When I look at the list of match-ups for week 15, I find myself having a strange conflict between what I think should happen and then what my gut tells me. For instance: I'll be going on faith in the Cowboys superiority when I pick them on the road in Carolina, but I have a hunch they're looking at an upset. Same goes for New Orleans hosting the Eagles, Seattle hosting Baltimore, and San Diego hosting the Broncos. I'll probably go with the home team, the team with the better record, but in each case, I have a certain feeling. As I go through my picks, the challenge will be sticking with my brain and ignoring those hunches. But is that fun? I don't know . . .
Pittsburgh @ St. Louis
I don't think I'll have any such problems with this game. Pittsburgh has rebounded well from their losses this year, and I don't see St. Louis as the kind of team that can usher in the first losing streak of the season for the Steelers. I doubt it'll be a bloodbath, but I don't see it being real close, either.
Steelers over Rams, 27-13
Dallas @ Carolina
Here's what I know: the Cowboys have yet to lose on the road this season, and the Panthers are one of the NFL's worst home teams. Carolina will probably have Matt Moore at quarterback again, they're out of the hunt, and they stink. Dallas, on the other hand, is pretty healthy (aside from Tony Romo's thumb), has a chance to wrap up home-field throughout the NFC playoffs, and apart from that horrible home loss on Sunday, they've looked pretty great all year. But . . . BUT, they did look really awful on Sunday, whereas Carolina just got their first home win, and over an NFC playoff team, too. I don't know, this could be an upset special. Shoot. Ah, stick with the better team.
Cowboys over Panthers, 31-17
Kansas City @ Detroit
I won't be shocked either way, but the Lions are a hell of a lot more talented, plus Herm Edwards did just tell Kansas City fans to "get over it" regarding the team's seven straight losses. Hey, dickwad, you do know you're being paid to win football games, right? Like, that's your whole job, right there. Maybe "get over it" isn't the attitude you want to have about the fact that your team hasn't won in almost two months.
Lions over Chiefs, 28-20
Houston @ Indianapolis
You know what? I don't have a lot of energy right now. Sometimes you just pick the better team and walk away.
Colts over Texans, 24-21
Oakland @ Jacksonville
Jacksonville is hot, the Raiders are not.
Jaguars over Raiders, 35-7
Green Bay @ Chicago
I don't see Kyle Orton leading the Bears to a victory, even at home. Green Bay is playing for home-field throughout, they might get it!
Packers over Bears, 20-10
New York Giants @ Buffalo
Only one way to pick this game. The Giants are in full-blown collapse mode, I swear. If the Bills don't win, it'll be a choke job on their part. Look for an ugly offensive game from the Giants, who'll have one less target for Eli Manning to throw to now that Shockey is done. I can't wait until the Giants have to beat the 15-0 Patriots in the final week to get into the playoffs.
Bills over Giants, 27-18
Philadelphia @ New Orleans
I'm not going out on a limb with the Eagles, not anymore. I could have last Sunday, I would have been riding high after their upset of the Cowboys. But I've done it too many times this season and been wrong, I'm not picking them on the road against a team with playoff hopes. Plus, if the Saints win out, they put maximum pressure on the Giants to win against the Pats. On the other hand, I could be undermining an outside shot that the Skins get to the playoffs by hoping the Saints knock out the Giants. If the Skins and Saints both win out, the Saints are in, provided the Giants don't win another game. If the Skins win out, the Saints lose and the Giants lose both, the Skins are in. But, BUT, if the Skins win out they get in over the Vikings anyway. The Skins control their own destiny, how about that? Go Saints!
Saints over Eagles, 27-21
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Could the Bengals jump up and sting the Browns on their unlikely march to the playoffs? Sure. I'm not picking the Bengals. I love the Browns, and they've been good to me. I'm stickin' with 'em.
Browns over Bengals, 37-24
Atlanta @ Arizona
Gotta go with the Cardinals. They're just better.
Cardinals over Falcons, 24-14
Tampa Bay @ San Francisco
Never pick the 49ers.
Bucs over 49ers, 21-10
Miami @ New England
Honestly, I'm picking this game this way because that's what it's going to be, a blow-out. If the streak continues, hey, I won't complain. I hope I'm wrong, I hope the Phins bite 'em.
