We’ve hit the midway point of the season and the Kansas City Chiefs are the only team remaining with an unblemished record at 8-0.
Top 5 NFL Teams at Midseason
1) Kansas City Chiefs (8-0) – Would they win the Super Bowl today? Probably not, but the Chiefs have beat everyone they faced and are playing with confidence. Their schedule gets tougher in the second half of season as they collide with the Denver Broncos twice.
2) Denver Broncos (7-1) – The Broncos have been an offensive scoring machine through 8 weeks. Peyton Manning has been unstoppable. Manning has thrown 29 TD’s and nearly 3,000 yards. While the offense has unstoppable, the defense has showed some leaks. The Broncos will also have to contend with head coach John Fox’s heart procedure, that is scheduled for later this week. The head coach is expected to miss several weeks.
3) Seattle Seahawks (7-1) – The Seahawks actually can win on the road. The knock on the Seahawks has been that they are great at home, but struggle mightily on the road. Well their lone loss did come on the road at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts, but the Seahawks are 4-1 on the road this year. Seattle is a well balanced team, and if they get home field advantage in the playoffs, a trip to New Jersey in February is likely.
4) New Orleans Saints (6-1) – What a difference a year makes. What a difference a coach makes. With the return of head coach Sean Payton this year the Saints are again one of top teams in the NFL. If not for a last minute collapse against the New England Patriots, the Saints would be undefeated. They’ve been there before and should go deep into the playoffs.
5) Green Bay Packers (5-2) – After a tough start the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have got into gear. The Packers have won 4 in row and the offense is rolling. Green Bay has a very favorable schedule in the 2nd half and could easily run the table.
Sunday 1 PM
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (-7.5)
Matchup:What has happened to the Atlanta Falcons? This time was a half away from a trip to the Super Bowl last year. They’ve looked dreadful this year. They currently stand at 2-5 and have little shot at the playoffs. The Panthers find themselves at 4-3. Carolina is on a 3 game winning streak. They’ve won those last 3 games by double digits scoring at least 30 in each.
Steve’s Pick: Panthers 33 – Falcons 23
Dan’s Pick: Panthers 28 – Falcons 21
Minnesota Vikings at Dallas Cowboys (-10.5)
Matchup:The Cowboys are off that heartbreak hotel loss at Detroit. Dallas blew the lead late when Detroit scored with seconds left falling 31-30. The Cowboys are double digit favorites for the first time since 2011. The Vikings got handled by the Packers Sunday night 44-31 at home. The Vikings are a lousy 1-6 this year, and have been riding the quarterback carousel this year. Interesting to see if they’ve thrown in the towel for the year.
Steve’s Pick: Cowboys 38 – Vikings 23
Dan’s Pick: Cowboys 33 – Vikings 20
New Orleans Saints (-6) at NY Jets
Matchup:The Jets were flat out destroyed last week. Off the OT win against the Patriots the Jets went into Cincinnati and were embarrassed 49-9. It wasn’t that close. The Jets welcome the quarterback Drew Brees and the 6-1 Saints. The Saints bounced back against the Bills off their heartbreaking loss against Pats. Saints playing outside where they haven’t fared as well, and Saints only 6-12 ATS as road favorite under coach Sean Payton.
Steve’s Pick: Saints 27 – Jets 26
Dan’s Pick: Saints 30 – Jets 20
Tennessee Titans (-3) at St. Louis Rams
Matchup:The St. Louis Rams played their hearts Monday night against Seattle. They were 2 yards away from stealing the win against the Seahawks, but they couldn’t push it into endzone. Will they have anything in the tank left this week? The Titans had lost three in a row leading into their bye last week, but didn’t have quarterback Jake Locker in two of those losses. This is the first time Jeff Fisher has faced his old team.
