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| Philip Rivers has been on fire and looks to spearhead the biggest blowout of the week against the lowly Jags. |
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@San Diego over Jacksonville
Stally: The Chargers aren't the best team in the league, but they're taking the shape of a very good one. It's hard to see them losing at home to Jacksonville just two weeks after they beat the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks. That's unlikely.
Austen: When teams are even, I always go with the home team when it involves a 2000+ mile commute for the road team. These two teams are not even close to even. I would put the Chargers in the top 5 teams in the league right now, and they might be the best in the AFC (I cannot wait for their two games against the Broncos to see where they actually are). The Jags are miserably bad, as always. They have no chance.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
@Pittsburgh over Tampa Bay
Austen: No team has looked worse than the Bucs this season. The Steelers are coming off a dominating win over the Panthers in Carolina. Mike Tomlin's job might actually be on the line if he loses this game. This is a must win.
Stally: The Bucs were losing a game 56-0 ... in the National Football League!
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Indianapolis over Tennessee
Stally: Austen and I might never figure out the Titans, but if they beat the Colts in Indianapolis, they'll be far more of an enigma than either of us anticipate.
Austen: No Jake Locker (injured) might be a good thing for the Titans. He is a less religious Tim Tebow, and has been a less impressive quarterback so far in his career. Tebow can't find a job (aside from talking into the camera) yet Locker still is handed the starting job? I don't get it. Either way, defensive coordinators are not kept up at night trying to stop Charlie Whitehurst either. This should be another blowout for the Colts for the second week in a row.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Atlanta over @Minnesota
Austen: Atlanta had a long week to prepare for the Vikings. That is not a good for a team that does not have a lot to game plan around. The Falcons are a different team on the road, but they still have enough firepower to overtake a very weak Vikings team starting their rookie quarterback.
Stally: The Vikings have scored in single digits in each of the two games since suspending Adrian Peterson. I'm not taking a stand on playing AP, by any means, but I am pointing out the inefficiency of the offense without its bell-cow.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Washington over New York-G
Stally: Whoops! I only missed this one by 31 points!!! It became painstakingly clear why Kirk Cousins, he of the four interceptions and 53.0 passer rating is nothing more than a backup QB.
Austen: It is amazing what Eli Manning can do when his wide receivers actually catch the ball. He has looked like a different quarterback since week 1. He is completing over 70% of his passes, making quick decisions, and has light up the scoreboard in the last two weeks. I think this offense is just beginning to gel and Eli's play recently has mitigated playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
Miami over @Oakland
Austen: The Raiders get to play a home game in London. Really? The schedule makers know Oakland is not anywhere near London England, right? There is no winning for the Raiders in this one. Ryan Tannehill is out to prove that he should be the Dolphins starter, which I think should be pretty much unquestioned, but I am not a sub-par head coach, so what do I know? I dislike both these teams, but the Dolphins have to be pretty bad to lose to the Raiders on a neutral field.
Stally: As is usually the case, the Dolphins home win against New England is proving to be its usual seasonal-fluke, but they certainly have the talent to be the Raiders. Most every team does. It's going to be a challenge for Oakland to win really anywhere it plays this year.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
New England over @Kansas City
Stally: As a Patriots fan, I'm not enamored with the team this season. I have to assume that like most Belichick's team, they'll play better in December than September, but I'm not 100% in on them being all that great. Winning this game, against a lesser Chiefs team, would certainly go a ways in showing that New England is at least a contender.
Austen: The Chiefs are terrible right now, but the Patriots are playing the worst I have seen them play in about a decade. This is supposed to be their push to win one last Super Bowl? This is an offense without a legit starting running back, a legit wide receiver threat, and with a subpar offensive line. The fact that this game is in Kansas City gives me pause, but the Pats cannot afford to lose this game. I do not think they will.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
New Orleans over @Dallas
Austen: I do not care how well the Cowboys have played in recent weeks, they are due for a letdown. The Saints are in the opposite boat, and desperately need a win. I think they will get one in Jerry's World.
Stally: I'm usually the first guy on the Cowboys bandwagon and the last guy off, but even I can't make a case how their defense will slow down Drew Brees and the Saints offense. I think this will be a high scoring game and another opportunity for the irrational critics to criticize Tony Romo's 350 passing yards and three touchdowns, just because he couldn't score enough to support a bad defense.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
Detroit over @New York-J
Stally: The Lions surprised by holding the Packers strong offense to seven points last week. There are few questions about the team's offense, but if the defense keeps playing like that, they immediately make the team a contender. They can't afford to take a step back from that performance with a loss to the subpar Jets.
Austen: I never know what I am going to get with the Lions, so I think the Jets will have a chance. However, if their defense plays the way they did against the Packers, the Jets will not have much of any chance against them. I do disagree with Stally's bet against my banged up and struggling Jets.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
@San Francisco over Philadelphia
Austen: I just have to think that the 49ers will get back on track against the worst undefeated team in the league. They benefit from the Eagles' travel woes, but this should be a close game in the fourth quarter.
Stally: This game could certainly be the tale of two halves, as the 49ers only play the first and the Eagles only play the second. Philadelphia has certainly impressed this season, but going on the road against a 1-2 Super Bowl-contender in need of a season-turning win could be trouble for the visitors.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Houston over Buffalo
Stally: I picked the Texans to beat the Giants, but I wasn't surprised they lost in New York. I just don't buy Houston being all that good, but you don't need to be all that good to beat Buffalo at home. Do you?
Austen: I have Houston but not with much confidence after looking ridiculous against the Giants last week. That is the type of game that exposes who you are as a football team. Still the Bills are the Bills and I have to take the home team here.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
Carolina over @Baltimore
Austen: I still cannot put my finger on either of these teams, but I like the Panthers to spoil Steve Smith's revenge game. The Panthers' defense got beat up against the Steelers last week, but I have to think they will rebound.
Stally: The Panthers loss to the Steelers was downright Ugly. Ugly with a capital U! That was terrible. But, Carolina is still a pretty solid team on both sides of the ball and probably a more talented version of the Ravens.
Stally's One-Point Pick
@Chicago over Green Bay
Stally: This is our only disagreement. I like the home team in this one. Green Bay really hasn't looked good at any point this season, while the Bears road win at San Francisco at least gives me some belief that they're good.
Austen: I do not really have a reason for going with the Packers except that the Bears are pretty much out of cornerbacks at the moment with all their injuries. That is not good when facing a Packers team coming off a terrible loss to the Lions. I just can't see the Packers losing two divisional games in a row.
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