Patriots over Dolphins by a huge, huge margin
Baltimore @ Seattle
Both teams stink. The 2007 Seahawks are the 2006 Ravens, in that next year they'll be in the toilet after having done nothing in the playoffs. Screw this game.
Seahawks over Ravens, 28-16
New York Jets @ Tennessee
Tennessee is better and is technically alive in the playoff hunt. Plus they're at home.
Titans over Jets, 20-14
Washington @ Minnesota
Here's the thing: all year long I've picked the Redskins, with two exceptions: I did not pick them against the Patriots, and I did not pick them last Sunday. In games where I've picked them, they're an even .500. In games where I did not pick them, they're an even .500. So there's no trend I can fall back on to improve their chances of upsetting the Vikings. Here's what I know: it will be very difficult for the Skins to stop the Vikings offense. Not because Tarvaris Jackson will be able to pass the ball much, but because the Skins have only a decent rush defense, they just lost Rocky McIntosh for the season, and the Vikings are the NFL's best rushing team. There have been a number of times this season where the Vikings have failed to establish the ground game, but nearly all those instances involved Brad Childress inexplicably going away from it. Incidentally, Tarvaris Jackson was not playing in any of those games. I think Childress knows that in order for his young QB to be successful, the Vikings have to establish the running game first, and especially against a defense that has given fits to all but one or two quarterbacks this season, I expect him to pound the ball. If he does that, and they are successful, the chances of the Skins pulling this one off are very slim. On the other side of the ball, the Skins will obviously try to establish the ground game, that's what they do. Of late, their offensive line has done a pretty outstanding job in both running and passing situations. Todd Collins is not the sort of quarterback that will toss balls into the teeth of the defense or take a lot of chances. I expec this game to move at light speed, with both teams pounding the football and dinking and dunking, trying to put together long drives and control the clock. The team that a) wins the time of possession, b) limits big plays, and c) wins the turnover battle will win the game. Time of possession will come down to third down completions, I expect the Skins to do a better job in their passing game, so I'll give them the nod there. Neither team has been real prone to giving up big plays, but the Vikings have shown the ability to create more big plays, both in the running game and in the passing game. On the other hand, there was a big stretch of the season where the Vikings were a bad pass defense, so this one might be a push. Because they've been playing better pass defense of late, I expect the Vikings to win the big-play battle. The final determining factor is this: the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. Adrian Peterson has been fumble prone, Tarvaris Jackson has more interceptions than touchdowns on the year, including three picks last Sunday. Todd Collins, on the other hand, has not turned the ball over in his two starts and one of the only things we know about Collins is that he's pretty conservative with the ball and makes good decisions. Portis has had fumble problems in the past, Ladell Betts has had fumble problems in the past, even Santana Moss has had fumble problems. This one is too close to call. Because I can't stand picking against the Skins, even on the road in Minnesota . . . wait . . . in Minnesota . . . hmmmmmm . . . when was the last time Joe Gibbs coached a team in Minnesota . . . was that the Super Bowl? The Super Bowl he won over the Bills? The one my mom went to? Yeah, the Vikings are dead meat.
Redskins over Vikings, 35-3 That's right, bitches. A blow-out.
Denver @ San Diego
I could see Denver winning this game. It could happen. If Norv Turner is smart, he'll give the ball to LT as often as possible early in the game and get a huge lead. Why? Two things we know about the Broncos: they kinda stink on the road and they don't play well from behind.
Chargers over Broncos, 28-17
Sorry I didn't have more to say with these picks. I thought I would, but I ran out of gas. Go Skynards!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Taking Care of Business.
So, it turned out this weekend was all about whether or not teams could take care of business. Sometimes that meant a playoff hopeful gritting out a tough win at home, other times a veteran team going on the road to dispatch a lesser foe, but in almost all games, there was a theme of one team needing the win more than another, and that team either stepping up and getting the win or showing their true colors and folding under pressure. The Packers took care of business; the Giants did not. All in all, I thought it was a pretty fascinating weekend of football.
