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Here are the standings:
Reeb: 93-45 Screw: 87-51 Jemp: 86-52 Alx: 85-53 Pep: 84-54 We made a little bit of headway against Reeb this week as he had the worst record of the group. And take a look, I’m no longer in last place! Feeling good now and ready to make a push, so let’s pick some games. Bengals at Ravens: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Ravens We kick off Week 10 with a banger, as these two teams already played in a shootout just a few weeks ago. And now Joe Burrow is pissed off and looking for someone to take it out on. He threw five touchdowns last week, but he didn’t care because he knows taking out the Raiders isn’t going to get it done. I expect him to look happier if they can take out the Ravens on TNF. However, I don’t expect it to be so easy this week because the Ravens are so dynamic right now and I don’t see how this Bengals defense can get any stops against them. I think Joe can certainly put up points against a leaky Ravens pass defense, but the Bengals will need to get lucky to get a fluky turnover or maybe a penalty or a sack that kills a drive in order to win. I can’t count out Joe Burrow, but the Ravens are too good for me to pick against them at home. Prediction: Ravens win 38-35 Giants at Panthers: Jemp: Giants, Reeb: Giants, Pep: Giants, Screw: Giants Jesus, what did Germany ever do to us? Oh right… well I guess we’re even now because this game is as bad as it gets. I guess the one bright spot is that Bryce Young is playing better. He at least has this team playing up to the standards they had when Andy Dalton was starting. Maybe that’s not the most shining compliment but the Panthers should take what they can get. Granted, they might have a chance against this Giants team, but at least the Giants have a good pass rush and I expect them to run well against a Panthers defense that can’t stop anything. Maybe Malik Nabers gets back on track as well. Prediction: Giants win 24-20 Patriots at Bears: Jemp: Bears, Reeb: Bears, Pep: Bears, Screw: Bears If nothing else, we get a matchup between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams. I think we all were looking forward to seeing these two star prospects face off against one another during the draft process. But the starts to their NFL careers haven’t gone as smoothly as one would have hoped. Drake Maye’s fate was sealed as soon as he was drafted by the Patriots, but we expected more from Caleb Williams who was drafted into a situation with so many weapons. Unfortunately, the offensive line hasn’t materialized, and he makes life so much harder on them. He has great escapability, but he holds the ball for way too long. Same old story for Bears fans. But his team is still much more talented than Maye’s, so I’ll take the Bears at home. Prediction: Bears win 24-17 Bills at Colts: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills We may have gotten a little too excited for the Joe Flacco experience. I was trying to tell people to temper their expectations for a guy who has only been solid in his spot starts against one of the best defenses in the league. But, I must admit, in my heart I was ready for Flacco to light up the Vikings for four touchdowns. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t happen, but the ineffectiveness of the Colts offense was very disappointing. Now they have another tough challenge against the Bills, and I don’t see why Flacco would step up for this one. I expect the offense to be better because it would be hard to be worse, but we all like the Bills here. Prediction: Bills win 30-20 Broncos at Chiefs: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Broncos, Screw: Chiefs I don’t know why Pep is bothering to take the Broncos here. Every Chiefs game seems the same. I guess I could see this being the game they lose because it seems like every week a team has them on the ropes. But it’s all an illusion. The Chiefs always pull it out and I don’t think this week will be any different. I also think the Broncos were a bit exposed, as they have made a living out of beating up on bad teams, and haven’t stood up well to the actually good teams in the league. This week I expect them to keep it close because that’s what everyone does against the Chiefs, but nobody wins. Prediction: Chiefs win 24-17 Falcons at Saints: Jemp: Falcons, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons Saints fans can rejoice at Dennis Allen’s demise. This team went from the inarguable best team in football through 2 weeks, to losing seven straight including an embarrassing loss to the Panthers and Bryce Young. It was a collapse like none we’ve ever seen before. But, could they win this game? Teams tend to get a boost after their coach is fired, especially when it’s a coach that none of the players liked. I think we can safely say that is the case here considering some of the comments made by the players on their former coach. The main problem is that they are so devoid of weapons on offense with Chris Olave now out again. Maybe their defense can play better with Allen gone, but they also traded away their best corner, so there’s no shot I pick against Kirko in this one. Prediction: Falcons win 28-17 49ers at Buccaneers: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers I’m surprised no one is taking a chance on the Bucs. They almost took out the Chiefs last week and now they get the niners at home? But San Fran is coming off a bye and coming towards the time in the year that they usually heat up. Christian McCaffrey might be back for this one and boy does my fantasy team need him. The 49ers could use him too, but that’s less important to me. The Bucs are feisty, but we all expect the niners to get this one done. Prediction: 49ers win 27-24 Steelers at Commanders: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Commanders We will be reporting live from this game to watch Jayden Daniels rip apart that vaunted Steelers defense. TJ Watt and company will be easy pickings for this Commanders offense. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Vikings at Jaguars: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Vikings, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Vikings I have to say how impressed I am with this Vikings team. This was a team that lost two straight games and then gave up a weird defensive score to the Colts to fall behind on Sunday Night football. A lot of teams would have crumbled in that situation, but they went on to dominate the rest of that game and prove that they were the better team. Sam Darnold certainly has fallen out of MVP consideration, making some bad mistakes last week, but overall he isn’t any worse than Trevor Lawrence. He is good enough to make this team a contender on any given week. This week, it should be easy enough against this Jags team. Prediction: Vikings win 27-17 Titans at Chargers: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers Nice win for the Titans. I mean, I know beating the Patriots won’t impress anyone, but Brian Callahan was getting emotional because of how bad they needed a W any way they could get it. So I’m happy for them. Especially since I don’t expect any more wins to come anytime soon. They’ll need to become a win camel and live off of this one for a while. They aren’t getting one this week against the Chargers. Prediction: Chargers win 27-13 Eagles at Cowboys: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Eagles, Screw: Eagles I’m honestly pretty tempted to take the Cowboys here. Not for any good reason, except that this just seems like the type of game the Eagles would lose, and the Cowboys would win. Sure, the Cowboys are garbage and are starting Cooper Rush, but the Eagles love blowing games to bad teams. Just look at what they almost did last week to the Jags. Also it’s a division game, and I could see Cooper Rush going out there and balling for one game. But, I can’t pick it to happen, because everything I’ve seen from the Cowboys makes me think they can’t stop the Eagles run game and I can’t really expect anything great from Cooper Rush. But I’m betting on the Cowboys to cover. Prediction: Eagles win 27-23 Jets at Cardinals: Jemp: Cardinals, Reeb: Cardinals, Pep: Jets, Screw: Jets This is a fun one in the late window between two teams that are looking to make a push to be taken seriously. The Cardinals have already shown they are a playoff contender, but they need to continue to string wins together to really make a play at being a Super Bowl contender. I doubt they ever get there, but this is a game that is winnable for them. The Jets seemed to get their act together in the second half last week, but I don’t think that’s a big enough sample size for me to trust them. They have all the talent in the world, but no one knows how to waste talent quite like the Jets. But I think Garrett Wilson and company are too good and get this win on the road. Prediction: Jets win 28-27 Lions at Texans: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions This could be a fun Sunday Night football game, but it also might just be another Lions blowout. The Lions are running through everyone right now and I don’t see a team in their way that can stop them. Until they get to the playoffs and have to play the Commanders of course. However, these Texans just got thumped by the Jets, so I don’t see them having much chance against the Lions. However, they could get Nico Collins back for this one, which is currently what they need most. He could solve a lot of their issues, but even when he was playing, they were nowhere near the juggernaut that these Lions are. I think the Lions keep rolling. Prediction: Lions win 34-20 Dolphins at Rams: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Rams, Pep: Rams, Screw: Dolphins I was a little surprised that the Rams are only favored by 1 point at home. The Dolphins have looked so much better with Tua back at quarterback, but they still haven’t actually won a game with him back. Their defense is still an issue, while the Rams defense is coming on as of late. I expect a fun game, but I like this Rams team too much to pick against them. I think they dispatch this Dolphins team once again with heartbreaking loss. Prediction: Rams win 34-31 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 83-40 Jemp: 75-48 Screw: 74-49 Pep: 73-50 Alx: 72-51 Well it’s a very tight race for four of us here. Then we have our unpaid intern on top of the pack. But his team sucks and the rest of us have teams with 6 wins already so who cares. Let’s pick some games. Texans at Jets: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Texans Wow, everyone is picking the underdog here? That’s right, check your sportsbooks people because the Jets are favored here. Granted, they were 7 point favorites last week and lost to the Patriots, so maybe Vegas is too high on the Jets. But I get it, despite the fact that they are a dumpster fire, they are the more talented team here. They have Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams to throw to, and the Texans are solely reliant on Joe Mixon who has been killing it this year. They have good players on the offensive line and plenty on defense even with some injuries, and yet they just can’t put it together. I guess coaching really does matter. However, I’m falling for it one more time and taking the Jets on TNF. Prediction: Jets win 24-21 Cowboys at Falcons: Jemp: Cowboys, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons Can we say the Cowboys are officially cooked? Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, Zack Martin, Da’Ron Bland, and Brandon Aubrey all didn’t practice Wednesday, which are 5 of their 7 best players along with Ceedee and Dak, and Dak certainly hasn’t played like one of their best players. That being said, the Falcon aren’t that tough of an opponent. Their defense might be worse, and honestly I think the main difference in their offense is that the Falcons can actually run the ball. Also Kirk has outplayed Dak this year, so I’m of course picking the Falcons at home, but this one isn’t out of reach for the Cowboys. Prediction: Falcons win 34-30 Dolphins at Bills: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills Thank god we got Tua back and the Dolphins offense looked like itself again. But, they still lost to the Cardinals, which seems about right. The Dolphins are no longer a laughing stock, but they are still the team that got dunked on by the Bills in Week 2. And that was in Miami in September. Now they get to play a colder game in Buffalo with rain and wind. Lock in the Bills to cover whatever the spread is in this one. Prediction: Bills win 31-16 Raiders at Bengals: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Bengals, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Bengals Another tough performance for the Bengals, and my faith that they can get back into the playoff race is dwindling. Not gone, but dwindling. They at least haven’t been as disappointing as the Jets. And this Raiders team is so bad that even Reeb who has been completely negative on them since that loss in Week 1 is picking them to win. I can’t believe they’d slip to Gardner Minshew, so I’m taking the Bengals at home. Prediction: Bengals win 24-17 Chargers at Browns: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Browns, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers Reeb is riding the Jameis train. Strange how replacing Deshaun Watson suddenly made this offense functional. Maybe they just needed to get Amari Cooper out of there. That must have been the problem. But Jameis is far from a perfect quarterback and I doubt he will have too many more of the pristine games that he had on Sunday. Unless he can continue to pray away interceptions like he did on that Kyle Hamilton dropped pick. Somehow I doubt it though, so I’m taking the Chargers. Prediction: Chargers win 23-20 Patriots at Titans: Jemp: Patriots, Reeb: