NFL Week 7 Picks: Dallas Cowboys to Beat Streaking Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle (5-1) at Arizona (3-3)

The Seahawks, all year, have been hyped up because of their aggressive secondary and pass defense. They are second in the league in passing yards allowed per game and are tied for fourth in the league in interceptions. Throwing against the likes of Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor is not an easy task.

The Cardinals are 18th in the league in passing yards per game and tied for second in interceptions thrown.  It just doesn’t look like a very good match-up for Carson Palmer.

Seattle wins.

Tampa Bay (0-5) at Atlanta (1-4)

The Buccaneers have a whole handful of issues. They are 31st in the NFL in points per game. They are tied for eighth in penalties and are fourth in yards penalized. They are last in the league in first downs and 31st in yards per game. If it involved moving the ball in a positive direction, the Buccaneers just can’t do it.

The Falcons have played poorly, and are really banged up, especially with Julio Jones now out for the year. But they are more competent than Tampa Bay, especially with Matt Ryan still the team’s quarterback.

Atlanta wins.

Cincinnati (4-2) at Detroit (4-2)

The Bengals have not given up a 300-yard passing outing in 20 consecutive games. The Lions, however, have the gunslinger Matthew Stafford at quarterback with a lot of receiving options.

Everyone knows Calvin Johnson is one of, if not the, best wide receiver in the league. But this year the Lions are getting contributions from elsewhere.

This season is still a small sampling size, but in the past two seasons Johnson has accounted for at least 33 percent of the team’s receiving yards (38.2 percent last year) and at least 23 percent of the team’s targets. This year he’s accounted for 19.0 percent of the receiving yards and 20.1 percent of the targets.

Yes, he was injured and didn’t play two weeks ago. But Reggie Bush, Joique Bell, Joseph Fauria and Kris Durham have all had big receiving games recently. Bell and Bush have also been dynamic in the running game and are at least keeping teams honest.

The Lions could use more production at the wide receiver position, but overall they’re getting it done.

Detroit wins.

Buffalo (2-4) at Miami (3-2)

The Dolphins entered their bye week 3-2 and that’s a good place for them to be considering the challenging schedule they were dealt.

With a week off to prepare, at home, and against a Bills offense that seems to be very unsettled at quarterback, the Dolphins should take care of business.

Miami wins.

New England (5-1) at New York Jets (3-3)

Say what you will about the Patriots and their receiving corps and their defense, but they’ve managed to start the season 5-1. In most parts, players step up when they need to. Last week, even with Aqib Talib injured and forced to leave the game, different players (like Kyle Arrington) stepped up and Jimmy Graham didn’t have a single reception, despite six targets.

And if you give them enough time and enough opportunities, like New Orleans did last week, they will make you pay on offense.

Geno Smith is all about giving the other team opportunities, as he is third in the NFL in interceptions.

New England wins.

Dallas (3-3) at Philadelphia (3-3)

These teams are pretty evenly matched. They are division rivals and both are playing well offensively. It should be a fun game to watch.

There are some worrisome things here for the Eagles, however. They have lost eight consecutive games at home. The Eagles have lost four of their past five home games against the Cowboys (including one playoff game) and have lost five of their past seven home games against the Cowboys (including one playoff game). This year the Eagles three wins have also come against opponents that have yet to win a game.

Yes, the Eagles beat the Redskins in Week 1, when they obviously had no wins. But the Redskins only have one win since then. Two of the Cowboys three wins were against the Giants and Redskins, like the Eagles as well, but have played better in losses as well, losing to the undefeated Broncos and Chiefs by a combined four points.

Dallas wins.

Chicago (4-2) at Washington (1-4)

The Redskins defense has been terrible. They are 27th in points allowed per game and tied for 27th in yards allowed per game. Against the pass specifically, they are 24th in passing yards allowed per game.

