NFL Week Six Predictions

Now that the Nationals' and Orioles' seasons have been abruptly ended, local sports fans will be looking to the Redskins and Ravens for hope. Luckily, there is plenty of hope in town as the Ravens look to improve on their 4-1 record at home against the Cowboys while Redskins fans are delighted to hear that RG3 has been cleared to play and will be starting against the Vikings.

Solid weeks all around for the SCO experts leave Jacob in the lead followed closely by Josh and Jack. Michael is above .500 for the first time all season.

Standings:

Jacob: 48-29

Josh: 47-30

Jack: 45-32

Michael: 40-37Thursday, October 11, 2012

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans

Jacob: Steelers

Jack: Steelers

Michael: Steelers

Josh: Steelers

Jacob says:

The Titans are struggling mightily. At 1-4 and in last place in the AFC South their season is already slipping away. The Steelers are having some troubles of their own but this game will be a breeze.

Jack says:

The Steelers will roll over the Titans, who will fall to 1-5 on the year. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Titans, Jake Locker or Matt Hasselbeck, will be in for a long day.

Michael says:

The Steelers, coming off a good week, will take care of Tennessee. Chris Johnson is a non-factor and even though two key Pittsburgh defenders are out, the Titans won't give them trouble.

Josh says:

The Titans are awful. Chris Johnson has been playing like an 80 year old man with a walker. He can't run. He can't make defenders miss. And with Jake Locker out with an injury, the slim chances the Titans had of winning faded. Big Ben will win this one easily for the Steel Curtain.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jacob: Buccaneers

Jack: Buccaneers

Michael: Buccaneers

Josh: Chiefs

Jacob says:

The Buccaneers are coming off a much needed bye week and hopefully they will be able to bounce back against Kansas City.

Jack says:

Coming off of a bye week, the Buccaneers will have the edge in this one. The Chiefs will lose their fourth straight game against the Bucs and will fall to 1-5.

Michael says:

Kansas City has not had much of an offense so far this season, other than Jamaal Charles. Look for the Bucs to focus on Charles and get the job done.

Josh says:

Surprisingly enough the Chiefs have the 4th ranked offense in the league. Going up against the Bucs who have the 27th ranked defense they should run away with this one. Even with Notre Dame star Brady Quinn at quarterback Jamaal Charles will rally his troops.

Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets

Jacob: Jets

Jack: Colts

Michael: Colts

Josh: ColtsJacob says:

The Colts took down the Packers week five while the Jets nearly came out with a win against the Texans. The Jets are volatile, and potentially awful, but they still might win against Indy.

Jack says:

Sanchez < Luck < Tebow. It's simple, no Tebow, no win. As long as the Jets continue to start Mark Sanchez at quarterback, they will continue to lose. Andrew Luck just keeps on improving each week so look for him to pick on a Revis-less Jets' secondary.

Michael says:

Andrew Luck scorched the Green Bay defense and should do the same to a lesser Jets' defense. On the other side of the ball, New York has no offensive weapons, so all the Colts really need is one score anyways.

Josh says:

Last week Andrew Luck proved that he's an elite quarterback when he engineered a game winning drive for the Colts. Where the Colts are strong, the Jets are lost at quarterback. The Colts are simply too "Chuckstrong” to lose this one.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

Jacob: Bengals

Jack: Browns

Michael: Bengals

Josh: Bengals

Jacob says:

Andy Dalton and AJ Green are a deadly, yet inconsistent, duo. They should be able to exploit the weak Browns' defense for a big week.

Jack says:

Here comes Brandon Weeden's first win as a pro. The Browns are hanging in with almost every team they have played thus far. Last week, the Browns almost upset the defending super bowl champs when they went up 14-0 early against the Giants in New York. The Bengals did not look good last week in losing to the Dolphins, so look for their poor play to continue. Cleveland will roll at home.

Michael says:

This game could go to the Browns, but realistically Cincinnati should win this one. Their offense led by Andy Dalton had been solid so far and should continue to put the works on the less than stellar Cleveland defense.

Josh says:

A.J. Green is officially an elite wide receiver. The Browns have no decent wide receivers. See the difference? Cincy wins big.

