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2025 NFL PREDICTIONS: WEEK 10 DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK 10 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (9-5)

Last week big upsets did not help my overall record. The Lions losing to the Vikings. The Panthers beating the Packers. Even the Cardinals upsetting the stupid Cowboys on Monday night was a shocker. I should have gone 12-2. That’s why they say Any Given Sunday, any team can beat anyone on the NFL Schedule.

SEASON RECORD: (88-47)

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-6) AT DENVER BRONCOS (7-2)

First looking at this match up, this game should be a blow out in Denver’s favor. Both teams are playing on a short week and both reside in the same division. When you meet twice a year in any division in the NFL, you know each other very well. The Raiders offense actually put up some points last week versus the Jags defense. The Broncos defense smothered the Texans offense. The Broncos offense struggled even though they still won the game. The Raiders defense is pretty good. I think Bo Nix and that offense will score some points and more than 18 they got against Houston. Geno Smith is a turnover machine, a guy with double digits in interceptions. The Broncos are 4-0 at home, so far this season. I see the Raiders offense going dormant versus one of the best or the best defense in the league. The Raiders don’t have the horses the Broncos have.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

SUNDAY MORNING OVERSEAS (GERMANY)

ATLANTA FALCONS (3-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-2)

Who would not want to go to Germany where everything is supersized during the fall season? Now add some American football & it’s Oktoberfest part II. The Colts were cruising along and were stunned last week by Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers that broke one of the longest winning streaks in the league. Michael Penix was back for the Falcons last weekend in a loss, but the offense scored 23 points. This game features probably the two best running backs in each conference. In the AFC, Jonathan Taylor for the Colts. In the NFC, Bijan Robinson for the Falcons. The Falcons have lost three straight games. I don’t like picking the Falcons on the road. The Colts added corner back Sauce Gardner from the Jets in a trade at the deadline. Sauce gets a free trip to Europe and is pretty good at stopping the run. Colts get back on track in a home away from home game for Indianapolis Jones and the rest of the team.

OUR PICK: COLTS

THE SUNDAY TILT BACK IN THE STATES

BALTIMORE RAVENS (3-5) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4-4)

The Vikings I have yet to figure them out this season. How does a rookie quarterback, JJ McCarthy, slay the Detroit Lions last week? Suddenly the Ravens are alive and well winning two straight games.

Lamar Jackson and that horrific Ravens defense looked like their season was done. Like a bad slasher movie, these Ravens are alive and well with Lamar leading the victory parade over the Dolphins last week. Then the back up quarterback, Tyler Huntley, helped the Ravens prevail over the Bears the week before the Dolphins game. The Viking defense halted the Lions high octane offense last week to a grinding halt. McCarthy had two touchdown passes and an interception, not the best numbers, completing 56% of his passes last week in the win over the Lions. Both teams need this notch on their bed posts. The Ravens defense has gotten healthier and has improved over the last few games. The Vikings have not strung a few wins together this season as is the reason they are .500. Jackson is 24-3 lifetime versus the NFC. The Ravens are a Friday the 13th movie as they will find their way to post-season to take Manhattan in the 15th movie of the series that never dies.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

BUFFALO BILLS (6-2) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-7)

The Bills defense gave Patrick Mahomes a beat down last week in a big win over the Chiefs.

It felt like the walls were closing in on Mahomes most of the game. The Bills D should have another feast on quarterbacks with Tua Tagovailoa who is tied with Geno Smith for the most interceptions in the NFL. The Dolphins defense has been terrible. The fins traded away their best defender to the Eagles in linebacker Jaelan Phillips. Josh Allen and the Bills offense should be able to get yards in by the chunks in this one. Allen has dominated the fins over his career. I like the Bills in this one just in case you cannot tell.

OUR PICK: BILLS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (5-3) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (3-5)

The Houston Texans will start their back up quarterback versus the Jaguars as CJ Stroud is out with a concussion he suffered last week. Davis Mills was once the Texans starter until Stroud was drafted. Mills has a 5-19 record as a starter in the NFL. The Jags won last week in a high scoring game versus a bad Raider team in a close affair. The Jaguars won the first meeting between these two teams, 17-10, where Jacksonville defense forced three turnovers on Houston. The Texans offensive line is their weakness. They lack a running game. The Texans defense will give this team a fair chance. The Jaguars defense is getting worse as the season goes along. The Texans defense took away the Jags running game in the first meeting. It’s hard to sweep teams. Look for Mills to get the ball out quickly to his weapons and deliver a victory, a much needed W, for Houston. The Jags have a winning record, but it is very questionable at the same time.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-6) AT NEW YORK JETS (1-7)

The DAWG days of November for both the Jets and Browns. These two teams have three wins combined. Both teams coming off their bye week. The Jets won their first game of the year last time we saw them with a come from behind W over the Bengals. The Jets traded away two of their key pieces on defense this week. No more Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for gang green.

Gardner says he will have revenge on New York after his free trip to Germany this weekend with the Colts. Justin Fields is the better quarterback in this match up. He is facing a very good and talented Browns defense which will not work well for Fields and the Jets offense. Meanwhile Dillon Gabriel should do well against the Jets defense now with missing pieces and they were not playing well in general. The Browns rookie quarterback is 1-3 in 4 starts this season. He has 5 touchdown passes to only two interceptions in 6 games played. The Browns running game has been decent and should give Gabriel a fighting chance to complete some passes and get in a nice rhythm on a defense that will be checked out for the season.

OUR PICK: BROWNS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-8) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-4)

The New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback will get his second start in the NFL versus the Panthers. The Panthers invaded Green Bay last week and came away with a victory on the road. The Saints switched quarterbacks last week going with rookie Tyler Shough over Spencer Rattler. Shough and the Saints offense scored 10 points versus the Rams defense and were held to a season low of a total of 224 yards of offense. The Panthers will run the ball down the throats of New Orleans as Rico Dowdle has been impressive taking over the starting duties in the back field. The Panthers are 3-1 at home this season as Bryce Young is getting his groove back he had late last season. The Saints have lost 4 straight games and will take more lumps with a rookie quarterback. The Saints traded away one of their top wide receivers in Rashid Shaheed who is off to Seattle. One less weapon for their rookie QB will not help the cause here.

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-2) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (6-2)

Drake vs the Bake sounds like an annual cook off championship.

Last year Jayden Daniels was the best rookie quarterback from the 2024 NFL Draft. You could say in year two the Patriots might have the best QB out of that 2024 class in Drake Maye.

You may hate the Drake or love him, but he’s completing 74.1% of his passes so far this season with 17 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions. The Patriots have won six straight games. Meanwhile the Buccaneers are coming off their bye week and they have Baker Mayfield who’s been one of the best QB’s in the league this season. Only problem with the Buccaneers is the team is running out of options for Mayfield to throw to. Lots of injuries with the Buccaneers playmakers. I like how the Buccaneers defense has been playing. They will get the pressure on Maye to cause him to have a unusual poor outing. This will be a great game between two solid teams. It’s hard to keep racking up victories on the road like the Patriots have done. I like Tampa Bay in a close one here.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-7) AT CHICAGO BEARS (5-3)

What do Kyle Monangai and the great late Walter Payton have in common? Both running backs in a single game for the Bears have had at least 26 carries and over 175 yards in a game. Monangai had 176 yards on the ground versus the hapless Bengals last week filling in for the injured D’Andre Swift. Whoever the Bears have in their back field, they have to be licking their chops facing a Giants teams that is allowing running backs 5.5 yards per carry. The Bears should be able to generate some offense with the visiting Giants after putting 47 points on the Bengals. The Giants who are led by Jaxson Dart should get their share of points because the Bears defense and special teams did not help in that game versus the Bengals who took the lead late and scored 42 points. Dart has carried the full load and will make this game interesting. I can’t see the Giants matching scores with Ben Johnson’s offense. The Bears defense will clean some things up. It will be a high scoring game which Bears will hold off the Giants while the Dart misses the bullseye by an eyelash.

OUR PICK: BEARS

ARIZONA CARDINALS (3-5) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (6-2)

The Cardinals shocked the Cowboys on Monday Night Football getting their first win since week two of the season. Arizona snapped a 5 game losing streak as Jacoby Brissett is now the man behind center and he played well. Kyler Murray is headed to the injured list and Brissett will get the keys to the car. Sam Darnold has this Seattle Seahawks offense humming right now. Seattle slaughtered the Commanders on Sunday Night. Then I have to mention the Seahawks added another weapon for Darnold as the team added Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed who is a flat out burner. Brissett will continue to use all his weapons that Murray did not utilize this season. This game will be tight. I give the Seahawks the edge with their defense. Seattle will win it by one score in a game where both teams ended up with 20-something points.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

DETROIT LIONS (5-3) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-6)

The Lions will eat well this weekend versus a Washington Commanders team without their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Lions get revenge on the Commanders who knocked Detroit out of the playoffs last season. The Lions will rebound from being stunned by the Vikings last week. Marcus Mariota will get the start for Washington. The veteran quarterback is 1-2 filling in for Daniels this season and has thrown 4 interceptions. The Lions defense will maul Mariota and show them why they are the king of the NFC jungle. The Commanders are very bad on defense. This game could get ugly early as Jared Goff should be able to torch the DC secondary.

OUR PICK: LIONS

LA RAMS (6-2) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (6-3)

The NFC West should be renamed the Wild West. The Rams and Seahawks are 6-2. The 49ers are 6-3. The Cardinals could turn their season around with veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett as their quarterback. Brock Purdy is still not healthy enough to start for the 49ers. Mac Jones is 5-2 filling in as the QB for the 49ers. Matthew Stafford is the Shane of the wild west with his six shooters delivering kill shots at high noon every Sunday. This is another close game on the docket in week 10. It could go either way. The Rams defense is healthier than the 49ers. Stafford is the better quarterback than Jones. The Rams have a well-balanced offense that makes Stafford that much more dangerous. I like the Rams to win the shoot out in an epic wild west battle royale.

OUR PICK: RAMS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-3) AT LA CHARGERS (6-3)

The Steelers defense last week simplified their scheme and it worked well versus the Colts, a team they upset last weekend. Can the Chargers survive losing their best offensive lineman in Joe Alt?

