Two months ago, who would have thought
the 49ers at Lions game would one of the biggest ones on the Week 6 schedule.
Well, it is. And the records for the teams in the Eagles-Skins game are
backwards from what everyone expected. That’s why they play the games.
Last week I went 3-1 on these preview
games; overall I'm 15-5.
Here are four of
this week’s best games.
49ERS (4-1) @ LIONS
(5-0)
These two teams
are the talk of the NFL football world, going a combined 9-1 through five weeks
of games. Detroit was somewhat expected; San Francisco was not. The 49ers were
terrible last year, they have a rookie head coach and the lockout kept them
from installing a new system this summer. None of it seems to have mattered.
And the Lions are rolling, winning in every conceivable fashion. The edge goes
to the Lions playing at home.
Detroit 31, San
Francisco 24
BILLS (4-1) @ GIANTS
(3-2)
This is a hard
game to figure. Buffalo is one the real surprises of the season so far; the
team’s only loss so far is a road loss to the Bengals. The Bills have beaten
New England, Oakland and Philadelphia, and certainly look like a team that is
for real. The Giants are, again this year, one of those tough teams that just
seem to find a way to win. Their defense has been hit hard by injuries, but
they find a way to put players on the field and gut out hard-fought victories.
The G-Men do it again this week, but just barely.
New York 24,
Buffalo 23
EAGLES (1-4) @ REDSKINS
(3-1)
It’s hard to say
which of these teams is a bigger surprise – Philly on the down side or
Washington on the plus side. Everyone has heard all about the Eagles’ talent
and how they were supposed to be winning. And everyone has grown accustomed to
doubting the Redskins’ talent and Mike Shanahan’s coaching. Well, maybe
Washington is finally putting it together. The team is leading the NFC East and
hosts the reeling Eagles. They keep on surprising and the Eagles keep on
falling.
Washington 27,
Philadelphia 24
TEXANS (3-2) @ RAVENS
(3-1)
At the beginning
of the year, most folks probably looked at this match-up and just marked is as
an easy win for the Ravens. And maybe it will be anyway. But when you look
closer at this game, it gets more and more interesting. The Texans are balanced
on offense, and Wade Phillips finally has the team playing some defense. The
Ravens are a hard team to figure, going hot and cold from week to week. Flacco
is still inconsistent, but Ray Rice is the offensive engine. He’ll deliver
again.
Baltimore 23,
Houston 21
Missouri Round-up
The Missouri
Tigers celebrate the centennial of the Homecoming where homecomings all began. Mizzou
welcomes the Iowa State Cyclones to town for the big party, and everybody
remotely associated with the university hopes they don’t spoil it. The Tigers
are 2-3 and already 0-2 in conference play; I don’t see how they can lose this
one at home. The Chiefs are off on
their BYE this weekend, and the Rams
will probably wish they were by the time they leave Green Bay. I fully expect
the Packers to destroy St. Louis’ undermanned Rams. Run for cover, fellas.
As always, thanks
for reading.
Steve
