Ed: I’m reliably informed by Jazz that I won last week’s open thread 4-3. For some reason, I thought we’d tied at that score, but Jazz insists I won. I suspect he just wanted me to write today’s post, but like the New England Patriots on Thursday night, I’ll take the W if it’s handed to me. That put me at 15-13 for the season, still trailing Jazz by a game in the standings. A couple more of these giveaways, and I could be back in the driver’s seat …

Jazz: Consistency is normally a virtue unless you’re consistently going 3-4 as I have for the last two weeks. That sad showing left me at 16-12, still well above .500, but I can’t afford many more of those. On the plus side, the Jets managed to win even without me picking them, bringing them to 2-2. Who knows? We may definitely lose that first round draft pick next year now!

Ed: The Jaguars come to Pittsburgh today (1 pm ET, CBS) after a road loss against the Jets, while the Steelers come home after an impressive win in Baltimore. Jacksonville scores more points than the Steelers do, but they give up more as well, and the Steelers look as though they’ve begun to gel. Pittsburgh 27-17. The Jets have a chance to break .500 in the right direction in Cleveland (1 pm, FOX), although they have yet to win on the road. The Browns, of course, have yet to win anywhere, and last week looked completely inept against a winless Bengals squad. Jets 26-14 over the Browns. The Pack goes back to Dallas to revisit a stunning playoff victory last year (4:25 pm, FOX), with both teams unsteady so far in 2017. Dallas has a slight edge, but Aaron Rodgers has been making the key plays this season when he needs them, and Green Bay’s defense is tougher than Dallas’. I’ll take the Pack in an upset, 31-27.

Jazz: Pittsburgh has an easy week of it today, coming in as a favorite over the Jaguars by more than a touchdown. And seriously guys… The Jets beat the Jags. I’ll take Pittsburgh with an easy day, 24-12. I’m not sure how it happened, but the Jets not only have two in a row, but Josh McCown is completing more than 70% of his passes and the defense is keeping him upright most of the time. I’ll probably jinx them, but I’ll take my home boys from New York over the Browns 25-13. Dallas has the home field advantage over Green Bay this week and this doesn’t look like the same Packers team that beat the Cowboys in the playoffs last year. Not going on much here but gut instinct, but give me the Cowboys in a close one 28-23.

Let’s add a few more to make it interesting this week:

Ed:

• Panthers at Lions (1 pm, FOX) – On paper, Carolina and Detroit match up almost identically in points scored and points allowed, which is probably why they have matching 3-1 records. This game will define the winner, and maybe the loser as well. I’ll take home-field advantage and the Lions in a squeaker, 20-17.
• Seahawks at Rams (4:05 pm, CBS) – There has been no bigger surprise than the LA Rams this season. Their offense scores 35 points a game, but their defense gives up 26. Seattle’s defense is stingy (19.3 ppg), but their offense has been weak at times. The Seahawks are also winless on the road. LA Rams 28-24 over Seattle.
• Chiefs at Texans (8:30 pm, NBC) – The spread is only a point in this game, but Kansas City has looked unstoppable all season. I’ll pick the Chiefs to go 5-0 over the Texans, 30-27.
• Vikings at Bears (8:30 pm Monday, ESPN) – Da Bears got fortunate to catch the Steelers while they were divided and disorganized, scoring their only win. Their D gives up a TD more than Minnesota’s, and their offense only scores 15 points a game. Take the Vikings on the road for a 26-17 win over Chicago.

Jazz:

• Panthers at Lions (1 pm, FOX) – I would not have expected the Lions to be a favorite over the Panthers by a field goal, but what the heck do I know? Frankly, I think Cam Newton has bounced back from the surgery he had to extract his foot from his mouth recently and is a lot more versatile than Stafford. Even though it’s on the road and a slight upset, it comes down to the QB in this one so I’ll take Carolina with a last second field goal 20-17.
• Seahawks at Rams (4:05 pm, CBS) – I’m hoping for a good game here, with two closely matched teams playing in the Rams’ largely empty stadium. But Russell Wilson hasn’t performed well against the Rams over the past few seasons and Seattle doesn’t have that 12th man advantage on the road. I’ll take Los Angeles 21-20.
• Chiefs at Texans (8:30 pm, NBC) – Houston QB Deshaun Watson has been impressing a lot of people and the fact that he ran up 57 points against the Titans was simply insane. But he’s going to have a tall order in front of him with the Chiefs, who remain the only undefeated team and present a very different challenge. I say the rookie bursts his bubble and the Chiefs win again, 27-13.
• Vikings at Bears (8:30 pm Monday, ESPN) – The Vikings and the Bears have bad blood between them and this is frequently an unpredictable game. On paper the Vikings should still win this one even on the road and Chicago has only won a single game. That’s why I’m seriously going out on a limb here and saying that the rivalry stays alive. Da’ Bears are desperate and motivated with the home field advantage. I’ll take Chicago in a tight match 20-17.