Sunday Morning
Seattle @ Chicago
The Seahawks are
playing on the road in this game. Normally that would be plenty of
analysis, but perhaps it won't automatically spell doom for the Hawks as
it has for them so far this season. The last two regular season trips
to Chicago have resulted in Ws for Seattle, which has to count for
something (NOTE: They counted as wins, one in '10 and one in '11 ...
that's what they counted for). The Bears defense has made their name by
forcing turnovers, especially Charles Tillman, who has become infamous
for punching balls out of opposing players' arms. However, I've learned
that the Seahawks have braced for the ball-punching by practicing with this guy all week. That added preparation should be enough to put them over the top.
Seahawks 20-17
Jacksonville @ Buffalo
These
Jags are not going away, which is too bad for them because they already
have 9 losses and no realistic chance of making the playoffs. If they
did just go away they'd have a good shot at the first pick in next
April's draft. Of course, that would require a Mike Mularkey team to
give up, and you know what I have to say to that? Fat fucking chance.
Speaking of Mularkey, he'll be coaching against his former team in this
game, which is a storyline that no one seems to be talking about, and
with good reason, it's just not that interesting. Even Mularkey's
immediate family didn't seem intrigued when I discussed the matter with
them on Skype earlier this week. As boring as that all may be it's worth
noting that Chad Henne has done a markedly (Mularkedly?) better job
running the Jacksonville offense than Blaine Gabbert, and I actually
like their chances of getting the win at Buffalo.
Jaguars 27-23
San Francisco @ St. Louis
The
last time these teams met there were no winners, except for the fans,
all of whom love ties. Colin Kaepernick is now 2-0 as a starter, but to
be fair those starts came against Chicago and New Orleans; the road gets
a bit more bumpy with the Rams next on the slate. Good luck kid, you're
gonna need it. Ever hear of the 12th Ram? You will on Sunday ... maybe.
It's unclear if anybody is really in the stands, it might just be
cardboard cut-outs.
49ers 24-16
New England @ Miami
One big
question hangs over this game as we get closer to Sunday: Will Miami
trigger their sprinklers at an opportune moment in an effort to gain an
unfair advantage again? I say why not, it clearly worked the last time.
As long as the NFL is doing nothing to discipline this blatant and
egregious abuse of stadium facilities the Dolphins' grounds crew will
continue to nefariously alter the outcomes of games. I expect Goodell to
come down with a ruling before the weekend, so look for the Pats to
win.
Patriots 38-21
Arizona @ New York Jets
When
bald eagles mate they lock claws in mid-air and plummet towards the
ground in a free fall. So in a way this game between the Cardinals and
Jets will look a lot like bald eagle sex. Considering these teams have
combined to go 2-12 since Week 4, to say that they're in a free fall is
not an exaggeration. Which will pull out of their dive first? Tune in to
find out! And then tell me what happens, because I will not be
watching.
Jets 20-13
Indianapolis @ Detroit
As you all probably know by now Jim
Schwartz cost his team on Thanksgiving when he challenged a touchdown
that would have been automatically reviewed incurring an unsportsmanlike
conduct penalty and negating that review. What you may have forgotten
is that Jim Harbaugh (Jaw Sweatshirt) did the same thing against the
Lions last season at which point Schwartz could clearly be seen shouting
across the field, "Learn the rules Harbaugh!" (LINK) Well well well,
the flag's in the other pocket now isn't it Schwartzy? What a turbo
(though it's important to keep in mind that Jaw Sweatshirt made the same
mistake last year, never forget that). That being said, the Colts have
been fairly poor on the road this season, so I'll take the Lions even
though their coach is a hypocrite.
Lions 28-23
Minnesota @ Green Bay
Aaron
Rodgers looked out of sorts last week against the Giants, resulting in
him looking sort of awful. Though the blame for the Packers' sub-par
performance mostly lies with their offensive line's inability to block,
which is an important skill to possess if you want to be an effective
offensive line in the National Football League. The home field advantage
should help this week, and if it doesn't than the lineman should
consider sewing all their jerseys together to make an impenetrable wall
of mesh that may not technically be legal but surely worth a shot.
Packers 31-13
Houston @ Tennessee
With a
10-1 record it's hard to argue that the Texans have taken care of
business so far, especially when you consider the fact that they've won
in OT the last two weeks. So in other words, they're taking care of
business and working overtime ... workout! Ba da na na na Na na na na
na! Bow wow now now now Weow weow weow weow weow! And against the Titans
shoddy defense Johnson, Foster, Schaub'll thrive.
Texans 35-21
Carolina @ Kansas City
Corner screen at The Shack, main screen in Hell.
Panthers 23-14
Sunday Afternoon
Tampa Bay @ Denver
The
Buccaneers defense is first in the league against the run but last
against the pass. "Awesome!" said Peyton Manning. The Broncos' QB has to
be licking his chops in preparation for this match-up. Though ever
sense he's been in Denver he's been licking his chops a lot more because
he's at a very high altitude and the cold, thin air has rendered his
lips terribly chapped, so it might have nothing to do with this game.
Either way, expect big numbers from Manning on the way to a seventh
straight win.
Broncos 31-24
Cleveland @ Oakland
Have
you ever watched a cat hack up a hairball all the way from start to
finish, from the first stomach spasm through the regurgitation? If you
answered no, just watch this game, then I'll ask you the same question
afterward and you'll be able to say yes.
Browns 24-21
Cincinnati @ San Diego
Neither
of these teams managed to sell out their game last week, so what are
the chances that the fans in San Diego show up for this one? Is it like
when you multiply two negatives and it becomes a positive? I'll bet that
it will be more like adding negatives, which makes for an even greater
negative. Look, I'm not trying to be too negative here but if the
Chargers' fans didn't show up last week, they certainly won't show up
after their team blew a game in ridiculous fashion. The lack of
home-field advantage should prove beneficial for the streaking Bengals.
Bengals 27-20
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
The outcome of this game could very
well depend on whether or not Ben Roethlisberger plays. The Steelers
most definitely have a better shot with him in the game, and conversely
they have a much worse shot without him in the game, that's how that
works. See that's what I was trying to say earlier when I said that
"this game could very well depend on whether or not Ben Reothlisberger
plays." Hopefully that's all clear to you at this point. Either way I
think Pittsburgh loses.
Ravens 19-9
Sunday Night
Philadelphia @ Dallas
The
Cowboys are hanging on to their playoff hope by a thread, a loose
thread on a sweater that just keeps unraveling until they'll eventually
be left with nothing. But this Eagles team may as well be a master
seamstress capable of taking that thread and ... alright to hell with
it, what I'm trying to say is that Philly sucks and they're showing no
signs of stopping any time soon.
Cowboys 35-17
Monday Night
New York Giants @ Washington
RG3
put on quite the show on Thanksgiving in Dallas, well now he's taking
his show to Broadway! Whoops, no he's not, this game is being played in
D.C. Well in that case, I guess we could say that it's time that Mr.
Griff goes to Washington ... for the 6th time this season. Meanwhile the
Giants re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with after a
dominant win over Green Bay last week. It's highly possible that both
these teams are peaking right now, which means that when they clash on
Monday it may create some sort of magnificent light beam that will
rocket into the sky and stay there for all of time. Or it could just be a
pretty solid game. You should probably tune in just in case it's the
former.
Giants 26-24
11.29.2012
NFL Picks Week 13 - Thursday
New Orleans @ Atlanta
The Falcons are 10-1, and we should all be impressed, right? Perhaps not. Consider this, their last seven wins have come by an average of about 5 points per game. Still impressed? The correct answer is yes. Look jerks, they're winning games on a weekly basis which is a heck of a lot better than losing them, right? Of course, their lone loss of the season came against the Saints, the very team they'll play on Thursday night in Atlanta. New Orleans won the previous match-up by 4 points, and this one figures to be close too, unless it's a blow out.
Falcons 30-28
The Falcons are 10-1, and we should all be impressed, right? Perhaps not. Consider this, their last seven wins have come by an average of about 5 points per game. Still impressed? The correct answer is yes. Look jerks, they're winning games on a weekly basis which is a heck of a lot better than losing them, right? Of course, their lone loss of the season came against the Saints, the very team they'll play on Thursday night in Atlanta. New Orleans won the previous match-up by 4 points, and this one figures to be close too, unless it's a blow out.
Falcons 30-28
11.22.2012
NFL Picks - Week 12
Sunday Morning
Seattle @ Miami
The Seahawks are coming off their bye week to take the longest road trip the NFL has to offer, unless you count the London games, but those are just exhibitions so I don't include them (Whoops! Just checked and it turns out those are real games, man I've been way off these last few years; to be fair though I don't watch much football ... yeeeeessssh, please forget I said that). At this point it's clear that any game away from home is a test for the Hawks, but tests were meant to be aced. Or flunked I suppose, that's the whole point of tests, to prove whether or not you can pass them. Speaking of passing, Russell Wilson! Go Hawks.
