Fox's Pick'ems: Week 4

By Scoop Fox

Ugh...What the hell happened last week? After two consecutive weeks of double-digit wins, yours truly hit a snag. Though I finished above .500, it was not pretty. This week, we have our first bye week for a couple of teams. Not to mention that this week debuts the NFL’s first game across the pond. Let’s get to it.

Week 3 Record: 9-7
Season Record: 33-15
Byes: Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers

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Thursday 8:25 p.m. ESTSan Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams
For some strange reason, the Rams gave the 49ers fits last year, tying them at San Fran (24-24) and then beating them 16-13 at home in St. Louis. With the 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick in a slump (throwing 0TDs, 3INTs, and a completing percentage of 47% in last two games), things might be looking good for the Rams in this one.Pick: RamSunday 1:00 p.m. ESTBaltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills
This is a conundrum. The Bills are 30th in rush defense (155.0 ypg) but the Ravens are 25th in rushing offense (77.3 ypg) and their star RB Ray Rice is banged up. Now on the opposite side, the Ravens are 54th in rushing defense (74.7 ypg) while the Bills are 5th in rushing defense (135.0 ypg). But the Bills got the tandem of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson.Pick: RavensArizona Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers change their QBs from Josh Freeman to rookie Mike Glennon. Still won’t change the fact their offense is in shambles and their head coach is a joke.Pick: CardinalsPittsburgh Steelers @ Minnesota Vikings
This showdown between 0-3 teams is happening in good ol’ London at Wembley Stadium. Although the Steelers offense is very inept, at least their defense is decent. Pick: SteelersNew York Giants @ Kansas City Chiefs
Chiefs have yet to commit a turnover, play a very mistake-free offense, plus their pass rush terrorized the ever so mobile Michael Vick last week. Yeah, it’s not going to be a good day to be Eli.Pick: ChiefsIndianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Pick: Colts

Seattle Seahawks @ Houston Texans
This could get into a defensive slugfest as the Seahawks are the #1 overall defense while the Houston Texans are the #2 overall defense. It’ll be interesting to see how their offenses do. Unfortunately for Houston, they went up against a mediocre Baltimore defense and could only manage 9 points.

Pick: Seahawks

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns
For some odd reason, these two teams always tend to have close shootouts. Given the fact the Cleveland shocked everybody with a 31-27 victory last week and Cincinnati nearly screwed themselves with 4 turnovers in an ugly 34-30 W against the Packers, that could happen. But I’m not buying the whole ‘Brian Hoyer’ success story just yet.

Pick: Bengals

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
Who would win in a fight: a giant robot or Mike Ditka? Ditka.

Pick: Da Bears

 

Sunday 4:05 p.m.

New York Jets @ Tennessee Titans
Ugh…Wake me up when this snooze fest

Pick: Titans

Sunday 4:25 p.m.

Washington Redskins @ Oakland Raiders
The worst defense in the NFL vs. the 3rd best rushing offense in the NFL. Here’s a hint on who is who: The team with the 3rd best rushing offense is Scoop’s pick.

Pick: Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles @ Denver Broncos
Chip Kelly better change his game plan and change it fast as he’s going up against the league’s #1 offense (486.7 ypg), passing offense (374.7), and scoring offense (42.3). Not to mention he has to play chess with the smartest QB in the game in Peyton Manning. Yeah…I wouldn’t put it past Peyton to throw for 8 TDs in this one.

Pick: Broncos

Dallas Cowboys @ San Diego Chargers
Last 3 meetings between these two teams, the Chargers were 2-1 and held the Cowboys to 20 points or under (28-20 in ’12, 20-7 in ’11, 14-16 in ’10). What could be riding for the Cowboys is that the Chargers are the 31st ranked defense (470.7 ypg), including dead last against the pass (340.7 ypg). As much as I want to pick the Chargers in spite of Jerry Jones…

Pick: Cowboys

Sunday 8:30 p.m.

New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons
For 3 weeks, Pats fans talked on how good their defense was. Unfortunately for them, they played against 2 teams with rookie QBs and a team that was imploding. Now they have to face their first true test in Atlanta. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is 34-5 in the Georgia Dome with a QB rating of 96.0 and 62 TDs to 26 Ints with a completion percentage of 65.31%. Not to mention that the Pats offense is going up against former Pats DB Asante Samuel, who will be more than motivated to beat his old team.

Pick: Falcons

Monday Night Football

8:40 p.m.

Miami Dolpins @ New Orleans Saints
Dolphins keep finding a way to win in this one. However they will be without DE Cameron Wake due to injury. Losing Wake will be crushing since he has the speed and power to get to the quarterback., which is key since the Saints rely on QB Drew Brees more than anything else. Going up against the 20th ranked passing defense (263.3 ypg) should be no problem for Brees and Co.

Pick: Saints

That’s all folks. Tune in next time for another fun episode of Fox’s Pick’ems and be sure to tune in Wednesday nights 8-10 p.m. for Psycho Sports. Now to end it on a high note, here’s an amateur video recording of the rare Donny Most rising from the mist.

This is Scoop Fox, signing off.