We are officially at the halfway point of the NFL season and my record for predictions is a respectable 66-41. To put that into perspective I looked at Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller and Michael Schottey and their prediction records. Matt Miller is doing very well at 73-34 and Michael Schottey is 65-42. I think I have a good grasp on the NFL and my record seems to show that. Teams with a week 8 bye are the Bears, Titans, Colts, Chargers, Ravens, and Texans.
Thursday Oct. 24th
Panthers at Buccaneers 7:00pm CT – The Panthers have a solid defense and Cam Newton. The Bucs are one of the worst teams in the league and Greg Schiano is on the hot seat if they cannot get a win. I think this one will be another boring game as the Thursday night games seem to be mediocre at best with the players playing on a short week. Carolina has the better team and should be able to pull out a win on the road.
Panthers 28-13
Sunday Oct. 27th
Noon Games
Cowboys at Lions – This game should be one of the better games of the day and could be a shoot out as neither team’s defense is dominating. The Lions are coming off of a loss at home to the Bengals last week and their secondary has had some trouble with big name receivers. I think the Cowboys will be better once Demarcus Ware gets back but until then they have no real pass rushing threat. I believe the Lions will win this one at home in a high scoring game.
Lions 42-38
49ers at Jaguars – Well you certainly are welcome London, we really care about making a good impression with you as we try to expand the NFL over seas thats why we chose to send the Jacksonville Jaguars to showcase our wonderful product. This game could make the UK forever hate NFL football if it turns out to way many expect. 49ers will make mincemeat of the lowly Jaguars in London.
49ers 35-17
Browns at Chiefs – The Chiefs are the only unbeaten team left in the NFL and it will continue this week. I am going to take this time to make a bold prediction but one I truly believe in. The Chiefs will not lose at Arrowhead this year. That includes this week then home games against the Broncos, Chargers and Colts. The Chiefs are a good team but if they want to make a deep playoff run it will have to be done at Arrowhead. The Browns are starting their 3rd different QB this season with Jason Campbell under center and he will have his hands full with Tamba Hali and Justin Houston applying pressure off the edge. The Browns have a good defense of their own and look like they could be good if they had a proper starting QB. In the end the Chiefs will win convincingly.
Chiefs 28-14
Dolphins at Patriots – The Patriots are going to be angry after last week and they will take it out on the Dolphins in New England. The Dolphins started out the year 3-0 but have now lost three in a row. The defense has been the major problem and Ryan Tannehill has been making some questionable decisions throwing the ball. I think the Patriots will get Rob Gronkowski involved heavily in the red zone and win this one at home.
Patriots 31-21
Bills at Saints – The Saints are in my opinion the best team in the NFC. Drew Brees and Sean Payton have the Saints offense looking like the offense that helped them win the Super Bowl in 2009. The Bills have had a rough start to their year with an injury to EJ Manual and CJ Spiller not producing up to expectations. The Saints have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL and it will show again this Sunday.
Saints 38-17
Giants at Eagles – The Giants finally got their first win but it was against the Vikings and they still didn’t look that good. The Eagles are having trouble keeping their QBs healthy but Michael Vick is set to return this week and he is the best QB for Chip Kelly’s offense. The Eagles already beat the Giants once this year and shouldn’t have a problem winning for a second time.
Eagles 28-21
3:30 Games
Steelers at Raiders – The Steelers have now won two straight games as their defense has gotten better each week. The Raiders are coming off a bye week and it is still hard to pinpoint what kind of a team they are. Nonetheless I think the Steelers will win on the road in a close low scoring game.
Steelers 20-13
Jets at Bengals – The Jets have had some thrilling 4th quarter wins this year and are trying to challenge the Patriots for the AFC East title. The Bengals are 5-2 with loses to the Bears and Browns but they are undefeated at home and it will stay that way as they beat the Jets in Cincinnati.
Bengals 27-21
Falcons at Cardinals – The Cardinals offense has been mediocre all year as Carson Palmer looks to have been a bad decision. The Falcons have struggled out of the gates but have the talent to turn their season around and make the playoffs as a wildcard. I think the Falcons will win the turnover battle and it will lead to a road win for Atlanta.
Falcons 28-17
Redskins at Broncos – The Broncos defense has holes in it and Von Miller will take a bit of time to get back to his Pro Bowl level. The Redskins offense looked like it was returning to prominence last week as they put up 45 on the Bears and they longer RG3 stays healthy the more dangerous the skins get. The Broncos are returning home before their bye week and will be looking to get the bad taste of last weeks loss out of their mouths. Peyton Manning will not have a hard time putting points up against a middle of the road defense and the Broncos will win at home. Although I will make it known I will be hoping the Redskins can pull out a win.
Broncos 42-31
Sunday Night Football
Packers vs Vikings – Wow the NFL really messed up the primetime schedule this year as the Vikings are playing in primetime for the second straight week. The Packers have some injury issues but Aaron Rodgers is still finding ways to spread the ball around on offense. I don’t see the Viking putting up much of a fight.
Packers 35-14
Monday Oct. 28th
Seahawks at Rams – The Rams just lost Sam Bradford for the year and apparently reached out to Brett Favre to play for them. The Seahawks are considered one of the best teams in the NFL and although they are not the best team on the road they will do fine against a depleted Rams team in St. Louis.
Seahawks 28-14