Surge Summary: Some unexpected developments surfaced in last week’s NFL contests. More this week? We’ll see … Pigskin Pundit offers his prognostications for week nine of the National Football League.
by Pigskin Pundit (Nate Clark)
Trade deadline, and teams are declaring their intentions based on buying or selling…or if you’re the Patriots, confusing fans and foes alike with your lack of movement while the team founders. Buccaneer Brady, like the brilliant strategist he is, read the signals correctly and abandoned New England’s sinking ship for a swashbuckling pirate ship in Tampa. Say what you want, but he made the right read again. Crazy week, with some powerhouse teams getting slagged by unexpected opponents; the Titans bowed to Burrow’s Bengals, the Dolphins leapt over the mighty Rams, and les Minnesota Miserables felled Rodgers and his Pack in their own sandlot. Last week I was dead even at 7-7, and am 76-43 for the year. Here are the picks.
Packers at Niners – This game should be called the Zombie Apocalypse, or ‘the Living Dead’, because SF’s roster is so decimated by injuries and viral plagues that they are ‘mostly dead’, as Miracle Max said in The Princess Bride. Add to that a Packer team anxious to bounce back after last week’s beating by the Minnesota Stinkings, and this game has all the makings of a one-sided slaughter. The Pack hacks back when the zombies attack.
Giants at WFT – You can call this game ‘the NY Sack Exchange’, because these two teams get a lot of sacks and GIVE up a lot of sacks. There will be sacks and sacks of sacks as Danny ‘Dirteater’ Jones and Kyle ‘Turf-teeth’ Allen find themselves ‘face down in the heather’ more than a tipsy leprechaun. Give the Whatnots the edge in this one, for better pass coverage. As for Danny-boy, in the words of the old Irish blessing, ‘May the field rise up to meet you….repeatedly.’
Bears at Titans – Tennessee will be looking for a bounce-back in this match, and the Bears will be willing to oblige them. Chicago is the weakest 5-win team in the NFC, and not built for the long run this season. The Titans are looking to advance to the AFC title game again, and while their defense isn’t stellar, their offense is. Nagy’s team is good against the air attack, but not the ground pound. DeWreck Henry should have his way, setting up Tannehill’s passing game. Vrabel turns the tables on Chicago.
Lions at Vikings – When Dalvin Cooks, the Vikings feast. Period. Patricia’s Lyins won’t get their claws into him enough to prevent big gains, and that will take the pressure off of Kissin’ Cousins’ pass attack. I’m seeing Purple this week, as the Vikes shimmer under Zimmer.
Panthers at Chiefs – I’ll keep this simple. I like Carolina, they get McCaffiene back this week (hopefully), they play the pass pretty well, and they will get demolished by the Chiefs. Teddy wasn’t so steady his last two outings, and other than the occasional scamper McCaffrey is able to pull off against a mediocre run defense in KC, the Chiefs D will have the Panthers seeing red. Lots of it. Bet the farm on Patrick’s arm.
Texans at Jaguars – Two 1-6 flops struggling for some respectability in the same division, both coming off a bye. When you rest mediocrity, does it get any better? Dunno, but here’s to you, Mr. Robinson, Gardner loves you more than you will know….oh oh oh…Neither team can stop the run or the pass, and neither team can protect their quarterback. I almost think neither team will win this spectacle. Watson makes the difference, and Houston escapes the cellar this week.
Ravens at Colts – Great game, as two 5-2s lock pads. Indy is bracing on D, both throw and run. Baltimore is nicked up in the secondary, but stout nonetheless. Both pressure the pocket, and this will probably unfold as a trench battle game. My head says Ravens, but my gut says Colts. If Indy contains Lamar, there isn’t a strong air game for the Ravens to fall back on. Rivers flows and throws, while Jackson slows. Colts bolt to 6-2.
Seahawks at Bills – Uncle Pete’s Traveling Touchdown Show comes to Orchard Park, after Bobby Wagner provided a vaccine last week to revive Seattle’s weak defense. Buffalo will find the going tough on the turf, putting the onus on Josh Allen’s strong-but-erratic arm. In this battle of two gunslingers, seasoning is the ‘sauce’. Russell uses muscle and hustle to rustle a win from Buffalo.
Broncos at Falcons – I want to give credit to Denver for pulling out a heroic late win last week, but the Chargers gave that game away in the late innings, with stupid penalties (PI on 3
rd and 17), and then fainted as Drew Locked in and put the win away with no time left. The Falcs are so quixotic they could win this game or get erased again. I like Denver’s pluck, but if Atlanta can present a balanced offense, it should be just enough at home. Raptors defend the nest.
