Friday, January 21, 2011

Title weekend

Packers vs Bears- The Bears are one of those teams that you just can't figure out why they are good, but somehow, they keep being good and beating good teams. The Packers are a team you gotta love with a good defense and amazing passing game. It'll be a good game, but I'm going to have to stick with the prototypical late season fire catching team in Green Bay.

Jets vs Steelers- The Jets beat the Steelers not very long ago and aren't backing down to anyone at this point. You couldn't ask for a more confident 6th seed. But the Steelers have been money in the playoffs as of late. It's hard to bet against them. But my playoff picks have been so bad, that I might as well try something unconventional and take the team that has already posted 2 big playoff upsets. Jets win.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Divisional Round

Steelers vs Ravens: A typical flip a coin game. It's hind of hard to see either team losing this game. I'm going to have to take the Ravens to win, though. If I'm the Ravens, I focus on avoiding turnovers, and I should be fine. Ravens win.

Falcons vs Packers: The more I think back to the Eagles/Packers game, the less I am impressed with the Packers and the more it seems that the Eagles just choked it away. The Packers could very easily make this a game, however. But I like the Falcons to win this one.

Bears vs Seahawks: Any chance I would have given the Seahawks was lost when I saw Pete Carroll's post game comment after beating the Saints. He said something to the tune of, "Next week, we're going to shock the world a second time." Someone's trying to pump the "nobody believes in us" card for all it's worth. A team that really believes that nobody believes in them doesn't go out making all kinds of predictions and guarentees. They do there thing, then smile and nod after the game. I think they'll make it a good game, and I don't have a whole lot of faith in the Bears to not completely collapse, but Chicago wins.

Patriots vs Jets: If the Jets lose in any way other than a last minute field goal, their mouths should be duct taped shut for the rest of their lives. Of course, the Patriots haven't been taking the high ground either. It's games like this where you wish that neither team would be able to have the pride of backing up their rediculous talk. Patriots win

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Playoffs round 1

This is coming in a bit late and the Seahawks have already pulled a shocking upset. But no matter, I would have picked the Saints anyway. 0-1.
Colts - Jets: I just don't trust the Jets. And I don't like a team that I can't trust against Peyton in the playoffs. Colts win.

Chiefs - Ravens: Ravens definitely have the upper hand. But the Chiefs are a scrappy team. Not a very good one, but scrappy. Nevertheless, if the Ravens can get the run/pass ratio down and if Ray Rice can get yards against the Chiefs defense, they should win. Nice year for the Chiefs, but bye-bye.

Eagles - Packers: As an Eagles fan, I want to believe that they should pull this one off. As an analyst, I have absolutely no idea who the favorite is. The week 1 matchup sheds absolutely no light on this game. Vick only played the 2nd half, and neither team had really game planned for him, so he just ran around and made plays. Not so this time. The Eagles are trying to figure out how to protect Vick and keep the offense rolling, and the Packers are spending every ounce of their game planning working on the most Vick-proof defense. On the other side of the ball, the Packers offense hasn't been the explosive one we expected going into this season. It's still pretty good though. If the Eagles front can hold up against the run allowing them to focus on the pass, they should keep the Packers in check. It should be a great game. I'm going to go homer on this one and take the Eagles.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

week 17

Time for crap shoot week 17 where you never know which teams will be quitting or which will go for the win. 141-99 on the year
By Picking Record
13-2: Giants
11-4: Lions, Saints, Falcons, Panthers
10-5: Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens, Vikings, Cardinals, Buccaneers
9-6: Raiders, Jaguars, Titans, Colts, Bills, Packers, Rams, Eagles
8-7: Chargers, Dolphins, Bengals, Seahawks
7-8: Broncos, Texans, Patriots, Browns, 49ers, Redskins, Cowboys
6-9: Jets, Bears

NFC
CAR vs ATL- With the Falcons needing a win to secure the 1 seed (though a Saints loss would also do it), they'll be playing this game, at least until they've completely distanced themselves from the Panthers
MIN vs DET- Lions ride this late season run all the way to the finish. Lions win
TB vs NO- At some point in this game, the Saints look at the scoreboard and see "Falcons 31 - Panthers 6" and realize they have no shot at a 1 seed. Then they sit starters and the Buccaneers, who are fighting for a shot at the playoffs, come back to win.
NYG vs WAS- The Giants are a mess right now. But surely they won't fall victim to the Redskins and Rex Grossman....will they? Giants win.
DAL vs PHI- Eagles give Kolb the start, possibly one of the best backups in the league. The question is, who else gets the rest? The more, the better. I look for a good defensive showing in this game against Stephen McGee (when does someone with that last name ever become a good NFL QB? Come one, haha). Even though the Cowboys are the sensible pick against the shut it down Eagles, my gut keeps telling me that they will still pull this one off. Eagles win.
ARI vs SF- Coin flips. 49ers win.
CHI vs GB- Chicago rests starters after outside chance at a 1 seed is lost, thanks to the Eagles Tuesday Night loss clinching them the 2. Thus Green Bay wins, gets into the playoffs, and eliminates the Giants. So the Philadelphia Eagles will have killed the Giants 3 times this season: The 2 defeats, and the improbable loss to Minnesota which allowed the Bears to tank a game that the Giants needed them to win.
STL vs SEA- Head: Rams win. Much better team. Heart: Seahawks win. I'd love a 7-9 team that ESPN currently has ranked 26th in the league to make the playoffs. I just don't think it'll happen though. Rams win

