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NFL Picks: Patriots need to win the battle of the headsets

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Oct 17, 2021

Mike McCarthy didn’t look like a very smart coach last year with the Dallas Cowboys, now did he?

Gee, you think not having Dak Prescott at quarterback after he tore up his ankle early in the season had anything to do with that?

That’s why a healthy, good QB makes all the difference in the world in today’s game. McCarthy has always been a good offensive technician.

“I think he does a great job offensively,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick, set to match wits with the former longtime Green Bay coach today at 4:25 p.m. at Gillette. “Take a look at the things they’re doing. They have some very good concepts. He puts the defense in a lot of stress. … Situationally, I think Mike is probably as good as anybody that we play against. It hasn’t been very often, and I’m happy about that.”

The Patriots are at a crossroads. They survived Houston, but a loss today makes them 0-3 at home. Sure, they can recover vs. the Jets next Sunday, but they’ll still be climbing, climbing, climbing.

They need Bill Belichick to outcoach Mike McCarthy today.

Will he? Let’s take a look, after a decent picks week last week:

COWBOYS 27, PATRIOTS 24

Belichick usually had good success against teams that the Patriots don’t see all that often, but there are always exceptions (49ers last year). McCarthy has a quarterback, and now he has a very good football team. Defensively, though, the Cowboys can be scored on. Yet so can the Patriots.

TITANS 20, BILLS 17

Upset special. How the Titans lost to the Jets is a mystery, but Derrick Henry gives them literally a fighting chance because he can help them keep the ball out of Josh Allen’s hands. We’ll see if that happens; we’re guessing it will.

CHARGERS 30,RAVENS 27

Game of the week, and too bad it isn’t in prime time. Another young QB battle, and after they get a big win, like their comeback over the Colts last Monday night, the Ravens always seem to slack the next week. Can’t do that against L.A. And Josh Herbert.

PACKERS 24, BEARS 13

Da Bears got a big win over the distracted Raiders, but there’s no distractions with the Packers these days, not the way Aaron Rodgers is playing. Rodgers vs. rookie QB Justin Fields. Go with the star power.

PANTHERS 17, VIKINGS 14

Carolina is in good hands with head coach Matt Rhule, and the Vikings have played a slew of close games. This is another one, but on the road, outdoors, we like the Panthers, even though Sam Darnold is back to earth and they’ve lost two straight.

PITTSBURGH 20, SEATTLE 10

Ohhhh boyyyy are Pete Carroll and his Seahawks in trouble, the same way Big Ben and his Steelers were before they bounced back with a must win over Denver last week. But if they can’t beat a team quarterbacked by Geno Smith, that’s a bad sign. They’ll win, but let’s face it, the Steelers are heading toward being the fourth best team in their division.

CHIEFS 30, WASHINGTON 24

Kansas City has taken a big step back defensively, and it’s costing them big-time. But if Pat Mahomes&Co.can’t outscore the WFT, well, you can play with those letters to get the response Chiefs fans will have. Not to worry, they’ll win this one. They really have to.

LAST WEEK: 5-2

SEASON: 25-10

Tom King may be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow King on Twitter (@Telegraph_TomK).

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