You circle certain games on your calendar at the beginning of the NFL season. This is one of those games.
The 16th edition of Tom Brady versus Peyton Manning will kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, when the Denver Broncos take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. If the Patriots win, they’ll vault into consideration as the best team in the AFC. If the Broncos win, they’ll make a statement that the path to the Super Bowl still runs through them.
Believe it or not, other games are being played this week, including an AFC North clash between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers and a battle between the top two teams in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s what the “experts” have to say.
LAST WEEK
Ben Watanabe: 8-7 (66-38-1). Brutal week might have buried the scrappy underdog for good.
Darren Hartwell: 11-4 (71-33-1). We’re really starting to dislike this guy.
Mike Cole: 10-5 (69-35-1). Still within striking distance of the top spot, eyeing a second-half run.
THIS WEEK
New Orleans Saints (3-4) at Carolina Panthers (3-4-1), Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET
Ben’s pick: Saints. The Panthers are trending downward, while the Saints finally resembled their old selves last Sunday — that is, a team that can actually move the football.
Darren’s pick: Panthers. I know, the Saints looked really good Sunday. But they (almost) always play like that at home. They’re 0-4 on the road this season, and I have a feeling the Panthers will bounce back and make it 0-5.
Mike’s pick: Saints. Much like Tom Brady in New England, it looked like Saints quarterback Drew Brees is starting to develop a legitimate rapport with his offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6) at Cleveland Browns (4-3), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Browns. I’ve come to the conclusion Cleveland plays zero legitimate NFL teams this season — the Bucs included.
Darren’s pick: Browns. Good thing Tampa Bay traded Mark Barron for … draft picks. The Bucs are aboard a sinking ship, and not even a mediocre Browns team can save them.
Mike’s pick: Browns. People don’t realize how difficult it is to think of a reason to defend picking a winner in a game like Bucs-Browns.
Arizona Cardinals (6-1) at Dallas Cowboys (6-2), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Cowboys. Tony Romo is tough as hell, and I like his chances against the NFL’s worst pass defense, even at less than 100 percent.
Darren’s pick: Cardinals. The Cardinals proved they’re legit Sunday with a big win over the Eagles. Plus, if there’s any unit that can snap DeMarco Murray’s 100-yard rushing streak, it’s the Cardinals’ run D.
Mike’s pick: Cardinals. Arizona has the third-best run defense, which means they could end up daring either a banged-up Tony Romo or Brandon Weeden to air it out. Doesn’t seem like a recipe for success for the Cowboys.
Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) at Houston Texans (4-4), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Eagles. I can’t figure these guys out. Nick Foles completes less than 60 percent of his passes, yet has three 300-yard games and one 400-yard performance to his credit. At the same time, he was held to 402 yards passing TOTAL in back-to-back weeks.
Darren’s pick: Eagles. Even if J.J. Watt scores three touchdowns, it won’t be enough for Houston to keep pace with the Eagles’ offense.
Mike’s pick: Eagles. Here are the quarterbacks the Texans have beat this year: Robert Griffin III, Derek Carr, E.J. Manuel and Zach Mettenberger. Nick Foles is better than all of those guys.
New York Jets (1-7) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-3), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Chiefs. Last week, I put my faith in Geno Smith to get it done against Buffalo. I am an idiot.
Darren’s pick: Chiefs. Hey, maybe the Jets will be better with Michael Vick at quarterback! Oh, the Chiefs have the best passing defense in the NFL and are at home. Never mind.
Mike’s pick: Chiefs. Following Sunday’s clown show, the Jets have officially joined the Jaguars in the “I’m not taking them for the rest of the season” department.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-2-1), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Bengals. Thank goodness we all agree to give young quarterbacks at least two seasons before passing judgment, because Blake Bortles made some decisions last week that were just … yeesh.
Darren’s pick: Bengals. If the Bengals can beat the Ravens at home, they can destroy the Jaguars at home.