The Bears are 13th in the NFL in passing yards per game. While they are ranked worse than the Redskins in that category, they also have six more passing touchdowns and are third in the league in points per game. I would expect another big day for Brandon Marshall.

Chicago wins.

St. Louis (3-3) at Carolina (2-3)

Panthers games have been ugly affairs. That being said, they rank fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game and seventh in the league in passing yards allowed per game. More important in this contest, at home, they rank seventh in the league in rushing yards per game. The Rams, on the other hand, are 30th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.

The Rams have two wins in a row, including last week against the Texans, but I expect the Panthers – at home – to use Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and Mike Tolbert to pound the ball, eat up clock, gain positive yardage and not make Newton force throws leading to turnovers.

Carolina wins.

San Diego (3-3) at Jacksonville (0-6)

Credit to the Jaguars, who hung around with the Broncos for a lot longer than anyone expected.

With that out of the way, they still lost by 16 points. The Chargers meanwhile, were able to beat the streaking Colts by 10.

The Jaguars are home but this just still feels like a mismatch.

San Diego wins.

San Francisco (4-2) at Tennessee (3-3)

It’s not entirely Ryan Fitzpatrick’s fault the Titans are losing games, but the Titans have lost two consecutive games and Fitzpatrick has thrown two interceptions each game. He’s also only completing 52.6 percent of his passes this year.

The 49ers have scored 30 or more points in each of their past three games and four out of their six games this season. They are also tied for seventh in the league in interceptions.

San Francisco wins.

Cleveland (3-3) at Green Bay (4-2)

The Packers game wasn’t terribly pretty last week and they did lose several capable pass-catchers but they came out of Baltimore with a victory.

What is different about this Packers team is that they are running the ball better than they have for years. Eddie Lacey ran for 120 yards last week and seems to have been a draft day steal.

Green Bay wins.

Houston (2-4) at Kansas City (6-0)

The Texans are unraveling. They’ve lost four in a row and starting quarterback Matt Schaub is out for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. Yes, he’s thrown a lot of interceptions this season, but T.J. Yates was able to do the same thing when he relieved him against the Rams. He threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Yates has played 13 games in three seasons and thrown six interceptions compared to three touchdowns. He’ll have problems moving the ball against the Chiefs defense. Kansas City has allowed the fewest points per game (10.8) and has allowed the third fewest passing yards per game (190.3). They are also tied for the league lead in interceptions (10).

At Arrowhead, Houston’s problems will only continue to grow.

Kansas City wins.

Baltimore (3-3) at Pittsburgh (1-4)

Records never seem to matter in an intense rivalry such as this one, but neither does home0field advantage. The last three times the Ravens came to Heinz Field in the regular season, they won.

I think the passing game for the Steelers, however, does make a difference this year. The Ravens are 17th in the league in passing yards allowed per game while the Steelers offense is seventh passing yards per game.

The Steelers haven’t played well this season, but the Ravens are not a convincing defending Super Bowl champion and did lose on the road to the Buffalo Bills, another sub-.500 team.

Pittsburgh wins.

Denver (6-0) at Indianapolis (4-2)

The Colts are the only team that Peyton Manning has not beaten in his career. The Broncos are on the road, but I like their chances in this one.

Right now, it’s just tough to pick against the Broncos. They are on a roll and it isn’t just the passing game. Last week, Knowshon Moreno rushed for three touchdowns. The Broncos are adapting, on offense, to whatever the opposing team is throwing at them.

And he may not admit it, but I’m sure Manning will have a little extra kick to his competitive spirit.

Denver wins.

Minnesota (1-4) at New York Giants (0-6)

Josh Freeman may just need a change of scenery, but he just hasn’t performed well enough the past few years. Going back to last year, eight of the previous nine games he’s started, he’s lost. He’s thrown an interception in six consecutive games and in seven of the past eight games. Including this year, he’s thrown more interceptions than touchdowns in three of his five seasons. He’s also completed only 45.7 percent of his passes thus far this season, down from 54.8 last year and 62.8 the year before. Was 2010 a fluke?

