I finally once again resemble someone who has some clue what they're doing when it comes to weekly NFL picks. 12-2 in Week 11, then 12-4 in Week 12. Nothing wrong with those numbers. If the trend continues, my final record might still end up being somewhat respectable. Of course, it doesn't help when, like an idiot, I pick the Eagles, thinking they're going to resemble the actual NFL team that plays division games instead of the one that plays every other game. Yes, they were my preseason Super Bowl pick, but now I'm officially writing them off. I didn't think they were going to make this magical run that some were predicting and make the playoffs anyway, but it's certainly not going to happen now that the best they can do is 8-8. I kind of agree that Andy Reid needs to bite the bullet. Anyway, I've still got 15 more games to pick in Week 13, so here we go.
Titans (6-5) at Bills (5-6): Tennessee-The Bills were a nice story for a little while, but they're a shadow of the team that started the season 4-1. After getting completely manhandled by Dallas and Miami, they almost pulled it off against the Jets before Stevie Johnson's stupid penalty gave the Jets a short field that they used to score the winning touchdown. That's the way things have been going for the Bills lately. The surprising Titans are somehow still hanging in there in the AFC playoff race. They need a win here to keep pace with the Bengals, Jets and Co., and I think they'll get it.
Chiefs (4-7) at Bears (7-4): Chicago-When Denver cut Kyle Orton, it looked like he was headed back to Chicago as a fill-in for the guy he was traded for (Jay Cutler). But the Chiefs swept in and beat the Bears to him. As it turns out, Orton won't he starting for either team in his return to Chicago, though. The Chiefs almost knocked off the Steelers on national television last week with Tyler Palko at quarterback. Of course, their defense had a lot to do with it, but the bottom line is Kansas City was in the game. I expect the Bears to now make a run at Donovan McNabb, but he can't help them this week. Regardless, the Bears will recover from their loss in Oakland to maintain their hold on one of the NFC wild card spots.
Raiders (7-4) at Dolphins (3-8): Oakland-Turns out this isn't the Irrelevant Bowl. I'm not really sure what happened in the AFC West, but here we are in December with the Raiders in first place. The Dolphins have had 10 days off since they almost (and probably should've) beat Dallas on Thanksgiving, so they could be a pesky little opponent for the Raiders. But (and I can't believe I'm saying this), I'd be surprised if the Raiders don't win the AFC West. They'll beat Miami.
Broncos (6-5) at Vikings (2-9): Denver-After last week, I've learned my lesson. I still don't think Tim Tebow is all that good. But the University of Florida and its non-existent offense continues winning NFL games week after week. I'm not going to pick against them, especially against a bad Vikings team.
Colts (0-11) at Patriots (8-3): New England-Colts-Patriots is always one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the regular season. Could anyone even fathom when the season started that one of the marquee matchups on the schedule would be flexed out of Sunday night into the No. 6 regional early game on CBS? But it's been that kind of a year for the Colts. I found it funny that ESPN.com had a SportsNation poll question asking if the Colts should get rid of Eli Manning earlier today. No they shouldn't. They shouldn't get rid of Peyton Manning either. Oh yeah, it's pretty obvious that there's only one premier quarterback in this year's Colts-Patriots game. And it's not Dan Orlovsky.
Bengals (7-4) at Steelers (8-3): Pittsburgh-This might finally be the week when we can stop thinking of Cincinnati as a "playoff" team. Their early record was a mirage, as their losses to the Steelers and Ravens once they finally started playing division games indicates. Cincinnati got a win last week, but it was against the Browns. The Steelers, meanwhile, grinded out a tough win in Kansas City without Troy Polamalu for most of the game. I don't know if Polamalu's going to play this week, but I'll still take that Steelers defense on a December day at Heinz Field.
Panthers (3-8) at Buccaneers (4-7): Tampa Bay-So much for the Bucs being this year's sleeper team after that 10-6 season they had in 2010. They've lost five straight since beating the Saints in mid-October, but four of those games were against teams that currently hold playoff positions (Chicago, New Orleans, Houston, Green Bay) before last week's loss to the Titans. Carolina got a win last week, but that was against the Colts, so it comes with an asterisk. I'll go with Tampa Bay in the first meeting of the year between these two.