Seahawks 23-16
Minnesota @ Chicago
These teams will be meeting two times in the next three weeks, a scheduling anomaly that will occur a total of three times across the league this season. I don't remember this happening as often in the past, meaning that the addition of more Thursday games has to be the cause. I hope you're happy Goodell, I hope you're happy! (Just heard back from the commissioner's office, and he is indeed quite pleased). Obviously Jason Campbell is not going to get it done as the Bears' starting QB; sorry that should have said Jason Campbell is not going to get it done as a starting QB. Though it's also hard for me to believe that Christian Ponder can go to Chicago and get a win against the Bears' D.
Bears 17-13
Oakland @ Cincinnati
Ohhhh baby, it's time for some sweet sweet revenge for Carson Palmer, or maybe for the Bengals, wait who was at fault in that dispute again? I remember that Palmer simply refused to play, which is always admirable, and that the Bengals finally did trade him for an insane amount of high draft picks. On second thought I wouldn't be surprised to see the city of Cincinnati throw Carson Palmer a parade upon his return. It would be especially savvy if they held the parade right around kickoff time to distract Palmer, leaving the Raiders with Matt Leinart at the helm, which I think we can all agree would be a heck of a lot of fun.
Bengals 34-20
Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Is it fitting that in a week so known for food that a fresh Batch will be starting at quarterback for the Steelers? Or is it merely a lame, witless pun used as a desperate tactic by a hack writer that has an ever-dwindling amount of salient points to offer about his subject matter? You be the judge; but it's probably the first one. As apropos as his newly elevated spot on the depth chart may be, I don't see Charlie Batch getting a road victory, even against the Browns.
Browns 16-14
Buffalo @ Indianapolis
Andrew Luck seemed to come back to Earth a bit last week in a 59-24 blowout loss at New England, but don't tell that to anyone in the media. As that debacle was unfolding Phil Simms, the color commentator for the game, was endlessly slurping Luck as if he were the one leading his team to a 30 point win. To hear it from Simms nothing negative that transpired for the Colts could be considered Luck's fault. It's obvious that Luck is a promising quarterback, but right now he has 12 TDs and 12 INTs, can we slow down just a bit on anointing him the future of the position? I mean, maybe if he had a better ratio, like oh I don't know, let's say 15 TDs and 8 INTs we could have that discussion. That being said, I think Luck will dominate the Bills because he's possibly one of the type five quarterbacks in the league right now, if not ever.
Colts 28-21
Denver @ Kansas City
A lot of folks are saying that the Broncos are the hottest team in the NFL right now. Hmmm, maybe. If you ask me Peyton Manning's kind of weird looking and while Eric Decker's pretty dreamy that hair of his isn't doing much for me. Ok, now that I think about it a bit more they probably meant something else by "hottest team in the NFL," man is there egg on my face; and I don't mean figuratively, I just had a calamitously comedic kitchen accident. After taking all of this into account it seems clear the Denver will win easily.
Broncos 27-10
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Playoff implications? Check. An intense divisional match-up between the top team in the NFC and a young up-start? Check. A football game? Check. That's three checks! And on this grading scale a check is at least equal to a plus. So in other words this game is a triple plus. The Bucs are looking to win their 5th in a row while the Falcons have an opportunity to all but clinch the division with a win. Neither team was terribly impressive in victory last week, but they survived, and in this world ain't that all that matters? Sorry I'm watching Walking Dead right now. This should be an interesting match-up but I expect the experienced Falcons to get the W.
Falcons 24-21
Tennessee @ Jacksonville
These teams' seasons are so dead that they need a coroner. Which is ironic, because this game will be in the corner ... SCREEN AT THE SHACK!. Honestly, there is no reason to watch this game, especially now that Matthew Hasselbeck is on the bench counting down the days until he will take his brother's job at ESPN. So who wins? No one, even the team that wins.
Jaguars 28-24
Sunday Afternoon
Baltimore @ San Diego
It's a bad sign for your season when losing to the Broncos by only 7 is considered an impressive outing. That's where we're at with the Chargers. San Diego started the season off at 2-0, now they're 4-6, meaning they've gone 2-6 in their last eight games. Fun fact: those two wins came against the Chiefs. The Ravens have amassed an 8-2 record by taking advantage of a weak schedule, and things don't get any tougher for them this week, meaning a 9-2 record and a sustained lack of belief is well within their grasp.
Ravens 24-17
St. Louis @ Arizona
It's well publicized that the Cardinals have lost 6 straight games after winning their first 4, so pointing out how hilarious it is would serve no purpose. No purpose at all. And as we all know, the Rams lost by double digits at home to the lowly Jets, so I don't really have to bring it up here. But it's important to note that both of these teams are struggling; struggling mightily. Normally I'd give the advantage to the home team, but normally the home team isn't starting Ryan Lindley, making the outcome of this game nearly impossible to forecast. It's coin flippin' time!
Rams 20-17
San Francisco @ New Orleans
Don't look now, but the Saints are .... Ok, sorry, you can look again ... but the Saints are back in the NFC playoff race. They'll face a formidable opponent this week when Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers come to town. San Francisco's new QB wowed in his first start on Monday, but will he be able to replicate that performance against the NFL's 31st best pass defense? Actually, yeah, I don't see why that would be a problem. However, it's Kaepernick's first road start and now the Saints have at least some tape to study in preparation for him. I keep going back and forth on this one, but I realize that eventually I'll have to make a pick. I suppose it would be cowardly to wait until Sunday night, right? Damn it, fine.
49ers 28-25
Sunday Night
Green Bay @ New York Giants
Last January the Giants waltzed into Lambeau Field and dismantled the Packers in the divisional playoff round on their way to a Super Bowl championship. So they've got Green Bay's number right? Think twice scumbag. Two important factors are working against New York: they're at home, and it's a regular season game; both of which mean that they probably won't generate a dominant pass rush nor will they give a shit. Expect Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to go Burger King all over their asses, meaning they'll have it their way (is Burger King still in business?).
Packers 31-23
Monday Night
Carolina @ Philadelphia
BAAAARRRRRRRRF! Eagles - Vick & McCoy + Foles & Brown = Loss.
Panthers 16-13
Seattle @ Miami
The Seahawks are coming off their bye week to take the longest road trip the NFL has to offer, unless you count the London games, but those are just exhibitions so I don't include them (Whoops! Just checked and it turns out those are real games, man I've been way off these last few years; to be fair though I don't watch much football ... yeeeeessssh, please forget I said that). At this point it's clear that any game away from home is a test for the Hawks, but tests were meant to be aced. Or flunked I suppose, that's the whole point of tests, to prove whether or not you can pass them. Speaking of passing, Russell Wilson! Go Hawks.
Seahawks 23-16
Minnesota @ Chicago
These teams will be meeting two times in the next three weeks, a scheduling anomaly that will occur a total of three times across the league this season. I don't remember this happening as often in the past, meaning that the addition of more Thursday games has to be the cause. I hope you're happy Goodell, I hope you're happy! (Just heard back from the commissioner's office, and he is indeed quite pleased). Obviously Jason Campbell is not going to get it done as the Bears' starting QB; sorry that should have said Jason Campbell is not going to get it done as a starting QB. Though it's also hard for me to believe that Christian Ponder can go to Chicago and get a win against the Bears' D.
Bears 17-13
Oakland @ Cincinnati
Ohhhh baby, it's time for some sweet sweet revenge for Carson Palmer, or maybe for the Bengals, wait who was at fault in that dispute again? I remember that Palmer simply refused to play, which is always admirable, and that the Bengals finally did trade him for an insane amount of high draft picks. On second thought I wouldn't be surprised to see the city of Cincinnati throw Carson Palmer a parade upon his return. It would be especially savvy if they held the parade right around kickoff time to distract Palmer, leaving the Raiders with Matt Leinart at the helm, which I think we can all agree would be a heck of a lot of fun.
Bengals 34-20
Pittsburgh @ Cleveland
Is it fitting that in a week so known for food that a fresh Batch will be starting at quarterback for the Steelers? Or is it merely a lame, witless pun used as a desperate tactic by a hack writer that has an ever-dwindling amount of salient points to offer about his subject matter? You be the judge; but it's probably the first one. As apropos as his newly elevated spot on the depth chart may be, I don't see Charlie Batch getting a road victory, even against the Browns.
