St. Louis 0-5 @ Baltimore 3-2
Poor St. Louis – this was not what they expected to have happen coming into this season. They had such high hopes for the season, and now those hopes are being dashed against the rocks week in and week out. Gus Frerotte was able to lead the Rams to more points than they had been scoring – but his three interceptions were still game-killing. Perhaps as he plays more his interceptions will lessen. Wide receiver Drew Bennett also saw his first action with the Rams, catching a touchdown from Frerotte. The Ravens *barely* managed to defeat the 49ers led by Trent Dilfer 9-7 on three Matt Stover field goals. The only reason the Ravens have been in games is their defense, which, though a little more suspect than usual, has been able to make up for the offense’s apparent phobia of point-scoring. The offense, though 11th in total yards, is only 21st in scoring. Since the Rams defense has been prone to giving up points, they may be just the answer for Baltimore. In fact – I predict Baltimore scores two offensive touchdowns this week en route to a victory at home.
Minnesota 1-3 @ Chicago 2-3
Ah – the Adrian Peterson v. Adrian Peterson battle. Well, maybe not really since the Bears’ Peterson does not start – yet. Perhaps in another few weeks he will take what was Thomas Jones’ role in the offense and help out Cedric Benson that way. Now, the Vikings’ rookie Adrian Peterson has been having a great rookie campaign, with 383 yards on 76 attempts plus 9 receptions for 166 yards. However, he has only been able to score twice. Of course, the entire Minnesota offense has had trouble with that whole scoring thing. And the Bears – I am NOT happy with them right now. They did NOT need to ruin Brett Favre’s 16-0 season. Alright, fine, so offensive playcalling was the real issue in that game, along with not being able to find enough crazyglue for James Jones. The Bears got some lucky breaks last Sunday night to defeat the Packers, for sure. However, they have it more together than the Vikings do, and so unfortunately I am going with the Bears to win it this week.
Miami 0-5 @ Cleveland 2-3
How can the Dolphins have no victories but have a player who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage? Running back Ronnie Brown has 425 yards rushing on 83 attempts for an average of 5.1 yards per carry with 4 rushing touchdowns, and another 287 receiving yards. They will need him even more this week, though, against Cleveland, what with Trent Green’s injury. Speaking of Cleveland, if they win this game they might be tied for second in the division with Baltimore, but due to head-to-head standings the Browns have the tiebreaker and would actually be second in their division. It would not be surprising if the Browns end up with a wildcard spot this season. If so, it would be their first playoff appearance since Tim Couch led them to a wildcard berth several years back. Yes, that Tim Couch. Derek Anderson, though, another in a long list of Cleveland quarterbacks since Couch, has 11 touchdowns on the season and 1251 passing yards. Obviously, every team has a chance in every game, but the Dolphins have an opportunity here. Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis was injured last week and will be limited on Sunday, thus forcing the Browns to have Derek Anderson pass the ball. If the Dolphins can get pressure on him those passes can be made into interceptions. However, the Browns look to bounce back after losing to Cleveland and win this week at home over the Dolphins, sending the Dolphins into a 6-game losing streak on the season. Wonder how many people wish Nick Saban were still there?
Washington 3-1 @ Green Bay 4-1
Jason Campbell and the ‘Skins defense came out of their bye week on fire, eliminating an overmatched team in the Detroit Lions 34-3. Campbell had perhaps his best showing as a pro with 23 completions on 29 attempts for 200+ yards and multiple touchdowns, and the defense totally shut down Jon Kitna and the Lions. Meanwhile, the Packers came out on fire against Chicago but quickly cooled off. James Jones led the cooldown with a couple of key fumbles in the first half that took away what would have likely been scoring drives for Green Bay and kept Chicago in the game. In the second half, the Packers went away from everything that had been working on offense and did not do much of anything productive offensively. The Redskins have all the momentum going into this week – but I believe in Brett Favre and I feel that this will be a big year for the Packers. Brett wants to win. Packers take this game, but it will likely be close.
Houston 3-2 @ Jacksonville 3-1
The Texans managed to win over Miami last week, but it was pretty darn close, all things considered. It was a good week to be Kris Brown though, as he set an NFL record for the most 50+ yard field goals in a game. I would have figured John Kasay to have that record by now, but congratulations are in order for Brown, who also whacked a 57-yarder to win the game. Aside from that, the Texans have been plagued by injuries, but are still holding together. Matt Schaub will need his tight end, Owen Daniels, to step up big-time this week. On the other side, we have my long-time nemesis in this space, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Once again, they foiled me last week by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense came to play and shut almost every weapon the Chiefs have down – the exception being perennial All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez, who notched another 100 yards receiving. The Jaguars want to avenge some embarrassing defeats at the hands of the 2006 Texans by defeating the 2007 Texans – and this week I will ride on their bandwagon. Jags to win it.
