***SWAMPY SUNDAY - MUCK 4 - WEEK 8***

***LOS ANGELES CHARGERS @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS***

It has been a while since veteran QBs Philip Rivers and Tom Brady have faced off in an AFC shootout. During '07, '08, '10, '11, and most recently in '14 they had some pretty good battles. Two of those games being postseason and both resulting in Patriot wins. Matter of fact, in those 7 matchups, the Patriots won 6 of them. In one of those playoff games, Philip Rivers showed the world just how tough he is when he played the AFC Championship game with a torn ACL! I'll shut-up with the history lesson and get to today's matchup when the two rekindle some old flames as the 3-4 Chargers ride the lightning of their 3 game winning streak into Foxborough to take on the 5-2 Patriots. The Bolts could not of started the season any worse than they did going 0-4 in some real close heartbreakers and since then have strung together 3 straight wins, igniting a run to get right back into the mix of things. Today provides a statement game opportunity up against the Super Bowl Champs on the road with a chance to get back to .500 as they head into their bye week. I talk about over and over how loaded with talented on both sides of the ball this Chargers team is and how if not for an insane amount of injuries over the past few seasons the common perception of them would be much different. After a few confidence building wins, I believe these guys are now fully drinking their own kool-aid and have no doubt that they can pull off an upset here today. With the recent slide of the Chiefs, the inconsistency of the Raiders, and the sudden disappearance of the Broncos, magically the AFC West title is still up for grabs with plenty of season left! I'll take a highly motivated and talented team like the Chargers and a touchdown spread any day, so although the task is always undoubtedly tough up against Tom Brady and the Pats, especially at home, I like our chances in this one to at the least give the Pats all they can handle and keep it within the number. The Patriots have had a bit of their own struggles due to injuries and new faces in new places to start this season. Lately however they seem to be back to form. Last week on SNF in a thick fog in Foxborough, they preyed on some birds while putting an absolute whooping on the Falcons in a Super Bowl rematch. This defense has shown that it can have some holes in it and can be beat. I like Rivers to take advantage with his plethora of weapons through the air and love the addition of Rookie WR Mike Williams. They have been stringing the youngster along in his first two games getting him acclimated with limited plays after coming off of his injury during the preseason. LAC traded away WR Dontrelle Inman to the Bears last week and this tells me that they are ready to let the Rook get more snaps and become a bigger piece of the passing game. Chargers RB Melvin Gordon will give it a go today but apparently isn't 100%. The Chargers do have some RB depth though and I think Gordon is tough enough to rise to the occasion through an injury today in such a big game. On the other side of the things, the Bolts have one of the best young pass rushing duos in the NFL in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. I like these guys to get after Brady and give him fits today. Long story short because I have to get to the rest of these write-ups, if it isn't clear already- I think the Chargers upset on the road here and send a message that they are indeed capable of doing some damage and will be relevant down the road in what should be a very fun and chaotic playoff hunt this year. CHARGERS+7

***OAKLAND RAIDERS @ BUFFALO BILLS***

The Raiders were able to fend off their rival the KC Chiefs at home in the Black Hole last week on TNF in a must-win situation. That game was one of the more entertaining ones of this year as it came down to a thrilling last possession by Oakland where they were fortunate enough to get multiple tries in the Redzone due to penalties by KC. Raiders QB Derek Carr was eventually able to find WR Michael Crabtree in the corner of the Endzone for the win. It can not be understated how HUGE that win was for this Raiders team as far as confidence as well as keeping them alive in their Division. Now they make the dreaded West Coast to East Coast trip in an early time slate but again they last played on Thursday night, so the extra time should help get them acclimated to the time difference and cancel out any possible jet-lag causing them to be lethargic and out of whack. It doesn't however change how tough the environment is in Buffalo where they will be playing, up against an overachieving and stout Bills squad. The Bills have impressed thus far as many thought they would be amongst the bottom feeders of the NFL this season, having gone through many changes while bringing in a new Head Coach and getting rid of many of their bigger name type players this season. New HC Sean McDermott has done a great job so far this team and you can see that these guys like him a lot and have adapted to and embodied his tough persona. That being said the ground and pound game that the Bills rely on with RB LeSean McCoy may be in trouble today against a Raiders defense who has undergone some major improvement to the middle of their defense by acquiring veteran MLB NaVorro Bowman days before their game against KC after the 49ers released him. Bowman brings a new run-stuffing presence to the middle of this defense and with Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin on the edges, Shady McCoy could have limited gaps to squeeze through today. The Raiders will be without RB Marshawn Lynch but with their capable youngsters in DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard and the extra time to prepare I think they will be just fine in the running game today. Derek Carr should be able to link up with his guys through the air with short crossing routes underneath despite the bad weather due to them being such big targets. WR Amari Cooper broke out last weekend against KC after an abysmal start to the season and will be looking to keep the momentum going and I believe he will have little problem eating up the YAC today. This is a game where the Raiders know they have to get mean and nasty to match the Bills style of play and I think they will have little trouble doing so. On paper they are the much better team in this matchup and after and up and down start to this season it is time they start putting things together and playing at a higher level consistently. I like them to be able to take care of business today. RAIDERS+1.5