Browns 16-14
Buffalo @ Indianapolis
Andrew Luck seemed to come back to Earth a bit last week in a 59-24 blowout loss at New England, but don't tell that to anyone in the media. As that debacle was unfolding Phil Simms, the color commentator for the game, was endlessly slurping Luck as if he were the one leading his team to a 30 point win. To hear it from Simms nothing negative that transpired for the Colts could be considered Luck's fault. It's obvious that Luck is a promising quarterback, but right now he has 12 TDs and 12 INTs, can we slow down just a bit on anointing him the future of the position? I mean, maybe if he had a better ratio, like oh I don't know, let's say 15 TDs and 8 INTs we could have that discussion. That being said, I think Luck will dominate the Bills because he's possibly one of the type five quarterbacks in the league right now, if not ever.
Colts 28-21
Denver @ Kansas City
A lot of folks are saying that the Broncos are the hottest team in the NFL right now. Hmmm, maybe. If you ask me Peyton Manning's kind of weird looking and while Eric Decker's pretty dreamy that hair of his isn't doing much for me. Ok, now that I think about it a bit more they probably meant something else by "hottest team in the NFL," man is there egg on my face; and I don't mean figuratively, I just had a calamitously comedic kitchen accident. After taking all of this into account it seems clear the Denver will win easily.
Broncos 27-10
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Playoff implications? Check. An intense divisional match-up between the top team in the NFC and a young up-start? Check. A football game? Check. That's three checks! And on this grading scale a check is at least equal to a plus. So in other words this game is a triple plus. The Bucs are looking to win their 5th in a row while the Falcons have an opportunity to all but clinch the division with a win. Neither team was terribly impressive in victory last week, but they survived, and in this world ain't that all that matters? Sorry I'm watching Walking Dead right now. This should be an interesting match-up but I expect the experienced Falcons to get the W.
Falcons 24-21
Tennessee @ Jacksonville
These teams' seasons are so dead that they need a coroner. Which is ironic, because this game will be in the corner ... SCREEN AT THE SHACK!. Honestly, there is no reason to watch this game, especially now that Matthew Hasselbeck is on the bench counting down the days until he will take his brother's job at ESPN. So who wins? No one, even the team that wins.
Jaguars 28-24
Sunday Afternoon
Baltimore @ San Diego
It's a bad sign for your season when losing to the Broncos by only 7 is considered an impressive outing. That's where we're at with the Chargers. San Diego started the season off at 2-0, now they're 4-6, meaning they've gone 2-6 in their last eight games. Fun fact: those two wins came against the Chiefs. The Ravens have amassed an 8-2 record by taking advantage of a weak schedule, and things don't get any tougher for them this week, meaning a 9-2 record and a sustained lack of belief is well within their grasp.
Ravens 24-17
St. Louis @ Arizona
It's well publicized that the Cardinals have lost 6 straight games after winning their first 4, so pointing out how hilarious it is would serve no purpose. No purpose at all. And as we all know, the Rams lost by double digits at home to the lowly Jets, so I don't really have to bring it up here. But it's important to note that both of these teams are struggling; struggling mightily. Normally I'd give the advantage to the home team, but normally the home team isn't starting Ryan Lindley, making the outcome of this game nearly impossible to forecast. It's coin flippin' time!
Rams 20-17
San Francisco @ New Orleans
Don't look now, but the Saints are .... Ok, sorry, you can look again ... but the Saints are back in the NFC playoff race. They'll face a formidable opponent this week when Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers come to town. San Francisco's new QB wowed in his first start on Monday, but will he be able to replicate that performance against the NFL's 31st best pass defense? Actually, yeah, I don't see why that would be a problem. However, it's Kaepernick's first road start and now the Saints have at least some tape to study in preparation for him. I keep going back and forth on this one, but I realize that eventually I'll have to make a pick. I suppose it would be cowardly to wait until Sunday night, right? Damn it, fine.
49ers 28-25
Sunday Night
Green Bay @ New York Giants
Last January the Giants waltzed into Lambeau Field and dismantled the Packers in the divisional playoff round on their way to a Super Bowl championship. So they've got Green Bay's number right? Think twice scumbag. Two important factors are working against New York: they're at home, and it's a regular season game; both of which mean that they probably won't generate a dominant pass rush nor will they give a shit. Expect Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to go Burger King all over their asses, meaning they'll have it their way (is Burger King still in business?).
Packers 31-23
Monday Night
Carolina @ Philadelphia
BAAAARRRRRRRRF! Eagles - Vick & McCoy + Foles & Brown = Loss.
Panthers 16-13
11.21.2012
NFL Picks - Thanksgiving
Houston @ Detroit
The Lions game on Thanksgiving is a lot like the kids' table, it's almost a real part of the day but it still has a lot of growing up to do. T-Gives has been especially unkind to Detroit in recent years, they've lost 8 in a row on the holiday, and with the Texans coming to town a 9th straight seems likely. It would seem that the Lions really don't enjoy playing on short rest, either that or they love their families so much that they're super bummed to be working on T-Gives. Bottom line, it's a troubling trend that shows no sign of stopping in 2012 ("T-Gives" what do you guys think? Pretty cool huh?).
Texans 27-20
Washington @ Dallas
I'm sure Native American families across the nation will gather to celebrate a holiday commemorating their peaceful coexistence with the colonists and watch a football team that celebrates and honors their culture ... called the Redskins. Yikes.
Cowboys 23-21
New England @ New York Jets
If this game were being played a couple years ago on Thanksgiving it would have been more interesting for a couple reasons. First off, the Jets were much more competitive, and secondly, Rex Ryan hadn't had his stomach stapled yet, meaning there's no way he would have been able to restrain himself from eating a full turkey dinner on the sidelines. As the game progressed Ryan would have lounged in a recliner and eventually fallen asleep sometime in the 4th quarter. But alas, Ryan is a changed man so I can't make a joke about him eating a full turkey dinner on the sidelines. Rats!
Patriots 31-17
The Lions game on Thanksgiving is a lot like the kids' table, it's almost a real part of the day but it still has a lot of growing up to do. T-Gives has been especially unkind to Detroit in recent years, they've lost 8 in a row on the holiday, and with the Texans coming to town a 9th straight seems likely. It would seem that the Lions really don't enjoy playing on short rest, either that or they love their families so much that they're super bummed to be working on T-Gives. Bottom line, it's a troubling trend that shows no sign of stopping in 2012 ("T-Gives" what do you guys think? Pretty cool huh?).
Texans 27-20
Washington @ Dallas
I'm sure Native American families across the nation will gather to celebrate a holiday commemorating their peaceful coexistence with the colonists and watch a football team that celebrates and honors their culture ... called the Redskins. Yikes.
Cowboys 23-21
New England @ New York Jets
If this game were being played a couple years ago on Thanksgiving it would have been more interesting for a couple reasons. First off, the Jets were much more competitive, and secondly, Rex Ryan hadn't had his stomach stapled yet, meaning there's no way he would have been able to restrain himself from eating a full turkey dinner on the sidelines. As the game progressed Ryan would have lounged in a recliner and eventually fallen asleep sometime in the 4th quarter. But alas, Ryan is a changed man so I can't make a joke about him eating a full turkey dinner on the sidelines. Rats!
Patriots 31-17
11.15.2012
NFL Picks - Week 11
Sunday Morning
Arizona @ Atlanta
This game features two teams that got out to impressive undefeated starts and are now on embarrassing losing streaks. Granted, the Falcons have only lost one in a row, but after winning their first eight you just know they're ashamed of themselves. I mean, they increased their amount of losses by infinity percent. When you look at it that way it's really pathetic. In other words, Atlanta is a team looking to reclaim their pride. As we all know, the Cardinals have lost their last five after starting 4-0; look for them to lose number six here, but don't look too hard because it probably won't be worth it.
Falcons 24-16
Cleveland @ Dallas
A couple weeks ago when his ability to govern his team was questioned Jerry Jones said that he would "Always be the Cowboys general manager." Besides that sounding like a line from The Shining it must have instilled confidence in his team. It's rare to have that type of stability in today's NFL. Most GMs last only a handful of years, so to have the assurance that yours will be around for eternity has to be comforting. Dallas has a chance to make a playoff push with five of their next six games coming at home. Meanwhile the Browns have a chance to make a push for the #1 pick in the draft with all of their next seven games coming against NFL teams.
Cowboys 26-13
Green Bay @ Detroit
The Packers had won four straight heading into their bye week and they really seemed to be getting in a rhythm. So was it a good thing for them to take a week off? Well, I have it on good authority that fullback John Kuhn went out and crushed ass in the greater Milwaukee area for seven straight days, so good luck trying to tell him that it wasn't a "good thing." As for the break messing with their momentum, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean I wouldn't be worried even if they lost, so maybe that's not the best way to phrase it, but what I was getting at is that I think Green Bay will win.
