NFL Late and Featured Games

Earlier I ran down the morning NFL games. Now, let’s tackle the rest of the action this week. There are four afternoon games. The best by far will be the New England Patriots at the Cincinnati Bengals. Can the Bengals go 4-0 on the season or will the Patriots send them back to reality? The game of the week takes place tonight. The 3-0 Seattle Seahawks venture into Chicago to face the 3-0 Bears. This game is for NFC dominance.

Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams

It seems like just yesterday when NFL analysts were talking about how special the Lions where and how improved they would be. Well, a loss today sends them to a special 0-4. The Rams are 2-1 and looking to keep within striking distance of the Seahawks in the West. It’s easy to call this game a toss up. Neither team is impressive. The game will be in a dome, so both teams will be comfortable.

Pick: St. Louis Rams

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders

Yuk. This game should only be shown in prisons as punishment. The Raiders are the worst team in the NFL and the Browns are only slightly better. One thing is for sure today. One of these teams will break their maiden and visit the winning column—at least for a week. The Browns have the habit of blowing games at home, but I think they will come out and play well today. For the Raiders, Andrew Walters is getting his first start. If the Browns are smart, they will pressure him all day and go home with an easy win.

Pick: Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins

Ok Redskins fans, the Jaguars are not the Texans. It’s time to resume business as usual. No, Brunell won’t have 22 straight completions—most of which went to the line of scrimmage. Jacksonville has a very good defense and should have enough to control the poor offense of the Redskins. Look for the Redskins to score 16 or less this week. The Jacksonville offense isn’t anything special, but they can move the ball. I’m looking for a close game—perhaps within one score.

Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals

The Patriots have not lost back to back games in quite some time. Could this be the week to break that trend? I think it will be. The mystique of the Patriots is over. They are missing too many key players now. The offense will still put up some points, but if this game becomes a shootout, the Bengals are far more equipped to survive. A loss will send the Patriots to 2-2 and prove further that the AFC East is wide open. Carson Palmer needs to open it up and guide the Bengals offense to an all out attack on the Patriots Defense.

Pick: Cincinnati Bengals

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

What’s at stake here? NFC Supremacy. Many analysts now consider these two the best the NFC has to offer. Personally, I think the Bears are a little soft. Their much-touted defense has yet to stop a real offense. Further, their offense is suspect. They scored over 20 points against Detroit and Green Bay—hardly premier defenses. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have added former Patriots receiver Deon Branch to the offense and now have a new offense set to destroy defenses—the four wide.

Alexander is out for the Seahawks, but Morris is a great running back. Morris isn’t nationally known, because he gets limited play on a team with limited national coverage. He has a 3 yards per carry average this season so far, which is just as good as the Bears running back (Jones). He’s quick and can burst through the defense. Hasselbeck already proved the Seahawks can win without Alexander—see last season’s playoffs. Now, they have an even better offense and their defense is improved as well.

Pick: Seattle Seahawks

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles

The Packers got their first win last week thanks to Detroit. The Eagles have proved that they are a potential playoff team and that they can slice through pretenders—see 49ers and Texans. The Packers are heading into Philadelphia and should be no match for the Eagles. This game could feature some great offense. The Eagles defense will give up some points. In the end, the Eagles will win, because they are a better team. I don’t think these two teams are close enough that a couple Eagles mistakes would matter.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles