With Saturday being full of upsets in college football, Sunday hopes to follow suit with some exciting match ups between New England and the Giants, Minnesota and Oakland, and Arizona heading to Seattle. The news heading into this weekend though is about the uniforms that the Jets and Bills wore on Thursday night. Luckily, I'm not colorblind, but if you are here's what the game looked like.
Courtesy of deadspin.com
It's nearly impossible to tell which team is which, unless you can make out the logos on the helmets. The executive who came up with that marketing theory has not had a good couple of days. With the 2nd half of the season set to kick off shortly, let's see how these games could play out.
Detroit
at Green Bay -10.5
The Detroit Lions haven't beaten the Packers in Lambeau since 1991, and with the way the Lions have played this season, that streak is going to continue. The Packers may have lost back to back games, which under Aaron Rodgers is rare, but they're not losing 3 in a row. Green Bay lights it up today and wins easily in Lambeau. Green Bay 34 Detroit 17.
Dallas -1
at Tampa Bay
Dallas has now dropped 6 in a row, and their playoffs hopes are likely done. They'd pretty much have to run the table to win the East, and likely need some help. Tampa is 3-5, but they've looked good in their last 2 games, and if Mike Evans could catch balls that hit him in the chest, they might be .500 or better. I'm going with the Bucs to get a win against the Cowboys at home today, as Dallas is getting media attention for all the wrong reasons. Bucs 25 Cowboys 24.
Carolina -4.5
at Tennessee
The Panthers head to Nashville today to try and continue their 8-0 streak. They beat the Packers last week in a classic finish to solidify themselves as the best team in the NFC. Tennessee fired their coach last week, and then went down to New Orleans and beat the Saints in an overtime thriller. Mariota looked fantastic, but Carolina's defense isn't run by Rob Ryan. The Panthers have heard all week how this is a trap game, and they'll continue their streak today with a win over the Titans. Panthers 27 Titans 17.
Chicago
at St. Louis -6.5
The Rams are still fighting for their playoff hopes, sitting at 4-4. They added Wes Welker to the roster this week, and he's expected to suit up and play for the Rams against the Bears. On the other side, the Bears went to San Diego on Monday night and got a win to move to 3-5. St. Louis defensive coordinator Greg Williams is in the news again after the Rams knocked out Teddy Bridgewater. If Matt Forte plays the Bears will have a better chance, but I like the Rams to get to 5-4 with a win at home today. Rams 22 Bears 17.
New Orleans
at Washington -1
The Saints loss against the Titans in overtime might have been the killer blow to their playoff hopes, as they dropped to 4-5. Washington went to New England and suffered the same fate as most teams who go to Foxboro. This game should be a high scoring affair with both defenses having an inability to stop the other team from scoring. If you've got fantasy players for either of these teams, this would probably be a good day to put them in your line up. I think the Saints get back to .500 today and win a close one 34-30.
Miami
at Philadelphia -6
The Eagles kept pace with the Giants edging the Cowboys in Dallas, but if you ask most Eagles fans you wouldn't know it. Philly hosts the Dolphins this week, in a game that has significant implications for the Eagles. I don't believe in Sam Bradford, but I do think the Eagles have better talent and a better coach than the Dolphins, and playing at home I think they'll get the win. Eagles 27 Miami 20.
Cleveland
at Pittsburgh -6
Johnny Football heads to Pittsburgh this week and will face off against Landy Jones. The Steelers are 5-4, and with a win they'll jump the Jets for the final wild card spot. Manziel hasn't been awful this year, but he hasn't played well enough to solidify himself at the No. 1 starter in Cleveland either. With Cleveland having the worst rushing defenses in the league, I'd look to Deangelo Williams to have another big day, and the Steelers make enough plays to get them to 6-4. Pittsburgh 24 Cleveland 20.
Jacksonville
at Baltimore -5.5
The Ravens season has completely collapsed, with Terrell Suggs and Steve Smith, Sr. being hurt, and they have not been able to find a consistent running game. If this game was in Jacksonville, I'd go with the Jags, but being that it's in Baltimore, I'm going to go with the Ravens. This should be a low scoring game, and I like Jacksonville's skill position players better than the Ravens, but with Baltimore having 2 weeks to prepare, I'm going with the better head coach and better QB. Ravens 20 Jags 16.
Minnesota
at Oakland -2.5
Teddy Bridgewater has been cleared to play today, which is going to make for an exciting show down between two teams trying to make the playoffs. Maybe it's because the Raiders haven't been very good for over a decade, but I think this is the year they can contend for that last playoff spot. Derek Carr has played extremely well, and Amari Cooper is proving that he was worth the No. 4 overall pick. Minnesota is likely going to make the playoffs, whether that's as a wild card or a divisional winner remains to be seen, but as for today, I think the Raiders get to 5-4 with a victory at home. Oakland 27 Minnesota 24.
New England -7
at NY Giants
Eli and the Giants have had Tom Brady's number when it comes to big time games. While this game is important, I don't consider it to be a big time game. The Giants have been lacking a pass rush all season, and that was a big reason why they were able to beat Brady in the 2 Super Bowls. This should be a fun game to watch, but I still think New England gets it done and stays perfect. Patriots 28 Giants 21.
Kansas City
at Denver -4.5
Denver fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last week with a loss to Luck and the Colts, but they are still in the driver's seat to host a playoff game. They'll bounce back this week against the Chiefs, but this game is closer than it should be with Talib being suspended for his idiotic unsportsmanlike conduct incident. Denver wins on the arm of Peyton Manning 23-20.
Arizona
at Seattle -3
Seattle has been up and down all year, and Arizona has a huge chance tonight to take a 3 game lead on the Seahawks for the NFC West. The Seahawks and Cardinals have both had 2 weeks to prepare for each other, so there should be no excuse for either of these teams to be surprised. Arizona is the better team, but it's hard to go to Seattle and get a win, and I think the Cards and Hawks split the series between each other. Seattle 24 Arizona 21.
Houston
at Cincinnati -11
The Monday Night game sees a lackluster Texans team head to Cincy to face the undefeated Bengals. If Houston wins this game, it's because Brian Hoyer has the game of his life, and Andy Dalton and the Bengals fall apart. It's highly unlikely. Cincy has the better QB, better running game, better receiving corps, and better defense. Houston may keep it close for the 1st half, but I think Cincy pulls away and wins this one by double digits. Cincy 31 Houston 17.
We're over halfway through football Sunday, and with the playoff picture starting to take shape, every game going forward matters to those teams in contention. Enjoy it while it lasts. Cheers!
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