Not that the Giants are playing so well this year, and their quarterback is a turnover machine as well. But this is a team that, even if they don’t make the playoffs, we’ve seen them turn their season around before. They are home. And with a long week (they played Thursday night last week) and playing at home, it’s time for them to get in the win column.

New York Giants win.

Bye Week: Oakland, New Orleans

Last Week: 9-6

Overall: 58-34

Photo Credit.

Tony Romo: AP Photo/LM Otero

NFL Week 6 Picks: New Orleans Saints To Win Another Big Game Against New England Patriots

New York Giants (0-5) at Chicago (3-2)

The Bears have dropped two games in a row, but a match-up in Chicago against the winless and hapless Giants may be just what the doctor ordered.

Eli Manning threw another three interceptions last week, giving him 12 on the season already. That’s slightly more than two picks a game.

Chicago wins.

Green Bay (2-2) at Baltimore (3-2)

The Packers are both fifth in the league in rushing yards per game average and fifth in rushing yards allowed per game. Both are good figures, but the Packers are once again banged up. Starting running back James Starks and starting linebackers Clay Matthews and Brad Jones have all been ruled out for the game against the Ravens.

That’s not to say that the Packers haven’t had success with an inconsistent running game or porous defense before, but this week it may be too much to overcome.

The Ravens are 2-0 at home and last week against Miami they finally got Ray Rice going, as he rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns, while Bernard Pierce was also able to get 46 yards on 11 carries.

Baltimore wins.

Cincinnati (3-2) at Buffalo (2-3)

Rookie starting quarterback E.J. Manuel is out and instead of starting back-up Jeff Tuel, the Bills promoted Thad Lewis from the practice squad. Lewis has played in one game in his career (last season with Cleveland) and is 22 of 32 with 204 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception.

It’s not a terrible line. He’ll have his hands full against the Bengals though. Cincinnati is 11th in the league in passing yards allowed per game and does a good job against the run too, ranking 10th in rushing yards allowed per game. They held Tom Brady to 197 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception last weekend, while sacking him four times and holding the Pats to six points.

Cincinnati wins.

Detroit (3-2) at Cleveland (3-2)

The Lions had a dud of a game last week and lost, while the Browns held on for a road victory.

Cleveland’s defense is stingy, but the Browns offense did look better with Brian Hoyer under center rather than Brandon Weeden, though the second-year quarterback did a fine job in relief last Thursday.

What hurts the Lions is not knowing the status of Calvin Johnson, who has a knee injury and didn’t play last week. Still, they are more talented at the skill positions than the Browns.

Detroit wins.

St. Louis (2-3) at Houston (2-3)

It’s no secret: Matt Schaub has been bad this season. He has nine interceptions on the year, he threw three interceptions last week, and he has thrown a pick-six in each of the past four games.

Houston isn’t a bad team, however. It was a bad game against the 48ers but they still have a strong defense and running game. They are just more talented than the Rams, even though St. Louis won last week.

Houston wins.

Carolina (1-3) at Minnesota (1-3)

The Vikings signed recently released Josh Freeman, but don’t plan to play him Sunday. That being said, Matt Cassel did a fine job in his first game of the season, going 16-25 for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers are 0-2 on the road. With Adrian Peterson running the ball behind him, if Cassel can have another solid outing like he did two weeks ago the Vikings should be in decent shape at home against another struggling team.

Minnesota wins.

Oakland (2-3) at Kansas City (5-0)

The Raiders got a win over the Chargers last week at home. They did, however, almost let a 24-3 lead slip away before converting on third and long and getting a field goal to get back to a two-score lead.

Things, as they always are, will be tougher in Kansas City, who got a victory in Tennessee last week.

Kansas City wins.

Pittsburgh (0-4) at New York Jets (3-2)

Geno Smith had his finest game as an NFL quarterback, in prime time nonetheless. He completed 80 percent of his passes, threw for three touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception.

