Halloween weekend was filled with tricks and not a lot of treats, unless you like upsets. And I don’t mean stomach upsets from too many Baby Ruth bars. The Packers ran into a Chargers team masquerading as an NFL contender, and got strangled. New England’s ‘Boogeymen’ linebacker corps played more like a corpse, as Lamar Alexander and his cemetery blackbirds slashed and sliced through them, drawing blood all Sunday night. The entire NFC North…blanked. Black cats at the Meadowlands. Scary week for me too at 7-7, and now 83-51 for the season. Here are the picks.
Chargers at Raiders – Like the Living Dead, the Bolts have risen again to haunt the AFC West. Have they in fact rediscovered their playoff selves of last year, or was Green Bay just ripe for a trap game away from home? The feisty Raiders are going to find out. High Boltage flows again this week.
Chiefs at Titans – Matt gave us Moore again last week as KC bested a really good Viking team. This week should see MVP Mahomes’s return, and while the Titans’ D has become more of a no-fly zone in recent weeks, Vrabel won’t be able to turn the table on fabled Patrick. Andy Reid’s Tennessee the Riot Act.
Cardinals at Bucs – The skulls & crossbones gave Seattle a scare for Halloween last week, coming within 6 pts in a high-scoring affair. Meanwhile, the Cardinals spooked the gold miners by coming within 3 points of a claim jump. This week features the best run defense against one of the better sacking squads, with Murray-in-a-hurry’s mobility being the X-factor? I’ll take the Cardinals, by a feather.
Giants at Jets – Both teams at home, both inexperienced QBs, both with glaring weaknesses and horrible records…. I’ll take NY to win. Seriously, nobody outside of the WFAN listening area will watch this atrocity. Giants stagger to victory over wingless Jets.
Falcons at Saints – This game is the upside-down house of the NFC South, as 1-7 Atlanta crash-lands at 7-1 N’awlins. Here’s the tagline: Arthur gets Blanked while his Falcons get spanked – take that to the bank.
Bills at Browns – If Denver stubbed out the Chubb and stifled Baker’s rifle last week, how will the Browns dent Buffalo’s chunky armor? Putting Kareem on the Hunt this week will not upset the Bills’ suffocating D, which is likely to ground any Cleveland air attack while young Mayfield runs for his life. This experiment with Kitchens is just about cooked. Too much talent, too little results. Beckham finds a new home, as the Bills tighten their grip on the post-season.
Ravens at Bengals – Baltimore’s compelling victory over the Patriots, after beating Seattle on the road, gives Harbaugh’s Harbingers validity. Novel team, yes, but they are for real. That defensive secondary is like a dead zone…footballs fly in…and disappear. Andy Dalton can be thankful for his benching (not his fault), because these birds eat carrion, and Cincy is dead meat. Ravens ravage the Red Rifle’s replacement.
Lions at Bears – A Lion and a Bear walk into a bar….and Mitch Falsebisky throws an interception. Chicago’s taut defense cannot win games unless they hold every opponent scoreless, because THIS offense couldn’t find the end zone if they fell into it…. which they won’t. Lions are the Mane event in this contest.
Dolphins at Colts – Miami got their first win last week, but it came over the flightless Jets. This is the Contender Colts, who dropped one in Pittsburgh only because timeless booter Adam (from the Garden of Eden) Vinatieri kicked wide at the last moment to lose. If gimpy Brissett plays this week, Colts romp. If Brian ‘Don’t call me Georgetown’ Hoyer starts this week…. Colts romp.
Rams at Steelers – Pittsburgh has reignited that most dangerous of fires – hope. Do the Rams have enough juice to put that fire out? Will the Steelers’ O-line be able to free Mason, or will Donald & Co Ram him into submission? LA is the better team, and I think they will prove it Sunday.
Panthers at Packers – Great matchup. Green Bay will want to erase last Sunday’s shame, and Carolina wants to maintain positive momentum. McCaffeine should find seams and holes to do what he does so remarkably well, but in a 60-minute duel between Mr. Rodgers and Kyle ‘Throw it a mile’ Allen, I’ll take the wily veteran every time.
Vikings at Cowboys – A nice matchup for SNF! Dak & Zeke vs. Kirk & Cook, for that precious commodity at Week 10: MO-mentum. Every aspect of this game should be great watching. Turnovers will be the key here, and Dallas is less likely to protect the ball. Purple Pouncers will purloin unprotected pigskins, producing pilfered points.
Seahawks at Niners – Monday Night finally gets a good game – make that ‘great’ game. The unbeaten Niners, so strong on both sides of the ball and with a superb ground attack, really seem to be the most balanced team in the entire league. Russell the Hustle Wilson is having an other-worldly year, and he will put points on the board. But can the Seattle defense do enough to give Wilson a chance to win? Niners remain finer with win number niner.
Enjoy the games!
Pigskin Pundit (Nate Clark)
