2014 Week 6 NFL Picks

14 wins and only one loss.

Yes, folks that was my prediction record last week. I did a fantastic job any way you want to look at it, and the incredible weekly record brings my season mark to a healthy 49-27 (64.47%).

As teams continue to play more consistently, the games will become easier to predict, and I expect my success to continue.

If you want to win an easy $10 Amazon gift card in an easy trivia contest this Thursday click on the following link or at the link at the bottom of this post: https://jacobssportstalk.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/annoucing-jacobs-sports-talk-nfl-twitter-trivia-contest

But if you want some provenly accurate NFL prediction advice, then get ready.

Here they are:

Indianapolis Colts (3-2) vs. Houston Texans (3-2) (Thursday at 8:25 PM ET)-

The Texans finally lost last week, and while this team is better than their 2-14 debacle last year, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s crew is not much above the mediocre mark.

Playing Andrew Luck and a rapidly improving Colts offense that is clearly playoff-bound, I don’t think Houston has enough…even at home.

Winner: Colts

The following games are on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET:

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (2-2)-

The Steelers are definitely one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. They are extremely hard to predict, but I do know this much: they barely beat the Jaguars last week, they lost to the Buccaneers a couple of weeks ago, and they hung on to only a three-point victory at home against these Browns in week 1.

With Brian Hoyer and Cleveland actually playing good football and this game being in Ohio, I’ll take the Browns to move above .500. Not much confidence because you never know with the Steelers.

Winner: Browns

New England Patriots (3-2) vs. Buffalo Bills (3-2)-

Last week, Tom Brady did what an elite quarterback does – he proved the doubters wrong. After a couple of tough losses that had even me shaking my head, Brady went out and led his team to a win over the then undefeated Bengals in prime time. It was a big statement, and while I still believe that the Patriots are on the decline, I have more faith in their playoff hopes.

While Kyle Orton and the Bills did get an upset win over the Lions last week, they still are a relatively weak team that lacks proven playmakers. I still expect them to finish right around the 6-10 or 7-9 mark at the end of the season.

On the road, the Patriots show some consistency. Brady’s crew gets their second straight win.

UPDATE: After further consideration, the Patriots’ inconsistency is concerning me further. Buffalo has looked impressive in some games this year, and at home, I’ll change my pick and say they get the “W”.

Winner: Bills 

Carolina Panthers (3-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (3-1)- 

Cam Newton and the Panthers looked pretty decent in a win over the Bears last week, while the Bengals got blown out by the Patriots in prime time.

Nevertheless, the Panthers remain a banged up team and the Bengals play much better at home than they do on the road.

I’m taking the healthier and more talented team to bounce back in front of their home crowd.

Winner: Bengals 

Jacksonville Jaguars (0-5) vs. Tennessee Titans (1-4)-

This is a tough pick between two bad teams.

Blake Bortles might be the future of the Jaguars, but this season, he makes them nothing more than a weak team.

The Titans have also looked terrible early in the season. Jake Locker may have future potential, but like the Jaguars, Tennessee lacks proven playmakers. It doesn’t help that Locker got injured again on Sunday and his status for this game is uncertain.

The Titans are probably the slightly better team. Playing at home, I’ll take them to get the win. However, this is nothing more than a toss-up.

Winner: Titans

Green Bay Packers (3-2) vs. Miami Dolphins (2-2)-

With big wins over the Bears and Vikings, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have gotten right back on track. Rodgers’ elite play, the emergence of young running back Eddie Lacy, and the continued presence of wide receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson make this offense among the best in the NFL.

The Dolphins have looked decent so far this year, but against a great team like the Packers, I think Ryan Tannehill’s squad will be over-matched.

Winner: Packers

Detroit Lions (3-2) vs. Minnesota Vikings (2-3)-

Matthew Stafford and the Lions are demonstrating their typical inconsistency. They have to get it together if they want to truly contend for the postseason.

The Vikings got crushed last week, but that was without quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. With Teddy back for this game and the Vikings playing at home, I will take Minnesota to squeak out a tight divisional win.

Winner: Vikings

Denver Broncos (3-1) vs. New York Jets (1-4)-

This is Peyton Manning and one of the greatest offenses in NFL history going up against that Geno Smith/Michael Vick mess in New York. Excellent vs. terrible. A no-brainer pick here.

Winner: Broncos

Baltimore Ravens (3-2) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4)-

After beating the Steelers and keeping things close with the Saints, it can probably be assumed that the Buccaneers are a better team under quarterback Mike Glennon than under quarterback Josh McCown. They still won’t be anywhere near the playoff race, but it is something to consider when looking at their talent.