Patriots, Pep: Titans, Screw: Titans Gross. I don’t think this game has any place on my Television screen on Sunday. I have room for 8 screens in my setup and there are 8 games in the early window, but I think I’d rather just put the Commanders game up there twice than put this one up. I finally jumped off betting on the Titans to cover big spreads last week, and boy am I glad I did because they did not come close. However, this week, I think they should beat the Patriots. I know, maybe I’m falling back into their trap, but they are just a better, more talented team than the Pats. I think. I hope. Whatever, I’m taking the Titans. Prediction: Titans win 17-14 Commanders at Giants: Jemp: Commanders, Reeb: Commanders, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Commanders Coming off their easiest win of the season, the Commanders should dismantle this god awful Giants team. Prediction: Commanders win 200-0 Saints at Panthers: Jemp: Saints, Reeb: Panthers, Pep: Saints, Screw: Saints Okay, maybe two games in the early window that I don’t have to watch. But at least Derek Carr is returning for the Saints. Wow, never thought I’d say that. Unfortunately, the Panthers are sticking with Bryce Young, who I guess looked a little better last week? He did throw two touchdown passes, which seems like a miracle for him. Hopefully he can avoid the thrashing that he took in Week 1 against this team, but I’m damn sure I’m never picking him to win a game again. Prediction: Saints win 28-10 Broncos at Ravens: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Ravens Tough loss for the Ravens as they’ve now lost to the Raiders and the Browns. Could they lose to the Broncos too? Anything is possible, but I’m not quite buying the Broncos yet. They are good enough to beat up against the dregs of the league, but they crumbled the last time they came against a real test in the Chargers. The Ravens are an even tougher matchup despite some leaks in the secondary. Somehow I don’t think Bo Nix will be able to take full advantage of those. Prediction: Ravens win 27-17 Jaguars at Eagles: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Eagles, Screw: Eagles What a juicy revenge game for Doug Pederson. The Eagles seemed poised to collapse under Nick Sirianni’s questionable leadership, but they just seem to keep winning. They know they are one of the best rushing offenses in the league, and their passing game revolves around their two star receivers. The defense has a formidable pass rush and the secondary has some playmakers. The Eagles are just a solid team that needs to put it all together, and they seemed to do that last week. The Jags put up a solid effort against the Packers, but now they are without their top two receivers, and I don’t see much hope for this team. Doug Pederson can probably start planning for his next revenge game which will likely come against the Jags. Prediction: Eagles win 27-13 Bears at Cardinals: Jemp: Cardinals, Reeb: Cardinals, Pep: Bears, Screw: Cardinals This might be the toughest game for me to pick of the week, which makes sense because Vegas has it as a 1 point spread. These are both good teams, and I expect a close game here, but overall I think the Bears are the better overall team. They have a far superior defense and maybe their offense isn’t quite as good, but it isn’t too far off. The problem is that with the game on the line, I trust Kyler more than Caleb right now. But in the end I think the Bears defense gives them more room for error, so I’ll take the Bears on the road. Prediction: Bears win 24-23 Lions at Packers: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions I really like this Packers team. Whether it’s Jordan Love or Malik Willis, they have so many ways to beat you on both sides of the ball. Josh Jacobs has started to get it going, and their slew of receivers can all hurt you in multiple areas of the field. And even Tucker Kraft has become a huge part of the offense. And we know how the defense is a ballhawking unit that will turn you over. Now this team gets a chance to upset the hottest team in football coming into to Lambeau? Sign me up for this one. But I still think the Lions are just way too good right now, so I can’t pick against them. Prediction: Lions win 34-27 Rams at Seahawks: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Seahawks, Pep: Seahawks, Screw: Rams The NFC West is getting tight with three teams tied at 4-4 and the Rams right on their tail just half a game back. And boy do these Rams look frisky now that they have Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back in the fray. The Seahawks feel like a middling team to me, but I think these Rams have more upside. Matthew Stafford is in gear, and even the Rams defense is starting to improve, especially in that front seven. I like McVay to win this matchup and make a run for the NFC West. Prediction: Rams win 24-20 Colts at Vikings: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Colts, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Vikings Who would have thought Joe Flacco vs. Sam Darnold would be flexed into Sunday Night football? But I’m here for it. The more I think about it, the more I like this Colts team with Joe Flacco at the helm. I was pretty down on the Colts just a few weeks ago with how bad their defense was playing and the lack of offense under Anthony Richardson. But with Flacco in their and Jonathan Taylor back, this could be a dangerous offense. I think Taylor is the best running back in football, and they have a great offensive line and a nice group of receivers. I don’t think Flacco is suddenly the best quarterback in football, but do I think he can play similar to how Darnold is playing? Yeah, I do. That being said, the Vikings still have a far better defense and plenty of playmakers of their own, so I’ll still stick with them. Prediction: Vikings win 27-24 Buccaneers at Chiefs: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs Great, another Chiefs primetime game where they will just toy with an inferior opponent and then win by one score. Yippee. The Bucs were fun when they were at full strength, but not as much now that they are running their offense through Cade Otton and Rachaad White. The Chief defense should shut this down and the Chiefs offense will just continue to possess the ball. Maybe we get to see DeAndre Hopkins get more integrated in here which could be a little interesting? But I’m grasping at straws. Obviously we all like the Chiefs at home. Prediction: Chiefs win 28-21 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 71-36 Jemp: 64-43 Pep: 63-44 Screw: 62-45 Alx: 60-47 What a great week of games. We got some of the best teams in the NFL squaring off last week and the games didn’t disappoint. This week, the matchups aren’t quite as good, but maybe the games will deliver anyway. Let’s pick some games. Vikings at Rams: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Vikings, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Vikings This might not look like a great game on paper, but I think this could be a fun one. The Vikings have been excellent all season, and even last week in their first loss showed they belonged with one of the best teams in the NFL. However, this Rams team is no ordinary 2-4 team. Injuries have derailed their season, but they look like they will get back one of their most important pieces. Cooper Kupp should return this week, and Sean McVay will want to make the most of him, because it could be his last game as a Ram. Kevin O’Connell might be the Coach of the Year frontrunner, but McVay will want to prove that he is the mentor for a reason. But I still think the Vikings are the better team so I gotta stick with them. Prediction: Vikings win 31-27 Eagles at Bengals: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Eagles We’re done with the London games, so we’re back to starting football at 1pm ET. And honestly not a lot of great games in the slate, so this might be the best of them. Both of these teams have been disappointing this year, but we know they have the potential to make some noise in their respective conferences. That being said, I still believe in the Bengals more than the Eagles. Joe Burrow has stepped up against the best opponents, even if his defense let him down in those spots. But the defense proved they can at least shut down some of the league’s worst offenses, so I don’t expect them to get abused by an Eagles offense that has been far from dominant. Even with their weapons back, Jalen Hurts hasn’t regained the magic he had a couple of years ago. I expect the Bengals to take care of business at home. Prediction: Bengals win 27-20 Ravens at Browns: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Ravens I told you that we don’t have a lot of good games this week and it’s because there are a lot of matchups like this one. While the Ravens look like the best team in the NFL, the Browns have been a league-worst offense that just traded away their top receiver and lost their starting quarterback for the year. But I think we all know one of those things makes them better. Still, while Jameis could be an upgrade, I’m not sure that he’s going to send them shooting up to the Ravens’ level. Somehow I doubt he’ll be eating a W in this one. Prediction: Ravens win 37-17 Titans at Lions: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions And we are right to another thumping. If the Ravens look like the best team in the AFC, the Lions are that in the NFC (other than the Commanders of course). And the Titans are just an embarrassment. I thought they could cover against the Bills and I was thinking how smart I was after that first half. Then the whole team acted like they were Will Levis and threw the game away. I don’t know if it will be Levis or Rudolph in this game, but who cares? Prediction: Lions win 34-10 Cardinals at Dolphins: Jemp: Cardinals, Reeb: Cardinals, Pep: Dolphins, Screw: Cardinals I guess this could potentially be a good game? Or at least a competitive game now that the Dolphins are out of quarterback hell. Tua Tagovailoa will make his return to try to save this Dolphins putrid offense. I guess the question is if the quarterback position was all that was holding this team back. Mike McDaniel has a lot to prove and there won’t be any more excuses now that they have their franchise quarterback. It isn’t a particularly tough matchup against this Cardinals defense, so this could be a spot where Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle go crazy. However, I think there are bigger issues with this Dolphins team that Tua won’t immediately fix, so I’m taking the Cardinals. Prediction: Cardinals win 23-20 Jets at Patriots: Jemp: Jets, Reeb: Jets, Pep: Jets, Screw: Jets What an atrocious performance by the Jets. I thought their offense looked better against the Bills, and then it went right back to shit against the Steelers. Granted, TJ Watt can wreak havoc on anyone, but that wasn’t the issue for the Jets. Aaron Rodgers was missing guy, and receivers were dropping passes, including the drop that turned the game by my guy Garrett Wilson. I still think there is a chance they get this together to sneak into the playoffs, but I’m losing hope fast. But none of that should be a problem this week, because they get the Patriots. Prediction: Jets win 27-14 Falcons at Buccaneers: Jemp: Bucs, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons A rematch of the Thursday Night classic we got a few weeks ago. With all these lopsided games, this looks to be a bit more competitive, but things got worse for these two teams last week. The Falcons got blown up by the Seahawks, as their defense couldn’t get a stop and then their offense started turning the ball over. The Falcons defense is struggling mightily right now, and it was concerning how much pressure the Seahawks were getting on Kirk once they had to abandon the run. The Bucs defense has its own issues as they were annihilated by the Ravens, but the bigger concern is that they lost their two star receivers in that game. The Bucs offense has been great all year, but I don’t know if they can keep that up with Sterling Shepard and Jalen McMillan as their top receivers. Prediction: Falcons win 30-23 Packers at Jaguars: Jemp: Packers, Reeb: Packers, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers Can someone explain to me why there are no bye weeks in Week 8? We are smack dab in the middle of the season and a lot of teams could use a break, but for some reason this is the week we decide to have a full slate of games? Week 14 we have six teams on a bye but gotta pack the witching hour in the last week of October. Sorry I had to have this rant at some point and I figured I didn’t need to go on about another blowout. Packers win this one on the road. Prediction: Packers win 31-20 Colts at Texans: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Texans Can I skip talking about this game too? The Colts are on my radar as a team that doesn’t really deserve to be talked about. We at least thought Anthony Richardson would be fun this year, and he really hasn’t been since Week 1. Maybe now that he gets to face the Texans again he will remember how to bust these explosive plays. I also really hope Jonathan Taylor returns here, because this offense needs him badly. But the defense is also terrible and while the Texans might not be a juggernaut, they should easily dispatch the Colts. Prediction: Texans win 24-17 Saints at Chargers: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers God, there are so many terrible teams now. The Saints started out the year as the best team in football, and now they might be the worst. Their offense has unsurprisingly crumbled with Spencer Rattler at the helm throwing to nobodys, but the defense has also somehow turned into a pushover unit. Javonte Williams ran down their throats last week, and I expect JK Dobbins and my guy Kimani Vidal to do the same. Prediction: