Week 6 Pick em'

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Remember how last week I said I was ready to get rolling and start picking more winner. Well, I lied. It was an atrocious week for me as I went a ridiculous 4-10. This officially brings my career total to a terrible 12-17. I guess I’ve been a Panthers fan for so long I’ve just grown accustom to being a disappointment. Anyway, this week has a lot of tough matchups to predict and if there is anything I’ve learned this year it’s that anything can happen on any given Sunday. I mean really, I seriously doubt to many people picked the Cardinals to beat the world champion Saints, nor did you have San Diego loosing to Oakland. And while I’m on that take a moment to check out my “Seriously!?!?” article this week as I address the issues with the Chargers.

I want to do better. You deserve better. I have taken extra time (about 5 more minutes) to analyze these games to give my best prediction possible. But hey, even Nostradamus missed a few in his day.

Falcons @ Eagles: At first glance this looks like one of those tough calls but if I base this one on the strength of these teams today, it’s a no brainer. Atlanta has been playing great in all three dimensions of the game. They have an active defense and the triple threat on offense that every Super Bowl team has: Franchise quarterback, solid running game and a lights out receiver who could catch bricks if you threw them 40 yards down field. Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and Roddy White will have career years this year in a reincarnation of Kurt Warner and his team in St. Louis. Lesean McCoy will have a solid day but I wouldn’t use any other Eagles in your game. Their offense is great but Atlanta’s opportunistic defense will come up with a big play or two. Falcons win, 27-20

Browns @ Steelers: Eric Mangini, you’re a cruel, cruel man. It’s not Colt McCoys fault you decided to take on the devastatingly bad Jake Delhomme who stays injured to be your starting quarterback. But McCoys is certainly being punished for it, as he will make his first career start against the Pittsburg Steelers on Sunday. Look for Peyton Hillis to have a rough, but productive day, as they will most likely risk Hillis injuring his weak thigh over loosing another signal-caller. Ben Roethlisberger makes his 2010 debut and I expect it to be a great one. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and will get Mike Wallace more involved in the offense. Rashard Mendenhall will also have a solid day and probably get into the endzone. Steelers are too much for McCoy and the Browns, although I kind of hope I’m wrong and they pull off the upset. Steelers win 28-10

Seahawks @ Bears: I actually think this will be a very good game. I’m not quite sold on Chicago yet and I do believe the Seahawks have shown some good signs. Their defense can make so decent plays and will of course get to Jay Cutler. Matt Forte is coming of a career game and I expect more of the same. Mike Williams and Deon Butler will benefit from the Deon Branch trade and could have very good days. I would avoid starting Justin Forsett on your team as he will not get very far against Julius Peppers and that great defensive front. I think it will be a close game won on special teams. Seahawks control field position and topple the Bears. Seahawks win in my upset of the week, 17-14

Lions @ Giants: On behalf of Giants fans everywhere, I would like the that Tiki Barber (in his jealous rage) for once again being the idiot that motivates the Giants to play the way they look on paper. This team has as many superstars as any team in the NFL but had not played as such until the last the 2 weeks. The Lions defense is improving greatly but they cannot stop the Giants pass game and Ahmad Bradshaw. Look for them to try and create opportunities off turnovers in the run game. Hakeem Nicks is one of the best wideouts in the game today and should be in your starting lineup no matter who he plays. The Lions have been in every game they’ve played this year but it isn’t getting easier this week. Giants win a very good game, 24-17

Dolphins @ Packers: This game has lost a lot of its luster this year. The Packers seem to be imploding right before our eyes and it won’t get any easier for them Sunday. Jermichael Finley, Donald Lee, and Nick Barnett are all out, Clay Matthews is hurt, and Aaron Rodgers might not even play. Even if he does play this should be the week you bench him for your other quarterback. The Dolphins are coming of a horrendous game against the Patriots two weeks ago. I guarantee they have been working a lot on special teams after that debacle. The Packers, while hampered with injuries, will look to keep Brandon Marshall limited throughout the game. I am looking to Davon Bess as one of the top sleeper picks this week as he has big play ability and has been fairly involved in the Dolphins offense. Look for Ronnie Brown to have his best game so far. Dolphins beat the bandwagon Super Bowl pick, 23-7

Jets @ Broncos: Darrelle Revis isn’t worth the time and money spent, but Antonio Cromartie is turning out to be a great pick up. He will shut down Brandon Lloyd this week so look for Jabar Gaffney to have a better, but not starter-worthy, game. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned this year it’s never underestimate Kyle Orton. The reason this is such a tough matchup for Denver isn’t all because of the Jets D, but more so their own non-existent run game. Knowshown Moreno has been held down with injuries and Laurence Maroney is not a starting running back that will produce a lot. This allows the Jets to focus a majority of their efforts on the reliable Denver wideouts. Mark Sanchez will have a great game and Ladanian Tomlinson will continue to defy conventional thinking and be amazing over 30 (He’s like the equivalent of a cougar to the NFL). Dustin Keller, Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Shonn Greene…they’re just too good. Jets win, 34-20

Ravens @ Patriots: This is one of my favorite games of the weekend for a few reasons. First off, all eyes will be on the Patriot offense as they start the post-Randy Moss era.  With all the weapons they have developed I think they will be just fine this year, and people forget that Tom Brady was great way before Moss came around. But this week will be rough. I really hope Brady doesn’t press towards newly acquired, old pal Deon Branch because Brandon Tate is going to be the most explosive weapon on that team. The Ravens are one of the best teams in the AFC, and my pre-season Super Bowl pick, so it’s hard to bet against them. With Ray Rice seemingly back to normal Baltimore has a very well balanced attack on offense and their defense needs no introduction. Ray Rice will have a great game and Joe Flacco should spread the ball out more this week to keep the young but extremely talented (and proven) Patriots defense on their toes. Great game that is decided in the fourth quarter, Ravens win 21-20.

Charger @ Rams: If I were Phillip Rivers I would be screaming for help from anyone who would listen at this point. The Chargers defense has not stopped anyone all year, especially last week against the Raiders. I’m not saying Oakland is bad, but San Diego made them look like a contender last week. I’m concerned that Rivers will have to do to much to keep his team in the hunt and it’s just too much for one man to shoulder. Sam Bradford has been as solid a rookie as any, and will take advantage of the slumping Chargers D. Danny Amendola was targeted 19 times and went for 95 yards last week. Look for him to be just as productive this week. Ryan Matthews has a chance to get rolling against a porous run defense and Mike Tolbert should get a fair share of the carries as well. The Chargers need a good win and this could be it. Rams play well but Chargers win, 31-21

Saints @ Bucs: This one was pretty tough for me. Being an NFC South man, more specifically a Panther fan, it’s hard to like either of these teams. But I know one thing, they’re both doing the opposite of what I expected. It’s almost like you took the two teams and put them in each others jerseys. The Saints aren’t playing the type of defense that got the to a Super Bowl and Tampa Bay is playing the some of the best football in the NFC. The defense creates opportunities to score, Josh Freeman is playing like a man, and Mike Williams is the farthest thing from a rookie. The Saints are so banged up they have turned to Julius Jones to help their run game. That’s like asking Mike “the Situation” from Jersey Shore to teach your son proper etiquette on the first date. Drew Brees will do what he does best, but I can’t rely on any of his receivers this week. The Bucs are out to show they are real contenders and they get it done on Sunday. Bucs win an upset of sort, 24-13

Raiders @ 49ers: I officially love what the Raiders are doing. Their defense is playing energized, focused football. They remind me of Alabama’s defense last year: the hit you hard and don’t stop coming (I guess the same could be said for Ike Turner). Anyway, the quarterback situation is weird but both guys have real potential. Michael Bush had a solid outing last week and should get the chance again with McFadden out. The Niners seem to be improving with a new offensive coordinator who likes to move to ball around and seems to be successful getting Michael Crabtree involved more. I believe defense will win this one and right now the Raiders are playing better defense. If the could stop Phillip Rivers they can stop Alex Smith. 49ers stay winless as the Raiders win 17-10

