Week 4 NFL Predictions

New York Jets at Buffalo

Line: Jets by 3.5

The Jets are going to be OK. So long as this team can run the football, they should have no problem beating the downtrodden Bills, who have yet to break into the win column. Jets 20, Bills 14

Baltimore at Cleveland
Line: Ravens by 4

Jamal Lewis against his old team. Revenge will be a factor, no doubt. This Ravens team has yet to really impress me, as they’ve barely gotten by in their two wins and appear to be losing a step defensively. Ravens 23, Browns 20

Oakland at Miami

Line: Dolphins by 4.5

The Dolphins could only get this kind of line against a team like the Raiders. Oakland was fairly competitive in its last pair of games, but they’re still a young team and are at a distinct disadvantage starting Daunte Culpepper on the road.

Dolphins 24, Raiders 14

Chicago at Detroit

Line: Bears by 3

You know you’re having QB problems when your fans are actually excited about Brian Griese starting. Detroit’s biggest weakness is pass defense and Griese will spend the whole game trying to get in rhythm, so no defensive letdown this week for the Lions. Lions 17, Bears 13

St. Louis at Dallas

Line: Cowboys by 13

The oddsmakers were being generous with this line. This game will be over well before halftime. St. Louis is playing without its star RB, its star OT and with a QB playing on two bruised ribs. If that’s not enough, Tony Romo has been on fire and the Rams’ pass defense has been getting torched all year. Lets just call this the Official TUMS Blowout of the Week. Cowboys 49, Rams 21

Houston at Atlanta

Line: Texans by 3

The Texans will make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and even without Andre Johnson and Ahman Green, the Falcons will feel the wrath of Andra Davis, Ron Dayne and Dr. Samkon Gado. This is the year the Falcons wish they could have Matt Schaub back. Texans 21, Falcons 13

Seattle at San Francisco

Line: Seahawks by 2

This one’s too easy. Take the home team here. San Francisco may not look as impressive as their 2-1 record suggests, but its not like the Seahawks have been setting the world on fire. Frank Gore loves playing against these guys, as his two monster games against Seattle from last year suggests. 49ers 24, Seahawks 20

Green Bay at Minnesota

Line: Packers by 2

The young Brett Favre lost routinely in the Metrodome. The more experienced Brett Favre owns the Metrodome, having won there in three of the last four years. This Sunday won’t be any different. Packers 20, Vikings 17

Tampa Bay at Carolina

Line: Panthers by 3

Jake Delhomme is hurt, but I don’t think the injury matters so long as Carolina continues to run the football the way they did the last two weeks. Jeff Garcia is due to come back to earth and David Carr could honestly take this job and run with a good performance this week. Panthers 24, Buccaneers 20

Pittsburgh at Arizona

Line: Steelers by 6

A tricky one for the Steelers, as they’ll be going up against an old coordinator who knows most of their secrets in Ken Whisenhunt with a good but fairly inexperienced coach in Mike Tomlin. I’ll go with Pittsburgh on sheer talent, but it’s scary how well Arizona matches up with them. Steelers 20, Cardinals 17

Kansas City at San Diego

Line: Chargers by 11.5

Everyone keeps anxiously waiting for that breakout game from the Chargers. The talent is clearly there, but they have to get back to playing physical football. They’ll start to do it against the Chiefs by shutting down their offense early and controlling the game on the ground. Chargers 24, Chiefs 10

Denver at Indianapolis

Line: Colts by 9.5

Shanahan’s teams have not fared well against this Colts’ outfit in recent years. It’s like Peyton Manning is always two steps ahead of him. The Broncos added Dre Bly to match up with Reggie Wayne, so Manning will just use the middle of the field and kill them with Dallas Clark, Joe Addai (Sharpstown High represent!!!) and Anthony Gonzalez. Plus the Colts’ D has played better than expected this year and the Broncos are having enough problems on offense. Colts 42, Broncos 24