Chargers win 27-7 Bills at Seahawks: Jemp: Seahawks, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills Finally a game that doesn’t make me want to throw up. It might not be a super bowl preview, but it’s about as close as we are gonna get this week. I did like what I saw from the Seahawks last week, as their offense rolled and their defense made some plays that reminded me of when Mike MacDonald’s Ravens defense would get rolling. They aren’t anywhere near that level right now, but it’s a good sign for their future. Unfortunately I think they still have too many injuries to compete with the Bills right now, as I suspect DK Metcalf won’t be available for this one. Prediction: Bills win 24-20 Panthers at Broncos: Jemp: Broncos, Reeb: Broncos, Pep: Panthers, Screw: Broncos I feel like the Broncos defense could be the top scoring fantasy player this week now that Bryce Young is starting. I’m not really sure why the Panthers are going back to Bryce Young since I don’t see what has changed since they benched him. Did they think they were going to be in the playoff hunt with Andy Dalton? Anyway, the Broncos proved that they can dunk on bad competition, and the Panthers are as bad as it gets. Prediction: Broncos win 30-0 Chiefs at Raiders: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs And the mismatches just keep coming. I think the Raiders at least have the weird division rivalry thing where I could see them randomly knocking off the Chiefs this week. In fact, the Raiders were the last team to beat the Chiefs if you remember. I’m obviously not picking them to win this game, but I’m at least entertaining that possibility. But it really doesn’t matter if they do because at the end of the day the Chiefs will still be a Super Bowl contender and the Raiders will still be terrible. Prediction: Chiefs win 26-17 Bears at Commanders: Jemp: Commanders, Reeb: Commanders, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Bears Please god Jayden Daniels come back. But not too fast. Can’t have anything bad happen to him. But I think Marcus Mariota has got this regardless. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Cowboys at 49ers: Jemp: Cowboys, Reeb: Cowboys, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers Alright, I can get on board with this for Sunday Night Football. In a week where there aren’t many great games, this is maybe the most intriguing game of the week. These are the top two seeds in the NFC from last year, and they both desperately need a win to save their season. The 49ers continue to take blows on the injury front, now losing Brandon Aiyuk for the year, and Deebo has pneumonia. This roster looks nowhere near the top unit is was last year and you wonder if they can survive until they get some reinforcements back. On the other side, the Cowboys just suck. Sure, they’ve had a few injuries, but nothing out of the ordinary. This is just a team that didn’t get better in the offseason, and always loses to the 49ers anyway. So even with all the injuries, I’m taking the niners at home. Prediction: 49ers win 23-21 Giants at Steelers: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Steelers Well the Giants were starting to look a little interesting, and then they lost Andrew Thomas and their offense looked unsalvageable. Their defensive front is still a force with Dexter Lawrence playing as well as anyone, but they can only hang on so long. The Steelers are somehow going to go to 6-2 on Monday Night Football. Prediction: Steelers win 20-7 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 62-30 Pep: 55-37 Screw: 54-38 Jemp: 53-39 Alx: 51-41 Well overall it was a good week for the Pick’em as I went 11-3 and somehow had the worst record in the group. So I’m back at the bottom, but I’m sure I’ll work my way back up. Let’s pick some games. Broncos at Saints: Jemp: Broncos, Reeb: Broncos, Pep: Saints, Screw: Saints It’s the revenge game we’ve all been waiting for. Lil’Jordan Humphrey will get the chance to show the Saints what they’re missing. And honestly, the Saints could probably use him about now because they will be without their top two receivers. And by top two, I mean their only two receivers. Now I guess it’s up to Bub Means and Mason Tipton to make something happen. But this puts the Saints offense about on par with the Broncos who are also led by an uninspiring rookie quarterback and are without any difference makers. But the Broncos have the better defense even without Pat Surtain so I guess I’ll take them? Prediction: Broncos win 10-6 Patriots at Jaguars: Jemp: Patriots, Reeb: Jaguars, Pep: Jaguars, Screw: Patriots And if you thought things couldn’t get worse than Saints Broncos, you’d be mistaken. Because we get to start off Sunday Morning with some Patriots Jaguars. Though this might be a little more interesting because it features a rookie quarterback that doesn’t make us want to tear out our eyeballs. Drake Maye came in and immediately made the Patriots more fun, which was a very low bar to clear, but I’ll still give him some credit. He already has more touchdown passes than Jacoby Brissett this year, and he got one to Kayshon Boutte. The Jaguars are probably the better team here, but I feel like the vibes favor the Patriots. They are coming off the excitement of Drake Maye’s first start, while the Jags are awaiting Doug Pederson to be fired on the plane home from London. I’ll take the Pats. Prediction: Patriots win 24-21 Seahawks at Falcons: Jemp: Falcons, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons It wasn’t too long ago that the Seahawks were 3-0 and riding high atop the NFC West. Now they have lost three in a row and all of us are picking them to lose in Atlanta. I liked the Seahawks coming into this year because I expected Mike MacDonald to do some fun stuff with this defense, but they have been ravaged by injuries and it isn’t getting any better. I expect Kirk to tear through this banged up secondary. It could be another big Bijan day too after what the niners host of running backs did to them last week. Prediction: Falcons win 31-24 Titans at Bills: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills Why do I keep overrating the Titans? I just feel like they shouldn’t be this bad when they’ve been so close nearly every week. I think I even like them to cover the 9.5 points this week, but I’m probably going to be wrong about that too. I don’t at all think they will win this game because I still think the Bills are one of the best AFC teams and they’ve addressed their biggest issue by bringing in Amari Cooper. But maybe Will Levis can learn something from Josh Allen since he is like the terrible version of Allen. Prediction: Bills win 27-20 Bengals at Browns: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Browns, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Bengals I think Reeb is trying to keep up this reverse jinx against the Bengals, but I don’t think he needs to this week. The Bengals defense proved last week that it isn’t so bad that it will get mowed through by bad offenses. And this Browns offense is as bad as it gets. However, the one bright spot for the Browns is that they might get Nick Chubb back for this one. I don’t think Chubb will hit the ground coming off a catastrophic injury and running behind this line with this quarterback. I expect the Bengals to continue to get back into the mix. Prediction: Bengals win 23-10 Texans at Packers: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Packers, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers This one might be the game of the week. CJ Stroud and Jordan Love were the hottest quarterbacks going into last year’s playoffs and now they are leading two of the strongest up and coming teams in the league. The Texans offense hasn’t been fantastic this year, but everything seems to fall into place when Joe Mixon is in the lineup. Who would have thought that he was what they needed? Granted, maybe they just need a running back who isn’t Cam Akers as Dameon Pierce looked pretty good last week too. The Texans are starting to look dangerous, but it’s the Packers that are the more fascinating team to me. They have so many weapons and Matt Lafleur utilizes them to perfection. I like the Packers at home. Prediction: Packers win 31-27 Dolphins at Colts: Jemp: Colts, Reeb: Dolphins, Pep: Colts, Screw: Colts I think I’m sticking to ignoring the Dolphins until Tua comes back. Then I’ll consider talking about them. The Colts are a below average team that has some fun players, but it looks like their most fun player will be going back to the bench this week. Anthony Richardson can be fun as well, but everyone loves Joe Flacco. I don’t think he makes them that much better, but he’s so fun to root for. I expect Richardson can take care of the Dolphins though. Prediction: Colts win 23-13 Lions at Vikings: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions The disrespect for the undefeated Vikings here. A 5-0 team coming off a bye at home against a team that just lost their best defensive player, and everyone is picking against them? The Vikings have won convincingly against the Texans, Packers, and 49ers, all of whom we have considered contenders. Now you give Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell an extra week to prepare? How can all of these guys be fading the Vikings? But I agree because the Lions are back to being one of the best offenses in the league, and perhaps better than last year with the emergence of Jameson Williams. And the Vikings have to lose at some point, so I’ll take the Lions here. Prediction: Lions win 31-28 Eagles at Giants: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Eagles, Screw: Eagles I thought the Eagles would return to form with the return of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, but they didn’t impress against the Browns. Brown and Smith looked as good as ever, but the team was still pretty average. I think that could spell trouble against this Giants team that is better than their record, which is strange to say considering the expectations I had for them coming into the year. I think they could pose some problems for this Eagles team, especially if Malik Nabers returns which it looks like he will. I’ll take the Giants at home here. Prediction: Giants win 22-19 Raiders at Rams: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Rams, Pep: Rams, Screw: Rams Ugh, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to watch any more of Aidan O’Connell this year, but of course Antonio Pierce couldn’t help himself. He thought a quarterback change might help things and it obviously helped nothing. The Rams are coming off a bye and might get Cooper Kupp back. They should win this one. Prediction: Rams win 27-16 Panthers at Commanders: Jemp: Commanders, Reeb: Commanders, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Commanders Jayden Daniels will continue his bid for rookie of the year. I think he already has it sewn up, but this will just help his cause. I can’t remember the last time the Commanders were a 12 point favorite. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Chiefs at 49ers: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: 49ers, Screw: Chiefs It’s time for the Super Bowl rematch. The niners have dealt with injuries this year, but they’ve worked their way back to .500 and now they have most of their stars back sans CMC. But they have the dreaded task of playing Andy Reid off a bye. The Chiefs have their own injury issues after they lost Isaiah Pacheco and Rashee Rice, but they have seamlessly replaced them with Kareem Hunt and JuJu Smith-Schuster. However, I felt the Chiefs were on the verge of a loss and then they demolished the Saints. I hadn’t accounted for how bad the Saints have become, but this is a much more daunting task. I think the 49ers can win this one. Prediction: 49ers win 27-24 Jets at Steelers: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Jets, Screw: Steelers So we had Texans-Packers, Lions-Vikings, and a super bowl rematch, but the Sunday Night game is Jets-Steelers? I guess it could be worse. Davante Adams should make his debut for the Jets, and we get to see how this loaded offense fairs against one of the most fearsome defenses in the league. I could see TJ Watt just wrecking all their plans, but I liked what I saw from Todd Downing and I think they are able to integrate all these weapons effectively. On the other side of the ball, it is likely Russell Wilson gets the start for the Steelers, which nobody seems to understand, but I don’t think it makes a big difference. I like the Jets to win this one on the road. Prediction: Jets win 26-17 Ravens at Buccaneers: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Bucs This is a pretty fun one for the Monday Night game. Todd Bowles has made a living forging some of the best run defenses of the decade, so can he limit the attack of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson? The biggest problem is that even if he does, his pass defense is hot garbage, and Lamar should be able to torch them through the air. The only question is if Baker can keep up. So far, the Bucs offense has been great, and I could see this one being a shootout. But the Ravens are too hot right now for me to pick against them. Prediction: Ravens win 34-27 Chargers at Cardinals: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers And for some reason we are having a game start at 9pm ET so millions of Americans on the East Coast can call in late for work on Monday. Then again, maybe it’s only sickos like me who will stay up to watch Chargers Cardinals. I think this is a fun one though as the Chargers are still a bit of a mystery to me and I look forward to watching them closer here. Jim Harbaugh has done a great job, but how good is this team really? I’m not sure if their defense is for real, and I’m not sure what their offense does well either. They can run the ball but it isn’t flashy, and Just Herbert will have some moments. Then we also have the Cardinals who I also can’t figure out despite watching them closely all year. The offense had one explosion against the Rams and after that they’ve been kind of a mess. Right now, I trust the Chargers more so I’ll take them on the road. Prediction: Chargers win 23-21 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 49-29 Pep: 43-35 Screw: 42-36 Alx: 40-38 Jemp: 40-38 And Reeb extends his lead as everyone else tanked last week. Jemp and I are still holding on to being above .500, and hope that stays true this week. Let’s pick some games. 