I started off my picks choosing ATL over Carolina. I thought the game would have been decided by the ATL WRs outmatching the Carolina secondary, instead it turned out the running game of the Falcons was able to win the day. Final score, 31-24 Falcons.
The second game I chose Green Bay over the Vikings. Despite Aaron Rogers injury, I still felt he could (and would) be the deciding factor. Some would question a few bad calls by the refs for deciding this game. But Minnesota played a solid game and proved they would be sticking around as one of the elite teams. Final score, 29-29 tie.
I picked Miami to upset the New York Jets. The fans are high on Sam Darnold, and for good reason. But this is the NFL, and it was a matter of time before the speed of the game and the defenses started to figure him out. At that point, he would need to keep trucking and learning. But he would take some Ls along the way. And he did end up taking one. Final score, 20-12 Miami.
Tampa Bay and the Super Bowl champs. I chose Tampa Bay for that game because I felt Nick Foles would began to show why he was a career backup. I also didn’t expect the game to be high scoring. I was right about the pick but wrong about the score. But given the new rules, it may be that 21 points is now the new low. Nevertheless final score, 27-21 Tampa.
I could not add the niners as a pick because of my bias. But I would say that I am getting worried. Yeah we came away with the win, but Jimmy G is starting to show some issues. He tend to stare down his WR way too long, and a better D will pick up on that and make us pay. Detroit almost did, and if it wasn’t for the defensive holding call, I would have been mourning that colossal failure. Instead, I was able to watch my team skate by. Final score, 30-27 49ers (narrow escape).
I chose Denver to win against Oakland. It was a home game for Denver, and Oakland still had the Monday night loss on their minds. The game ended up being much closer than I thought. Final score, 20-19 Denver.
How about them Jags?
I did not have them winning against the Pats. The X factor for me was Bill Belichick. I felt he would have game planned around the Jags defense and made Jalen Ramsey eat those words. Instead, the Jags defense frustrated the Pats, and Tom Brady showed it. Tom could be seen on the sideline yelling at one of his players to, “do their jobs”. New England ended up gambling on Josh Gordon, needing WR help, after that game. Final score, 31-20 Jags.
I ended it with Dallas beating the Giants, and Chicago beating Seattle. Final scores, 20-13 Dallas, and 24-17 Bears. Leaving me 6-1-1 for last week’s predictions.