Mike’s pick: Bengals. It sounds like A.J. Green is going to be back, but that doesn’t really matter. I’d take the Bengals at home against the Jaguars with me at wideout.
San Diego Chargers (5-3) at Miami Dolphins (4-3), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Chargers. This could actually be a sneaky-good matchup if Miami’s ground game can control the clock.
Darren’s pick: Chargers. Tempted to take the Dolphins here, but I just don’t see the Chargers losing three in a row. Plus, they have to save their epic collapse for the end of the season.
Mike’s pick: Dolphins. I’m buying into the whole “West Coast team plays at 1 p.m. and loses” theory.
Washington Redskins (3-5) at Minnesota Vikings (3-5), Sunday, 1 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Redskins. I spent more time thinking about this than I should have. Two bad teams coming off victories with quarterbacks that are complete crapshoots. Eventually, I just flipped a coin and it came up “Washington.” (The fact that it was an Indian head penny might have stacked the odds a bit.)
Darren’s pick: Redskins. Are the Redskins for real after beating the Cowboys? Of course not. But Robert Griffin III is back, and he’ll lead the team to one more win before he gets hurt again.
Mike’s pick: Vikings. Mike Zimmer can draw up a game plan that will slow whoever’s under center for Washington, and Teddy Bridgewater will do just enough for the win.
St. Louis Rams (2-5) at San Francisco 49ers (4-3), Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Niners. The loss of Jake Long for the Rams comes at a particularly bad time, facing a Niners defense that’s allowing less than 85 rush yards per game.
Darren’s pick: Niners. Poor Rams. Already decimated by injuries, they have to play the Niners, Cardinals, Broncos and Chargers in the next four weeks. Good luck with that.
Mike’s pick: Niners. The Rams are so banged up this point that they should spend the rest of the season focusing on the draft and getting ready for next season — again.
Denver Broncos (6-1) at New England Patriots (6-2), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Patriots. The game is at Gillette, with snowfall in the forecast. Advantage: Not Peyton Manning.
Darren’s pick: Broncos. Looks like I’m that guy. It took a miracle for New England to beat the Broncos at home in 2013, and Denver looks even better this year. Call it hedging my bets.
Mike’s pick: Patriots. New England is 5-1 in its last six home games as an underdog. Factor in the weather, and this just feels like one of those games the Patriots win under this regime.
Oakland Raiders (0-7) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3), Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Seahawks. The Raiders have scored more than 14 points once all season. The Seahawks, for all their problems, can muster 14 points.
Darren’s pick: Seahawks. If it was possible for the Raiders to score negative points, they’d do it here.
Mike’s pick: Seahawks. Thinking about betting my rent on the Raiders going 0-16 this season.
Baltimore Ravens (5-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3), Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Ravens. Nobody saw Ben Roethlisberger’s mutation into 2007 Brady coming last Sunday, and nobody will see it again this Sunday.
Darren’s pick: Steelers. I still think the Steelers need to prove themselves on the road, but they’ve been red-hot at home and will be plenty geared up for a Sunday night showdown with their bitter division rivals.
Mike’s pick: Steelers. Not sold on either of these teams, but I really like the weapons the Steelers have assembled around Big Ben, and I’m not sure the Ravens can stop all of them.
Indianapolis Colts (5-3) at New York Giants (3-4), Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Ben’s pick: Colts. Maybe Eli Manning randomly morphs into whatever Roethlisberger was last week, but I doubt it. Take the Colts this week against a quarterback who will actually play like a normal human.
Darren’s pick: Colts. Fun fact: Eli Manning and the Giants have lost three of their last four Monday night games. The Colts aren’t about to lose two games in a row, especially in prime time.
Mike’s pick: Colts. Tom Coughlin and the Giants are 6-0 in their last six games following a bye week. The problem with that, of course, is that those teams were all better than this one.
Photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