49ers at Seahawks: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: Seahawks Rough losses for both these teams last week, and now they don’t have much time to recover. It was no surprise the banged up Seattle defense couldn’t stop the Lions, but when Daniel Jones carved through them with no Malik Nabers, this seems like more of a problem. Tyrone Tracy and Darius Slayton both got over 100 yards against this defense, so what are these niners going to do to them? The 49ers might not be the dominant force they were last year, but they are still a good team and should be able to win this one on the road. Prediction: 49ers win 31-21 Jaguars at Bears: Jemp: Bears, Reeb: Bears, Pep: Bears, Screw: Bears Hey, the Jaguars got a win! Congrats to them to keep Doug Pederson from being the first coach fired this year. Flacco almost took them out, but their offense finally came alive on the backs of Brian Thomas and Tank Bigsby. Granted, that was against a horrendous Colts defense that made Justin Fields look like Joe Montana. This Bears defense is much tougher and the offense finally looks like the unit we hoped they would be. I’m not saying they are phenomenal but they took advantage of a bad Panthers defense and I think this Jaguars defense isn’t much better. Prediction: Bears win 24-13 Cardinals at Packers: Jemp: Packers, Reeb: Packers, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers This could potentially be a fun game depending on what version of the Cardinals offense shows up. Kyler has been dynamic all year, but he hasn’t been consistent. Granted, the Jordan Love offense has looked similar. Love can make spectacular plays, but then he has some Will Levis-like moments as demonstrated by his pick six last week. However, I’m much more confident in Matt Lafleur’s offense, and I still view this Packers team as a Super Bowl contender. The Cardinals aren’t quite there yet, as they have a ways to go on both sides of the ball. Prediction: Packers win 34-27 Colts at Titans: Jemp: Colts, Reeb: Colts, Pep: Titans, Screw: Colts Yeah I don’t know why I picked the Colts last week. I knew the Jaguars were going to win that one, but I was hoping for my preseason prediction. I should know to never sacrifice my pick’em record for something no one will even remember. I’m not making that mistake this week as I like the Titans coming off the bye. I think the Titans have a much better defense and while their offense is questionable at best, I have to think they will have cleaned up some of the issues over the bye. Not to mention, the Colts are so banged up. They could potentially be without their starting quarterback, their top two running backs and their top wide receiver. The quarterback isn’t really an issue because Joe Flacco is elite, but I don’t think even he can overcome this. Prediction: Titans win 24-20 Texans at Patriots: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Texans The Patriots have been hard to watch this year, but now we get to see them with Drake Maye. Does that make them better? Probably not. Does it make them more fun to watch? Probably not. Okay, it probably makes them a little more interesting because I would imagine Drake Maye can make a couple of plays out of structure that will be fun, and even if he’s a disaster that’s still more interesting than what this team was doing before. At least it’s a reason to talk about the team. But of course we are all taking the Texans. Prediction: Texans win 23-10 Buccaneers at Saints: Jemp: Bucs, Reeb: Bucs, Pep: Bucs, Screw: Bucs We have another rookie quarterback making his first start in this game. Spencer Rattler joins the party and he gets to play a Bucs secondary that was shredded by Kirko on TNF. The only problem is that this Saints offense has gone completely stagnant since demolishing the Cowboys in week 2. The loss of Eric McCoy was huge on that offensive line, and Alvin Kamara doesn’t have the running room he needs at this point in his career. They also have no depth at receiver as it is a massive drop off after Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. We had some dude named Tipton dropping passes on Monday Night. But maybe Rattler is the spark this offense needs to get back on track. But I doubt it. Prediction: Buccaneers win 27-17 Browns at Eagles: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Eagles, Screw: Eagles Do we even need to talk about the Browns anymore? Their offense is so sad I think we can discard them as a team until they make a quarterback change. As for the Eagles, I’m surprised people are dismissing them. I’ve looked at a lot of power rankings this week just to see the Commanders in everyone’s top 6-8, and I’m surprised at how low the Eagles usually are. We know that their lack of depth at receiver is an issue, but I think now that they are getting back AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, they should be a tough out in this wide open NFC. They got back to near full health over the bye week, so I think this should be an easy one for the birds. Prediction: Eagles win 28-10 Commanders at Ravens: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Commanders The Ravens have proven they are one of the best teams in the NFL once again, but now they are running into a buzzsaw. 100-0 seems more and more likely each week, and I have full confidence this team can smash the Ravens. Some might call it overconfidence, but I know I am being completely reasonable. Prediction: Commanders win 999,000-0 Chargers at Broncos: Jemp: Broncos, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers This is probably the toughest game for me to pick this week. It’s good that the Charger got their bye week due to all their injuries, but looking at the injury report, I think they could use another one. Especially against a Broncos defense that has been balling out. Pat Surtain is making a DPOY case, and all these ancillary pieces are working out. However, I don’t think any of us believe in the Broncos offense and if the Chargers can get some pieces back from injury I think they can handle this one. Unfortunately, it seems like most of their guys are coin flips to play, so I have no idea, but I’ll take the Chargers. Prediction: Chargers win 17-10 Steelers at Raiders: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Steelers Well it’s Aidan O’Connell for the Raiders now. I’m not sure if that moves the needle for anyone in this game, but I thought I’d throw it out there in case anyone cared. Gardner Minshew should be counting his blessings that he doesn’t have to face TJ Watt and company this game. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if this one gets so ugly that Minshew has to go back in. Then again, this is just the type of game the Steelers would lose, so who knows? But we all like the Steelers on the road. Prediction: Steelers win 20-0 Lions at Cowboys: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions I think we all feel pretty good about the Lions at this point, but it’s hard to know what to make of the Cowboys. They did get a win against the Steelers on Sunday Night, but their offense has been lackluster all season. Ceedee Lamb is essentially their only weapon right now. Sure, guys like Jalen Tolbert and Rico Dowdle stepped up last week, but are they really guys you can rely on? The defense has also been up and down, and honestly it’s mostly been down for them. The good news is that they might get Daron Bland back for this one, and they can hope to have Micah Parsons back, although he didn’t practice on Wednesday. But even if they get all their guys back, I still like the Lions here. Prediction: Lions win 34-24 Falcons at Panthers: Jemp: Falcons, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons What a win for Kirk and the guys on Thursday Night. Kirk was near perfect, carving up the Bucs secondary for over 500 yards through the air. It was great news for a passing attack that hadn’t found its footing up to that point. The bad news is that the defense was collapsing. I was watching the Prime vision cast on Amazon and watched that Falcons secondary leave receivers streaking wide open all over the field. Fortunately, this week, they get the Panthers, who shouldn’t be able to stop this Falcons offense. I’d expect Andy Dalton to make some plays against the defense, but not enough to threaten this one. Prediction: Falcons win 31-24 Bengals at Giants: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Giants, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Bengals We’re all a little worried about our unpaid intern as he’s gone dark since this last Bengals loss. Not worried enough to actually pay him, but enough to think about him. He’s even gone so far to take the Giants in this one, and I get it. The Giants haven’t been that bad this year when you look at the big picture, and they seemed to discover something when they had to play offense without Malik Nabers. If they can marry the way they played last week with the talent of Nabers, they might really have something. But I still think they are a far cry from this Bengals team, that will need to beat teams in shootouts if they want to win. Last week, they should have been able to outscore the Ravens if not for the most flabbergasting coaching decision I’ve seen this year. Zach Taylor chose to run it three straight times in OT, putting the game in the hands of Evan McPherson, rather than his Pro Bowl Quarterback who had diced up the defense for five touchdowns. But, I’m much more confident Burrow can beat Daniel Jones in a shootout, so I’ll take the Bengals. Prediction: Bengals win 35-24 Bills at Jets: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Jets, Screw: Bills So does anyone else think it was a weird move to fire Robert Saleh? I’m not even saying I think Saleh has been a great coach, I would have completely understood if they fired him after last year. But why now? I feel like a team has to be really bad to fire their coach this early in the year, and the Jets aren’t that bad, they are just average. The offense has been disappointing, but it hasn’t been a disaster, and they just played against two of the best defenses in the NFL right now. The defense started out slow, but they’ve played exceptional the last three weeks. Just a weird situation all around, but the one part I can get behind is that Jeff Ulbrich has demoted Nathaniel Hackett, so I like the chances for the offense to improve. I also just feel like teams get an extra boost of motivation after a firing, even when it’s a coach that the players liked. Also, the Bills have plenty of problems of their own, so I’ll take the Jets. Prediction: Jets win 23-21 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 39-25 Pep: 37-27 Screw: 35-29 Alx: 35-29 Jemp: 33-31 Finally a good week for game picks. We are all back to above .500 proving we are better than a magic 8 ball. Although I haven’t tested to see how well a magic 8 ball picks football games so I could be wrong. But nevertheless we’re nearly a quarter of the way through the season, so let’s pick some games. Buccaneers at Falcons: Jemp: Bucs, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Bucs, Screw: Bucs Sign me up to watch Kirk Cousins on the Amazon Prime Vision broadcast. Kirk has been far from perfect this year since he can’t move or get much velocity on his throws. But despite that, he’s making good decisions and getting the ball to his intended target. Usually that means throwing to Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud. It’s too bad he doesn’t have Mycole Pruitt to throw to cause he could really use a tight end. But I think he can make this work. Sure, the Falcons got a bit lucky last week to escape with a win, but they actually moved the ball decently well despite not scoring an offensive touchdown. I think this is a fairly even matchup, but I have to pick Kirk at home in primetime. Prediction: Falcons win 24-21 Jets at Vikings: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Vikings, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Vikings Just after we thought the Jets had turned a corner, they crumbled against the Broncos defense. Now they get an even tougher test against the unit that has probably been the best defense in the league. However, they did show a few cracks in the second half of the game against Green Bay. Everyone says how Brian Flores has been scrambling the minds of young quarterback, but can he do it against a 20 year vet? That is the one chance for the Jets, but the Vikings have been too good so far. I think Sam Darnold gets his revenge across the pond. Prediction: Vikings win 24-16 Panthers at Bears: Jemp: Bears, Reeb: Bears, Pep: Bears, Screw: Panthers This would have been pretty amusing if we got to watch Bryce Young vs. Caleb Williams. Instead we have to watch Andy Dalton play actual football. The only question is if Caleb can keep up. I do think he has been slowly improving and there is no doubt he can make things happen, which was never the case with Bryce Young. I think the Bears are getting there and I wouldn’t be surprised if they get this win at home, but right now I trust Dalton more. Prediction: Panthers win 20-17 Ravens at Bengals: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Ravens The Ravens really stuck it to me last week after I had been so down on them. Derrick Henry ran right through the Bill defense and a few of my fantasy teams. The early lead got the Bills off their script and the defense was able to take over. Now this seemingly unstoppable running game has a matchup against a defense that can’t stop anyone other than Patrick Mahomes. But I’m still a believer in this Bengals team. Joe Burrow and the offense have hit their stride and I think they can get off to a hot start even against a much tougher defense this week. Mostly I want my preseason pick of the Bengals to be correct and this game is pretty important for that so I’m taking them. Prediction: Bengals win 27-24 Dolphins at Patriots: Jemp: Patriots, Reeb: Patriots, Pep: Patriots, Screw: Patriots We’ve seen plenty of bad football this year but this might be the low point. The Patriots have gone downhill since their upset of the Bengals, and it’s just a matter of time until we see Drake Maye. But it probably won’t be this week, because they are playing against a team that would kill to have Jacoby Brissett. We know Tyler Huntley is a solid backup but this offense is so complicated and based on timing and he’s only been there 6 weeks. And we should also keep in mind that this team was pretty bad even when Tua was in the lineup this year. They needed a string of luck to beat the winless Jags and then got obliterated by the Bills. Now without Tua they aren’t even a football team. Prediction: Patriots win 19-10 Browns at Commanders: Jemp: Commanders, Reeb: Commanders, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Commanders The 100-0 scoreline is looking more and more possible, huh? Jayden Daniels has been absolutely electric, and Kliff Kingsbury is calling the best offense in the league. Commanders will keep it rolling here. