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Here are our picks for the weekend.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
New England over @Indianapolis
Stally: The Colts aren't a bad team, but the Patriots seem to own them. I wouldn't be a true fan if I didn't take them in the Deflategate Revenge Game.
Austen: Let's simply this. The Patriots might be the best team in the NFL. The Colts might be the best team in the AFC South. There's a big gap between those two designations. If the Pats don't win by double digits, it will be surprising.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
@Green Bay over San Diego
Austen: As Stally is biased in the Pats game, I am biased in this game, as I am attending it. I will be rooting for the Packers, but secretly I'm mostly rooting for the blow out I expect to happen to not happen (if that makes any sense at all). The Chargers do not do anything well enough to win this game in Green Bay.
Stally: The Chargers are way to mediocre to win at Green Bay. Don't concern yourself too much, Austen, it should still be a decent game.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
Denver over @Cleveland
Stally: I still don't buy the Broncos match their undefeated record, but they're still a good team. And good teams don't lose to the Browns (take note, Baltimore).
Austen: If this game was in Denver, I'd take the Broncos with 1,000 confidence points. It is not, and I almost took the Browns. Cleveland's offense is red hot (this might be the first and only time this is ever said on this blog) and I think they will compete to the final minutes with the Broncos. That being said, they are the Browns and they will lose this game. Just not by as much as people think.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
@Seattle over Carolina
Austen: The Seahawks simply cannot lose this game after a crushing loss to the Bengals. I just cannot imagine the Panthers burying the Seahawks season, which would be the case if the Pathers win this game. Seattle at home is always a good bet, even when they are less talented than this team.
Stally: Ok, so I know I said the Broncos shouldn't be undefeated, don't even get me started on Carolina. Despite the 4-0 start, I still can't see them being better than about a .500 team. I'll give them 9-7 on the year, but I won't give them a chance at Seattle.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
Atlanta over @New Orleans
Stally: This was a Thursday night bust, but I'd take the Falcons again. Atlanta had been playing great football, and New Orleans had not. Take note: the Falcons defense that gave up 31 points in this loss will be the shortcoming for the team in the postseason.
Austen: I cannot fault Stally for having this game so high. The Saints had played horrendous for two straight years in the Superdome, after being almost unbeatable there for years. How could anyone expect them to knock off an undefeated Falcons team? I sure didn't. But that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
@New York Jets over Washington
Austen: Sheldon Richardson comes back this week. The Jets are coming off a bye. Their defense is one of the best in the NFL without Richardson, who is one of the best defensive players in the entire league. Meanwhile, the Redskins are offensively challenged, as well as pretty challenged in a lot of areas. The Skins defense might have to score multiple touchdowns in order for them to win this game.
Stally: The Jets are quite decent. The Redskins are not. This isn't just a homer pick by Austen, it's the correct pick.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
Houston over @Jacksonville
Stally: I still have faith that Houston's All-Pro playmakers can beat a team like the Jaguars.
Austen: Both these teams are terrible so I'm siding with the home team. Jacksonville might even win by double-digit points, so long as Toby Gerhart does not have to start at running back for them.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
Arizona over @Pittsburgh
Austen: The Cardinals might be the best team in the league, as they are the most well-rounded. They can beat you in so many different ways, as Carson Palmer is playing possibly the best football of his entire career. I think this game will not even be close.
Stally: Again, I agree with Austen's pick. The Steelers snuck a Monday night win out of San Diego, but won't be a complete team so long as Michael Vick is under center and Big Ben is hurt.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
@Detroit over Chicago
Stally: This is a tough call because the Lions have been so bad, but the Bears are no great shakes. I'll again go with Detroit and hope they don't burn me again.
Austen: I really thought Detroit was going to win 10 games this year. At this point in the season, that is almost a statistical impossibility. I have little-to-no faith that they can knock off a Bears team that has outperformed expectations (as low as those expectations may be). I'm very glad Stally took this game.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
@Minnesota over Kansas City
Austen: Unsurprisingly, Adrian Peterson is by far the best player on either of these teams. He is going to wreak havoc on the hapless Cheifs, who might be the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. And that was with Jamaal Charles in the lineup.
Stally: Who knows where the Chiefs will go from here with Charles out for the year. They don't like using their WRs to score TDs, so Charcandrick West and Knile Davis will need to step up to soften the blow of losing Charles. I'm not sure they do that this week, and I like the Vikings at home as well.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
Baltimore over @San Francisco
Stally: This will be a Super Bowl XLVII rematch for the first time since the Ravens lucked into that ring with some timely non-calls. It won't be a Harbaugh rematch, but the Ravens will again win. This time, because Colin Kaepernick has turned back into a pumpkin.
Austen: Much like the Jacksonville game, both of these teams are terrible, so I am going to side with the 49ers. I think Anquan Boldin will be the difference maker in this game against his old team.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @Buffalo
Austen: EJ Manuel will be the worst starting quarterback in the league this week. Even if Matt Cassel was starting this week, which he will be for the Cowboys next week, I'd stand by that statement, despite Manuel beating out Cassel for the backup job in Buffalo this offseason. He will single handedly kill this entire offense, and Andy Dalton will make enough big plays to keep the Bengals undefeated.
Stally: I like the Bills for the upset. Rex Ryan likes to get his mediocre teams ready to knock off the big dogs, and it's time that the undefeated Bengals fell a notch.
Stally's One-Point Pick
@Philadelphia over New York Giants
Stally: I'm on the fence with this one. I'll take the Eagles at home, especially since DeMarco Murray finally looked strong last week in the running game. If he can keep it up, Philly will win this one.
Austen: The Giants are incredibly banged up, which we have all heard so many times before. They are going to have a hard time beating anyone with this roster, especially on the road against a rival who they have a particularly difficult time beating at their best.
Austen's One-Point Pick
@Tennessee over Miami
Austen: I cannot believe I am taking the Titans, but I am. I have been preaching about how untalented this team is for 2-3 straight seasons. However, Macus Mariota is making them competitive every week. They very nearly beat Buffalo last week, who is much better than the Dolphins, so I'll side with them for now.
Stally: I don't have confidence in either team, but I do know that Miami is the better team on paper, so I'll take the Dolphins.
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