NFL Week 4 Picks

Hello readers! The week that was week 3 is in the books. A week filled with blowouts, games that came down to the wire, and games that needed overtime to decide the result. However, there was much controversy over this past week of NFL action that cannot be simply ignored.

When I wrote last weeks picks column on Wednesday, I had no idea what would transpire from President Trump on Friday. Let alone hear what the president had to say regarding the "Taking A Knee" protests that had been a peaceful quiet thing, until the president blew the thing out of proportions.

I will not dwell on this topic for much on this column I will state this: my grandparents served in World War II, one fought against Nazi Germany, the other served in China to help defeat the Japanese while serving as a "Flying Tiger." My grandfather John, from my mother's side of the family, served under the Polish Army and was captured and put into a P.O.W. camp for much until the war was over. When it comes down to it, both of my grandparents fought against tyranny, corruption, and most of all evil that the Axis Powers had to bring.

While I believe in the freedom of protest in all walks of life, the President of the United States serves as a representative of the United States Constitution in its highest form, the man failed to do his duty as a representative. Did the president speak out against the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia? Did he condemn James Alex Fields Jr. on the murder of a 32 year-old woman, while injuring 19 others? Did he call him a "son of a bitch?" I'll let you decide.

The same ideologies that we fought against in World War II are still present here in America. The same racial tension that has existed in this country is still present here in America. The same reasons why this country is not the greatest country in the world. We are not treated equally. The justice system isn't equal. The police aren't treating the law as equally to the extent of the law. There are many problems that African-Americans deal with in this country, but disrespecting the military and the flag for which it represents is not the reason for these protests. It is the fact that African-Americans in this country are still treated the same way that their ancestors did and that nothing in this country has changed since then. That is why President Trump, you are dead wrong in these accusations and that you should apologize to everyone that you have offended.

How's that U.S. territory Puerto Rico that you largely ignored while on your NFL, Twitter rampage doing? Just remember you called for the police to be more aggressive. You threw gasoline into the fire which are these protests. You didn't call the white nationalists that hurt people in Charlottesville "sons of bitches." You didn't make America great again.

With what has transpired the NFL did see vast improvement in ratings, heck Monday Night Football game saw a vast improvement in ratings (which says a lot). The next few weeks that be will be important how big of a drop or gain it will be for the NFL in terms of ratings. Here's a cool video (and an important one to think about while you read this column):

With that said let's look at how well I did (and codename: Cardinal Viking, my roommate) in picks last week:

Me:

8-8 (The Monday night game, Sunday night game, as well as the Bucs-Vikings game spelled certain doom as I was put into the .500 column, as I picked the Cardinals, Raiders, and Buccaneers collectively) 

Cardinal Viking:

8-8 (He picked the Browns to beat the Colts last week, that game could've either ended in a win for both of us, and he also correctly called the Cowboys to win against his team, the Cardinals). 

Week 4 in the NFL season will feature a Thursday Night game on national televison, a London game for the second consecutive time this season, eight early games, four late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game to round out the 16 game slate. There will be no teams on bye-week for this week, but will be next week. The week begins in Green Bay, Wisconsin and ends in Kansas City, Missouri. HERE ARE THE PICKS:

Chicago @ Green Bay: Packers. The NFL's oldest rivalry renews as the Bears travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. Both teams came off wins last week in Overtime but I see the Packers winning this one due to the quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, and overall I see the Bears defense having troubles stopping the Packers offense, while I feel the Packers defense will need to step up to stop the running attack of Jordan Howard. It will be a good one on Thursday. This will be the 195th meeting in this long running rivalry, the series is tied 94-94-6, which means whoever wins this game will hold the control the series. 

New Orleans @ Miami: Saints. The game will be on FOX as the second game of the NFL UK series features the 1-2 Saints taking on the the 1-1 Dolphins. The Saints offense looks good and the Dolphins had trouble on the offensive front last week against the Jets, the game might come down to a shootout, but I feel the Saints will win. 

