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| Who are these LA Rams? |
With injuries all over the NFL, it becomes ever increasingly difficult to predict. However, here are our picks for the week.
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Arizona over Los Angeles
Austen: I do not care that the Rams have won two in a row. I do not care that the Cardinals just got their butts handed to them by the floundering Bills. This is going to be a blow out. Talent always wins out.
Stally: It's hard to believe that the Rams (2-1), who were shutout 28-0 to open the season in San Francisco, are somehow doing better in the standings than the Cardinals (1-2), who made it to the NFC Championship Game last year. That just needs to change!
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@New England over Buffalo
Stally: It doesn't matter who starts at QB for the Patriots. Bill Belichick's teams never lose at home to the Bills.
Austen: This is a crazy amount of confidence to put into a team who really has no idea who their starting quarterback is going to be. If Rex Ryan loses this game in spectacular fashion, he might not have a job on Monday.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
@Cincinnati over Miami
Austen: I put a lot of faith in the Bengals in this one, but even I did not imagine how bad the Dolphins would be. After breaking a long touchdown to get up 7-3, the Fins put up one of the worst all around team performances I have personally watched in a long time. They could not move the ball at all on offense, and their defense could not stop AJ Green, aka the one guy they knew they had to cover. These are dark times in Miami.
Stally: This game was about as ugly for Miami as we thought it could have been. The Dolphins aren't very good.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Washington over Cleveland
Stally: The Browns are well on their way to not winning a game this season, so this should be another loss for them.
Austen: This is not a good Redskins team. I almost went with the Browns here, but they are the least talented team in the NFL who is on their third string quarterback. What does that say about what I think of the Skins?
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Detroit over @Chicago
Austen: The Bears lack any sort of identity on offense or on defense. This is a team without anything they can hang their hat on that they do well. The Lions have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. This will be a blowout.
Stally: The Bears certainly aren't very good at all, but just how much better are the Lions?! My guess is that we'll find out it's less than a touchdown difference.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Minnesota over New York Giants
Stally: The Vikings are quickly becoming one of the best teams in the league. The defense is amazing, and QB Sam Bradford seems to be enough of a care-taker to keep the ball moving in the right direction.
Austen: I do not understand how good the Vikings are minus Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, but I cannot argue with taking them this high, or really putting all your confidence in them. Giants are coming off a tough loss against the Redskins where they really beat themselves, so I expect them to show up and put together a good fight. However, the Vikings are the far superior team.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
@Houston over Tennessee
Austen: There just is not a lot of like about the Titans. They are running a smashmouth, run first offense, but where has it gotten them? They have trailed in the 4th quarter every game, and only against a banged up Lions defense were they able to close out a game with a win. With or without JJ Watt, the Texans are the far better team and will show that this week.
Stally: The Texans (2-1) have won every game so far this season in which they've managed to score at least one point. That bodes well for them against a Titans team that has yet to score more than 16 in a game through the first three weeks.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
Denver over @Tampa Bay
Stally: I can't imagine that the Broncos will go undefeated for the majority of the season like last year, but Cinderella's slipper certainly still seems to fit. The defense is as good as just about any we've seen in the last decade, which allows them to use cardboard cutouts of Peyton Manning at QB and still win games. It's also hard to see a Tampa Bay team winning this one after it lost to by 33 points (to Arizona) and then lost to the G.D. Rams the next week.
Austen: Jameis Winston is still making too many rookie mistakes. He cannot afford to do that against Denver, or they will make him pay dearly.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
@Pittsburgh over Kansas City
Austen: Le'Veon Bell is back. The Chiefs defense is not as good as they looked against the Jets. The Steelers are going to be playing mad at home after a beatdown by the Eagles. The Chiefs are a far worse team on the road than at home. All leads to a Pitt win.
Stally: Hey, Austen, how about a little love for the Chiefs every once in a while?! The Steelers lost 34-3 to the Eagles last week, and yet you're still picking them with strong confidence to beat a team that's simply better than them. Get outta here!
Stally's Four-Point Pick
Seattle over @New York Jets
Stally: This might be a last ditch effort on Seattle for me. It's painstakingly obvious that this Seahawks team is worse than in the most recent few seasons, but I just can't seem to quit on them yet. Losing to the Jets would certainly sour me on them.
Austen: I have the Jets with basically no confidence. I think Russell Wilson is going to have a tough day going against one of the toughest defensive lines in the game. I would not be surprised if Wilson did not play this entire game.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Dallas over @San Francisco
Austen: The Cowboys defense is still a big question mark for me, but does the 49ers offense have enough fire power to take advantage of it at all? I think the Boys come out on top because of another great performance by their rookie quarterback and running back.
Stally: This will be a good test for the Cowboys. All signs are pointing to them being a pretty decent team, but overlooking the 49ers would be a mistake. They're just good enough to pull off the upset if the 'Boys don't bring their best game.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
@San Diego over New Orleans
Stally: America's beloved New Orleans Saints are 0-3. Soon to be 0-4. Give it up already.
Austen: No argument here. The Saints defensive performance against the Falcons last week was the worst defensive performance I have seen since the 0-16 Detroit Lions were a thing.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
Indianapolis over Jacksonville (in London)
Austen: Blake Bortles has looked like a confused rookie, and that is not what Jags fans want to see. Until he starts picking his game up, I cannot bet on the Jags to beat anyone, even an injury depleted Colts team.
Stally: London's unofficial team is due for a win. The Jaguars haven't impressed that much, but they've lost a few close games, and the Colts haven't impressed much either. Look for Jacksonville to get a win in its future home over in the United Kingdom. (Joking, of course, but not really ... )
Stally's Two-Point Pick
Oakland over @Baltimore
Stally: Jacksonville almost beat Baltimore last week, and at 3-0, the Ravens might be the most overrated team in the early going. Forgive me for getting down on my least favorite team in the league, but a +13 scoring differential through three games against stiff opponents like 1) the Bills, 2) the Browns, and 3) the Jaguars, just doesn't scream "Super Bowl favorite." In fact, the Ravens might have the weakest strength of schedule in the whole league by season's end, and I'd still be surprised if they bettered the .500, 8-8 mark (even with the 3-0 start).
Austen: The Ravens are an average team that Stally is massively undervaluing. I have the Raiders as well, but it will be a close one. The Raiders defense is going to be a problem all year long for this team, despite all the money they threw at it in the offseason.
Austen's One-Point Pick
Carolina over @Atlanta
Austen: It is always tough to predict divisional matchups, but the Panthers are definitely the superior team. However, they have found a way to lose in the fourth quarter in two of their last three games, which is very concerning. I'll still stick with the better team with the better quarterback.
Stally: Coin flip, says ... Panthers are struggling, Falcons win at home.
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