The Jets defense has been good thus far this season and getting Mike Goodson active gives the running game a boost – he rushed for 32 yards on three carries last week.

I don’t expect Pittsburgh to be winless all season, but at home the Jets should continue to ride the current momentum they have.

New York jets win.

Philadelphia (2-3) at Tampa Bay (0-4)

The Buccaneers got a much needed week off last week because things were quickly spiraling out of control, especially with former quarterback Josh Freeman. Freeman is released, but it’s questionable if this team can turn things around. It’s been a lot of losing over the past three seasons.

They’ve struggled offensively this season, as they are 31st in the league in both yards per game and points per game. They might have problems keeping up with the Eagles, who are second in yards per game and eighth in points per game.

Philadelphia wins.

Jacksonville (0-5) at Denver (5-0)

The Broncos are a historical 28-point favorite over the Jaguars. It may be a tough cover, but there’s a reason the line is that high.

Denver wins.

Tennessee (3-2) at Seattle (4-1)

The Seahawks lost their first game of the season last week, but they haven’t lost a home game since 2011.

The Titans put up a decent effort against the Chiefs, but Ryan Fitzpatrick did throw two interceptions. Seattle is tied for the most takeaways in the league, with 15. They have seven interceptions, five of which have come at home.

Seattle wins.

New Orleans (5-0) at New England (4-1)

This is a huge match-up between two of the top teams in the league.

Right now, it looks like the Saints are rolling and on more of the same page than the Patriots. Much has been made of the Patriots lack of depth at wide receiver. Wide receivers Aaron Dobson and Danny Amendola are questionable for Sunday, as is tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has yet to play this season. Amendola and Dobson were the team’s top receivers in the team’s rough game against Cincinnati.

Last week Tom Brady completed only 47.4 percent of his passes and for only 197 yards. He was also sacked four times.

In his NFL career against Brady, Drew Brees is 3-0. The last time the Saints met the Patriots, the Saints were undefeated and Brees threw for 371 yards and five touchdowns. He has New England’s number.

New Orleans wins.

Arizona (3-2) at San Francisco (3-2)

The 49ers beat down the Texans last week. They have some momentum going up against the Cardinals. Since 2009 they are 7-1 against Arizona.

The Niners also have only lost three home regular season games since the start of the 2011 season.

San Francisco wins.

Washington (1-3) at Dallas (2-3)

Has Tony Romo failed to come through in the clutch before? Definitely. Did he throw an interception last week against Denver at the worst possible time? Yes. Should that take away from the game that he had and the season he’s having? No way.

Romo threw for 506 yards and five touchdowns last week. That’s the most yards in Cowboys history. And while Peyton Manning had seven touchdown passes in Week 1, he hasn’t thrown for that many yards in a game this season. That was also only Romo’s second interception this season.

The defense could’ve used a stop at some point against Denver, so it’s not all on Romo.

That being said, they should put up equally impressive numbers this week. The Redskins have given up the most yards per game this season.

Dallas wins.

Indianapolis (4-1) at San Diego (2-3)

Phillip Rivers’ second consecutive 400-yard game and third this season wasn’t enough to propel the Chargers past the Raiders, who previously had only one win to their name. Three interceptions, a season-high for Rivers in 2013, helped the downfall.

The Colts have won three in a row, including a big one over the Seahawks last weekend. The Colts are tied for the fewest penalties in the league with the fewest yards penalized and is second in the NFL in third-down percentage. They’re playing efficient football and getting the job done.

Indianapolis wins.

Bye Week: Atlanta, Miami

Last Week: 7-7

Overall: 49-28

Photo Credit.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

NFL Week 5 Picks: Best Chance for the Jacksonville Jaguars To Win a Game This Season

Buffalo (2-2) at Cleveland (2-2)

Could the Browns really have a winning record after this game?

