San Diego Chargers (3-3) and the Buffalo Bills(4-1)
The Bills are coming off a bye week this week and that will give them a bit of an advantage over the Chargers, who are coming off a Monday Night Game. The Bills 9th ranked overall defense will have its hands full with a very potent offense from the Chargers that has not played to its full potential so far this season. On the flip side, the Chargers 28th ranked overall defense needs to get better if they want to contest with the rested Bills offense. My pick this week is the Bills: 28 Chargers:17
New Orleans Saints(3-3) and the Carolina Panthers(4-2)
Both teams play in the highly competative NFC South division. The Panthers, coming off a 27-3 loss to the Bucs, look to rebound against another divisional opponent. The Panthers 3rd ranked overall defense has a challenge against a very potent Saints offense. Led by MVP canditate QB Drew Brees, the Saints 2nd ranked total offense has battled through numerous injuries on the offense. This week however, the Saints get a huge boost when Marques Colsten, their top wideout, returns to action from a broken thumb. The Panthers however, also have a good offense. Led by QB Jake Delhomme, WR Steve Smith, and the RB tandem of Jonathan Stewart and Deangelo Williams, the panthers rely on physicality and a balanced offense. The Panthers 16th ranked overall offense goes up against the Saints 19th ranked overall defense to try to solitify1st place in the NFC south. My pick this week is Panthers:24 Saints:21
Indianapolis Colts(3-2) and the Green Bay Packers(3-3)
The Colts started out the season slow, losing their first 2 out of 3 games. One of the biggest problems has been their running, both defense and offense. Their defense is 29th in the league against the run, while their running offense is worst in the league. If they want to win games, they need to sure up these two problems. The Green Bay Packers started off great, winning their first two games, but then they went on a 3 game losing streak before beating the Seahawks last week. The Packers 14th ranked offense sounds good, but most of there offense comes from their passing game, with a 21st ranked rushing offense. The Packers defense also started off well, but injuries have slowly declined their defensive abilities. The Colts are almost the same thing, they have no running game and their passing attack does most of the work. Their defense has been hurt by injuries as well, with key players like pro bowl safety Bob Sanders out with and injured knee. If you like offense, you should watch this game, it should turn out to be a shootout. My pick is the Packers:31 Colts:35
Cleveland Browns(2-3) and the Washington Redskins(4-2)
The Browns, coming off an impressive win against the preivously unbeaten defending champion New York Giants, look to keep the momentum going against another NFC East Opponent, the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are coming off a last-second loss to the previously winless St. Louis Rams. The Redskins big problem in last weeks game was turnovers. Coming into the game they had not commited a single turnover. The game the ball away 4 times in last weeks game. The Redskins 7th ranked overall offense looks to run all over the browns 17th ranked overall defense. The Browns offense comes off a huge confidence game against the Giants. QB Derek Anderson, after a great year last year, was expected to be great again this year. He was disappointing through the first 5 games, but got back on track last week. The Browns 28th ranked overall offense will have a tough time moving the ball against the Redskins 8th ranked overall defense. This game will be test for the Redskins but I think they will come out with a win Redskins:17 Browns:10
Denver Broncos(4-2) and the New England Patriots(3-3)
The Denver Broncos come off a loss against a good Jacksonville Jaguars team. Their 4th ranked overall offense should get some good numbers against the Patriots’ 15th ranked overall defense. The New England offense led by backup QB Matt Cassel, is still trying to get their QB to play well. Ever since Cassel came in for the injured Tom Brady, the New England offense has dropped tremendously to 21st in the NFL. However, they face a Broncos defense that has already been a lot of shootouts this year. At 30th in overall defense in the NFL, they are one of the worst defenses in the league. If they want to win more consistently, there defense needs to improve dramatically. I think this will be another good game my pick is Broncos:28 Patriots:24
