Sports

[gardenman]

We start out this week with the Giants at the Patriots. Well, the smart money, heck nearly all the money, would be on the Patriots to win this one. The Giants have on occasion put up a good fight and even beaten the Patriots, but that doesn't seem likely this week. I'm taking the Patriots.

Next up are the Panthers at the Bucs. Raw, undrafted, free agent fill-in QB Kyle Allen against the experienced first overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft Jameis Winston? Yeah, not a fair fight. Kyle Allen's much better. I'll take Carolina.

The Seahawks at the Browns. The Browns have more talent, but they don't have Russell Wilson. I thought Baker Mayfield would take a big step forward this year, but he hasn't. I'll take Seattle on the road. (Taking Seattle on the road is always a bit risky though.)

The Texans are at the Chiefs in what should be a pretty good early game. The Colts just beat the Chiefs in KC. Can the Texans do the same? Maybe. Mahomes has a bad ankle. How much will that limit him? Andy's teams almost never lose two in a row. Everything says I should take the Chiefs, but I've got a gut feeling the Texans win this one. I'm taking the Texans.

The Saints go to the Jags. Hmm.... the Jags are favored to win? Drew Brees is throwing the football again. Will he play on Sunday? Is Minshew better than Bridgewater if Brees doesn't play? I'm bucking the odds here and taking the Saints to win this one.

In an epic matchup that could determine the fate of two franchises, the winless Redskins go to Miami to take on the winless Dolphins. The winner of this game will likely be out of the running for the first overall pick. The Dolphins had a clear strategy to tank for Tua. The Redskins more or less stumbled into the tank for Tua sweepstakes. The fans of both teams are the loser this week no matter what. I'm guessing the Redskins will find a way to eke out the win since their interim head coach (Bill Callahan) needs a win more than the Dolphins head coach, who knows they're tanking for Tua. Callahan likely knows he won't be in DC next year no matter what, so why help the Redskins get a better player in the draft by losing? I'll take the Redskins to win the game and lose the Tanking for Tua sweepstakes.

The Bengals go to Baltimore to lose yet another game to keep themselves alive in the Tanking for Tua sweepstakes. I'll take Baltimore.

The Eagles are at the Vikings in the first of three straight road games against tough opponents (Vikings, Cowboys, Bills.) The matchup is pretty bad for the Eagles this week. The Vikings have a pair of premiere wide receivers in Thielen and Diggs. The Eagles have a patched together secondary that wasn't all that good when healthy. The good news is the rest of the defense is playing well. Kirk Cousins doesn't like a lot of pressure in the pocket and seeing those ten sacks from the Eagles last week is probably interfering with his sleep this week. The Vikings are favored and deservedly so, but I'm picking the Eagles to pull off the upset.

The Falcons are at the Cardinals. I think the Falcons players are playing to get Dan Quinn fired. A loss to the Cards would help them in that cause. I'm bucking the odds and taking the Cards in this one. The Falcons are clearly the better team, but they aren't playing that way. 

The Niners go to the Rams. Another good game. The Rams are favored, but the Niners are playing very well. Jared Goff looks off this year. Super Bowl hangover? Undisclosed injury? Pressure from the big contract extension he signed? I don't know, but he just doesn't look right to me. I'm going against the odds again and taking the Niners in this one.

The 4:25 games don't look especially great this week. We start out with the Titans at the Broncos. The Broncos have won one game, the Titans two. I guess I'll take the Broncos since they're playing at home.

The Cowboys go to the Jets. Will the Jets win a game and take themselves out of the race for that first overall pick? Maybe. There are some things in their favor. Their defense is playing very, very well. Sam Darnold will be back playing QB and while he's not Aaron Rodgers he's a lot better than their backups. They've got decent players on offense, but with Darnold out, they didn't get much of a chance to shine. The Cowboys may be a tad overconfident coming into this game having watched recent game film of the Jets without Darnold. The Cowboys know they have the Eagles in Dallas next week and could be looking ahead to that game a bit. This has all the makings of the classic trap game for Dallas. They're coming off a big game last week. They've got another big game next week. On film, the Jets look like a team they could/should easily beat. I'm thinking it'll be a very close game. I'll pick the Cowboys to win, but an upset here wouldn't shock me at all. A whole lot of football is played between the earholes of the helmet and this has all the makings of a classic trap game for the Cowboys.

The Sunday night game looked a lot better in the preseason than it does now. The 1-4 Steelers take on the 2-3 Chargers. Neither team looks poised to make a playoff run this year. Both are floundering a bit. I guess I'll take the Chargers since they're playing at home.

And finally we get the Lions at the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is playing very well and that's bad news for every team that he faces.  I'll take the Packers in this one. When Rodgers is playing like he is now, the Packers are tough to beat.

