Saturday, October 29, 2011

Week 8 Picks

First, a team that had no business making the playoffs, only doing so because somebody else pissed away a three-game lead with five games left, wins the World Series.  Then, there's a freakin' snowstorm in New York in October.  Maybe Hell really has frozen over.  That might explain why I've been doing so horribly in my NFL picks this season.  It might be all the upsets and crazy things that have happened during the first seven weeks, but I haven't been on top of my game at all.  Now that baseball season's over, I'm hoping that'll change.  Starting with this week.
  • Colts (0-7) at Titans (3-3): Tennessee-I'm sticking with my policy of picking whoever's playing the Colts until Indy finally picks up a win.  Especially after last week's debacle.  Fortunately, I was watching the baseball game instead of that embarrassment.
  • Saints (5-2) at Rams (0-6): New Orleans-New Orleans moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 in the AP Poll after thumping Youngstown State (the Colts) in its homecoming game.  The Saints continue looking to improve their BCS standing this week, as they continue their journey through the NFL's version of I-AA with a matchup against Alabama A&M (the Rams) in St. Louis.  I'm surprised they're actually going on the road for one of these contests.  It's obviously not a guarantee game for Alabama A&M.
  • Dolphins (0-6) at Giants (4-2): Giants-After last week, I'm truly convinced after last week that the Dolphins are taking this "Suck for Luck" thing to heart and losing on purpose.  It's Miami's second game at MetLife Stadium in 13 days.  They lost the first one, and they'll lose this one, too.
  • Vikings (1-6) at Panthers (2-5): Minnesota-The Vikings looked like a different team last week under Christian Ponder.  Maybe he is the quarterback of the future after all.  If not for Ponder vs. Newton, this matchup would be completely unwatchable.  It'll still be bad football, but it'll at least be slightly more entertaining.  Oh yeah, and the Vikings will win.
  • Cardinals (1-5) at Ravens (4-2): Baltimore-What happened last Monday in Jacksonville?  Seriously.  I have no idea.  I put the game after the World Series ended and it was 12-7 with two minutes left.  That must've been some thrilling football I missed.  The Ravens are too good to lose to a team like Jacksonville, but they did.  As a result, they'll take it out on the Cardinals.
  • Jaguars (2-5) at Texans (4-3): Houston-I can take some comfort in the fact that as bad as I've done in my picks this year, at least I was right that this might finally be Houston's year.  The Texans took over first place by completely steamrolling the Titans last week in Nashville.  This time, they get to play a division game at home.  The result will be the same.
  • Redskins (3-3) vs. Bills (4-2) in Toronto: Buffalo-The Bills play their annual "home" game North of the Border, and the matchup is a good one between surprise playoff contenders.  And it might be the best game those SkyDome fans get to see this year after what the Argos (currently 5-12 with one game left) have made them watch.  Reality is starting to set in for Washington.  One Canadian point is worth two American points, so the Bills will end up scoring a lot of them.
  • Lions (5-2) at Broncos (2-4): Detroit-After starting the season 5-0, the Lions have come back to Earth a little bit with back-to-back losses against San Francisco and Atlanta.  Do I need to explain the differences between the 49ers and Falcons, two NFC playoff contenders, and Denver?  Tebow somehow pulled one out in Miami.  But keep in mind that the Dolphins aren't good.  The Lions, however, are.
  • Patriots (5-1) at Steelers (5-2): Pittsburgh-This showdown of first-place teams is easily the Game of the Week.  The Ravens' collapse in Jacksonville combined with the Steelers' win in Phoenix last week moved Pittsburgh into the driver's seat in the AFC North for the first time this season.  Meanwhile, New England has lost only to Buffalo and boasts the best record in the conference.  These are obviously the two best teams in the AFC, and they're very evenly matched.  I'm expecting a close one here.  And a Steelers victory.
  • Browns (3-3) at 49ers (5-1): San Francisco-Little known fact about the Browns and 49ers: these two teams dominated the old AAFC so much, it lead to the league's collapse, and they were both absorbed into the NFL when the leagues merged in 1950.  60 years later, the 49ers are a first-place team coming off a big win in Detroit and their bye.  They've only played six games and they already have a three-game lead in the pathetic NFC West.  The 49ers are going to the playoffs.  And a win over Cleveland will help them keep pace with the Packers, who are off this week.
  • Bengals (4-2) at Seahawks (2-4): Seattle-I'm not sure how Cincinnati is 4-2 or how they're just a half-game out in the AFC North.  Seattle isn't good and is coming off a thrilling 6-3 loss in Cleveland.  Yet, I'm taking the Seahawks for some reason.
  • Cowboys (3-3) at Eagles (2-4): Philadelphia-The Sunday night game is a good one this week.  The Eagles need a win and are coming off their bye week.  Andy Reid has never lost in the game following the bye.  He'll have his team ready for its hated division rivals.  They'll still have a lot of work to do to make the playoffs, but it can be done from 3-4.  2-5, though, makes things significantly tougher.
  • Chargers (4-2) at Chiefs (3-3): San Diego-Monday night gives us an AFC West showdown.  Last year, the Chiefs won this one on a Monday night in Week 1, and it got them going on the way to a dvision title.  Kansas City snapped Oakland's winning streak in division games last weekend, while the Chargers blew an early lead in a loss to the Jets.  In fairness, though, the Jets needed that win and played like it.  Anyway, that loss brought san Diego back to the pack a little bit.  A Kansas City win this week creates a three-way tie for first place between these two and Oakland at 4-3.  I don't think that happens, though.  The Chargers will rebound from last week's loss and nab a division road win.
Last Week: 7-6 (not good, I know)
Season: 64-39

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