Packers 28-23
Cincinnati @ Kansas City
The Chiefs leaped a major hurdle last week when they managed to get their first lead of the season. Unfortunately for them most races have more than one hurdle (except for races that don't involve hurdles, but I think we can all agree that when I mentioned the presence of a hurdle in that first sentence we were operating on the assumption that this was not one of those races). The Bengals are coming off an impressive victory over the Giants and seem like they might be on the verge of turning their season around. You know what that means: Chiefs in an upset! And we'll all be upset that we missed it because it'll be on the CORNER SCREEN AT THE SHACK!
Chiefs 20-17
Philadelphia @ Washington
I know I said that if the Eagles lost last week that it would all but end their season, well I'm glad I said "all but" because if they lose this game it will certainly end their season (NOTE: I didn't actually say, "all but" I said "most likely"; you readers are so vigilant that I didn't even want to attempt to slip this one by you, keep up the good work gang, you're the real stars). The Redskins also need a win to salvage any semblance of hope, not just for their season but in general, the mood has turned very depressive in the Washington locker room. Well cheer up Redskins, I think you'll get a win against the Eagles with Nick Foles making his first start. Of course, you should also realize that football isn't everything and that true healing comes from within, but those are more long term goals.
Redskins 23-20
Tampa Bay @ Carolina
Can anyone or anything stop these red hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Yes, fate can. Do I know something you don't? I guess we'll have to wait and see (I've just set up a scenario in which the only way I'll be wrong is if the Bucs win the Super Bowl; any other result and I'll simply slap together an explanation for the preceding, cryptic statement). In all seriousness though, Tampa has been on a roll lately, so why do I get the strange feeling that they'll blow it at Carolina? Maybe it's the fact that they have a home game against the Falcons next week, or maybe it's the fact that I've just snorted opiates. Either way, I'm going to pick another upset here.
Panthers 24-21
Jacksonville @ Houston
The Texans' win on a rain-soaked field in Chicago last week showed the rest of the league that they mean business, and that's really sad. You mean business? It's like, when did this become a job for you Texans? I remember when it was a game. When it was just about tossin' 'round the ol' pigskin with your pals in the backyard, and then someone attempting a punt and having it sail over the fence into the neighbor's yard and everybody being too big of a pussy to simply go ring another person's doorbell and ask for the ball back which effectively ended the game resulting in everyone having way too much free time on their hands leading them to experiment with cigarettes and God knows what assortment of hard drugs further down the line. So all in all maybe it's a good thing that Houston has taken a more professional approach to this season.
Texans 30-10
New York Jets @ St. Louis
A couple years ago, if you had told me that Rex Ryan cried in the locker room as a result of a loss to the Seahawks it would have thrilled me to no end. Now? It thrills me to an end, but that end took a long to time to get to. It's clear that Rex is extremely unhappy with his team's 3-6 start. So unhappy, in fact, that he cried in the locker room after the Jets' loss to the Seahawks, which I've already mentioned before, but it's certainly worth pointing out again. New York will look to start a turn around at St. Louis against a Rams team who tied with the 49ers last week. A tie in an NFL game? Some would consider that a crying shame. Rex Ryan, for example. As lame an ending as that tie was I think it's an encouraging sign for the Rams and will propel them to victory against the Jets. I know I've picked New York to lose plenty of times in the past, but trust me I'm not just crying wolf, nor am I crying like Rex Ryan did after his team's loss to the Seahawks last Sunday.
Rams 20-13
Sunday Afternoon
New Orleans @ Oakland
Expect the scoreboard to light up in this one! Of course, you should expect the scoreboard to light up during all the games this weekend because we live in 2012 and hand-ops are something of an antiquated notion, particularly in football where keeping up with the clock would be a real pain in the neck. But we're getting off track, what I was trying to say is that there figures to be a lot of points when these porous pass defenses and top 5 pass offenses go up against each other. It's possible that the Saints could experience a let down after their big win over Atlanta and before their playoff rematch with San Francisco next week, but the Raiders are just real crummy, especially without Darren McFadden (who would have guessed that he would get hurt?).
Saints 38-24
San Diego @ Denver
The Broncos have still scored 35 unanswered points on the Chargers dating back to their Monday night match-up in Week 6. Allow me to use this game as a platform to complain about one of my biggest announcer pet peeves. The term "unanswered points" is being grossly misused. For instance, let's say the Chargers score the first touchdown, then the Broncos follow with 21 straight points in the 2nd quarter, and San Diego opens the 3rd quarter with a field goal drive. More often than not I hear this scenario described as Denver having scored 21 unanswered points, well what about when San Diego answered!? They aren't unanswered points unless one team doesn't score for the remainder of the game, it's merely 21 straight points. Damn it I'm pissed! Anyway, Broncos will win.
Broncos 31-20
Indianapolis @ New England
This rivalry just got reignited! Expect Jim Nantz to say that within the first half hour of the broadcast. Here are some other things you can expect Nantz to say at some point during the game: "Touchdown!" "It's good." "Aaaand it's incomplete." "Out of bounds." "Fuck you Phil, I've had it with your shit!" Look for Andrew Luck to have a big day against the Pats' weak secondary, but it will most likely not be big enough.
Patriots 34-28
Sunday Night
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
It's Sunday night and it's Byron Leftwich time! This is much later than the normal Byron Leftwich time, which usually occurs at about 12:30 on a Wednesday when the 2nd team gets their reps in practice. Of course, this situation carries slightly more pressure, but if there's one man that can handle this type of pressure it's Joe Montana. That guy was just always cool. Unfortunately, Byron Leftwich is not Joe Montana, which is clear from the spelling of their names, but also their play on the football field; and I'm not even going to get into the whole race subject, because Leftwich is obviously not very fast and Montana in his prime would have clearly won that contest. The bottom line is that the Steelers needed overtime to beat the Chiefs last Monday; The Ravens pose a much tougher test, like that Bio midterm; hey what did you guys get on #3?
Ravens 17-10
Monday Night
Chicago @ San Francisco
Are you ready for some football? Jason Campbell I'm talking you specifically. I hope so for your sake, because it looks like you'll have to play a considerable amount of it as it appears Jay Cutler will not be active for the Bears. And if that does turn out to be the case I can't imagine that the Bears will have much success against the Niners defense. However, if Cutler does play, well I can imagine the Bears having success, but like I said before I've been snorting opiates, so I'm imagining some pretty weird stuff right now.
49ers 16-6
Arizona @ Atlanta
This game features two teams that got out to impressive undefeated starts and are now on embarrassing losing streaks. Granted, the Falcons have only lost one in a row, but after winning their first eight you just know they're ashamed of themselves. I mean, they increased their amount of losses by infinity percent. When you look at it that way it's really pathetic. In other words, Atlanta is a team looking to reclaim their pride. As we all know, the Cardinals have lost their last five after starting 4-0; look for them to lose number six here, but don't look too hard because it probably won't be worth it.
Falcons 24-16
Cleveland @ Dallas
A couple weeks ago when his ability to govern his team was questioned Jerry Jones said that he would "Always be the Cowboys general manager." Besides that sounding like a line from The Shining it must have instilled confidence in his team. It's rare to have that type of stability in today's NFL. Most GMs last only a handful of years, so to have the assurance that yours will be around for eternity has to be comforting. Dallas has a chance to make a playoff push with five of their next six games coming at home. Meanwhile the Browns have a chance to make a push for the #1 pick in the draft with all of their next seven games coming against NFL teams.
Cowboys 26-13
Green Bay @ Detroit
The Packers had won four straight heading into their bye week and they really seemed to be getting in a rhythm. So was it a good thing for them to take a week off? Well, I have it on good authority that fullback John Kuhn went out and crushed ass in the greater Milwaukee area for seven straight days, so good luck trying to tell him that it wasn't a "good thing." As for the break messing with their momentum, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I mean I wouldn't be worried even if they lost, so maybe that's not the best way to phrase it, but what I was getting at is that I think Green Bay will win.
Packers 28-23
Cincinnati @ Kansas City
The Chiefs leaped a major hurdle last week when they managed to get their first lead of the season. Unfortunately for them most races have more than one hurdle (except for races that don't involve hurdles, but I think we can all agree that when I mentioned the presence of a hurdle in that first sentence we were operating on the assumption that this was not one of those races). The Bengals are coming off an impressive victory over the Giants and seem like they might be on the verge of turning their season around. You know what that means: Chiefs in an upset! And we'll all be upset that we missed it because it'll be on the CORNER SCREEN AT THE SHACK!
