***SWAMPY SUNDAY - MUCK 5 - WEEK 7***
***OAKLAND RAIDERS @ JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS***
In my humble opinion we have two teams here headed in opposite directions. After an awesome start to the season, the Raiders could be hitting some turbulence here as we get into the meat of the season. They were smacked at home by a rival Kansas City team last week and now go on the road to face a equally young Jaguars team who after a very slow start, just might be starting to put it all together. This will be the Jags first home game since week 3, and mind you they have yet to win a home game this season so far. After a trip to London where they squeaked out a win against the Colts, a bye week, and then on the road in Chicago last week where they again squeaked out a win with a comeback in the fourth quarter, they will be looking for their third straight W at home today and I think they get it done. The Jags now have RB Chris Ivory back who on the low is a solid foundation for this offense. I like him to finally get it going in this game and this will help the young QB Blake Bortles to do his thing. Bortles has struggled this season after a promising start to his NFL career. The Jags have a plethora of weapons at WR and just have not been able to find the success in their passing game like they have in the last couple of seasons. Against a subpar Oakland secondary today, I like their chances to finally start clicking and have a big game. The Jacksonville defense is extremely talented with a combination of veterans and youngsters and have had their own issues with some injuries so far this year. They are getting healthier and I have a gut feeling they lockdown the impressive Raiders passing game today. It is time they put it all together, and at home I think they feed off the crowd and get to Carr, forcing some key turnovers and converting them into points to run away with this one. This game would be a huge win for this Jags team in a division that is currently wide open. A big win at home today would be a great feel good accomplishment for this organization and Head Coach Gus Bradley will have his guys up for the challenge. JAGUARS-2
***MINNESOTA VIKINGS @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES***
An exciting matchup takes center stage here as ex-Eagles QB Sam Bradford will head back into Philly to show off his new purple uniform and take on his old team as the Vikings look to stay undefeated. Minnesota has been a force so far this season and are led by a defense that in my opinion is the best unit in the NFL. Head Coach Mike Zimmer has this team picking up where they left off last year and despite some huge injuries to some key positions at QB & RB, have managed to overcome adversity and get the job done. Their new home field advantage is top notch as well and while I think they may in fact stay unbeaten there, I believe they will suffer their first loss and go down in Philly here today. The Vikings will be off of a bye week which we know can sometimes disrupt the momentum of a team who is mid-surge as it did to these very same Eagles after their own 3-0 start. The Birds have dropped their last two games since they headed into their bye week undefeated and will look to bounce back into the win column at home with a huge upset. Bradford has been a great game manager and played some real nice football since being traded to Minnesota after they lost their starting QB Teddy Bridgewater in the preseason about a week before week 1. I think it is safe to say things have worked out best for both sides as Bradford seems to finally found a home where he fits in the system and can excel as a QB, and the Eagles are practically reborn with their new Rookie QB Carson Wentz and a solid defense under new Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz. Although the defense has regressed a bit in these last two games, I think they get in Sammy Sleeves head today. While there wasn't any bad blood between Bradford and the Eagles during the big trade, it is no secret that Bradford undoubtedly wants to have a great game and get a win against his old team. I think that kind of pressure can back fire and throw him off his game a bit and I believe the Eagles will capitalize on this factor at home as this place will surely be ROCKING. This is the first home game since their HUGE upset against the Steelers in week 3 and I got to believe that Philly fans are chomping at the bit to cheer their team on in a big game. These guys know their old QB and I think Schwartz will make the necessary adjustments to shutdown what little run game the Vikings have, and force Bradford to be the one to beat them. This is why I love backing the Birds here because I think Bradford is due for a bad outing and today is the perfect spot for that to take place. However, it won't be easy by any means for the Rookie Wentz and this Eagles offense to get things going against the leagues best defense. They lost one of their top offensive lineman in Lane Johnson due to suspension and we saw last week how much he matters as the Redskins were able to terrorize the Rookie and disrupt the backfield all game. That being said, with a game under their belt without Johnson I like the Eagles to gameplan accordingly and fix the issues they suffered last week to help minimize the purple pass rush. The stage is set for Wentz to be the hero here and I like him to rise to the occasion, minimizing errors and managing an efficient offense to be able to do just enough to squeak out a BIG win. EAGLES+3