This will be the first time Aaron Rodgers faces off against Justin Herbert. Herbert has had an awesome year and is a guy that can light up the Steel shower curtain because their defense before last week was not very good. Rodgers has been delivering the goods with the Steelers. This is another game that could go either way. This one will be a close game as well. Can the Chargers new offensive lineman, Trevor Penning who they got from New Orleans in a trade, stop the bleeding and give Herbert the time he needs to deliver? I think Rodgers can escape LA with that Steelers defense playing like they did last week and come away with a big road victory here. I think the Steelers defense will get to Herbert and exploit the injuries the Chargers have racked up all year.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (6-2) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-2-1)

Do you think the Packers were looking ahead to this game as they were shell shocked losing to the Panthers in Green Bay? The Eagles are well rested coming off their bye week. The Packers seem to play much better against top tier teams than middle tier teams. The Eagles have a nice shiny new defender they got from the Dolphins in linebacker Jaelan Phillips. The Eagles head coach calls Phillips disruptive. He is a guy that can get to the quarterback. This is a great match up to end week ten with these two teams. This is another game can that can go either way. I know the Eagles are defending champs. My gut feeling here is Jordan Love gets the job done and the Packers get the win. The Packers play better at home. It will be a close game the entire 4 quarters. LOVE HURTS!!!

OUR PICK: PACKERS

2025 NFL PREDICTIONS: WEEK 9 DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK 9 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (8-5)

Week 8 was terrible picking as we suffered five losses. The Jets bombed the Bengals for their first win. Mr. Rogers’ old neighborhood screwed Aaron’s second revenge game of the year as we picked Steelers over the visiting Packers. Cannot figure out the 49ers for the life of us as they do opposite of whatever we have them down for. The Ravens resurrect themselves like some bad Jason movie, Friday the 13th: The Chicago Massacre, with a back up QB. The Captain Kirk Cousins should have his stripes removed for the Falcons offensive no show versus a weak ass Dolphins defense. It was bad week if you quit sniffing glue, drinking, and even smoking the good stuff.

We peel ourselves off the pavement and come out swinging for week 9.

OUR SEASON RECORD: (79-42)

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

BALTIMORE RAVENS (2-5) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-6)

I’m not buying what the Dolphins did last week versus an unpredictable Falcons team. The Ravens won with their old back up quarterback who is 3rd on the totem pole this season for the Ravens. Tyler Huntley looked like he should have been the number two after the Ravens beat the Bears and broke a long losing streak. And the win saved their season. This week they get Lamar Jackson back from injury. Bad Dolphins defense gives the Ravens their first back to back wins of the season.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

THE SUNDAY GAMES

ATLANTA FALCONS (3-4) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (6-2)

I don’t hear any more griping of all the people that were soured because the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo in the off-season for Mike Vrabel. The Patriots have won 5 straight games. This Falcons team plays well once in a blue moon and I’m not talking about the bottles in the cooler. The Falcons really do not do well on the road as they play better at home. The Falcons quarterback play has seen better days. I don’t care who they play this week. The Patriots will key on the Falcons rushing attack and that’s game when New England wins their 6th straight game.

OUR PICK: PATRIOTS

CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-4) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (5-1-1)

When Aaron Rodgers played for the Packers he owned the Bears. Since Jordan Love beat Rodgers’ Steelers does Jordan own Aaron? We do know the Panthers will have Bryce Young back behind center which they missed him last week. The Panthers do not play well on the road while the Packers are awesome defending their home field. I just don’t see banged up Young getting the job done. Love lit up the Steelers as he should have no problems with the Panthers defense.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

CHICAGO BEARS (4-3) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (3-5)

Last year when the Bears got to their 4th win, they went on a long losing streak that went into double digits. Can the Bengals come back from losing to the Jets?

The Bears offense should be able to generate points off a bad Cincinnati Bumbles defense which may be the worst in the league. If former Bears QB Justin Fields can light up the Bengals defense, why can’t Caleb Williams rebound from a bad game versus the Ravens. I like the Bears in this one because Joe Flacco is dealing with shoulder injury. Bears defense will bounce in this one.

OUR PICK: BEARS

DENVER BRONCOS (6-2) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (3-4)

This game features two of the best in the league at defense. The Texans played well last week in a win versus the 49ers. Their best performance overall the entire season. The Broncos have been rolling winning 5 straight games and are trying to stay one game ahead of the evil Chiefs in the AFC West which Kansas City has thrived in for years. I like Bo Nix over CJ Stroud. Nix threw 4 touchdown passes in a win over the Cowboys last week as he is heating up at the right part of the season. The Texans have issues with their offensive line. They do not have a balanced offensive attack as they lack a running game. The Broncos are balanced on offense and have the better defense which will make the Texans their 6th straight victory.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (7-1) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-3)

The Steeler are lucky they are playing in a bad division with teams like the Bengals, Browns, and Ravens who all have losing records. New York Giants fans have to be baffled seeing Daniel Jones playing well behind center for the Colts who are a team that looks like no one will stop. The Steelers have lost two straight games and their defense sucks. Aaron Rodgers has played well in a Steeler uniform, but he’s not the guy that will get you a guaranteed win when the defense does not show up. Jones is throwing dimes in the air. Jonathan Taylor is running wild and may be the best running back in the NFL. The Steelers will hang around all season until the Ravens finally over takes them for the division.

OUR PICK: COLTS

LA CHARGERS (5-3) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1-7)

If you’re a Titans fan, what are the plans if you get another number 1 pick in next season’s draft? Is Cam Ward your guy? The Chargers are coming off a big Thursday night victory over the Vikings and should have no problem dispatching the Titans this week. Make it your survivor pick. The Titans are giving up 7.3 yards per pass play this season. Justin Herbert has played well. Perfect recipe for the Chargers. Make sure you rinse the vegetables before preparing the game plan.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-4) AT DETROIT LIONS (5-2)

For the Vikings, Sam Darnold is that one night stand you want back. It was such a magical night when the Vikings fans and team met Darnold. Everything was new and refreshing. The team was fighting for the number one seed versus the Lions in the last game of regular season. Now what? Carson Wentz is done for the season. Now it’s back to the rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy who has been very injury prone since they drafted him. I don’t see McCarthy coming back behind center after missing the last few weeks and beating a very solid Lions team. The Vikings have had luck on their side most years inserting a QB into the offense like a light bulb. Now they are facing taking their lumps with a rookie QB. The Lions D will provide McCarthy with some lumps.

OUR PICK: LIONS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-3) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (2-6)

The 49ers this season have been the story of cry wolf. You think they should win, they lose. You pick them to lose, they win. On offense they need a wolf because they have not been scoring points lately. Another road game for the 49ers as they lost in Houston last week. The Giants are like that novelty can of shooting snakes.

Some teams will not fall for it. Some will loosen the jar and the snake will Dart out. I have a feeling Jaxson Dart will hit a bullseye this week and give the Giants an upset victory over nonchalant injured ridden 49ers squad.

OUR PICK: GIANTS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-3) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-5)

Both of these teams are desperate for a win. Both teams are well rested coming off their bye weeks. The Jaguars have been having trouble establishing their aerial attack. While the Raiders have had issues generating offense. The Raiders defense have played well. The Jaguars defense has played better and seem to have the knack of getting turnovers. They are playing the man Geno Smith for the Raiders who has already thrown 10 interceptions. Trevor Lawrence will have a decent game and give the Jags what they need to crack the win column this week.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-7) AT LA RAMS (5-2)

The Saints were dreadful on offense last week versus Tampa Bay. That was with Spencer Rattler behind center. Now the Saints will start Tyler Shough who has seen some action versus the Buccaneers defense last week. The Rams are coming off a bye week. Matthew Stafford will have a big game versus a Saints defense that has problems with the aerial attack. The Rams defense should give Shough in his first NFL start, a tough day at the office.

OUR PICK: RAMS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (5-3) AT BUFFALO BILLS (5-2)

The Bills and Chiefs, a pair of heavy weights in the AFC, are squaring off in the game of the week. Josh Allen has dominated Patrick Mahomes in regular season. It’s the other way around in the post-season as the Chiefs have knocked out the Bills in multiple post-season meetings. The Chiefs offense is firing on all cylinders. The Bills came off their bye week and got their offense back on track putting up 40 points versus the Carolina Panthers. Whose defense is better right now? I think both defenses will be MIA this weekend. This game has shoot out written all over it. I like Allen at home in this one. The Bills win it in the last few minutes by one score.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-2) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-5)

I don’t care if Jayden Daniels is playing for the Commanders in this one. The Commanders defense is a problem. Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense have played well and will score points off this Washington team. It’s a long flight for Seattle, but they are well rested coming off their bye week. Seattle’s defense has played well and will give Daniels a tough match up trying to give a go and being banged up. I just don’t see anything good here for the Commanders.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-5) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (3-4-1)

The Cardinals started off the season 2-0 and since have lost 5 straight games. The Cowboys were beating up by the Broncos last weekend. The Cardinals coming off their bye week will have the services of their starting quarterback Kyler Murray. Even with Murray, the Cardinals will not score a ton of points. Even against a bad Cowboys defense. No way Murray will match points with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the league. Their defense will make two key stops to give the Boys a home victory on Monday night in front of the entire world watching.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

FEE FI FOE FUM THE BEARS HAVE A SNAKE IN THEIR GARDNER NAMED JOHNSON

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The Chicago Bears are so desperate with their depleted secondary they just added a wolf to their sheep farm. The Bears just struck a deal with 27 year old safety CJ Gardner-Johnson who has had some run-in’s with Chicago receivers in the past. Last year Gardner-Johnson helped the Philadelphia Eagles win their second Superbowl in their franchise history giving the Kansas City Chiefs an old fashioned beat down. The Eagles traded Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans in the off-season where he played three games this season & then was released. The Texans head coach said CJ’s release, “was best for the team.”

This month CJ Gardner Johnson found another franchise interested in his services. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens on their practice squad. After a week it was called a mutual decision on his release. Now he will join one of his arch enemies while reuniting with his former coach Dennis Allen who was in New Orleans when he was there. Now Allen has the job of defensive coordinator for the Bears and is using his word to his employers that his guy CJ can get the job done and will not disrupt the team chemistry.