The Ravens can sometimes look really bad, but lately, that has not been the case. Led by Super Bowl champion quarterback Joe Flacco, Baltimore has gathered up some impressive showings, and while they did lose a tight one to the Colts last week, I’m starting to strongly consider them as true threats for an AFC North crown.

I thought about an upset because the Bucs have played better and the Ravens are often inconsistent, but it’s still a bad team vs. a pretty good team. I’ll take favorite to get the W.

Winner: Ravens

San Diego Chargers (4-1) vs. Oakland Raiders (0-4) (Sunday at 4:05 PM ET)-

Philip Rivers and the Chargers are a solid team playing playoff-worthy football, while Derek Carr and the Raiders lack quality players and have played terribly to start the season.

This is an easy pick.

Winner: Chargers

The following games are on Sunday at 4:25 PM ET:

Chicago Bears (2-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (2-3)-

This is a battle of two talented teams that just cannot seem to put it together.

With solid quarterback Jay Cutler, two stud wide receivers in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and a great running back in Matt Forte, the Bears have the ingredients for a Super Bowl contending team. However, for whatever reason, they just cannot seem to put it together when it matters most, and that was proven against Carolina last week.

The Falcons also have some great weapons: quarterback Matt Ryan is a fantastic player, and you cannot go wrong with the wide receiver duo of Julio Jones and Roddy White. However, over the past couple of seasons, Atlanta has struggled to make that offense click and I ultimately think it will cost them a playoff spot in the end.

As far as this pick goes, it is a virtual toss-up. However, Atlanta tends to play better at home than they do on the road (a win over the Saints and a demolishment of the Buccaneers proves that point), so with low confidence, I will take the Falcons to edge out the Bears in this one.

Winner: Falcons

Dallas Cowboys (4-1) vs. Seattle Seahawks (4-1)-

Lately, Tony Romo and the Cowboys have been playing much better football. They haven’t had the hardest of schedules, but they have done what they needed to do to put themselves in a decent position for a playoff berth. The talent on the offense is undeniable, and while I do have my concerns over their inconsistency, I need to give some credit where credit is due.

However, this week, they’re playing the Seahawks…in Seattle.

I don’t think Dallas stands much of a chance.

Winner: Seahawks

Washington Redskins (1-4) vs. Arizona Cardinals (3-1)-

Though the offense does have some young, talented weapons, the Redskins are barely reaching the mediocre mark. Their play is resembling their 2013 debacle, and whether it’s RGIII or Kirk Cousins, they just cannot seem to get it done.

The Cardinals are also having some quarterback injury troubles, but unlike the Redskins, they’ve been able to deal with them in a proper manner. Even if Logan Thomas gets the start under center, Arizona is at home, and quite frankly, with some solid tools on both sides of the ball, they just find ways to win games.

I’ll take the more proven team, even if the QB situation doesn’t look great.

Winner: Cardinals

New York Giants (3-2) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) (Sunday at 8:30 PM ET)-

Nick Foles and the Eagles have plenty of talented offensive weapons, but in my eyes, they’re not quite an elite team. They’ve just barely squeaked out home victories over teams like the Rams and the Redskins, and I think they might be due for a tough loss.

Eli Manning and the Giants have been playing much better football as of late. They’ve won three in a row, and while I still don’t think they’ll do too much in the playoffs race, I will take them to get win #4 – an upset over the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Winner: Giants

San Francisco 49ers (3-2) vs. St. Louis Rams (1-3) (Monday at 7:30 PM ET)-

The Rams may have some talent and Austin Davis may actually be the quarterback of the future.

However, right now, the 49ers are a much more developed and consistent team. Even on the road, I will take them to get a Monday night win.

Winner: 49ers

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2012 NFL Week 6: What We Learned

Out of all the weeks so far, week 6 taught me the most. Before we get to the top 5 things that we did learn, I will announce that I had a very rough week of picks, going only 6-8, decreasing my season record to 54-37 (59.34%). This is a step backward toward reaching my goal of picking 70% by the end of the season, but a lot of analysts had a rough week, so you just have to move on and keep picking. Nevertheless, here are those top 5 things that we learned in week #6:

• The 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers may not be as good as most of us thought, although I will give them one more chance Sunday night against the Bengals.
• The Ravens might not be going to the Super Bowl after all. They’ve been having problems on both sides of the ball, and they lost star defensive players Ray Lewis and Lardarius Webb.
• There is a reason why the Giants made it to the Super Bowl last year. They can beat anyone and lose with anyone. Just have to find a way to limit the inconsistency.
• The Packers looked as good as anyone, in their win over the previously undefeated Texans. They’re a very talented, veteran team who I expect to fully bounce back from that 2-3 start and make the playoffs.
• Monday Night was a perfect example of why I’m such a believer in the Denver Broncos. After being down 24-0 at halftime, Peyton Manning looked as good as ever, and he came back to beat the Chargers. I believe that this is a playoff team, and once they get in, who knows who can stop them.