Buffalo @ Atlanta: Falcons. Both teams got wins against two good teams in the Broncos and Lions. The game will come down to who stops who the most, and I feel the Falcons defense will prove to be the better of the Bills. The Bills are a team that is still rebuilding but I like the Falcons in this one. 

Carolina @ New England: Patriots. The Patriots came off a close victory against the Texans, while the Panthers lost to the Saints at home. The Saints put up 34 points against them, and with Tom Brady and the Pats offense on the field it should be the same. The Panthers offense will be without Greg Olson for another week and will likely not see the football field again until week 11, which may be too late for the Panthers to make a run. 

Cincinnati @ Cleveland: Bengals. In the Battle for Ohio, the Browns and Bengals both came off close losses last week to the Packers and Colts. Both showed heart but unfortunately in this league, one will win, and one will lose as I feel the Bengals have better offensive weapons and a trifling defense, and the Browns look to stay winless for this week. Otherwise this would normally be worthy of a Thursday Night game. 

Detroit @ Minnesota: Vikings. In the other NFC north showdown this week the Lions go to the Twin Cities to take on the Vikings. Both teams look good on paper but I underestimated the quarterback factor in Case Keenum who had a career day last week against the Buccaneers. I won't make that same mistake again. Regardless whoever starts at quarterback for the Vikings, whether its Keenum or Sam Bradford, the Vikings look reassured that the position won't give them problems. Of course I could be wrong. 

Jacksonville @ New York Jets: Jets. Both teams got convincing wins last week against the Ravens and Dolphins. Blake Bortles of the Jaguars had a great day in passing yards and touchdowns against the Ravens, while the Josh McCown-led Jets upset the Dolphins at home. The game could go either way as both teams look to improve their win total on the season, but I would have to pick the Jets as the underdog in this game. Upset pick of the week. 

Los Angeles Rams @ Dallas: Cowboys. I will break tradition on this blog as I will pick the Cowboys who take on the Rams this week. Both teams came off wins against the 49ers and the Cardinals. The Rams are ranked 29th in rush defense so far this season, which means that Ezekiel Elliot will probably see the ball a lot in this game, while Dak Prescott will sprinkle a few passes here and there. The Rams are so far a surprise team this season, but I can't see them stopping the boys. 

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore: Steelers. It'll be an AFC North showdown this week as the Steelers-Ravens rivalry renews as the Steelers go on the road against the Ravens. Both teams came off bad losses against the Bears and Jaguars. I feel the Steelers will have a bounce back game while I feel the Ravens will struggle on both sides of the ball in this game. 

Tennessee @ Houston: Texans. The game will be a close one between these two teams. The Texans came off a close loss to the Patriots, while the Titans played well against the Seahawks. A lot of this game will depend on the quarterback position and the match up against the front seven of the defense as it is hard to tell which team will show up on Sunday. My gut says the Texans. Always go with the gut. 

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay: Giants. Both teams come off losses last week. The Giants lost a heartbreaker to the Eagles, and the Buccaneers got blown out by the Vikings. The Giants looked off at times last week but turned on the jets (no pun intended) when it mattered most. The Buccaneers have key injuries on the defensive side of the ball, and it might be a field day for Eli Manning and the Giants. 

Philadelphia @ Los Angeles Chargers: Eagles. The Eagles came off a win from a last-second field goal from Jake Elliot to beat the Giants, while the Chargers lost to the Chiefs in convincing fashion. The Eagles at times looked good but also bad at times, while the Chargers had to deal with Kareem Hunt all day. The Eagles may not have the running game like the Chiefs do but I feel the Eagles will get the win, while the Chargers will go winless again. 

San Francisco @ Arizona: Cardinals. The two teams came up losing last week to the Rams and the Cowboys. The Cardinals without David Johnson in running back look lost without a paddle and may not get to the playoffs this season, while the 49ers proved a lot last week by scoring points (a lot of points) but the Cards will win at home. Please don't let me down, I mean you're taking on the Niners!