The Chicago Bears are 4-3 for the season. They won 4 straight games after starting 0-2 out of the gates. Last week Caleb Williams did not play well. The Bears defense kept their team in the game versus the Ravens against their 3rd quarterback of the season in veteran Tyler Huntley. The Bears new head coach Ben Johnson thinks Williams’ bad day was not all his fault as he was throwing the ball to the right spots in timing routes. That the receivers stopped their route short of the spot they were supposed to get to. With the Bears defense playing well and Williams showing improvement, maybe a guy like CJ Gardner-Johnson is what they need at this point to give this team a jolt. The Bears lost their best defensive back in Jaylon Johnson who has been sidelined for weeks and had surgery on his core muscle. Tyrique Stevenson is banged up with a shoulder issue and missed Sunday’s game versus Baltimore but is expected back this week. While Kyler Gordon will miss at least 3 more games as he is on the injured reserve. Gardner-Johnson was originally drafted by the Saints in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL draft. He can play safety and can cover the slot receivers which he did for Dennis Allen and the Saints. Last season for the Eagles he had 6 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown. He played in 16 games last year after only playing in 3 regular season games for the Lions in 2023. In seven seasons where he had two stints with the Eagles, Saints that drafted him, and the Lions and Texans. The Bears will be his 5th team already. He has 18 career interceptions of which he had 6 picks in two different seasons and both were with Philadelphia.

CJ Johnson-Gardner is a trash talker along with an instigator as the Bears in the past found out the hard way. In 2020 the Bears wide receiver Javon Wims punched CJ twice in the helmet. Wims said CJ took his mouth piece and spat on him. CJ at the time denied spitting on Wims. Javon would get suspended 2 games by the league for hitting CJ in the helmet. Then in 2021 the Bears met the Saints in the playoffs. The Bears had it in the game plan not to fall for any of CJ’s antics. Another Bears wide receiver may have not gotten the memo, Anthony Miller shoved CJ, and was ejected from the game.

Miller fell right into CJ’s antics and it was game over for the Bears receiver.

Remember when the Chicago Bulls traded for Dennis Rodman who was a Hall of Fame defender and his antics got in the heads of other players? Ask Karl Malone who could not shake Rodman’s antics in the championship series versus the Bulls. CJ Gardner-Johnson is not the missing piece for a Bears championship. Everyone hated Rodman when he played all those years with the bad boys, the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were a thorn in the Bulls’ sides for years before Chicago slay their demons. The White Sox signed AJ Pierzynski, a key player that helped them win that 2005 World Series title for Chicago. Pierzynski all those years with the Twins he was hated by the White Sox fans. You hope Gardner-Johnson falls in with the Pierzynski and Rodman type guys you hated. Then loved when they are wearing your uniform and representing your city.

I’m not a fan of trash talking corner backs like CJ Gardner-Johnson. The Bengals teams that went deep in post-season seem to have multiple defensive backs that talked trash all game long. Gardner-Johnson has 2 career unsportsman-like conducts called on him. He has racked up six unnecessary roughness penalties in his career. Imagine all the stuff that he’s gotten away with. He certainly provoked those former Bears receivers to hit him in the heat of the moment. The Bears will need to win games to keep this clown happy and not become a cancer in the locker room. These types of guys can turn into a virus that spreads throughout the entire team. The ties he has with Dennis Allen will be important. I like that he can play multiple positions in the secondary. He certainly can help other Bears defensive backs get better by watching his coverage on offensive players. He can spark your team with a big time defensive play at a key point of the game. I think everything needs to be going well because he could also be the added fuel on the fire to send the Bears team into combustion mode. We’ve seen it before with the Jay Cutler’s of the world that wore Bears uniforms. Like an invasion of roaches, it takes awhile to get them all terminated from the locker room. The Bears are playing the Bengals this Sunday. We will see if Gardner-Johnson can contain their stud receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The Bears already have the goofy Tyrique Stevenson in their secondary, a guy that did not cover Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass last year because he was too busy taunting the crowd. Too many of these guys will set the fuse that burns the rest of your season away. The Bears are reaching here. It may work, but keep the fire extinguisher handy just in case.

THE NEXT SACK KING

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NFL Hall of Famer linebacker, the late Dick Butkus, played on many bad Bears teams over his career. Butkus signed a contract extension during his career to stay in Chicago where he was from. He made a name for himself because of the defense he played. He was feared all over the league. Opposing teams game-planned around him, but he still created havoc on offenses zeroing in on him to take him out of the game. In present times I think you can say Myles Garrett, defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, is going down the same career path as the great Butkus. On Sunday, Garrett sacked Patriots quarterback Drake Maye 5 times and even forced a fumble. With that kind of performance you would think the Browns would have won the game. The Patriots won the game 32-13. The Browns record now is 2-6 and they are on their way to yet another losing season. Meanwhile Garrett is on pace to be the new sack king of the NFL if he continues his current pace. With longevity he should end his career with over 200 sacks.

This is Myles Garrett’s 9th season in the NFL, all with the Browns, and he already has 112.5 sacks in his career. On Sunday Garrett’s 108th sack of his career broke the great Reggie White’s record of most sacks before the age of 30. White played 15 seasons in the NFL and tallied up 198 total sacks before his career came to an end. Let’s remember White played in the USFL for two seasons before coming to the NFL.

In 1984 & ’85, White played for the Memphis Showboats. He played in 34 games and tallied up 23.5 sacks. White has tallied up 198 total sacks in the NFL and is second all-time on the league’s sacks list. Garrett could shatter White’s second place on the sacks totem pole list and surpass the current king of all sacks. That is former Buffalo Bills defensive end Bruce Smith who tallied 200 total sacks. Smith ended up in Canton, Ohio like White & his devastation on the quarterback position.

Myles Garrett has size, speed, and athleticism, determination, and will not turn 30 until this December. He has plenty of time to increase his numbers this season with only 8 games in. He will still have multiple games left to play at the age of 29. He already has 10 sacks for the season which will be the 8th straight season of getting double digits in the quarterback smash. It did not take very long to be the number 1 in sacks in Browns history. Clay Matthews is second in Browns history with 62 total sacks which he broke years ago. He is six sacks away from tying his personal best of his career when he had back-to-back years getting 16 in 2021 & ’22. The 5 sacks on Sunday meant he broke his own personal sack record in one game. In 2021 he had 4 1/2 sacks versus the Bears. Since the NFL has counted sacks since the year 1982, 20 players have had 5 sacks or more in one game. Only 4 of those players ended up losing the game.

In 2017, the Browns drafted Myles Garrett with the first pick of the NFL draft from Texas A&M university. If the Browns went quarterback that year, the player would have been a bust. They had a sure thing picking Garrett who is a game wrecker. A game changer. If the Browns were a winning organization, he would have been a closer. Everyone remembers Garrett ripping off Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolf’s helmet in the Browns/Steelers melee and beating him over the head with it. When it comes to Garrett that is the first thing I think about. That moment does not take away from his play on the field on any given Sunday. I thought during the off-season, the Browns were going to trade their game wrecker because Garrett wanted out of Cleveland. He demanded a trade out of town. They have been a bad team, they paid all the guaranteed money, and gave away a ton of draft capital for a bum of a quarterback in Deshaun Watson. A guy who is a sexual predator. The Browns ownership should have never traded for this guy. Now they are set back years because of this bad deal which may be the worst trade in history by a NFL franchise The Browns ownership suddenly ponied up a 4 year extension worth 204.8 million to keep their defensive end in town and we have not heard a peep out of Myles every since. There are no clear signs in Cleveland that this franchise will turn things around. Garrett may be heading down the same path as Dick Butkus. I’m not saying anything wrong with playing for only one franchise as that is not done anymore. Butkus was the best player on a bad team. So is Garrett. These two guys would be one of the top players on a very great team. No question about that. Reggie White did win a Superbowl. Bruce Smith was part of 4 AFC Championship wins and 4 Superbowl loses. Garrett could be supreme king of the all-time sacks list when his career comes to an end. He may get to play in some future playoff games. When is the biggest question. No guarantee he will do that suited up for the Browns. He may set a new sacks record like Babe Ruth did to the home run record where it took decades to break. He will never get that ring with the Browns.

2025 NFL PREDICTIONS: WEEK 8 DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK 8 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (11-4)

We had a better week than week 6 when we only managed to get 8 correct out of 15 match ups. Week seven was sort of an easy week to pick. We were on the wrong side of the Icy Hot bowl that featured two aging quarterbacks. Thursday nights have not worked well the last few weeks. Picking the Commanders over the Cowboys turns into a very humiliating pick. Would love that one back. That is the way the cookie crumbles. In week 8 we are looking for perfection and no way we will come close to that. It sounds good on the computer screen writing it. We will get back on the horse and try to do better even though we have less match ups this week.

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-3) AT LA CHARGERS (5-3)

The last few weeks picking Thursday night games has been disastrous. This Thursday is very challenging between two teams I have not figured out all year long. The Chargers and Vikings have solid defensive units this season. Justin Herbert is the better quarterback than Carson Wentz. I figure if you keep betting on Jim Harbaugh, he is bound to win more games than lose. Even though I picked the Chargers last week to beat the Colts, he disappointed me there. It’s a new week. I like the Chargers defense to force the Vikings QB into mistakes where they benefit from and change my Thursday losing streak by flipping the script.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

THE SUNDAY TILT

MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-6) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (3-3)

The Dolphins have been swimming in toxic waters all year long. Can Kirk Cousins Wally Pipp Michael Peniz Jr., who pipped the former Viking QB? Whoever is the QB for the Falcons this week, Miami can not stop their running back Bijan Robinson who should have a big day versus the fish. Atlanta plays better at home and Miami should fire everyone.

OUR PICK: FALCONS

CHICAGO BEARS (4-2) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-5)

Can the Bears win 5 straight games? I bet you are thinking last time Chicago has done that was back in1985. The Bears did win 5 straight games back in 2018. The Ravens will be without their star quarterback Lamar Jackson who is dealing with a hamstring that has kept him out multiple weeks. The Ravens are in desperation mode right now. They need to win this game or their playoff hopes are crushed. The Ravens should be better on defense with some of their guys coming back and the team is rested from being on a bye last week. Without Lamar, the Bears should win this one on the road rather easily. The Bears have been playing well on both sides of the ball. Look for the Bears defense to make Cooper Rush have another bad day at the office as he already has thrown 4 interceptions in two starts.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

BUFFALO BILLS (4-2) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (4-3)

The Panthers have won three straight games and are perfect at home. The Bills have lost two straight games and are coming off their bye week. The Panthers will be without their starting QB Bryce Young as veteran Andy Dalton gets the start. The Bills have been gashed by the running game the last two straight weeks that led to losses.