Chiefs 20-17
Philadelphia @ Washington
I know I said that if the Eagles lost last week that it would all but end their season, well I'm glad I said "all but" because if they lose this game it will certainly end their season (NOTE: I didn't actually say, "all but" I said "most likely"; you readers are so vigilant that I didn't even want to attempt to slip this one by you, keep up the good work gang, you're the real stars). The Redskins also need a win to salvage any semblance of hope, not just for their season but in general, the mood has turned very depressive in the Washington locker room. Well cheer up Redskins, I think you'll get a win against the Eagles with Nick Foles making his first start. Of course, you should also realize that football isn't everything and that true healing comes from within, but those are more long term goals.
Redskins 23-20
Tampa Bay @ Carolina
Can anyone or anything stop these red hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Yes, fate can. Do I know something you don't? I guess we'll have to wait and see (I've just set up a scenario in which the only way I'll be wrong is if the Bucs win the Super Bowl; any other result and I'll simply slap together an explanation for the preceding, cryptic statement). In all seriousness though, Tampa has been on a roll lately, so why do I get the strange feeling that they'll blow it at Carolina? Maybe it's the fact that they have a home game against the Falcons next week, or maybe it's the fact that I've just snorted opiates. Either way, I'm going to pick another upset here.
Panthers 24-21
Jacksonville @ Houston
The Texans' win on a rain-soaked field in Chicago last week showed the rest of the league that they mean business, and that's really sad. You mean business? It's like, when did this become a job for you Texans? I remember when it was a game. When it was just about tossin' 'round the ol' pigskin with your pals in the backyard, and then someone attempting a punt and having it sail over the fence into the neighbor's yard and everybody being too big of a pussy to simply go ring another person's doorbell and ask for the ball back which effectively ended the game resulting in everyone having way too much free time on their hands leading them to experiment with cigarettes and God knows what assortment of hard drugs further down the line. So all in all maybe it's a good thing that Houston has taken a more professional approach to this season.
Texans 30-10
New York Jets @ St. Louis
A couple years ago, if you had told me that Rex Ryan cried in the locker room as a result of a loss to the Seahawks it would have thrilled me to no end. Now? It thrills me to an end, but that end took a long to time to get to. It's clear that Rex is extremely unhappy with his team's 3-6 start. So unhappy, in fact, that he cried in the locker room after the Jets' loss to the Seahawks, which I've already mentioned before, but it's certainly worth pointing out again. New York will look to start a turn around at St. Louis against a Rams team who tied with the 49ers last week. A tie in an NFL game? Some would consider that a crying shame. Rex Ryan, for example. As lame an ending as that tie was I think it's an encouraging sign for the Rams and will propel them to victory against the Jets. I know I've picked New York to lose plenty of times in the past, but trust me I'm not just crying wolf, nor am I crying like Rex Ryan did after his team's loss to the Seahawks last Sunday.
Rams 20-13
Sunday Afternoon
New Orleans @ Oakland
Expect the scoreboard to light up in this one! Of course, you should expect the scoreboard to light up during all the games this weekend because we live in 2012 and hand-ops are something of an antiquated notion, particularly in football where keeping up with the clock would be a real pain in the neck. But we're getting off track, what I was trying to say is that there figures to be a lot of points when these porous pass defenses and top 5 pass offenses go up against each other. It's possible that the Saints could experience a let down after their big win over Atlanta and before their playoff rematch with San Francisco next week, but the Raiders are just real crummy, especially without Darren McFadden (who would have guessed that he would get hurt?).
Saints 38-24
San Diego @ Denver
The Broncos have still scored 35 unanswered points on the Chargers dating back to their Monday night match-up in Week 6. Allow me to use this game as a platform to complain about one of my biggest announcer pet peeves. The term "unanswered points" is being grossly misused. For instance, let's say the Chargers score the first touchdown, then the Broncos follow with 21 straight points in the 2nd quarter, and San Diego opens the 3rd quarter with a field goal drive. More often than not I hear this scenario described as Denver having scored 21 unanswered points, well what about when San Diego answered!? They aren't unanswered points unless one team doesn't score for the remainder of the game, it's merely 21 straight points. Damn it I'm pissed! Anyway, Broncos will win.
Broncos 31-20
Indianapolis @ New England
This rivalry just got reignited! Expect Jim Nantz to say that within the first half hour of the broadcast. Here are some other things you can expect Nantz to say at some point during the game: "Touchdown!" "It's good." "Aaaand it's incomplete." "Out of bounds." "Fuck you Phil, I've had it with your shit!" Look for Andrew Luck to have a big day against the Pats' weak secondary, but it will most likely not be big enough.
Patriots 34-28
Sunday Night
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
It's Sunday night and it's Byron Leftwich time! This is much later than the normal Byron Leftwich time, which usually occurs at about 12:30 on a Wednesday when the 2nd team gets their reps in practice. Of course, this situation carries slightly more pressure, but if there's one man that can handle this type of pressure it's Joe Montana. That guy was just always cool. Unfortunately, Byron Leftwich is not Joe Montana, which is clear from the spelling of their names, but also their play on the football field; and I'm not even going to get into the whole race subject, because Leftwich is obviously not very fast and Montana in his prime would have clearly won that contest. The bottom line is that the Steelers needed overtime to beat the Chiefs last Monday; The Ravens pose a much tougher test, like that Bio midterm; hey what did you guys get on #3?
Ravens 17-10
Monday Night
Chicago @ San Francisco
Are you ready for some football? Jason Campbell I'm talking you specifically. I hope so for your sake, because it looks like you'll have to play a considerable amount of it as it appears Jay Cutler will not be active for the Bears. And if that does turn out to be the case I can't imagine that the Bears will have much success against the Niners defense. However, if Cutler does play, well I can imagine the Bears having success, but like I said before I've been snorting opiates, so I'm imagining some pretty weird stuff right now.
49ers 16-6
11.14.2012
NFL Picks Week 11 - Thursday
Miami @ Buffalo
Joe Philbin proved to the world that he was a real hard-ass when he benched Reggie Bush for fumbling during the first half last week. But if you ask me, he proved he's a real fart-ass. If he was trying to prove a point he certainly did. That point being, after a 37-3 home loss to the Titans, that the Dolphins desperately need Reggie Bush on the field. The Bills have the worst run defense in the NFL, so Bush figures to have a big night, unless of course he accidentally loses the football at any point, in which case he'll fell the wrath of Ol' Iron Fist Philbin. This game seems like a toss up so I'm going to go with my gut and pick the Dolphins. And no, that does not mean that I just ate illegal, delicious dolphin sushi. It doesn't mean that at all.
Dolphins 27-24
Joe Philbin proved to the world that he was a real hard-ass when he benched Reggie Bush for fumbling during the first half last week. But if you ask me, he proved he's a real fart-ass. If he was trying to prove a point he certainly did. That point being, after a 37-3 home loss to the Titans, that the Dolphins desperately need Reggie Bush on the field. The Bills have the worst run defense in the NFL, so Bush figures to have a big night, unless of course he accidentally loses the football at any point, in which case he'll fell the wrath of Ol' Iron Fist Philbin. This game seems like a toss up so I'm going to go with my gut and pick the Dolphins. And no, that does not mean that I just ate illegal, delicious dolphin sushi. It doesn't mean that at all.
Dolphins 27-24
11.08.2012
NFL Picks - Week 10
Sunday Morning
New York Giants @ Cincinnati
After a tough loss to the Steelers last Sunday the Giants are headed back on the road. And they couldn't be happier! That's because they're 3-1 away from MetLife Stadium, and they outscore the home team by almost 14 points per game. They're also really happy because any number of the players rampantly cheat on their wives, so going out of town is a real blast for them. Meanwhile the Bengals have dropped four in a row, but as we all know, in some cases appearances can be deceiving. This is not one of those cases, but it's still a valid point.
Giants 30-20
Tennessee @ Miami
It's the 'Phins versus the 'Tans in a battle of ... Ok, let's start over, 'Tans is a terrible nickname for Titans. I'm still a little new at this word processing, but from what I understand I just have to type delete and that will get rid of everything I just did. D-E-L-E-T-E.
Hey there sports fans, we've got a humdinger of a ...ugggh D-E-L-E-T-E
Mia-mi oh my, the Dolphins are D-E-L-E-T-E
Tennis-see anyone? "Bring 'em on," say the Dolphins, which in their language sounds more like, "Eeee-e-e-e-e eeeee!" K-E-E-P
Dolphins 27-17
Detroit @ Minnesota
The Lions have clawed their way back into the playoff hunt despite a 1-3 start and after this game they'll play 5 of their last 7 at home, which is advantageous, but it's also Detroit so they're probably not too thrilled. As for the Vikings, their playoff chances appear to be slipping away after 3 losses in their last 4 games and remaining contests against the Bears (twice), Packers (twice), and Texans. This is a tricky game to pick, but you know what? Tricks are for kids. Wait a minute, Trix are for kids, Yikes, now this game's even more confusing. I'll pick the Lions to stay hot even inside a dome with infamously powerful air conditioning.