Oakland @ Denver: Broncos. What will be billed as the marquee match up of the week, the Raiders head to Mile High to take on the Broncos. Both teams came off last week in the loss column to the Redskins and the Bills. What proved to the nation is that since Trevor Siemian has taken over as quarterback of the Broncos in 2016, he is 4-5 as a starter away from Denver. This game will be at home, but this game will be close as the Raiders look to get back into the win column as well. 

Indianapolis @ Seattle: Seahawks. The Colts held on to win against the Browns, while the Seahawks struggled to get anything going against the Titans. In this Sunday Night Football match up I foresee a blowout by the Seahawks, as I feel the Legion of Boom will have a bounce back game as Jacoby Brissett will start again for the Colts. 

Washington @ Kansas City: Chiefs. In the bright lights of Arrowhead on Monday night, the night will belong to the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams came off wins last week against the Raiders and the Chargers. The Chiefs have the #1 best rushing offense, while Washington has the #2 rushing defense. One will decide the other. I feel good going with the Chiefs. 

Local TV market schedule (subject to change, via 506 sports)

CBS Early:
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

CBS Late: 

Oakland @ Denver

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:
Detroit @ Minnesota

Thom Brennamen, Chris Spielman

To check which teams are playing in your area, please go to NFL TV Maps & Schedule: Week 4, 2017

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Overall: 28-19

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Overall: 28-19

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 3 Picks

Hello Readers! With two weeks of NFL action in the book we start to see a correlation between the pretenders, the contenders, and the teams that will likely won't get to see more football past Week 17. Some surprises with the Detroit Lions being 2-0, the Arizona Cardinals eking out a victory at Indianapolis, and the New York Giants offense somehow making the Jets offense look like the 2007 Patriots (exaggeration, but you get what I mean).

As I have been doing since last week, me and my roommate (anonymous at least until I come up with a code name for him) have been picking picks. Week 1 saw a win for me with a 10-5 record vs his record of 7-8. Let's look at how well we did last week for picks:

My record: 10-6 (if only I knew Sam Bradford was going to play, and the Chargers being the Chargers)

Roommate's record: 13-3 (the Texans pick for last Thursday night's game was the foreshadowing of what was to come, at least his Cardinals didn't get embarrassed by the Colts).

The new week starts on Thursday night football "super" matchup with the Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers. For those of whom may not find the match up to be in your liking, remember there's always baseball still to be played (go Red Sox), NHL preseason games, and watching this cool video reminding you that if you're backing out of a parking space, the car in the traffic lane ALWAYS HAS THE RIGHT OF WAY, as I'm writing this now, I almost got into an accident twice due to people backing out of a parking space. Accidents do happen but a lack of consciousness shouldn't:

HERE ARE THE PICKS:

LA Rams @ San Francisco: Rams. So far this season road teams are 2-0 on Thursday Night (i.e. Chiefs and Texans) so I'm taking the Rams in this match up. For the Niners you almost upset your division rival Seahawks on the road. Not too bad but this game could go either way. 

Baltimore @ Jacksonville: Ravens. Note this game is not in sunny Florida, but in jolly-ole England, London for that matter. The Ravens beat a beatable Browns team and should win this one as well and improve to 3-0. Remember that time Jacksonville was called "Sacksonville" that was a couple of weeks ago but it seems like a distant memory now. For those who want to watch this while sipping on a cup of coffee, a bagel, and a muffin (blueberry yum) this game will be available on Yahoo! at your nearest computer.

Atlanta @ Detroit: Lions. I may be jumping the gun too quickly on the Lions but I somehow like the Lions in this match up at home. The Lions offense looks legit and their defense held the Giants to 10 points. Atlanta will prove to be a tough opponent but one of these teams has to lose. 

Cleveland @ Indianapolis: Colts. I will be honest in that I nearly heaved when I saw that this match up was on the slate. The Colts almost beat the Cards and the Browns look like a team that still has a long way to go before they can contend. Probably the Toilet Bowl game of the season so far. 

Denver @ Buffalo: Broncos. Unlike the previous game I had to pick this game was a little bit difficult to pick (which may say a lot or not). The Broncos come off a big win against the Cowboys at home where Trevor Siemian played lights out and CJ Anderson looked like the second coming of Terrell Davis. The Bills however will have to wait another season or two before they can get out of the division basement steps (the Jets are pretty much in the basement cellar basement), that Tyrod Taylor guy looks good though. 

