We had a bunch of visiting teams win last week. We also had a bunch of losing teams suddenly win, and many winning teams falter (right, Pittsburgh?). It's becoming a weird season. We had only one unbeaten team after 4 weeks. After 5 weeks we only have a total of 4 teams with no more than one loss. This is parity at its most primal.
Thurs Oct 12
Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers: This should be a shoot-out. Either team can win this game, as both offenses will scratch and claw late in the game to get that go-ahead score. I think the Eagles are little better at managing the clock, and might not give the Panthers enough time to score again. EAGLES
Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens: Mitch Trubisky has breathed some life into the Bears offense, but alas that might not be enough against the Ravens defense. The Ravens offense moves well, and the Bears defense still leaves some effort to be desired. RAVENS
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans: A battle of two "De-" rookie QBs. DeShone Kizer has been doing okay for the Browns, but he's not getting much help. Deshaun Watson moved down to "normal" levels last week, after two weeks of astounding stats, and the Texans defense sharpened last week, too. Expect to see better defense this week (which will hurt Kizer), and the Browns defense will allow Watson to boost his numbers from last week. TEXANS
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints: The Saints can be deadly at home. On paper, the Lions should win this game. Unfortunately, the games are not played on paper. The Saints will bring a little more punch to this game. The question is, whether that punch will be enough. The Saints have a habit of falling just short, so I'll go with that. LIONS in a tight one
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: The Packers are an interesting team this year. They have yet to play the same offensive line two weeks, and their receivers drop way too many passes. Yet, in the fourth quarter, they find ways to pull out games. The Vikings had to pull one out late last week, but this time I think the Packers have the edge. PACKERS
Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons: Although the move to Miami seems to have revitalized Jay Cutler's game, the Dolphins offense will not be able to keep pace with the Falcons. Is their defense good enough to slow them down? Not enough. FALCONS
New England Patriots at New York Jets: Games between these two teams often become heated battles, and this year adds some interesting edges. The Jets, after I predicted they might be the worst team in the AFC this season, are showing signs of life, while the perennial powerful Patriots are showing signs of rust and decay. Expect the Jets to pump it up a couple of notches and really get physical with the Pats. I don't quite think the Jets are operating at a level to defeat their divisional rival, but they will make it close and exciting. PATRIOTS
San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins: The 49ers don't like playing early games on the East coast. Not even the chance for 49ers QB Brian Hoyer to commiserate with fellow Michigan State alum Kurt Cousins will make this game tolerable for the struggling 49ers. REDSKINS
Sunday late games
Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders: How bad are the Chargers playing? Even without Derek Carr, I think the Raiders can beat them. Of course, they'll get considerable help from the defense. RAIDERS
Los Angeles Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars: Considering how they played in preseason, the Jags success might be the most surprising of this season. I even have to give them the edge over the Rams! Of course, if the Rams defense tightens, this game could go the other way. JAGUARS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs: Good news - I fully expect Ben Roethlisberger to shake off the five interception performance from last week and play a much better game. The bad news? The Chiefs will have an even better offense working the field. CHIEFS
Tampa Bay Bucs at Arizona Cardinals: Jameis Winston and company really have the Bucs moving. Consistency is still a bit of a problem, but not as much as it's a problem for Arizona. BUCS
Sunday night
New York Giants at Denver Broncos: The winless Giants have to travel to Mile High Stadium, a difficult place to play, with a banged-up group of receivers. We're not even sure who Eli Manning will be throwing to. The Giants will have trouble moving the ball. Denver will not. Although Trevor Siemian does not have the arm of Peyton Manning, he is gaining a great read of the field. His adjustments are slow, but he's improving. For this game, he doesn't have to move too fast, as the Giants defense should give him plenty of time. BRONCOS
Monday Night Football
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans: Both teams hope to have their starting quarterbacks return for this game. Marcus Mariota is likely, while Andrew Luck is probable. Sounds like the Colts might finally have their quarterback back. He might be a bit rusty, though, and the Titans defense has been very good at causing turnovers and rushing the quarterback. TITANS
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