Lions 27-24
Buffalo @ New England
The last time these two teams met the Patriots put up 45 second half points against the Bills, and you just know that Buffalo is itching for revenge. How do you know that? Seriously, how? Please reveal your source(s) in the comments section below. New England should be well rested after their bye week, but good luck telling Bill Belichick what his team should be, if anything he'll have 'em less rested just to prove a point. Man, what a genius.
Patriots 38-14
Atlanta @ New Orleans
In a town that loves to celebrate a funeral it seems appropriate that this might be the game in which the Saints' season dies. However, New Orleans is also a city that knows a thing or two about voodoo, meaning that even if the Saints do suffer a loss this week they may still rise from the dead later, much like the carcass of Bernie Lomax in the middling 1993 comedy "Weekend at Bernie's 2." I've picked the Falcons to lose their first game two weeks in a row, and they still haven't, so I'll give them a break and pick them to get to 9-0, which all but assures a Saints victory.
Falcons 31-28
San Diego @ Tampa Bay
The Bucs come into this game with the hottest running back in the NFL; Doug Martin has amassed 486 yards from scrimmage over the last two games. On a related note, the Chargers come into this game with the haughtiest quarterback in the league; Philip Rivers is just a real prick (ok, full disclosure, I had to look up haughty to make sure I was using it right, and to be honest it's still a stretch). Tampa's offense has been unstoppable as of late, averaging 36 points per game over their last four. San Diego has the number 4 rushing D in the league but until someone stops Doug Martin I won't bet against the Bucs. Then again, I don't actually bet on any of these games, so that really means nothing.
Buccaneers 28-21
Denver @ Carolina
The Panthers got their second win of the season last week, though when you think about it, isn't having the courage to take the field each week as good as a win? I say no. Not even close, in fact. This week the courageous Peyton Manning comes to Carolina with the Broncos riding a 3 game win streak. A horse riding something else? Yes! In today's National Football League it's possible. That streak will most likely grow to 4 games, which will make it easier for the Broncos to ride even further.
Broncos 24-20
Oakland @ Baltimore
It's tough to figure out what the Ravens are right now as they have been somewhat mediocre since losing Ray Lewis and Ladarius Webb. It's also tough to figure out what ravens are. I mean, it's just kind of a shaggy crow, right? Pretty lame. Teams should be more creative when they're picking nicknames. Don't just go with some lame bird, and if you do at least make it alliterative. Anyway, Baltimore should be able to hold off the wild and crazy Raiders. I call them that because their games always seem out of control, but also because they'll go anywhere and do anything to find football teams having fun.
Ravens 31-23
Sunday Afternoon
New York Jets @ Seattle
We all remember when Mark Sanchez announced his plans to leave USC after his Junior season and Pete Carroll, his head coach at the time, openly stated that he was against the decision. Well, this Sunday Sanchez finally gets the opportunity to personally show Carroll that he was right, another year of college would have served him well. Just look at Russell Wilson, that guy went to two colleges and he's kick-ass. I expect Russ to continue his ascension towards greatness this week while a sullen Tim Tebow sits on the sideline with a small grin. Why the grin? As upset as he is at his lack of playing time, nobody appreciates an ascension more than Teebs.
Seahawks 24-12
Dallas @ Philadelphia
It's become quite clear that these teams are just flat out mediocre, and another loss for either would most likely spell an end to their season. The news only gets worse from there, because it's most likely that either the Cowboys or Eagles will lose this game. The bad news for the rest of the country is that only one of these teams can lose this game, meaning we'll still have to deal with one of them for a few more weeks. I'll pick Dallas to get the win and stay in the playoff hunt with 5 of their next 6 games at home.
Cowboys 21-20
St. Louis @ San Francisco
I do not expect the Rams to score in this game, making it very difficult for them to win.
49ers 23-0
Sunday Night
Houston @ Chicago
It's a marquee match-up of 7-1 teams featuring what may be the two leading candidates for Defensive Player of the Year. The Bears' Charles Tillman has been taking balls away all season while the Texans' J.J. Watt has been knocking balls down, not to mention sacking quarterbacks, all while sort of reminding me of Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; I'm willing to bet that there's a brain in his midsection controlling him. This game may come down to which quarterback can maintain a level head in the face of relentless pressure. So the question becomes, can Jay Cutler keep his cool? Jay, what do you think? ... Me neither.
Texans 17-14
Monday Night
Kansas City @ Pittsburgh
My favorite stat of this NFL season is the oft-mentioned anecdote that the Chiefs have yet to lead a game all season. One aspect that I'm not thrilled with, however, is the fact that I picked them to make the playoffs. Uh oh! What a mistake! They're going to have to start getting leads and fast if they don't want to make me look like an idiot. Unfortunately I'm not sure that that's any concern of theirs at this point, and they have a tough match-up on the road. It looks like one more week without a lead for these sacks of poo.
Steelers 24-6
New York Giants @ Cincinnati
After a tough loss to the Steelers last Sunday the Giants are headed back on the road. And they couldn't be happier! That's because they're 3-1 away from MetLife Stadium, and they outscore the home team by almost 14 points per game. They're also really happy because any number of the players rampantly cheat on their wives, so going out of town is a real blast for them. Meanwhile the Bengals have dropped four in a row, but as we all know, in some cases appearances can be deceiving. This is not one of those cases, but it's still a valid point.
Giants 30-20
Tennessee @ Miami
It's the 'Phins versus the 'Tans in a battle of ... Ok, let's start over, 'Tans is a terrible nickname for Titans. I'm still a little new at this word processing, but from what I understand I just have to type delete and that will get rid of everything I just did. D-E-L-E-T-E.
Hey there sports fans, we've got a humdinger of a ...ugggh D-E-L-E-T-E
Mia-mi oh my, the Dolphins are D-E-L-E-T-E
Tennis-see anyone? "Bring 'em on," say the Dolphins, which in their language sounds more like, "Eeee-e-e-e-e eeeee!" K-E-E-P
Dolphins 27-17
Detroit @ Minnesota
The Lions have clawed their way back into the playoff hunt despite a 1-3 start and after this game they'll play 5 of their last 7 at home, which is advantageous, but it's also Detroit so they're probably not too thrilled. As for the Vikings, their playoff chances appear to be slipping away after 3 losses in their last 4 games and remaining contests against the Bears (twice), Packers (twice), and Texans. This is a tricky game to pick, but you know what? Tricks are for kids. Wait a minute, Trix are for kids, Yikes, now this game's even more confusing. I'll pick the Lions to stay hot even inside a dome with infamously powerful air conditioning.
Lions 27-24
Buffalo @ New England
The last time these two teams met the Patriots put up 45 second half points against the Bills, and you just know that Buffalo is itching for revenge. How do you know that? Seriously, how? Please reveal your source(s) in the comments section below. New England should be well rested after their bye week, but good luck telling Bill Belichick what his team should be, if anything he'll have 'em less rested just to prove a point. Man, what a genius.
Patriots 38-14
Atlanta @ New Orleans
In a town that loves to celebrate a funeral it seems appropriate that this might be the game in which the Saints' season dies. However, New Orleans is also a city that knows a thing or two about voodoo, meaning that even if the Saints do suffer a loss this week they may still rise from the dead later, much like the carcass of Bernie Lomax in the middling 1993 comedy "Weekend at Bernie's 2." I've picked the Falcons to lose their first game two weeks in a row, and they still haven't, so I'll give them a break and pick them to get to 9-0, which all but assures a Saints victory.
Falcons 31-28
San Diego @ Tampa Bay
The Bucs come into this game with the hottest running back in the NFL; Doug Martin has amassed 486 yards from scrimmage over the last two games. On a related note, the Chargers come into this game with the haughtiest quarterback in the league; Philip Rivers is just a real prick (ok, full disclosure, I had to look up haughty to make sure I was using it right, and to be honest it's still a stretch). Tampa's offense has been unstoppable as of late, averaging 36 points per game over their last four. San Diego has the number 4 rushing D in the league but until someone stops Doug Martin I won't bet against the Bucs. Then again, I don't actually bet on any of these games, so that really means nothing.
Buccaneers 28-21
Denver @ Carolina
The Panthers got their second win of the season last week, though when you think about it, isn't having the courage to take the field each week as good as a win? I say no. Not even close, in fact. This week the courageous Peyton Manning comes to Carolina with the Broncos riding a 3 game win streak. A horse riding something else? Yes! In today's National Football League it's possible. That streak will most likely grow to 4 games, which will make it easier for the Broncos to ride even further.
