Considering what happened in the rain at Cleveland last Sunday
Stitched Javorius Allen Jersey , the rugged AFC North looks like it will be wide open.So Thursday night's visit to Cincinnati by Baltimore takes on an extra bit of importance, even in mid-September, after the division-favorite Steelers stumbled and bumbled to a 21-21 tie against the Browns.The Ravens were all over Buffalo from the start as Joe Flacco recaptured some of that 2012 championship form and the defense destroyed the Bills. The Bengals fell in a big hole at Indianapolis and showed far more gumption than usual by climbing out of it to win.Two teams many projected as also-rans for 2018 delivered some impressive opening performances."That game is behind us," Ravens safety Tony Jefferson says. "Although it's great to have momentum, it's over with. It's a new week. This is a division opponent; they know us very well and we know them very well."Perhaps. But these Bengals seem to have a resilience not seen often in recent seasons, though Cincinnati did show such moxie in the previous meeting with Baltimore.The Ravens ended the season hosting the Bengals and fell 31-27 on Andy Dalton's 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds left. That eliminated Baltimore from the playoffs and sent Buffalo into the postseason.The Ravens, ranked No. 9 in the AP Pro32, and No. 16 Bengals are pick-em at Paul Brown Stadium. It's hard to fathom that Pro Picks is predicting Cincinnati will start the season 2-0. But that's where we'll go.BENGALS, 21-20KNOCKOUT POOLWe warned everyone last week that we aren't very saintly in these things, and New Orleans' flop proved that. We're obligated to keep trying and will go with the LA RAMS.No. 28 Oakland (plus 6) at No. 14 DenverNot exactly Orange Crush defense, but Broncos will put Mile High hit on Jon Gruden's Raiders.BEST BET: BRONCOS
Youth Javorius Allen Jersey , 23-13No. 3 Minnesota (plus 1) at No. 6 Green BayNo miracle finishes for A-Rod and Pack this time, though this isn't much of an ...UPSET SPECIAL: VIKINGS, 27-20No. 1 New England (minus 2) at No. 5 JacksonvilleAFC championship game rematch 鈥?and perhaps harbinger for January. No revenge for Jaguars.PATRIOTS, 27-16No. 7 Kansas City (plus 5 1-2) at No. 11 PittsburghSteelers fall behind even more in AFC race and Chiefs prosper.CHIEFS, 26-24No. 19 Los Angeles Chargers (minus 7) at No. 32 BuffaloBills can't possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.CHARGERS, 27-10No. 31 Arizona (plus 13) at No. 4 Los Angeles RamsCardinals can't possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.RAMS, 26-10No. 30 Detroit (plus 5 1-2) at No. 23 San FranciscoLions can't possibly ... you get it.49ERS, 20-17No. 18 Miami (plus 3) at No. 17 New York JetsBattle to keep pace with Patriots in AFC East 鈥?at least through two weeks.J-E-T-S, 23-21No. 8 Carolina (plus 5 1-2) at No. 10 AtlantaRed zone scares Falcons, strange occurrence for a team wearing that color.FALCONS, 20-17No. 2 Philadelphia (minus 3) at No. 15 Tampa BayIf Buccaneers win this
Stitched Kenneth Dixon Jersey , time to re-evaluate.EAGLES, 21-20No. 29 Indianapolis (plus 5 1-2) at No. 12 WashingtonRedskins were as pleasant a surprise as Bucs last week. Revival continues in DC.REDSKINS, 26-19No. 27 Cleveland (plus 8) at No. 13 New OrleansWho thought Saints would be more embarrassed team in opener than Browns?SAINTS, 27-15No. 24 New York Giants (plus 3) at No. 25 DallasNBC and NFL love this as prime-time matchup. Hey, they both are 0-1, guys.COWBOYS, 17-16No. 21 Seattle (plus 3) at No. 22 Chicago, Monday nightBears need to put Lambeau collapse behind them.BEARS, 20-16No. 20 Houston (no line) at No. 26 TennesseeTough start for banged-up Titans.TEXANS, 23-132018 RECORD:Last Week: Against spread (8-7-1). Straight up (10-5-1)Season Totals: Against spread (8-7-1). Straight up: (10-5-1)Best Bet: 1-0 against spread, 1-0 straight upUpset special: 0-1 against spread
