Mark’s Picks of the Week! NFL Game Picks for Week 16 (no point spread)

♣My Picks for Week 16:♣

THU, DEC 18
Indianapolis at Jacksonville

My Pick: Indianapolis.

Indy Has just been to much of a good team over the past 5 years for me to pick against them in December

SAT, DEC 20

Baltimore at Dallas

My pick: Baltimore

Dallas has over achieved, and they played a sorry Giants defense last week. Romo will have at least 2 Interceptions which maybe all Baltimore needs as they apply pressure with their smash mouth running game. I predict at least two passes for Joe Flacco that will be over 35+ yards since Dallas will have to keep 8 in the box.

SUN, DEC 21

Cincinnati at Cleveland

My Pick: Cincinatti

Cleveland has already lost this game with who they have starting at QB. Cincinnati has played to well of late, and Cedric Benson looks like he has find a home! Benson is a possible start if your season has not expired and you need a RB!

San Francisco at St. Louis

My Pick: San Fransico 49ers.

I don’t think they 49ers have to really do anything to win this game. St Louis usually will just get in their own way and work to lose a ball game. I know Singletary has his team under control and he won’t make the mistakes that will allow this sorry excuse for a club beat him. There are no individuals on Mike’s team but thats a lesson that will eventually turn this squad into a Championship contender. Also S. Hill has been playing very well, so don’t be surprised if he throws 2-4 TD passes!

New Orleans at Detroit

My Pick: Detroit

I believe that every dog has it’s day in the sun, and when you look at Detroit you just got to believe some day it will happen. I don’t believe that the Saints should lose this game, but lets just say I believe that the “angels are on the field this week” and give the Loins a early Christmas present. Calvin has a huge game, and Stewart scores!

Pittsburgh at Tennessee

My Pick: Tennessee

This is by far the toughest call of the week. Pittsburgh has a historic defense, yet they struggle to put up any points on offense. As of late Big Ben has look like Tiny Tim with his merger attempts at producing offense. Also the Steelers cannot run the football, yet due to the injury of Hanyesworth you never can tell how this defense will manage without the star DT. I am going to give the advantage to the home team in this one because of the fact that they have fast RB’s and Big RB’s and maybe with the right mix they will be able to tire out the Pittsburgh D and score atleast 1 TD. Either way its going to be a great game!

Miami at Kansas City

My Pick: Miami

KC has been playing better of late, but they still are KC. With the way Joey Porter has been leading this Miami Defense you should expect several sacks and rushed pass attempts which will inevitably end in Miami being victorious!

Arizona at New England

My Pick: New England

My reason is simple. After we look at this game your going say, “I think they wanted it more” (joke)

(But True)
San Diego at Tampa Bay

My Pick: Tampa Bay

Seriously, Did you see Antonio Bryant the last two weeks? This guy has looked so good, he should get a endorsement deal with Elmers for that One Hand grab. Also, I am feeling the reemergence of the superstar Caddy this week, and I doubt San Diego can stop it. This San Diego team is over-rated straight up and they just aren’t going to be tough enough to play against Tampa Bay in their own house. Expect to see light showers and lots of cannon fire on Sunday!
Houston at Oakland

My Pick: Houston

All Hail Steve Slaton, the boy legend that came from WVU and into our NFL Highlight films. This guy is the Total Package. This could potentially be a good game but I doubt the Oakland QB who hasn’t earned the respect of me saying his name, will be able to handle Mario “Mad Dog” Williams up in his grill. Andre Johnson is a top flight kind of guy and should have a pretty good game, yet he will be matched up with Nnamdi Asomugha, who may have the he size and speed to present him a challenge. I am pretty sure on this one though, Houston comes up on top and some Oakland Raiders fans will go out and stab someone!

Buffalo at Denver

Denver:

Buffalo seems to have packed it in. But we will see. Denver may have some issues with protecting Cutler due to Marcus Shroud, but if they play the outside and edges they should slice through this Defense. They have such speed at the RB position it will look ridiculous. The bills always have a chance when Marshawn Plays so we will see. This is the kind of guy that can will and try so hard it motivates his team to win.

NY Jets at Seattle

My Pick Jets

Brett Farve will get it done. Seattle is a joke and he would love nothing more than to say good bye to his old coach by slapping another L on his resume!