Philadelphia at New York Giants

Line: Eagles by 2.5

After putting up a 56-spot on the Lions, it looks like the Eagles will be OK. Donovan McNabb should continue to get well against another weak secondary, as he’ll attack the middle of the field repeatedly against the Giants’ soft coverage. New York should thank their lucky stars they woke up in the second half against Washington, otherwise they’d be 0-3 right now. Eagles 24, Giants 17

New England at Cincinnati

Line: Patriots by 7.5

This game has serious video game score potential. The Patriots have been kicking ass and taking names the first three weeks while the Bengals have been their usual productive selves on offense and absolutely miserable on defense. With no Rudi Johnson, Carson Palmer could honestly pass the ball 50 times in this game, nothing would surprise me. Oh, and the Pats will win comfortably. Patriots 70, Bengals 56

Week 3 vs Spread: 7-6-3

Season vs Spread: 22-20-6

Week 3 Straight up: 12-4

Season Straight up: 33-15

Week 3 NFL Predictions

Indianapolis at Houston

Line: Colts by 6

They’re still my sleeper, they’re still going to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, but can the Texans beat one of the two best teams in the league without their #1 target, Andre Johnson? I’m hedging my bets on that. Colts 27, Texans 20

San Diego at Green Bay

Line: Chargers by 5

San Diego’s offense has looked inept the first two weeks, but how long can it stay this bad? I’m guessing this is the breakout game. If not, you’ll know exactly who’s fault it is, and he’s wearing the headset. Chargers 28, Packers 21

Minnesota at Kansas City

Line: Chiefs by 2.5

Scoring will be at a premium in this game as two struggling offenses face two pretty good defenses. The advantage goes to KC, as It’d be tough to imagine Tavaris Jackson winning in a hostile environment. Chiefs 10, Vikings 7

Detroit at Philadelphia

Line: Eagles by 6.5

This is a bad Eagles’ offense with slow receivers and an aging QB. They shouldn’t be favored by 6.5 against Penn St, much less the 2-0 Lions who have an arsenal of offensive weapons. Eagles 21, Lions 18

Buffalo at New England

Line: Patriots by 16.5

It’s a divisional rivalry and the Pats are due for a letdown of sorts after winning their first two handily. This could be one of those games that’s a struggle in the 3^rd quarter before the Pats’ talent eventually outlasts the Bills. Patriots 31, Bills 17

Miami at New York Jets

Line: Jets by 3

Pennington’s the QB of the present, even though Clemens proved more than capable of running the offense in his absence. The Jets started to move the ball well against Baltimore, but this week they finally put it all together. Jets 30, Dolphins 20

San Francisco at Pittsburgh

Line: Steelers by 9

The Steelers are a dominant 2-0, while the Niners are a lucky 2-0, having barely squeaked by the Cardinals and Rams. Alex Smith has talent, but he won’t flash it enough against the Steelers’ scary blitz that will likely keep him completely out of rhythm. Call this one the Tums Blowout of the Week. Steelers 31, 49ers 10

Arizona at Baltimore
Line: Ravens by 8

Without their two best linemen, the Ravens will get all they can handle from the road-dog Cardinals, who have enough moxie to keep it close. Ravens 13, Cardinals 10

St. Louis at Tampa Bay

Line: Bucs by 3.5

St. Louis has a bad secondary and Jeff Garcia is already clicking with his receivers. The Rams don’t have Orlando Pace and the Tampa D is playing surprisingly well. All around, a bad matchup for the Rams, as Tampa might be the best team in the suddenly-anemic NFC South. Bucs 24, Rams 17

Jacksonville at Denver

Line: Broncos by 3

You just don’t know which team’s going to show up, and that’s the case on both sides. What I do know is there appears to be something flukish about Denver’s 2-0 start and I have to believe Jacksonville shows up in this game since they have a strange tendency to play well with the odds against them against tougher competition. Broncos 21, Jaguars 20