Broncos 24-20
Oakland @ Baltimore
It's tough to figure out what the Ravens are right now as they have been somewhat mediocre since losing Ray Lewis and Ladarius Webb. It's also tough to figure out what ravens are. I mean, it's just kind of a shaggy crow, right? Pretty lame. Teams should be more creative when they're picking nicknames. Don't just go with some lame bird, and if you do at least make it alliterative. Anyway, Baltimore should be able to hold off the wild and crazy Raiders. I call them that because their games always seem out of control, but also because they'll go anywhere and do anything to find football teams having fun.
Ravens 31-23
Sunday Afternoon
New York Jets @ Seattle
We all remember when Mark Sanchez announced his plans to leave USC after his Junior season and Pete Carroll, his head coach at the time, openly stated that he was against the decision. Well, this Sunday Sanchez finally gets the opportunity to personally show Carroll that he was right, another year of college would have served him well. Just look at Russell Wilson, that guy went to two colleges and he's kick-ass. I expect Russ to continue his ascension towards greatness this week while a sullen Tim Tebow sits on the sideline with a small grin. Why the grin? As upset as he is at his lack of playing time, nobody appreciates an ascension more than Teebs.
Seahawks 24-12
Dallas @ Philadelphia
It's become quite clear that these teams are just flat out mediocre, and another loss for either would most likely spell an end to their season. The news only gets worse from there, because it's most likely that either the Cowboys or Eagles will lose this game. The bad news for the rest of the country is that only one of these teams can lose this game, meaning we'll still have to deal with one of them for a few more weeks. I'll pick Dallas to get the win and stay in the playoff hunt with 5 of their next 6 games at home.
Cowboys 21-20
St. Louis @ San Francisco
I do not expect the Rams to score in this game, making it very difficult for them to win.
49ers 23-0
Sunday Night
Houston @ Chicago
It's a marquee match-up of 7-1 teams featuring what may be the two leading candidates for Defensive Player of the Year. The Bears' Charles Tillman has been taking balls away all season while the Texans' J.J. Watt has been knocking balls down, not to mention sacking quarterbacks, all while sort of reminding me of Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; I'm willing to bet that there's a brain in his midsection controlling him. This game may come down to which quarterback can maintain a level head in the face of relentless pressure. So the question becomes, can Jay Cutler keep his cool? Jay, what do you think? ... Me neither.
Texans 17-14
Monday Night
Kansas City @ Pittsburgh
My favorite stat of this NFL season is the oft-mentioned anecdote that the Chiefs have yet to lead a game all season. One aspect that I'm not thrilled with, however, is the fact that I picked them to make the playoffs. Uh oh! What a mistake! They're going to have to start getting leads and fast if they don't want to make me look like an idiot. Unfortunately I'm not sure that that's any concern of theirs at this point, and they have a tough match-up on the road. It looks like one more week without a lead for these sacks of poo.
Steelers 24-6
NFL Picks Week 10 - Thursday
Indianapolis @ Jacksonville
Andrew Luck has arrived! In Jacksonville! Because that's where this game is being played! He's also "arrived" on a much more grandiose scale with his tremendous play of late, leading the Colts to four wins in their last five games. Blaine Gabbert would love to arrive in much the same way, unfortunately he's yet to be invited. The good news for Gabby and the Jags is that their one win this season came against this very same Indianapolis Colts team that they are playing on Thursday. But this is not the same Indianapolis Colts team that they will be playing on Thursday. This team has matured, in fact, Indy's grown up so much that it's about time you stopped calling them Junior.
Colts 24-16
Andrew Luck has arrived! In Jacksonville! Because that's where this game is being played! He's also "arrived" on a much more grandiose scale with his tremendous play of late, leading the Colts to four wins in their last five games. Blaine Gabbert would love to arrive in much the same way, unfortunately he's yet to be invited. The good news for Gabby and the Jags is that their one win this season came against this very same Indianapolis Colts team that they are playing on Thursday. But this is not the same Indianapolis Colts team that they will be playing on Thursday. This team has matured, in fact, Indy's grown up so much that it's about time you stopped calling them Junior.
Colts 24-16
11.01.2012
NFL Picks - Week 9
Sunday Morning
Denver @ Cincinnati
The Broncos finally put together a complete game last week in their win over the Saints. But with the ever increasing importance of specialists in the bullpen, pitching a complete game just isn't as necessary as it once was. Hmm, wait, that's baseball. Well anyhow, Denver looks solid even if they do get behind early; with their big bats and ability to run the bases no lead is safe. Damn it. Sorry, won't happen again.
Broncos 28-20
Baltimore @ Cleveland
The Ravens defense has taken a large hit via injuries and it showed during their game against the Texans two weeks ago when they gave up 43 points. Baltimore had a week off to think about they did while Cleveland had a week on, beating San Diego in a 7-6 battle of wills that could be described as a matter of life or death. It can be described that way because whoever actually lived through watching that game wanted to die. The offenses figure to struggle in this game as well, but ultimately the Ravens will come out on top. The Browns may be on top at some point, but it will merely be penultimately at best.
Ravens 16-12
Arizona @ Green Bay
Much has changed since these teams last met in a thrilling playoff duel between Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner. Rodgers has become arguably the best player in the NFL while the Cardinals have employed the following people as starting quarterbacks: Derek "That's Fine" Anderson, Max "Blow the Whistle!" Hall, and John "Exo" Skelton. Guess which team won a Super Bowl since that playoff game ... If you actually had to guess it means you weren't aware that Green Bay won the Super Bowl two years ago, which also means you're not much of a football fan, which in kind means that you don't even read these posts for the football analysis, which can only mean that you come here for the irreverent and refreshing writing style. Thank you, that's a flattering compliment.
Packers 27-10
Chicago @ Tennessee
The Bears were unimpressive in their one point victory over Carolina last week. It was a surprisingly close game that only a true NFL expert could have expected ("I expect this one to be surprisingly close, but ultimately the Bears will move to 6-1" - NFL Picks - Week 8). I'd be willing to bet that Matthew Hasselbeck was watching closely and that he probably liked what he saw. I mean, Hasselbeck's a major football fan, so naturally he enjoyed watching a good game, but he also liked what he saw because he now knows exactly how to attack the Chicago D. And how is that, you might be asking? Oh right, I'm just going to say it right here and warn the Bears? Get real scumbag.
Titans 20-17
Miami @ Indianapolis
Were you aware that if the season ended today these two teams would be the AFC wild cards? Were you also aware that if the season ended today it would be the shortest regular season in NFL history? While that last rhetorical question made for an hilarious follow-up comment, it also illustrates the fact that while these teams have surprised many, the season is still young. However, when you look at the rest of the wild card contenders in the AFC it's difficult to find strong candidates, which means that the Dolphins or the Colts could very well make the playoffs. In kind, this game could prove very important down the road. The Miami defense has been able to keep opponents' scoring low which should come in handy against Indianapolis, or any other team for that matter.
Dolphins 17-16
Carolina @ Washington
Most people will draw a comparison between these two young starting quarterbacks. Well, in the words of Warren Moon, "That's racist!" These QBs couldn't be more different. For instance, Robert Griffin has been an active participant in the 2012 NFL season, whereas Cam Newton has not. I won't bore you with the full list of dissimilarities between the two but trust me it goes deep, all the way to the White House.
Redskins 24-20
Detroit @ Jacksonville
Is it a coincidence that the Jaguars traded WR Mike Thomas to the Lions the same week that they're playing them? I don't think so, and I think Detroit should be asking the same question. This is most likely a brilliant move by the Jacksonville Jaguars organization to infiltrate the iron curtain that normally shrouds the Lions' organization. What kind of secrets will Mike Thomas unearth as he delves deep into the inner workings of the mysterious cabal known as the Detroit Lions? We might not find out Sunday because this is more of a long con, but believe me the Jags will be reaping the benefits come Super Bowl Sunday.
Lions 27-16
Buffalo @ Houston
The Texans have become the team to beat in the AFC, while the Bills have become a team that you can beat in the AFC. When you combine the two it doesn't look promising for Buffalo as they travel to Houston. Is there a chance that the Bills could pull an upset? I wouldn't rule it out entirely, but that's just something I'm working on in my life, learning to be more open-minded. It's been very freeing for the most part, but now it takes me about an hour and a half to make each one of these picks.
Texans 28-14
Sunday Afternoon
Minnesota @ Seattle
The Seahawks return home to Seattle, which not only means they have a better chance of winning, but also that Fox cameras are picking up hours of B roll at Pike Place Market as we speak. Have you guys heard about this? They throw fish at this place! It's like one guy just tosses this big ol' fish to another guy and he catches it! Look, I can't blame you if you find it hard to believe, but after witnessing the broadcasts of hundreds of games played in Seattle and seeing the fish throwing during every single one of them I can vouch for it. If Russell Wilson displays even half the arm strength of the Pike Place Market fish mongers the Hawks have a good chance at winning.