The Bills have reinforcements on their defense just in time. Their rookie corner back Maxwell Hairston will make his NFL debut coming off a knee injury he suffered in pre-season. Then two free agents the Bills signed in the off-season for their defense, Larry Ogunjobi and Micahel Hoecht, will make their season debut coming off the league’s suspension list. The Bills will be better on defense. The bye week should help this team clean up their act. Dalton will be a sitting duck for defense that wants to make a statement. Josh Allen redeems himself from the bad performance he had in Atlanta.

OUR PICK: BILLS

NEW YORK JETS (0-7) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (3-4)

The Jets have been secretive about who’s starting at quarterback this week like it’s Area 51. The Jets should take whatever alien is in the building at Area 51 and insert it at the QB position. It’s got to be better than trotting Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor out there. Joe Flacco has given the Bengals hope and may be the guy that saved Cincinnati’s season. All Flacco needs to do is throw the football to Ja’Marr Chase 50 times. He’ll do the rest. The Bengals defense is terrible, but they should handle the Jets’ Area 51 secret project.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-2) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (2-4)

The Texans may be without their superstar wide receiver Nico Collins who is still on concussion protocol. The 49ers will lean in once again on Mac Jones as their starting quarterback who’s filling for the injured Brock Purdy. Jones is 4-1 this season as the starter. It’s the same story for Houston and San Francisco this season. The 49ers have concurred their injury problems by continuing to put W’s in the win column. The Texans have been solid on defense the entire season, but that does not help their offensive line. Being slim at the receiver position with an offense that has not run the ball well keeps me away from Houston like they have the herpes and are looking to spread the disease. The 49ers are the safer bet here.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-5) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (5-2)

What do you think? The Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has the new Death Star half built as New England has won 4 straight games. Rookie quarterback Dillion Gabriel won his first ever NFL start last week versus the Dolphins. Gabriel has not set the league on fire but has not been careless with the football. The Browns offense has been pretty dormant most of the season. The Patriots will face a challenge with the Browns stud defense that will keep them in the game. Drake Maye will out-duel the Browns rookie and keep the Patriots hot streak alive and well at least for another week.

OUR PICK: PATRIOTS

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-5) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (5-2)

The G-Men gave the Eagles their first loss of the season a few weeks ago. With that win, the Giants snapped a 8 game losing streak dating back to last year against teams in the division. Can the Giants sweep the season series versus the Eagles?

The Giants have not done well in Philadelphia over the last few years. It’s been a house of horrors for the team in blue. It’s hard to sweep a division opponent. It’s very hard to sweep the Superbowl champs from last year. Jaxson Dart has been giving the Giants a boost with his play at the quarterback position. However this is the same Giants team who blew a huge 4th quarter lead last week to the Broncos. The Eagles snapped a two game skid with a win last week. I like the Eagles to get their revenge. Dart will give the Giants a solid chance, but they come up short of the bullseye.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-2) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-6)

The Buccaneers offense went dormant on Monday night versus the Lions. The Saints continue to lose games & players while their quarterback Spencer Rattler has played well. Baker Mayfield is running out of guys to throw to as Tampa Bay lost Mike Evans for several weeks due to an injury versus the Lions. The Buccaneers last lost a few of their play makers. I think Tampa will run the ball down the Saints throats this week. Baker Mayfield will hook up with a few deep passes to the undrafted beer man suiting up for them this week only. The Saints will linger like they do. Tampa gets back in the win column with a solid defense performance.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

DALLAS COWBOYS (3-3-1) AT DENVER BRONCOS (5-2)

Are the Denver Broncos lucky or are you convinced they are one of top teams in the AFC? The Cowboys are coming off one of their better wins of the season beating up the Commanders. This match up features the Broncos, one of the top defenses in the entire league, versus the number 1 offense in the entire league that the Cowboys have. The Cowboys are number two overall in scoring, but their defense is the problem. The Broncos have their problems as well as they lead the league in penalties. Shame on you Sean Payton. Can the Cowboys turn this game into a shoot out? Dak Prescott seems like he’s in some kind of shoot out every week. The Cowboys have not won consecutive games this year. They are 1-3 on the road. Denver in general is a tough place to win. I think top defense always trumps tower top offenses. Like ICE stealing candy from a baby.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

TENNESSEE TITANS (1-6) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (6-1)

Who will get the worst beat down in Indianapolis this season? The butt fumbler Mark Sanchez or the Titans rookie QB Cam Ward? The Colts look and are playing like they are the cream of the crop in the AFC. The Titans are in hell right now. This game should be a blow out favoring the Colts because they are far far the better team. The Titans QB is going through growing pains right now. They fired their head coach. It’s a mess if you are a Titan fan.

OUR PICK: COLTS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

GREEN BAY PACKERS (4-2) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-2)

Aaron Rodgers will face the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his career. Will he own them after the game like he did all those seasons owning the Bears? Rodgers says this is not a revenge game. Are you buying what he is selling everyone? Hell no as I thought about this from my dark place last night sleeping. Green Bay in general tends to struggle away from home. The Steelers offensive line has done better at protecting the old man. Rodgers has been getting the ball out quickly which should keep Packers defender Micah Parsons in check. I think this game means a lot for Rodgers like the Jets game mattered to him. I can see Rodgers makes a big statement in like an F-U to his old team. Steelers win a close one at home.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-4) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (4-3)

The Commanders have all kinds of problems this season. They will be without their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels once again. The Commanders on defense can’t stop anybody. They are on the road with their back up quarterback being Marcus Mariota who is 1-1 filling in for Daniels so far this season. It’s hard to beat the Chiefs in general. It’s even harder to beat them at Arrowhead. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are back on track after starting out of the gates 0-2. Mahomes and the Chiefs should score a ton of points on the Commanders defense. The Chiefs defense can limit Mariota and prevent him from having a big day. A big game from Mariota would not come close to an average game by Mahomes.

OUR PICK:CHIEFS

2025 NFL PREDICTIONS: LUCKY WEEK 7 DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK 7 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD (8-7)

It was the bigger games last week that screwed me. I went 49ers over the Buccaneers. Then the Lions failed me on Sunday night versus the Chiefs. Both Monday night games ended my week on a down note. My upset picking Saints over New England looked poorly executed. I did get Panthers right at home over America’s team. Who had Giants over Eagles? This season has been baffling when it comes to some of the outcomes. We will get back on the horse and throw darts at week seven picks.

OVERALL RECORD: (60-33)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD OVERALL: (5-4)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD OVERALL: (4-2)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS RECORD: (0-2)

WEEK 7

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-1) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-4)

The Thursday night game is being coined the Icy Hot bowl because of two over the hill quarterbacks. The Bengals landed Joe Flacco from the Browns less than two weeks ago, who is 40 years of age. Then the other old guy, Aaron Rodgers at 41 years of age, is off to a great start with the Steelers in his first season in Pittsburgh. Rodgers is 3-0 versus Flacco over his career. All three wins for Rodgers came in a Packers uniform. Flacco lost to Rodgers twice with the Ravens and once with the Broncos. Rodgers will have the Steelers offense humming against a bad Bengals defense who will be without their best defender Trey Hendrickson is the team’s best pass rusher. Eventually Flacco will get the Bengals offense rolling because he has two of the best receivers in the league to throw to. They will make him look better. All he has to do is get it to them. The Steelers defense likes to tally up the takeaways and I think they will get some versus Flacco, a guy still learning the Bengals offense being this is his second start with the team. Now he’s playing on a short week.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

SUNDAY MORNING (LONDON)

LA RAMS (4-2) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-2)

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ home away from home is London, England. The Rams will not have Puka Nacua in their aerial attack as he’s out with an ankle sprain. The Rams still have another option for Matthew Staffords’ arsenal. That is Tutu Atwll who should pick up the slack of the Rams offense. The Jaguars lost to Seattle last week where their offense went dormant. Will the Jaguars try to force things into their rookie play maker Travis Hunter who plays both ways on the field? Jaguars upset the Chiefs on a Monday night game & then Trevor Lawrence gets sacked 7 times. The Rams are tied for 4th in the league in sacks. The Rams offense will be fine. My worry is the Jaguars will struggle on offense and make mistakes that will cost them in their own country.

OUR PICK: RAMS

THE SUNDAY TILT

CAROLINA PANTHERS (3-3) AT NEW YORK JETS (0-6)

When facing a team with no wins, like the Jets, it could feel like you’re going up against a caged animal with nothing to lose. The Panthers collected their three wins at home and are 0-3 on the road this season. The Jets are flying home from London where they played last week as they lost a close one to the Broncos. However Justin Fields was sacked 9 times by the Broncos. The good news for the Jets is the Panthers do not have that kind of pass rush the Broncos have. The Panthers are not very good at pressuring the quarterback.

The Panthers have been riding their back-up running back the last two games, Rico Dowdle who played very suave-like. He has set a Panthers record in a two game span piling up 473 scrimmage yards. The former Cowboy roasted his former squad Dallas last week. The Panthers starting running back Chuba Hubbard is expected back. I see the Panthers riding the Dowdle train a little bit longer. Fields will not have his top receiver to throw to in Garrett Wilson. The Panthers are 3-0 playing teams with losing records this season. I like that trend to continue here.

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (4-2) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1-5)

The Titans fired their head coach this week as Brian Callahan did not last very long in Tennessee. Now to rub some more salt into the Titans’ current situation is the arrival of the former Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel who was fired after the 2023 season concluded. The interim for the Titans is a guy named Mike McCoy. The Titans have 14 players still on that roster that played for Vrabel. Usually a team gets a spark with a different voice as they play loose, free, and dummy down the play book. The Patriots come into this one red hot looking to win their 3rd straight road game. The Titans are a complete disaster. The win they did get was gift wrapped by Arizona. Vrabel has the Patriots playing solid on both sides of the ball. He will leave town with a grin on his face getting back at the former franchise he coached at.

OUR PICK: PATRIOTS

MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-5) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-5)

One of these teams will get their second win of the year. This is a game between two bottom feeders of the NFL. For the Dolphins, the choke collar on their head coach has to be squeezing Mike McDaniel wind pipes as more losses pile up.

The Titans pulled the plug on their head coach. Will the Dolphins follow their path? The Browns offense has struggled so far with the insert of their rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel behind center. The perfect recipe to jump start your offense and a rookie QB is the Dolphins defense. The Browns defense can put a damper on most offenses in the league. and I think they will be able to dissect the fish like an 8th grade science experiment. Dawgs squish the fish in he DAWG Pound.