WEEKLY UPSET GAME: Cincinnati 1-3 @ Kansas City 2-3
The Bengals have perhaps surprised some people this season with only one victory thus far on the year. They have been able to score points – but their ‘defense’ has been absent. As most fans know, defense is usually a bit more vital to winning games then offense, though obviously there have been major exceptions to this rule. Maybe their defense will show up against the Chiefs, who have been on-again off-again when it comes to offensive play. Speaking of the Chiefs, after taking it to the Chargers 30-16 two weeks ago, they lost 17-7 against Jacksonville last week, and it was not even close as they scored in the final few moments of the game. Maybe they’re a team that only comes on strong every other week, and if that’s the case, this is their week. However, look for Cincinnati to bounce back strong after their bye week and defeat the Chiefs on the road as my upset pick this week.
Philadelphia 1-3 @ New York Jets 1-4
Now here are two struggling teams. The Eagles lost to the Giants in spectacular fashion on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago, allowing twelve sacks, including six to star defensive end Osi Umenyiora. Yes, IKEA (unfortunately for Eagles’ fans) did indeed return the real Philadelphia Eagles. Now, perhaps the Eagles are not as bad as they have appeared. Still, they have played some fairly un-inspired ball in most games this season. Their opponent, the Jets, have not done much better, somehow finding ways to continue losing. By all rights they probably should have beaten the Giants last Sunday, but again, they just kept finding new ways to lose. I really wish I did not have to pick either of these teams, but then, I do need to write this column, and since the whole point of the column is picking teams, I suppose I just have to deal with it. The Jets do not have much of a rushing game, and their passing game occasionally catches on fire. Their defense and their special teams have kept them in most games, however, and they will keep them in this one for a little while. However, the game will end in a Philadelphia road victory, keeping their hopes somewhat alive for a postseason berth.
Tennessee 3-1 @ Tampa Bay 3-2
Well, the Titans managed to outlast Atlanta despite five turnovers last Sunday. That is either very impressive – or it just shows how bad Atlanta is. Being a Panthers fan, I would much rather believe the latter. The Titans defense has also been a playmaking machine – they are quite opportunistic in the linebackers and secondary, and All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is just dominant up the middle of the field. Their rushing attack has been quite successful, but while at times quarterback Vince Young has been a passing threat, he has also been a passing hindrance with a tendency to throw interceptions. Meanwhile, for the Tampa Bay Bucs, the injury situation just continues to worsen as back-up running back Michael Pittman will now miss several weeks worth of time due to an injury sustained against the Colts. Third-year back Earnest Graham will start this week against the Titans’ stifling rush defense. Assuming that Tennessee will be able to slow him down, it will prove extremely interesting to see if Jeff Garcia can outwit those aforementioned opportunistic linebackers and members of the secondary. With somewhat of a surprise pick here, I take Tennessee to win on the road and improve to 4-1.
CAROLINA 3-2 @ ARIZONA 3-2
Vinny Testaverde landed a new but old job this week. New, in the sense of a new franchise to be a member of – Old in the sense that he is still playing quarterback. Give it up for the 43-year old gentleman, people. And give the man some respect, he can still play ball at this level. At the beginning of this week it was learned that star Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme would be out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his throwing elbow. Back-up David Carr also was banged up in the victory over New Orleans and may or may not see playing time this week against the Cardinals. Due to the retirement of tight end Kris Mangum in the offseason, the only quarterback left on the active roster was undrafted rookie free agent Matt Moore out of Oregon State. It was clear that Carolina needed to pick up someone with more experience than that to back up David Carr – well, they did. Someone with a lot more experience than a rookie. It is even possible that Testaverde will start this Sunday’s game due to Carr’s ailing back. However, Carr was able to practice on Friday, so that is a good sign. Since Delhomme’s injury, the offense for Carolina has struggled to find a groove. Hopefully if Carr can play he will start clicking a little better since it will be his third start and he will be more comfortable with the offense. The Carolina defense appeared to hit its turning point on the season against the Saints last week when defensive end Julius Peppers blocked what could have been a game-sealing field goal for the Saints. Arizona also has a similar quarterback issue facing itself in its own right. Incumbent starter Matt Leinart is out for the season with a fractured clavicle, and so former MVP Kurt Warner will replace him. Earlier this week the Cardinals signed Tim Rattay, and if Warner were to go down, Rattay would come in to replace him. Running back Edgerrin James of the Cardinals also leads the NFC in rushing at the moment – he has about an 81 yard lead over DeShaun Foster, who ranks 5th in the NFC but averages fewer carries per game than any of the backs ahead of him. Carolina has been unbeaten on the road thus far on the season and looks to continue that this week against Arizona, becoming 4-2.