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Colts at Jaguars: Jemp: Colts, Reeb: Jaguars, Pep: Colts, Screw: Colts I’m tempted to pick the Jags to get their first win here. I’ve been saying that the Jags aren’t quite the laughing stock that people think after that Monday Night performance. Their team isn’t good but they’ve been right in every other game they’ve played. However I picked the Colts to make the playoffs and if they are going to do that, they need to pick up wins like this one. I don’t think there is much separating these two teams but I guess there are better vibes with the Colts right now. And if it’s Flacco starting for the Colts I’d be even more confident in them. Prediction: Colts win 27-24 Bills at Texans: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills Definitely a cold shower for the Bills last week, similar to what happened to the Texans the week before. The main difference is that the Bills have laid a few smackdowns this season, while the Texans have been lackluster even in their wins. I’ve said I’m confident that they will get rolling here eventually, but I’m not confident that it will happen this week. The Bills will be hungry after that embarrassing loss and I think they take it out on the Texans in a fun one. Prediction: Bills win 34-27 Raiders at Broncos: Jemp: Broncos, Reeb: Broncos, Pep: Broncos, Screw: Broncos It’s a battle of AFC West powerhouses coming off impressive wins. The Broncos proved they didn’t even need to pass the ball forward in the first half against the Jets and could still make a huge second half comeback… to win 10-9. And the Raiders showed off that they can score their touchdowns by running them in with their receivers for some reason. I guess the biggest positive I’ve seen from either of these teams is that the Broncos defense is starting to come into its own. I had some skepticism about them coming into the year, but I’m starting to believe in some of their untested guys. They even have a white cornerback who has been working out! Prediction: Broncos win 16-10 Cardinals at 49ers: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers Well the Cardinals get a break this week because after getting spanked but the red hot Commanders, they only have to deal with the 49ers this week. Deebo and Kittle returned for them so the offense is back to near full strength minus McCaffrey. And the defense has been good all year as Fred Warner continues to mount a case for DPOY. I’m not too worried about the 49ers but the Cardinals need some help. The offense has struggled since that explosion in week 2, and we never really expected the defense to be good. I was always just hoping this team could be fun, and I hope they return to being fun in this one. But I definitely don’t think they are going to win. Prediction: 49ers win 34-21 Packers at Rams: Jemp: Packers, Reeb: Packers, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers This would have been such a fun game if the Rams hadn’t been hit with all these injuries. These were two of most fun offenses down the stretch last year and we had expected that to continue into 2024. For the Packers, it pretty much has, as they were able to find a groove even without Jordan Love. In Love’s two starts, he’s been inconsistent, but the offense has still made a bunch of big plays. But the Rams haven’t been able to meet expectations. Injuries hit them like a ton of bricks. Stafford and McVay have kept the offense afloat, but it’s nowhere near what we had wanted. I shouldn’t leave out Kyren Williams who is scoring all their touchdowns. But it’s not gonna be good enough to beat this Packers team. Especially when their defense has been trash. Prediction: Packers win 35-21 Giants at Seahawks: Jemp: Seahawks, Reeb: Seahawks, Pep: Seahawks, Screw: Seahawks If there is one good thing you can say about the Giants offense, it’s that it is a funnel for Malik Nabers fantasy points. I feel like Brian Daboll and Daniel Jones must have both drafted him and realize that they might not win any real football games but they have a chance in their fantasy leagues. Nabers is also working back from a concussion but I expect he’ll be back on the field in this one. Daboll might force him back on the field at any rate. This is good bounce back game for the Seahawks. Prediction: Seahawks win 31-17 Cowboys at Steelers: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Cowboys Only Screwballs is going negative on his Steelers this week. The rest of us think that the team can get it done. Justin Fields has strung together some good weeks here and even got the offense to a whopping 24 points last week. I can’t remember the last time a Steelers team put up that many points. Now I expect TJ Watt to abuse the Cowboys and maybe the Steelers can even get a bit of a run game going against the Boys. Prediction: Steelers win 19-16 Saints at Chiefs: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Saints, Screw: Chiefs Well so much for a fun Chiefs offense. The Chiefs seem to produce less and less every week, and now they might be really in trouble because they lost the centerpiece of their offense. It’s hard to fathom picking against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes at home in primetime, but I feel like this team is due for a loss. Mahomes has not played his best football and he’s back to having no one to throw to. This is a tough Saints defense that I think will force some mistakes, and I think the familiar foe in Derek Carr gets this one done on Monday Night Football. Prediction: Saints win 27-19 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 30-18 Screw: 27-21 Pep: 25-23 Jemp: 23-25 Alx: 23-25 Yikes, another rough week in terms of our picks record. Jemp and I are now both below .500 for the season. But I’m sure there is some positive regression coming for us, so let’s pick some games. Cowboys at Giants: Jemp: Cowboys, Reeb: Cowboys, Pep: Cowboys, Screw: Cowboys You know it’s sad for the state of these teams when Cowboys-Giants is relegated to Thursday Night Football. Clearly the NFL didn’t believe in the prospects of this Giants season, but this team might have a better shot than people realize. If you take away week 1 against the confounding Flores defense, the offense has been okay. Which is about the best you can ask for from a Daniel Jones offense. The defense is odd because they have a pretty strong front with an invisible secondary. However, if they can just double Ceedee Lamb in this one, they don’t have to worry about anyone else on the Cowboys offense. Then just count on Malik Nabers on offense. However, the Cowboys have thrashed the Giants in recent years and they are still probably the better team, so I’ll take the Cowboys. Prediction: Cowboys win 24-21 Saints at Falcons: Jemp: Saints, Reeb: Falcons, Pep: Falcons, Screw: Falcons So have we just given up on the Saints already? One bad offensive performance and we think they are done? The most explosive offense in the league was bottled up last week, but I don’t think the first two weeks were a complete mirage. I doubt they regain that form, but there was a lot of good that should still translate to having a good offense. And we can pair that with a very strong defense which has played well all season, and always tends to be good for the Saints despite having a bunch of aging players. I guess all players are technically aging. I kind of think the Saints are in good shape here, but I can’t pick against Kirk at home. Prediction: Falcons win 24-20 Rams at Bears: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Bears, Pep: Rams, Screw: Rams Well at least Caleb Williams put up some garbage time stats last week. It wasn’t even truly garbage time, it just felt like the game should have been over two hours ago by the time the Bears finally got in the endzone. However, they actually had a chance to pull off a Rams like comeback, but of course they fell short. The Rams pulled off a miracle, somehow finding offense in the fourth quarter against the niners. I have the utmost respect for Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford for piecing this together, but I think the Bears get them this week. I feel very conflicted about picking the aforementioned duo losing to Caleb Williams and Matt Eberflus, but the Bears are just far and away the more talented team. Caleb just needs to channel what he did at the end, and just play a little more under control. I’m sure he won’t screw it up. Prediction: Bears win 20-17 Vikings at Packers: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Packers, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Packers Now here is a game that looks juicy. The Vikings have been the best team in the NFC through three weeks, with an absolutely suffocating defense, But if there is one coach who can figure it out, it might be Matt Lafleur. I mean, I’d probably take Shanahan and McVay over him, and probably Andy Reid.. but he’s top 5 for sure. Just look what he’s done with Malik Willis. Now he should get back Jordan Love, which should in theory be an upgrade. However, week 1 might have been the worst quarterback performance the Packers have had this season. But I expect he comes back and cleans it up here with a modest, but efficient performance, which I think is enough to hand the Vikings their first loss. Prediction: Packers win 23-20 Steelers at Colts: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Steelers Well this Steelers team might just be for real. They have a ferocious defense, and an offense that is… well it’s there. But their offense is good enough to sustain drives and just put up enough points to control these games down the stretch. They have been in complete control of each of their games by the second half. This is bad news for Anthony Richardson who has struggled mightily against lesser defenses than this one. However, maybe this is the game he shows up for and just makes enough big plays to outscore the Steelers mediocre offense. But he also might gift their defense with a few turnovers, so I’ll take the Steelers. Prediction: Steelers win 17-10 Broncos at Jets: Jemp: Broncos, Reeb: Jets, Pep: Jets, Screw: Jets The Broncos are alive! Bo Nix finally showed up and gave an encouraging performance. He was making plays with his legs all day and delivered some good throws as well. Unfortunately, he still has only Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds to throw to, and the offseason hype for Javonte Williams has been completely extinguished, but maybe he has a future with a better team. This team, not so much. Maybe there is some hope for the defense after the performance last week, but I’m still a bit skeptical. The Jets actually look like they have some promise and I expect they take care of business here. Prediction: Jets win 26-16 Eagles at Buccaneers: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Bucs, Screw: Eagles Weird game, because I think the Eagles are clearly the better team here, but its not the best matchup for them. The Bucs defense is best attacked through the air, but the Eagles might be without their two star receivers. Then the question is if the Eagles can ride Saquon to enough production to outscore the Bucs. The Bucs have had an insanely good run defense throughout the Todd Bowles era. This year, they are not quite as dominant but they are still only allowing 3.8 yards per carry. If Brown and Smith are both out, I think the total lack of a passing game for the Eagles is too much for them to overcome. The Bucs receivers can definitely get over on this secondary, and I think the Bucs pull the upset at home. Prediction: Bucs win 20-13 Bengals at Panthers: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Panthers, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Panthers We knew the positivity from Reeb couldn’t continue for long. All it took was an 0-3 start and he’s resigned to losing to Andy Dalton. Granted, Andy Dalton looks like the most prolific quarterback in the NFL right now. He took the Panthers from an offense that couldn’t score on your local high school defense to an elite vertical passing attack. Diontae Johnson put up a career high 122 yards. Yes, that is somehow his career high, which sounded impossible to me when I