It's that time of the week again. I take a break from my frustrations of posting about the Ravens horribly disappointing season to give my opinions on all the other teams, both good and bad. After going 2-1 on Turkey-Day (I had the Lions, 'Boys and Colts), I will pick the remaining games, except for the Ravens-Chargers, which I will preview and pick Sunday morning. For those looking for a winner to place a little of your hard earned wages on, remember, I am only picking the winner, not against the spread, and furthermore, I am not a professional, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night!
Here goes:
St. Louis over Seattle
Yes, I know the Seahawks will still win the NFC West, as they could probably finish 8-8 and make the playoffs. However, Bulger is heating up and Seattle hasn't looked too good on the road.
NY Giants over Minnesota
The Vikes have looked good this season, but only occasionally at home. They're yukky on the road. The Giants will pick them apart on offense and smother them on defense.
Jacksonville over Buffalo
Marshawn Lynch will probably lose the Rookie of the Year race to AP. However, he means a lot more to his team than AP does. The Jags defense, especially at home, will help bring them a victory and set up a tough meeting with the Colts in Indy next week for the AFC South lead.
Carolina over New Orleans
I really, really want to pick the Saints here. Bit I'm not too sure if the Saints really, really want to win. All season they play great one game, then lay an egg the next. Even against a mediocre Panthers team led by the old man at QB, I think they're due for another egg.
Tampa Bay over Washington
Perhaps the Eagles should have kept Jeff Garcia, as he has led the Bucs to what I expect to be the NFC South Division title. The Bucs defense will keep the 'Skins out of the endzone enough to allow Garcia to pick apart an injured Redskins secondary.
Cleveland over Houston
Browns QB Derek Anderson has proved to be the real deal, to Brady Quinn's diappointment. The Browns have looked pretty good at home, especially against the weaker teams. Houston is one of these weaker teams.
Cincinnati over Tennessee
The Bengals will probably give up 200 yards on the ground to the Titans. However, Carson Palmer will throw enough TD passes to keep the score too high for Vince Young to compete with.
Kansas City over Oakland
To me, this would be the perfect game to roll out rookie #1 pick JaMarcus Russell against the Chiefs. His reign in Oakland should start somewhere and the Raiders have no reason to wait any longer. That said, despite LJ's injury and Priest Holmes' retirement, the Chiefs defense will help the offense get it done at home.
Arizona over San Francisco
The Cardinals gave one away to the 49ers in the last few minutes in the first game of the season. Believe it or not, the 49ers are actually even worse now than they were then. The Cardinals are actually a pretty good team, but have been hurt by injuries. Won't matter today - Cards win.
Chicago over Denver
The Broncos are in the hunt for the AFC West title. However, as good as they have looked at home, they've been the complete opposite on the road. The Bears' defense is still pretty good and will look to pressure Jay Cutler all day. Meanwhile, Rex Grossman will play his typical game, looking poor most of it, but completing one long TD pass to Bernard Berrian for the game winner.
New England over Philadelphia
What!? Really!? Way to go out on a limb, eh? Without Donovan McNabb, this may be the biggest pointspread in NFL betting history, and I'm not even picking based on the spread! Houston, the Eagle has landed!
Pittsburgh over Miami
The schedule gods must love the Steelers. Why do they get these national TV games at home against the worst teams in the league to beat up on? At the same time, notice how the Steelers always win these games at home (Ravens) and then blow them on the road (Broncos, Cardinals, Jets)? True? I think so. Fair? I think not. Sorry, Dolphins.
Season Record: 42-29 (includes Thanksgiving's games)
Last week: 11-5