2012 Week 6 NFL Recap

Week 6 of NFL football is almost over. Two games remain, one tonight, and one more tomorrow night. However, the Sunday day games have concluded. In terms of my predictions, let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. Before I say my record, I’d just like to say, for those of you viewing Jacob’s Sports Commentary for the first time right here on this post, this is not how I usually pick, and I am a much better predictor than this week 6 record indicates. I went only 5-7 in the first twelve games, downgrading my season record to 53-36 (59.55%). Obviously not a step in the right direction, but two games still remain, and I could still end up with a .500 record in week 6. Speaking of week 6, here are the story lines that made it the entertaining week that it was, as well as some of my opinion sprinkled in.

• Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans shocked the Steelers, as they won the Thursday night contest by a field goal in Tennessee.
• In what was a slight upset, the Browns came up on top in the battle of Ohio, ending their eleven game winless streak, and giving quarterback Brandon Weeden his first career NFL victory.
• Josh Freeman and the Buccaneers continue to look improved, as they got a win over the struggling and injured Chiefs.
• The Dolphins continue to impress, as they picked up another nice win, over Sam Bradford and the greatly improved Rams. Miami is now at .500 and tied for first place in the AFC East.
• Michael Vick and the Eagles are talented, but are committing way too many turnovers to have playoff hopes. They lost to Matthew Stafford and the Lions in overtime, as Detroit picked up only its’ second win of the 2012 season.
• Matt Ryan and the Falcons stayed undefeated, as they beat the decent-looking Raiders in a close game.
• The Jets scored 35 points, and beat the Colts in blow out style. It looks like Mark Sanchez will keep his job, at least for another week.
• As defensive players,Ladarius Webb and Ed Reed both get injured, the Ravens got another ugly win, this time over Tony Romo and the Cowboys.
• Cardinals’ kicker Jay Feely made a 61 yard field goal to tie the game, but missed a game winning 43 yard attempt. The Cardinals ended up losing to the Bills in overtime.
• Russell Wilson and the Seahawks pulled out a one-point upset win over Tom Brady and the elite New England Patriots.
• Alex Smith threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions, as the 49ers took a pounding, and lost big time to Eli Manning and the Giants.
• Robert Griffin III had a huge day, especially rushing-wise, as he led the Redskins to a victory over Christian Ponder and the Minnesota Vikings

2012 Week 6 NFL Picks!

Fun fact: If you cut the NFL season into a beginning, middle, and end, most of this week would be in the “middle” section. Middle of the season, are you kidding? It seems that the other day week I had started my blog. Before we get down to the picks, I’d like to inform you on two things. 1. If you want descriptive, accurate, hard-core weekly football picks, plus more NFL related commentary, this is the place! There should be a “Follow” button in the lower right hand corner of your screen. If you click on it, and type in your e-mail (it’ll be kept 100% private and will never be shared with anyone), you’ll get all of my posts right through your e-mail account. Not only does get you my posts continentally, but it gives me support and keeps me going. 2. In week 5, I had a strong prediction week, going 10-4, improving my season record to 48-29 (62.34%), and if I keep this up, I will reach my goal of picking 70% when the regular season concludes. So let’s keep improving. Here are the picks for week number 6:

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) vs. Tennessee Titans (1-4) (Thursday at 8:20 PM ET)- The Steelers had a nice one point win over the Eagles on Sunday, after they had gotten back some of their key defensive players. Overall, I like where this team is headed, and think they should win more games, and contend, if not win the AFC North. The Titans looked like a disaster against the Vikings, especially on the offense. Jake Locker has some young talent at quarterback but Matt Hasselbeck is not doing a good job as a backup, as the Titans scored only 7 points. Perhaps, when Jake Locker is healthy and has more experience, this team can get better, but right now they’re a mess and should get blown out at home. Winner: Steelers