OUR PICK: BROWNS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-4) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (3-3)

We wanted the Chiefs to be done for the season after starting out of the gates 0-2. Since then the Chiefs have gone 3-1 and gave the Lions a beat down on Sunday night football. Meanwhile the Raiders found the victory column for only the second time this season beating up on a bad Titan team. The Chiefs will have one of Patrick Mahomes’ weapons back on the field as they welcome back Rashee Rice. Mahomes and company now do not have to rely on the meathead, Travis Swift.

The Raiders are not doing anything well in their first six games. Geno Smith has resorted back to his Jets ways where his career started in New York wearing the silver and black. The Chiefs are hard to beat at Arrow Head stadium. Mahomes is playing well. The referees are back on the Chiefs payroll as they had no penalties on Sunday night versus Detroit. Poor Pete Carroll may be regretting coming back to the NFL as a head coach.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-5) AT CHICAGO BEARS (3-2)

Can the Chicago Bears win 4 straight games after starting the season 0-2? The Saints have hung around in almost every game they played this season. The Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler is starting to get it. Rattler has played well. Can he keep up with the way Caleb Williams has been playing?

Williams pissed off an ESPN announcer last week in the win over the Commanders. Troy Aikman maybe did not like his painted finger nails. DRAMA!! Teams have scored multiple passing touchdowns on the Saints defense this entire season. Teams can run on the Saints defense as well. The Bears offense is starting to mix in the run into their offense as D’Andre Swift had a big game running the ball in the win versus Washington. The Saints will make this a game. The Bears defense can make stops and are good at forcing turnovers. This is a tough road game for New Orleans to pull off. When was the last time the Bears have won 4 games? Pinch me I may be dreaming.

OUR PICK: BEARS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-2) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (3-2)

The Superbowl champs have suddenly lost two straight games. The Vikings are rested coming off their bye week looking to right their ship with the Eagles flying in. The Vikings will have their rookie quarterback back from the injured list, but he will not be starting in this one. Carson Wentz will face the team that drafted him. The Eagles offense has struggled in the last few games. Jalen Hurts has been holding on to the ball way too long. With a team that loves to blitz like the Vikings, look for the Eagles to hit on some short passes to get their star running back, Saquon Barkley, involved early and often in this one. I just can not see the Eagles losing three straight games. Wentz will make a few mistakes where Philadelphia defense will be all over it.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-1) AT LA CHARGERS (4-2)

The head coach of the Chargers, Jim Harbaugh, will be facing one of the teams he played for this Sunday, the Colts. When Harbaugh played for the Colts, he earned the nickname Captain Comeback for all his epic games where he led his team to a victory being down on the score board late in games. The Colts right now are the cream of the crop of the AFC. Jonathan Taylor is the number 1 running back in the NFL. Danny Dimes Jones has been reborn wearing the horseshoes on his helmet. Chargers have been riddled with injuries at the running back position. Justin Herbert has had another solid year behind center. The Colts have played an easier schedule most of this season. I like the Chargers defense to contain this Colts offense just enough for LA to generate the points needed to knock Jones and company off their horse and bring back down to earth. It will be a close game. The home team wins it for Captain Comeback.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-4) AT DENVER BRONCOS (4-2)

Looks like the New York Giants have found the next Peyton Hillis of the NFL. The Great White Hope at the running back position for the Giants found themselves a beast name, Cameron Skattebo.

Skattebo already has tallied 5 touchdowns for the Giants. Just hope he does not land on the John Madden cover like Hillis who disappeared after landing on the video game. The Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has given this franchise life once again. The two rookies face an incredible challenge going up against the defense of the Denver Broncos. The Broncos have been like a saw mill on rookie quarterbacks. Last week they sacked Jets veteran quarterback Justin Fields 9 times. Both these teams beat up on the Eagles in the last two weeks. I like the Broncos offense to get back on track versus the Giants defense. That is the match up that wins this game for Denver. No rookie love in this one for the G-Men reborn.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-3) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (2-4)

This game has shoot out written all over it. Dak Prescott and that Cowboys offense is one of the best in the league. The Commanders have some injuries they are dealing with. Scary Terry McLaurin is out. The Commanders gave the Bears a victory on Monday night, a Jayden McDaniels fumble cost them. The Cowboys found out the hard way the Panthers are very tough to handle at their place. The Commanders won all the close games last year. This year they are not getting those W’s. The Commanders will still be able to produce points off the terrible Dallas defense. The Commanders defense is nothing to write mom about back home. The Commanders D will do just enough to secure this game for Washington.

OUR PICK: COMMANDERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS (3-1-1) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-4)

The Packers are 3-0 in Green Bay. On the road it’s like the tale of two cities, they are 0-1-1. Arizona has their own problems. At home they are 0-3 for the season. On the road they are 2-1. The Cardinals have lost 4 straight games after starting out of the gates 2-0. Who is the starting QB this week for Arizona? Back up Jacoby Brissett played well last week filling in for the injured Kyler Murray in a close game versus the Colts. I think the Packers will get a solid game out of their defense with either QB they face. I’m not scared of the Cardinals running game without their number one back, James Connor. Jordan Love should be able to generate a good enough amount of points versus a Cardinal defense that has a rookie corner back in Will Johnson. Johnson has played well but dealing with Love stinks. The Packers have not been well balanced on offense in every game this season. Look for the running game to explode in this one as Josh Jacobs has big game.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

ATLANTA FALCONS (3-2) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-2)

The Falcons defense is worth talking about as they are allowing the league’s lowest in yards per game. Teams are only averaging 253.4 yards per game. The 49ers will be without Brock Purdy once again. Mac Jones has done very well filling in. The 49ers have been once again like last year with the Santa Clause list on the injury report. The Falcons took down the Bills last week on Monday night making last year’s MVP Josh Allen look like an average QB in the NFL. The 49ers found out what Baker Mayfield does best at the end of games as they lost to the Buccaneers. Is Atlanta a different team outside than inside the dome? The Falcons defense coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich, has ties to current 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Both were a part of that Jets team where Aaron Rodgers’ mood swings took down the entire team. Then 49ers Kyle Shanahan worked with Ulbrich on the same staff in Atlanta. That 2016 team that lost in the Superbowl by Tom Brady’s Patriots impressive comeback. No Fred Warner on the 49ers defense looking for guys like Drake London and Bijan Robinson to have their way with San Francisco’s defense. Jones is due for a rude awakening at some point. Falcons make a statement in this one.

OUR PICK: FALCONS

TWO MONDAY NIGHT GAMES

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (5-1) AT DETROIT LIONS (4-2)

Are we looking at an early NFC Championship here where two of the top teams in the conference crash on Monday night? Baker Mayfield has been playing without his top weapons. Mike Evans could return. The Lions were embarrassed in week 1 by the Packers. Then won 4 straight finding their mojo like the Lions of the old. Last week versus the Chiefs in KC, they hit a speed bump. The Buccaneers continue to win wild ones as Mayfield does at the end of games by closing out the other team with an impressive drive on offense.

The Lions will be without one defensive back versus the Buccaneers Brian Branch, who bitch slapped Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster after the game concluded last Sunday night. The league suspended him. I don’t see defense really being a factor in this game. The Lions have scored 30 or over points in 5 straight home games dating back to last year. Lions are mad. The Mayfield magic at the end will run out in this one. This one will be settled by the team having the ball in the last minute. My gut tells me it’s the Lions.

OUR PICK: LIONS

HOUSTON TEXANS (2-3) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-2)

The Texans have won two straight games and are coming off their bye week to even their record at 3-3 for the season. The Seahawks dominated the Jaguars. They sacked Trevor Lawrence 7 times in that game. Sam Darnold is living up to the contract he signed with the Seahawks during the off-season. He will be challenged by a Texans defense who have been solid all season. The Texans run defense has been brilliant. Look for Seattle to get it done going air born. The biggest weakness in this match up is the Texans offensive line. Seattle has a strong push up the belly of the field which should cave in those Texans big guys in the trenches. CJ Stroud will be on the run most of the game. That’s where Seattle will take advantage of his mistakes and put the Texans on ice.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

2025 NFL PREDICTIONS: WEEK SIX DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK SIX STRAIGHT PICK-EM

Week 5 was a complete disaster for most people in the world trying to pick winners in an NFL game. With all the upsets & injuries you could compare it to the video game of Mutant League football where anything goes. I thought I was savvy on my Saints over the Giants pick. I really thought I pulled one out of a magic hat with the Jaguars over the Chiefs pick. The rest of them I felt like I was run over by a steam roller. I somehow finished week 5 with a even record.

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (7-7)

On the 14 game slate, I had half of them correct. Is the entire NFL watered down where clearly there are no superior teams? Seeing the two undefeated teams, the Eagles and the Bills, lay an egg on Sunday to the Broncos and Patriots. Do you have to change the script pick with your gut? Go the opposite in what you believe? This is what the NFL wants where anything can happen. Where some weeks look like a highway wreck full of cars in a zombie apocalypse. We will continue to swing the bat and hope we make solid contact in week six.

SEASON RECORD: (52-26)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD: (5-2)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD: (4-1)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (0-1)

WEEK SIX

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-1) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (1-4)

How can the Eagles lose two straight games and one of the teams be the Giants? The Giants are at home and it’s a Thursday night where anything can happen. It’s also a division game where these two teams know each other very well. This is true, but the Giants have a rookie quarterback in Jaxson Dart and he was quickly brought back down to earth after winning his first ever start in week 4. The Giants turned over the ball five times in 5 straight drives. The Saints landed their first victory of the season. The Giants also give Spencer Rattler his first NFL win of his career after losing ten straight starts in his first two seasons in the league. Look for X-Giants running back Saquon Barkley to play a big part in the Eagles righting the ship and getting back in the win column.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

THE SUNDAY FLIGHT TO ENGLAND

DENVER BRONCOS (3-2) AT NEW YORK JETS (0-5)

Who’s waking up at the butt crack of dawn to watch Jets football being played across the pond in London? The Broncos travel to Europe after getting a significant win over the undefeated Eagles in Philly. The Jets may be the worst team in the NFL. If only Justin Fields had some kind of offensive line in his entire career. The Jets 0-line has allowed the most pressures in the league to this point of the season. When it comes to the Broncos they have pressured the QB the most this season until this point.

