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.

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 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

Week 14

For anyone who might still be reading this, can i remind you that I said the Browns/Dolphins game had the greatest chance of being a close one out of any game this season? I think a game winning FG with 4 seconds left counts as close.

11-5 the last two weeks, here are the picks:
NFC (43-28)
GB vs DET- My time expecting the Lions to step up and win a small handfull of games is over. A defense that wouldn't scare a European football team and an offense that has to pass all the time isn't going to do much. Packers win.
NYG vs MIN- Sydney Rice is back to phenomenal, make-something-great-out-of-a-brainless-toss-into-the-air play, and, am I actually saying this, Travaris Jackson might bring some spark back to the offense if Favre doesn't hobble his way onto the field to extend his consecutive games streak. But the Giants are too good of an overall team to get sniped by the Vikings. Giants win.
TB vs WSH- If you plan on making the playoffs without beating any plus .500 teams, you better win games like this. Buccaneers win.
ATL vs CAR- Why bother talking about it? ESPN's #1 vs #32 team.
SEA vs SF- Neither team has any measurable consistency, but again, I like the bigger upside of the 49ers. San Fransisco wins.
STL vs NO- The Rams haven't done any damage against winning teams, like a poor man's Buccaneers, and the Saints are on a roll. I'd look for the outside chance of this being a very interesting game, as Sam Bradford has played great for a rookie quarterback. Saints win.
PHI vs DAL- I don't care how bad one of the teams might be. I don't care that the Cowboys win over the Colts and near victory over the Saints were reliant almost entirely off stupid mistakes by the opponent (and overcoming quite a few of their own). Eagles Cowboys is never a brush off game. What I like is a Micahel Vick who has shown more ability to overcome adversity and bring his best game in the 4th quarter when it matters than Donovan did in his entire career. What I don't like is a Miles Austin that has a knack for tearing apart the Eagles secondary, even with Asante Samuel, and a Dallas defense that seems to be regaining a bit of its swagger from last year. Even though the Eagles are hands down the better team right now, all bets are off in matchups like these. Nevertheless, I'll take the Eagles to win.

AFC (37-31)
IND vs TEN- The Colts have been looking shaky as of late, but the Titans are no threatening opponent either. As long as manning doesn't throw another 4 interceptions, they should be fine.
CLE vs BUF- If this was college football, the Browns would be much higher in the ranks thanks to strength of schedule wins. If they can avoid lowering their play to an inferior team that has been turning a few heads as of late, they keep the positives building to take into next year. Browns win.
CIN vs PIT- How will the Bengals manage to lose this one? Steelers win.
OAK vs JAC- Bigger surprise: Chiefs or Jaguars? I say Jaguars, not because I thought that the Cheifs would be better, but there's no way that I would have thought they'd rise to the top of a division with the Colts and the looking good Texans, not to mention the possible Cinderella Titans, had you asked me in August. I still don't know what kind of play to expect from up and down Raiders, but I'm liking Jacksonville. Jaguars win.
MIA vs NYJ- Good season for the Dolphins, and this is a must win game if they want to get back into the race, but the Jets don't have any intention of losing to another division opponent after an embarrassing beat down by the Patriots. Jets win.
KC vs SD- Wouldn't been a very interesting game, but Matt Cassell is out. If the Chiefs can recreate their week 1 bull crap win with defense, special teams, and a non existent passing game, then they'll deserve all the kudos in the world. But until then, I'm taking the Chargers. Chargers win.
BAL vs HOU- The Texans train has pulled into the station. Season's all but over. All it'll take to say a final farewell to it, is a beating by a much superior Ravens team. Ravens win.

INT (30-24)
DEN vs ARI- Ugg, hate picking games like this. Though at least the Brocos offense has been doing a few good things. Arizona on the other hand hasn't looked all that great. Broncos pick up a rare win.
NE vs CHI- Well if we don't know if the Bears are for real yet, we will after this game. The Patriots offense looks like it could beat anybody right now, and the Bears bring a worthy opponent. If Jay Cutler can get his good side on the field, they'll make this a game, but it's hard to bet against the Patriots right now. Patriots win.