Oakland Raiders (1-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (5-0) (Sunday at 1:00 PM ET)-  Not too much to say about the Raiders. They have shown some good signs, some bad. Carson Palmer is inconsistent, although he is a veteran quarterback that can make the play. However, face it Raiders fans, you’re not going to the playoffs. The Falcons have had a very impressive start as they are one of only two teams to remain undefeated through five games. I said that this could be a breakout year for Matt Ryan, and so far, it has. He’s been as good as anyone in the first five games, making accurate throws to some great receivers that they have. They haven’t exactly demolished their last two opponents, the Panthers and Redskins, but nevertheless I still really like where they’re going and think they will stay undefeated and start the season 6-0. Winner: Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (0-5)- The Bengals had an upset loss to the Dolphins on Sunday. That’s tough, but not totally unexpected. The thing with the Bengals is that they’re a young team and as with almost all young teams you’re going to see inconsistency. Nevertheless, I see plenty of talent on the Bengals and I am expecting them to challenge for a wild card spot in the AFC. I actually took a moment to feel sorry for Cleveland the other day. All their pro sports team suck! You’ve got the Indians in the MLB, Cavaliers in the NBA, and the Browns in the NFL. Tough luck. Look, I’m not sure if Brandon Weeden is the future of the Browns, but even if they had Tom Brady, I’d question their playoff hopes. As I say almost every week, simply not enough talent. They’ll remain the only winless team in the NFL. Winner: Bengals

St. Louis Rams (3-2) vs. Miami Dolphins (2-3)- As I’ve been saying since the offseason, the Rams are greatly improved. They’ve got a talented, developing quarterback with Sam Bradford, a good running back, and a great defense as well and it showed against the Cardinals on Thursday night. I have to give the Dolphins some credit. They beat a good Bengals team and almost beat the then-undefeated Cardinals. I’ve always just put them into the “Why bother analyzing them. They suck” category, but I’m lifting them out, at least for the time being. They’ve got a solid head coach who was the offensive coordinator for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last year, and Ryan Tannehill looks like a talented quarterback. These things promote excitement for the Dolphins in the long term future. This is kind of a tough pick, especially since the Dolphins, who are perhaps slightly weaker, play at home. However, I made a bold prediction about the Rams at the beginning and I’m going to stick with it. Winner: Rams

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) vs. New York Jets (2-3)- The Colts got a nice come-from-behind win over the Packers on Sunday. They look decent and it seems that Andrew Luck is improving every game. The Jets actually played better than I expected against the Texans on Monday night football, but nevertheless I’m not a believer. Mark Sanchez does not look like a quarterback that is heading in the right direction, and the Tim Tebow chants are just getting louder. But here’s the deal: The Colts are coming off a big win, they’re on the road, and the Jets did show some signs of being a decent team last week. Therefore, I’ll take the Jets to squeak one out at home, over a rookie quarterback and the Colts. Winner: Jets

Detroit Lions (1-3) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)- The Lions have been a disappointment so far. A 1-3 record is not what many people, including myself, had in mind. This is a talented young club with quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, and a powerful defense to top it all off. They’re facing the Eagles, who as I’ve been saying, are overrated. Now, when I say overrated, which I say a lot, I don’t mean untalented, at least sat it pertains to these Eagles. I’m not going to lie. Michael Vick is a talented player that in my opinion should be playing running back. They have more talent with LeSean McCoy, and they have a good defense as well. However, the problem is that they’re committing way too many turnovers, and therefore they can’t produce a lot of point. Therefore, that’s why I think they’re so overrated. This is a tough pick, mainly because I don’t really know what to think of the Lions. But you know, they don’t deserve to be 1-4. They’re not going to be. Winner: Lions

Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)- The Chiefs are just simply put, a bad team. Matt Cassel is injured, meaning they might need to play with Brady Quinn at quarterback, but quite frankly, it doesn’t matter. They could easily be 0-5 right now, and are among the NFL’s worst, especially on the offense. The Buccaneers’ 1-3 record does not tell the story. Watching this team, it does look improved. They have a new head coach, and even though I doubt they’ll be contenders in 2012, I like the direction this team is headed. I’m pretty confident about this pick. Winner: Buccaneers

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) vs. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)- Tony Romo and the Cowboys are coming off a bye week, after a bad loss Monday, October 1 to the Bears. Ever since that week 1 win against the Giants, I’ve had a little more respect for the Cowboys. However, I need to remind you that this is a team with a quarterback, Tony Romo that is the most inconsistent QB in the NFL! He is talented, can make the throw, but when it comes to the big games, he and the Cowboys usually do not succeed. As for the Ravens, they’re showing inconsistency as well. The offense did not look good against the Chiefs on Sunday. They only squeaked out a 3 point win to what I think is one of the NFL’s worst teams. I still think they’ll recover, make the playoffs, and possibly make a run at the Super Bowl even though right now I am a little concerned. They should recover here. Winner: Ravens

