Pro Football Focus: Giants-Eagles Week 4 Preview

This week for Pro Football Focus, I previewed the Giants-Eagles much-anticipated Sunday Night battle.  Click here to how  Giants may try to get after Michael Vick, which Eagles were the bright spot in their big loss to the Cardinals, and which cornerback Eli Manning may target most:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/09/28/3tfo-giants-at-eagles-week-4/

Follow me at @PFF_Pete.

My NFL Week 4 Picks

Can't wait to watch the Twitter gangsters and the ballerinas duke it out on Sunday Night Football.

I'm in Martha's Vineyard for a wedding right now, so this week's picks will be done in rapid-fire mode.

Last Week: 6-10

Regular Season: 21-26-1 

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

Belichick hasn't lost three straight since 2002.

The Pick: Patriots (-4)

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Still not a believer in Minnesota's secondary.

The Pick: Lions (-4)

My Week 4 Thursday Night Football Pick: Browns at Ravens

Mike Carey signaling how correct my replacement ref prediction was.

As my 6-10 record last week can attest, I am not right very often. So when I am, I have to brag. I'd been saying for weeks that the NFL was playing with fire by using replacement refs. My friends asked me on Friday night when I thought the lockout would end, and I confidently told them "next Wednesday." When picking the Packers-Seahawks Monday Night matchup, I wrote: 

Weak referees are influenced by loud crowds and big stages (see: last Monday night's game). The NFL is using some weak referees right now.

I thought the Century Link Field crowd would influence the refs to help the Seahawks, but the way it played out was almost too poetic. I'm just glad that this mess is over, although now I'll have to find some new topic to Twitter rant about.  Tonight will be the first (and probably last) time you'll ever see a crowd give a standing ovation to a referee.

As for the on-the-field action itself, I still remember how the 2004 Ravens mocked rookie Eli Manning's audibles and abused him to a 0.0 passer rating. I don't have high hopes for Brandon Weeden tonight.

The Pick: Ravens (-12)

Follow me at @PFF_Pete.

Odds found here.

Pro Football Focus: Lions-Titans Week 3 Review

Each week at Pro Football Focus, I spend 10 hours breaking down the tape for one NFL game and then write a review of its best and worst performers.

When I wrote that the Buccaneers-Giants Week 2 matchup was "the best game of this young season," I never thought it would be topped just a week later. This past Sunday, the Lions and Titans scored 46 points in the fourth quarter alone in a game for the ages. Click below to see what new dimension the Lions have added to their offense, what's wrong with Chris Johnson, and which cornerback I gave my PFF Game Ball to.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/09/26/refo-lions-titans-week-3/

Follow me at @PFF_Pete.

My Week 3 NFL Picks

I'm prepared to hear a lot about C.J. Spiller this weekend.

This afternoon I'm headed up to Cape Cod for The Chatham Cup. It's an event, designed by my friends, that revolves around playing golf, drinking beer, and flaunting our masculinity in the most well-structured form of chaos possible. It always takes place in mid-September, a time when everyone is giddy to have football back and hopeful for their team's chances this year (particularly the Bills faithful). I'm driving up with my friend BG, an avid Redskins fan, so I'm already setting aside two hours to figure out where RG3 ranks among the top 10 Washington quarterbacks of all-time (I'm guessing he passed Gus Frerotte sometime during the preseason).

Last Week: 8-7-1

Regular Season: 15-16-1 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

In a game with two mistake-prone quarterbacks, I like Dallas' pass-rushing linebackers, DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, to wreak the most havoc.

The Pick: Cowboys (-7.5)

St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears

Something tells me that Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall is an easy target for cornerback Cortland Finnegan's antics.

The Pick: Rams (+7)