Week 13 Picks

Last week's team by team record:
9-2: Lions, Cardinals, Giants
8-3: Bills, Vikings, Panthers, Saints
7-4: Dolphins, Steelers, Ravens, Packers, Falcons
6-5: Raiders, Chargers, Chiefs, Jaguars, Titans, Colts, Jets, Bengals, Rams, Buccaneers, Eagles (now 7-5)
5-6: Broncos, Texans (now 6-6), Browns, 49ers, Cowboys
4-7: Patriots, Seahawks, Redskins
3-8: Bears


NFC
CHI vs DET – It’s about time someone gives the Bears some credit. All they’ve done is kept winning but whether it be the aura of Jay Cutler or some other reason, nobody has wanted to say they’re good. But no worries, whether they’re a Super Bowl team or not, they’re a whole lot better than the Lions. Bears win.
SF vs GB- Upset pick!!! Green Bay’s non-existent running game will eventually come back to hurt them, and I’m going with the San Francisco resurgence to shock a few people. 49ers win.
WSH vs NYG- The Giants are on a bit of rough stretch, but should be able to beat off the Redskins who are struggling. Giants win.
CAR vs SEA- Even if Howard Dean gave the Seahawks their pep speech, I’d still have no worries about them being able to beat the hapless Panthers. Seahawks win.
ATL vs TB- The clock is running out for the Buccaneers to beat someone good and build a case for their credibility. After Sunday, the clock will have run out. Falcons win.
STL vs ARI- The Rams are looking pretty decent. Given their division, they’re looking great. Rams win.

AFC
JAC vs TEN- The Titans are down and out, the Jaguars are rising into the late blooming surprise wild card contender. Jaguars win.
DEN vs KC- Even if Howard Dean was the Chiefs quarterback, he’d still be able to get the ball to Dwayne Bowe. Chiefs win.
CLE vs MIA- This’ll be a close tough game. If I had to pick one game out of the whole season that I’m convinced will be close, this would probably be it. Neither offense is going to run away with it, and both teams will make big plays on both sides of the ball. But I like me them Browns. Browns win.
OAK vs SD- The Chargers have finally filled the cracks in an otherwise excellent team and continue their playoff surge.
PIT vs BAL- Last time these two teams met, it came down to the wire. Now, Roethlisberger is at quarterback, making the Steelers offense much more formidable, though it remains to be seen what extent the foot injury is. And I wish no harm on anyone, but if James Harrison keeps playing such a mindless style of football, he’ll eventually send someone to the IR and get himself suspended. Again, I’m not hoping for it, but in this rivalry game where he’ll be especially angry, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Flacco or perhaps a WR go down. Teams like this tend to split regular season meetings and then it’s free game in the playoffs. Steelers win.
NYJ vs NE- Hey, anyone good enough to beat the Patriots, you know I’m going to pick them. How New England is doing so well with such a bad defense is beyond me. A little Pre-Super Bowl Colts perhaps? They might do well, but I find their team build to be highly vulnerable in playoff football. Jets win.

INT
PHI vs HOU- Picked the Eagles and they won.
NO vs CIN- Who Dey? Who Dat? Matchup of the two NFL teams with the stupidest catch phrases/cheers/whatever the crap who dey/dat is supposed to be. But that’s the only thing they have in common. Good team. Bad team. Team players. T.O. and Ocho Cinco. Yeah, there’s a vast difference between the two clubs. Saints win.
BUF vs MIN- Buffalo is turning into a decent team, especially down the stretch when it doesn’t matter. I like those teams that bloom late and have nothing to play for other than a little respect and pride. And I don’t like very much about the Vikings right now. Bills win.
DAL vs IND- High scoring game. Seems like I’ve said that about the last few Cowboys games. And it seems to have turned out pretty much like that. But no way the Cowboys defense comes up with 4 picks off of Manning. Colts win.

Eagles vs Texans Thursday Night

Getting this pick in before the rest. Thursday night features the Houston Texans who are fighting to save their playoff hopes, and the Philadelphia Eagles coming off a streak ending loss to Chicago. The Texans finally showed the thing they were lacking last week: defense. A shut out of anyone is impressive. Even if it was a rookie quarterback, they still have Chris Johnson, a threat to score any time. The much more balanced attack of the Eagles should put them back to the highly vulnerable defense they've looked like for much of the season. On the other side of the ball, the Texans offense hasn't looked like the juggernaut that we saw early in the season over the last few weeks. However, the Eagles defense has been a mystery of its own. They're not going to shut down an offense like the Texans, but they certainly have the potential to slow them down and contain them when need be. We saw them do this against Peyton Manning as well as shut down the Packers offense after falling behind, allowing an almost comeback. But we've also seen them get burned by the likes of Kenny Britt and Jay Cutler. both of those games, however, came after a big win against the Falcons (then considered tops in the NFC) and the Giants (to take over the NFC East). The youth of the Eagles team seems to have played into these let-downs a lot. So will the Eagles re-focus in time for Thursday Night? Will they be able to match Houston's desperation? We'll see. Eagles win