And let's get right to it:
Texans over Broncos, 31-13
My Pick: Texans over Broncos, 28-21
Could I have been a little closer? Yeah, sure, but I still feel like I nailed it. The Texans played a great game from beginning to end, and the Broncos, while competent, just aren't real good on the road and are even worse when behind. I think the corner duo on Denver is highly, HIGHLY over-rated; in fact, I thought Champ Bailey was highly over-rated when he was a Redskin too. He was eaten alive by Andre Johnson on multiple occasions, and Sage Rosenfels found Ken Walter and Owen Daniels all over the field too. Dre Bly had a pick: GREAT! But the ball landed right in his lap. The fact is, the few times I've seen the Broncos play this season, I've seen receivers and quarterbacks move up and down the field throwing the ball, including Brett Favre torching the Denver secondary and now Rosenfels. Here's the thing: I don't believe in the shut-down corner, I think it's one of the big myths of professional football. Deion Sanders was the last shut-down corner, the only one I can remember that actually closed his guy out on a consistent basis. People talk about Champ Bailey not giving up touchdowns: woopty-doo! Did you know Mike McKenzie gave up his first touchdown of the season in the Saints game against Atlanta? How valuable has that statistic been for the Saints? Let's see: they're the 30th ranked pass defense in football! Here's my point: I don't see Dre Bly and Champ Bailey shutting guys down, I see them getting burned. If the Broncos didn't have one of the worst rush defenses in football, their overpaid corners would be getting exposed nightly. Is it a coincidence that the Broncos and Raiders are ranked in the top 10 in pass defense, and in the bottom 5 in rush defense? Are the Raiders corners right up there with the "elite" guys in Denver? Apparently so.
49ers over Bengals, 20-13
My Pick: Bengals over 49ers, 38-16
This is how bad the Bengals are. Really. It's not one part of their team, it's the whole team, and it starts with the utter lack of leadership among the players. You know, this is just one of those games you don't lose when you're finally healthy, when you're playing for pride and the right to insist you're better than your record, and you're trying to finish your season with a little momentum and scrape your way out of the AFC cellar. Not when you've got some of the NFL's biggest stars and most prolific players on your offense. Not when Shaun Hill is starting for a 49ers team that hasn't even been competitive in the majority of their games this season. This Bengals team plays like they just don't know how to win. I've watched them this season, and I won't say they don't want to win, just that they don't know how. They don't know how to be on the same page, give a consistent, strong effort, do the little things, stay focused and intense, and just win a football game. They only know one formula for success, and that's by putting 45 points on the board and hoping the other team can't match 'em. I'd pick pretty much any team in the NFL to beat them if they could hold the Bengals under 28 points, and not because their defense is that bad, but because when they fail to put up huge numbers, they start pressing, they bicker, they turn selfish and frustrated, and they start making stupid mistakes that kill them. There's no way the 49ers have a good enough defense to hold the Bengals to 13 points, but when the Bengals aren't clicking early, they implode. As for San Francisco, they've won 2 of 4, their best stretch of football since week 2. That's pretty pathetic, but since .500 football is about the best the 49ers can do right now, it's nice to see them have this "success" at the end of the season, it'll be something to build on next year.
Jaguars over Steelers, 29-22
My Pick: Jaguars over Steelers, 20-17
I knew it! Nobody, NOBODY wants to play the Jaguars. They don't turn the ball over, their defense is outstanding, they run the ball extremely well, and they kill a lot of clock with their offense. They're built for playoff football, cold-weather playoff football where if you can put a few scoring drives together and play stout defense, you can beat anybody. And, AND they just went into Pittsburgh and got the first win for a visitor all season. They needed this win, sure, but the Steelers REALLY needed this win. The Steelers finish out with a tougher schedule than the Browns, who have now drawn into a half-tie with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North. I call it a "half-tie" because the Steelers swept the season series with the Browns and hold the critical tie-breaker. The Steelers finish up with two winnable road games, in St. Louis and in Baltimore, but this team has been wild on the road and an AFC North road game is never a sure thing. Cleveland, on the other hand, goes to Cincinnati and then hosts the 49ers. The Bengals are bottoming out and a home game against the Niners with the division on the line is a nice way to finish up. The Steelers are a team that REALLY failed to take care of business, not just this week, but in several of their losses this season. They're not very consistent, are they? What do you depend on in their offense? Ben Roethlisberger has had a great season, but he's not always able to move the ball and he'll pull a "Favre" and kill his team. Willie Parker is a great runner, but he sometime takes 25 carries and disappears with them. On the road in the playoffs, I'd have a hard time picking them, even in Cleveland, but especially in Indy, at New England, in Jacksonville, or even in San Diego. I don't know, I felt a lot better about this team a month ago.