***BALTIMORE RAVENS @ NEW YORK JETS***
Battle of the wounded here as both teams have a ton of moving pieces. The Jets finally had enough with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick's turnovers and have elected to go ahead and make the big change to backup QB Geno Smith, yikes! However, in this spot today I like Gang Green to get the job done at home. Geno is now playing for this NFL career and finally will get a "fair" shot to show what he can do. There has been so much controversy surrounding this young QB that I won't get into right now as I am sure you all are well aware of it all. NY most likely has no plans of resigning him at the end of the year unless he lights it up, and at the least he will be auditioning for other teams with this opportunity. When he came in for relief for Fitzy last week at towards the end of the brutal spanking at the hands of Arizona, yes it ended with the Honey Badger Tyrann Matheiu picking him off, but I liked what I saw during the small sample size of play. In my opinion the interception was just the result of a forced throw and trying to make a play on 4 & 11 with his team down multiple scores. Before that turnover, he put together a pretty decent drive and completed a couple passes that seemed to be good decisions that were on target. To my surprise, the offense immediately looked like it was sparked by his presence and I think he is ready to take the reigns today. Fortunately for him, the Jets schedule now starts to lighten up drastically and starts with a home game against the wounded Ravens today. Baltimore's injuries are brutal, and Smith will be facing a Ravens defense most likely without captain LB Terrell Suggs, LB CJ Mosley, DE Elvis Dumervil, & CB Jimmy Smith. Pretty much all their key playmakers to say the least. On offense, QB Joe Flacco was questionable all week with a shoulder injury. It looks like he will play today but obviously he won't be 100%. He will also likely be without his top target in veteran animal WR Steve Smith Sr. and veteran guard Marshal Yanda on the offensive line to help protect him from a very talented Jets defensive line. The Jets defense has been extremely dissapointing this season to say the least. Their secondary has been getting torched and last week CB Buster Skrine was exploited on the outside all game by the Cardinals. Skrine is a pure slot CB and was one of the best at this position last season, hopefully I think the Jets now realize this and will put him back in position where he can succeed. Head Coach Todd Bowles is a defensive minded coach and was an extremely good Defensive Coordinator for Arizona before taking the head job with the Jets. I got to believe he will make the adjustments after now being embarrassed in their last four games. The Ravens played at MetLife last weekend against the Giants and blew a late game lead. They now return right back to the Meadowlands and are extremely vulnerable on the verge of losing four straight. I look for the Jets to feed off the energy of their home crowd at MetLife Stadium and take advantage of a hurting Ravens team and get the spark they need from Geno Smith, yes Geno Smith under center at QB. Big win at home for Gang Green today, JETS-2
***WASHINGTON REDSKINS @ DETROIT LIONS***
The Lions are one of the hardest teams to figure out in the NFL. Their offense is extremely potent and QB Matthew Stafford is quietly having one of the best seasons of his career. Despite many injuries, Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter seems to have this unit grooving this year. The problem has been with their defense as they haven't seemed to of been able to stop anybody. Again, one can chalk this up to many injuries on this side of the ball as the reason. They now have their Pro Bowl DE Ziggy Ansah back and his presence alone helps this unit with their confidence. Look for Ansah to provide the spark needed to this nonexistent pass-rush of the Lions that was once feared not too long ago. The Redskins are currently riding a the high of a four game winning streak since dropping their first two games of the year. However I got a feeling this is a sleeper spot for them to drop a game as the Lions will be playing their third straight home game, winning their last two and looking to build a win streak of their own. The Redskins running game was a huge surprise at home against Philly last week and I believe caught them off guard. I think the Lions will limit this ground attack and put the pressure on QB Kirk Cousins to beat them with his arm. While Cousins can surely be effective against a weak Lions secondary, I just have a feeling Detroit will get after him today to cause some key turnovers that Cousins has been known to make at times. The Lions are quietly becoming a dangerous team in the NFC North and when sharing the division with teams like the Packers and Vikings, they can't afford to take any games off. I think they show up in a big way today and get the job done. LIONS+1
***BUFFALO BILLS @ MIAMI DOLPHINS***
An interesting AFC East matchup as the surging Buffalo Bills will head into Miami on a four game winning streak. However I am still not a believer in this Bills team. I do admire their toughness and the "smack you in the mouth" approach they take to games, but I am not impressed by the four wins they have strung together thus far and feel they are a bit misleading. The Dolphins on the other hand have been a mess this season to no surprise. With a new coach implementing a new system, immediate success understandably doesn't always take place. However the Fish are coming off a huge upset where they beat the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers at home last weekend. QB Ben Rothlisberger did go out with an injury this game, so the big win is surely taken with a grain of salt. However the Dolphins finally seemed to have committed to a RB when Jay Ajayi went off on the Steelers defense for a HUGE game. Before this, QB Ryan Tannehill was their best rushing attack, and that is sad. This can be attributed to the fact that the Dolphins finally have their top offensive lineman back in the lineup. With a healthy offensive line, we can be looking at a whole new Miami team here. If they can rush the ball effectively it will surely help out Tannehill in the passing game and if they can give him time he needs in the pocket, they have some serious weapons at WR. The Dolphins will also be playing their third straight home game today, and I like the spot as the Bills have a big lookahead game on deck when they host the New England Patriots next week in Buffalo who will surely be seeking revenge from when the Bills snuck out a win against a Bradyless Pats team in Foxborough earlier this season. Bills RB LeSean McCoy is injured and has pretty much been the Bills entire offense as of late. He will apparently try and give it a go today but will clearly be limited. I think the Phins will have success shutting down the Bills rushing attack and will again put together a run game of their own, coupled with some big plays at WR to pull out another big win at home. DOLPHINS+2.5