Even with a stalling running game since Trent Richardson was traded, Brian Hoyer has managed to do some damage in the passing game. He has 590 passing yards and five touchdowns, opposed to three interceptions, in two games. His main target? Tight end Jordan Cameron, who has 360 yards receiving and five touchdowns this year. He’s behind only Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham in receiving yards for tight ends this year.

Their defense is also ranked in the top 10 in passing yards against and rushing yards against per game.

Cleveland wins.

New Orleans (4-0) at Chicago (3-1)

Drew Brees is 0-4 at Soldier Field in his career. But they’ve won their past two games by over 20 points.

Chicago has pulled out some squeakers before finally falling to Detroit last week. The game was much more out of hand than the final score suggests. It was 40-16 until the Bears scored two late touchdowns in the final four minutes. The Bears also had four turnovers.

The Saints look too good right now to not go with the hot team.

New Orleans wins.

New England (4-0) at Cincinnati (2-2)

Both these teams are still tough to figure out.

For New England, several plays it looks like their rookie wide receivers are in over their heads. But at the conclusion of the game against the Falcons, Kenbrell Thompkins had 127 yards and a touchdown. Julian Edelman also had 118 yards receiving.

Two weeks ago the Bengals beat the Packers but then last week they lost to the Browns. Granted, that game against Cleveland was on the road and against a division rival, but for a team with deep playoff aspirations like Cincinnati, that’s a game they have to find a way to win.

What may go in the Patriots favor is that the Bengals secondary is really banged up, with cornerbacks Leon Hall and Dre Kirkpatrick and safety Reggie Nelson are all questionable.

New England wins.

Detroit (3-1) at Green Bay (1-2)

The Lions have not beaten the Packers on the road since 1991. This is a divisional rivalry. The Lions play Green Bay on the road every year. That’s 22 years since the last time they won in Green Bay, even though they had a chance to break that streak every single year. That’s just unreal.

The Lions have a nice running game with Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, but the Packers – who surprisingly have a much higher rushing yards per game average than the Lions – are eighth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.

Plus they had an extra week to prepare for this game and must be dying to get a win after losing in their last game against the Bengals.

Green Bay wins.

Kansas City (4-0) at Tennessee (3-1)

The last time the Chiefs were 4-0 was 2003 and they lost their next game. Alex Smith had a rough week last week despite the victory. It seems like the Giants give him fits.

But the Titans lost their starting quarterback to a hip injury and the backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, has struggled with turnovers the past couple seasons.

Kansas City wins.

Seattle (4-0) at Indianapolis (3-1)

Just when it looked like the Seahawks were human, losing 20-3 at halftime, the Seahawks scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat a solid Texans team 23-20.

Seattle has now won four consecutive regular season road games, so they aren’t just a good home team anymore.

The Seahawks had to go up against a very tough Houston defense with multiple backup offensive linemen. And they survived. Marshawn Lynch was still able to rumble for 98 yards and a score while Russell Wilson added 77 rushing yards of his own.

The Colts have a better run defense than Houston does, but Seattle is just finding ways to win right now.

Seattle wins.

Jacksonville (0-4) at St. Louis (1-3)

This is probably the Jaguars best chance to win this season. They have just been so bad, one has to wonder if they will mimic the Colts from 2011. The Rams, one win aside, have looked just as bad, however.

Justin Blackmon returns from a four-game suspension, rookie Luke Joeckel is moving from right tackle to his more comfortable position of left tackle, and although Blaine Gabbert still hasn’t shown he is a good quarterback and threw three interceptions, he did throw for more yards and a better completion percentage. Stats can only say so much, but apparently head coach Gus Bradley says he has seen improvement when he watched the tapes.

This is a best a chance at a victory this team will have, so why not?

Jacksonville wins.

Baltimore (2-2) at Miami (3-1)

The Dolphins suffered a setback against the Saints last week and that game showed a lot of weaknesses that were hidden previously because of wins. The Dolphins offensive line is rather rough around the edges. 