Atlanta at Minnesota

My Pick: Atlanta

They are just the better team, and Tavaris Jackson is not the answer.
Philadelphia at Washington

My Pick: Philadelphia

Donovan McNabb has been playing very well recently and with a healthy Westbrook the Redskins could be in for some real trouble. Since it is a divisional game it could still be a close game, but don’t be surprised if this one turns ugly early!
Carolina at NY Giants

MON, DEC 22
Green Bay at Chicago

Plaxico Burress Shot in the Leg

In what has been a reported “accidental shooting,” Giants receiver Plaxico Burress took a bullet to the leg late Friday evening at a night club. According to ESPN news, Plaxico actually shot himself in his right thigh near the popular two story “Latin Quarter Nightclub” in East Side Manhattan.

The injury is said to not be life threatening, as he had been released from hospital care early this saturday at 2:00 p.m. With an outstanding five year contract of some $35 million, what is to come of this self-inflicted injury?

Week 11 NFL Picks

NYJ 6-3 at N.E. 6-3

The Jets are starting to show some consistency winning convincingly against the Buffalo Bills and Rams in the last two weeks. They now face the biggest game of their season thus far in New England on Thursday night. New England has been proving that life without Brady is still manageable, but I think the Jets steady improvement on defense, solid ground game behind Thomas Jones, and lately less turnover-prone passing by Brett Favre will rue the day.

DEN 5-4 at ATL 6-3

The Falcons are becoming a model of consistency. Their ability to jump out to big early leads is remarkable for a young team. They play at home against the league’s 28^th ranked passing defense and 27^th ranked rushing defense. That doesn’t bode well for a Bronco team playing against an efficient Matt Ryan, and yard-racking Michael Turner. Falcons win.

DET 0-9 at CAR 7-2

Carolina has the luxury of facing a team like the Raiders last week, who even if Delhomme throws four interceptions again to, should still beat. I don’t see Jake tossing that many picks this week. Panthers win handily.

PHI 5-4 at CIN 1-8

With Carson Palmer out again, and the Eagles reeling from a Sunday night loss at home to the giants, the Bengals are set to lose… again.

N.O. 4-5 at K.C. 1-8

The Saints are proving that all they have is a superb passing game that can’t save a running game hovering around mediocrity, and a defense benchmarking at incapability. The Chiefs have not been the walk-in-the-park they were earlier this season losing by one point to San Diego last weekend, losing to Tampa Bay at home in OT the week before, and only losing by four in New York to the Jets the week before that. I’m going with K.C.

BAL 6-3 at NYG 8-1

The Baltimore Ravens are actually scoring on offense these days. In fact, they are becoming a mirror image of the Giants; strong pressure-causing defense, a more than capable stable of running backs, and an efficient and play-making pass offense. Look for a close game with the more experienced Giants coming out on top.

MIN 5-4 at T.B. 6-3

If there is one thing that the Minnesota Vikings have to have learned in last week’s heart attack inducing one-point win to the Packers last week it is the following… give the ball to Adrian Peterson. I believe Gus Frerotte’s passing attempts will be cut down by almost half of last week’s 28. Even though the Bucs are known for solid defense, I will bank on Peterson to run rampant. Vikings win convincingly.

OAK 2-7 at MIA 5-4

Although the Raiders now share the same record as the underachieving Seahawks who came to within two points of upsetting the Dolphins in Miami last week, I wouldn’t count on a similar performance from them this week. The surprising Dolphins will move to 6-4 and second place in the AFC East.

CHI 5-4 at G.B. 4-5

Green Bay should count their lucky stars that they have this opportunity. They get the division leading Bears at home with a chance to get a tie-breaker on Chicago and second place in the division if they win, and a first place tie if they win and the Vikings lose. I’ll take the Packers to clean things up in their passing game this week after Rodgers was a not-so-great 15-25 with only 142 passing yards and no touchdowns. Pack wins.

HOU 3-6 at IND 5-4

The Texans look to make up for the 21 points they gave up in the last seven plus minutes of a week five loss to the Colts at home. However, the Colts have won two straight and look to be getting back in contention. Colts win.

STL 2-7 at S.F. 2-7

This division matchup may not even be worth discussing, but for the sake of fairness let’s do it. The Rams looked back to what they were with Scott Linehan as coach in their 47-3 loss to the Jets last week. On the other side, the 49ers looked more believable as a team with Shaun Hill under center on Monday Night. After the harrowing performance they put on in Arizona, I will take San Francisco to win.

