BUFFALO, NY – I’m back to my winning ways! A weekend record of 2-1 pushes me to 8-19 overall – which is still really bad but hey, it’s progress! With that, fere are this week’s NFL Picks For Rugby Fans:
San Francisco 49ers (6-3) at New Orleans Saints (7-2): This is one heck of an NFC showdown! This game features two teams that will most likely find themselves playing deep into January. It’s Drew Brees v. Colin Kaepernick. Sean Payton v. John Harbaugh. The 49ers are out for redemption after last week’s offensive disappointment. The question is… Will they find it in NOLA?
I’m going to go with a no on this one. Kaep’s performance last week makes me a little nervous. Is the Saints defense as good as Carolina’s? No, but their offense is much better. I don’t care how dynamic of a player Panthers’ quarterback Cam Newton is, he’s no Drew Brees. This is going to be a high-scoring affair and the 49ers offense needs to perform a lot better than last week if they want to stand a chance. Saints: 31-20
Green Bay Packers (5-4) at New York Giants (3-6): Can the New York Football Giants make it four straight Sunday? With Aaron Rodgers at the helm for Green Bay it would have been an easy no. However, that’s not the case this weekend. The Packers will be rolling out third-string quarterback Scott Tolzien due to injuries to Rodgers and backup Seneca Wallace. Don’t worry, it’s okay if you don’t know who Tolzien is because I didn’t either until two weeks ago.
Believe it or not, I’m going with the Giants in this one. With the return of Andre Brown to the backfield, the Giants running game is back! The G-Men are playing the Packers at just the right time in order to pull of this upset. This game will be a fun one to watch. Giants: 28-24
Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) at Denver Broncos (8-1): Have the Chiefs finally met their match? Is it time for Kansas City to lose their first game? My answer is yes, and here’s why:
Peyton Manning. Sure Manning may be a bit banged up, but I don’t see that being much of a problem. I expect the Broncos to feature their running game and quick game a bit more to take the pressure off of Manning. Even though the Chiefs have one of the most potent pass rushing attacks in the entire league, I don’t see the pass rushers being much of a problem for the Broncos’ signal caller. The Chiefs failed to touch Buffalo Bills quarterback Jeff Tuel two weeks ago, and something makes me believe that it may happen again this week. If Peyton can stay upright…. The Chiefs don’t stand a chance. Broncos: 42-20