Bucs over Falcons, 37-3
My Pick: Bucs over Falcons, 21-10
Somewhere in Arkansas, while his neighbor has sex with a cow outside his window, Bobby Petrino is laughing his ass off about this one. There were probably quite a few Falcons players talking a good one about how Petrino was bad for the team, bad for chemistry, and the team was better off without him. All true. Then the all important moment came when they had to either a) give a real effort in a football game for 90 minutes, or b) mail it in and make plans for their winter vacations, and the decision was, apparently, pretty fuckin' easy. Look, I know Atlanta's players have had to deal with a lot this season, but this kind of effort is really disturbing. They went into Tampa Bay and didn't give two shits about winning the game, that's the only way you can go down 27-3 in the first half to a division foe. As for Petrino, the only slim hope in hell he has of ever coming back to the NFL, even 15 years from now, is for Atlanta to look significantly worse without him than they did with him. The Bucs were a team the REALLY took care of business on Sunday, grabbing the lead early and running away with it, big time. In their pursuit of the NFC South crown, they took even this game seriously and never gave Atlanta a chance to play spoiler. Good for them. Now that they've taken their division, it's time to start resting some guys. This team is Karen Carpenter thin, across the board, and more than any other team in the NFL, they cannot afford any more significant injuries headed into the playoffs. They finish up at San Francisco and then hosting the Panthers: they'll want to win at least one of those games, but not at the expense of another big injury to a key guy. If they can wrap up the win in San Francisco, they'll probably start pulling guys and then play the practice squad at home against Carolina. I'd expect another big, aggressive start next weekend for the Bucs, in an attempt to put the Niners away early.
Panthers over Seahawks, 13-10
My Pick: Seahawks over Panthers, 31-13
Ha ha, those fraudulent Seahawks. There was no taking care of business in this one. The Panthers took down a team with no guts that never gives a consistent effort. Seriously, how awful is this Seattle team? They'd better hope the Bucs overtake them, otherwise they're gonna get humiliated in the opening round of the playoffs by the Vikings. All that BS about the Seahawks building great momentum for the post-season goes out the window. Have a little pride, Seahawks! Don't they care that they look like the laughing stock of all playoff teams? Seriously, of ALL playoff teams, they look like the softest, crappiest bunch, coming out of the weakest, worst division in football, and they can't even go on the road and take down a woeful Panthers team that hadn't won at home all year and started their NFL record 4th quarterback of the season, an undrafted rookie. I can't STAND the Seahawks, for the last 3-4 years they've been sitting atop that laughing-stock of an NFL division, padding their way to 9+ wins without even a shred of a chance of winning it all, with a roster full of over-hyped, overpaid pretty boys. Yuk. Yuk yuk yuk. As for the Panthers, way to play spoiler! When you don't have much left to play for except pride, hell, at least you played with pride. There are a lot of questions to be answered in Carolina in the off-season, it's a shame that very few of them can even be addressed as this season winds down. I think we all know Moore isn't the future of this team, but even more than that, is there a unit on this team that isn't a question mark? The receivers are consistently enigmatic, all parts of the defense are underperforming, the quarterback spot has been up-and-down for years, and the committee at tailback isn't exactly dominant. Still, for embarrassing the crappy Seahawks, they've got a fan-for-a-week in this guy.
Packers over Rams, 33-14
My Pick: Packers over Rams, 30-10
There you go, a professional team with home-field in the playoffs on the line stepping up and doing the job. I LOVE the Packers, and not only because I almost nailed the final score in this game. They have a great chance to snag the top seed in the NFC, and that'll make them one of the toughest outs in the final twelve, because no team wants to try to win a road playoff game in Lambeau, not even the great-but-slipping Cowboys. They go to Chicago next and then finish up at home against the Lions, in a game that could very well earn them the top seed. As for the Rams, you're supposed to score more than 14 points when your runningback erupts for 170 total yards and a touchdown, especially when you have one of the highest paid quarterbacks in football. I mean, the Rams did what they were supposed to do in this game, which was suck and lose, so I won't give them too much crap, but it's hard to know what to make of this team, or what to expect of them next year. On paper, they have their back, their quarterback, their top wide-out, and an assortment of other pieces, but as we've seen this season, none of those guys are able to lift the team above mediocrity if they sustain a few injuries. If they stay healthy next season, I guess they could finish anywhere in the pecking order of their division, but let's remember, it is the NFC West.