Youth Kenneth Dixon Jersey , 0-1 straight up After the Raiders treated the Rooney Rule only slightly better than they treated former coach Jack Del Rio (whose position was filled even before it was vacant), the NFL beefed up the terms of a provision that has, for many teams, become an exercise in box-checking. And the proof is hiding in plain sight; currently, minority coaches and executives are dwindling, not thriving, in the NFL.Only one African-American coach or G.M. has control over a football operation, and Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome will be retiring at season’s end. That will leave no coach, no General Manager, no V.P. of player personnel, no one who has practical or contractual final say over the construction of an NFL roster.If Chris Grier remains in Miami (his status is unclear)
Stitched Morgan Cox Jersey , he’ll be the only minority G.M. when the dust settles on 2018. For coaches, it could become nearly as bad. With Hue Jackson already out in Cleveland, and Vance Joseph, Todd Bowles, and Steve Wilks expected to be fired in Denver, New York, and Arizona, respectively, the NFL will have only four minority coaches: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (whom many locals want to see fired), Bengals coach Marvin Lewis (who could be out), Chargers coach Anthony Lynn
Youth Morgan Cox Jersey , and Panthers coach Ron Rivera (who’s currently expected to be safe).That’s not what the league or the Fritz Pollard Alliance envisioned more than 15 years ago, when the standard named for the late Dan Rooney first emerged as a device for rectifying decades of unfairly biased hiring practices by NFL teams, as demonstrated by the raw numbers. Perhaps nothing other than a massive verdict in federal court will spark truly meaningful change when it comes to ensuring that fair, unbiased practices are employed not only when hiring coaches and executives but also when grooming lower-level employees for advancement (which could be the real heart of the problem).Maybe that’s where it all ends: With a jury putting a large number in the appropriate box. Maybe, at some point, a coach or an executive who can attest to a career full of subtle but unmistakable bias will take a stand, aided by a team of lawyers who will aggressively uncover the proof to support the notion that, no matter what the league says, most of the teams do something otherwise.
Considering what happened in the rain at Cleveland last Sunday Stitched Javorius Allen Jersey , the rugged AFC North looks like it will be wide open.So Thursday night's visit to Cincinnati by Baltimore takes on an extra bit of importance, even in mid-September, after the division-favorite Steelers stumbled and bumbled to a 21-21 tie against the Browns.The Ravens were all over Buffalo from the start as Joe Flacco recaptured some of that 2012 championship form and the defense destroyed the Bills. The Bengals fell in a big hole at Indianapolis and showed far more gumption than usual by climbing out of it to win.Two teams many projected as also-rans for 2018 delivered some impressive opening performances."That game is behind us," Ravens safety Tony Jefferson says. "Although it's great to have momentum, it's over with. It's a new week. This is a division opponent; they know us very well and we know them very well."Perhaps. But these Bengals seem to have a resilience not seen often in recent seasons, though Cincinnati did show such moxie in the previous meeting with Baltimore.The Ravens ended the season hosting the Bengals and fell 31-27 on Andy Dalton's 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 44 seconds left. That eliminated Baltimore from the playoffs and sent Buffalo into the postseason.The Ravens, ranked No. 9 in the AP Pro32, and No. 16 Bengals are pick-em at Paul Brown Stadium. It's hard to fathom that Pro Picks is predicting Cincinnati will start the season 2-0. But that's where we'll go.BENGALS, 21-20KNOCKOUT POOLWe warned everyone last week that we aren't very saintly in these things, and New Orleans' flop proved that. We're obligated to keep trying and will go with the LA RAMS.No. 28 Oakland (plus 6) at No. 14 DenverNot exactly Orange Crush defense, but Broncos will put Mile High hit on Jon Gruden's Raiders.BEST BET: BRONCOS Youth Javorius Allen Jersey , 23-13No. 3 Minnesota (plus 1) at No. 6 Green BayNo miracle finishes for A-Rod and Pack this time, though this isn't much of an ...UPSET SPECIAL: VIKINGS, 27-20No. 1 New England (minus 2) at No. 5 