The first game up this week is the hardest one for me to call. It's the Redskins at Carolina. The Redskins have decided to replace Rex Grossman at quarterback with John Beck. Will that be an upgrade? Carolina's not a bad football team this year. The Redskins got off to a great start before sagging a bit last week. I'm giving the edge, by the teeniest of margins to the Redskins, but I'm not optimistic about that call. Beck could be good and the Redskins could win the game. Beck could be horrible and the Redskins could get blown out. I'm not sure how much the Redskins' players believe in Mike Shanahan right now. I tend to think the Redskins have the better defense of the two and I'm thinking that defense will make a play when it needs to and win the game.
Next up is Seattle at Cleveland. I'm giving the edge to Cleveland here. Seattle is still a year or two behind Cleveland in the rebuilding process and I think Cleveland will win this game.
Atlanta plays at Detroit. I really thought this would be Atlanta's year to make a big move up in the standings. They've sagged a bit instead. I think that sagging will continue on the road in Detroit. I've got Detroit winning this game.
Denver plays at Miami in a game that will see the NFL starting debut of Tim Tebow. I'm betting there will be more Tim Tebow fans in the Florida crowd than Miami Dolphin fans. The two teams combined have one win, so neither is a clear favorite, but I'm giving the edge to the Broncos. They've played well when Tebow has been in the game and it's more or less a home game for him, so I expect good things from Denver this week. The Dolphins owner did Tony Sparano no favors by openly courting Harbaugh to come and replace Sparano in the last offseason. The players know the team owner doesn't believe in the coach, so they're not playing at their absolute best. Miami could very well be in the Andrew Luck lottery for the draft. I wouldn't be stunned to see them lose out the rest of the season.
Next up is the Chargers at the Jets. It's getting to be desperation time for the Jets. If they don't start winning soon then they could miss the playoffs and for a team with Super Bowl aspirations that's a big fall. I think their fall will continue for another week. San Diego will probably handle the Jets this week, but it will be a close game. Phillip Rivers needs to cut down on his interceptions.
Chicago goes to Tampa. I think Tampa Bay will likely pull this game out. About the only thing going for the Bears right now is Devin Hester and if the Bucs have a collective brain on their coaching staff, they'll keep the ball as far from Hester as possible. If there's only one guy on the opposing team who can beat you, then keep the ball away from him.
Houston goes to Tennessee. I think Tennessee will win this game. Houston's a bit beat up and I'm liking Tennessee more and more. Picking up Matt Hasselbeck was a big move for the Titans.
Pittsburgh goes to Arizona. This has to be a win for Pittsburgh. I think Arizona is on the right track, but they've got a ways to go. Pittsburgh's the beter team and they should win this game.
Kansas City goes to Oakland. Oakland traded next year's first and the following year's first or second round pick to pick up Carson Palmer from the Bengals to replace their injured starter. I'm not sure how bright a move that was and I'm not sure how competent Palmer will be after just a few days of practice, so I'm giving the slight edge here to Kansas City. I just can't imagine any quarterback coming to a team and in a few days of practice not having a fumbled snap, botched handoff, or some other issue due to unfamiliarity with the offense.
Saint Louis goes to Dallas. This should be a pretty easy win for Dallas. The Rams are just not playing good football now and there's a really good chance that AJ Feeley will be their starting quarterback. AJ's a decent backup quarterback with a lot of experience, but he won't be enough to beat the Cowboys without a lot of help from the Cowboys. The Rams need Romo to give them the ball four or five times to have a chance to win the game and I just don't see Romo doing that. Maybe if the Cowboys come in too flat the Rams could build some momentum and eke out a victory, but the Cowboys are the most talented team by far and should win easily.
Green Bay goes to Minnesota. We have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL going up against a rookie making his first NFL start. This should be an easy win for Green Bay. Ponder will likely see things he's never imagined and be dazed and confused for much of the game. It's hard to even imagine a way Minnesota could win this game.
The Sunday night game is Indianapolis at New Orleans. This is one of those games that in the preseason looked like it could be a Super Bowl preview. Now it looks like a collossal mismatch. Indy has pretty much rolled over and played dead this year. New Orleans, while looking a bit more human in recent weeks, is the better team, playing the best football and should win easily.
And the Monday night game is Baltimore at Jacksonville. I've got to give the edge to Baltimore here. They're a much bettter team than Jacksonville.
Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!
Blogs & Forums
