After enjoying being in a four way tie in the AFC South for a week, there has been a split in the division due to two surprising wins. Houston's win over Atlanta was surprising not in the final result (hell even I got that pick right), but in how Houston got there. Texans QB Deshaun Watson is one of I think 3 QBs in NFL history to finish a game with 5 TD passes, over 400 yards passing, 5 or fewer incompletions, and a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Indy's win was just a plain old upset, going into Arrowhead stadium and knocking off the Chiefs. Hats off to them. As for the bottom half of the division, my beloved Jaguars lost due to a monster game by Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and three Gardner Minshew fumbles. Finally, the loathsome tacks were stifled at home by an outstanding Buffalo defense, losing 14-7, which is the second time this year they have been held to 7 points.
As for me, I am on the verge of getting an untrained monkey to make my picks. I can't do any worse. The question now is where to find said monkey and how to convince him to help me with my picks.
Saints (4-1) at
Jaguars (2-3)-In a matchup with two teams featuring two backup QBs in starting roles, two pretty decent offenses and statistically mediocre defenses, the Saints travel to Duuuuvalllll to face the Jaguars. Thus far, the Saints have won most of their games in a tough stretch of their schedule, beating the Texans in a classic game, going to Seattle and beating the Seahawks, and edging Dallas. Despite the loss of Brees for about 6 weeks, this is a team that knows how to win. While Jacksonville has played respectably in most of their games, they have lost some winnable games (Houston and Carolina). I think the trend continues another week, even though it's a winnable game for the Jaguars.
Saints 27 Jaguars 20.
Texans (3-2) at
Chiefs (4-1)If both teams were healthy, this would be a bonanza for fans who like a lot of passing and big plays and scoring. But Mahomes, while reportedly a full participant in practice, was gimpy during last week's loss to the Colts, and LT Eric Fisher will likely miss this game. That is a bad development going u[ against the likes of Whitney Mercilus and J.J. Watt. Full strength, I pick the Chiefs.
The Chiefs are far from full strength. Texans 28 Chiefs 20.
Tacks (2-3) at
Broncos (1-4)-While the tacks have struggled on offense, Denver has struggled defensively. When teams struggle offensively, often times to get back on track, they will look to establish the run. The tacks can run the ball, if nothing else. Denver can't stop the run.
I see Derrick Henry having a big game. Tacks win 21-16.
Indy is off.
Last week: 1-3
Overall: 4-13
Worst to 1st. Curse Reversed!