Cincinnati at Seattle

Line: Seahawks by 3

This should be about as entertaining as an AFL game, with offensive weapons galore and defense that are underperforming. Seattle wins this high-scoring affair as Hasselbeck has a little more ammo than Palmer and the Hawks control the ball on the ground against a woeful Bengals’ rush defense. Seahawks 35, Bengals 30

Cleveland at Oakland

Line: Raiders by 3

The Raiders came awfully close to their first win of the season in Denver and they completely get the job done against the youthful Browns. Raiders 21, Browns 17

Carolina at Atlanta

Line: Panthers by 4

It may not be long before Byron Leftwich gets another shot under center. For now, the completely inept Falcons’ offense will rely on Joey Harrington and his bumbling incompetence once more. Panthers 20, Falcons 10

New York Giants at Washington

Line: Redskins by 3.5

The Redskins look like a good all-around club that moves the ball on the ground, plays tough defense, and gets big plays from its passing game. The Giants, meanwhile, are a mess on defense and the revamped Redskin offense will likely tear them to shreds. Redskins 34, Giants 17

Dallas at Chicago

Line: Bears by 3

You just can’t count on the Bears’ offense this year, as they’re clearly having a post-Super Bowl hangover. Meanwhile, look for Tony Romo to stay hot and lead the troops to a close road win as the Boys stay undefeated. Cowboys 20, Bears 17

Tennessee at New Orleans
Line: Saints by 4.5

The Saints will be fired up, playing at home on Monday Night in a desperate situation. That’s enough for them to topple the Titans. Saints 27, Titans 17

Last Week vs Spread: 8-7-1

Season vs Spread: 15-14-3

Last Week Straight up: 11-5

Season Straight up: 21-11

Week 2 NFL Predictions

Houston at Carolina

Line: Panthers by 6.5

OK, I’d like a mulligan on the Falcons’ pick. I pulled this off once with Tampa Bay, so me picking my seasonal sleeper in Week 2 is not unprecedented. This year’s surprise team will come from my old hometown, as the Houston Texans will emerge as a playoff team for the first time in the franchise history.

Texans 25, Panthers 24

Cincinnati at Cleveland

Line: Bengals by 7

This one’s a gimme. Cincy has more talent on both sides of the football. Time to put Romeo Crennell on the hot seat, where he’ll stay for about the next ten games before his inevitable firing. Bengals 31, Browns 6

Atlanta at Jacksonville

Line: Jaguars by 10

As badly as the Falcons stunk up the joint in Week 1 (and yes, I’m calling for a mulligan until Joey Harrington actually starts playing like a competent NFL QB) the Jags shouldn’t be favored by ten against anybody after their lackluster opening game effort against Tennessee. Too many issues at the QB position. Jaguars 20, Falcons 13

Green Bay at New York Giants

Line: Packers by 1.5

The line went down considerably as Eli’s been upgraded from out to game-time decision. Still, while the Packers have a good defense, they needed dumb luck to squeak past the Eagles. Giants 17, Packers 13

Buffalo at Pittsburgh

Line: Steelers by 10

This Buffalo team is a resilient bunch, but after getting their hearts physically ripped from their chests Temple of Doom style in Week 1 and traveling into Pittsburgh against a suddenly-revamped and motivated Steelers’ team, the odds clearly stack against against the Bills. Steelers 24, Bills 10

San Francisco at St. Louis

Line: Rams by 3

Orlando Pace’s season-ending injury is about the worst thing that could happen to the Rams’ offense. Without him, there’s no pass-protection and things are about to get real ugly for the Rams’ season. 49ers 20, Rams 17

New Orleans at Tampa Bay

Line: Saints by 3

The Saints may eek by thanks to Tampa’s inept offense, but make no mistake about it. This is clearly not the same team without Joe Horn and the Katrina euphoria is all but gone. Saints 14, Bucs 10

