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| Things have not gone Drew Brees' way so far this season, but a home matchup against the Bucs is just what the doctor ordered. |
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Austen: I know the Saints have been terrible so far this year (and Jarius Byrd is now out for the year). I know the Bucs just beat the Steelers on a beautiful last-minute touchdown. None of that matters when you are playing in the Superdome. Drew Brees is almost impossible to beat at home and I think this is where the Saints start to turn around their season.
Stally: Whoa, whoa! Let's not send the 1-3 Saints to the Super Bowl just yet, Austen. I agree that there's little cause for concern against the lowly Bucs, but the Saints aren't as good as we thought they'd be.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@Philadelphia over St. Louis
Stally: This is a mismatch and the game in which I have the most confidence, especially with the Eagles playing at home. I can't see the Rams keeping up on the scoreboard with the Eagles up-tempo offense
Austen: Austin Davis has been quietly playing pretty well considering his situation. The Eagles have been stinking up like you wouldn't believe but are somehow still 3-1. The Eagles offense score zero points last week, and the 49ers defense has not exactly played well this year so far. I have the Eagles, but not with a whole lot of confidence.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Pittsburgh over @Jacksonville
Austen: Like I said before, I am aware the Steelers just got beat at home by the lowly Bucs. Again, I don't care because the Steelers are going to be playing angry against the worst team in the league. Remember when the Jags put one amazing half of football together against the Eagles? They have not played even remotely well since.
Stally: Austen declares a new "worst team in the league" each week. I agree the Steelers win. However, I'm not going all-in on a team that's heading on the road a week after losing at home to the team we previously considered the worst in the league (the Bucs).
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Green Bay over Minnesota
Stally: The home-team doesn't often lose at home on Thursday night, and the Packers were clearly the better team. The Vikings have scored 75 points in two wins this season, but just 26 in three losses, including this 42-10 drubbing from Green Bay.
Austen: No argument there. This game might have done higher if I actually got my weekly picks in before Friday, just like every other week.
Austen's 6 Point Pick
Seattle over @Washington
Austen: I hold strong with the fact that the Seahawks are the best team in the league. That means they have to win tough road games like this against a much weaker opponent. For now, I am keeping the faith.
Stally: Let's not do this game the justice of calling it a "tough" road game. The Redskins lost 45-14 at home last week, so it's hard to see them suddenly turning it around against the defending champs.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Detroit over Buffalo
Stally: As fans of AFC East teams, I think Austen and I can both agree that it's been pleasant to watch a return to normalcy from the Bills in the past two weeks. Good for them that they started 2-0, but so did the Texans last year, and they finished with 14 straight losses. The Lions have been surprisingly good defensively this year, and that will cause some problems for a Buffalo team that can't even figure out who it wants to play at quarterback. (Was it fun losing to Ryan Fitzpatrick last weekend, Buffalo?!)
Austen: The Lions as of late seemingly always start hot and then fade at the end of the year, much like the Bills often do. The difference being, the Lions look like a legit playoff contender while the Bills still look like..... well the Bills. Detroit cannot afford to lose this game at home in a tough division that will probably only send one team to the playoffs.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
@San Diego over New York Jets
Austen: Nothing the Jets have shown me this year makes me believe that they can finish out games. They have hung tight with a lot of very good teams so far this year, but they make too many mistakes to trust in this one. The Chargers are shaking out as one of the best teams in the league right now and I think they should take a lead early and ride this one out.
Stally: It's hard to see the 3-1 Chargers losing at home to the 1-3 Jets. This game has double-digit blowout written all over it.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Dallas over Houston
Stally: I know Austen once claimed that the Cowboys were one of the worst teams in the league, but they're 3-1 and playing at home against a Houston team that earns the term "mediocre at best." Coming off an impressive rout of New Orleans, Dallas is definitely the favorite in this one.