Jets (6-5) at Redskins (4-7): Jets-Of all the teams that are currently on the outside looking in at the playoff races, the Jets probably have the best shot of snagging a wild card berth. Their remaining schedule is fairly soft, starting with Sunday's game against the clueless Redskins. Washington did beat one New York team already this season. But that was back in September when they still resembled an NFL team. It won't happen again.
Falcons (7-4) at Texans (8-3): Houston-This became FOX's national early game almost by default (they only have two, and the other one is Carolina-Tampa Bay), but it's actually a pretty good matchup between legitimate playoff contenders. The Falcons have the same 7-4 record as the Bears and Lions, and they're only one game behind the first-place Saints, while the Texans lead the AFC South by two games and seem destined to make the first playoff appearance in franchise history. Of course, Houston is down to its third-string quarterback, though. My head tells me that Matt Ryan and the Falcons should win, but my gut tells me that the Texans are going to. I'm going to listen to my gut.
Ravens (8-3) at Browns (4-7): Baltimore-Random question: do Browns fans even care that the Ravens used to be the Browns when Baltimore comes to Cleveland anymore? The team that used to be the Browns is fighting for home field in the AFC. The team that's currently the Browns plays four of its final five games against the Ravens and Steelers. Which would you rather be?
Packers (11-0) at Giants (6-5): Green Bay-Back in 1998, the undefeated defending champion Broncos went into Giants Stadium in December and lost to the Giants. This was the one circled as the potential loss for Green Bay a couple weeks ago. The Giants are finally almost done with that brutal stretch where they play five first-place teams in six weeks. They were embarrassed in New Orleans on Monday night, but every NFL commentator (in fact, everyone who watches the NFL) agrees that seeing the Giants beat the Packers wouldn't be surprising. I'm not sure it happens, though. But let's keep in mind that a loss to the Packers in Lambeau last year kept the Giants out of the playoffs and got Green Bay in. They'd love to get a certain level of revenge by ending the undefeated season.
Cowboys (7-4) at Cardinals (4-7): Dallas-The Cowboys are becoming more dangerous as the season goes on. They've won four straight, pulling one out in overtime against Washington before their last-second victory over Miami on Thanksgiving. It appears narrow victories over bad teams have become the Cowboys' new thing. Since Arizona's a bad team, I think that probably happens again this week.
Rams (2-9) at 49ers (9-2): San Francisco-With a win, the 49ers will become the first team to clinch a playoff berth, as well as their first division title since 2002 (the Packers could also clinch the NFC North this week, but they need a win and losses by Detroit and Chicago). At this point, their clinching the NFC West is just a formality. The 49ers can't slip up against the Rams, though. They're fighting the Saints for the No. 2 seed.
Lions (7-4) at Saints (8-3): New Orleans-Since Roger Goddell didn't cover the "you're not allowed to stomp on a guy's arm, especially in a nationally televised game" part of the rule book in his meeting with Ndamukong Suh last month, the Lions' best player is suspended for two weeks for his idiotic behavior on Thanksgiving. (Personally, I think his lame "explanation" alone warranted a two-game suspension.) As a result, he has to miss Detroit's first Sunday night game in God knows how long. It doesn't help that the Saints play their best in nationally televised night games at the Superdome. Just ask the Colts and Giants about that. Without Suh, the Lions don't have a chance.
Chargers (4-7) at Jaguars (3-8): San Diego-The NFL saved this dud for our Monday night enjoyment. In fairness, they probably didn't expect the Chargers to be a last-place team that's currently on a six-game losing streak, but still. I can't think of a single person who would want to watch this game. Although, the Jaguars already had one home Monday night game this season, and (mostly thanks to Baltimore laying a total egg) they posted a thrilling 12-7 win over the Ravens in that one. Now they don't have a coach. I'm going to say San Diego, but does anyone really care? There's a new How I Met Your Mother on Monday night. Guess which one I'll be watching.
This Week: 0-1 (stupidly picked the Eagles for some reason)
Last Week: 12-4
Season: 111-66
No comments:
Post a Comment