Indianapolis at Tennessee

Line: Colts by 7

Tennessee seems to love playing the Colts. What they’ll love even more is that this is the same defense Vince gave nightmares to twice last year, and this year they don’t have Booger in the middle to control the running game. Indy in a squeaker. Colts 27, Titans 24

Seattle at Arizona

Line: Seahawks by 2.5

The Cardinals were about 5 minutes away from making me and a host of others look incredibly stupid when they folded in typical fashion. What’s even funnier is the way they bungled the game, not knocking the ball out of the end zone to give the Niners that one extra chance to score. Seattle won’t need any extra chances, this one will be over pretty early. Seahawks 20, Cardinals 7

Minnesota at Detroit

Line: Lions by 3

It’s Jon Kitna against a horrid secondary. If he can limit his mistakes, he’ll pick the Vikings apart with all the weapons he has at receiver. Minnesota came close to losing to the Lions a couple times last year and this time they bite the dust. Lions 28, Vikings 24

Dallas at Miami

Line: Cowboys by 3.5

Lets call this the Tums Blowout of the Week special. Dallas’s suspect secondary won’t have to worry about Roy Williams being out of position on every passing play this week as the Dolphins’ passing game (and offense in general) is completely inept. Cowboys 27, Dolphins 7

New York Jets at Baltimore

Line: Ravens by 10

Yes, McNair looked awful last week, but he’s got the Jets secondary this week, the same guys who looked like a bunch of pylons as every New England receiver you can name ran circles around them. Not to mention, this is Kellen Clemens (in all likelihood) on the road against arguably the best defense in the game when the offense gives them more than half a field to work with. Ravens 21, Jets 3

Kansas City at Chicago

Line: Bears by 12

The Chiefs just looked awful in every aspect of the game against Houston. Chicago has a few injuries on defense, but it won’t make much of a difference if the Chiefs playcalling stays that bad this week. There’s a good likelihood of that too as Herm Edwards is the one handling that responsibility. Bears 30, Chiefs 3

Oakland at Denver

Line: Broncos by 9.5

The Broncos have the talent and potential of a playoff team, but they looked like anything but one in a Week 1 win over Buffalo in which they trailed on every play except Jason Elam’s game-winning FG. Oakland’s defense is still good and Cutler’s inexperience means a couple cheap scores from his mistakes keep the game close. Broncos 17, Raiders 10

San Diego at New England

Line: Patriots by 3

LaDanian will be back to 100-yard form with Rick Seymour out of the lineup, but Philip Rivers, who still looked a little unpolished against the Bears, will likely make a couple mistakes. And this Patriots team, with the revamped offense they have, WILL CAPITALIZE. Patriots 31, Chargers 21

Washington at Philadelphia

Line: Eagles by 6.5

If the Eagles need a punt returner, I have no qualms about going into their training facility right now and winning a job Vince Papale style. Must-win game for Philly, hostile environment for the Redskins, go with the home team, wash, rinse, repeat. Eagles 24, Redskins 14

Week 1 vs Spread: 7-7-2

Season vs Spread: 7-7-2

Week 1 Straight up: 10-6

Season Straight up: 10-6

Week 1NFL Predictions

New Orleans at Indianapolis

Line: Colts by 6

In what should be an offensive shootout, look for New Orleans to take full advantage of Indy’s inexperienced secondary, but still not have quite enough ammo to outfire a razor-sharp Indy offense that returns most of its starters from their Super Bowl-winning season.

Colts 31, Saints 28

Denver at Buffalo

Line: Broncos by 3

Everything, from Cutler’s development to an upgrade at RB with Henry and Young to a rejuvenated defensive line points to Denver re-establishing itself as an AFC contender this year. The road back to contention starts here in Buffalo for the resurgent Broncos. Broncos 20, Bills 13

Kansas City at Houston

Line: Texans by 3

Mark this down as the year Herm Edwards’ woefully bad coaching finally wears off on the Chiefs. Count me into the ever-growing circle that does not believe Damon Huard is the man to carry this sputtering offense. Texans 17, Chiefs 9

