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| Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals defense has them in hot pursuit of the NFC West. (Getty) |
However, like last week, our level of confidence varies significantly. Most of the clear mismatches put the better team on the road, which is always cause for hesitation, but there aren't too many games that seem destined for overtime either.
As I told Austen, instead of ranking them 1-15. I could have just put eight confidence points on every game and called it a week. The necessity to rank to the games creates an interesting "disagree to agree" situation in this week's blog.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@Arizona over Washington
Stally: The Redskins are 1-4 with nothing more than a home win over Jacksonville and a racial slur for a nickname. The Cardinals struggled on the road against one of the best teams in the league, Denver, but their defense is normally very strong and should hold down a Redskins offense that has failed to impress with Kirk Cousins under center.
Austen: Drew Stanton is banged up and Logan Thomas only managed to complete one pass against the Broncos last week when he was forced to fill in. I have AZ but with a whole lot less confidence.
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
San Diego over @Oakland
Austen: The Chargers are the best team in the AFC right now, period. Philip Rivers is playing better than any quarterback in the league, and I really like the way this defense has played so far this year. With Derek Carr looking to miss the game, I cannot see a way the Chargers lose this game.
Stally: This pick seems logical, but it would have seemed logical last year, too, when the Raiders won this home game 27-17. This is one of those weird divisional things where Oakland seems to play their best against San Diego. Pick the Chargers for sure, but be prepared to hold your breath until the middle of the fourth quarter.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
Denver over @New York Jets
Stally: It's hard to see a team as dynamic as the Broncos losing to a team as inept in all facets as the Jets.
Austen: No argument here from the Jets fan. If Eric Decker suits up and is at least 90%, he could take over the game a bit to get some revenge on his old team. However, he is questionable at best and the Jets offense has been incapable of doing anything with him out of the lineup.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
@Seattle over Dallas
Austen: If this was in Dallas, I'd take the Cowboys. After looking like the worst team in the NFL Week 1, they have looked like a legit playoff contender, and are by far the best team in their division. This one could be close, but I cannot pass on the Seahawks at home.
Stally: The Cowboys are 4-1 and deserve respect, but there's a difference between deserving respect and being expected to beat the defending champs in their own building. I agree. Seattle beats 'em by at least two scores.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
San Francisco over @St. Louis
Stally: The Rams have been staying in games of late, but I have trouble seeing a team with one of the league's most uninspiring offenses finding a way to beat a balanced force like San Francisco's.
Austen: Ummm, Austin Davis was second is passing last week with 370 yards, so I would not exactly say that the offense is lacking. However, this is not a very good team and unfortunately football is a team game. If I was more of a gambling man, I'd take the Rams simply because the 49ers are not a very good football team right now either and have had a lot of trouble with the Rams when they were even worse than the team they are playing today.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Green Bay over @Miami
Austen: Yes, the Dolphins are coming off of a bye. Too bad, they are playing Aaron Rodgers. The Packers need to win games like this to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.
Stally: The Green Bay Packers are overrated. Let me just float that out there right now. They should still have what it takes to beat a very, very mediocre Miami team. But, I'm not going all in on the Packers for this road game.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
New England over @Buffalo
Stally: Tom Brady is questionable, but it's hard to expect that he won't play. If he does, he wins. He's 22-2 in his career against Buffalo.
Austen: This should be a close game, but I cannot argue with taking Brady over the Bills.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
Indianapolis over @Houston
Austen: I thought this would be a closer game than most people expected, but Andrew Luck in crunch time is just unstoppable. This was one of the best games I have watched all year.
Stally: Hardly a surprise to see the Colts win, but I was a little gun-shy taking the road team on Thursday night.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Philadelphia over New York Giants
Stally: Good for the Giants to win three games against three average-at-best teams, but going on the road to Philadelphia will be a different beast. The Eagles are much more dynamic and should romp their divisional foe in this one.
Austen: I have the Giants. I do not like the way the Eagles are playing right now and I am still unsure how they are 4-1. The Giants are coming together as a team and playing solid on both sides of the ball.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
@Cincinnati over Carolina
Austen: Carolina has been inconsistent and the Bengals are the second best home team in the league (aside from Seattle).
Stally: The Panthers don't look like the same team they were last season, but they snapped out of their skid with a win over the Bears last week. They'll be a formidable opponent, but asking for a road win against one of the league's stronger teams might be too much to ask.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
@Atlanta over Chicago
Stally: The Falcons are 2-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. The Bears are 2-3 and look well on their way to another 8-8 finish. Atlanta is the favorite in this one.
Austen: Third best home team in the league?
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Baltimore over @Tampa Bay
Austen: Stally and I always doubt the Ravens and tend to bet against them. They are an inconsistent road team, but you have to like their odds against a Bucs team that does not scare anyone.
Stally: Despite the upset at Pittsburgh, picking against the Bucs is usually a safe bet. The Ravens are a good enough team on both sides of the ball to win this game is several different manners.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Tennessee over Jacksonville
Stally: Need a nap? Turn this on one. The Titans 1-4 record looks good only because Jacksonville's 0-5 is below them in the AFC South standings. Tennessee being at home makes them a clear favorite.
Austen: The two worst teams in the league face off against each other? The loser of this one will have the first pick in the draft.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Cleveland over Pittsburgh
Austen: Big Ben has been unbeatable against the Browns. That changes today where the Browns are finally the better team.
Stally: This is the second straight week that both Austen and I have taken the normally lowly Browns. All of Cleveland's four games have been decided by three points or less, which includes a season-opening road loss at Pittsburgh (30-27). Don't be surprised if that result flip-flops itself with this game being played in Ohio.
Stally's One-Point Pick
@Minnesota over Detroit
Stally: The Lions seem like the better team, but the injury report suggests that both Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush will miss this game. It's also in Minnesota, so the Lions defense won't have the advantage of a home crowd.
Austen: I really thought picking the Vikes this week was going to surprise Stally. Apparently we even agree on upset picks. Great minds, huh?
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