ARI 6-3 at SEA 2-7

The Cardinals have a chance to clean house in Seattle this week with a win. They get to play another one of their weak divisional opponents, all of whom are 2-7 (Saint Louis and San Francisco are the other two). Even though the Hawks are at home, I cannot see the Cardinals having another close letdown like they did against the Niners this past Monday. Cardinals win.

TEN 9-0 at JAC 4-5

The performance of Kerry Collins last week (30-41, 289 yards, two TDs and no INTs) is making the Titans look all the more legitimate as the league’s lone unbeaten team. The Jaguars proved nothing in beating the Lions last weekend 38-14. Titans win easy.

S.D. 4-5 at PIT 6-3

The Steelers blew it last weekend at home to the Colts… or should I say Ben Roethlisberger blew it. History should say that Ben will be looking to make up for his performance, but I’m not so sure about his confidence right now. He has been getting hit too many times, and blew two games to the Manning brothers at home that should have been in the bag. On the other hand, San Diego has hardly been consistent this year. Steelers win convincingly with their number one defense and a better performance from Big Ben.

DAL 5-4 at WAS 6-3

This game marks the return to the Dallas lineup of Tony Romo. This team has been in quite a bind since he left. Look for Romo to have a huge game and perhaps put his team on his back. The Redskins are coming off their worst offensive performance since their week one loss to the Giants after scoring just six points in the week nine Monday night loss to Pittsburgh. Their points came from two field goals after going three-and-out when they recovered and opening onside kick attempt by the Steelers, and another three-and-out after an INT on Ben Roethlisberger. Look for the return of the Dallas high-octane offense along with the defensive play calling of Wade Phillips to take down the Redskins in Washington.

CLE 3-6 at BUF 5-4

The Bills have not been living up to the hype the last two weeks. And the fact that they have lost three of their four to Miami, New York, and New England (in order), who are all divisional opponents, does not bode well. Brady Quinn was solid in his first start going 23-35, 239 yards, with two TDs and no interceptions against Denver last Thursday. However, I’ll take the Bills on the national stage at home.

Redskins Acquire Bro Bowl Cornerback DeAngelo Hall

The Washington Redskins agreed to a one year deal worth just over $800,000 with cornerback DeAngelo Hall on Friday November 7^th, who had just been waived by the Oakland Raiders. It didn’t take too long for the Pro Bowler to find himself a new home. Although there has been a consensus that Hall has been underachieving this past half-season in Oakland, and the previous year in Atlanta, when looked at closely, it is easy to see why Hall can be a good fit for the Redskins.

First of all, Washington has been suffering from injuries in the secondary, and namely at cornerback; starter Shawn Springs, nickel back Fred Smoot, and backup Leigh Torrence. And although none of the three has been injured for extended periods of time, they have all been injured frequently and sporadically enough that the Redskins could not pass up this opportunity.

Aside from the injury bug in Washington, there is also the stable of wide receivers the Redskins have to face twice each year within their division. The New York Giants sport big game and big height, six foot five inch, Plaxico Burress. We all know about Dallas and Terrell Owens, but now with the pickup of big game, and six foot three, Roy Williams, the necessity for a player of Hall’s talents is ever more of the essence. Finally, the Eagles have a budding star in rookie DeSean Jackson, whose 34 receptions for 525 yards have him on pace to reach 1,050 total, and a quarterback in Donovan McNabb who has shown a propensity to do more with less over his career.

As long as DeAngelo Hall can resume the level play during his Pro Bowl garnering seasons, then the Redskins will have made a good choice. If not, they don’t lose much as they only signed him for the remainder of this season.

10 Reasons Santonio Holmes was set up

10 Reasons Santonio Holmes was set up

Santonio Holmes has recently been suspended for Marijuana possession when he was pulled over by a police officer. But I say he is not guilty and shouldn’t be suspended here is why.

1. It is clear the officer was a Giants fan and he planted the drugs to take him out of this weeks game.

2. Citing conspiracy as this is America so how would he be able to get marijuana when it is ILLEGAL

3. Ray Lewis said that if he didn’t get high with him he would put a bounty on him too.

4. The weed that they confiscated was dirt weed Santonio only smokes stickiest of the icky.

5. Ricky Williams was not the passenger in the car so their couldn’t have been any weed.

He looks high

6. They say he handed the officer Blounts but what they didn’t say was that they were Blounts’ cards

as in Mel Blount the Steelers Hall of Fame Corner Back.

