Well, I certainly got off to a great start by correctly picking all three Thanksgiving Day games. At the same time, when you look at the games, two of them were no brainers, but I knew that Donovan McNabb and the Eagles would bounce back against another west coast team that just can't win on this coast (Arizona).
As for the rest of the weekend's games, here we go. Let me know which ones you disagree with and see if you can match up with the real "Swami!"
Buffalo over San Francisco: Even though the Bills put a 50-spot on the Chiefs last week, I'm not convinced they are a playoff contender. At the same time, they're playing the 49ers, who also won't be able to break the West Coast-to-East Coast jinx.
Indianapolis over Cleveland: While I'd love for Cleveland's Derek Anderson to confuse the Browns fans even more by pulling off the upset, the Colts are playing as well as anybody in the league right now and are aiming for a All-Manning Super Bowl (you heard it here first!).
Green Bay over Carolina: The Packers have played real tough at home for the most part this season, while the Panthers are not the same team away from home. Green Bay needs this game to stay in the playoff hunt, and Carolina needs it as well to stay ahead of the rest of the NFC South.
Miami over St. Louis: Can you believe that people are picking the Dolphins to win a road game after last year's 1-15 record (wonder who they beat for their lone win)? Now the Rams are playing out their season while Miami still believe it is in the hunt for the post season.
New Orleans over Tampa Bay: Here we go with my Upset Pick of the Week, as I see the Saints on a roll offensively and even though their defense is not that good, they should be able to outscore the relatively weak Bucs offense.
NY Giants over Washington: The Giants are the best team in the NFL right now and that shouldn't change this week. The Redskins are not going to be able to run the ball and their passing attack won't do enough to stay in the game.
San Diego over Atlanta: The Falcons have been one of the league's biggest surprises this year and now San Diego gets to see firsthand how well Michael Turner is doing as a featured back since he left the Chargers. However, Phil Rivers should still be able to throw enough TD passes to win, especially since he's on my fantasy team and I'm sitting him in favor of the Pat's Matt Cassel this week (I sat Cassel the past two weeks, which is part of the reason I'm in last place).
New England over Pittsburgh: I'm making this pick on on two fronts. First is that I want the Pats to help our Ravens in the hunt for the AFC North title; and secondly, I think New England will protect its home turf against the top defense in the league. Matt Cassel has played lights out and I still expect him to find success against Pittsburgh, as the Steelers corners are hurting and there's this guy named Moss going against them.
NY Jets over Denver: The Jets just will have way too much firepower over a horrible Broncos defense and while Jay Cutler has been lighting it up for Denver, New York's defense will slow them down enough to win.
Oakland over Kansas City: I've picked the Chiefs unsuccessfully too many times and now I'm officially off their bandwagon. The thing is that I picked a poor week to do so, as the Raiders are just perhaps a point or two better than them at best. This one goes to the Raiders in a real snoozer.
Houston over Jacksonville (Monday Night Football): Once again the NFL braintrust must have been wasted when they thought this game would be of some interest to the rest of the nation other than those two cities. Both teams have been huge disappointments, especially the Jaguars, who were thought to contest for the AFC South title this season. Houston lost their starting QB, Matt Schaub, so they have an excuse, but should still beat an extremely inconsistent Jacksonville squad. Other than that, who really cares?
(NOTE: As usual, I'll pick & pan the Ravens-Bengals game tomorrow.)
Last Week: 9-6
Season Record: 114-65-1 (including Thanksgiving games)