Record last week: 5-2; overall: 9-6
Green Bay Packers (1-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincy (65,535)
1 PM ET/Noon CT
Fox
Joe, Troy, Pam
Stripes: Clete Blacmon crew
Weather: 64, sunny, wind: North @10 MPH
Line: Packers by 2 1/2
Should be a very good game, but like ARodg and the Pack to get it done on a good day for offense. Cincy plays good defense, but sometimes offenses are just too hard to stop. Packers found a running game last week as James Starks ran for 132 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown but against a not so great Redskins defense. ARodg completed 34 of 42 passes for 480 yards and four TDs. His quarterback rating was 146 which is sensational since the highest a qb can get is 158.3. That’s out of sight. Cincy has an OK offense. Andy Dalton is pretty good, but not great. Wide receiver A.J. Green is outstanding and a game changer. But I don’t think the Bengals can do enough to stop the Packers offense and ARodg even though they’ll hold the Packers in check some with their defense. Should be a good game. Both teams have high aspirations for deep postseason play.
Packers 31, Bengals 27
Tampa Bay (0-2) @ New England (2-0)
Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts (68,756)
1 PM ET/Noon CT
Fox
Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Erin Andrews
Stripes: Jeff Triplette crew
50% chance of rain at kickoff, 40% throughout game. Wind: West, NW @ 11 MPH
Line: Patriots by 7
Tom Brady played in miserable conditions last Thursday night against the Jets and won barely 13-10. These conditions won’t be ideal for Brady and a depleted playmaking corps, though tight end Rob Gronkowski has a chance to play. But Tampa Bay is pretty desperate. Greg Schiano is having to deal with complaints from consistently underperforming quarterback Josh Freeman and from trouble maker Darrelle Revis, who hasn’t lived up to his billing as best cornerback in football in four years. Schiano is a good coach and he’ll have his team ready. I’ve thought about picking the upset, but I have zero trust in Josh Freeman. Brady does more and the Patriots defense takes care of the rest. Patriots don’t look like a championship team yet, but they could with a healthy Gronkowski and a receiving corps that develops. They’ve had some injury problems.
Patriots 31, Buccaneers 23
Arizona (1-1) @ New Orleans (2-0)
Superdome, N’Awlins (72,003)
1 PM ET/Noon CT
Fox
Sam Rosen, Heath Evans, Molly McGrath
Stripes: Walt Coleman crew
Indoors, no weather issues
Line: Saints by 7 1/2
Saints should get it done here. Like Breesy to have a big game and the Saints defense which has gotten better, will do enough to get the job done. The Saints have major postseason aspirations, particularly with Sean Payton back in charge.
Saints 35, Cardinals 28
NY Giants (0-2) @ Carolina (0-2)
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (73,298)
1 PM ET/Noon CT
Fox
Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin
Stripes: Mike Carey crew
Weather: 73 partly cloudy at kickoff, 10 % chance of rain, Wind: NNE at 10 MPH
Line: Panthers by 1
Both teams are desperate for a victory here. I like this Carolina team even though they haven’t won. They had the Bills beaten last Sunday until a phantom pass interference call on linebacker Luke Kuechly nullified a game ending interception and allowed E.J. Manuel to throw a two yard touchdown pass with two seconds left. I like Cam and still believe in him. Kuechly is an excellent player and the defense is much improved. Just don’t love this Giants defense. Eli may have a good game, but I’m going with the home team. Still think this Panthers team can make the playoffs. Really liked them in the preseason. Today is a critical game for both teams. Giants always come into the season with high goals, but they just don’t seem to have enough on defense right now.
Carolina 31, Giants 28
Atlanta @Miami
Sun Life Stadium, Miami (76,100)
4:05 PM ET/3:05 CT
Fox
Chris Myers, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Hale
Stripes: Ron Winter crew
Weather: 30 percent of Isolated T-storms, wind: South @ 10-11 MPH
Line: Dolphins by 2
Still not sold on the Dolphins yet. I know they’re playing well, but not a buyer yet on qb Ryan Tannehill. Like Matt Ryan, Julio and the Falcons to pull off a mild upset in Miami.
Falcons 31, Dolphins 28
Indianapolis (1-1) @ San Francisco (1-1)
Candlestick Park, San Francisco (70,207)
4:25 PM ET/ 3:25 CT
CBS
Jim, Phil
Terry McAulay crew
Weather: 65 @ kickoff, wind: 9-12 from West, NW
Line: Niners by 10 1/2
Like the Niners to get it done. Great to see Trent Richardson get on a contender and get out of Cleveland which has totally mailed it in this year. But Niners will bounce back from the trouncing by the Seahawks in what is the most ridiculously loud stadium in all of football. I think they should start throwing personal foul or unsportsmanlike flags in that stadium for the crowd noise. There is no way the other offensive players can hear their quarterback call signals at the line of scrimmage, even some of the interior linemen. It’s a joke and takes away from quality of the game. Something needs to be done about CenturyLink Field in Seattle. It ruins the competitiveness of a game. Niners are still very good despite the fact that defensive end Aldon Smith is not very smart with his personal life after getting arrested for DUI this past week after a committing a litany of other illegal activities. Like Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis to get it back this week in the passing game. Frank Gore needs to get it going in the running game. Like this Indy team with Andrew Luck and now Trent Richardson, but they don’t have enough here.
Niners 35, Colts 24
Chicago (2-0) @ Pittsburgh (0-2)
Heinz Field, Pittsburgh (65,050)
8:30 PM ET/7:30 CT
NBC Sunday Night football
Al, Cris, Michelle
Stripes: Pete Morelli crew
Weather: 56, Clear, Wind: NW 6 MPH
Line: Bears by 2 1/2
I love what Jay Cutler and the Bears’ offense has done this season and the defense is the most opportunistic, game-changing defense in the NFL. The Bears are a very good football team. First year head coach Marc Trestman and Jay are on the same page and the offense is thriving under Trestman, an offensive guru. I like Big Ben at home, but I like Jay Cutler on the road as well Bears cornerback Charles Tillman is questionable, which is a big factor in the Bears’ pass defense. Tillman is awesome. Without him, the Steelers have a chance to throw on the Bears’ backup corner. If he plays that’ll help the Bears’ chances a lot. If he doesn’t that’ll really help the Steelers’ pass game. The Steelers are desperate for a victory; they have to have this. Rothlisberger and the Steelers’ defense are going to be ready, but I’m going to take Cutler and the Bears. Really like this team a lot. They have a chance to be special. I also like a good, old-fashioned football game.
Bears 24, Steelers 21