[emmysmom]

---

@gardenman wrote:

We start out this week with the Giants at the Patriots. Well, the smart money, heck nearly all the money, would be on the Patriots to win this one. The Giants have on occasion put up a good fight and even beaten the Patriots, but that doesn't seem likely this week. I'm taking the Patriots.

Next up are the Panthers at the Bucs. Raw, undrafted, free agent fill-in QB Kyle Allen against the experienced first overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft Jameis Winston? Yeah, not a fair fight. Kyle Allen's much better. I'll take Carolina.

The Seahawks at the Browns. The Browns have more talent, but they don't have Russell Wilson. I thought Baker Mayfield would take a big step forward this year, but he hasn't. I'll take Seattle on the road. (Taking Seattle on the road is always a bit risky though.)

The Texans are at the Chiefs in what should be a pretty good early game. The Colts just beat the Chiefs in KC. Can the Texans do the same? Maybe. Mahomes has a bad ankle. How much will that limit him? Andy's teams almost never lose two in a row. Everything says I should take the Chiefs, but I've got a gut feeling the Texans win this one. I'm taking the Texans.

The Saints go to the Jags. Hmm.... the Jags are favored to win? Drew Brees is throwing the football again. Will he play on Sunday? Is Minshew better than Bridgewater if Brees doesn't play? I'm bucking the odds here and taking the Saints to win this one.

In an epic matchup that could determine the fate of two franchises, the winless Redskins go to Miami to take on the winless Dolphins. The winner of this game will likely be out of the running for the first overall pick. The Dolphins had a clear strategy to tank for Tua. The Redskins more or less stumbled into the tank for Tua sweepstakes. The fans of both teams are the loser this week no matter what. I'm guessing the Redskins will find a way to eke out the win since their interim head coach (Bill Callahan) needs a win more than the Dolphins head coach, who knows they're tanking for Tua. Callahan likely knows he won't be in DC next year no matter what, so why help the Redskins get a better player in the draft by losing? I'll take the Redskins to win the game and lose the Tanking for Tua sweepstakes.

The Bengals go to Baltimore to lose yet another game to keep themselves alive in the Tanking for Tua sweepstakes. I'll take Baltimore.

The Eagles are at the Vikings in the first of three straight road games against tough opponents (Vikings, Cowboys, Bills.) The matchup is pretty bad for the Eagles this week. The Vikings have a pair of premiere wide receivers in Thielen and Diggs. The Eagles have a patched together secondary that wasn't all that good when healthy. The good news is the rest of the defense is playing well. Kirk Cousins doesn't like a lot of pressure in the pocket and seeing those ten sacks from the Eagles last week is probably interfering with his sleep this week. The Vikings are favored and deservedly so, but I'm picking the Eagles to pull off the upset.

The Falcons are at the Cardinals. I think the Falcons players are playing to get Dan Quinn fired. A loss to the Cards would help them in that cause. I'm bucking the odds and taking the Cards in this one. The Falcons are clearly the better team, but they aren't playing that way. 

The Niners go to the Rams. Another good game. The Rams are favored, but the Niners are playing very well. Jared Goff looks off this year. Super Bowl hangover? Undisclosed injury? Pressure from the big contract extension he signed? I don't know, but he just doesn't look right to me. I'm going against the odds again and taking the Niners in this one.

The 4:25 games don't look especially great this week. We start out with the Titans at the Broncos. The Broncos have won one game, the Titans two. I guess I'll take the Broncos since they're playing at home.

The Cowboys go to the Jets. Will the Jets win a game and take themselves out of the race for that first overall pick? Maybe. There are some things in their favor. Their defense is playing very, very well. Sam Darnold will be back playing QB and while he's not Aaron Rodgers he's a lot better than their backups. They've got decent players on offense, but with Darnold out, they didn't get much of a chance to shine. The Cowboys may be a tad overconfident coming into this game having watched recent game film of the Jets without Darnold. The Cowboys know they have the Eagles in Dallas next week and could be looking ahead to that game a bit. This has all the makings of the classic trap game for Dallas. They're coming off a big game last week. They've got another big game next week. On film, the Jets look like a team they could/should easily beat. I'm thinking it'll be a very close game. I'll pick the Cowboys to win, but an upset here wouldn't shock me at all. A whole lot of football is played between the earholes of the helmet and this has all the makings of a classic trap game for the Cowboys.

The Sunday night game looked a lot better in the preseason than it does now. The 1-4 Steelers take on the 2-3 Chargers. Neither team looks poised to make a playoff run this year. Both are floundering a bit. I guess I'll take the Chargers since they're playing at home.