Broncos line backer Nik Bonitto has seven sacks by himself so far this season which is what the Jets entire defense has right now in 5 weeks. The Jets defense has not been able to produce one turnover yet. This will be good for Broncos QB Bo knows Nix.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

THE REST OF THE SUNDAY TILT IN THE STATES

CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-4) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (3-1)

The last time the Browns won a game in Steel City it was back during the post-season of 2021. Back when Baker Mayfield was the Browns QB. Cleveland probably wishes they still had Mayfield. The Steelers are coming off a bye week. Which means Aaron Rodgers coming off a darkness retreat. The Browns traded away Joe Flacco so now the show belongs to Dillion Gabriel who started last week in the loss to the Vikings in Europe. Bailey Zappe, former Patriots QB, was activated from the practice squad as the number two QB. That leaves Deon Sanders Shedeur holding the clipboard as the number three guy on the Browns totem pole. The Browns have not won a regular season game in Pittsburgh since 2003. Rodgers will score some points off the Browns defense. The Steelers defense will throw a monkey wrench into the growth of Gabriel as they are second in the NFL in takeaways.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-3) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-1-1)

Joe Flacco started in AFC North with the Ravens. He may die in the AFC North with another team in the division. Flacco started the season with the Browns and he was traded to one of their rivals in the division, the Bengals. The Packers started out of the gates hot at home with a 2-0 record. The Browns beat the Packers on their first road game giving Flacco and the Browns their first win of the season. Then the Packers walked away from Dallas with a tie. Can Flacco light up the Bengals offense in the absence of Joe Burrow who may be out until December with an injury and are 0-3 without him? The Bengals second string QB has thrown 8 interceptions in three starts since Burrow went down. What happened to the Packers defense on the road? The Bengals are thinking Flacco could fling the rock all over the field with the talented receivers they have. Can Flacco beat Green Bay twice with two different teams in a matter of weeks? Green Bay is different at home obviously. Flacco should credit the Browns defense for the the first win and loss for the Packers. Flacco will get the start but will not be in sync right away with the Bengals offense. I like Green Bay doing a 360 and playing well at their home turf in this one and getting the better of Flacco in this one. Next year Flacco needs to be a Steeler to have all the uniforms in the AFC North.

OUR PICK: PACKERS

LA RAMS (3-2) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (1-4)

Lamar Jackson will miss his second game in a row for the Ravens due to a injury. The Rams should be licking their chops facing a junior varsity defense riddled with injuries. Former Dallas Cowboy Cooper Rush gets his second start in a Ravens uniform. His first start versus the Texans resulted in three interceptions. Matthew Stafford leads the league in passing yards and is closing in on Dan Marino on the all-time list as he needs 50 more yards.

The Ravens defense has already given up 177 points in 5 games which is the most in franchise history. I don’t see the Ravens defense stopping the Rams aerial attack. The Rams defense will zero in on Derrick Henry and take him out of play and that will be the key for a LA road victory.

OUR PICK: RAMS

ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-1)

Marvin Harrison Jr. faces his old man’s team, the Colts, in his father’s house in Indianapolis. The Colts are off to a great start as they are looking like one of the AFC power house teams right now. The Cardinals have lost three straight games by a walk off field goal in each of them. The Cardinals hit rock bottom last week shooting themselves in the foot multiple times and gift wrapping a victory for the Titans which even had a bow on top. The former Ohio State receiver has been quiet this year catching only 20 balls for 306 yards with 2 touchdowns. Kyler Murray is a streaky quarterback at best. He has not hit his stride yet this season for a big game. The Colts offense is well balanced. Jonathan Taylor is a beast. Daniel Jones is having a career year. The Colts defense should just do enough to tame the Cardinals offense here for the 5th victory of the year and another home win.

OUR PICK: COLTS

LA CHARGERS (3-2) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-4)

The Chargers are 3-0 versus teams in their own division. The Chargers are 0-2 versus everyone else. The Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is 3-14 versus teams with a winning record since 2022. This will be the 4th time Justin Herbert versus Tua Tagovailoa have met. Tua has the 2-1 edge over Herbert. I don’t like the Dolphins defense. The Chargers defense has been solid most of the year. The Chargers are using their 3rd or 4th running back already this season. Whoever it is, Moe, Larry, or Curly, or even Shemp, the Chargers should have a running game to go along with the aerial attack versus this Dolphins defense.

I think the Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh will have his team playing their best after losing two straight games.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-2) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-1)

This game is a toss up. I’m shocked that the Jaguars have been playing so well. Both quarterbacks for both teams – Sam Darnold for Seattle and Trevor Lawrence for the Jags – have lit up the skies. Lawrence was huge versus the Chiefs on Monday night knocking them off their high perch. Darnold lost in a shootout versus Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. To pick this match up, it comes down to defense. Seattle has played well all year until they face the Buccaneers last week. Jacksonville continues to get takeaways like they mass produce them in a factory somewhere. This game has shoot out written all over it. I like the home team in this one. It’s a long flight for Seattle as well.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

DALLAS COWBOYS (2-2-1) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (2-3)

The Carolina Panthers are undefeated at home winning both games they played there. The Cowboys offense can score 30 points per game and at the same time give up 30 points per game. The Cowboys will face their former teammate running back Rico Dowdle who’s coming off a 200 yard performance against a bad Dolphins defense. He should be able to have back to back solid games running the rock as the Cowboys defense can’t stop anybody. This game is another toss up. I give the nod to the Panthers since they defend their home turf very well.

OUR PICK: PANTHERS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (3-2) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1-4)

Spencer for hire Rattler finally won his first NFL start last week after going 0-10 as a staring QB for the Saints. The Patriots went into Buffalo and upset the Bills in a prime time Sunday affair. The Patriots offense is heating up with the Stephon Diggs making an impact with New England’s QB Drake Maye. The Saints have battled in most of the games they have played this season. The Patriots confidence is rising and their head coach Mike Vrabel is constructing the next dynasty here. Can the Patriots be overconfident in this one on the road after beating the Bills in Buffalo? Can Rattler stay hot? This is the NFL and anything can happen. Last week was a shit show of craziness. This will be a close game. I like the Saints in an upset to get it done and bring the Diggs show down a peg or two.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (1-4) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (1-4)

You wonder if Pete Carroll regrets coming back to the NFL as a head coach and taking this Raiders job? Geno Smith has been terrible this season as he tallied up 9 interceptions in 5 games. The Raiders have lost 4 straight.

The Titans finally won their first game of the season with their rookie quarterback Cam Ward & had an impressive comeback. Or did the Arizona Cardinals gift wrap that victory for Ward and the Titans? This game could go either way. I think Pete strikes a deal with the devil as he always has and the Raiders somehow pull out a victory on the road.

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (4-1) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-1)

How many injuries are piled up for both teams here and they each have won 4 out 5 games to start the season? Baker Mayfield coming off winning a shoot out versus the Seahawks will not have Mike Evans or Chris Godwin. The Buccaneers are hurting at the running back position. The 49ers have thrived with back up quarterback Mac Jones who will get another start for injured Brock Purdy. Jones is 3-0 as the starter and has 6 touchdown passes to only 1 interception in 3 games. Jones engineered an impressive win versus the LA Rams in week 5. This will be another close game that could go either way. I like the 49ers defense and confident they can do enough to slow Mayfield and that Buccaneers offense down and make a few stops to give Jones the drive he needs to win this game on the road.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

DETROIT LIONS (4-1) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (2-3)

Can the Lions go back to Arrowhead stadium and knock off the Chiefs like they did back in the opener of the 2023 season? The Lions have won 4 straight games since losing the opener on the road in Green Bay. The Chiefs started out of the gates 0-2 but since won 2 out 3 games. The Chiefs recently lost to the Jaguars on Monday night after building a two score lead on Jacksonville. Patrick Mahomes has never beaten Jared Goff as these two quarterbacks have faced each other more than once. The Chiefs offense has been better the last 3 weeks. The Lions have been solid in the last 4 games on both sides of the ball. The Chiefs are not that team like they used to be where Arrowhead was a guaranteed victory for Mahomes and company. I like the Lions to do it again while they have their defense intact as they put Mahomes and Andy Reid in a bigger hole to open their season.

OUR PICK: LIONS

TWO MONDAY NIGHT GAMES

BUFFALO BILLS (4-1) AT ATLANTA FALCONS (2-2)

The Falcons are well rested for this home game versus the visiting Buffalo Bills. The Bills encountered their first loss of the season versus the Patriots. The Falcons had a win over the Commanders before the bye where their offense put up 34 points. The Falcons in 3 were shut out by the Panthers. The Bills lost a close game and the team was sloppy with turnovers and penalties. Look for the Bills to clean up their game and get back on track like a well-oiled machine on offense. The Bills will key in on the Falcons running game. I think Michael Penix will be confused at the looks of the Bills defense which will create a few takeaways and escape Atlanta with a much needed victory to get back on track.

OUR PICK: BILLS

CHICAGO BEARS (2-2) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-2)

Last year the Commanders won this match up with a Hail Mary pass to put the Bears away. Will Washington use the Our Father play to do in the Bears this year? The Bears have won two straight games. The Bears are coming off a bye week. The NFL will have the Commanders facing off versus the Bears for years to come as Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were picked 1 and 2 in last year’s NFL draft. This will be the first ever Monday night game involving two quarterbacks going 1 and 2 in the same draft class. The Commander won in Daniels’ return last week versus the Chargers. The Bears won a wild one versus the Raiders in week 4. The Bears have gotten better, but the Commanders are the better team here. This should be another wild game as Washington defends their turf and gets the W.

OUR PICK COMMANDERS

JONATHAN GANNON HAS SOME OF THAT MIKE DITKA RAGE INSIDE HIM

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It’s about time a head coach goes postal on one of their own players for being football stupid. On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals could have broken the game open versus a bad Tennessee Titans team. Third year running back Emari Demercado for the Cardinals in the 4th quarter broke through the defense and was on his way for a 76 yard touchdown run. Instead of crossing the goal line with the ball in his hands being chased by a Titan defender, he just drops the ball on purpose before he actually hits pay dirt. The referees ruled the play a fumble, turnover of downs, and a touch back. The Cardinals would have had a 21 point lead in the 4th quarter. Demercado, a 26 year running back out of TCU, thought he crossed the line with the touchdown. At the time it was more important to him to show boat and look cool for the cameras. The Titans would end up winning this game. After the play, Jonathan Gannon, head coach of the Cardinals, went ballistic on his running back. They say he even got physical with his running back. Gannon should not strike any of his players. Giving the running back a verbal conversation needs to happen because this stuff keeps happening in the NFL.