JacksonvilleAFC championship game rematch 鈥?and perhaps harbinger for January. No revenge for Jaguars.PATRIOTS, 27-16No. 7 Kansas City (plus 5 1-2) at No. 11 PittsburghSteelers fall behind even more in AFC race and Chiefs prosper.CHIEFS, 26-24No. 19 Los Angeles Chargers (minus 7) at No. 32 BuffaloBills can't possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.CHARGERS, 27-10No. 31 Arizona (plus 13) at No. 4 Los Angeles RamsCardinals can't possibly be as bad as they looked in opener. Or maybe they are.RAMS, 26-10No. 30 Detroit (plus 5 1-2) at No. 23 San FranciscoLions can't possibly ... you get it.49ERS, 20-17No. 18 Miami (plus 3) at No. 17 New York JetsBattle to keep pace with Patriots in AFC East 鈥?at least through two weeks.J-E-T-S, 23-21No. 8 Carolina (plus 5 1-2) at No. 10 AtlantaRed zone scares Falcons, strange occurrence for a team wearing that color.FALCONS, 20-17No. 2 Philadelphia (minus 3) at No. 15 Tampa BayIf Buccaneers win this Stitched Kenneth Dixon Jersey , time to re-evaluate.EAGLES, 21-20No. 29 Indianapolis (plus 5 1-2) at No. 12 WashingtonRedskins were as pleasant a surprise as Bucs last week. Revival continues in DC.REDSKINS, 26-19No. 27 Cleveland (plus 8) at No. 13 New OrleansWho thought Saints would be more embarrassed team in opener than Browns?SAINTS, 27-15No. 24 New York Giants (plus 3) at No. 25 DallasNBC and NFL love this as prime-time matchup. Hey, they both are 0-1, guys.COWBOYS, 17-16No. 21 Seattle (plus 3) at No. 22 Chicago, Monday nightBears need to put Lambeau collapse behind them.BEARS, 20-16No. 20 Houston (no line) at No. 26 TennesseeTough start for banged-up Titans.TEXANS, 23-132018 RECORD:Last Week: Against spread (8-7-1). Straight up (10-5-1)Season Totals: Against spread (8-7-1). Straight up: (10-5-1)Best Bet: 1-0 against spread, 1-0 straight upUpset special: 0-1 against spread Youth Kenneth Dixon Jersey , 0-1 straight up After the Raiders treated the Rooney Rule only slightly better than they treated former coach Jack Del Rio (whose position was filled even before it was vacant), the NFL beefed up the terms of a provision that has, for many teams, become an exercise in box-checking. And the proof is hiding in plain sight; currently, minority coaches and executives are dwindling, not thriving, in the NFL.Only one African-American coach or G.M. has control over a football operation, and Ravens G.M. Ozzie Newsome will be retiring at season’s end. That will leave no coach, no General Manager, no V.P. of player personnel, no one who has practical or contractual final say over the construction of an NFL roster.If Chris Grier remains in Miami (his status is unclear) Stitched Morgan Cox Jersey , he’ll be the only minority G.M. when the dust settles on 2018. For coaches, it could become nearly as bad. With Hue Jackson already out in Cleveland, and Vance Joseph, Todd Bowles, and Steve Wilks expected to be fired in Denver, New York, and Arizona, respectively, the NFL will have only four minority coaches: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (whom many locals want to see fired), Bengals coach Marvin Lewis (who could be out), Chargers coach Anthony Lynn Youth Morgan Cox Jersey , and Panthers coach Ron Rivera (who’s currently expected to be safe).That’s not what the league or the Fritz Pollard Alliance envisioned more than 15 years ago, when the standard named for the late Dan Rooney first emerged as a device for rectifying decades of unfairly biased hiring practices by NFL teams, as demonstrated by the raw numbers. Perhaps nothing other than a massive verdict in federal court will spark truly meaningful change when it comes to ensuring that fair, unbiased practices are employed not only when hiring coaches and executives but also when grooming lower-level employees for advancement (which could be the real heart of the problem).Maybe that’s where it all ends: With a jury putting a large number in the appropriate box. Maybe, at some point, a coach or an executive who can attest to a career full of subtle but unmistakable bias will take a stand, aided by a team of lawyers who will aggressively uncover the proof to support the notion that, no matter what the league says, most of the teams do something otherwise.