And finally we get the Lions at the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is playing very well and that's bad news for every team that he faces.  I'll take the Packers in this one. When Rodgers is playing like he is now, the Packers are tough to beat.

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I HOPE you're wrong about the KC CHIEFS! I wasn't able to watch the game...(I couldn't get NBC)..so hopefully I can see it this week! I pray Mahomes is ok! 

[teganslaw]

I need Kansas City to bounce back and win this game. The Colts face the Texans next week, and having them lose to KC would be an advantage. Tyreek Hill might be back as well as Watkins. 

[gardenman]

Andy Reid coached teams almost never lose two games in a row and especially not at home. I just have a gut feeling though that the Texans eke out the win. I don't know why. Logic says pick the Chiefs. I just went with my gut on this one though. We'll see what happens.

[redwingsgal]

Here are my lousy picks for the week ( I am rarely right!!)

Pats over Giants - Big win

Bucs over Pantehrs - This could be a toss up

Browns over Seahawks - Just a feeling 

Chiefs over Texans - KC is a much better team

Saints over Jaguars - Even without Drew, Saints are a better team

Dolphins over Redskins - Tank for Tua Bowl

Ravens over Bengals - It's between the Skins and the Bengals now!  Sorry @Spurt 

Eagles over Vikings - Please!!  I need this @gardenman 

Falcons over Cardinals -  ATL is better than their record shows

Titans over Broncos - Anyone who can beat a John Elway team is my 2nd fav

Niners over Rams -  They are playing well

Jets over Cowboys - Just please

Chargers over Steelers - This should be a close one

LIONS over Packers - Can't a girl dream!???

Good Luck to all teams!!!

[teganslaw]

Vontze Burfict lost his appeal and the year long suspension will hold. The NFL had warned him several times about the hits, but Burfict didn't pay attention. Now, apparenty, the films showed another helmit-to-helmit hit by Burfict that was not called. It happened in the same game, but I'm not sure where or who it involved. Fortunately, no one was hurt. 

[gardenman]

@redwingsgal 

Trust me, the Eagles want to beat the Vikings. Badly. I'm not sure we can, but it should be a good game.

I'd love to see the Jets beat the Cowboys and it's possible. This is the perfect setup for a trap game. The Cowboys are coming off a home loss against a top NFC opponent. They're on the road against a team that doesn't look good on tape. (That Jets defense is really solid though.) They've got a must-win game against the Eagles back at home next week. The Jets look lousy (at least on offense) on tape. It would be very easy for the Cowboys to saunter in and expect the Jets to roll over and play dead while the Cowboys are already looking ahead to next week's game.

Trap games are always a concern to head coaches, who preach nonstop not to let your guard down, but teams still fall into the trap on a regular basis. We'll have to see if the Cowboys trip up and lose to the Jets, but it's very possible. If you look at that Cowboy's schedule, this is the perfect setup for a trap game. A big NFC rival game last week, another one next week. A less than impressive AFC team this week. That little edge you need to win in the NFL just may not be there this week for the Cowboys. The Jets get Sam Darnold back. (Now watch the Cowboys win 56-0.)

[Spurt]

@gardenman 

Hopefully my picks will be better this week....Ive been at or near 50% LOL.....

Giants VS Patriots----Its supposed to be rainy weather come game time...ideal for a running game which the Giants dont have with both RBs out.....no WRs....As Victor Cruz said....the Giants would be happy to just call the game off...PATRIOTS for an easy win!

Panthers VS Bucs---Interesting game....the Panthers seem to be playing better WITHOUT Cam and with McCaffrey being their focus....Bucs have been playing tough with their new coach Bruce Arians and lost a couple of very close ones...but  I'm going PANTHERS! 

Seahawks VS Browns---The Browns looked awful against the 49ers---OUUUCH!!!  Meanwhile the Seahawks keep rolling along and Russell Wilson having a great  year....My heart wants the Browns to win, but gotta go with cold hard facts and pick the SEAHAWKS for the victory! 

Texans VS Chiefs---Interesting game....Mahomes comes down to human status with a bad ankle...and the Texans QB Watson IS ON FIRE and going against a weak defense.....I'm going with the TEXANS for the win!!!  

Saints VS Jaguars---The Saints seem to be on a roll and settled in with Bridgewater holding the fort until Brees returns...Meanwhile just when you thought the Jags have found their groove with Minshew...they get a loss....I'm picking THE SAINTS!!! 