Dolphins over Ravens, 22-16
My Pick: Ravens over Dolphins, 14-13
I said this: "I want so badly to pick the Dolphins in this game. Forget their schedule up to this point, this is the best chance they've had all year to win a game. The Ravens are SUCH pretenders, SUCH phony, lousy pieces of washed up crap, and are so ready to punch the clock on this season and settle into their comfy chairs to watch the playoffs. The Dolphins, on the other hand, need a win so badly before their upcoming bloodbath against the Pats. Dammit. I have a strong, strong feeling that the Ravens will lose this game. I just can't pick the 0-13 team. Sorry. I hope I'm wrong."
Like everyone else in America, I thought the Dolphins could win this game, but didn't have the balls to pick them. Still, I'm thrilled they won. Let's be clear: I can't stand the Dolphins, I hate everything about them, including their stadium, their uniforms, their town, their coaches, and especially their "alumni". I would happily enjoy consecutive winless seasons from the Dolphins. But these Ravens deserved to lose to a winless Dolphins team in week 15. Is it any shock that the Ravens came out flat and stunk out the joint the same week their owner committed to their head-coach for another year? I'm betting he wishes he'd waited another few days before making that announcement. Ok, wait a minute, let me explain something: I applaud the move. Above anything else, I think consistency leads to success in professional sports. Brian Billick has done good things with this team, including winning a Super Bowl, and if the Rooney's have taught us anything, it's that sticking with a guy through the down times is the right way to go. But this season, Brian Billick has gone out of his way to show the NFL and football fans what a complete jack-ass he can be, what an arrogant, whiny prick he is and how totally clueless he is when it comes to keeping his team focused. The Ravens lost at Buffalo in a trap game before their bye nine weeks ago and haven't won since, but listening to Billick, you'd think it was an NFL conspiracy. I think this guy might actually believe that! Gimme a break! The calling card of this Ravens team is they think they're better than they are, they expect other teams to lay down in front of them, and they blame everyone but themselves when they lose. This team has never lost an honest game! If I were going to make a list of the teams in professional sports that I dislike the most, the Ravens would be somewhere near the top. Seriously, shut up and play football, you bunch of babies. I agree very strongly with Matt Stover, who remarked that he'd won many games for this team and would not be losing any sleep over missing the kick in OT. This game should NEVER have come down to an overtime field goal. To recap: the Dolphins are playing without their top quarterback, top tailback, top receiver, most of their defense, under a totally clueless first-year head coach, and with the embarrassment of a winless season looming, whereas the Ravens have all their top players at every position except quarterback, a Super Bowl winning head coach in his 8th year with the team, and even the backup quarterback has a couple years worth of starts under his belt and was a first round pick. They've got no excuse for the awful season they've played, so they're blaming the refs and the NFL. Nice job.
Patriots over Jets, 20-10
My Pick: Patriots over Jets by a lot.
Interesting note: in the three games where I did not pick a final score for the Pats game but predicted a massive blow-out, the Patriots average margin of victory has been fewer than 6 points per game. I shit you not. In games where I picked a final score, the margin of victory has been 25 points per game! Who wants to guess which way I'll be picking Pats game from now on, forever?
Saints over Cardinals, 31-24
My Pick: Saints over Cardinals, 24-17
I nailed the margin of victory, but it's funny: when I look at the final score of this one, I'm a little disappointed in the Saints that the score was so close. At any rate, this finally and officially closes the book on the Cardinals playoff hopes. It was especially disconcerting to see Kurt Warner and the Cards offensive coordinator going at it on the sidelines: that's what you want to see from the aging back-up quarterback, the "team first" guy that's been so positive for your young group. Who does this guy think he is? Seriously, if I were head coach of an NFL team and any player got into a shouting match with an assistant coach, I'd suspend the hell out of the player, probably fine him, too. The Cardinals don't need this crap; they've had a good year, they've been a competitive team with realistic playoff hopes and have shown progress across the board, the last thing in the world they need is turmoil or dissent at the end of the year. Warner has been good for Arizona, but they sure as shit don't need the guy, and he'd do well to remember that. The Saints, in other news, took care of business and kept themselves in the hunt, slim though their chances may be. For a team that has lost both of their runningbacks and started the season 0-4, they've had a great year and can hold their heads high that they represented themselves well down the stretch. The Saints are clearly a team that can and will play competitive, winning football, and are capable of getting to the postseason. Their off-season priorities should be clear: they need help on their defensive line and in their secondary. They've got as much depth at receiver and tailback as any team in the NFL, and despite his erratic start and occasional bed-crapping, Drew Brees is pretty obviously a quality starting quarterback that can lead the Saints offense. Sean Payton, it seems, is a talented coach with a bright future, and just like Gruden and Garcia in Tampa Bay, he and Brees seem to share a brain and personality, an encouraging sign for the future.