Austen: You will get no disagreement from me here. I, like everyone else who watches football, expected the Cowboys defense to doom them all year long. After a disastrous week one where the offense could not stop turning the ball over and the defense could not stop a nose bleed, the Cowboys look like the best team in a weak NFC East. Let's see if they can keep it up.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
@San Francisco over Kansas City
Austen: The Chiefs are coming off of a huge win against the Patriots, but that should not give them a false sense of confidence. The 49ers might not be playing that great at the moment either, but if they lose this game at home, their playoff hopes are in serious danger. They should not have to start worrying about that quite yet.
Stally: Kansas City tends to be a different team at home than they are on the road. They certainly proved how dangerous they can be by destroying New England, but San Francisco still deserves the respect. I also have the 49ers, but not with as much confidence as Austen.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Indianapolis over Baltimore
Stally: The Ravens have been better than I expected, but the Colts have an explosive offense that should have free reign to go about its work at home.
Austen: If this game was in Baltimore, I would take the Ravens. The Colts have played two very sub par teams in the Jags and Titans the last two weeks. With a porous offensive line and little to no defense to speak of, the Colts are not a very good football team. This team goes as Andrew Luck goes, and he might be due for a bad week. That all being said, the Colts are too hot right now to not take them at home, where Luck typically plays significantly better.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @New England
Austen: As mentioned above, the Patriots are coming off a loss that has to have them questioning their game plan offensively and defensively. Bill Belichick is the best in the NFL at making adjustments to get the most out of the players he has, but going against the best team in the AFC coming off a bye week will not be the game where the Pats figure it all out. This should be another rough game to watch for Stally and his fellow Pats fans.
Stally: This is the first time in the history of the blog that I've picked against the Patriots. I tend to have a belief that they can and will beat any team at any point, but I can't see them winning this one. Tom Brady looks very much human and it appears that the Patriots are just too thin on experience to pull out games.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
Chicago over @Carolina
Stally: Most of us might have overrated the Panthers after such a good season last year. It's possible that they might just be an average team that over-performed last season. They've been outscored by 23 points despite their 2-2 record. The Bears haven't been a whole lot better, but the Panthers just look dead in the water right now.
Austen: I am still not quite sure why people did not realize that the Panthers lost the star wide receiver to free agency (along with the rest of their top four receivers from last season), their starting left tackle to retirement, and their best pass rusher to domestic violence charges. This team was torn apart this offseason and it is clearly showing. I like the Bears to show that they are are legit playoff contenders, while the Panthers' flaws come to light.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Denver over Arizona
Austen: Peyton Manning has been almost unbeatable in Denver. The Drew Stanton experience has to hit a snag sooner rather than later. DeMarcus Ware might bring that to a very sudden halt. I like the Cardinals a lot this season, but not in this road game.
Stally: I'm putting the Cardinals down as my upset special. Denver's offense is far less explosive than it was last year and the Cardinals defense could be one of the best in the league. The outcome will depend on whether or not the Arizona offense can be effective enough to win this one.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
Atlanta over @New York Giants
Stally: The Giants have bounced back from an 0-2 start, but they've done it against two teams that aren't that strong. The Falcons are 0-2 on the road, but they have one of the league's best passing attacks and the Giants have a paltry pass defense. Advantage, Atlanta.
Austen: I cannot trust a team with a defense that lets Matt Asiata score not one, not two, but three touchdowns. That is a team without a backbone. Eli Manning has been playing very well and I think this offense will put up a lot of points on the Falcons. This should be a very high scoring game, and I'll take the Giants at home.
Austen's One-Point Pick
Cleveland over @Tennessee
Austen: I cannot trust the Titans to beat anyone right now. Who is their quarterback? Who is their running back? Are any of their receivers going to step up and make a play? Their defense is not playing all that great either. The Browns, on the other hand, have been playing solid football all year, they just have not been able to finish out games. That changes this week.
Stally: I agree. The Browns lost to the Steelers by three, beat the Saints by two, and lost to the Ravens by two. If a few things went differently, they could by 3-0. That sounds a little silly, maybe, but they're a better team than the Titans.
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