7. He fell prey to an e-mail scam disguised as a letter from Roger Goodell saying weed no longer is against NFL rules.

8. He didn’t realize that he was driving Bam Morris’ car.

Remember this guy

9. He could have swore that the blunts were just roles of quarters

10. If he doesn’t have the hand eye coordination to catch a ball how can he roll a blunt?

Mike Nolan gets the Boot

Mike Nolan Canned

Another coach gets the boot this week and this time it was Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers. This is not a firing that I would call long over due, in this case it just seems like the time was right for firing. After Nolan has put together a very talented defense that has failed to deliver and a struggling office which for all intensive purposes has some real talent as well, he gets canned. I was watching the 49ers Giants game with fellow Sportsorider Mark M and mentioned half way through the 2^nd quarter that I would fire Mike Nolan if I was the owner (I guess he heard me, sorry Mike). Now don’t get me wrong Mike Nolan is a good coach but it was clear that there was no discipline or direction to this 49ers team. Simply put it was time for a change, the 49ers are one of the greatest franchises in NFL history and they are looking to return to form. Things went down hill for Nolan the minute he had to pick Alex Smith #1 in the draft. Mike Nolan’s hopes were pinned on a mediocre college quarter back and like most people thought Alex Smith failed to deliver. Nolan will land on his feet else were but for now it is fair well to a good coach who just couldn’t put the team together.

Can Underachieving NFL Favorites Keep Pace with the Rest of the League?

Before the start of the 2008 NFL season there were four sure-fire Super Bowl favorites; the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. So far after seven weeks only the Patriots seem to have any type of competitive balance with a 4-2 record and only one game behind AFC East leading Buffalo Bills at 5-1.

The aforementioned teams have not faired so well and are a combined 10-10.

Even though Tony Romo is out, there is no excuse for the lack of effort the Cowboys showed in their 34-14 blowout in St. Louis. They have allowed two upstart teams, the Redskins and Cardinals, and a bottom-feeder in St. Louis get wins against them. Even though Romo was in against the two upstarts, he has averaged at least one turnover per game.

The Chargers have been the epitomy of inconsistency through seven games going loss, loss, win, win, loss, win, loss en-route to a 3-4 record. Traveling east has not helped them as they go forward three time zones every time. Now they have to go eight time zones to play the Saints in London this weekend!

Identity fraud ala New York Jets

Identity fraud

by The Boinger

What is the identity of the New York Jets? Answer: They have no identity. Not Joe Namath, not the sack exchange and not Fireman Ed. Not even the great Brett Favre is not going to fix nor change that. The Tuna couldn’t fix it and even Belichick saw the writing on the wall and bolted for New England. There is no long succession of great QB’s. There is no history of a strong run/pass oriented offensive/defensive juggernaut. It is just not there. The sack exchange? They have long since been forgotten. No one has stepped up to carry on that tradition. The front office has had one bad draft after another and continues to try pull the wool over the fans eyes with big NO NAME head coaches. They even tried to fool everyone into thinking that they were serious about moving back to NY. Them sharing a stadium with the Giants further entrenches them as the “second team” in this city. When Donald Trump has lunch with Bill Gates do they share a salad? NO! So why should the Jets be sharing a stadium with the Giants that is no where close to their fan base?

It gets harder and harder to even want to root for them anymore. If you are lucky enough to get tickets you still have to drive out to that hole in the swamp they call home. They need a major change. New ownership would be great. A new home IN NEW YORK would be even better. Perhaps they could find some empty space in the Bronx?

Big Blue’s JUSTIN TUCK is a defensive Monster

By Mark M

I said it from day one, that Justin Tuck has more ability then the media wanted to give him credit for.

