Indianapolis Colts (6-6) @ Tennessee Titans (5-7), 7:30 PM CT (Thursday), NFL Network
The Line: Indianapolis -3
The Experts: CBS has the Colts 4-1, ESPN hasn't submitted their picks at this time but figure Indy to get the majority, and Yahoo is 3-0 for the Colts.
Honestly, I didn't think Tennessee had a shot at this game. They're offense hasn't scored a touchdown in 14 quarters, so there's no way they could keep up with Peyton Manning.
However, the Colts have a ton of players who are out or questionable for Thursday's game, Manning has thrown 11 interceptions over the past three games, and these Colts cannot stop the run whatsoever. I could see Chris Johnson running past them, but I won't pick them. Manning seems ticked off in interviews, so I'll side with the angry future Hall of Famer.
The Pick: Colts 31, Titans 17
Oakland Raiders (6-6) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (7-5), Noon CT, CBS
The Line: Jacksonville -4
The Experts: CBS and Yahoo have clean sweeps for Jacksonville while there's currently nothing from ESPN but figure a slant for the Jaguars.
Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden could turn this game into a short affair given the run-heavy nature of both teams. Jacksonville and Oakland are coming off huge wins which saw each team run 50-plus times in a game.
Whoever can stop the run will win the game, and both defenses have toughened up from earlier sieve status. After seeing Oakland shut down an explosive San Diego team, I really think the Raiders can dominate this game especially if Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, and LeMarr Houston can continue being disruptive.
The Pick: Raiders 26, Jaguars 23
Baltimore Ravens (8-4) @ Houston Texans (5-7), 7:30 PM CT, ESPN (also CW39 if you're in the Houston market)
The Line: Baltimore -3
The Experts: One surprise CBS expert takes Houston, I figure ESPN will do as Yahoo and go all for Baltimore.
The Texans will face their toughest road block to their needed four-straight wins to a potential playoff birth. The sputtering Ravens offense should find a cure against the porous Houston secondary while Arian Foster gets to test his mettle against Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, and a physical Baltimore defense.
The thing about the Texans is (a) they play well in December for Gary Kubiak (10-2 over the past three seasons), (b) they surprise when people expect them to get dominated, (c) have had a chance against similar teams (San Diego, New York), and (d) are 7-3 all-time in Battle Red Uniforms. I think the Texans may surprise some people.
The Pick: Ravens 31, Texans 33
For more on the Texans, check out Battle Red Blog.
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