Houston @ New England: Patriots. The Pats came off a win at New Orleans to stave off a 0-2 start (it hasn't happened since 2001, you know the rest), the Pats defense looked sloppy at times and it may come down to whether or not Tom Brady still has the energy to carry his team. Houston got a win against Cincinnati where neither the defense or offense looked particularly great, including Deshawn Watson. Good luck Houston. 

Miami @ NY Jets: Dolphins. This game doesn't look that good as the Jets are still looking for their first win of the season and the Dolphins look to continue to a 2-1 record on the year with Jay Cutler. The game will be close I feel but the Dolphins find a way to win or find luck that the Jets kicker can't find the area between the goal post uprights. 

New Orleans @ Carolina: Saints. The Aint's go into Carolina with a win against a Panthers team that is missing key personnel on the offensive side of the ball. Hard to tell how good the game will be but I will say that the Saints will win. 

NY Giants @ Philadelphia: Eagles. The Giants have been terrible so far this season as they play the guest against the Philadelphia Eagles at home for the Eagles home opener. Carson Wentz, the golden boy, has been alright so far but there needs to be more balance with the Eagles offense. More running plays and less Wentz throwing for more incompletions than completions. Wentz has a good arm but certainly he can't be Dan Marino. 

Pittsburgh @ Chicago: Steelers. The Steelers won against a Case Keenum-led Vikings team and should defeat the Bears on the road fairly handily. As for the Bears the bigger question will be when Mitch Trubisky take the reins of the Bears offense, which granted doesn't have a lot of big-name weapons to begin with. Look to the Steelers winning this game. 

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota: Buccaneers. I made the mistake of banking on the Vikings winning against the Steelers last week, not realizing that Sam Bradford would not make the start at Vikings QB, I screwed up. This game is very much up in the air whether or not Bradford will start, so I will choose the Buccaneers. The Buccaneers handled the Bears at home well and the biggest question will be which offense will score the most points as the Vikings defense is right there with the best in the league, and don't underestimate the Buccaneers defense either, especially Chris Conte. 

Seattle @ Tennesee: Titans. The late slate of games starts off with the Seahawks traveling to Nashville to take on the Titans. The Seahawks struggled against the Packers and Niners in the first two weeks respectively, and the Titans should take advantage of the Seahawks offensive line troubles and look to Marcus Mariota having a good day. 

Cincinnati @ Green Bay: Packers. Green Bay ran into a buzz-saw of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Both sides of the ball didn't do well but with the Cincinnati Bengals coming to town, a team with its own troubles on offense and defense, somehow Marvin Lewis is still coaching the team. You want to hear a joke? What's the difference between the Cincinnati Bengals and me? The Bengals are being paid to score. LAUGH WITH ME! 

Kansas City @ LA Chargers: Chiefs. The Chargers almost won against the Dolphins, sadly a loss is a loss in the National Football League. Phillip Rivers somehow is the only shining light for this team. The fact that even the Mayor of Los Angeles doesn't want the Chargers speaks for the greed of Dean Spanos, the owner of the Chargers, who moved the team from San Diego during the offseason. The Chiefs however have been playing very well and Kareem Hunt, the running back for the Chiefs, has been putting up stellar numbers for the team. Look for the Chiefs to come away with a win in this divisional showdown. 

Oakland @ Washington: Raiders. The Sunday Night Football match up pits two good teams in the Raiders and the Redskins. The match up was one from Super Bowl XVIII where the then Los Angeles Raiders beat the Joe Theisman-led Redskins 38-9. The Raiders should win this game with the triple powered threats of Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Marshawn Lynch (aka Beast Mode). Raiders defense isn't bad either. 

Dallas @ Arizona: Cardinals. As always I choose to pick the Cardinals despite the fact that the Cowboys had a bad game against the Broncos. The Cardinals need to step up and put the Cowboys in their place. This meaning they need a great game by Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald as the defense will keep the Cardinals in the game. 

