All the injuries that piled up last week made a lot of game predictions go sour, and how the injuries play out this week might ruin predictions yet again! I can immodestly say that I botched my picks for last week, only going 7-8, because I thought games like Denver-Indy were slam dunk. Just like I thought Jets-Patriots would be with Gronk back in the fold. I also didn't expect the Philly offense to collapse in on itself after how well Nick Foles had been playing, because even before the team was forced to put Matt Barkley out there, hope for getting on top of the NFC East had been lost. Can the Eagles rebound this week against the now winning Giants, who have had a win streak under Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning of at least four games every season? Read below to find out!
Byes: Colts, Texans, Bears and Chargers
Panthers at Buccaneers
Carolina 28-17
Tampa Bay is at home, but I'm not sure that's a place Greg Schiano wants to be right now. The climate in Tampa is red hot, with fans erecting a billboard trying to get Schiano off of this team. This team has lost 11 of its last 12 games, which is scary bad. Now this team is going to have to contend with a hot Carolina team, with Cam Newton coming off the best two game stretch of his career so far. Newton has been on an absolute tear, and the Buccaneers defense has been floundering the last two weeks. That match-up doesn't bode well for Schiano, who may be on the street sooner than people expect.
Cowboys at Lions
31-27 Lions
Call me crazy, but I'm picking the Lions two games in a row at home, even though they disappointed me last week. This match-up could shape up to be a quarterback duel, as both defensive lines have played well but the secondaries on both teams have been pretty bad. The Cowboys had a good performance last week, but that was mainly due to Foles poor ball placement, there were still plays to be made. The Lions may still try to use a running game, something the Cowboys will struggle to do without DeMarco Murray, and so this game may come down to how well Sean Lee can cover Reggie Bush. Lee is one of the best linebackers in the game, but at some point Bush is going to be make him miss, opening up the game for Detroit at home.
49ers at Jaguars (London)
49ers 24-6
London gets its second NFL game of the season this week, and unfortunately they're probably not going to get a very good one. The 49ers are humming again after losing two games early on in the year, and there's nothing to suggest the Jaguars will even come close to hanging with them across the sea. The Jaguars are currently the worst in the league at stopping the run, which is not good when you're facing a team that ran the ball 40 times last week.
Browns at Chiefs
Chiefs 21-10
Jason Campbell will get his first start this year for the Cleveland Browns, unfortunately it comes on the road against a great defense. Sound familiar? It's pretty much the same situation that Houston faced last week starting Case Keenum, and while Keenum performed better than expected he still wasn't able to get his team a win. At home, the Chiefs pass rush has been lethal, and Campbell might end up having bad flashbacks to his start against the 49ers last year. Alex Smith won't put up that many points, but he really doesn't need to.
Dolphins at Patriots
Patriots 24-23
This is the game many people were pointing to in the offseason, as the Dolphins chance to take the AFC East from the New England Patriots. I don't see it happening for them though. The Patriots defense has been vulnerable against the run after the loss of Vince Wilfork, but the Dolphins haven't found a lot of success running the football, mainly because their offensive line hasn't been up to snuff. The Dolphins just don't look ready to take the next step yet, especially with Rob Gronkowski coming back for the Patriots.
Bills at Saints
Saints 31-18
The Bills had a great win last week with Thad Lewis under center, but defeating the Dolphins and taking on the Saints at the Superdome are two very different things. The Saints have let their anger and frustration fester over a week because of the bye, and odds are Sean Payton is going to take out his anger on Buffalo. Jimmy Graham may not be ready to go, but that shouldn't slow down Drew Brees enough to make this game close. Payton will most likely go back to his running game, which was very effective last game.
Giants at Eagles
Eagles 27-20
The Giants got their first win of the season Monday night, but anyone watching the game knew that it was hardly an impressive win. The Giants are on their fifth string running back. The team just doesn't look like it's trying hard anymore, they're just trying to get through the season healthy as possible. Meanwhile, Michael Vick will return for the Eagles, and he'll be eager to show Chip Kelly that he's a much better option than Nick Foles could ever hope to be.
Jets at Bengals
Bengals 24-13
The Bengals come home after a successful two week road trip, a place they haven't lost at this season. For the Jets, it's time for Geno Smith to look like a rookie again, and Mike Zimmer's defense will certainly help him look flustered throughout the afternoon. The Jets took to their run game against the Patriots in their overtime win, but the Bengals are too good against the run for that strategy to work again. The ball has to get into Geno's hands, but he's not trustworthy enough to hold onto it throughout a game yet.
Steelers at Raiders
Raiders 20-18
The Steelers have come out of their bye nicely, winning their previous two games, but Terrelle Pryor may bedevil this defense too much for them to win again on the road. The Steelers lack athleticism of the defensive side of the ball due to age, and so Pryor may be scrambling around all over the field Sunday while the Steelers try to catch up. Big Ben should have plenty of bright moments, especially now that he's supported by a running game, but Pryor may keep the ball out of his hands too much for him to put this team in a position to win.
Falcons at Cardinals
Falcons 28-24
This game was actually tough to call, as both of these teams have some major flaws. The Falcons defense has been rough this season, but at least this offense has offered hope despite some major injuries. Steven Jackson will also be returning to the Falcons, so the Falcons may be able to establish some form of ground attack to take at least some pressure off of Matt Ryan. On the other side, Carson Palmer has been anything but effective, and it's practically guaranteed that he'll give the Falcons a few freebies.
Redskins at Broncos
38-27 Broncos
The Broncos lost their first game of the season last week, but don't expect them to stay down for long. The Redskins gave up over 40 points when the Bears had their backup quarterback in the game, so imagine what Peyton is going to be able to do against this defense. RGIII's rushing ability may help him keep pace with Peyton, but the Broncos are actually solid against the run, and sooner or later RGIII is going to feed the ball to Peyton, who may have a hard time not scoring on this defense.
Packers at Vikings
Packers 34-14
Aaron Rodgers has the highest passer rating against the Vikings as any quarterback has against a single franchise ever. Do you expect this secondary to change that? There is an argument to be made that Ponder could repeat the success he had against the Pack last year, but there was build-up and excitement to that game, it was for a playoff spot. This time this team already has very little to play for, and even if Ponder tries to repeat his performance, this team just might not have enough energy to help him out.
Seahawks at Rams
Seahawks 28-13
The Rams wanted Brett Favre to come in and start this game for them against the Seahawks, even though he's 44. That should tell you how much faith they have in their backup quarterback situation with Sam Bradford done. The Seahawks are tough to face even with your best quarterback out there, and the loss of Bradford will be too much for this team to overcome for the rest of the year.
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