Defensively, they also struggle to cover the tight end in their scheme and it opens up a lot of the field.

But the Ravens have struggled mightily this season. Joe Flacco just had a game where he threw five interceptions (as many as Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has thrown all year). They also are doing an awful job running the ball. They are 28th in the league in rushing yards per game and Ray Rice has only 30 rushing attempts for 89 yards and one touchdown. Bernard Pierce has more yards and touchdowns, but his yards per carry average (2.7) is poor.

Since the start of last season, Joe Flacco is 32nd in total QBR on the road. The Ravens have lost four consecutive regular season road games.

Miami wins.

Philadelphia (1-3) at New York Giants (0-4)

If you’re a fan of either of these teams, it’s been more than a rough start to the season for you. History has shown that anything can happen when these two teams face each other.

The Giants have a slight edge being at home. They’ve been terrible this season, but three of their four games have been on the road.

The Giants are 10th in the league in passing yards per game, while the Eagles struggle defending the pass, ranking 31st in passing yards against per game.

New York Giants win.

Carolina (1-2) at Arizona (2-2)

This will be a pretty even match-up simply because there isn’t much to like about either of these teams.

The Panthers are third in the league in rushing yards per game, but the Cardinals are second in rushing yards allowed per game.

Despite the Panthers having Cam Newton at quarterback, the Cardinals have actually done a better job moving the ball in the air this season. They’ve also had to play three of their first four games on the road. They will need to cut down on the interceptions, but they could do something at home, especially with Larry Fitzgerald continuing to be a threat and getting healthier week by week.

Arizona wins.

Denver (4-0) at Dallas (2-2)

The Broncos have yet to win a game by fewer than 16 points this season. Peyton Manning is first in the league in passing yards, touchdowns, fewest interceptions (zero), passer rating and completion percentage. He, and they, just look incredible, maybe even unbeatable.

The Cowboys are 27th in the league in passing yards allowed per game. They could be in for a long day.

Denver wins.

Houston (2-2) at San Francisco (2-2)

A big reason both of these teams are struggling is because of turnovers. Both are in the bottom of their conferences in turnover differential, at minus-four.

Houston’s Matt Schaub has thrown a pick-six in three consecutive games. They’ve also lost three of their last four regular season road games, and four of their last five if you include last season’s playoff loss to the Patriots.

In 49er wins this season, Colin Kaepernick completes over 65 percent of his passes, throws for multiple touchdowns and doesn’t throw a single interception. In losses, he completes less than 50 percent of his passes, doesn’t throw a single touchdown and throws at least one interception.

Houston’s passing defense is ranked first in the league. That being said they have allowed a better completion percentage, more yards and more touchdowns on the road while also not getting as many sacks on the road.

San Francisco wins.

San Diego (2-2) at Oakland (1-3)

Aside from Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers is arguably the hottest quarterback in the league right now. He has 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions, he has completed almost 74 percent of his passes and he has two 400-yard passing games this season which is the most in the league right now.

As for the Raiders, Darren McFadden did not practice Wednesday because of a hamstring injury (surprise!) and while Terrelle Pryor will start against the Chargers he is coming off missing a week because of a concussion. How will he respond?

San Diego wins.

New York Jets (2-2) at Atlanta Falcons (1-3)

The Falcons have not been able to beat the Patriots or the Dolphins this season, making them 0-2 against the AFC East. That should change against the Jets.

The Jets have lost their past four road games. Only two teams have fewer touchdown passes this season. Only one team has thrown more interceptions this season.

The Jets have a good defense, but even against a struggling Flacons team they still seem overmatched in general.

Atlanta wins.

Bye Week: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Last week:  8-7

Overall: 42-21

Photo Credit.