***CAROLINA PANTHERS @ TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS***

This is a NFC South matchup between two teams that have been struggling as of late. The 4-3 Carolina Panthers have lost two in a row and head into Tampa Bay to take on the 2-4 Bucs who have lost 3 games in a row, and obviously due to their poor record, are extremely desperate for this win against a divisional foe at home today. In what should be a close game between two teams that are somewhat a mirror image of each other, I give the Bucs the edge due to the fact that they're home and in a "must-win" situation. I don't really have much to say in this one (surprising I know) other than I like the Bucs offense to find success now that RB Doug Martin is back and healthy to establish a running game which helps open up the passing game for QB Jameis Winston. Winston has struggled so far this year and is banged up with a shoulder injury but will give it a go today. He isn't by any means short of any weapons through the air with a beast of a WR in Mike Evans and also the speedy veteran DeSean Jackson as a deep threat. Tight End Cameron Brate has proven to be a reliable target for him and has allowed the Rookie TE O.J. Howard time to get acclimated to the league and come into his own. On defense they finally get their stud LB in Kwon Alexander back and when paired with LB Lavonte David, these guys form one of the better LB cores in the game. Not many are better than Carolina's LB core who should get their Defensive Captain and MLB back in Luke Kuechly after yet another concussion. This all being said, I expect a very tight game and I don't like how Panthers QB Cam Newton looks to have recently swung back into his negatively contagious pout mood that we all know he can slide into when the team isn't winning and I hate the domino effect that this has on the Panther offense. They lost that game last week in Chicago due to two defensive touchdowns the Bears got on turnovers by the Panther offense. Basically, I think the Bucs do enough to defend their home field in a Rivalry game here. BUCCANEERS-1

***DALLAS COWBOYS @ WASHINGTON REDSKINS***

Another Divisional matchup here when the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys head into Washington to take on the 3-3 Redskins. This battle is extremely significant for the NFC North. With both teams currently at .500 and looking to take command of 2nd place behind the high flying Philadelphia Eagles. Speaking of the Eagles, they just completed the season sweep of the Redskins last week on MNF. That being said, a loss here for the Skins would cripple them in the division as they would be sitting with an 0-3 NFC North record. This my friends makes for yet another dreaded "must-win" game today for Washington. I actually believe they matchup pretty well against Dallas. Last season they played them extremely tough even though they were swept by the Cowboys. Dallas returned last week off of their bye and absolutely crushed the winless 49ers on the road. While they looked great doing so of course, that game is a bit deceiving in my opinion. It was a terrible spot for the Niners who were coming off of a treacherous road stretch of 3 hard fought games in a row with two of those going into OT. They were due to have a letdown and lack of effort because of the exhaustion and disappointment combination, falling just short over breaking into the win column again and again. Before this game, Dallas was a team that had plenty of struggles of their own. The distraction that the off the field issues of star RB Ezekiel Elliot causes has had them out of whack offensively and Sophomore QB Dak Prescott has pretty much put the team on his back so far this year. It wasn't until last week that Elliot looked like the stellar RB we saw last season and again I believe this was a bit of a mirage. The Redskins are usually very tough defensively against the run game and two games ago they lost their big run stuffing Rookie DT Jonathan Allen. While that was a big factor against the Eagles, I think they have enough depth and now with a game under his belt, I expect Defensive Line Coach Jim Tomsula to be able to mix and match his guys to find the right formula to help make up for the loss of Allen's presence. Redskin CB Josh Norman will also be making his return from injury today and I wouldn't expect anything less since we all know how much he and Dallas WR Dez Bryant love to go against each other. I'll wrap this up by saying that I really like how Redskins QB Kirk Cousins has been playing and I think he will find plenty of success throwing down the field against this Dallas secondary. In a nutshell, I'm loving the Skins to man up here and fend off the pesky Cowboys in a HUGE game at home to help themselves remain relevant in the NFC mix. I expect them to pull out all the stops and throw the book at Dallas today and do anything and everything in order to make sure that they get this W. REDSKINS+3