The NFL Picks Column: Cowboys, Packers Battle for NFC Supremacy

One win in his last 18 games? Good grief.

There was some truth in what he said, he just shouldn’t have said it. Matt Cassel is no Tom Brady. If Miami had a one percent chance of beating the Patriots with Brady, they have a five percent chance with Cassel at quarterback.

Tampa Bay (+3) over CHICAGO

The Buccaneers get no respect whatsoever. Say what you want about their offense, and I have, but their defense will eat Kyle Orton for breakfast.

This game has 6-3 written all over it. Bet the under. Don’t bother watching.

Carolina (+3) over MINNESOTA

Unless your team has a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady, there’s always someone out there screaming that they want the backup quarterback to play. I want the Vikings fan who high-fived his buddy when Gus Frerotte was named starting quarterback to email me.

I’m sure you’re out there.

I bet you this: There were far more Carolina fans high-fiving about the chance to play against Gus than there were Vikings fans high-fiving that Jackson was benched.

All that said, Carolina wins this game because Peterson is banged up. Frerotte is a non-factor.

SEATTLE (-9.5) over St. Louis

Seattle is terrible. St. Louis is terrible. This game will be terrible.

SAN FRANCISCO (-4.5) over Detroit

If you’re new to fantasy football and looking for some kind of strategy to help get your team over the top, I have the perfect plan. Every week, scan the waiver wire. If there’s a player available who happens to be playing the Detroit defense, pick him up and start him.

Detroit’s defense is terrible.

New Orleans (+5.5) over DENVER

There are two games this week with an over/under of 51, this is the first. You can safely bet the over on both of them.

There is no way New Orleans’ defense can stop Denver’s offense. Conversely, there’s no way Denver’s defense can stop New Orleans’ offense.

Therefore, I’m picking the Saints in the hopes that they win the opening coin toss.

PHILADELPHIA (-3.5) over Pittsburgh

The Eagles came out on the wrong end of the game of the century last week. Don’t they deserve to win this week?

The Steelers have trouble protecting Big Ben at times. The Eagles can put some serious pressure on the quarterback. Forget what happened to their defense last week, that was an aberration. They’re a good unit, and the Steelers will have trouble putting up points against them.

The NFC might be the better conference this season. The Eagles will be looking to prove it this week.

INDIANAPOLIS (-5) over Jacksonville

I hate the Colts. I seriously hate the Colts.

That said, Peyton Manning is the scariest quarterback not named Tom Brady to play against in the NFL. The Vikings bottled him up for three quarters last week. 15 game-minutes later, they lost.

The reason: Peyton Manning.

His offensive line is struggling. He has no running game to speak of. Marvin Harrison is a shell of his former self. His team is riddled with injuries. The man’s knee is swollen and stiff. He can barely move around, and he was playing against a pretty darn good defense that spent most of the game beating him up.

Yet he took control in the fourth quarter and willed his team to victory. The dude is scary-good.

Cleveland (-2) over BALTIMORE

Cleveland has to win this game. If they can’t beat Baltimore, they’re going to be in for a long, long season.

The Ravens are being overrated a little because of their shocking Week One victory. It was a nice victory, but it was against the Bengals (whom we’ve already discussed). Let’s see what they can do against an NFL team before we crown them this season’s surprise team.

GREEN BAY (+3) over Dallas

I can’t wait for this game.

Aaron Rodgers with his first real test, at home, against the NFC’s best team. The Dallas Cowboys’ defense trying to rebound from a terrible performance against the Eagles last week. The Packers looking for revenge against the team that beat them out for home-field advantage last season. The Cowboys are trying to prove that they’re the alpha-dog in the NFC.

So many storylines, so little time.

There will be many, many points scored in this game. If this game were played in Dallas, I’d go with the Cowboys. But the Packers are tough at home, and there’s something about this Aaron Rodgers kid.

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