I’m middling and I’m mad about it. I’d be fine if it weren’t for the first two weeks of the season. Bear with me here.
I’m gonna give the Eagles one last chance this week. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me five to six times, you know how the saying goes.
Finally, while I did go 6-7-1 last week, I went 3/3 on my locks. Take that as you like.
Week 7: 6-7-1
2019 Season: 34-38-1
THE LOCKS
New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-6.5)
Sunday, Oct 27 – 1:05 EST
I still like Danny Dimes but his play has regressed steadily the last few weeks since his savior-like entrance into the Bucs game. The man is a turnover machine, and Matt Patricia studied hard in Bill Belichick’s Torturing Young Quarterbacks 101 class. I expect him to make things uncomfortable for Jones & crew.
The Lions are a puzzling team. Their record suggests they’re underachieving while their play suggests they’re overachieving. I’m not sure what to make of that, but I still expect them to be able to handle the Giants at home by a touchdown or more.
The only thing troubling me is the surprise trade of Lions starting safety Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawk. Hopefully that isn’t a harbinger (or evidence) of uneasiness in the locker room. But like most of my issues in life, I’m going to choose to ignore this one for the moment.
Pick: Lions -6.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)
Sunday, Oct 27 – 1:05 EST
Both of these teams want to lose so badly. And I don’t say that in a, these-guys-are-definitely-tanking kind of way, like I would for the Miami Dolphins. I mean it in the sense that, these are two teams and two starting quarterbacks who simply have losing in their veins.
I love this match-up. It’s our quadrennial face-off of the two sorry excuses for quarterbacks that were taken with the first two picks of the 2015 draft. The NFL scheduling gurus may have had their finest hour in the first meeting between the two – literally the first NFL game for both of them, Week 1 of their rookie seasons. Mariota shined with 4 TD passes, and Jameis was horrible. He threw a pick-6 on his first NFL pass attempt, but luckily he’s nipped that issue in the butt.
Watch this game closely, because it will be the last two times these two ever face each other as starters. 2015 will likely go down in history as having the worst group of quarterbacks drafted of all-time.
Oh right, pick the Titans.
Pick: Titans -2.5
Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams (-13)
Sunday, Oct 27 – 1:05 EST
The Rams right now remind me a bit of the Eagles a few weeks ago. The Birds were sitting at 1-2 after losing two extremely winnable games – at Atlanta and home against Detroit. Then they got back on track with a season-saving (at that time) win at Lambeau, still the Packers only loss on the season. When the Jets came to town the next week, everyone knew they were gonna get slapped.
The Rams have been shaky recently, before getting back on track with a slaying of the Falcons last week. Now Cincinnati comes to town for a beatdown – don’t overthink this one. This is a very good football team – at home – vs. a very bad one. Take the Rams.
The Eagles comparison is apt because, even with the addition of Jalen Ramsey, I still expect this team to trip over its own feet again this season. But it won’t happen against the Bengals.
Pick: Rams -13
AND ALL THE REST
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings (-16.5)
Pick: Vikings – 16.5
Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears (-3.5)
Pick: Chargers +3.5 (be careful)
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6.5)
Pick: Jets +6.5
Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (-1.5)
Pick: FLY EAGLES FLY +1.5
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints (-10)
Pick: Cardinals +10
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-7)
Pick: Raiders +7
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-6)
Pick: 49ers – 6
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (-5.5)
Pick: Colts -5.5
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (-13)
Pick: Patriots -13
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5)
Pick: Packers -3.5
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14)
Pick: Dolphins +14