Local TV Schedule (via 506sports.com): 

CBS Early: 

Pittsburgh @ Chicago

Greg Gumbell, Trent Green 

CBS Late:
Cincinnati @ Green Bay

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:
Tampa Bay @ Minnesota

Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman

To find which game(s) your TV market is playing go to NFL TV Schedule and Maps: Week 3, 2017

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Overall: 20-11

Roommate's record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Overall: 20-11

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 2 Picks

Hello again! Back for another week of picks and excitement as week 2 of the NFL regular season is now upon us. As I stated last week that I would be doing a picks post before the Thursday night game. One thing that I forgot to do was post the TV schedule for my market. Here was the TV schedule for the Early and Late games:

CBS Single:

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland

Fox Early:

Philadelphia @ Washington

Fox Late:

Seattle @ Green Bay.

With week 1 in the books, time to compare how well I did in picks for the past week:

10-5.

And how well my roommate did:

7-8.

Safe to say the Colts-Rams game screwed us up badly. Never thought I'd see the day that the Colts would give up 46 points to the Rams, let alone score only 9 points in the game. Another one we messed up on was the Texans winning. Safe to say we both believe that it might take a 7-9 team to make the playoffs in that weak division.

There were only 15 games on the slate for last week as the Bucs-Dolphins game had to be moved to a later date due to Hurricane Irma. Thoughts will go out to the people affected by the Hurricane and that the people were safe and sound, human life is irreplaceable.

On this month in 1997, Midway Games made a truly classic game. Remember playing the arcade version of this game in an Arcade. Of course I'm talking about NFL Blitz! Here's a cool video:

Week 2 of the NFL season is now upon us. Those teams with a 1-0 record look to build off of what they did in the previous week. The teams with 0-1 look to avoid being 0-2 and missing the chance to get into the playoffs. The nitty gritty starts this week. Here are the picks:

Houston @ Cincinnati: Bengals. After a bad loss for both of these teams, I feel the Bengals will look to avoid being in the 0-2 hole. I feel AJ Green will have a good game and Andy Dalton will have a bounce back game. I mean there's no way but up right?

Arizona @ Indianapolis: Cardinals. Okay Arizona, you let me down last week at Detroit, you have a very winnable game in Indianapolis with a Colts team that has no Andrew Luck, if you don't win here, you can kiss playoff hopes goodbye.

Buffalo @ Carolina: Panthers. Cam Newton and the Panthers played well enough to beat a bad Niners team on the road, now you're at home against the 1-0 division leading Buffalo Bills. Bounce back game for Newton is in the future.

Chicago @ Tampa Bay: Buccaneers. The Bears showed quite a bit of heart against Atlanta in a game that shouldn't have been anywhere near as close as it should've been. However, the well rested Buccaneers will be playing at home and the Bucs look good in paper in this matchup. Don't let me down.

Cleveland @ Baltimore: Ravens. The game could go either way as the Ravens will play host against the Browns. This might be closer than people might think. The Browns are young, but the Ravens have experience on their side, and the Ravens will look to continue their dominance over their AFC North rival.

Minnesota @ Pittsburgh: Vikings. Upset pick of the week. The Vikings showed off their offense is much improved, and their defense looked as better than ever. Was debating between who would win but Alexandra Daddario would probably go with the Vikes too. Big Ben and the Steelers could give the Vikings a fit or two.

New England @ New Orleans: Patriots. After the embarrassing defeat on primetime Thursday, the Pats go on the road against New Orleans, who too had a bad loss against the Vikings on Monday night. The Saints defense was terrible against Sam Bradford and I feel Tom Brady will get back on track in the Superdome on Sunday.

Philadelphia @ Kansas City: Eagles. This game will be a good test for both teams. The Chiefs won at Gillette, and the Eagles won at FedEx Field. Two teams with good offenses and good defenses as well, with Eric Berry of the Chiefs out for the season, I feel the Eagles will have the upper hand.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville: Titans. With Hurricane Irma to the North, the Jags will play host to divisional opponent Tennessee who look to bounce back with their first win of the season. The Jaguars winning at Houston was a fluke I feel, and Marcus Mariota will take care of business.

