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| Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh shaking hands during last season's opener. |
Both teams come into Candlestick Park at 4-2, and the Seahawks are probably the biggest surprise of the season. When Pete Carroll turned to QB Russell Wilson ahead of QB Matt Flynn, some people were certain Wilson would go through growing pains. While he has experienced his share of negatives, Wilson has been a rock on offense while the defense has been spectacular. Sounds exactly like the 49ers last season, so this NFC West battle should be interesting. Let's not forget Jim Harbaugh vs. Pete Caroll.
Seattle Seahawks 7 San Francisco 49ers 20
Tennessee Titans vs. Buffalo Bills
This is no sexy matchup, but both teams are coming off of somewhat impressive victories. Both teams would love to continue their momentum. The Bills have a chance to put themselves over .500 again, in an AFC East division where every team is currently sitting at .500. If the Titans can get a road victory in Buffalo after a solid home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it could pick up the spirits of the team. It may also create a quarterback controversy.
Tennessee Titans 17 Buffalo Bills 24
Dallas Cowboys vs. Carolina Panthers
After coming off of a heartbreaking road loss, this is a must-win for the Cowboys. The Panthers have been dismal, and the Cowboys need to capitalize on that. The Cowboys have the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles following this game so this is a must-win. The Panthers were trying to create a buzz in the offseason, with OL Ryan Kalil predicting a Super Bowl this season. Kalil, their best offensive lineman, is now out for the season. It only gets worse for the Panthers.
Dallas Cowboys 31 Carolina Panthers 13
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| The Texans and Ravens battling during last season's AFC Divisional Round, which the Ravens won. |
Both teams are overrated and the Texans proved that by getting blitzed by the Green Bay Packers at home last week. However, the Texans proved in the AFC Divisional Round last season they can hang with the Ravens or possibly beat them. Flacco will have his hands full with the Texans defense. If you saw what he did against an anemic Kansas City Chiefs defense, Flacco is in trouble.
Baltimore Ravens 17 Houston Texans 30
Cleveland Browns vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Browns finally got their first win of the season, so they have a giant monkey off their back. Going into Indianapolis is not too tall of an order for the Browns, but it is still a tall order. Colts QB Andrew Luck had a rough game at MetLife Stadium. He'll certainly look to bounce back in front of the home fans against the lowly Browns.
Cleveland Browns 14 Indianapolis Colts 27
Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings
Both teams are coming off of deflating losses, but the Cardinals suffered the loss of a home game and the loss of their starting quarterback. Now they have to rely on QB John Skelton, which may not be all that bad considering the players seemed to be in favor of him over QB Kevin Kolb. Skelton has not performed well this season, so a road tilt against the Vikings will be very difficult. RB Adrian Peterson seems to be close to being his old self, and WR Percy Harvin is lighting it up. Can't see how the Cardinals win this one.
Arizona Cardinals 6 Minnesota Vikings 24
Washington Redskins vs. New York Giants
The chatter about Redskins QB Robert Griffin III has already started, with verbal jabs coming from Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DE Osi Umenyiora. However, the thing that will probably affect the game the most are last year's results between the two teams. The Giants went 9-7 last season, with two losses coming to the last-place Redskins. The Giants may be motivated to not let a letdown occur again, and that is enough to trust the Giants in this game.
Washington Redskins 20 New York Giants 35
Green Bay Packers vs. St. Louis Rams
The Rams have been somewhat surprising at 3-3. Going into their road against the Miami Dolphins last week, they were above .500 for the first time in six years. Jeff Fisher obviously is changing the culture around the organization, but they are clearly not ready to compete just yet. The Packers are coming off a resounding road victory against the Texans, so this has the potential to be a letdown game for them. I don't think Mike McCarthy will allow that to happen.
Green Bay Packers 31 St. Louis Rams 10
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Saints finally got their first victory two weeks ago against the San Diego Chargers. However, they struggled and it took a Chargers meltdown to win. We are still unsure of how good or bad the Saints are. They did go on the road against the Panthers and lose badly. The Buccaneers are at home, coming off of an easy home win against the Chiefs. They may be riding high, but this game is a little unpredictable.
New Orleans Saints 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
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| Patriots QB Tom Brady and Jets QB Mark Sanchez talk after a game. |
The Patriots have not been able to finish games and the case could be made that they should be 5-1 or 6-0 right now. The Jets going against this "borderline illegal offense" could be in for a long day. The Jets have looked bad in their losses, but somewhat impressive in their wins. This can definitely be one of those games that can get ugly. Rex Ryan is studying hard to come up with schemes to stop the Patriots offense, and we can never count out Ryan. However, can Sanchez and their offense come up with enough points for the win?
New York Jets 10 New England Patriots 24
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders
This goes down as the game no one really cares about. However, it still has to be played. The Raiders beat the Steelers at home, so they should have no problem beating the Jaguars. This is still a game for Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert to show that he can still be an NFL quarterback. If Gabbert struggles against a porous defense like the Raiders, there's very little hope for him going forward.
Jacksonville Jaguars 13 Oakland Raiders 16
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Both teams are coming off of bad losses, so both should be motivated to get the victory. The Bengals may be coming back down to earth, as they benefitted from a relatively easy schedule last season. They've already lost a home game to the Dolphins and a game to the Browns, who came in with zero victories. The writing may be on the wall for the Steelers, as they are showing their age on defense. They do not have a road victory yet, but this should be the game where they get their first one.
Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Cincinnati Bengals 13
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears
The Lions are coming off an impressive road victory, but QB Matthew Stafford continues to be erratic with his throws. He was unable to move the ball at all in the first three quarters, missing open targets and making bad decisions. He can get away with that against a Philadelphia Eagles team struggling to put points on the board. He cannot get away with that against a Bears team who have been exceptional offensively and defensively. This game will be easy.
Detroit Lions 6 Chicago Bears 31
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