As mid-season approaches it is now or never time for a number of teams in the NFL, including the staggering 1-5 New York Giants. The Giants appeared to have turned the corner a bit against Buffalo. And were it not for horrible officiating at the very end of the game, the Giants could have won that contest.

Tyrod Taylor was solid, completing 67 percent of his passes and throwing for 200 yards, and Saquon Barkley looked like himself rushing for 93 yards on the ground in Buffalo, but the Giants need to find the end zone.

The Giants have scored only five touchdowns offensively all season. Another loss on Sunday, and with the colossal match-up with the New York Jets on the horizon next week, the G-Men need to get a win to quiet the noise that will sure follow.

It’s now or never Big Blue.

• Washington (3-3) (-3.5) @ NY Giants (1-5)

  This is really a last stand in many ways for the Giants. At 1-5 this season has not gone the way anyone expected. Daniel Jones is expected to miss his second straight game with a neck injury, and Tyrod Taylor will get the start. While the Giants lost to Buffalo last week, Taylor played well — at times, but the Giants need more offense. Saquon Barkley needs to go off this week against a Commanders team that his giving up 129.0 yards on the ground per game. Simply, after last week’s near miss, the G-men are due.
  PICK: GIANTS 27 – COMMANDERS 20

• Detroit (5-1) @ Baltimore (4-2) (-3.0)

  All eyes are on the Detroit Lions who are off to their best start in 12 years, and with the Packers and Vikings having down years, the NFC North looks to belong to the kitties from the Motor City.  The Lions are 3-0 on the road this year, and really outside of their opening night win at Kansas City, the Lions have blown people out in all of their wins.

  That could end this week. The Ravens have outscored opponents 41-6 in the first quarter. And playing against Lamar Jackson is a lot different than facing Baker Mayfield, Bryce Young and Jordan Love as the Lions have in consecutive weeks. This is a step up in class. Detroit has the horses, but the Ravens have been there, done that.

  PICK: Ravens 23 – Lions 16

• LA Chargers (2-3) @ Kansas City (5-1) (-5.5)

  The Chargers have given up the second most yards in the NFL this season, and have lost three games by a combined total of eight points. That’s what happens when a team like the Chargers has a quarterback like Justin Herbert (9 TDs vs. 2 INT) playing well, while they can’t stop a nose bleed.

  On the flip side, the Chiefs are 5-1, but it feels like something has been off all season. They don’t have a bona fide number 1 receiver outside of tight end Travis Kelce, and the offense has been unspectacular this year, despite the great play from quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

  This will be a close, fairly high scoring game with the Chiefs D making a big play in the end.

  PICK: CHIEFS 31 – CHARGERS 24

• Miami (5-1) @ Philadelphia (5-1) (-3.0)

  On paper this is easily the game of the week. The Eagles are coming off a horrible loss to the New York Jets a week ago and return home — in their 90s throwbacks — to square off with the red hot Miami Dolphins. This is a “gotta-have it” for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts wants to get the taste of that three pick performance against the Jets, so expect him to play well.

  On the flip side, the last time the Dolphins saw a desperate team on the road, they got blown out by Buffalo. The Fish are good. Their speed all over the field is a killer.  But they are slowly looking like a product of their schedule.

  PICK: EAGLES 26 – DOLPHINS 17

• San Francisco (5-1) (-7.0) @ Minnesota (2-4)

  If Dolphins-Eagles is the game of the week, the 49ers-Vikings game is perhaps the most intriguing. The Niners are coming off a brutal 19-17 loss to the Browns, now must hit the road for the second straight week to take on the unpredictable Vikings.

  The Vikes can score, but no Justin Jefferson for the foreseeable future is a huge problem especially against the 49ers. The Niners bring their number one defense into town; expect them to wreck havoc on Kirk Cousins and company.

  Brock Purdy — despite the injuries to Christian McCaffery and Deebo Samuel finds to get it done.

  PICK: 49ERS 30 – VIKINGS 20

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