Miami @ LA Chargers: Chargers. Jay Cutler and the Dolphins look to win their first game of the season after having the week off due to Hurricane Irma, however I like the Chargers in the matchup who will be playing their first game in Los Angeles since 1960, back when they were owned by Barron Hilton, the son and heir to the Hilton Hotel chain Conrad Hilton.

NY Jets @ Oakland: Raiders. The Raiders will play their first home game of the season as they will play host to the 0-1 New York Jets, in a winnable game for the Raiders, expect Derek Carr and Amari Cooper to have great days.

San Francisco @ Seattle: Seahawks. As much as I hate the Seahawks, and somewhat like the Niners, the Seahawks will get back to .500 by the time this game ends late Sunday afternoon. The Niners are terrible.

Washington @ LA Rams: Washington. The Rams had an easy win against the Colts last Sunday, putting up 46 points against the Colts bad defense. The Washington Hogs will be no pushover, Hail to The Hogs! 1-1!

Dallas @ Denver: Broncos. You thought I'd pick the Cowboys, didn't you? Both of these teams had good wins as Dak Prescott and the Boys will go on the road against Von Miller's Broncos. I like the Broncos due to their offensive weapons and better defense. Altitude I feel will be a factor as well as they are in the Mile High City.

Green Bay @ Atlanta: Packers. A rematch of the NFC Championship game. The Packers defense played well against the Seahawks and will look to do the same against the Falcons, if they can pressure Matt Ryan then the game will be very much winnable and let Aaron Rodgers do Aaron Rodger's things.

Detroit @ NY Giants: Giants. The Giants had an awful performance against the Cowboys last night, and they will play host to the 1-0 Detroit Lions, hopefully Odell Beckham Jr will be healthy enough to play and give the G-men some needed energy on the offensive front. Lions look good but only one will come out winning.

Local TV Market Schedule (subject to change):

CBS Single:

Miami @ LA Chargers
Greg Gumball, Trent Green

FOX Early:

Minnesota @ Pittsburgh
Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber

FOX Late:

Dallas @ Denver

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

To find what's playing in your TV market please go to this link: NFL Maps - Week 2

Record:
Week 1: 10-5
Overall: 10-5

See you next week!
Tom

NFL Week 1 Picks

Greetings, fellow reader. If you're reading this post for the first time or if you've been a veteran of my columns since the old days of WordPress, I am taking my talents to Blogger (sorry not sorry). When I began my WordPress column for NFL pick'ems back in September 2012 I had set out to do my own thing, doing it for fun, and most of all, bragging rights. Whether it was a win or a loss I would determine which team would be the best to win a football game. 

I did NFL pick'ems from the 2012 season to the close to the end of the 2014 season where I picked the Seahawks to beat the Patriots (fuck you Pete Carroll). I would choose to not do pick'ems for the duration of the 2015 season, as I would decide a break was needed. As far as 2016 goes... well it was hazy, maybe I just didn't care. Anyway here is my record:

2012: 164-90-2
2013: 162-92-1
2014: 172-83-1

Obviously my best record was 2014 (go figure), worst was 2013, and 2012 was pretty much right down the middle. As far as I can see the 2017 season should be an interesting one. New rule changes to celebrations (maybe going back to the Dirty Bird days), can Tom Brady get #6 and ride out into the sunset... in Minneapolis, and could the Browns win more than 2 games this season? All these questions and more will come in time as I decide the games for the upcoming 17 weeks. That and my roommate have a thing going to prove who is the better picker. Maybe I can get a win. Here are my rules/guidelines:

1. Pick against the Cowboys... because I can. Screw Dallas

2. Pick the Packers... because I can. They're my team, suck it Dallas.

3. If I don't pick a game that I may have forgotten, I will declare it a tie (ties are yucky)

4. If a game ends in a tie (which last season had two of them), then it will count as a tie. 

5. For kicks/giggles I will have a celebrity crush of mine influence my pick. For example, I had Samantha Steele (before she married Christian Ponder) and Zooey Deschanel (because she's beautiful and somehow she and Katy Perry come from the same mother I swear). 