Last year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for the Indianapolis Colts, did the same thing as Emari Demercado. It was the Colts versus the Rams and Mitchell nonchalantly dropped the ball before the goal line thinking more of the celebration than the team. These players looked at themselves on the jumbotron in the middle of the play to see their glory on the gridiron first hand. In the NFL, every time a player gets a first down every player has to get up and mock the referee with the signal that so and so got his team the first down. Every time a defender gets a turnover, why does the entire defensive unit have to celebrate by the cameras in the end zone? In the 1990’s the Dallas Cowboys were blowing out the Buffalo Bills in the Superbowl. The Cowboys defender, Leon Lett, recovered a fumble and was rumbling and tumbling down the side line looking like an easy touchdown. He was celebrating the score before he got across the goal line. The Bills wide receiver Don Beebe chased the almost 300 pound defender down knocking the ball out of hand before he got it across the goal line. Lett was holding the ball out like a loaf of bread.

That game was out of hand as the Cowboys were destroying the Bills. Lett would get the Superbowl ring, but that one play has plenty of humiliation attached to his career. No one will recall how many sacks Lett had or how many championships the man won. They will recall the idiot celebrating way too early and getting the ball knocked out of his hand.

The Arizona Cardinals started the season out of the gates with a 2-0 record. Now they have lost the last three games by a total of 5 points. The Cardinals make history with all three straight losses coming off a walk off field goal. The Cardinals lost their first game to the 49ers in week 3 by a kick at the end of regulation. Then in week 4, Seattle beat Arizona with a walk off field goal. Joey Slye did the same thing last Sunday to help the Titans win 22-21. The Cardinals shot themselves in both feet versus the Titans after the fumble by Emari Demercado. With 4:55 left in the 4th quarter, the Cardinals defender Dadrion Taylor-Demerson intercepted a tip ball thrown by Titans QB Cam Ward. The interception could have sealed this game for Arizona. When Taylor-Demerson came crashing to the ground with the intercept, he fumbled the ball. The ball bounced around until Titans receiver Tyler Lockett secured the ball in his hands in the end zone for another Titans score. It all started with the showboating by Emari. Eventually Slye would get the chance to walk off the Cards after the Titans defense forced Arizona to punt and got the ball back. The Titans then drove down the field and set up Slye for the kick. He made it the third straight walk off kick in a row to end Arizona’s week with a loss.

Growing up watching the Bears in the 1980’s, Da Coach Mike Ditka would not deal with shenanigans like Emari Demercado trying to be too cool for school. When Ditka coached the best running back on the planet, Walter Payton would hand the ball to the referee after each time he scored a touchdown. Act like you have been there before was Sweetness’ philosophy. Do you remember when Ditka unleashed his bark on his quarterback Jim Harbaugh? The same Harbaugh that coaches the Chargers. Harbaugh may not be showing his rage on the side lines, but I bet money he would not take this kind of non sense from his third string running back. Head coaches like Ditka would have cut his Cardinal sin the next day. The NFL owners pay big money for their head coaches and they want results. If the Cardinals miss the playoffs by one game, this is the one that will be pointed to. Losing to a bad Tennessee team with a rookie QB who has not been good is unacceptable. When you give the bad team the game, your locker should be cleared out. Especially for Tom Foolery. When playmakers do these things, it can cost a guy like Jonathan Gannon his livelihood being his first head coaching gig.

Jonathan Gannon did apologize to his running back. He realized his team lost the game because of more than one play. That fumble play by Emari took the sails out of the Cardinals flight in that game. How quickly the Titans turned things around like that. You would think Emari will learn from his bone-headed blunder in the future. Will the Gannon rage scare other players presently or in the future? Not wanting to win for the name on front of the jersey rather than win for his own name on back of the jersey. Nobody knew who Emari was before his blunder on Sunday. If he did not fumble, they would have said that a 3rd string running back that scored a touchdown in garbage time. This sounds better than your head coach going nuclear on you before a live studio audience.

2025 NFL WEEKLY PREDICTIONS: WEEK 5 DONE THE WILD SHAMROCK WAY

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WEEK 5 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD: (12-4)

SEASON RECORD: (45-19)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD: (4-2)

THURSDAY NIGHT RECORD: (4-0)

FRIDAY NIGHT RECORD: (0-1)

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3-1) AT LA RAMS (3-1)

The 49ers will once again be without Brock Purdy. The Rams enjoyed some home cooking last weekend giving the Colts their first loss of the season. The 49ers also suffered their first loss of the season to the Jaguars. Can Mac Jones continue to be perfect as the fill in guy for Purdy? Jones is 2-0 this season already. Anything can happen in division games because they know each other very well. I like the Rams. The way Matthew Stafford has performed so far this season, he should be able to slice and dice the 49ers defense with their injuries piling up like a MASH unit. Can any team stop what Stafford has with wide receiver Puka Nacua? He may have 100 catches way before mid-season.

OUR PICK: RAMS

THE SUNDAY TILT

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (2-2) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS (1-3) IN LONDON ENGLAND

It was a matter of time for the Cleveland Browns to bench the old guy Joe Flacco for the next generation, QB Dillion Gabriel. How’s Shedeur Sanders taking this, the other QB the Browns drafted this season? Probably not well. Flacco will be the number two while Sanders pouts as the number 3 QB. The Vikings lost a close one last week to the Steelers last week in Ireland. The Vikings are still across the pond this week. Now they are in London, England. The Browns defense will keep Gabriel’s debut close. He faces a blitzing Viking defense that will give the rookie a challenge. Carson Wentz will do enough to get by the Browns defense. The Vikings being over in Europe last week will give them the advantage on the time change whild the Browns may be on snooze most of this game.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

DALLAS COWBOYS (1-2-1) AT NEW YORK JETS(0-4)

Is the new Jets head coach a better cheerleader than anything Dallas has? Not quite, but I feel for him like I need to cheer him on so the Jets can get that first victory. I don’t like the Jets’ chances versus this Cowboys team that has been good on offense. They put up 40 points versus Green Bay and came away with only a tie. The Cowboys defense sucks. Justin Fields should have a big day for New York. However the Jets defense still have not been able to generate one stinking turnover after 4 weeks. The Cowboys will score points off the Jets defense and be able to just do enough to stop Fields to get a road victory or this will end in a tie. The Cowboy way.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

DENVER BRONCOS(2-2) AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (4-0)

Can the Broncos give the Eagles their first loss of the season? This is a long road trip for the Broncos, but I can see their defense being able to contain Saquon Barkley most of the game. I said most of the game which Barkley will eventually wear out the Broncos defense. Bo Nix is starting to heat up. This will be a tough game for Bo dealing with the Eagles on the road in hostile territory. The Broncos are a good team but they are not ready yet to beat the top tier teams in the NFL. I like Eagles to stay undefeated in a close game but a victory.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

BALTIMORE RAVENS(1-3) AT HOUSTON TEXANS (1-3)

Do you remember the old Dallas Cowboys back up QB Cooper Rush? Now he is suiting up for the Ravens and is going to start for them this week because Lamar Jackson is injured. Rush is 9-5 as a starter all-time. The Texans won their first game of the season last Sunday. The Ravens will not be explosive on offense with Rush behind center, but they will still get points. The Texans have a bad offensive line, but the Ravens defense is horrific. The Texans defense is solid. I like CJ Stroud not being on his back in this game to have his best performance of the year. It will be a close game, but Texans prevail at the end because of all the injuries on that Ravens defense.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS(1-3) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-1)

Colts suffered their first loss of the season versus a solid Rams team. The Raiders should have beat the Bears but suffered a loss giving up the lead to Chicago late in that contest. Geno Smith has not done well in Vegas so far. Three more picks last week. Daniel Jones is the comeback player of the year. He has flipped the script in his football career and he should be able to have another solid game versus this Raiders defense. I’m surprised head coach Pete Carol has not made another pact with the Devil to get some wins as Raiders head coach. I like the Colts in this one with Jonathan Taylor wearing out the silver and black at home to get back in the win column.

OUR PICK: COLTS

NEW YORK GIANTS (1-3) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (0-4)

Who do you love?

We know who the Giants head coach loves. Brian Daboll is not shy of his love for Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart who helped New York land their first victory of the season last Sunday. Can the Giants hit the road and win their second game of the year in the Big Easy? Not trying to ruin Daboll’s chubby, but this Sunday it will be Spencer Rattler getting his first NFL victory. Rattler is now 0-10 in his career as a starter. The Saints have been lingering in every game so far. I like Rattler to take a bite out of the visiting Big Apple and getting the Saints finally in the win column.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

MIAMI DOLPHINS (1-3) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-3)

The Panthers were blown out by the Patriots last week. The Dolphins finally crack the win column but it cost them their top receiver.

I hate when bad things happen to bad people like Tyreek Hill. His devastating knee injury has him out the rest of the season. I think Carolina will be able to score points off a bad Dolphins defense. You can’t trust what this Panther team will do. They can win. However Bryce Young can have have a big day and Carolina can still lose. Tua Tagovailoa still has weapons without the Cheetah. I like the Dolphins just getting by the Panthers by a ball hair in this one.

OUR PICK: DOLPHINS

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-1) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-1)

This match up should be a good one. Usually you hear about Seattle making the long distance flight. This time it’s Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers suffered their first loss of the season losing a close affair with the Champion Eagles. The Seahawks have won three straight games after opening up the season with a loss at home. The Seahawks are a team that can be beat at home. Seattle defense has been solid and should be able to prevent a Buccaneers comeback late in this contest. It seems like all the wins by Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers have been in the last minute of regulation. I like how Sam Darnold has played for the Seahawks so far. He should be able to do his stuff versus a Buccaneers defense that just blitzes all the time.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

DETROIT LIONS (3-1) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-2)

The Lions will get the Ohio sweep this Sunday after beating the Browns last week. The Bengals defense should allow the Lions offense to function on all cylinders. Jake Browning, the fill in guy for Joe Burrow, has been awful. You have to blame the Bengals offensive line being a majority of the problem. Look for J’Marr Chase to have another heated exchange with the Bengals staff.

Chase will continue to disappoint fantasy football owners throughout the country. The Lions defense should be licking their chops on potential turnovers they will get from Browning who’s been in giving spirits so far this season.

OUR PICK: LIONS

TENNESSEE TITANS (0-4) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-2)

The Titans have to be the worst team in the NFL. Tennessee was shut out by the Texans last weekend. Meanwhile the Cardinals started out of the gates with a 2-0 record & have lost two straight games. Arizona is at home. Their defense should do well against a struggling rookie quarterback. Kyler Murray should be able to put up a solid performance versus the Titans defense. Look for Arizona to snap the two game losing streak while winning an easy one.

