Just when MDS was getting a little cocky, he got knocked down a peg or two.
His six-game lead has been cut to four, after being swept in the two games on which we disagreed last week. This week, we disagree on two more. Which means that his lead could be down to two, soon.
To see all picks for the 15 games to be played in Week Seven (yes, it’s already Week Seven), scroll away, scrollers.
Chiefs at Raiders
MDS’s take: The Raiders just aren’t a very good football team this year. The Chiefs will bounce back from their first loss with a big win.
MDS’s pick: Chiefs 28, Raiders 17.
Florio’s take: It’s rare that one of the best rivalries in football gets played when both teams are good. Currently, however, one of the teams isn’t good. The Raiders face what could eventually be an elimination game, and the Chiefs simply have too many weapons on each side of the ball, allowing them to overcome a Raiders team that has been overrated.
Florio’s pick: Chiefs 27, Raiders 20.
Buccaneers at Bills
MDS’s take: The Buccaneers’ defense has been a mess this season, allowing the ancient Adrian Peterson to have a huge game on Sunday. The Bills’ running game should thrive.
MDS’s pick: Bills 28, Buccaneers 21.
Florio’s take: Jameis Winston can do everything but throw, which will make it a little hard to play quarterback. A return to Buffalo by former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick becomes intriguing, but the Bills have enough (especially with extra time to get ready) to continue an unlikely climb toward the postseason.
Florio’s pick: Bills 24, Buccaneers 14.
Ravens at Vikings
MDS’s take: The Ravens’ offense has been a mess, and Joe Flacco is primarily to blame. I don’t see any reason to think he’ll improve against a good Vikings defense. Minnesota is suddenly looking like the favorite in the NFC North.
MDS’s pick: Vikings 20, Ravens 13.
Florio’s take: The NFL’s pair of purple teams have had some entertaining games over the years, from a 29-26 Baltimore win in the snow four years ago to a Vikings 33-31 barnburner in the first Brett Favre year to a cluster of kick-return touchdowns during the rookie year of Randy Moss. This time around, the Vikings have balance and the home-field advantage — along with an opportunity to hit the bye at 6-2.
Florio’s pick: Vikings 30, Ravens 20.
Jets at Dolphins
MDS’s take: The Dolphins finally showed signs of life with their second-half comeback against the Falcons on Sunday. I think they’re going to keep it going against the Jets, who won’t be able to sustain their surprising early-season success.
MDS’s pick: Dolphins 24, Jets 21.
Florio’s take: The Dolphins have been through plenty of adversities, and now it’s time to inflict some adversities on other teams.
Florio’s pick: Dolphins 24, Jets 13.
Cardinals at Rams
MDS’s take: The Rams really look like a playoff team to me, and another division win is coming on Sunday.
MDS’s pick: Rams 27, Cardinals 13.
Florio’s take: The folks in London are getting a pretty good game, for a change. The Rams are inconsistent, and the Cardinals have gotten a boost from the arrival of Adrian Peterson.
Florio’s pick: Cardinals 23, Rams 20.
Jaguars at Colts
MDS’s take: Jacoby Brissett has played fairly well under the circumstances of not arriving until September. But the Jaguars’ outstanding defense is going to give him a tough time on Sunday.
MDS’s pick: Jaguars 20, Colts 6.
Florio’s take: It’s an odd-numbered week, which means that the good Jaguars will be showing up to face a Colts team that isn’t as bad as it was expected to be.
Florio’s pick: Jaguars 23, Colts 12.
Saints at Packers
MDS’s take: The Saints’ defense is getting better, and it will look better still in Brett Hundley’s first start.
MDS’s pick: Saints 21, Packers 10.
Florio’s take: We’ll find out how good of a coach Mike McCarthy is without a franchise quarterback to save his bacon. With a better coach and a franchise quarterback coming to town, the wins will have to come later.
Florio’s pick: Saints 27, Packers 21.
Panthers at Bears
MDS’s take: Benching Mike Glennon for Mitch Trubisky was the right move, but that says more about how terrible Glennon is than about how ready Trubisky is. He’s going to struggle against a good Panthers defense.
MDS’s pick: Panthers 14, Bears 7.
Florio’s take: In Houston, they’ve been asking why Deshaun Watson wasn’t the Week One starter. They’ll be asking that soon in Chicago about a quarterback taken 10 spots higher. Upset alert! Upset alert! Did I mention upset alert?
Florio’s pick: Bears 27, Panthers 23.
Titans at Browns
MDS’s take: The Titans are on the road, coming off a short week, and Marcus Mariota is less than 100 percent. They’re ripe for an upset. But the Browns are so bad that I just can’t see it happening.
MDS’s pick: Titans 17, Browns 13.
Florio’s take: The Browns have two chances to avoid entering the bye at 0-8 in 2017, and 1-23 since the latest reboot of the franchise. Which means that the reboot is getting closer to getting the boot.
Florio’s pick: Titans 20, Browns 9.
Cowboys at 49ers
MDS’s take: The 49ers are better than their winless record suggests; they’re competitive week in and week out. And yet some teams just find a way to lose. I think that trend continues on Sunday.
MDS’s pick: Cowboys 21, 49ers 20.
Florio’s take: Once upon a time, these two teams ruled the conference. Now, one of them already is done — and the other one isn’t all that far behind.
Florio’s pick: Cowboys 30, 49ers 17.
Broncos at Chargers
MDS’s take: These two teams are trending in opposite directions. Look for the Chargers to make it three in a row.
MDS’s pick: Chargers 20, Broncos 16.
Florio’s take: Maybe the Broncos aren’t as good as we thought they were. Maybe the Chargers aren’t as bad as we thought they were.
Florio’s pick: Chargers 24, Broncos 20.
Bengals at Steelers
MDS’s take: The Steelers probably have the best combination of strong offense and strong defense of any team in the league. They’ll take another big step toward control of the AFC North with a win over the Bengals
MDS’s pick: Steelers 24, Bengals 10.
Florio’s take: The Steelers have regained their swagger, and they’re not about to blow it against one of their most hated rivals.
Florio’s pick: Steelers 26, Bengals 17.
Seahawks at Giants
MDS’s take: The Giants showed their first signs of life in beating the Broncos on Sunday, but the Seahawks aren’t going to let them make it two in a row.
MDS’s pick: Seahawks 20, Giants 10.
Florio’s take: Hopefully the fumes of that first win for the Giants will last a while. The Seahawks are simply too good to lose this one, and they won’t step into the same post-bye complacency pothole that took down Denver last week.
Florio’s pick: Seahawks 27, Giants 10.
Falcons at Patriots
MDS’s take: The Super Bowl rematch sees both teams looking unimpressive. The Patriots’ defense is a mess, but Tom Brady is still playing well, and he should have a big game in a New England win.
MDS’s pick: Patriots 30, Falcons 20.
Florio’s take: Hair of the dog that bit you never actually cures a hangover.
Florio’s pick: Patriots 30, Falcons 23.
Washington at Eagles
MDS’s take: The Eagles are already in control of the NFC East, and if they win this one they have a chance of running away with the division. I think they’ll do just that.
MDS’s pick: Eagles 28, Washington 20.
Florio’s take: The Eagles are moving another step closer toward nailing down the division title. The real question is whether they can cement the No. 1 seed.
Florio’s pick: Eagles 27, Washington 20.