The first couple games of the seasons are generally pretty sloppy, teams are still figuring out their personnel and the players are still shaking off the rust… which in general make them pretty hard to predict… but FOOTBALL is back…so no excuses.
PS – Last year, for the regular season Andrew picked 165 correct, 87 incorrect, and 3 did not picks. Greg went 154 – 90 – and 10 did not picks. Just for your reference, the people that do this for lots of money – Golic: 161-95, Hoge: 162-93, Jaws: 155-85, Mort: 155-101, and Schefter: 158-98. In the post season Andrew went 6-5, and Greg went 5-6.
Wednesday, September 5th
Dallas Cowboys AT New York Giants (8:30 PM ET)
Andrew – New York Giants. I’m convinced that the Dallas Cowboys are about one or two good players away from being a really solid team, but I’ve seen this act before – the Redskins used to play it for years, and the much more likely thing is that the team will be perpetually average. Big D’s offense seems to be moving backwards, drama abounds, and losing makes everything worse – this could be a legit terrible year for Dallas fans. Those cryptic predictions aside, I think that the Dallas’s offensive line won’t give Tony Romo the time to effectively string together enough to pull out a win.
Greg – New York Giants. I wanted to go out and pick the Cowboys on this one. I really did. But then I actually thought about it. Cowboys, on the road, personnel issues, and in a night game…would be tough. I don’t think the Giants are actually much better this year, but they are better right now. We will see who is better when they meet again in Dallas.
mk mk mk mk mk that’s it for now folks…. we’re still in pre-season mode so give us a minute and we’ll be posting the rest of the picks along with our new and improved podcast very, very soon.
Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears
Andrew – Chicago Bears. This is a tough road game to start the season for Colts savoir Andrew Luck. While I feel like Luck significantly improves the Colts ability to score, the issue remains that they are one of the worst defenses in the league, with little hope of getting better this year as they convert to the 3-4 (even the Steelers were the worst in the league the first year they switched, then 13th, then top 5). It’ll be hard for them overcome the Bear’s defense, let alone slow down their explosive offense.
Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
Andrew – Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles finished last year hot, hot, hot and did not lose any key members of their squad in the offseason. The Browns… are still the Browns… and while they probably won’t make it easy for the Eagles, I don’t see them opening their season with a win.
New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Andrew – New England. The big questions is here is – WTF is New England doing with all those tight ends? Wait no… the big question here is… does Jake Locker really give the Titans the best chance to win over Matt Hasselbeck? Hmm… noo, that’s not quite it either… oh here it is – is Chris Johnson going to come out and shit on the field like he did last year, or will he 2,000 yard back he used to be? While I don’t know if the Pats will make back to the Superbowl this year, I do know that they can put up big numbers when they want, and the Titans won’t be able to hang point for point.
Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs
Andrew – Atlanta. Is it just me or did both of these teams fall off last year? In general, I feel like the Falcons are a well rounded team, maybe the Ravens of the South (and no not just because they’re also a bird), nothing flashy but consistently close to winning their divisions – which is good because both teams are in tough divisions. The same can’t be said for the Chiefs who generally race against the Dolphins to the bottom of the AFC East. Is this the year the Chiefs finally put it all together? My gut tells me “chicken sandwhich?”
Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings
Andrew – Minnesota? The battle of the inept starting QBs. Despite being overshadowed entirely by MJD failed hold out, Christian a’Ponder(ing) is the feel good story of the preseason – but don’t be fooled (John Beck anyone? Anyone!? Shanahan?), doing well in the preseason basically means you have figured out the most basic defensive packages… it does not mean you can play with the big boys. I anticipate the Viking’s defensive line will give Ponder plenty of trouble and if MJD doesn’t come into save the day (let alone play) this could be a long awful game, with the Vikings winnings with a field goal.