Seahawks 23-13
Tampa Bay @ Oakland
The Raiders have won back to back games! And they did it against the Jaguars and the Chiefs ... Well hey, it's better than losing to those teams, right? Meanwhile, the Bucs are coming off a win over the Vikings that can actually be considered impressive. Both teams come in to this game at 3-4, which is important to point out because I have nothing better to say about this game.
Buccaneers 30-22
Pittsburgh @ New York Giants
Due to Hurricane Sandy rendering their booked hotel powerless the Steelers will have to fly to New York on game day. A fairly short flight before a game might not be a big deal for most teams but it's a good bet that Ben Roethlisberger will consume no less than 3 Red Bull vodkas before they land. While that will make him loose and energized at the start of the game he'll crash pretty hard come the 2nd half. By the final two minutes, when Pittsburgh needs a winning drive Roethlisberger's throbbing head will end up getting the better of him (which won't be the first time).
Giants 27-23
Sunday Night
Dallas @ Atlanta
The Cowboys nearly pulled off an unbelievable comeback last week against the Giants only to have Dez Bryant's fingers land out of bounds on what would have been the game winning catch. Bryant made a great effort and even got a little banged up upon landing which is causing many to overlook a crucial aspect of that play, if that wimp wouldn't have felt the need to brace himself with his hand his team would have won the game. The Falcons come into this contest at 7-0 even though I fearlessly predicted that they'd lose their first game last week. And guess what, I'm going to do it again. The possibility of falling to 3-5 is going to make Dallas the more desperate team, and if there's one thing I know, it's desperation.
Cowboys 28-25
Monday Night
Philadelphia @ New Orleans
Speaking of desperation, this game reeks of it. What does desperation smell like? Like butts. A Saints' loss would pretty much end their season while a poor performance from Michael Vick may force Andy Reid to make a change at quarterback. So clearly there's a lot riding on this game. However, there's not a lot of writing on this game ... because that's all I've got. Haha, I slay me!
Saints 23-20
Denver @ Cincinnati
The Broncos finally put together a complete game last week in their win over the Saints. But with the ever increasing importance of specialists in the bullpen, pitching a complete game just isn't as necessary as it once was. Hmm, wait, that's baseball. Well anyhow, Denver looks solid even if they do get behind early; with their big bats and ability to run the bases no lead is safe. Damn it. Sorry, won't happen again.
Broncos 28-20
Baltimore @ Cleveland
The Ravens defense has taken a large hit via injuries and it showed during their game against the Texans two weeks ago when they gave up 43 points. Baltimore had a week off to think about they did while Cleveland had a week on, beating San Diego in a 7-6 battle of wills that could be described as a matter of life or death. It can be described that way because whoever actually lived through watching that game wanted to die. The offenses figure to struggle in this game as well, but ultimately the Ravens will come out on top. The Browns may be on top at some point, but it will merely be penultimately at best.
Ravens 16-12
Arizona @ Green Bay
Much has changed since these teams last met in a thrilling playoff duel between Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner. Rodgers has become arguably the best player in the NFL while the Cardinals have employed the following people as starting quarterbacks: Derek "That's Fine" Anderson, Max "Blow the Whistle!" Hall, and John "Exo" Skelton. Guess which team won a Super Bowl since that playoff game ... If you actually had to guess it means you weren't aware that Green Bay won the Super Bowl two years ago, which also means you're not much of a football fan, which in kind means that you don't even read these posts for the football analysis, which can only mean that you come here for the irreverent and refreshing writing style. Thank you, that's a flattering compliment.
Packers 27-10
Chicago @ Tennessee
The Bears were unimpressive in their one point victory over Carolina last week. It was a surprisingly close game that only a true NFL expert could have expected ("I expect this one to be surprisingly close, but ultimately the Bears will move to 6-1" - NFL Picks - Week 8). I'd be willing to bet that Matthew Hasselbeck was watching closely and that he probably liked what he saw. I mean, Hasselbeck's a major football fan, so naturally he enjoyed watching a good game, but he also liked what he saw because he now knows exactly how to attack the Chicago D. And how is that, you might be asking? Oh right, I'm just going to say it right here and warn the Bears? Get real scumbag.
Titans 20-17
Miami @ Indianapolis
Were you aware that if the season ended today these two teams would be the AFC wild cards? Were you also aware that if the season ended today it would be the shortest regular season in NFL history? While that last rhetorical question made for an hilarious follow-up comment, it also illustrates the fact that while these teams have surprised many, the season is still young. However, when you look at the rest of the wild card contenders in the AFC it's difficult to find strong candidates, which means that the Dolphins or the Colts could very well make the playoffs. In kind, this game could prove very important down the road. The Miami defense has been able to keep opponents' scoring low which should come in handy against Indianapolis, or any other team for that matter.
Dolphins 17-16
Carolina @ Washington
Most people will draw a comparison between these two young starting quarterbacks. Well, in the words of Warren Moon, "That's racist!" These QBs couldn't be more different. For instance, Robert Griffin has been an active participant in the 2012 NFL season, whereas Cam Newton has not. I won't bore you with the full list of dissimilarities between the two but trust me it goes deep, all the way to the White House.
Redskins 24-20
Detroit @ Jacksonville
Is it a coincidence that the Jaguars traded WR Mike Thomas to the Lions the same week that they're playing them? I don't think so, and I think Detroit should be asking the same question. This is most likely a brilliant move by the Jacksonville Jaguars organization to infiltrate the iron curtain that normally shrouds the Lions' organization. What kind of secrets will Mike Thomas unearth as he delves deep into the inner workings of the mysterious cabal known as the Detroit Lions? We might not find out Sunday because this is more of a long con, but believe me the Jags will be reaping the benefits come Super Bowl Sunday.
Lions 27-16
Buffalo @ Houston
The Texans have become the team to beat in the AFC, while the Bills have become a team that you can beat in the AFC. When you combine the two it doesn't look promising for Buffalo as they travel to Houston. Is there a chance that the Bills could pull an upset? I wouldn't rule it out entirely, but that's just something I'm working on in my life, learning to be more open-minded. It's been very freeing for the most part, but now it takes me about an hour and a half to make each one of these picks.
Texans 28-14
Sunday Afternoon
Minnesota @ Seattle
The Seahawks return home to Seattle, which not only means they have a better chance of winning, but also that Fox cameras are picking up hours of B roll at Pike Place Market as we speak. Have you guys heard about this? They throw fish at this place! It's like one guy just tosses this big ol' fish to another guy and he catches it! Look, I can't blame you if you find it hard to believe, but after witnessing the broadcasts of hundreds of games played in Seattle and seeing the fish throwing during every single one of them I can vouch for it. If Russell Wilson displays even half the arm strength of the Pike Place Market fish mongers the Hawks have a good chance at winning.
Seahawks 23-13
Tampa Bay @ Oakland
The Raiders have won back to back games! And they did it against the Jaguars and the Chiefs ... Well hey, it's better than losing to those teams, right? Meanwhile, the Bucs are coming off a win over the Vikings that can actually be considered impressive. Both teams come in to this game at 3-4, which is important to point out because I have nothing better to say about this game.
Buccaneers 30-22
Pittsburgh @ New York Giants
Due to Hurricane Sandy rendering their booked hotel powerless the Steelers will have to fly to New York on game day. A fairly short flight before a game might not be a big deal for most teams but it's a good bet that Ben Roethlisberger will consume no less than 3 Red Bull vodkas before they land. While that will make him loose and energized at the start of the game he'll crash pretty hard come the 2nd half. By the final two minutes, when Pittsburgh needs a winning drive Roethlisberger's throbbing head will end up getting the better of him (which won't be the first time).
Giants 27-23
Sunday Night
Dallas @ Atlanta
The Cowboys nearly pulled off an unbelievable comeback last week against the Giants only to have Dez Bryant's fingers land out of bounds on what would have been the game winning catch. Bryant made a great effort and even got a little banged up upon landing which is causing many to overlook a crucial aspect of that play, if that wimp wouldn't have felt the need to brace himself with his hand his team would have won the game. The Falcons come into this contest at 7-0 even though I fearlessly predicted that they'd lose their first game last week. And guess what, I'm going to do it again. The possibility of falling to 3-5 is going to make Dallas the more desperate team, and if there's one thing I know, it's desperation.
Cowboys 28-25
Monday Night
Philadelphia @ New Orleans
Speaking of desperation, this game reeks of it. What does desperation smell like? Like butts. A Saints' loss would pretty much end their season while a poor performance from Michael Vick may force Andy Reid to make a change at quarterback. So clearly there's a lot riding on this game. However, there's not a lot of writing on this game ... because that's all I've got. Haha, I slay me!
Saints 23-20
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