6. Pick'ems will be made before the Thursday Night of that week. That's a given. 

That's it for rules. Here's a cool video:

Here are the picks!:

Kansas City @ New England: Patriots. Kansas City doesn't score often. Patriots defense looks lethal this season. Pretty easy pick. Come on KC.

Arizona @ Detroit: Cardinals. A few years left in the tank for Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald, and I tend to like the Cardinals defense in the match-up. Especially with Stafford's record against .500 teams.

Atlanta @ Chicago: Falcons. Despite the fact that the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead in this past Super Bowl, I just can't see them losing to a terrible Bears team on the road. This is week 1 after all and things can change.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati: Ravens. Upset pick of the week. The Bengals are 2.5 favorites and the Ravens might have a shot to sneak out of Paul Brown Stadium with a win and surprise the experts. Or I just get a loss, whatever.

Jacksonville @ Houston: Texans. The Texans will be at home for this game and hopefully will win it for the people of Houston, who have had a rough few weeks, give the people something to enjoy, by beating a more than likely cellar dweller in the AFC South.

NY Jets @ Buffalo: Bills. Really just a cruddy game. Not one team looks really good. However, the Bills are less of a train wreck than the hapless Jets.

Oakland @ Tennessee: Raiders. Could be a potential playoff match-up in week 1. As long as Derek (almost said David) Carr stays healthy, and the Titans don't give up too many turnovers, this game will be actually good to watch.

Philadelphia @ Washington: Eagles. One year is in the books for Carson Wentz (local North Dakota boy booyah) and a better receiving corp for him. Washington will be good too but Washington will be Washington.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland: Steelers. Fairly easy pick. The Browns haven't beaten the Steelers at home since 2014. That score was 31-10. Big Ben & Company take care of business and win.

Tampa Bay @ Miami: Buccaneers. The Bucs seem to be a legit contender for a playoff spot and I tend to like good defense over good offense. The Dolphins have Jay Cutler though, which means they either won't win but they might not lose. Guess the game will be moved away from Miami due to Hurricane Irma. Smart move, hopefully Miami gets through it alright.

Indianapolis @ LA Rams: Colts. The Colts will be without Andrew Luck for the game and will have to rely on backup Scott Tolzien to win. The Rams shouldn't be spectacular this season, and neither will the Colts. More of a toss-up.

Carolina @ San Francisco: Panthers. The Kyle Shanahan era begins in earnest in the Bay Area as the Niners will be looking to be rebuilding for another year. The Panthers should be pretty good as long as Cam Newton and/or Greg Olson stay healthy.

Seattle @ Green Bay: Packers. Probably the best game of the early/late slate on Sunday. A rematch of a game played in 2016 where the Packers destroyed the Seahawks. The Packers were hungry then, and they'll be hungry now.

NY Giants @ Dallas: Giants. The Sunday Night match up pits two playoff teams a year ago. The G-men swept the season series against the Cowboys and I think they'll steal a win in Jerry-World.

New Orleans @ Minnesota: Vikings. Another playoff contender is in Minnesota. The Vikings play at home against the Saints. That Adrian Peterson guy will be in a different uniform as he will try to play revenge against his former team. Saints defense is suspect.

LA Chargers @ Denver: Broncos. The second Monday Night game will put the San Diego... my bad... the Los Angeles Chargers (still need to get used to that) against the Denver Broncos at Mile High. Chargers are rebuilding and Trevor Siemian has a year of starting under the belt. Did you know they could possibly change themselves to the Colorado Broncos... insane right.

-Tom

P.S. Division and Wild Card predictions... Super Bowl?

NFC:

North: Packers
South: Panthers
East: Eagles
West: Cardinals
WC: Seahawks & Giants

AFC:

North: Steelers
South: Texans
East: Patriots
West: Raiders
WC: Titans & Broncos

Super Bowl LII: (biased) Packers vs Raiders... Packers win.
(unbiased and probably right) Cardinals vs Patriots... Cards win.