Gee whiz, look at all the ESPN columnists and SportsCenter announcers now say they all love “Justin Tuck” and portraying him as the next coming of Christ for the New York Defensive line. They said without Strahan and Osi that the Giants Justin Tuck could not fill “hole in the Giants Defense” and therefore defensively the Gmen would struggle. This is like political nonsense almost. When you are wrong you are wrong, the Giants D is looking pretty solid. I even saw some Cowboy fan say on a blog that “Tuck is no strahan, and without Osi they probobly will loose all but two games this year”. Wow! I thought to myself, “what an idiot”. Regardless, I know when to say, “Hey I was right” and “You were wrong”. I would just like to also mention when a DE intercepts a pass and runs it back for a TD, that player is something special. The Big Blue D will have bad games this year, so please don’t think they are flawless.They, however, will be one of the top 8 units in the NFL, I promise. So if you need a DST or Defense for your fantasy team try to get JUSTIN TUCK and his Big Blue Crew, cause they will be a top team in Sacks and Interceptions this year regardless of their tough schedule.

Be on the watch for LB Gerris Wilkinson he has alot of potential and will definitely look great this year.

Check out the play

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK4K5URraWQ]

Exposed Defenses

Exposed Defenses.
by Madison Mad’nuff

Well In a shootout the dazzled and bewildered all that watched the Cowboys beat the Eagles. These were high powered offenses that torched their opposing defenses all game save for the mistakes.

Westbrook loses the game with a fumble on what would have been a scoring drive. Romo keeps the Eagles in the game with a fumble in the ends zone that leads to a touchdown. But if you look at this impressive performance, from a different perspective it is not that impressive. They have both systematically shown how to exploit each others defenses “IN WEEK 2”. Teams now have a blue print for the rest of the year on what works against these defenses, they have been exposed and I mean full nudity. Now they are still very good defenses but , the Eagles are going to have a lot of trouble next week and so are the Cowboys. When a defense gets torched
like both did last night other teams take note. If I am going against the Cowboys I know that if my Quarterback can scramble people will be open, and if it’s the eagles I know a little speed and time will make them eat their own blitzes. So what does this mean it means that each team is going to have a very tough time all year from now on. Which means that things are going to turn out how I thought in the NFC East, with Eagles winning the division Cowboys second and Giants coming in third.

Defense Wins Championships?

By Alex V

Defense Wins Championships or Great Quarterbacking?

One of the longest standing arguments in today’s NFL has been the viewpoint that it takes a strong defense to become a champion. Over the past few years teams like the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to remain in at least competitive contention, if not championship contention, due to their outstandingly consistent play on defense. However, in this writer’s eyes, the most important factor in helping a team turn the corner from respectability to prominence has been the position of quarterback.

Over the past ten years alone, almost every Super Bowl champion has been led by a pro-bowl caliber, if not perennial pro-bowl quarterback. In most cases a good defense played a key role in each winner’s success, but on most of those teams, there was strong quarterback play involved as well.

During the 1998 season the Denver Broncos won the title with John Elway, and everyone knows how great he was. In 1999, the St. Louis Rams became league champions behind the light-out play of MVP quarterback Kurt Warner. Everybody will remember the Greatest Show on Turf as one of those teams that had such a great offense, they could overcome sub par-to-average defense to win games. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens would make a name in history as one of those teams that could overcome average, but not great, offensive play with a tenacious defense that created turnovers and stymied opponents week in and week out with its defense.

Let’s use a paragraph too look a little deeper at those 2000 Ravens. That team’s defense was so good that it held three regular season opponents to seven points, their Super Bowl opponent to seven points (the New York Giants), one regular season opponent to three points, and three post-season opponents to three points (the Wild Card Denver Broncos and the AFC Championship host Oakland Raiders), and four regular season opponents to zero points. How often does a defense that strong come along? Not too often I would say. I gahter that that the 2000 Ravens and the 1985 Bears were two teams in NFL history that literally succeeded almost an entire season based solely on excellent defense.

In 2001, Tom Brady came along and got his first Super Bowl title when he drove his team downfield to kick a game-winning field goal. In 2002, another team with a great defense raised the Lombardi Trophy and this time it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, Brad Johnson was Tampa’s quarterback that year and in 13 regular season games, finished the season with 22 touchdown passes against six interceptions, a 62.3% completion percentage, and a 92.9 Quarterback rating (the best of his career). The next two years would conclude with Tom Brady’s Patriots coming out on top, where-in 2003 Tom Brady led yet another drive downfield for a game-winning field goal, and in 2004 it was Brady and the Patriots who got the trophy.

