Welcome to McGreezy's weekly NFL predictions column. Last week was a pretty good week for McGreezy as he went 10-4 with his picks. There was potential for a 12 win mark but both the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts suffered some tough, unexpected losses. There are some interesting match-ups this week including a Monday Night Football game that sees an old face return to his old stomping grounds. But we'll get to that in a bit. As always, let's see McGreezy's record up to this point.
MCGREEZY'S W-L RECORD
Week 1: 10-6
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 10-4
OVERALL: 41-21
All times are Eastern.
Byes: Dolphins, Patriots, Steelers, Seahawks
Jacksonville (2-2) at Buffalo (0-4) 1:00 PM
The Jaguars pulled up a major upset at home against the Colts last week and their reward this week? The Buffalo Bills who are still winless. Their only dynamic player on offense is CJ Spiller and McGreezy still cannot think of the name of their quarterback. QB David Garrard of JAC really stepped his game up last week and because of that McGreezy has to go with the Jaguars this week. Jaguars 27, Bills 14
Denver (2-2) at Baltimore (3-1) 1:00 PM
The Broncos were very impressive last week in their surprise victory on the road against the Tennessee Titans. As much flack as McGreezy has given QB Kyle Orton, he leads the NFL currently in passing yards per game. The big problem with Denver, however, is that they lack a running game which is going to force them to throw more often against the Ravens defense. The Ravens are coming off a huge victory against their division rival in Pittsburgh last week and McGreezy expects Baltimore to hold serve at home. Ravens 23, Broncos 16
Kansas City (3-0) at Indianapolis (2-2) 1:00 PM
There is only one undefeated team left in the NFL and it is the Kansas City Chiefs. A lot of people are expecting a blowout win by the Colts, but they are horrible against the run. The Chiefs have a three-headed monster at RB which can poise a lot of problems for IND. However, just like their loss against the Texans in week one, McGreezy expects the Colts to bounce back at home and edge out the Chiefs to give them their first loss. Colts 28, Chiefs 20
Green Bay (3-1) at Washington (2-2) 1:00 PM
Washington had a very ugly win against Philadelphia last weekend. Outside of his game against Houston, Donovan McNabb hasn't necessarily lit up the stat sheet. Their running game and defense was just enough to get by the Vick-less Eagles last week, and now they have to welcome a high-powered offense in Green Bay. The Packers won a dogfight against the Lions last week, and there are definitely some concerns with this team. For one, they give up a lot of big plays on defense which is something that defensive coordinator Dom Capers needs to fix. They do have a lot of injuries to their secondary, however. McGreezy predicts at least a two touchdown victory in D.C. as he doesn't think the Redskins can keep up with the Packers offensively. Packers 35, Redskins 21
St. Louis (2-2) at Detroit (0-4) 1:00 PM
Guess who's in first place in the NFC West? The St. Louis Rams (okay, there's a three-way tie but whatever)! The Rams are riding a two-game winning streak as they enter Detroit this Sunday. It's been a tough going in Detroit so far with their defense giving up a lot of points. St. Louis needs to prove that they can win on the road and until they do, McGreezy will continue to pick against them. Let's go with Detroit picking up their first win, Lions 24, Rams 21
Chicago (3-1) at Carolina (0-4) 1:00 PM
The Bears are who we thought they were. Isn't that right Coach Green?