Blaine Gabbert: AP Photo/John Minchillo

NFL Week 4 Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers Are Not As Bad As The Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco (1-2) at St. Louis (1-2)

Colin Kaepernick has had two dud games in a row and the 49ers look to be struggling. That being said, the Rams aren’t exactly blowing people out of the water, either.

The Rams got manhandled by the Cowboys last week. They lost by 24 points, threw for only 197 yards, ran for only 35 yards and surrendered 396 yards on defense.

It’s a good time for the Niners to get back on track.

San Francisco wins.

Baltimore (2-1) at Buffalo (1-2)

After getting torched by the Broncos and holding on against the Browns (which always seems to be a battle), the Ravens finally took it to someone else. It’s quite impressive what they did to a Texans team that some would consider a Super Bowl contender, beating them 30-9.

The Bills don’t look terrible this season. Their two losses are by one score or less.

Still, the Ravens won a big game last week, have some momentum, and have more talent than the Bills.

Baltimore wins.

Cincinnati (2-1) at Cleveland (1-2)

It seems like the Browns last week decided to do whatever it takes to win a game, a fake field goal and a fake punt included. Jordan Cameron caught three touchdown passes and looks like one of the best tight ends in the league. Their defense isn’t half bad, either.

Not to take away what the Browns did last week, but it was against the struggling Minnesota Vikings. The Bengals are a different story.

This team had high expectations for themselves this year and after falling short against the Bears in Week 1, they took it to the Packers last weekend. They caused Aaron Rodgers to throw two interceptions and look pedestrian.

Cincinnati wins.

Chicago (3-0) at Detroit (2-1)

The Lions passing game is ranked third-best in the league. Matthew Stafford is playing well and he’s gotten great contributions from Calvin Johnson (of course), his running backs Reggie Bush and Joique Bell, and Nate Burleson has stepped up alongside Megatron. He has more catches than Johnson and a nice 239 yards.

But Burleson has a broken arm now. How does that affect Detroit’s passing game? The running backs are third and fourth on the team in yards and receptions, and no other player (after Bush) has at least 45 yards receiving. In fact, the only one that’s been even targeted more than 10 times is tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who has five catches (on 12 targets) for 38 yards and no touchdowns.

Chicago wins.

New York Giants (0-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

The Giants were absolutely embarrassed last weekend. That was a new low for the franchise. They were shutout and lost by 38 points. Eli Manning was sacked seven times. As a team, they registered only 90 yards passing. They turned the ball over three times. They yielded over 400 total yards of offense.

It was the second consecutive game the Giants lost by double digits. It was the second consecutive game they turned the ball over at least three times. And to make matters worse, they also statistically have the worst rushing attack in the league.

The Chiefs are well-known to play very well at home and they could very well provide more misery for the New York football Giants.

Kansas City wins.

Arizona (1-2) at Tampa Bay (0-3)

In a surprising move, the Buccaneers have benched Josh Freeman in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. It’s not the move that’s surprising, it’s more so the timing of it; it’s much earlier than anyone could have expected.

But the Buccaneers have lost eight of their last nine, dating back to last season. Will Glennon be the shot in the mouth the team needs, the fire lit under their backsides?

What I do know is that the Cardinals have the third best rushing defense, so they will make Glennon beat them.

Arizona wins.

Indianapolis (2-1) at Jacksonville (0-3)

There just isn’t any reason to pick the Jaguars. They have yet to be competitive and against another potential playoff team there’s just nothing to like for them in this match-up.

Indianapolis wins.

Seattle (3-0) at Houston (2-1)

The Texans are 2-1 and tied for first in the AFC South. But they haven’t been sharp. They had a come-back win late over the San Diego Chargers. They needed overtime to dispose of the Tennessee Titans (the other team tied atop the AFC South) at home. Then there was last week’s debacle in Baltimore.

That being said, the Seahawks typically don’t play well on the road. Their last road game, they barely got past the so-so Carolina Panthers.

