dallas to win though, as QB Dak Prescott has been on fire to start this season, and in the event of a close game, I trust the experience of the Cowboys offense and coaching staff to pull out a win. It should be a blast to watch.
Saints 31-17 Lions 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Saints are likely getting WR Michael Thomas back this week, and if they do, then this game shouldn’t be close. Thomas’ absence has left a very big hole in this offense, and in QB Drew Brees’ game. Perhaps they wouldn’t have 2 losses if Thomas was available. In any case, the Saints are the better team all across the board, and should win this game fairly easily. If the Lions could pull another shocking upset for the second consecutive week, I’m sure the rest of theNFC would thank them for it. But I don’t see that happening.
Seahawks 35-24 Dolphins 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
The Seahawks will be making a loooooong trip down to South Beach and play another difficult 1pm EST game. Luckily, they’re not playing a very good team. Yes, the Dolphins looked very good last Thursday night, but the Jaguars will make most teams look good. Seattle is one of the best teams in football, despite their woeful defense. As long as Russell Wilson is quarterbacking this team, I like them to win most games. Especially against the likes of Miami. The Dolphins will probably put up a decent amount of points, but it won’t be enough against one of the best offenses in the league.
Buccaneers 27-17 Chargers 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
The red hot Bucs host a struggling, injury-ridden Chargers team this Sunday, so I expect a comfortable Tampa Bay win. QB Tom Brady and the Bucs offense have looked sharper by the week, and their defense is one of the best units in the NFL. Chargers rookie QB Justin Herbert has put up good numbers through his first 2 starts, but has also struggled with turnover issues. I don’t think playing this defense will help that issue much. Los Angeles traveling east to play a 1pm game is also a challenge. Tampa should win this game comfortably.
Ravens 38-13 Washington 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, CBS
The Battle of the Beltway will have its 7th installment on Sunday, and it might be the ugliest one yet. Baltimore is one of the best teams in the NFL, and Washington is one of the worst. The Ravens will likely be fired up after getting embarrassed last week against the Chiefs. Washington has been dealing with some injuries on both sides of the ball, and won’t be fully healthy for this game. Even if they were, it wouldn’t save them from a blowout. The Ravens are a far better team with far better personnel and coaching. This game won’t be close. The Ravens are the heaviest favorite of the season coming into this game (-14), and they should cover with ease.
Cardinals 28-23 Panthers 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This matchup will always remind me of the 2015 NFC Championship Game, perhaps the weirdest championship game matchup of all time. These teams are in very different places now, of course. The Cardinals are coming off a tough loss to Detroit, and the Panthers are looking to string together consecutive wins after a W in Inglewood last week. As long as RB Christian McCaffrey is out, I’m doubtful of Carolina to win games, although they did prove me wrong last Sunday. Still, I like Arizona to win a tight game in Charlotte this week. This team is too good to lose consecutive games to below average teams. I expect QB Kyler Murray to return to form against a Panthers defense that has given up 3 straight big games to opposing QBs.
Vikings 33-30 Texans 
Sunday, 1:00 EST, FOX
This is the Winless Teams That Are Better Than Their Record Bowl. Alright, that’s not as catchy as I thought it was. In any case, one of these teams will finally emerge with a victory after a frustrating start to their season. I like Minnesota in this game, and I’m honestly not sure why. It’s just a gut feeling. The Texans have certainly played tougher opponents this year, but Minnesota has fought very hard in 2 of their losses. It’ll be close throughout, and I trust the Vikings on both sides of the ball, as well as their coaching, to win this game in the clutch. If the Texans lose this game, HC Bill O’Brien’s seat will only get hotter.
Rams 45-10 Giants 
Sunday, 4:05 EST, FOX
This one is gonna be ugly for the Giants. After getting destroyed last week against the 49ers B-team, I can only imagine how badly they’ll lose to one of football’s best teams, which is fully healthy. This has the chance to be the biggest blowout of the season. The Rams are coming off a very tough loss in a game they should have won vs. the Bills and will be fired up to let out all hostilities on one of football’s worst teams. There’s not much else I can say about this one. It will be total destruction.
Chiefs 31-27 Patriots 
Sunday, 4:25 EST, CBS
This game is certainly this week’s best on paper. Kansas City and New England renewing their rivalry, but with a bit of a different look. This will be the first time that QBs Patrick Mahomes and Cam Newton face off against one another in their NFL careers. This is a very different Patriots team than the ones Kansas City has played these last few years, but these coaches always know how to gameplan against one another. This matchup always brings out the best in both teams, and I expect that trend to continue on Sunday at Arrowhead. I like the Chiefs simply because I believe they are a better team, but I expect the Patriots defense to make this game difficult for Mahomes and the Chiefs offense. It wouldn’t shock me if the Patriots pulled this one out, but right now, I’ll take Kansas City.
Bills 35-27 Raiders 
Sunday, 4:25 EST, CBS
This is a very underrated matchup this week. Both of these teams have great offenses that have put up good numbers to start this season. The Bills passing attack is second to only Dallas’, as QB Josh Allen continues to put up huge numbers. The Raiders struggled last Sunday against a stout Patriots defense, but will likely have a much easier time this week as Buffalo’s D hasn’t really shown up yet in 2020. I expect to see a lot of points in Vegas on Sunday, and I like the Bills, who have the better offense, QB, and coaching, to leave Allegiant Stadium with a W.
49ers 27-13 Eagles 
Sunday, 8:20 EST, NBC
San Francisco welcomes the midnight green mess that is the Philadelphia Eagles to Santa Clara on primetime on Sunday. It’s still not confirmed who will be starting at QB for the 49ers on Sunday, but regardless of who it is, I think they’ll lead the Niners to a win. This is a very, VERY bad Eagles team that doesn’t have the talent to match up with this deep 49ers team, even with all of their injuries. There’s a reason San Francisco’s B-team is still a 7 point favorite. If Eagles QB Carson Wentz plays with his head on his shoulders, maybe this game will be close. But if his first 3 games of 2020 are any indication, that seems very unlikely.
Packers 38-28 Falcons 
Monday, 8:15 EST, ESPN
Points, points everywhere. Monday night’s affair in Lambeau is sure to be an offensive explosion as the Packers and Falcons are two of the league’s most explosive offenses. Atlanta has put up big numbers in all of their games, but are still 0-3 due to… obvious reasons. Luckily for Falcons fans, I don’t think this team will give anyone hope of a win with a big lead at any point in this game. The Packers should be in control from wire to wire, but QB Matt Ryan will keep his Falcons lingering for most of the game. Regardless, both of these teams will keep their 0’s in their respective columns once this game is done. If I could tell you anything this week, it would be to take the over in this game right now.
Steelers 24-23 Titans 
*Currently postponed indefinitely due to Titans COVID-19 outbreak
I’m not even sure if this game is happening this week. If it does, I like the Steelers. If it doesn’t then I will be very mad at the Tennessee Titans. Their COVID-19 cases are going up by the day, just when it seemed like the league was doing a good job of keeping cases to a minimum. There’s a good chance this game happens on Monday or Tuesday night, which is kind of wacky but also kind of fun. In any case, it should be a good game. These are 2 of the league’s 7 unbeaten teams, and two very talented rosters. I’m not sure who on the Titans has contracted the virus and won’t be playing, but regardless, I’ll take the more experienced team and coaching staff in Pittsburgh to pull this one out.
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