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| The Eagles (of the Boston variety) shocked the world and these SOBs, while also disrupting our blogging flow. |
Either way, here are our picks of the week!
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@Green Bay over New York Jets
Stally: This is a pretty easy pick. The Packers are a good team and they're at home, and the Jets aren't a good team going on the road, at a place that is always hard to win. I have trouble seeing the Jets pulling off any sort of upset.
Austen: Not a whole lot of argument here. Would not take them this high, but I have slightly more faith in the Jets keeping this as a close one, but ultimately falling short due to their weakness at cornerback.
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Denver over Kansas City
Austen: The Chiefs were just as bad as I thought they would be this year (Jamaal Charles couldn't even crack 20 yards rushing), and the Broncos were just as good as everyone thought they would be. The Broncos defense struggled against the Colts in the second half, but that is the Colts, and this is the Chiefs. And Denver does not lose at home.
Stally: I'll go on record as saying the Broncos are overrated. But, I agree this is a pretty easy pick. I'd be shocked if the Chiefs went back to the playoffs this year.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
New Orleans over @Cleveland
Stally: I correctly picked the Falcons to upset the Saints, but Atlanta had a tough go last year and it wasn't surprising to see them bounce back in a big way at home. In the case of this matchup, it's one of the league's best against one of the worst. Not a difficult choice.
Austen: I hold strong in the belief that the Saints are one of the top 3-4 teams in the league, and that the Browns are one of the worst. Not sure how the Browns can pull off this one.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
New England over @Minnesota
Austen: Tom Brady bounces back and the world goes back to being in love with the pretty boy/cry baby. I think Brady, despite being towards the tail end of his career, might be better than the combo of Shaun Hill and Austin Davis. I think the Vikings expectations come back to the ground in this one.
Stally: I'm a realist, and I don't think the Patriots are nearly as good as they've been in the past. They just didn't look like a good team against Miami. Heck, they didn't look good all last season and got by on pulling wins out of their butts. The need to comeback to win crashed down on the Red Sox this year, and New England fans might experience the same with the Patriots. I still have them winning, especially with no Adrian Peterson in need of being stopped, but I lack the confidence that Austen shows, both in this game and the season.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Tampa Bay over St. Louis
Stally: The Rams stink. It's that simple. They lost 34-6 to a less-than-average Vikings team only because they managed to hit a field goal with less than two minutes left. Who the hell even attempts a field goal when you're down by 31 with less two minutes left?!
Austen: The Rams have a defense and Zac Stacy. The Bucs lost to Derek Anderson (yes, that Derek Anderson) last week. I have the Bucs but if this was in St. Louis, I might take the Rams. The Bucs simply were hard to watch week 1.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Arizona over @New York Giants
Austen: I'd like this a lot better if it was in Arizona, but the Giants might be the worst team in the league, and yes I'm aware of Austin David's Rams AND the Cowboys' defense that is worse than its historically bad defense from 2013. I just can't see the Giants beating anyone right now.
Stally: I'm not that down on the Giants, but yes, there's a big disparity between the two teams, which favors the Cardinals.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
Seattle over @San Diego
Stally: When in doubt, take the best team in the league: the Seattle Seahawks.
Austen: I would not take Seattle on the road this high, despite thinking they are the best team in the league. There is a lot to like about what the Chargers did in a loss against the Cardinals last week. However, they cannot be trusted to close out games, and they are probably a safe bet to fail in the fourth quarter to a team that can beat you just about any way imaginable.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
Houston over @Oakland
Austen: When the Jets beat you handily and their down their top three corners from the start of the offseason, you know you are a bad team. The Texans' defense is back and that is not good news for Derek Carr. Texan fans must be happy they actually to get play against a Carr, instead of having their team lead by one.