New England Patriots (3-2) vs. Seattle Seahawks (2-2) (Sunday at 4:05 PM ET)- The Patriots look almost as good as any NFL team at this point. Tom Brady had a great day against the Broncos on Sunday as New England came out winners. Any “we lost to the Cardinals” worries have been wiped out, and the Pats look like legit Super Bowl contenders. The Seahawks look mediocre after holding on to a win over the Panthers. If I was Pete Carroll would start Matt Flynn, not Russell Wilson to help improve the offense. The defense looks really good, but as I said, I think they’re missing a puzzle piece at the quarterback position. They won’t beat New England. Winner: Patriots

Buffalo Bills (2-3) vs. Arizona Cardinals (4-1)- The Bills are a hard team to figure out. They have some games where they look pretty good, can put some points up on the board, and they have others, like last week, where they just look terrible. Not that I wasn’t expecting them to win, or even put up a contest with the 49ers, but I just wanted to point out that the Bills are kind of a mystery team that no one knows what to think of. The Cardinals suffered a tough loss to the Rams on Thursday. As I’ve been saying, I’m not on the Cardinals’ bandwagon and think that the 4-0 start was not a good sign of the talent that this team possesses. Kevin Kolb is decent, but they don’t have Beanie Wells and now Ryan Williams and their offense line looked flat out bad last week. This is a tough pick, of two probably not-so-good teams, so I’ll just pick the home team that happens to have the better record. Winner: Cardinals

New York Giants (3-2) vs. San Francisco 49ers (4-1) (4:25 PM ET)-  Probably the game of the week right here, one that happens to be a rematch of the NFC Championship game last season. I’m a big fan of the Giants organization, Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, and pretty much everything about them. They’re well-balanced and I think they have what it takes, if they can take care of those bad games that they sporadically have. The 49ers, even though they don’t have the best record, may just be the best team in the NFL. Must I repeat what I say every week about how they’re well balanced in every position? These guys are the real deal. I think both teams are playoff worthy but it’s really good vs. excellent.              Winner: 49ers

Minnesota Vikings (4-1) vs. Washington Redskins (2-3)- The problem with these picks is that sometimes, I get too influenced on media attention and center my predictions around that. I think that the media and that 4-1 record are making me rate the Vikings a little better then what they actually are. Hey, they’re 4-1. They’ve got some good athletes at different positions in all three phases of the game, and there is no denying the record. I hate to always spoil the party, but I think that the case with the Vikings may be similar to the one with the Cardinals. Just a thought. Minnesota will be traveling to the Redskins to play Robert Griffin III. They looked decent against the undefeated Falcons, losing by only a touchdown. I like where this team is headed. This is a tough pick. Three quarters of me says Vikings, however, so I’ll pick them to move to 5-1. Winner: Vikings

Green Bay Packers (2-3) vs. Houston Texans (5-0) (8:20 PM ET)- Here’s my take on the Packers: They’ve got talent. There is no doubt that Aaron Rodgers is one of the most elite quarterbacks in the NFL. But there is a reason why I picked them to beat the Colts last week and there’s also a reason why I got the pick right: Right now, they’re struggling. Simple as that. For whatever reason, the Pack haven’t played up to their full potential and really let that game get passed them in the second half against Andrew Luck and the Colts. Cause for concern? Maybe, but I still believe that despite this 2-3 record, the Packers can get on track and possibly get back on top the NFC North. But here’s the problem. This week, they’re playing the Texans. The Texans are possibly the best team in the NFL. They’re very similar to the 49ers: well-balanced, well-coached, and good in just about every aspect of the game. So guess what, Packers? Even though I think you’ll eventually recover from a rough start, you’re going to fall to 2-4.                                                           Winner: Texans

Denver Broncos (2-3) vs. San Diego Chargers (3-2) (Monday at 8:30 PM ET)- I’m a big believer in the 2012 Broncos, and I continue to be. They’re 2-3, but here’s the deal. Their three losses have come against the Texans, Falcons, and Patriots. That includes two of the two teams that are undefeated in the NFL. They’ve got Peyton Manning as well as some good weapons on the offense, as well as a strong defense to top it all off. I’m not concerned about this team at all. The Chargers, I am a little questionable about. Their three wins have come against the Raiders, Titans, and Chiefs and their two loses against the Saints and Falcons. They’ve got talent about none of their wins seem very credible at this point. Here’s a test. Can they pass? Can Phillip Rivers lead his team to victory? It’s a tough pick, but I think Denver is too darn talented. Winner: Broncos