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles

Jacob: Lions

Jack: Lions

Michael: Eagles

Josh: Eagles

Jacob says:

The Lions have been out of sync all season but they simply have too much talent to let go to waste. With a healthy Stafford the Lions will be able to score big against the tough Eagles' defense.

Jack says:

Coming off a bye, look for the Lions to come out strong, and turn their season around. Megatron will return to his form of last year and a healthy Stafford will be too much for the Eagles to contain. The Lions will get a much-needed victory.

Michael says:

The Lions have been bad so far this season and the Eagles have been actually sort of good. I think Philly will put it together this week and find a way to win.

Josh says:

The Lions are lost this year. They're disorganized and can't find a rhythm. The Eagles will probably have a few turnovers this week, but will still be able to pull out the W.

Oakland Raiders at Atlanta Falcons

Jacob: Falcons

Jack: Falcons

Michael: Falcons

Josh: Falcons

Jacob says:

The Falcons are undefeated and although they showed signs of weakness against the Redskins, the Raiders are simply outmatched.

Jack says:

The Falcons are a top three team in the league right now. No way Oakland will hand them their first loss of the year.

Michael says:

Atlanta has still been the best team in the league so far along with Houston. Oakland will have a tough time with their dynamic offense while the tough Atlanta D takes care of the below average Oakland offense.

Josh says:

The Raiders could sneak up on the Falcons if they're able to get their running game going. But unfortunately, they won't. The Falcons go 6-0.

St. Louis Rams at Miami Dolphins

Jacob: Rams

Jack: Dolphins

Michael: Dolphins

Josh: Rams

Jacob says:

The Rams are coming off a big win against the previously undefeated Cardinals and they will ride the momentum all the way to Miami. The Dolphins are on the rise as well but Sam Bradford will take down Ryan Tannehill.

Jack says:

The Dolphins are a much better team than they get credit for. They showed that last week in their upset victory over the Bengals. They have lost two games in overtime this year, and could easily be 4-1 right now. This is a dangerous team. Look for Reggie Bush to lead the way for the Dolphins, who will upend the Rams.

Michael says:

I don't like the Rams enough yet to have them winning. I like the young Miami QB to take some pressure off the running game and really be the key to this Miami win.

Josh says:

The Rams' secondary is vastly improved this year and Ryan Tannehill won't be able to get much going even at home. Reggie Bush should be able to have a big game, but I see Sam Bradford overcoming Bush and his new baby boy to get the win.

Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens

Jacob: Ravens

Jack: Ravens

Michael: Ravens

Josh: Ravens

Jacob says:

Their 9-6 win against the Chiefs was less than impressive but the Ravens have still given up the second fewest points in the AFC. The Cowboys are very weak offensively and their defense is not good enough to keep them afloat in this one.

Jack says:

Although the Ravens did get the win last week against Kansas City, their offense was dismal. Joe Flacco will bounce back and have a solid game to pace the Ravens.

Michael says:

This could be a good one, but after the recent performances by Tony Romo, I have to pick the Ravens.

Josh says:

The Ravens are really good. Why do people not give them enough credit?

Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals

Jacob: Cardinals

Jack: Cardinals

Michael: Cardinals

Josh: Cardinals

Jacob says:

Everyone knew the Cardinals weren't going to be able to stay undefeated but they remain a very tough team. The Bills are solid offensively but they are hopeless on the defensive side of the ball, enough that Kevin Kolb and the Cardinals will be able to put up big points.

Jack says:

The Bills' defense is flat out awful right now, and their offense is not playing much better. The Cardinals will make it hard on Ryan Fitzpatrick, so look for Arizona to win in a big way.

Michael says:

Arizona should easily be able to control Buffalo, especially without CJ Spiller. The Cardinals continue to ride their great season.

Josh says:

The Bills have given up 97 points in the past two games. That's a lot in case you didn't know. Kevin Kolb should be able to pad his stats here.

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks

Jacob: Patriots

Jack: Patriots

Michael: Patriots

Josh: Patriots

Jacob says:

The Patriots re-established themselves in their win against the Broncos. With Brady at the helm this will always be one of the top teams in the league. The Seahawks are on the rise but they will be shut down by New England.

