Pete: All right. My opponent this week is my roommate, Jonny Chandler, a junior music education major who plays cello. Jon’s a big Chargers fan, and loves talking pigskin with me in the apartment, so I’m looking forward to showing him just how tough it is to pick these games week in and week out.
I love the games this weekend, which is nice because we’ve had some terrible NFL weekends so far.
Jonny: Few things are quite as rewarding as a healthy roommate competition. There are a lot of great games coming this week, including a pivotal game for my beloved San Diego Chargers! Being Pete’s roomie, it’s going to be a blast taking down the Sports Editor and showing that music majors do have sports smarts.
Breaking stereotypes, and bragging rights around the apartment make this a fun match-up, and a great week.
Baltimore (-2.5) at Cincy
Pete: Somehow, the Bengals are 2.5-point underdogs at home. Against a team they already beat. With a worse record than Cincinnati.
The Ravens are running hot, coming off a big win against previously unbeaten Denver, but the emotional high could be devastating when they take on a team that is well-rested after a bye. Cincinnati crushed Chicago before getting a week off to let Roy Williams, Tank Johnson, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard heal a little bit. With Andre Smith getting added to the lineup for a series on top of those others, the Bengals will have a rejuvenated run game and a return to the hard hitting from earlier in the season.
I’ll take Palmer over Flacco any day, and OchoCinco over any Baltimore receiver. That’s why Cincinnati wins, 27-23.
Pick: Bengals
Jonny: What a great game! This game features two fantastic teams in the AFC North facing off in a struggle for control in arguably the most competitive division in the NFL. I am a firm believer in momentum, and Baltimore is definitely not lacking in that department. Going into Cincy is going to be no picnic, but injuries to the Bengals make this one a close win on the road. The Ravens are fresh off a win against the surprising Broncos, and the Bengals are coming off of a bye that could break their impressive season’s momentum. The Ravens D is finally playing the way they’re supposed too, and is going to play this game hard as a response to being shocked at home early in the season.
I’ve got Baltimore winning this one in Ohio, 27-24.
Pick: Ravens
Houston at Indy (-9)
Pete: We haven’t witnessed Indianapolis lose yet, and they usually do around this point in the season. However, we also haven’t seen a signature Peyton Manning beat-down since week 2 against Arizona. Every season, Manning just loses his mind and beats a good team by several touchdowns, and I bet it’s this week against Houston.
The Indy defense has been rock solid all season, allowing fewer points than any other NFL team over the first eight weeks. The Texans’ defense isn’t exactly a brick wall, and Manning will torch it for 30-plus points in a 17-point win at home.
Pick: Colts
Jonny: So far so good for the Colts, but so far underrated for America’s sweethearts, the Texans. The Colts are a shining example of success in the NFL, as they are only one of two teams holding tall at 7-0. Even so, The Texans are a vastly underrated team in the AFC South, standing at 5-3 with wins against both the 49ers and the Bengals. The Texans are going to lose this one, but they’re going to fight through the entire game and keep it close. The second-place Texans are really tired of being overlooked, and want to make a statement to the analysts against the division rival Colts at Indy. Based on the recent resurgence of the Texans, I call them to beat the spread, but they lose this one in a closer-than-expected match. Colts take this one 28-24 to stay undefeated.
Pick: Texans
San Diego at NYG (-4.5)
Pete: I have a really hard time believing that the Giants will plummet to 5-4. That just seems ludicrous. And yet, here they are facing Philip Rivers and the potent San Diego offense. With New York struggling to score, the porous Charger defense might be able to make stops now and again.
That said, I’m sorry Jon, but the Bolts aren’t going to pull this out. I saw them struggle against good pass-rushing teams a few times already this season. Anyone who saw San Diego get run over by the Denver defensive line knows that Rivers isn’t safe in the pocket. In a 21-16 win, the Giants will put together seven sacks, and the Chargers will be left in a huge hole in the AFC West.
Pick: Giants
Jonny: This is my favorite match-up of the week. These are two teams starving to prove themselves after playing in less than impressive style. The Bolts are hurting, once again plagued by injuries and a struggling L.T. The Giants are simply not performing and not winning.
The Chargers are currently on the hot seat for the AFC West, which they were supposed to take hands-down, and the Giants currently sit in third with a shocked expression on their faces. I’ve got the Chargers winning this one by the skin of their teeth, via the transitive property of logic.
The Chargers beat the Raiders twice, the Eagles lost to the Raiders in Oakland, and the Giants were annihilated by the Eagles. This being the case, the Lightning strikes the G-men in New York with a shocking 31-30 win.
Pick: Chargers
Dallas at Philly (-3)
Pete: Giving the even three-point home buffer for Philly seems about right, because the two teams appear dead even. I’d say that the Cowboys just seem like an outright better team, but that’s what I said about the Giants last week, and Philadelphia pulverized them. Still, I don’t like the Cowboys getting shafted by the line. I think it’s just another reason for Tony Romo to feel slighted instead of spotlighted. As long as he isn’t talked about much, Romo is one of the best passers in the league. Give me Dallas outright, 34-31, in the city of brotherly love.
Pick: Cowboys.
Jonny: The Cowboys and the Eagles is a classic NFC East competition. In a game to assert dominance in one of the most difficult divisions in the NFL, the Eagles will prove their experience with success under Andy Reid at home. The Cowboys may have a strong showing under Tony Romo, but two of their past three wins are against some of the dregs of the NFL in Seattle and Kansas City. Let’s face it, these teams could be beaten with blindfolds on the QB and kicker.
The Eagles are coming off of a dominant showing against the favored Giants, and are still looking to prove themselves after their still fresh embarrassment in Oakland. I have the Eagles taking this one and soaring over the Cowboys at home, 30-24.
Pick: Eagles
Pittsburgh (-3) at Denver
Pete: Man, I hate the Steelers. And now they get the benefit of playing the Broncos after the Denver defense got totally exposed. However, it’s insane to think that a team that struggles to protect its quarterback can survive the heat of the Broncos’ pass rush. Orton’s methodical and efficient passing will lead the Broncos to a couple of touchdowns, while Roethlisberger will struggle to stay upright.
Rashard Mendenhall keeps Pittsburgh around long enough for overtime, where two good defenses battle it out to a 14-14 finish. That’s right, a tie.
What are you gonna do about it?
Pick: Broncos
Jonny: Two of the strongest teams in the NFL are playing in one of the most intriguing Monday night games of the season this week in Denver. The Steelers are looking healthy and strong, and are coming off of a bye week.
Denver may lose some of their swagger, after Baltimore’s reminder that points can be scored by your opponent in the fourth quarter. The Steelers have already taken out one of the impressive Minnesota Vikings from the ranks of the unbeaten, and I see this one being another AFC North powerhouse game.
Denver is going to take another hard blow to their Cinderella season at the hands of the punishing AFC North, as they lose at home in the 4th, 31-27.
Pick: Steelers
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