In 2005 the surprise Pittsburgh Steelers came out on top. Even though it was the defense that showed up in the Super Bowl and not Ben Roethlisberger, it was Big Ben’s dazzling play in Cincinnati in the Wild Card round (14-19 passing for 74%, 208 yards, and 3 TDs), in Indianapolis in the Divisional Round (14-24 passing, 197 yards, and 2 TDs with one INT), and in Denver in the AFC Championship Game (21-29 passing, 275 yards, 2 passing TDs, and one rushing TD) that got them there. In this case it was strong defense and strong quarterback play that produced a champion.

In 2006 Peyton Manning and the strong play of the Colts’ defense won the title. Finally, last year, even though the Giants had a great pass-rushing defense while leading the league in sacks, nobody would have picked New York to come out on top if it hadn’t been for Eli Manning’s highly unexpected pro-bowl level of play throughout the post-season, including the Super Bowl.

I want everybody to take a long step back when they think that defense wins championships, because in all reality it takes a solid defense coupled by strong quarterback play to win a Super Bowl, with a few exceptions every now and then on both sides of the ball. So remember, a great defense will bring you respectability, but it takes a great quarterback to take a team to prominence!

Super Bowl Winner and Quarterback

1997 John Elway

1996 Brett Favre

1995 Troy Aikman

1994 Steve Young

1993 Troy Aikman

1992 Troy Aikman

1991 Mark Rypien

1990 Jeff Hostetler

1989 Joe Montana

1988 Joe Montana

1987 Doug Williams

1986 Phil Simms

1985 Jim McMahon

1984 Joe Montana

1983 Jim Plunkett

1982 Joe Theismann

1981 Joe Montana

1980 Jim Plunkett

1979 Terry Bradshaw

1978 Terry Bradshaw

1977 Roger Staubach

1976 Ken Stabler

1975 Terry Bradshaw

1974 Terry Bradshaw

1973 Bob Griese

1972 Bob Griese

1971 Roger Staubach

1970 Johnny Unitas

1969 Len Dawson

1968 Joe Namath

1967 Bart Starr

1966 Bart Starr

Mark’s NFL PICKS OF THE WEEK

1. Sunday, Sept. 7 Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m

MY PICK: Ravens

2. Sunday, Sept. 7 New York Jets at Miami Dolphins 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Jets

3. Sunday, Sept. 7 Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Pats

4. Sunday, Sept. 7 Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Pittsburgh

5. Sunday, Sept. 7 Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Jacksonville

6. Sunday, Sept. 7 Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Falcons

7. Sunday, Sept. 7 Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Bills

8. Sunday, Sept. 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

MY PICK: Saints

9. Sunday, Sept. 7 St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Eagles

10. Sunday, Sept. 7 Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns 4:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Dallas

11. Sunday, Sept. 7 Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers 4:15 p.m

MY PICK: Chargers

12. Sunday, Sept. 7 Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers 4:15 p.m.

MY PICK: 49ers

13. Sunday, Sept. 7 Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts 8:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Colts

14 Monday, Sept. 8 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers 7 p.m.

MY PICK: Green Bay Packers

15 Monday, Sept. 8 Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders 10:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Denver Broncos

-Mark M

Mark’s NFL PICKS OF THE WEEK

1. Sunday, Sept. 7 Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m

MY PICK: Ravens

2. Sunday, Sept. 7 New York Jets at Miami Dolphins 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Jets

3. Sunday, Sept. 7 Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Pats

4. Sunday, Sept. 7 Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Pittsburgh

5. Sunday, Sept. 7 Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Jacksonville

6. Sunday, Sept. 7 Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Falcons

7. Sunday, Sept. 7 Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Bills

8. Sunday, Sept. 7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

MY PICK: Saints

9. Sunday, Sept. 7 St. Louis Rams at Philadelphia Eagles 1 p.m.

MY PICK: Eagles

10. Sunday, Sept. 7 Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns 4:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Dallas

11. Sunday, Sept. 7 Carolina Panthers at San Diego Chargers 4:15 p.m

MY PICK: Chargers

12. Sunday, Sept. 7 Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers 4:15 p.m.

MY PICK: 49ers

13. Sunday, Sept. 7 Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts 8:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Colts

14 Monday, Sept. 8 Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers 7 p.m.

MY PICK: Green Bay Packers

15 Monday, Sept. 8 Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders 10:15 p.m.

MY PICK: Denver Broncos

-Mark M