Jack says:

With no replacement refs to aid them, the Seahawks will not stand a chance.

Michael says:

The best offense in the league will scorch the Seattle defense. Russell Wilson will try and put up a fight but the young Pats' defense is not too bad as well. I've got New England taking this one.

Josh says:

Tom Brady is having one of his best years so far and the Pats' offense is just racking up points at will. Even with Bruce Irvin off the edge the Hawks won't be able to stifle this prolific offense. Pats are gonna put up big points.

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers

Jacob: 49ers

Jack: Giants

Michael: 49ers

Josh: 49ersJacob says:

The Giants have scored the most points in the NFC and the 49ers have scored the second most. The difference is that San Fran's defense is number one in the NFL and they have given up a total of three points in the last two games. The hot 49ers will shine at home.

Jack says:

Eli Manning and the Giants will pull off the upset over the favored 49ers. As usual, the defending champs are not getting the respect they deserve. But it's ok, they like it that way. The Giants will find ways to score against the stout 49ers' D, so it will be up to Alex Smith to put up a couple scores. I believe this game will be somewhat high scoring, and the 49ers do not have the offensive firepower to keep up with last year's Super Bowl champions.

Michael says:

This rematch of the NFC title game last season, I think goes to San Francisco. They will be looking for revenge and be playing with a chip on their shoulders. San Fran will be ready and take out the champs.

Josh says:

This is the closest and best game of the week. The Giants have a great pass rush and should be able to disrupt Alex Smith's rhythm while the 49ers have a great all around D and should be able to stop Eli Manning and Victor Cruz. 49ers win one here and exact revenge for the NFC Championship game.

Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins

Jacob: Vikings

Jack: Vikings

Michael: Redskins

Josh: Vikings

Jacob says:

The Vikings are already exceeding expectations. At 4-1 they are on top of the tough NFC North, Christian Ponder is showing huge improvement from last year and Adrian Peterson appears to be fully recovered from his ACL tear. RG3 is going to play the Skins' defense can't stop Minnesota.

Jack says:

If RG3 is not able to play, the Skins' hopes of winning this one will be dealt a major blow. Even if he plays, the Vikings are still the better team. Christian Ponder will pick on Washington's excuse of a secondary and playmaker Percy Harvin will have a field day.

Michael says:

The Vikings have not been too great against the run this season on defense, and that's the backbone of the Washington offense. Look for the Redskins to surprise Minnesota.

Josh says:

Even if RG3 is healthy the Redskins' offense won't be able to get much against this good Vikings' defense. The Vikings will continue their surprising run and move on up to 5-1.

Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans

Jacob: Packers

Jack: Packers

Michael: Texans

Josh: Texans

Jacob says:

The Packers are underperforming week after week but they're going to have to snap out of it at some point. This may be the toughest place to do it but Rodgers knows the stakes and he will come out big.

Jack says:

You've got to believe the Packers will start playing like the Packers sometime. Look for them to show up ready to play on primetime. With Cedric Benson out, Aaron Rodgers will be forced to carry an even heavier load. This injury will be a blessing in disguise for the Packers as Rodgers will get to throw the ball close to 50 times. The Pack will pull off the upset.

Michael says:

Houston is flat out the most complete team in the NFL. I don't see them losing this game.

Josh says:

The Texans are a great all around team and the Packers are struggling. People will think this will be close, but it shouldn't. The Packers can't run and so they won't be able to dominate the clock. The Texans' offense will have plenty of time on the field to score.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Jacob: Broncos

Jack: Broncos

Michael: Broncos

Josh: Broncos

Jacob says:

Manning nearly pulled off a huge comeback against New England but none of that will be necessary against San Diego.

Jack says:

The Broncos' offense is getting better each week under Peyton Manning. As long as the Broncos do not make dumb mistakes, much like they did last week in New England, they will get the win.

Michael says:

Peyton Manning will be significantly more comfortable with his offense and put up some big points against San Diego. The Denver defense should also shut down the pass like they have done all season.

Josh says:

With a chance to gain the lead in the AFC West Peyton Manning will get the Broncos in shape and win this one. Manning will return to form for at least one week.