heard it. But it is so, and now Dalton gets to face a defense that couldn’t get a single stop last week. However, I think Burrow and the offense should be able to outscore them. Prediction: Bengals win 34-27 Jaguars at Texans: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Texans Man, are the Jaguars the first team we need to write off in the 2024 season? Granted, I guess after the Panthers resurgence, we shouldn’t write off any team this early. To be fair, I don’t think the Jags are as bad as they played on Monday Night. The Bills are in top form and the Jaguars had a bad night. They were certainly disappointing in the first two weeks, but at least they were competitive. I’m obviously not picking them against the Texans, but the Texans haven’t exactly been a juggernaut themselves. They got walloped too last week, they just didn’t blow any games before that. Before that game, all they’ve done is beat Anthony Richardson and Caleb Williams, which hasn’t proven to be very difficult. But I think they’ll keep getting better as the season progresses, so I’ll take the Texans at home. Prediction: Texans win 27-20 Commanders at Cardinals: Jemp: Cardinals, Reeb: Cardinals, Pep: Cardinals, Screw: Commanders Jayden Daniels came out and showed everyone why the Commanders win every game 100-0. This game should be no different. Actually, he’s playing so well that I think it will be different. Prediction: Commanders win 200-0 Patriots at 49ers: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers The 49er have suffered a lot of injuries this year, but I think they would have to lose about 15 more players to have less talent than the Patriots. This defense still has enough great players to dominate this Patriots offense. And the 49ers offense has still managed to produce despite all the injuries. Brock Purdy is actually a top 2 quarterback this season according to PFF. That is a lot higher than I would rank him, but I think he’s been solid all the same. Certainly solid enough to beat this Patriots team, which is maybe better than people thought, but still not good. Prediction: 49ers win 20-10 Browns at Raiders: Jemp: Raiders, Reeb: Raiders, Pep: Raiders, Screw: Browns I can’t remember a time in my lifetime that Browns Raiders has been a good game. And this one is no different. The Raiders defense hasn’t been what it was cracked up to be, and their offense is hamstrung by a mediocre quarterback. However, even if Gardner Minshew is mediocre, he is still the best quarterback in this game. Deshaun Watson is sinking the Browns season, and I think anybody watching knows it’s time for Jameis Winston. But the Browns paid an exorbitant amount of money for Watson and don’t want to admit their mistake, so they continue to have him in the game. I think at some point they have to acknowledge the sunk cost fallacy and bench him, but I don’t think it will be this week so I’m taking the Raiders. Prediction: Raiders win 22-13 Chiefs at Chargers: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs Man, if the Chargers were healthy here, I would almost certainly pick them. The Chiefs are just squeaking by right now, and it reminds me a bit of the Eagles last year before they collapsed. Do I think the Chiefs will go through a historic collapse? No, obviously not, because Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are much better foundational pieces than Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni. But I think they could enter a small losing streak coming up soon. But Justin Herbert won’t be at 100% and he will likely be without both his star tackles. Joey Bosa is also questionable and Derwin James is suspended, so if I were the Chargers, I would just sit Herbert too and take the L here. Prediction: Chiefs win 27-13 Bills at Ravens: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Bills Great game for Sunday Night Football. The Ravens were easily the most impressive they have been all season. They got Derrick Henry going and Lamar was efficient without needing to throw too much. The defense was also smothering until they almost blew the game in the fourth quarter. But that’s just the Ravens being the Ravens. The bigger question is if the offensive line can continue to improve. My guess is that they fold against the Bills this week, who look like the best team in the NFL so far. Prediction: Bills win 31-20 Titans at Dolphins: Jemp: Titans, Reeb: Dolphins, Pep: Titans, Screw: Titans Will Levis, you need to listen to me. Just don’t turn the football over this game. You don’t have to do anything because you are playing against Skylar Thompson. Just keep the train on the tracks. I know last week I said I was a little optimistic about Skylar, but clearly I was mistaken. The Dolphins also already had issues prior to Tua’s injury, so I should have taken that into account as well. But Skylar Thompson can’t play NFL football. Will Levis can, he is just prone to catastrophe. I can’t imagine he could screw this one up. Prediction: Titans win 20-10 Seahawks at Lions: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions A clean sweep for the Lions against the undefeated Seahawks. I really liked the Seahawks coming into the year, and they’ve been very good, but they’ve really just taken advantage of soft matchups. Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, and Skylar Thompson aren’t exactly a murderer’s row of quarterbacks. Then again, neither is Jared Goff who still hasn’t played all that well this year. The Lions have been winning with defense so far, and this is supposed to be an offensive team. And let’s not forget what Mike McDonald did to this offense last season. But I think the Lions are just the better team and they can win at home. Prediction: Lions win 27-24 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 22-10 Screw: 20-12 Pep: 17-15 Jemp: 17-15 Alx: 16-16 Definitely a strange week 2 with a lot of upsets. I’m guessing a lot of survivor groups ended after this week, and our pick’em suffered as well. Only Drew went above .500, but hopefully we can do a bit better this week. Let’s pick some games. Patriots at Jets: Jemp: Patriots, Reeb: Jets, Pep: Jets, Screw: Jets Alright I’m getting a little nervous about the Jets. Garrett Wilson got me eliminated from my guillotine league that I set up and got outscored by several people who started inactive players. But I’m over it. Now I feel like this is all setting up for a letdown against the Patriots. The Patriots can run the ball and their defense could pose some problems for the Jets. But ultimately I’m putting my faith in the more talented team. Only an abysmal coaching performance could screw this up. Oh god… Prediction: Jets win 24-23 Giants at Browns: Jemp: Browns, Reeb: Browns, Pep: Browns, Screw: Browns Well the Browns defense proved that they haven’t completely regressed. They had a hell of a performance against the Jags last week and they get an even easier one this week. Just double Malik Nabers every play and you’ll be fine. You don’t even need to worry about him running by you because you know Daniel Jones isn’t hitting the deep ball. Then just move Myles Garrett away from Andrew Thomas and he will terrorize Daniels Jones. Prediction: Browns win 23-0 Packers at Titans: Jemp: Titans, Reeb: Titans, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers A week ago we were all hoping Jordan Love would come back quickly, now I just want to see the Malik Willis revenge game. I feel like after the performance they had with Willis last week they would keep Love out another week, but it sounds like there is a real chance he could play in this one. However, neither quarterback will have an easy time in this one. The Titans have proven through two weeks that they can run the football and play good defense. The only thing they haven’t proven is that they can avoid catastrophic mistakes. I’m weirdly into this Titans team, and I think they have a good matchup against either a banged up Jordan Love, or Malik Willis. Credit to Matt Lafleur who proved again last week how good of a coach he is, but I like this Titans team to get their first win at home. Prediction: Titans win 23-21 Bears at Colts: Jemp: Bears, Reeb: Colts, Pep: Bears, Screw: Colts There are a lot of tough matchups this week, and this is another one. Caleb Williams is off to a really rough start to his NFL career, and if the Colts learned anything from the last two weeks, it is that they should blitz the hell out of Caleb. You would think that Matt Eberflus and Shane Waldren would have a plan against the blitz this week, but that might be giving this coaching staff too much credit. Then again, the Bears might not even have to worry about throwing the ball this week because the Colts defense has been so atrocious. This is a tough one to pick but I’ll go with the coaching staff I trust more. Prediction: Colts win 24-16 Texans at Vikings: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Vikings, Screw: Texans What a start for this Vikings team. They have played two games that they controlled from start to finish. Sam Darnold has been near perfect, proving that all he needed was to get away from the Jets and Panthers. Then again Sam has had good starts to seasons before and then inevitably crumbled when things got tough. I expect Demeco Ryans might have some challenges cooked up for him this week, and while I love the way he is playing, I can’t trust him over CJ Stroud. Stroud might be underdelivering for fantasy managers, but he’s playing great football and I have more faith in the Texans than the Vikings, but wouldn’t be shocked if they changed my mind after this one. Prediction: Texans win 24-20 Eagles at Saints: Jemp: Saints, Reeb: Saints, Pep: Saints, Screw: Saints So I guess the Saints are just the best team in football? I know many of you might be skeptical, and I’m right there with you, but I feel like I have to keep picking the Saints until I see a dropoff. Nothing they have done looks like a fluke. Derek Carr is dropping dimes and Alvin Kamara has turned back the clock. This offensive line that had question marks is mowing people over. And of course our boy Rashid Shaheed is blowing by defenses every week. The Eagles have shown to be a solid team, but they still have their weaknesses and the offense isn’t the same without AJ Brown, who is likely out again this week. I’ll make it a clean sweep for the Saints. Prediction: Saints win 31-21 Chargers at Steelers: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers I think a lot of fans will find this game exceedingly boring, but I can’t wait to watch this battle. The Steelers have gone full Steelers, starting 2-0 while averaging 15.5 points per game. TJ Watt is making his early case for DPOY which he will inevitably lose and make Steelers fans outraged because it’s all they have. But I think this is the one team that the Steelers formula can’t work against. TJ Watt and company won’t be able to abuse these Chargers tackles and Justin Herbert won’t get rattled, especially with how much they lean on the running game. The Chargers are perfectly comfortable playing the Steelers game and I think they beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Prediction: Chargers win 20-13 Broncos at Buccaneers: Jemp: Bucs, Reeb: Bucs, Pep: Bucs, Screw: Bucs I think I’m already over this Broncos team. There was a tiny bit of intrigue for Bo Nix after the preseason, and that has pretty much faded away. Maybe we’ll get a better evaluation of him next year after they hopefully improve the roster. In the meantime, I will be picking against this Broncos team… probably every week. The Bucs got a little lucky last week to come away with a win, but they are a solid team who should take care of business here. Prediction: Buccaneers win 24-13 Panthers at Raiders: Jemp: Raiders, Reeb: Raiders, Pep: Raiders, Screw: Raiders I know I said I wasn’t going to be picking the Panthers for a long time, but now I’m tempted with Andy Dalton in the game. I think he is probably the better quarterback in this one, and I’ve been a Gardner Minshew backer. However, the problem is that the Raiders defense is actually pretty good, and the Panthers defense is…not. I think Dalton will make the Panthers more watchable and competitive, but I can’t expect him to make them good. Prediction: Raiders win 20-17 Dolphins at Seahawks: Jemp: Seahawks, Reeb: Seahawks, Pep: Seahawks, Screw: Seahawks Alright, so hear me out. I’m not quite as low on the Dolphins as everyone else is without Tua, because I have a bit of a soft spot for Skylar Thompson. I’ve seen some good things from him when he’s been put in the game. Not last week, last week was terrible. But I’m chalking that up to being thrown in a game with some backup receivers you weren’t on the same page with. Mike McDaniel’s offense is based so much on timing that a week of practice will help mightily with some of the issues he was having. That being said, I like this Seahawks team and they are at home, and it’s not like I think Skylar Thompson is Patrick Mahomes. I just think he might not be the disaster everyone thinks. Prediction: Seahawks win 27-24 Ravens at Cowboys: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Cowboys These were the two playoff teams from last year that I felt lost the most in the offseason. They’ve both gotten off to rocky starts here, with the Ravens starting off 0-2 and the Cowboys getting waxed by the Saints last week. I think the Cowboys offense has been fine, but not nearly the unit they were last year. The defense is an enigma, as they have had two polar opposite performances in these first two weeks. On the other hand I think the Ravens identity is clear. Their defense has taken a step back and the offense is hampered by their offensive line, but they still have talent on both sides of the ball that can win them games. My biggest concern in this one is if that line can handle Micah Parsons, because if not, they might be in trouble. But ultimately, I feel like