Browns over Bills, 8-0
My Pick: Browns over Bills, 30-21
Hey, I almost had the margin pegged! You throw out all stats and trends when this kind of weather rolls in. The Browns did the job, they're one step closer to a playoff berth. Jamal Lewis was pretty awesome, rolling up the Browns offense and putting it on his back like the old days in Baltimore. As for the Bills, what can you do? They battled, which is the best you can do on the road in this kind of weather when you're outgunned by a more talented team. The Bills, I'm afraid to say, might be the Jets of '06: competitive and proud, piecing together a winning season, looking at the future, and then getting obliterated the following year, when their obvious dearth of talent is exposed. Still, they've got their tailback(s) of the future in Lynch and Jackson, at least one good receiver, a scrappy, talented defense, and a kid they think might be the guy at quarterback in Trent Edwards. It's hard for me to criticize them at all for the loss here, with their playoff lives on the line. Anybody could have won or lost this game in the blizzard, they just didn't get the breaks.
Titans over Chiefs, 26-17
My Pick: Titans over Chiefs, 14-0
I'm a little disappointed the Titans couldn't get the shut-out. Still, they handled their business and kept their very slim and fading playoff hopes alive. Maybe it's better for them if they don't get in; they don't seem ready at all. They've got a running game, and Vince Young looked pretty good in this one, but they don't seem able to give a consistent offensive effort and I have a hard time imagining them getting a win against any other AFC playoff team, especially on the road. Roydell Williams has been a nice surprise for their offense, and if Vince can develop some chemistry with these young options, they might be able to save their money in the off-season and spend it on draft picks and depth. I think they're a year away, but that's a scary proposition in their division, with the Texans, Colts, and Jaguars all showing strength and improvement. As for the Chiefs, who cares? They stink, they aren't going anywhere. It's been so long since the Chiefs have had a quarterback who I thought was very good, I almost have a hard time imagining this team with one. I hate even thinking about the Chiefs, they gross me out.
Colts over Raiders, 21-14
My Pick: Colts over Raiders, 28-13
Yikes. Not supposed to be that tough. Still, the Colts did what they had to do on the road, got the win, and didn't sustain any big injuries. All good. The Colts are another team that could probably use a week or two of rest before the playoffs start, they really don't need another injury to a key guy. Anthony Gonzales has turned out to be a very dependable and explosive receiver, they should have a hell of a group once Marvin Harrison comes back. As for the Raiders, I thought they'd reserved some playing time for JaMarcus Russell? Five attempts? Come ON! The game was a lot closer than they probably expected it to be, so I can understand maybe keeping McCown in there if you think it gives you the better chance to win. I was impressed with how long the Raiders were able to keep possession, chewing up clock and keeping the Colts offense on the bench. That can't be too encouraging for Colts fans, who've seen that sort of thing before. I kept an eye on this game on Sunday, and it seemed like every time I looked up, the Raiders were converting a short third-down and sustaining another long drive. They couldn't turn it into a win, but they gave the Colts a handful.