Redskins VS Dolphins---It should be called THE 2020 DRAFT BOWL   Trey Wingo suggested they flex the game and show it as the game of the week to see who tanks better---LOL!!!   Callahan is changing the tone at Redskin Park, he's has turned down the music volume , there's tougher practices, instituted wind sprints at the end of practice ......  and going back to Case Keenum....nope no Haskins...interesting...But will this change the on the field results????  The team is still dealing with lack of offensive weapons, a so-so O line,  new TE, no running game, and since the offense cant score the defense gets just plain tired out for being on the field so long in the second half....Meanwhile the Dolphins are in a similar scheme as they tank for Tua....They announced Rosen as their QB for remainder of the season...I think they are showcasing him to shop him around next year..Some of the Redskin players might want to get some good moments on film to leave the Redskins next year!!!! ..Which team still has some PRIDE left amongst their players.....  I'm taking the REDSKINS, it would be just like them to mess up their chances for the #1 draft pick by winning...LOL!!!  

Bengals VS Ravens---Another team in the tanking for Tua sweepstakes....the Ravens will want separate themselves from the teams and take a solid lead in their Division ....RAVENS (sorry @sunshine45  hope I dont jinx your team )....

Eagles VS Vikings---This should be a good game.  The Eagles want to keep pace with the Cowboys...and the Vikings need to keep pace with the Packers and Bears (especially with the Bears and a backup QB).....The Eagles have backups in their secondary against the Vikings excellent WRS...but can Capt Kirk get them the ball....can he perform against pressure from the Eagles...you never know with Capt Kirk.....Wentz is the solid QB in this game....This ones a toss up...just looking at the injury picture ...I'll go with the VIKINGS at home...SKOL!!!  But no surprise if the Eagles end up winning... 

Falcons Vs Cardinals---The Falcons are headed on the same path as the Redskins with a new coach in their future (but they will wait until after the season to make the change), Matty Ice seems to be struggling...the Cards  got their first win, BUT it was against the hapless Bengals....This games a toss up---Ill go with the home team---THE CARDINALS for the "W"...

49ers VS Rams---Game of the week!!!  There's a real dog fight in the NFC West (Rams, 49ers, Seahawks)....Gurley did not practice,  the Rams are 22nd in rushing yds, middle of the pack in defense, and the Rams lost 2 in a row....  The 49ers easily took care of the Browns and have won 3 in a row....Jimmy G is mediocre so far--they are 22nd in passing, but the 49ers are #1 in the league in rushing and 2nd in defense!!!  The Rams need this win BADLY!!!  I'm just not sold on the Rams and will take the 49ers for a close WIN!!! 

Titans VS Broncos---Which Titan team will show up????  Its played at Mile High, but the Broncos have only won 1 game this year.... Im taking the TITANS!!! 

Cowboys VS Jets---Here's a prediction ---The Jets are without their starting QB as they focus on Darnold's spleen....there's other injuries too....Meanwhile the Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing loss at home after proclaiming themselves to be one of the favorites for the Super Bowl....They will get an EASY win over a LOUSY Jet's team...and the hype will be back as the media and fans puts them back in the hunt as Super Bowl contendors....LOL......SMH...COWBOYS get the win and get ready for the hype.......Strength of schedule folks, strength of schedule....keep it real!!!

Steelers Vs Chargers---The Steelers lost a heartbreaker last week.....And the Chargers have been a disappointment.....I'll stick with Philip Rivers and take THE CHARGERS!! 

Lions VS Packers---WOW those surprising LIONS are making some noise this year....And Aaron Rodgers is well....Aaron Rodgers and the Lions defense is ranked 30th in passing yards...Its at Lambeau--- I'm going with the PACKERS at home...sorry @redwingsgal 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! 🏈

[yellowrose]

  56-0  Thanks for the laugh @gardenman 

A Jets win won't shock me, a Cowboys win won't calm me.

It's a game the Cowboys SHOULD win, but no matter what talent

may be on the field, when incompetency is walking the sidelines

it's Que Sera Sera, What Will Be Will Be - week after week.

I know the Giants have a lot of injuries, but they always seem to play

well against the Pat's, so maybe we'll have a good game tonight.

I'll be flipping back and forth between football, hockey and baseball - probably

miss all the really good plays due to my flipping.  

[gardenman]

@yellowrose 

So, you're not a fan of the clapper (also known as Jason Garrett)? I enjoyed him getting mad at the official and yelling at him last week. That was kind of entertaining.

This is a game the Cowboys should win. There's no real reason for them not to win it, but that's what makes it the classic trap game. A game you should win against an AFC team that really doesn't affect you much in the standings, coming between two tough games against conference and division foes. Between looking back at what went wrong last week and looking ahead to the playing the Eagles next week, this Jets game could be a bit overlooked by the players and coaching staff. I'd be surprised if the Jets won 56-0, but a close game that the Jets win wouldn't shock me at all.