the Ravens can’t start 0-3, and I’ll take any opportunity to pick against the Cowboys. Prediction: Ravens win 24-23 49ers at Rams: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers With a lot of difficult games to pick this week, it’s nice to have a break. While the 49ers are racking up their share of injuries, it’s nothing compared to the devastation that has befallen the Rams. While I think the combination of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford is hard to count out, I think this many injuries puts them in a tough spot, especially when they can’t count on their defense to get any stops. Kyler tore them to shreds last week, and the niners might not be quite that explosive right now, but I think they are able to dominate this matchup. Prediction: 49ers win 30-17 Lions at Cardinals: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions I want to pick the Lions as they are the more talented team here, but it has been an uneven start for their vaunted offense. Jared Goff is currently the 30th ranked quarterback by PFF, with only Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, and Bryce Young below him. And so far, both of these offenses have faced a suspect Rams defense, and only one of them abused the matchup. In fact, while Goff sits at the bottom of the PFF rankings, Kyler Murray is looking down on everyone from the number 1 spot. While the Lions still have much more talent on defense, and should be able to outman the Cards, I like how Kyler is playing right now and I’ll take him to get it done at home. Prediction: Cardinals win 34-31 Chiefs at Falcons: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs Kirk Cousins is going from Monday Night Football to Sunday Night Football against Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have started 2-0, but it hasn’t been an easy task. Their offense has been far from perfect so far, and faced their typical problems against the Bengals. Fortunately, they were helped by a pass interference call and got the win, but this is not an unbeatable team. And now they are playing against the clutchest quarterback in the league, Kirk Cousins. Sure, he may still be recovering as we saw some of his passes coming up a bit short, but he’s making good decisions and getting the ball there. He also moved much better in the pocket last week. Probably a result of not having to deal with TJ Watt. Granted, Chris Jones is no slouch himself, so there could be some more issues, but I think the Falcons perform well here. I chickened out of taking them last week, and I’m chickening out again. But I’ll be rooting for you Kirk. Prediction: Chiefs win 26-23 Jaguars at Bills: Jemp: Bills, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills And we close out the week with the weird Monday Night double-header. I really like these double headers, especially how they stagger them. I am interested to see if the Jaguars can put up a fight here. So far, the Bills have looked great, but they were gifted an early edge last week from some Tua interceptions. I’m not sure if they are quite as dominant as they looked in that one. I’d like to see Trevor Lawrence give them a run for their money, but I don’t trust the Jags and I’m not picking against Josh Allen at home. Prediction: Bills win 24-20 Commanders at Bengals: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Bengals, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Bengals Tough loss for the Bengals last week as I witnessed our unpaid intern rage in person. At least this week there won’t be any doubt as the Commanders will dominate from start to finish as usual. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Here are the standings:
Reeb: 14-2 Screw: 11-5 Pep: 10-6 Jemp: 9-7 Alx: 8-8 What a glorious week 1. We had some great primetime games (until the dud on Monday Night), and an action-packed witching hour. Some fantasy managers are panicking, fanbases are getting their hope way too high, but everyone is glad to have football back. We’re on to week 2 so let’s pick some games. Bills vs. Dolphins: Jemp: Dolphins, Reeb: Dolphins, Pep: Bills, Screw: Bills We start the week off strong with Bills Dolphins on Thursday Night. The Bills have won 6 straight against the Dolphins but the Dolphins don’t lose at home in September. But an 8pm kickoff might bring down that heat and give the Bills a chance to run roughshod over that Dolphins defense. The Bills got off to a rocky start on Sunday but after a few bumps Josh Allen put the team on his back and the offense couldn’t be stopped. The defense will probably have a rougher time this season, but the Dolphins offense didn’t get off to the hot start they normally do. They managed to pull off a win, but now they are without Mostert and possibly Achane too. I just feel better about the Bills after one week so I’ll take them on the road. Prediction: Bills win 31-30 Saints vs. Cowboys: Jemp: Cowboys , Reeb: Cowboys, Pep: Cowboys, Screw: Cowboys These teams may have delivered the two biggest beatdowns of Week 1. The Cowboys defense was all over Deshaun Watson without his consent. The Cowboys offense went into cruise control early and even Zeke looked alright. I’m still not sure if they can keep this up all season but Week 1 couldn’t have gone better. But as good as the Cowboys looked, the Saints looked even better. They looked like they were playing against a UFL team. Which the Panthers basically are at this point, so I’m not taking too much from the Saints win. Prediction: Cowboys win 27-17 Buccaneers vs. Lions: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Bucs Pretty impressive performance from the Bucs. Baker was on fire, dropping dimes to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and now Jalen McMillan. However, this week, they go against one of the NFC favorites in their building. We all know Jared Goff can be deadly at home and he has a full complement of weapons himself, especially with Jameson Williams’ breakout last week. I’m guessing this week it’s Amon Ra’s turn to rebound, but either way I expect this Lions team to get it done. Prediction: Lions win 37-21 Colts vs. Packers: Jemp: Packers, Reeb: Colts, Pep: Colts, Screw: Colts Rough loss for the Colts as they gave a strong showing against the Texans. Jemp said last week that Anthony Richardson is going to be fun, but we have no idea if he’s going to be good. I must agree as on Sunday he was as electric as a quarterback could possibly be while completing 9 passes. As for the Packers, they suffered a blow last week when Jordan Love went down, but this is still a well coached team that will scheme up some quality plays. Expect more gadget plays for Jayden Reed and Josh Jacobs should have a nice day against a Colts defense that allowed Joe Mixon to run right through them. But there’s not a chance in hell I’m picking Malik Willis here. Prediction: Colts win 24-16 Jets vs. Titans: Jemp: Jets, Reeb: Jets, Pep: Jets, Screw: Jets It was a rough start for the Jets on Monday Night, but not as rough as last year. While they got pounded into submission by the 49ers, the good news is they have a quarterback and he looked pretty good. The defense was the bigger issue, but I don’t expect them to have the same problem against Will Levis who practically begged the Bears to beat him last week. I do have some concerns about the whole Hackett situation as I thought the playcalling was the biggest issue for the offense. They had a singular gameplan of run it on first and second down and then look for Garrett Wilson to bail them out on third down. It worked on their first touchdown drive and then the 49ers defense realized that they just needed to double Wilson on third down and they were golden. Maybe try and be a little less predictable? Prediction: Jets win 24-14 49ers vs. Vikings: Jemp: 49ers, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: 49ers, Screw: 49ers Ah the Sam Darnold revenge game. Interestingly enough this game features the top two PFF-graded quarterbacks of Week 1. There are still plenty of Darnold supporters out there that think Sam could have done more with this 49ers team than Purdy. Now he gets his chance to prove it with a pretty solid cast around him in Minnesota. It looked good last week, but that was against the Giants. I expect him to take a few more lumps this week against the niners. But if we could please get CMC back on the field healthy and if Brandon Aiyuk could shake off the rust, my fantasy team would greatly appreciate it. Prediction: 49ers win 31-13 Seahawks vs. Patriots: Jemp: Seahawks, Reeb: Seahawks, Pep: Seahawks, Screw: Seahawks I did try and tell everyone that the Patriots weren’t going to be as bad as people thought, but I never expected them to beat the Bengals. However, this team has a good defense, and perhaps a passable offense? Jacoby Brissett is a good quarterback, and if the offensive line is decent I think they have enough weapons to at least not hang their defense out to dry. That being said, the Seahawks are the better team here. Their achilles heel is their offensive line, but I don’t know if the Patriots have the pass rushers to take advantage of that. Granted, the Broncos posed them some problems last week so anything is possible. Prediction: Seahawks win 20-17 Giants vs. Commanders: Jemp: Commanders, Reeb: Commanders, Pep: Giants, Screw: Commanders Okay, the Kliff Kingsbury offense was pretty much what I expected, and not in a good way. Jayden Daniels could have been better as a passer, but the offense didn’t give much of a chance. He was electric as a runner at least. And this week it’s the Giants who the Commanders never struggle against so this should be an easy win. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Chargers vs. Panthers: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers Well so much for the new and improved Bryce Young. Maybe Dave Canales isn’t actually a wizard who can fix quarterbacks. This Panthers team somehow looked worse than the dumpster fire they were last year. I think it will be a good long while before any of us pick the Panthers again. It would at least be nice to see something to make us think they are getting better in this game. If not, they might as well put in Andy Dalton. Prediction: Chargers win 24-6 Browns vs. Jaguars: Jemp: Jaguars, Reeb: Jaguars, Pep: Jaguars, Screw: Jaguars The best news for Browns fans this week is that Deshaun Watson was accused in another sexual assault case. There is a non-zero chance this could allow the Browns to void his contract, which would allow them to move on from this nightmare and just go back to being the normally bad Browns. But in the meantime, this team will suffer from the miserable quarterback play. They get another tough opponent this week, as the Jaguars just needed Travis Etienne to hang on to the ball and they likely would have taken down the Dolphins. I think this is a good Jags team that can get a win here at home. Prediction: Jaguars win 24-13 Raiders vs. Ravens: Jemp: Ravens, Reeb: Ravens, Pep: Ravens, Screw: Ravens In one way I feel like I was dead on about the Ravens. The offensive line struggled and Derrick Henry was used exactly like I said he would be. I thought Lamar Jackson played exceptionally well, keeping his team in the game despite missing a couple of killer throws at the end. However, it seems to be everyone’s expectation that the Ravens o-line will just get better with time, which I’m not so sure about. I think it might get worse for the team as teams begin to figure out they just need to prevent Lamar from scrambling because the offensive line can’t protect him. And Maxx Crosby and company could really give this offense a hard time. But obviously I’m not picking the Raiders. Prediction: Ravens win 23-17 Rams vs. Cardinals: Jemp: Rams, Reeb: Cardinals, Pep: Rams, Screw: Rams One of the only toss-ups this week as most of the games have been pretty easy to pick. The Cardinals offense started out strong as it looked like they were going to take out the Bills, and then their defense folded like a cheap piece of plastic. The Rams put up a hell of a fight against the Lions, but they lost Puka Nacua and Joe Noteboom which means they are fully reliant on Cooper Kupp and a very shaky group of offensive tackles. I expected the offensive line to be a strength for the Rams this year and now it might be a liability. However, this could be a Kyren Williams game, as he gashed the Cardinals twice last year, and that interior line for the Rams should be able to blow open some holes for him. Prediction: Rams win 30-24 Steelers vs. Broncos: Jemp: Steelers, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Steelers I feel like this Steelers team could be really obnoxious this year. TJ Watt was an absolute menace on Sunday. Kirk had absolutely no interest in standing back there in the pocket with Watt coming for him on nearly every snap. And Justin Fields is an absolutely perfect fit for the Arthur Smith offense. He’ll just make a few plays with his legs and absolutely ignore the receivers other than a couple of deep shots. It’s a marriage made in heaven. I don’t know if that will work against most teams, but I think it will work against the Broncos. Prediction: Steelers win 17-10 Bengals vs. Chiefs: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs What a shock, the Bengals shit the bed in Week 1. I think there is some fair concern about Joe Burrow’s wrist, as they were showing numerous clips of him flexing his hand and loosening up that wrist. However, this will be the real test. He goes into the stadium formerly known as Burrowhead to try and knock out the defending champions. Joe has always stepped up in these big moments and I’d love to see him give this Chiefs team a real test. I can’t pick the Bengals because we don’t know if they are even good, and even if they are, beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead won’t be easy, but I still am pumped for this one. Prediction: Chiefs win 31-28 Bears vs. Texans: Jemp: Texans, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Texans Not the greatest start for Caleb Williams and the Bears. Sure, they got the win, but all the concerns about Caleb trying to do much showed up in Week 1. Trying to spin out of sacks and running backwards just isn’t a good strategy in the NFL. He would do some of this in college and even then it wouldn’t always work out. The Bears have done everything they can to set him up to succeed. It was only one bad week, and I expect he’ll clean some things up and the Bears will be good later in the season, but I think it could take some time. CJ Stroud needed no time to be good and I think he shows that off in this one. Prediction: Texans win 24-20 Falcons vs. Eagles: Jemp: Eagles, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Eagles, Screw: Eagles Man I of course want to pick Kirk in this one, but I just can’t. He is an old quarterback coming off an Achilles tear and it would be an understatement to say that he looked rattled last week. Granted, he doesn’t have to contend with TJ Watt this time around, so I have hope that this will get better, but there is also the possibility that he might not be fully healthy. There is no guarantee he will ever get back to where he was, but hopefully last week was just a one-week blip and we don’t have to get cries for Michael Penix this season. Oh and to top it all off, Kirk has to play on Monday Night Football, so I have to take the Eagles. Prediction: Eagles win 31-27 It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Today is the day. The day the ProFootballJokes Pick’em finally returns. Now you don’t even need to bother with watching those long, boring football games, because you can just read the results here. The one thing I can guarantee is that the Commanders win 100-0. Now let’s pick some games.