OUR PICK: CARDINALS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (2-2) AT LA CHARGERS (3-1)

The Commanders will have Jayden Daniels back behind center after he missed the last two games from an injury. The Chargers lost their first game of the year to a rookie QB making his first ever start in the NFL last Sunday. Can Daniels knock off the rust? Can Justin Herbert function well even with a banged up O-line for the Chargers? Daniels has not been himself from his rookie season. The Commanders are playing a tougher schedule this season because they made the playoffs last year & you will see some struggles. This will be a close game. It’s hard to beat a Jim Harbaugh coached team two weeks in a row. The Chargers are at home. They will prevent a losing streak and find the win column.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-2) AT BUFFALO BILLS (4-0)

The Patriots blew the doors off the Panthers last Sunday. The Bills made it tougher on themselves with the visiting Saints but prevailed in the 4th quarter. Is this Mike Vrabel team ready to knock off the big dog of the AFC East? The Patriots are a team on the rise, but a beat down of the Panthers does not give them the juice to come into Buffalo on a Sunday night and beat the Bills. Josh Allen has been very good in prime time games over his career. The Bills are an extremely tough animal to beat in Orchard Park. I can see the Patriots making this game. In the end the Bills will stay perfect for the season.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (2-2) JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (3-1)

It’s easy to say the Chiefs are back and are functioning on all cylinders after their beat down of the Ravens. The Ravens defense is horrific. It’s like playing the junior varsity team. The Jaguars defense already has racked up 13 turnovers in 4 games. I feel like the Chiefs are in for a rude awakening when they visit Florida. This is my upset special. I think Trevor Lawrence will do enough. I like the Jaguars running game. I suspect Patrick Mahomes to lay an egg. Look for the meathead Travis Kelce to continue his non-impressive performances this season. He’s lucky Taylor Swift is selling records by the millions. It will be a close game, but Jags come away with a shocker at home.

OUR PICK: JAGUARS

MY FIRST EVER GAME AT RICH STADIUM AND MY LAST

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Since 2020 the Buffalo Bills stadium has been called Highmark stadium. The Bills stadium opened up back in 1973 and was originally called Rich Stadium. It was Rich Stadium from 1973 until 1998. When it was Rich Stadium in the 1990’s, the Bills were kings of the AFC going to four straight Superbowls. Unfortunately they lost all 4 Superbowls. None of those Superbowls were played at Rich Stadium. Jim Kelly was the quarterback back then where he broke all the Bills record at the position. Those were solid teams the Bills had back then. I became a Bills fan in the late 1980’s. I saw the Jim Kelly teams were getting better and better each year. Then they made their run but came away empty. Sort of like present day with Josh Allen. Since he arrived, the team is taking steps forward and are on the bubble of breaking through the AFC conference to get there. The Kansas City Chiefs have been a thorn in our side knocking the Bills out of the post-season similar to those 4 Superbowl losses. Whatever you want to call it: Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, New Era Field, and back to Highmark’s final tour in 2025 – the last regular season as a new stadium is in the works across the street. I’m from Chicago & when the White Sox renamed their new stadium going on from Comisky Park no one cared for the new corporate name. It’s either the New Comisky or Sox park.

The Bills should host some post-season games at the old Rich Stadium in early 2026 and let’s hope one of those playoff games gets Buffalo back to the Superbowl. Where the Bills can be yet again king of the AFC conference. The new stadium being built across the street from the old one looks legendary. An outdoor stadium in Buffalo where many cities would easily go with a dome. The fan base comes out in the snow and fills that stadium which gives their team an actual home field advantage during the post-season. Love when the Dolphins look like frozen fish sticks in cold temperatures. Buffalo is a small city in a big state and the fan base gives off that college town atmosphere. Rich Stadium is not even in Buffalo, they are located in a suburb called Orchard Park.

Last Sunday was my first ever Buffalo Bills game in 4th week of September with mid 80’s temperatures. I was not expecting to get sunburnt at a Bills game. The Bills hosted the Saints. The Bills out of the gates started off 3-0 and the Saints came into Sunday’s action without a single win. I found a place to stay in a town close to Orchard Park called Hamburg, which is a German town. Plenty of nice drinking establishments with plenty of food options. Yes, chicken wings were had. Took an Uber ride that morning to the stadium with a six pack of beer. Being my first time, I wanted to see what the Bills Mafia was all about. I wanted to get the full experience of Rich Stadium since it was my first game in Buffalo. Going to see a game in Buffalo on the farewell tour is one of my sports dreams come true. The car ride meant we went down side streets through the burbs and we saw people offering parking for $45.00 on their lawn in front of their houses. All those yards will filling in hours before kick off. It was not just parking, it was instant tailgating parties popping up in your own yard. The closer you got, the parking went up to $60.00. We were looking to get as close to the stadium as possible and join the party in their lots. Around the Bills Stadium, they had a few restaurants and bars on the outskirts of the stadium in both directions. The grills were fired up. Food was sizzling on the grill. The coolers were filled with ice cold beverages. One tent would set off a siren of some kind. When the buses came rolling down the main boulevard filled with Saints players, people chanted “Who Dat” which is a New Orleans thing. Followed by some boos as well by the Bills Mafia. I did notice the Saints fan base showed up in their gold and black team colors supporting their guys. We talked to one Saints fan & he was telling us his group picks out one game a season they go to on the road to watch their Saints play. The atmosphere was electric. People having a good time. Everyone dressed in their team colors. Beers were had. Food was eaten. I thought the Bills Mafia treated the outsiders very nice. Nothing in poor taste. The Saints are not a Bills rival. People watching Josh Allen is like watching the king these days. Many, many number 17 Allen Jerseys on display. I wore my Matt Milano jersey supporting number 58, my favorite current defensive player on the team. I saw some Milano jerseys worn by others. I saw some Jim Kelly jerseys of the past being worn by the older people honoring their legend. Bruce Smith was another one from the 1990’s teams. Some interesting jerseys were Bryce Paup who played with the Bills after those Superbowl appearances from 1995 until 1997.

Then the great Doug Flutie, who had some nice years with the Bills after Jim Kelly retired, had some love around Rich Stadium. Flutie played most of his football career in the CFL. He was drafted by the Bears. After he was done with the CFL, he went back to the NFL, signed with the Bills and helped them get to the playoffs. He ended his career with the Chargers.

We had seats in the nose bleed section. Stuffed in bleachers like a can of sardines.

From the nose bleed seats you can see the new stadium towering over the old. The Bills, like most teams, have the ring of honor with their legends from the past. Many great players and former Bills head coach Marv Levy, whose old saying back in the 1990’s never will die. “Where else would you rather be then right here right now?”

Sounds like a line from a Van Halen song, but every fan knows this line. It’s like Western New York planted the seeds inside the newborn’s head right out of the womb. The National Anthem reminded me of the Chicago Blackhawks where fans get very into America’s song. Some fireworks at the end of the song with a fly by from a military plane. Not exactly a B-52 – one of those jumbo jets that can carry troops and plenty of cargo. You feel the excitement and the anticipation as you are swept up into this fan base when they announce the Bills offense. Josh Allen’s name as he runs on to the field with the crowd chanting MVP! MVP! It just gives you goosebumps. The Bills struck first blood with Allen hooking up with his wide receiver Khalil Shakir for the game’s first touchdown. That’s when the Bills sing the song, “Shout.” They change the words around a little as they sing, “The Bills make me wanna Shout,” which everyone seems to be on the same page.

Everyone standing clapping and giving each other high fives. Even total strangers like myself felt like I was family, a Mafia member sworn in without jumping on any tables during the tail gate session of the class. Then the best chant the Bills Mafia do is “Hey! Hey! Hey! Let’s go Buffalo!” It sticks in your head as I think I was chanting in my sleep 14 beers later. The Bills like the tall boys and the taller boys big cans of Labatt Blue 16 0zers and the big bomber of 20 something ounces. They even sold big beer koozies. Very helpful on a steamy day.

The Saints gave the Bills a battle as a team that wanted their first victory. The Saints were able to match scores with Josh Allen and the Bills offense through the first half. I sensed the Bills were in control of the game, but the Saints lingered which is never good. The guy next to me who had some excellent intel of the Bills said, “they play down to the competition.”

The Bills would pull away from the Saints in the 4th quarter as Josh Allen had another big game. Allen threw two touchdown passes and scored a touchdown with his own legs. Allen had a big run that set up a Dalton Kincaid touchdown pass in the 4th. James Cook had a big game running the football as the Bills running back also found the end zone. The Bills would win this one at home 31-19 and go perfect in the month of September. I never got to see Jim Kelly play in person, only on the television. Watching Allen and even Cook is something special. Who knows where these guys will be at the end of their careers? Hopefully racking up a few Superbowl rings together before hanging up the spikes. I remember special players seeing them live from the Chicago sports landscape such as Michael Jordan of the Bulls, Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks, and Frank Thomas. I missed some great players over my time. Seeing Allen even from the nose bleed seats was something worth watching. It was great the Bills won the game especially at my first ever game and my last game at Rich Stadium.

After the game we found a beer garden to have some beers to celebrate the 4th victory of the Bills season. The bars were crowded around the stadium. The fun seemed to never end. After the Big Tree Inn, we found a great establishment on the way back to Hamburg. Watch some late afternoon games and shoveled more food in our gullets. How does a Chicago guy become a Bills fan? I was asked repeatedly. One guy we met seemed like he wanted to trade places with me and head back to Chicago because he liked all the teams from there. I certainly do root for the home teams. The day I found a Bills hat in my brother’s box of things he was storing at the parents’ house while he went overseas was the start. He was in the Marines at the time. I became a fan of them. I knew them because I loved watching NFL games. I watch the Bears and the entire rest of the league. I followed the Bills more closely and they sucked me in. They are a franchise with a lot of heartbreak like every Chicago team, so they fit me. Years later when I told my brother that I found a Bills hat in his stuff, I said that’s what turned me on to the Bills. He denied ever ever having a Bills hat. Was I born in a Buffalo hospital? Did they insert a chip in my mindset? Was it a calling like the burning bush in the Bible? The lord works in mysterious ways. Or shall we say the Bills Mafia works in mysterious ways? HEY! HEY! HEY! LET’S GO BUFFALO!!!