This past week of football was exciting to say the least. I am now 10-6 in my picks and my wrong guesses were some of the more surprising games. Not just because of the loss, but also the way the winning team played.
We saw three shut outs this week which I can't say I've ever seen before in one week. Of course my memory only goes back to dinnertime these days so I can't really be sure. lol We watched Baltimore stomp Tampa Bay flat, making the Ravens another AFC North threat. That division is going to be an extreme race to the finish. We got to see San Diego treat Oakland like they were a High School JV team. The change over from Brees to Philips was, at this time, seemingly the right choice. And the other game was Chicago's Green Bay annihilation marathon. I'm beginning to think that Favre is the only player left in Green Bay and that he made an error in judgment not retiring this year.
Jacksonville was amazing in their defeat of Dallas but not nearly so much as the Rams in their well-rounded defeat of Denver. And while Detroit still lost, I liked what I saw from their defense. Seattle never saw the end zone once. Of course neither did Detroit, but we're very used to that.
This week could prove to be just as exciting as the one we just finished. There are some "Yawner" games like Cincinnati hosting Cleveland. Lets face it, this is just a gimme for the Bengals. And Tennessee at San Diego, which is pretty much the same thing for the Chargers. Not that it matters to the fans of those two winning teams mind you. They like to see their teams win even against bad teams. All fans do. But for those that want real exciting matchups and aren't necessarily fans of the above teams then I will point you at three games this week that should get your testosterone pumping.
The first one is Buffalo at Miami.
Yes, that's right. Both lost the week before but played very solid games. They are pretty evenly matched and are very much in the race for their division. I don't discount either one of these teams at this point and of course its still too early in the season to say how they'll develop but this game could be the defining moment in both of these teams that decide their paths. Miami is obviously the favorite here with their home field being hot and humid this time of year. Buffalo is a cold weather team that hasn't fared too well in these conditions as of late. Add in the Rain Saturday and possibly Sunday and this gives Miami some very nice advantages. But Buffalo isn't a write off by any means. They have good talent and a smart coaching staff that nearly beat New England. Granted, that was a much more depleted New England than last year but they're still a formidable team. I just don't think it will be enough to overcome the growing threat that is Miami.
Miami 24 - Buffalo 21
The next game I suggest is Arizona at Seattle.
Arizona is another team like Miami that seems to be growing into their own of late. Seattle is another team that is slightly depleted from the year before. The Seahawks barely managed to win against the Lions last week and never scored a touchdown. They'll have to play much better if they don't want to fall to the bottom of their division early on this year. With St. Louis almost certain to win against San Francisco Seattle will have to pull out all the stops Sunday. Arizona on the other hand needs to put Edgerin James to good use and have their secondary blessed before the game if they hope to defeat the obvious choice for this year's Division leader. I think they can if they put all their heart into it, the only problem is I don't think they will put their heart completely into it. I see Seattle winning this one barely.
Seattle 17 - Arizona 14
And finally... Yep. Pittsburgh at Jacksonville.
Now you may be thinking that since I'm a Steelers fan that I'm more likely to pick a Pittsburgh game as one to watch than I am some other. For my television at home this is true. But for my articles no. I am picking them again this week because this will be one of the better games this season. Every time these two teams meet it is always an all out battle from start to end. Two very hard hitting, evenly matched teams that love to play against each other. There is very little difference between these teams usually. Both favor a running game backed up by various passing packages. Both have super tough defenses that are geared to stop the run. Most times their games are won within a few points of each other or in overtime. What's more exciting than that? Since both teams are so evenly matched is there a clear leader? I think it comes down to the QBs. Leftwich is powerful and mobile. So is Rothelisberger. Leftwich can make plays from nothing. So can Roethlisberger. Leftwich is a bit slow on reading defenses and making his play. Roethlisberger is not. And if Big Ben plays then Jacksonville will likely lose. It's still going to be very close.
Pittsburgh 13 - Jacksonville 10
And now the rest of the games.
Minnesota over Carolina
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Chicago over Detroit *
Indianapolis over Houston
New Orleans over Green Bay
Philadelphia over N.Y. Giants
Baltimore over Oakland **
Atlanta over Tampa Bay
St. Louis over San Francisco
Denver over Kansas City
New England over N.Y. Jets
San Diego over Tennessee
Dallas over Washington
* Will be an interesting game of defenses for those wanting another pick to watch.
** Will Oakland be shut out twice? We'll see.
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