Raiders at Chargers – After LA’s idiotic loss to Denver, I rescind my prior opinion about that team. They have deeper problems than I thought, although QB isn’t one of them. The Raiders, on the other hand, are showing resilience in winning ugly games as well as clean ones. Jacobs found his sneakers again last week, and the passing D looked a little better. Should be close, but Carr drives it home.
Steelers at Cowboys – This was once a great inter-conference rivalry…once. Now with the only unbeaten team in the league, Losslessberger and his Stealers stole one after Gostkowski missed a game-winning field goal. They won’t have that kind of drama against the Lowboys this week. The NFC Least bows to the AFC beast.
Dolphins at Cardinals – Anna one-ah, anna Tua…as my brother said, conjuring up Lawrence Welk (look it up). Tagovailoa played his first game, and while unremarkable offensively, it was impressive defensively as the Phins knocked off a good Rams team. The Phish will have their hands very full trying to contain Arizona’s offense, though, which outpaced Seattle – something no other team has been able to do. Murray’s darting run style and crisp throws to Hopkins and others will test Flores’ improving D, while young Tua tries to get some traction at the pro level. Side bet: what’s the over on how many games before Miami fans start chanting for the return of Fitzmagic? I’m at 3…Murray in a hurry beats Miami in a flurry.
Saints at Buccaneers – SNF, and here’s the game of the week. Two legends exchanging the NFL td passing record weekly, grim divisional rivals where just last season the Saints stood alone uncontested, each team with one Superbowl win. Brady’s receiver corps is beat up, but I looked up ‘resourceful’ in Webster’s dictionary and now they just have his picture there, no description necessary. Tampa’s #1 run D matches well with NO’s #3 run D. Brees’ high reliance on Kamara for total offense plays into Tampa’s hands. Verdict: Tampa has too many weapons to stop them all. Pirates put the cutlass to the Saints’ ascension.
Patriots at Jets – This would be a joke in any other year, but these two teams are more alike than they are different at this point. The Pats should be better, but the Jets are a team that would surely like ONE win when they can get it. In a MNF game nobody will watch, the Pats stink less, on their way to a meaningless, ugly win.
Enjoy the games!
-PP
The views here are those of the author and not necessarily Daily Surge
Image: Creative Commons CC0; https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1255837
Nathan Clark is a conservative commentator who resides with his wife in New Hampshire. He is passionate about preserving the vision of our nation’s Founders and advancing those tried and true principles deep into America’s future. His interests range broadly from flyfishing, cooking and shooting to pro sports, gardening, live music and fine-scale modeling.
Surge Summary: Some unexpected developments surfaced in last week’s NFL contests. More this week? We’ll see … Pigskin Pundit offers his prognostications for week nine of the National Football League.
by Pigskin Pundit (Nate Clark)Trade deadline, and teams are declaring their intentions based on buying or selling…or if you’re the Patriots, confusing fans and foes alike with your lack of movement while the team founders. Buccaneer Brady, like the brilliant strategist he is, read the signals correctly and abandoned New England’s sinking ship for a swashbuckling pirate ship in Tampa. Say what you want, but he made the right read again. Crazy week, with some powerhouse teams getting slagged by unexpected opponents; the Titans bowed to Burrow’s Bengals, the Dolphins leapt over the mighty Rams, and les Minnesota Miserables felled Rodgers and his Pack in their own sandlot. Last week I was dead even at 7-7, and am 76-43 for the year. Here are the picks.
Packers at Niners – This game should be called the Zombie Apocalypse, or ‘the Living Dead’, because SF’s roster is so decimated by injuries and viral plagues that they are ‘mostly dead’, as Miracle Max said in The Princess Bride. Add to that a Packer team anxious to bounce back after last week’s beating by the Minnesota Stinkings, and this game has all the makings of a one-sided slaughter. The Pack hacks back when the zombies attack.
Giants at WFT – You can call this game ‘the NY Sack Exchange’, because these two teams get a lot of sacks and GIVE up a lot of sacks. There will be sacks and sacks of sacks as Danny ‘Dirteater’ Jones and Kyle ‘Turf-teeth’ Allen find themselves ‘face down in the heather’ more than a tipsy leprechaun. Give the Whatnots the edge in this one, for better pass coverage. As for Danny-boy, in the words of the old Irish blessing, ‘May the field rise up to meet you….repeatedly.’
Bears at Titans – Tennessee will be looking for a bounce-back in this match, and the Bears will be willing to oblige them. Chicago is the weakest 5-win team in the NFC, and not built for the long run this season. The Titans are looking to advance to the AFC title game again, and while their defense isn’t stellar, their offense is. Nagy’s team is good against the air attack, but not the ground pound. DeWreck Henry should have his way, setting up Tannehill’s passing game. Vrabel turns the tables on Chicago.