New England 5-0 @ Dallas 5-0
Now this will be considered the marquee matchup of the week. This is pitting the current best team in the AFC vs. the current best team in the NFC. Both squads are undefeated, and one of them looks to start the season ¾ of the way to a guaranteed .500 record. Granted, it sure does not look like either team has to worry about finishing with a .500 record, but stranger things have happened. Dallas used an insane amount of luck to defeat the Buffalo Bills on Monday night despite Tony Romo’s best efforts to give the game away. People had to expect Romo to have a game like that, though. I mean, after his semi-miraculous feats against St. Louis, it only makes sense that he would struggle a bit. The Patriots were able to incorporate some of their other weapons, like receiver Donte’ Stallworth, in a 34-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. This team has now scored at least 34 points in every game thus far on the season. That is amazing. Quarterback Tom Brady is also on track to throw about 51 touchdown passes on the season, breaking Peyton Manning’s record of 49. He has 16 so far on the season – some quarterbacks barely hit 16 touchdown passes in 16 games, let alone 5 outings. Personally, while many may be predicting this to be a close game, look for New England to be ready to steamroll Dallas. I don’t know that they will, but I do expect the Patriots to win on the road this week and advance to 6-0.
Oakland 2-2 @ San Diego 2-3
Unbelievably, the Oakland Raiders are actually the division leaders in the AFC West. Their defense has been playing very well against most teams, creating turnovers. Daunte Culpepper played well two weeks ago, scoring five touchdowns, three on the ground and two through the air in a 35-17 victory over the winless Dolphins. I backed San Diego last week even when it looked like a fool’s errand, but I was correct. The Chargers picked last week to wake up on the road over the Broncos. Now, hopefully this will mean that they stay woken up, or else it matters little. This division is very tight, everyone in the AFC West is either 2-2 or 2-3. Michael Turner had a huge day against the Broncos with over 140 rushing yards. LaDainian Tomlinson did not have as many rushing yards but definitely gave the team a boost in other factors, including receiving. Tight end Antonio Gates has 40 receptions in five games, which is an average of 8 receptions a game. That is unbelievable and translates to 128 catches on the season. Since the Chargers look to have re-awakened, I’m picking them to keep on winning and defeat the Raiders this week.
Sunday Night Football: New Orleans 0-4 @ Seattle 3-2
Quarterback Drew Brees of the Saints is having a horrid slump this year with only one touchdown pass and nine interceptions. His quarterback rating is a devestatingly low 57.4 – but it is not all his fault. Several of those interceptions were tipped by his receivers, who for the most part forgot how to catch a football. He also has had little help from the rushing game, and the defense has not been able to stop the pass. Whether or not they have been able to turn things around in a week remains to be seen, but it bears mentioning that the 1992 Chargers, who started off the season by losing several games in a row, went on to the playoffs by defeating the Seattle Seahawks for their first victory on the season. Last week Seattle was demolished in Pittsburgh 21-0. Turns out it was definitely a good decision to pick the Steelers in that game. However, after playing such a horrid game on offense, the Seahawks, at home this week, will be on fire and ready to atone for their performance against the Steelers. Unfortunately for Saints fans, I do not see their season starting to turn around this week. Seahawks win it.
Monday Night Football: New York Giants 3-2 @ Atlanta 1-4
The Giants defeated the Jets last week by coming back from a 24-14 deficit. In turn, they now get a Falcons squad that despite getting five turnovers against the Titans could only manage 13 points in a loss to Tennessee. In desperation, quarterback Byron Leftwich was brought in to relieve an ineffective Joey Harrington, but he was unable to spark the team into much either. Atlanta’s offense has, in general, not been what it was with Michael Vick. However, Joey Harrington’s passer rating of 87.3 is the highest of his career and also happens to be better than Michael Vick has ever managed. The Falcons are still only a few games back in the NFC South, but a loss this week would really put them in what may be an almost insurmountable hole. Eli Manning has 3:2 touchdown/interception ratio on the season, and Plaxico Burress, his number one target, has 7 touchdown receptions on the young season. He has been a playmaker, breaking tackles left and right and streaking down the field. Right now, I am riding the Giants’ wave. Giants defeat the Falcons on the road to improve to 4-2.
Last week I went 11-3 and am now 46-30 on the season.
By Robert “RingLeader” Gilbert
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