Cowboys @ Vikings: One of these teams will get their second win; the other will move to 1-5. Both have been gravely disappointing this year, but they are totally different teams. The Cowboys have been scoring a lot, playing well on offense and are capable of stopping the run. The problem is the commit stupid penalties and can’t close out games. The Vikings have had all sorts of issues on both sides of the ball and Brett Favre has looked shaky at best. All your regular Cowboys starters will have good games. Tony Romo will throw a couple of TD passes, Miles Austin will get you 15 points, Felix Jones and Marion Barber won’t change much but watch out for Roy Williams. He’s been a trendy play lately but he plays in spurts and I think he runs out of gas this week. For the Vikings look for Randy Moss to be more involved and active on the field come Sunday. He caught 4 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown with less than a week of work. All the skeptics will be proved wrong yet again by Moss. How many times does the guy have to show you before you realize he is amazing? In the end, I couldn’t decide who will win this game. So I went with what would benefit my team the most. Vikings win 28-24.

Colts @ Redskins: Another tough one for me here. On one hand the Colts have been iffy all year. They have the same banged up players they had when they won the Super Bowl and it hurts them. But Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning and he finds a way to win. Then you have the Redskins, another trendy playoff pick leading up to the season. They have been up and down but Donovan McNabb plays smart and the defense makes plays. Neither one of these teams can run that well but if I had to play a running back in this game it would be Ryan Torain. The Colts gave up 231 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns to Arian Foster in week 1 so expect the Redskins to at least start with a heavy dose of Torain. Brian Orakpo is one of the most vicious linebackers in the game and he will get to Manning at least four times. Peyton Manning is possibly the best quarterback of all time and he will depend on his tight end Dallas Clark to keep the chains moving. Redskins win, only because they’re slightly more balanced. 27-23

Game of the Week:

Chiefs @ Texans: I don't know if this will be a great game but it was the hardest one for me to make a call on. Kansas City is the feel good surprise team of the year and they seem to be for real. They pushed Peyton Manning and the Colts to the end and are sitting atop their division. Then there's the Texans...oh the Texans. Houston has all the talent in the world- a solid quarterback, an all-pro receiver, and one of the top rushing backs in the league this year- but it's almost like they don't want to take the next step as a franchise.

Looking at this game you see the potential for 900 yards of total offense, or a bunch of turnovers and penalties depending on how the signal callers are feeling. I'm choosing to go with the former this week predicting a good old fashioned shoot out. It will be fun to watch and even more fun for fantasy owners who own key players on each team. Matt Cassel could have the game that gets him on track for the season and watch out for Tony Moeaki as he is quickly becoming the most reliable passing option. Jamal Charles owners better hope the Chief defense can slow down Matt Schaub and company or you will quickly see the Chiefs run game disolve to nothing. Schaub should have a much better game throwing for a couple touchdowns and I hope Arian Foster can bounce back from his worst outing of the year against the Giants. Mainly because he's on my fantasy team, but I do think he's a great running back.

In the end I think the Texans are on their way to being a playoff team but Kansas City is playing that way now. The Chiefs amazing special teams play will set them up for success this weekend. Chiefs win 34-28

Titans @ Jaguars (MNF): It seems as though the cards are finally falling in the Titans favor. With a solid win against the Cowboys last Sunday Tennessee is beginning to look like the division champion I thought they would be. If Vince Young doesn’t make bad decisions and the defense makes the kind of plays they are built to, this is a very strong team. Maurice Jones-Drew is coming back some, but a hand injury and a solid run defense will cause a bit of stress for his fantasy owners. The Jaguars want the same thing out of their signal-caller, David Garrard- don’t screw it up. Unless the Jaguars defense starts playing out of nowhere they don’t stand a chance. Chris Johnson will have another big day with 2 big touchdown runs. Titans win a statement game, 28-9