Lions at Vikings – When Dalvin Cooks, the Vikings feast. Period. Patricia’s Lyins won’t get their claws into him enough to prevent big gains, and that will take the pressure off of Kissin’ Cousins’ pass attack. I’m seeing Purple this week, as the Vikes shimmer under Zimmer.Panthers at Chiefs – I’ll keep this simple. I like Carolina, they get McCaffiene back this week (hopefully), they play the pass pretty well, and they will get demolished by the Chiefs. Teddy wasn’t so steady his last two outings, and other than the occasional scamper McCaffrey is able to pull off against a mediocre run defense in KC, the Chiefs D will have the Panthers seeing red. Lots of it. Bet the farm on Patrick’s arm.
Texans at Jaguars – Two 1-6 flops struggling for some respectability in the same division, both coming off a bye. When you rest mediocrity, does it get any better? Dunno, but here’s to you, Mr. Robinson, Gardner loves you more than you will know….oh oh oh…Neither team can stop the run or the pass, and neither team can protect their quarterback. I almost think neither team will win this spectacle. Watson makes the difference, and Houston escapes the cellar this week.
Ravens at Colts – Great game, as two 5-2s lock pads. Indy is bracing on D, both throw and run. Baltimore is nicked up in the secondary, but stout nonetheless. Both pressure the pocket, and this will probably unfold as a trench battle game. My head says Ravens, but my gut says Colts. If Indy contains Lamar, there isn’t a strong air game for the Ravens to fall back on. Rivers flows and throws, while Jackson slows. Colts bolt to 6-2.
Seahawks at Bills – Uncle Pete’s Traveling Touchdown Show comes to Orchard Park, after Bobby Wagner provided a vaccine last week to revive Seattle’s weak defense. Buffalo will find the going tough on the turf, putting the onus on Josh Allen’s strong-but-erratic arm. In this battle of two gunslingers, seasoning is the ‘sauce’. Russell uses muscle and hustle to rustle a win from Buffalo.
Broncos at Falcons – I want to give credit to Denver for pulling out a heroic late win last week, but the Chargers gave that game away in the late innings, with stupid penalties (PI on 3rd and 17), and then fainted as Drew Locked in and put the win away with no time left. The Falcs are so quixotic they could win this game or get erased again. I like Denver’s pluck, but if Atlanta can present a balanced offense, it should be just enough at home. Raptors defend the nest.Raiders at Chargers – After LA’s idiotic loss to Denver, I rescind my prior opinion about that team. They have deeper problems than I thought, although QB isn’t one of them. The Raiders, on the other hand, are showing resilience in winning ugly games as well as clean ones. Jacobs found his sneakers again last week, and the passing D looked a little better. Should be close, but Carr drives it home.
Steelers at Cowboys – This was once a great inter-conference rivalry…once. Now with the only unbeaten team in the league, Losslessberger and his Stealers stole one after Gostkowski missed a game-winning field goal. They won’t have that kind of drama against the Lowboys this week. The NFC Least bows to the AFC beast.
Dolphins at Cardinals – Anna one-ah, anna Tua…as my brother said, conjuring up Lawrence Welk (look it up). Tagovailoa played his first game, and while unremarkable offensively, it was impressive defensively as the Phins knocked off a good Rams team. The Phish will have their hands very full trying to contain Arizona’s offense, though, which outpaced Seattle – something no other team has been able to do. Murray’s darting run style and crisp throws to Hopkins and others will test Flores’ improving D, while young Tua tries to get some traction at the pro level. Side bet: what’s the over on how many games before Miami fans start chanting for the return of Fitzmagic? I’m at 3…Murray in a hurry beats Miami in a flurry.
Saints at Buccaneers – SNF, and here’s the game of the week. Two legends exchanging the NFL td passing record weekly, grim divisional rivals where just last season the Saints stood alone uncontested, each team with one Superbowl win. Brady’s receiver corps is beat up, but I looked up ‘resourceful’ in Webster’s dictionary and now they just have his picture there, no description necessary. Tampa’s #1 run D matches well with NO’s #3 run D. Brees’ high reliance on Kamara for total offense plays into Tampa’s hands. Verdict: Tampa has too many weapons to stop them all. Pirates put the cutlass to the Saints’ ascension.
Patriots at Jets – This would be a joke in any other year, but these two teams are more alike than they are different at this point. The Pats should be better, but the Jets are a team that would surely like ONE win when they can get it. In a MNF game nobody will watch, the Pats stink less, on their way to a meaningless, ugly win.Enjoy the games!
-PP
The views here are those of the author and not necessarily Daily Surge
Image: Creative Commons CC0; https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1255837
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