Which defense will perform better? The Seahawks defense has given up the fewest points in the league and Jacksonville only got to 17 last week after Seattle’s reserves took the field. The Texans, meanwhile, are second in the league in passing defense (Seattle is first) and ninth in rushing defense (Seattle is 12th).

At home, I think the Texans defense plays just a bit better.

Houston wins.

Pittsburgh (0-3) vs. Minnesota (0-3) – GAME IN LONDON

Both teams head to the NFL’s annual game in London struggling mightily.

The edge in this game is at the quarterback position, though. The Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger, who has won multiple Super Bowls and is a proven commodity.

The Vikings have Christian Ponder. He’s third in the league in interceptions, tied for fifth in sacks and is 22nd in completion percentage. He does not look sharp and fans are calling for Matt Cassel to come into games.

Pittsburgh wins.

New York Jets (2-1) at Tennessee (2-1)

How many people had both these teams coming into this game with winning records?

Other than passing yards per game, there isn’t much separating these two teams. The biggest difference, more important than the difference in passing yards, is the turnover battle. Tennessee is second in the AFC with a plus-five turnover differential, helped by the fact that they haven’t committed a single turnover yet this season. The Jets, on the other hand, are minus-six in turnovers, thanks to six interceptions from Geno Smith.

That could be huge, especially with the Titans as the home team.

Tennessee wins.

Washington (0-3) at Oakland (1-2)

Had Terrelle Pryor not picked up a concussion last weekend, thus making it unlikely he will play this weekend, it would have been a very fun match-up between two quarterbacks that can seriously move with the ball.

RGIII has played decently this season, but he still hasn’t matched the magic he had from last year. It hurts that Washington’s defense is just downright terrible this year.

The Raiders aren’t world beaters though. And while Matt Flynn played well in reserve of Aaron Rodgers, there has to be a reason he went from big free agent signing to Russell Wilson’s back-up, to Oakland, then to Pryor’s back-up.

This seems like a game that Washington can take away.

Washington wins.

Philadelphia (1-2) at Denver (3-0)

The Broncos are cruising. And at home? This team knows how to get the job done.

Something worth watching: the Eagles rushing attack is first in the league in yards per game but the Broncos defense is first in fewest rushing yards allowed per game.

The Broncos are first in total points scored while the Eagles are tied for sixth for most point allowed. Denver has won their games by an average just shy of 19 points per game.

Denver wins.

Dallas (2-1) at San Diego (1-2)

All three of the Chargers games this season have been decided in the final 30 seconds. With gunslingers like Phillip Rivers and Tony Romo playing quarterback in this game, anything can happen.

Neither team defends the pass very well, but the Chargers are dead last in passing yards allowed, giving up a whopping 340 yards per game. The Cowboys may rank only 18th in passing yards, but Romo picked apart the Rams defense before the team finally relented and worked to kill the clock.

Dallas wins.

New England (3-0) at Atlanta (1-2)

The Patriots young receivers finally looked to start clicking with Tom Brady against the Buccaneers last weekend, which is promising for the team.

But even with Steven Jackson injured and Roddy White still not at 100 percent, the Falcons at home have a slight edge. Even though they have two losses, those losses are both less than seven points and the Miami loss occurred very late in the fourth quarter of a back and forth game. Both losses were also on the road.

The Falcons have never been two games under .500 with Mike Smith as the team’s head coach.

Atlanta wins.

Miami (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0)

The Dolphins are one of the surprises of the league thus far this season and have a strong defense and very improved offense to thank.

They can make this a competitive game, but prime time home games are what the Saints do best. New Orleans is 7-0 in Monday night games since 2009 and 5-0 in Monday night home games in the same time frame.

With the team undefeated, Drew Brees starting off strong and Sean Payton back on the sidelines, expect the New Orleans fans to be even louder than usual.

New Orleans wins.

Bye Week: Green Bay, Carolina

Last Week: 9-7

Overall: 34-14

Photo Credit.

Ben Roethlisberger: AP Photo/Don Wright