Stally: I'm not sold on the Texans being back, especially on offense. I actually have the Raiders at home in this one.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Cincinnati over Atlanta
Stally: Great win by Atlanta last weekend over the Saints, but they're traditionally a Jekyll and Hyde team when it comes to in the dome at home and outdoors on the road. Cincinnati is good and should win this one by two scores.
Austen: This is the exact type of loss the Falcons always have. Everyone gets high on them and then they go on the road and lay an egg. The Bengals should have to fight for this one, but I think the OT win over the Saints took a lot out of this team and they are in store for a reality check against a Bengals team that plays lights out at home.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
@Tennessee over Dallas
Austen: I mentioned the Cowboys as one of the teams in the running for the worst team in the NFL. On the other hand, Jake Locker has his team looking on the up and up, despite my deep seeded skepticism of Locker's ability to consistently play at a high level. I tend to get Titan games wrong, so who knows.
Stally: We all tend to get Titan games wrong. They're the most mediocre team in the league, which means they can basically win or lose to anyone. As you know, I have an inexplicable faith in Tony Romo and the Cowboys. I'm taking them in this one.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
@San Francisco over Chicago
Stally: The 49ers should be able to win at home against a team that lost to the Bills at home. In a logical world of sports, that should just be something that happens. Right?!
Austen: Stally should know that there is no logic in football. I mean, the Bills beat the Bears at home last week! No logic there. The Bears are a bad matchup for this defense, if (and this is a big if) Jay Cutler actually has his top two receivers on the field this week.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Miami over @Buffalo
Austen: Both these teams are coming off impressive wins. Both of these teams tend to lose after impressive wins so that their fan bases remember how mediocre their team actually is. I'll take my chances with Cameron Wake making a mess out of EJ Manuel.
Stally: This is the third straight game on which I've disagreed with Austen's pick. Miami traditionally beats New England at home (check) and loses to the Bills on the road shortly thereafter (...) .
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Carolina over Detroit
Stally: This is a tough pick. The Lions looked so damn good on Monday Night Football, but they were playing the Giants. I like Carolina from the standpoint that they're at home, they have a very strong defense, and Cam Newton is back. But, I could see this going either way.
Austen: I like the Lions in this one. I just have a feeling the Cam Newton is going to have some rust to knock off in this one. Also, I don't think the Panthers defense has what it takes to matchup with Calvin Johnson.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Indianapolis over Philadelphia
Austen: Both of these teams had huge comebacks in the second half of their games last week, but only the Eagles managed to win the game. However, the Eagles were playing the Jags at home, while the Colts were playing the Broncos in Denver. I'll take the Colts at home any day.
Stally: I don't disagree with that logic, but I'm taking the Eagles nonetheless. I like their offense a lot and I think that they hit their stride in the second-half comeback. Either way, this should be a great, high-scoring game to watch on Monday night!
Stally's One-Point Pick
Pittsburgh over @Baltimore
Stally: I missed this one on Thursday. I thought Pittsburgh was the better team, but I just need to remind myself how stupid Thursday night games are and that the road team basically never wins, unless there's a large disparity in talent.
Austen: I had Pittsburg with the slight edge as well, so I cannot fault Stally on this one. I think we just both tend to doubt Joe Flacco and his ability to ever be a good quarterback. He can be, just not consistently. The Steelers unfortunately got good Flacco. They might have helped him out with an inability to tackle anyone, and the Steelers offense doing just about nothing all game long.
Austen's One-Point Pick
@Washington over Jacksonville
Austen: RG3 is not the quarterback we all thought he would be, despite having tons of weapons at his disposal. If the Jags play like they did in the second half against the Eagles, it won't matter much. Thirty-four unanswered points? Really? That is the type of loss that sticks with you. We will see what this rebuilt Jacksonville team is made of.
Stally: I haven't agreed with Austen's last four picks, why change now? This is a toss up to me, but I think Jacksonville showed they're capable with that first half against the Eagles. Yes, that was a horrible tank job in the second half, but they'll show more consistency as they gain their identity.
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