AFC
PIT vs CLE- Really pulling for the Browns to give the Ravens the 1 seed, unfortunately, the Steelers take care of business. Steelers win
OAK vs KC- Chiefs have the division clinched, but still have enough left in the tank to take care of them Raiders.
MIA vs NE- Patriots sit Brady after a few plays, and Dolphins win, becoming the first NFL team to go 7-1 on the road and 1-7 at home. Congrats!
BUF vs NYJ- No matter who they start or sit, the Jets outman the Bills.
CIN vs BAL- Since the Browns usually keep the Steelers close before losing, the Ravens will keep playing this game 'till the end. Ravens win.
JAC vs HOU- No Jones-Drew. No lucky series of events to make the playoffs. But the still pull off the win over the crumbled Texans. Jaguars win
TEN vs IND- Win and in for Peyton Manning. Anyone wanna pick the Titans in that scenario? Colts win
SD vs DEN- The years dissappointment gets one final respect win by slowing down Tebow's little streak. Chargers win.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

week 16

12-2: Giants
11-3: Lions
10-4: Vikings, Cardinals, Saints, Falcons, Panthers
9-5: Chiefs, Jaguars, Ravens, Steelers, Rams, Buccaneers, Eagles
8-6: Raiders, Chargers, Titans, Colts, Bills, Dolphins, Bengals, Packers
7-7: Broncos, Texans, 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Redskins
6-8: Jets, Patriots, Browns, Bears

NFC
DAL vs ARI- The Cowboys have finally become what I thought they would be before the season. An incredibly competitive team. Their defense, however, is a far cry from what I expected. Nevertheless, the Cardinals offense poses minimal threat, either on offense or defense. Cowboys win.
SF vs STL- The hopes of seeing a sub .500 team in the playoffs are increasing every week with the Rams or Seahawks having to win out to reach 8-8. Rams seem to be sliding a little bit, I’ll take the 49ers to win.
NYG vs GB- Whether it’s allowing Desean Jackson to return a punt after fumbling, or allowing a right guard to return a kickoff 71 yards to the 4, these special teams units have some improving to do. Maybe they’ll just go for it on 4th down. Rodgers is back, so Packers win.
SEA vs TB- Surprisingly, both teams are fighting for the playoffs. I’ll take the Buccaneers to rebound from a Detroit surprise. Tampa Bay wins.
MIN vs PHI- Last week I said this game presented the potential for a letdown by the young Eagles players. I didn’t realize how bad the Vikings really are. Eagles win.
NO vs ATL- Would have been a colossal match up had the Saints won last week, now it’s a matter of seeing which team folds more, now that it doesn’t matter much and they could easily meet in the playoffs. Saints win.

AFC
TEN vs KC- Chiefs trying to hold onto the division. Their defense steps up against the Chris Johnson attack. Chiefs win.
NE vs BUF- The Bills are a really tantalizing upset pick…but I’m not crazy. Patriots win.
BAL vs CLE- In their last meeting, Peyton Hillis ran wild. The Ravens need to keep winning if they want a shot at the division, however, so they’ll take care of business.
HOU vs DEN- A good scout team defense for Tim Tebow to practice against, but Matt Shaub wins the shoot out. Texans win.
SD vs CIN- The Bengals finally won another game. But the Chargers are driving for the playoffs. Chargers win.
IND vs OAK- The stretch run will bring the best out of Manning. The Oakland defense that had a hard time stopping Tim Tebow last week will have their hands much fuller with Peyton. Colts win.