But seriously, the Giants' defensive front dominated the Bears' offensive line which included 9 sacks on QB Jay Cutler. Cutler is out of this game with a concussion so Todd Collins will get the start. WR Steve Smith of the Panthers is also dealing with an ankle injury, so it's unclear whether or not he will suit up on Sunday. Chicago DE Julius Peppers will make his return to Carolina this Sunday and McGreezy expects him to give QB Jimmy Clausen some fits. Bears 17, Panthers 10
Tampa Bay (2-1) at Cincinnati (2-2) 1:00 PM
McGreezy would have a Bengals win over the Buccaneers as his lock of the week, but the fact that the Bengals lost to the Browns last week is a cause for concern. The Bucs started the season 2-0 and ran into a buzz saw in the Steelers in week three which led to a loss. Tampa Bay just doesn't have enough offense in McGreezy's eyes to keep up with the Bengals even though their offense is hit or miss. Bengals 26, Buccaneers 14
Atlanta (3-1) at Cleveland (1-3) 1:00 PM
So the Browns will not be the last team to win a game this season in the NFL as they picked up a victory over the inconsistent Bengals last week. The Falcons needed a bonehead play by the San Francisco 49ers to pick up a 16-14 win last week. QB Matt Ryan needs to limit his interceptions or his team will not make it far this season. Despite the fact that Cleveland got a win versus a playoff contender last week, McGreezy has to roll with his NFC Super Bowl pick over one of the worst teams in the NFL. It would only be right. Falcons 27, Browns 16
New York Giants (2-2) at Houston (3-1) 1:00 PM
Case and point: the Houston Texans need to win their next two games at home before they enter their bye week. From week eight onward, their schedule gets tough. The Texans have proven that they can win huge games on the road, but they need to win for their fans at home. 4-4 last year at Reliant Stadium is not going to cut it. This game will be a good test for the Texans running game against that defensive front of New York that manhandled Chicago last week. WR Andre Johnson is a game time decision as he missed last week's game with a high-ankle sprain. McGreezy thinks that Houston will be set out to make a statement and the tandem of Arian Foster and Steve Slaton will run rampant on the Giants. Texans 31, Giants 23
New Orleans (3-1) at Arizona (2-2) 4:05 PM
Derek Anderson of the Cardinals was ineffective against the Chargers last week and has been benched in favor of Max Hall. But does it really matter? New Orleans has not really hit their stride yet offensively and could still be 4-0 (and probably should be 4-0) if it wasn't for a missed field goal in overtime against Atlanta. The Saints do have a lot of injuries and thinks they will be okay by the end of the season. McGreezy expects the Saints to get some takeaways and make some plays on special teams to land another defeat to the Cardinals. Saints 27, Cardinals 13
Tennessee (2-2) at Dallas (1-2) 4:15 PM
One week off from hearing about the Cowboys every second has ended as Dallas has come off their bye week ready for the rest of their schedule. The Titans have been hard to figure. They win games that they're not supposed to on paper but lose games that they probably shouldn't. RB Felix Jones of the Cowboys should get the bulk of the carries as the Titans defense is not as good as it used to be in years past. It's time for the Cowboys to make a run and take control of that NFC East and it will begin Sunday. Cowboys 27, Titans 10
San Diego (2-2) at Oakland (1-3) 4:15 PM
Who knows what Chargers team will show up this Sunday. Will it be the team that dismantled the Cardinals last week, or the team that struggled on defense two weeks ago in Seattle? They are notoriously known as slow-starters and even though Oakland has Darren McFadden, McGreezy is hard pressed to pick against San Diego. It's time for SD to pick up a win in this division they're in. Chargers 30, Raiders 17
Philadelphia (2-2) at San Francisco (0-4) 8:20 PM
QB Michael Vick is out this Sunday for the Eagles as QB Kevin Kolb will get the start. Kolb had a chance to bring the Eagles back last Sunday against the Redskins and he failed miserably. The Eagles are easier to play defense against without the threat of a Michael Vick. The Niners on the other hand have been the biggest disappointment so far in the NFC and maybe the entire NFL. But even at 0-4, they're only two games out of first-place. SF fans are starting to jump off the Coach Singletary bandwagon and McGreezy really can't blame them. Emotional speeches can only get you so far in the NFL and sooner or later you're going to have to coach your teams to some wins to survive in this League. McGreezy likes the Niners to finally pick up a win here because it's hard to believe that they will start 0-5. Niners 20, Eagles 13
Minnesota (1-2) at New York Jets (3-1) 8:30 PM (Mon)
No. 84 has returned in a Vikings uniform. Randy Moss is back in purple as Brett Favre finally has a legit no. 1 receiver to throw to in Minnesota. Kind of funny how New England traded him the week prior that the Vikings face their division rival in the Jets. The Vikings have a very tough stretch ahead of them and it will definitely help them to have Moss. But as far as this game is concerned, Jets QB Mark Sanchez is in a zone right now as he has not committed a turnover yet this season. Even NYJ haters can't hate on that. McGreezy sees the Vikings making a push for a playoff spot, but he likes the Jets in this game. Jets 28, Vikings 24
So there you have it. McGreezy is not as confident in his picks this week like he was last week. He's going out on a limb by picking winless teams like the Lions and Niners to pick up their first wins but hey...that's how the game of football goes. Make sure to check back next week to see how McGreezy did with his predictions.
