Week 7: Stally Goes Solo

After a no-call last week, the Seahawks are sitting pretty,
and the Falcons are looking to bounce back.

Stally: Austen is still in the moving-in process with Emily.  This means that not only has she ruined our fantasy football league with her ridiculously good team, but now she's going after the blog.  Although with the way Austen and I haven't been able to pick games, we might want to cede power to her on this one anyway.

Here are my picks for the week:

@Cincinnati over Cleveland (15 confidence points)

The Bengals aren't very good at 2-4, but they've had one of the toughest strengths of schedules and have at least managed a couple of wins.  The Browns have managed a single win and might not at any point.

Austen: Cincinnati (13)

@Atlanta over San Diego (14 confidence points)

The Falcons lost in Seattle on a tough call.  That win would have made them 5-1, and one of the best teams in the league.  This week, they should pick up that fifth win and reassert themselves as one of the league's best.

Austen: Atlanta (10)

New England over @Pittsbugh (13 confidence points)

Tom Brady has always played well in Pittsburgh, and the loss of Big Ben makes this one pretty uncompetitive for the Steelers.  It's hard to see Landry Jones generating enough offense against a stingy Patriots D.

Austen: New England (15)

@Green Bay over Chicago (12 confidence points)

Going into this game on Thursday night, there wasn't much to like about Green Bay.  The offense was sputtering and had run out of healthy running backs.  But, I expected it would reassert itself against a woeful Bears team.  When Chicago ended up needing to bring in to its third-string quarterback, Matt Barkley (who Austen and I know all too well from his ugly senior season at USC), the Packers restored some order.

Austen: Green Bay (14)

@Denver over Houston (11 confidence points)

Here's a revelation to both of these clubs: Brock Osweiler isn't a good quarterback.  Expect the Broncos defense to run roughshod over their former young stud, who has proven an inability to play against good defenses.

Austen: Denver (5)

Buffalo over Miami (10 confidence points)

The Bills have won four straight since starting 0-2 and are starting to unexpectedly draw themselves in the playoff picture.  The Dolphins benefitted last week from knocking Ben Roethlisberger out of the game for Pittsburgh, but they're generally not a very good team.

Austen: Buffalo (11)

Baltimore over @New York Jets (9 confidence points)

In an schedule anomaly, the Ravens will play at Met Life Stadium for the second consecutive week.  I wonder if they just left the locker room setup ...  The Ravens have lost three straight after starting 3-0.  Their start was predominantly a weak schedule, and it doesn't get much weaker than the 1-5 Jets.  Expect the Ravens to take care of business.

Austen: New York Jets (1)

Oakland over @Jacksonville (8 confidence points)

The Raiders fell back to Earth with an ugly 26-10 home loss against the always-dangerous Chiefs.  There are certainly some concerns about them going on the road to the East Coast, but if they're going to be a contender this year, they're going to need to beat a team like Jacksonville.

Austen: Oakland (9)

Tampa Bay over @San Francisco (7 confidence points)

The 49ers are on a five-game losing streak after an impressive shutout to win on opening night.  So, they're not good.  The Bucs are boring and below average, but good enough to win this one on the road.

Austen: Tampa Bay (7)

Indianapolis over @Tennessee (6 confidence points)

I'm still hanging on to the notion that Andrew Luck is a good enough quarterback to make the Colts a decent football team.  It's surprising that the Titans are a game better, and I expect that to get leveled out in this one.

Austen: Indianapolis (6)

Washington over @Detroit (5 confidence points)

The Redskins are the NFC's version of the Bills.  They're 4-2 (on a four-game winning streak) and shaping up to be a contender if they can keep it up.  This game will be a good benchmark for them, as a contender should go on the road and beat the average Lions.  That's my expectation.

Austen: Washington (3)

@Philadelphia over Minnesota (4 confidence points)

This is a big game in the NFC.  The Eagles started 0-3 but have been winless since their Week 4 bye. The Vikings are coming off of their bye and sitting as the only undefeated team at 5-0.  Minnesota has looked great, but sooner or later, someone is going to beat them.  An Eagles team at home that is hungry for a win seems like the team to do it.

Austen: Minnesota (12)

New Orleans over @Kansas City (3 confidence points)

This one is simple: Drew Brees and his offense will outscore an Alex Smith-led offense.  Kansas City has the defensive edge, I'll give that much, but Brees will overcome that in a high-scoring affair.

Austen: Kansas City (8)

Seattle over @Arizona (2 confidence points)

The Seahawks have seemed disappointing because they haven't dominated, but a 4-1 record gives little cause for concern.  It's the Cardinals (3-3) that have raised more questions than they've answered this year.  Expect those questions to continue after this home loss.

Austen: Seattle (2)

@Los Angeles over New York Giants (1 confidence point)

Just like last week, I saved the most boring game for last.  This one has already kicked off in London and well into the second half at post time, it's lived up to its expectation for boredom.  I took the Rams, as they've shown flashes of brilliance at times, whereas the Giants have just been boringly average.

Austen: Los Angeles (4)