INT
CAR vs PIT- This is the “get out of jail free” card equivalent. Automatic win for the Steelers.
WAS vs JAC- If the Jaguars can stop Rex Grossman, they keep their playoff hopes alive. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Jaguars win.
DET vs MIA- Detroit on a mini roll, the Dolphins sliding. What does this mean? Dolphins win of course. I rode the Lions momentum to a correct upset pick last week, but no more. Dolphins are a better all around team and playing for respect. Miami wins.
NYJ vs CHI- After seeing them take down the Steelers, I’m taking the Jets, and hoping they don’t have one of their random flunk games.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

123-85 on the season, here’s how it looks by team:
11-2: Giants
10-3: Lions, Cardinals, Saints, Panthers
9-4: Steelers, Ravens, Vikings, Falcons
8-5: Chiefs, Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins, Bills, Bengals, Rams, Buccaneers, Eagles
7-6: Raiders, Chargers, Texans, Colts, Packers
6-7: Broncos, Jets, Browns, 49ers, Seahawks, Cowboys, Redskins
5-8: Patriots, Bears,

NFC (49-29)
WSH vs DAL- Benching McNabb for Grossman is never a good sign, no matter what your take on McNabb is. The Redskins are a team that’s season is eroded. Meanwhile the Cowboys have been playing better, being a competitive team even in losses to the Saints and Eagles. Cowboys win.
DET vs TB- Detroit coming off a defensive win (I absolutely did not see a low scoring game coming there, much less 10 total points), and the Bucs coming off a victory over the Redskins place holder. The Buccaneers are still contending, and I signed off all faith in the Lions last week. Yet, going off of last week’s performances, I’m taking the Lions to win.
ARI vs CAR- Anyone over the Panthers, and Arizona showed that they’re capable of beating other bad teams last week. Cardinals win.
PHI vs NYG- Another possible let down game for the young Philadelphia Eagles, though I’m more worried about the Vikings next week if the Eagles win here, in terms of not showing up for the game. In their last meeting, both teams went away feeling like they easily could have won by at least two scores. Whoever can do a better job at cutting out mistakes and coming through in the clutch (I’ll take Vick over Eli here) gets the win. Another hard fought NFC East game, I’ll take the Eagles.
ATL vs SEA- Atlanta is 11-2, yet only has a one game lead in their division. No way they can afford to take their foot off the gas. Falcons win.
CHI vs MIN- Good bounce back opportunity for the Bears as the Vikings QB situation has gone from shaky to…I don’t even know what other quarterback they have if Favre doesn’t go (Jackson is on the IR). Bears win
AFC (42-33)
CLE vs CIN- In their earlier matchup, I think I remember saying that I wasn’t quite ready to bet on the Browns in this matchup. Now I’m more than ready, especially with Colt McCoy back at quarterback. Browns win.
HOU vs TEN- Two teams, two lost seasons. Two teams, one team with a lot more talent. Texans win.
JAC vs IND- The Colts have certainly not looked like themselves this season, especially Manning, but expect they to pass all over a Jaguars secondary that looked bad against the Raiders. Colts win.
BUF vs MIA- Could go either way. The Bills are playing for some respect and Dolphins are a pretty good football team. Dolphins win.
NYJ vs PIT- Will the Jets realize that they haven’t made the playoffs yet? Will they bounce back from a couple awful games? Will Santonio Holmes be fired up to scorch his former team? Or will the Steelers keep being the Steelers? Both the Steelers and Ravens face quality teams who are trying to catch their division leader and improve their playoff spot, making these two games crucial in deciding the AFC North. This game could be really good, but as of now, the Jets are shaky. Steelers win.
DEN vs OAK- The Broncos have lost the only remaining good part of their game-the passing offense. Raiders win.
IND (31-25)
SF vs SD- Chargers won!
KC vs STL- Iffy if Matt Cassell can go, but the Rams offense is much less formidable than that of the Chargers, so the Chiefs defense should be able to win this game. Chiefs win.
NO vs BAL- The other of the important AFC North games, the Saints have been on fire since a mediocre start. Meanwhile, the Ravens have showed a few kinks in their armor. The biggest drive to win, however, belongs to the Ravens, who have a much better chance of catching the Steelers than the Saints do of overtaking Atlanta. Ravens win.
GB vs NE- Looking for a statement game from Green Bay? Here’s a chance, though a statement it sure would be. The Patriots have looked as good as I can remember since the days of going for it on 4th down up by 40 to try to win by 50. Patriots win

Thursday, December 16, 2010

thursday night week 15

SD vs SF- Two teams that are one game out of first place...makes you think they're about the same...but sorry San Fransisco. The competition cooling down in the race for the NFC West title, I'm hoping to see a team with a really, really bad record make the playoffs...and get the 4th seed. Just to show the NFL how bad their seeding system is (though at least there's actually a playoff). Meanwhile, I'm cheering on the Chargers to make the playoffs after that sloppy start. Basically, the Chargers are better, though with these two teams, you never quite know. Chargers win