By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
Okay, this is starting to suck. Another 1-5 week for yours truly. If I were an NFL head coach, I’d be on the proverbial hot seat right now. I don’t get it. I’ve been doing all the right things: I’ve studied the numbers. I’m watching every game I can. I’m vaccinated. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. You know how diet-conscious people have “cheat days”? Consider this my “cheat week.”
Here are this week’s picks:
♦ WASHINGTON vs GREEN BAY: After stumbling out of the gate in their season opener, the Packers have won five straight and are once again looking like Super Bowl contenders. As for the WFT, they’ve lost two straight, including an 18-point shellacking at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Star edge rusher Chase Young said the other day that it’s “gut check time” for his team. They very well could pick up the W…next week when they play Denver. Pick: PACKERS
♦ KANSAS CITY @ TENNESSEE: This game is hardly a “gimme,” but I couldn’t help including it in this week’s six pack. This should be an entertaining contest to say the least, with the NFL’s best QB on one side and the league’s most prolific RB on the other. The Titans have the home field advantage, but KC simply needs this win more. Who ever would have thought that, six weeks in, the Chiefs would be 3-3 and at the bottom of the AFC West? Pick: CHIEFS
♦ N.Y. JETS @ NEW ENGLAND: I wish every game were this easy to predict. New England has beaten the J-E-S-T-S JESTS JESTS JESTS 11 straight times, including a 25-6 thumping in Week 2 of this season. Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson is an uber talent, but he was a disaster in that contest, throwing four picks in his first 10 pass attempts. His counterpart in New England, Mac Jones, has had some rough outings, too, but has enjoyed more success. The Pats have to win this one. If they don’t, Gary Dickman won’t let me live this down. Pick: PATRIOTS
♦ DETROIT @ L.A. RAMS : The Rams are 5-1 and are at home. The Lions are 0-6. Next. Pick: RAMS
♦ HOUSTON @ ARIZONA: Hey, give me some credit here. I said before the season that Arizona could the league’s biggest surprise team, and here they are, the NFL’s lone remaining undefeated team. The Texans, meanwhile, are who everyone thought they’d be. They’ve lost five straight and need to unload QB Deshaun Watson to start their rebuild in earnest. Pick: CARDINALS
♦ CHICAGO @ TAMPA BAY: Here’s a matchup between two contrasting teams. The Bears have one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses, while the Tom Brady-led Bucs boast one of the league’s most prolific offenses (averaging 32.5 points per game, behind only the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills). Unfortunately for Chicago, their own offense is is the worst in the NFC. Pick: BUCCANEERS
Last Week: 1-5 | 2021 Record: 15-21 (.417)