Ravens vs. Chiefs: Jemp: Chiefs, Reeb: Chiefs, Pep: Chiefs, Screw: Chiefs What better way to kick off the season than with an AFC championship rematch? The only problem is that the Chiefs have only gotten better while the Ravens have gotten worse. I’ve heard too much optimism about how the Ravens will be fine because of their infrastructure. They had a historically good defense last year which is bound to regress after losing Patrick Queen, Jadeveon Clowney, Geno Stone, and most importantly Mike McDonald. I don’t expect their defense to fall apart, but if they suddenly have the 10th best defense then that’s a huge fall. However, the biggest issue for the Ravens is that they lost three good starters on the offensive line, and the fact that they are replacing them with completely unproven commodities. They are likely starting a 2nd round rookie, a 7th round rookie, and a third-year player who has posted sub-50 PFF grades in his first two seasons. All that to say I think the Ravens miss the playoffs this year and it starts with getting thrashed by the Chiefs in the opener. Prediction: Chiefs win 31-16 Packers vs. Eagles: Jemp: Packers, Reeb: Eagles, Pep: Packers, Screw: Packers It’s always tough coming off the high of opening night and realizing you have to wait until Sunday for more football. But not this year. This year, we get the Packers and Eagles squaring off on Friday Night in Brazil. The Packers ended last season on a hot streak surging into the playoffs, dismantling the Cowboys, and giving the niners all they could handle (we’ll ignore Love’s final throw). The Eagles ended last season wanting to run Nick Sirianni out of town. Now they’ve bolstered their defense and are looking to bounce back. It’s still a good roster and they should be competitive, but I just like this Packers team too much. They are the better coached squad and they have more weapons than they know what to do with. I’ll trust in Matt Lafleur. Prediction: Packers win 30-27 Steelers vs. Falcons: Jemp: Falcons, Reeb: Steelers, Pep: Steelers, Screw: Falcons What could be more enticing than the Arthur Smith revenge game? While the preseason didn’t bode well for his chances, Steelers fans should know after last year that the preseason doesn’t mean anything. I can almost guarantee a Mycole Pruitt touchdown in this game. But I can’t pick against this new look Falcons team with my guy Captain Kirk at the helm. I wish they had drafted him another weapon instead of Michael Penix, but I still think he has enough to beat this Steelers team and eventually win the NFC South. Might not be much more than that, but you never know. Prediction: Falcons win 24-20 Cardinals vs. Bills: Jemp: Cardinals, Reeb: Bills, Pep: Cardinals, Screw: Bills We have a couple of Cardinals believers here. I do think the Cardinals offense could be good this year. With Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and the great Greg Dortch to throw to, Kyler could have his best season this year. I think we have forgotten how good of a quarterback Kyler actually is. He’s certainly a top 10 guy if he gets back to where he was, and with this crew he could soar even higher. And let’s not forgot the James Conner/Trey Benson duo in the backfield. Unfortunately, I don’t think the defense can pull its weight, and while the Bills may not be a perfect team, they still have Josh Allen and they can probably win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Prediction: Bills win 27-24 Titans vs. Bears: Jemp: Bears, Reeb: Bears, Pep: Bears, Screw: Bears I’m tempted to lone wolf the Titans here because I think they could be better than people think. They have a solid group of receivers and I expect the offensive line to be good with the talent they brought in and Bill Callahan to coach up the group. The defense also seems underrated with the brand new secondary. However, I like the Bears a little more with the additions they made on offense and a defense that played incredible down the stretch last year. This seems like a close one to me but I’ll go with the Bears at home. Prediction: Bears win 23-21 Patriots vs. Bengals: Jemp: Bengals, Reeb: Bengals, Pep: Bengals, Screw: Bengals Typically I don’t write the one-sentence blurbs in Week 1, but this game has me tempted. Ja’Marr Chase is still a question mark, but the Bengals shouldn’t need him in this first game. While I’m a Jacoby Brissett fan, I don’t expect him to succeed behind this offensive line and with this group of receivers. However, I’m not quite as down on the Patriots as other people are. I think there is potential to stabilize the offensive line and they have some potential at receiver, especially once Kendrick Bourne gets back. I don’t expect it to be great, but if it can be functional, they can pair it with a good defense to get some wins this season. But I like the Bengals as a Super Bowl contender so I’m taking them at home. Prediction: Bengals win 24-14 Texans vs. Colts: Jemp: Colts, Reeb: Texans, Pep: Texans, Screw: Colts An offseason full of Texans hype has led up to this one, and we have to believe that this passing game can shred the Colts secondary. Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell seem like a mismatch for Kenny Moore, Juju Brents, and Jaylon Jones. No disrespect to Kenny Moore who has had an outstanding career. However, I do wonder just a bit if this Texans team can live up to the hype. This is now a very tough division, and the Colts will be their first test. I think CJ Stroud can take another step with the weapons he has and get them there, but we’ll have to see it. Prediction: Texans win 28-24 Jaguars vs. Dolphins: Jemp: Jaguars, Reeb: Dolphins, Pep: Dolphins, Screw: Dolphins I keep going back and forth on this one. The more I look at the Jaguars, the more I think they could get to the heights that people expected for them last year. They were never a dominant team, but there was a point where they had the best record in the AFC. They fell apart a bit down the stretch, but there was an injury to Trevor Lawrence that could have affected that. But the Dolphins always get out to a hot start, and their roster looks as good as anyone. Weirdly, I didn’t put either of these teams in my AFC playoffs, which just goes to show how loaded the conference is. However, I think they both are in it until the end. Prediction: Jaguars win 31-30 Panthers vs. Saints: Jemp: Saints, Reeb: Saints, Pep: Saints, Screw: Saints I really want to lone wolf the Panthers. I know they were one of the worst offenses we’ve ever seen a year ago, but Dave Canales must have fixed them a little bit, right? Bryce Young might never be a star, but he can’t be this bad? They solidified the offensive line and brought in Diontae Johnson to throw to, I’m just looking for them to have like the 25th best offense this year. Honestly, if Bryce Young can get to Derek Carr’s level, which isn’t exactly a high bar, I think the Panthers will be a better team than the Saints. So yeah, I’ll take the Panthers on the road. Prediction: Panthers win 20-17 Vikings vs. Giants: Jemp: Vikings, Reeb: Vikings, Pep: Giants, Screw: Vikings Yuck. We really have to sit through Sam Darnold vs. Daniel Jones? Usually we don’t have to endure these kinds of quarterback duels until the later half of the season when injuries have hit. But I guess we get to see which one wins the race to the bench. I’m guessing the one without Justin Jefferson and Kevin O’Connell. I’m not expecting much from either of them, but Darnold has the far superior surrounding cast, so I’ll take the Vikings pretty easily here. Prediction: Vikings win 24-13 Raiders vs. Chargers: Jemp: Chargers, Reeb: Chargers, Pep: Chargers, Screw: Chargers I picked the Chargers to go to the playoffs and I’m wondering if I’m overestimating Jim Harbaugh. I’ve always preached to not overrate coaching, and this roster is not nearly as good as the Dolphins or Jaguars. They have a great quarterback and a potentially great offensive line, but not a lot else going for them. My vision is that the combination of Harbaugh and this offensive line creates a great running game, which opens up an efficient passing game for Herbert. And the ability to control the ball will help out this defense. It’s nice in theory, but usually talent wins out in the end. Fortunately, they play the Raiders in week 1, so they won’t have to worry about being outclassed in the talent department this week. Prediction: Chargers win 23-17 Broncos vs. Seahawks: Jemp: Seahawks, Reeb: Seahawks, Pep: Seahawks, Screw: Seahawks The Seahawks are another team I’m very excited to watch. I love their skill position group as I was very high on Kenneth Walker and Jaxon Smith-Njigba coming out of college, and that hasn’t changed from watching them in the NFL. Tyler Lockett may have lost a small step, but DK is still great and Geno is a very solid quarterback. The offensive line is a bit concerning, but I think Mike McDonald could do great things with this defense. And I think he’ll get to flex this week, because they get Bo Nix and the Broncos. I think the Broncos have one of the most talent-deficient rosters in the league this year, so I expect an easy win for the Seahawks here. Prediction: Seahawks win 27-10 Cowboys vs. Browns: Jemp: Cowboys, Reeb: Browns, Pep: Cowboys, Screw: Cowboys This might be the hardest game for me to pick, because I’m low on both of these teams. I expect the Browns to regress from the highs they had on defense last year. They were exposed by the Texans in the playoffs, and I think just some natural regression is due despite not losing any key starters. However, the Cowboys actually have lost key starters on both sides of the ball, and they didn’t add much to replace any of them. I know people look at Dak, Ceedee, and Micah Parsons and think this team will be fine until they crumble in the playoffs, but I don’t know that they even make it there. Prediction: Browns win 21-17 Commanders vs. Buccaneers: Jemp: Bucs, Reeb: Bucs, Pep: Commanders, Screw: Commanders Oh boy the Bucs are trying to run it back from last year, where they finished strong. However, they were a middling team for the majority of last season, and most of their best players are past their primes. And unfortunately for them, they run into a buzzsaw to start the year. Prediction: Commanders win 100-0 Rams vs. Lions: Jemp: Lions, Reeb: Lions, Pep: Lions, Screw: Lions What a great slate of primetime games to start the year. A rematch of the NFC Wild Card game that came down to the wire. Of course you have the Matthew Stafford/Jared Goff revenge game angles as well. But mostly you just get a battle of what should be two of the best offenses in football. The Lions are essentially bringing back the same crew on offense, except they replaced Jonah Jackson with Kevin Zeitler and they lost Josh Reynolds. The Rams are hoping to have a fully healthy Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams, but it appears that Puka is the biggest question mark for Week 1. He seems on track to play, but will that be enough against these Lions? I could see this one going either way, but it’s the Lions who should have the better defense on paper, so I’ll take them at home. Prediction: Lions win 37-34 Jets vs. 49ers: Jemp: Jets, Reeb: 49ers, Pep: Jets, Screw: 49ers And if it couldn’t get any better we again get the Jets on Monday Night in Week 1. Let’s hope it goes better than last year for them. I mentioned how great the primetime games are because they feature 7 of last year’s playoff teams… and the Jets. However, the Jets roster might be stronger than any of them. The biggest question is what version of Aaron Rodgers are we getting, and is it enough to overcome the Nathaniel Hackett of it all. Other than that, it seems like only injuries can stop them. We also get a little Robert Saleh revenge game here, what can he do now that he finally has a quarterback? I’m so torn here, especially since the 49ers got the Aiyuk and Trent Williams deals done. But maybe there is some rust there, so I’ll take the Jets to get off to a strong start. Prediction: Jets win 28-27 |
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