Pittsburgh at Cleveland

Line: Steelers by 4.5

Move this matchup forward about 12 weeks, when Quinn is the starting QB, knows the offense, and Edwards and Winslow are getting the fans excited for next year, and I might not be so sure about this point spread. But it’s Week 1, Charlie Frye is the starting QB, Pittsburgh’s coming out with a bitter taste in its mouth from last year’s meltdown, and you have all the makings of a merciless blowout. Steelers 24, Browns 3

Miami at Washington

Line: Redskins by 3

Mark Miami down as my first road dog to capture victory on opening weekend. Washington’s porous rushing defense will give up yards on the ground and the Dolphins’ front seven will expose Jason Campbell’s lack of experience in their Week 1 victory in DC. Dolphins 17, Redskins 14

Philadelphia at Green Bay

Line: Eagles by 3

Brett Favre against the Eagles’ ferocious D. This one’s just too easy. Of course, the depressing part for me has been watching Favre’s steady decline as a player over the last four years. He just doesn’t have it anymore. Eagles 21, Packers 10

Tennessee at Jacksonville

Line: Jaguars by 6.5

The Jags open at home with some huge question marks at QB, but with the awesome RB trio of Fred Taylor, MoJo Drew and Greg Jones, look for the Jags to eat up clock and beat the Titans up physically with the ground game, giving Vince little time to pull off his heroics. Jaguars 17, Titans 13

New England at New York Jets

Line: Patriots by 6.5

The Pats are favored by 6.5 with their star QB and their best WR nursing injuries and their best defensive lineman out for at least the first month of the season. Without question and without fail, take the Jets to beat this lopsided spread! Patriots 27, Jets 24

Atlanta at Minnesota

Line: Vikings by 3

OK, I’m going to do it! I’ve agonized for an hour but I’ve decided I’m drinking the Falcons’ Kool-Aid. Bobby Petrino will inspire and motivate the troops to a surprising division-winning season while Mike Vick spends the season behind bars. I couldn’t resist, I’m a dog-lover! Falcons 21, Vikings 17

Carolina at St. Louis

Line: Rams by 1.5

The Rams defense gets beaten by many things. Jake Delhomme and a paltry running game aren’t two of them. I still think that offense in St. Louis can put up the points and this year, Scott Linehan’s sensible coaching will finally kick in full tilt. Rams 24, Panthers 17

Chicago at San Diego

Line: Chargers by 6

Five words: Rex Grossman on the road. Any further explanation as to why the Bears won’t quite have enough moxie to pull one out in San Diego? Chargers 20, Bears 13

Detroit at Oakland

Line: Raiders by 2.5

The Lions seem to have something of a bandwagon following among fantasy owners, but I must heed warning nonetheless: Bench any and all Lions’ players for the Week 1 matchup against the Raiders, who quietly have one of the best defenses in football. Raiders 16, Lions 13

Tampa Bay at Seattle

Line: Seahawks by 6

Seattle overmatches Tampa on both sides of the ball. They should run roughshod on an aging Tampa defense and shut down the struggling Bucs’ offense in the official TUMS Blowout of the Week. Seahawks 34, Bucs 10

New York Giants at Dallas

Line: Cowboys by 6

Instead of getting the joy of watching Tiki Barber the RB, I have to listen to him gossip about the Giants team he no longer plays for in the halftime studio. Cowboys 24, Giants 17

Baltimore at Cincinnati

Line: Bengals by 2.5

The Bengals seem to be a team known for their fast starts, plus Carson Palmer is one of a small handful of QB’s who doesn’t look below average against the Ravens’ punishing defense. Bengals 17, Ravens 10

Arizona at San Francisco

Line: 49ers by 3.5

Every year, it seems, someone thinks the Cardinals will overcome their life-long incompetence and play winning football. Every year, they’re wrong. The Niners are a bit overrated on paper too, but they should win opening night at home against the still-unproven Cards. 49ers 24, Cardinals 21