Steve’s Pick: Titans 33 – Rams 17
Dan’s Pick: Rams 24 – Titans 21
Kansas City (-3.5) at Buffalo Bills
Matchup:The undefeated Kansas City Chiefs travel to Buffalo to take on gritty Bills team. The Bills are off two road games, going 1-1. Buffalo has been very competitive at home going 4-0 ATS and should be highly motivated taking on the 8-0 Chiefs. The Chiefs are off next week before traveling to Denver to face the Broncos in a big game.
Steve’s Pick: Bills 26 – Chiefs 23
Dan’s Pick: Chiefs 30 – Bill 20
San Diego (-1) at Washington Redskins
Matchup:The Redskins were leading 21-7 in Denver last week when the roof caved in on them. The Broncos went onto outscore Washington 31-0 in the fourth quarter and win the game 45-21. The Chargers had won 2 in a row before their bye last week. Quarterback Philip Rivers is has thrown 15 touchdown passes and is having a strong season leading the Chargers. The Chargers do host the Broncos next week in San Diego.
Steve’s Pick: Chargers 27 – Redskins 23
Dan’s Pick: Chargers 28 – Redskins 24
Sunday 4:05 PM
Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders (-2.5)
Matchup:The Eagles travels west to meet the Oakland Raiders. Philadelphia is off a poor effort against the Giants in a 15-7 loss. The Oakland Raiders are off a nice win at home against the Steelers 21-18. Eagles have not scored an offensive TD the last two games, despite so many weapons. The Eagles are 3-5, but find themselves back only game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Raiders are 3-4, but are unfortunately in the tough AFC West led by Kansas City and Denver.
Steve’s Pick: Raiders 27 – Eagles 20
Dan’s Pick: Eagles 23 – Raiders 21
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Seattle Seahawks (-16)
Matchup:It’s been a long year for Tampa and it likely won’t get any better as they travel to Seattle searching for their first win. They are a big underdog here because of Seattle’s supremacy at home. Seattle survived a tight one Monday night and is happy to be home. Seattle leads the NFL with a 7-1 record and should cruise in this one.
Steve’s Pick: Seahawks 37 – Buccaneers 17
Dan’s Pick: Seahawks 30 – Buccaneers 10
Sunday 4:25 PM
Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) at Cleveland Browns
Matchup:Two losing teams from AFC North meet in this one. The defending Super Bowl champions have been disappointing this year with a 3-4 record. The Browns have lost 3 in a row, but did keep it close in Kansas City last week. Quarterback Joe Flacco is 12-0 against the Browns.
Steve’s Pick: Ravens 31 – Browns 17
Dan’s Pick: Ravens 27 – Browns 24
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots (-6.5)
Matchup:The 2-5 Pittsburgh Steelers visit the 6-2 New England Patriots in Foxboro. The Steelers have struggled this year, but had shown signs of life with 2 wins in a row before falling short last week in Oakland. They’ve had some key injuries this year and it’s shown. The Patriots are quietly 6-2, and off a nice comeback win last week against the Dolphins. New England has won 34 of their last 37 at home.
Steve’s Pick: Patriots 23 – Steelers 20
Dan’s Pick: Patriots 34 – Steelers 17
Sunday 8:30 PM
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (-2.5)
Matchup:Both teams are coming off a bye and should be well rested. The Colts will be without the services of veteran WR Reggie Wayne who tore his ACL in the Denver win. The Colts are really banged up on both sides of the ball. Houston will start QB Case Keenum even though Matt Schaub is available. It’s now or never for the struggling Texans.
Steve’s Pick: Texans 27 – Colts 24
Dan’s Pick: Texans 28 – Colts 24
Monday 8:40 PM
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-11)
Matchup:The Chicago Bears will be without quarterback Jay Cutler. The Bears will also be without several key defensive starters. The Green Bay Packers are picking up steam and have now won 4 in a row.
Steve’s Pick: Packers 34 Bears 20
Dan’s Pick: Packers 33 Bears 17
ATS Season Results
Dan 51-57-4
Matt 40-53-4
Steve 41-67-4
Images via NFL.com