Washington at New Orleans 1:00 PM
Andrew – New Orleans. I’m torn on this game to be honest. Part of my wants to pick the Redskins, not because I’m a blind homer fan, but because the Redskins have significantly improved their offense and their defense during the offseason, which I don’t think a lot of analysts are taking into account when they think the Saints are going to march all over Washington. The other part of me legitimately thinks that New Orleans is going to fired up like crazy, they want to get past the turbulent offseason and prove they’re still a winning franchise. I do think that allowing the Saints players that were suspended to play in this game on such short notice is kind of bullshit. The Redskins have planning for this game for weeks, and to throw in a monkey wrench like that a couple days before the game is garbage. Either way, I’ll go with my gut here – the game will be close, and Washington might even hold the lead at one point, but the injuries to Washington’s secondary will ultimately be its demise as the Saints regain control and take the win.
Buffalo Bill at New York Jets 1:00 PM
Andrew – Buffalo Bills. – I am singing the Bill’s praises this year! (I did that last year for the Bucs and we all know how well that turned out). But regardless, I feel like Fitzpatrick is borderline legit, their receivers are up and coming, and the defense (especially the defensive line) is going to be dominate. It doesn’t matter that the Jets will still have a formidable defense since they have no idea what’s going on this year. I do know at some point this season, Tim Tebow gets named the starting QB. Heard it hear first folks.
St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions 1:00 PM
Andrew – Detroit Lions. I’m sure the Rams have some tricks up their sleeves to keep this game interesting at first, but the Stafford to Megatron connection can’t and won’t be stopped. I’m not anticipating a blowout, but I don’t see the Rams keeping it close at any point.
Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans 1:00 PM
Andrew – Houston. Just like everyone else in survivor leagues, this is my absolutely lock pick of the week (although I didn’t pick it in my league because I wanted to keep Houston for when I need it). Anyway, I don’t see Miami having a chance here, does anyone?
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers 4:25 PM
Andrew – Green Bay Packers. Easily the best game of the week. I’m not 100% sold that the 49ers will continue their performance from last year. Essentially, I’m considering this Alex Smith’s sophomore year (since it’s Jim Harbaugh’s second), and now that book is out on their plays and schemes, will teams have adjusted in the offseason and if so, how will the 49ers adjust back? Those questions aside, I think it will be tough for them to come into Green Bay and steal a win – it’s not like Green Bay has lost a step from last year either (in fact, may have found themselves a running back which would only add to their offensive power).
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Andrew – Arizona Cardinals. This is a tough game for me to care about. In the grand scheme of things, I’m not expecting much from either team. I’m going with the home team pick here and the notion that John Skelton doesn’t get enough credit for his wins.
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4:25 PM
Andrew – Carolina Panthers. I don’t think any one team looked worse in preseason than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was awful to watch. I’m not entirely sure what changes they’ve bad but they’re fallen far from their potential in the 2010 season. I hope that Cam Newton continues to dominate in all aspects of the game, so that at least the Bucs fans can see what good football looks like.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos 8:20 PM
Andrew – Denver Broncos. I bet if you asked the Steelers defense what their nightmares were during the offseason, it would have been that 2012 playoff game in Denver that they lost, but instead of the Broncos having Tim Tebow, they had Peyton Manning. Thank god it was just a dream, right?
Monday, September 10th
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens 7:00 PM
Andrew – Cincinnati Bengals. I don’t know what it is… I don’t know Cincinnati has me entirely convinced yet, but I don’t think the Ravens are as good as everyone thinks they are. Their offense struggles against good defenses and their defense fails to contain good offenses. You think if it wasn’t TJ Yates throwing those interceptions in that playoff game that the Ravens would have even gotten a wiff of the AFC Championship game? Hell no – and they still could barely beat the Texans. So people, please, get realistic – the Ravens aren’t that good. Just. Watch.
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders 10:15 PM
Andrew – Oakland. I’ve heard good things coming out of Oakland’s camp. If Darren McFadden is back and healthy, they will be a tough team to beat (until he gets injured again). San Diego seems to have some underlining issues coupled with a history of starting slow. I think this one goes Oakland’s way.
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Tags: AFC, Cowboys, Dallas, Football, gamble, Giants, New York, NFC, NFL, prediction, spread, super bowl, Washington Redskins