Chargers over Lions, 51-14
My Pick: Chargers over Lions, 21-20
Oh . . . my . . . God. Uhhh . . . let's all just divert our eyes from the Detroit Lions so they can slink away and hide without too much embarrassment. Holy hell, this might be the most discouraging loss I can remember any NFL team taking. I guess we'll say the Chargers took care of business, in that they crushed a road team and crept up on the Steelers for third in the AFC, but man, man oh man. Those Lions, after the positive steps they took this season, might finish the regular season in a more desperate state than just about any team in the NFL. This, my friends, is why you don't make big pre-season predictions of success. I don't quite know what to say. It's one thing to go to New England and get flattened along with your last hopes of a playoff appearence, or even Indianapolis or Dallas. But San Diego? I know they're a division leader and a playoff team, but hell! At the end of the game, Kinta, on the sidelines, had a look on his face like he'd just won the lottery and then accidentally dropped the cash into a volcano. It wasn't quite dispair, it was utter, utter disbelief, a look of being shell-shocked by the total inevitability of what had taken place. I want these Lions to be good, I want them to be competitive. I'm sick of the Lions being trash. Here's the best I can do for mapping out a road to success: fire Mike Martz, draft offensive and defensive lineman and sign or trade for at least one solid veteran on both units, and spend the off-season integrating a consistent ground game into your offense. My God, what a disaster. I feel genuine pity for those poor sons-of-bitches. As for San Diego, hey, what can I say? Good win. LT continues to shine, the defense was great, and even Philip Rivers did a thing or two. They REALLY need a good follow up in their last two games in order to enter the playoffs with any confidence at all. At least they aren't backing in.
Eagles over Cowboys, 10-6
My Pick: Cowboys over Eagles, 20-16
I hesitate to point out that good teams don't put up 6 points in a home loss to the last place team in their division with home-field on the line, so I'll say this: great teams CERTAINLY don't put up 6 points in a home loss to the last place team in their division with home-field on the line. This was an ugly, ugly failure by the Cowboys, and this is the wrong time of the year for it. Let's be clear about two things: a) the Eagles weren't exactly on fire on Sunday. They didn't even play their best game of the season, not even close, and b) many other teams put up terrible offensive numbers on Sunday, only none of those teams played indoors in Texas. Generally, those teams either played in horrible winter weather or are just awful. Tony Romo looked like chewed up garbage; confused, inaccurate, flustered, terrible. What's funny about it is that his offensive line was just fine, with a few exceptions. The Eagles didn't do a lot to win this game, but they didn't give it away, and in this case, that was enough. 6 points? Really? From the best team in the NFC, at home? Ugly ugly ugly.
Redskins over Giants, 22-10
My Pick: Giants over Redskins, 24-16
The Giants definitely gave this game to the Redskins. That's what happens when you're the Giants and you've had a pretty good season. The end of the year rolls around and you start playing like crap, and you're a lock to have a few big injuries down the stretch. What shocked me in this game was the great protection up front by the Redskins offensive line. They did an amazing job! On the other side, what the hell were the Giants thinking? What's with the 52 pass attempts in the worst windy conditions imaginable? The wind was ripping every ball out of the sky, the Giants receivers were dropping everything, but they kept going to it! Add to that the fact that Brandon Jacobs was running wild! Unbelievable, inexcusable bed-crapping action by the Giants coaches, who're in a bit of trouble now. I can't believe it! They have to win 1 of 2 or they'll need help to get in the playoffs, but that means going into Buffalo and beating a tougher-than-hell Bills team, or BEATING THE PATRIOTS IN WEEK 17 WITH THE PERFECT SEASON ON THE LINE! I can't believe it. If the Saints or Redskins win out, the Vikins win one more, and the Giants don't either get a HUGE road win in Buffalo or a forget-about-it home win against the Pats, they're OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is setting up as the best Giants collapse EVER. Can you imagine? As for the Redskins, great win. The injury to Rocky McIntosh is a real disappointment, he was having a great year. I like the rookie, H.B. Blades, I think he'll do the job. Seriously, anybody else on the Redskins want to step up and earn respect for eternity with gutsy play in big games? Doughty, Heier, Todds Yoder and Collins, Fred Smoot, Lee Torrence, the list goes on and on. These guys are ballers. Bravo, Joe Gibbs. At last, I get it. You've got a team full of prideful, professional tough-guys, guys who go out and play their balls off in all circumstances. I don't even care if the Skins make the playoffs, the fact that they might have killed the Giants in week 15 in New York makes the season a success. Now, if they can only upset the Cowboys in week 17 . . .
Vikings over Bears, 20-13
My Pick: Vikings over Bears, 23-9
Yep, nailed it. I wanted to write about how Tarvaris Jackson was really turning it around, but I don't have much evidence, not after he tossed three picks last night in a game that shouldn't have even been as close as it was. Still, if you like Vince Young, if you liked Michael Vick, you've got to like Tarvaris Jackson, who has completed about 68% of his passes since week 11 and can make a lot of plays with his feet. If this guy can just learn to get set before he throws, he could have a bright future. He's sure making Brad Childress look good. The Vikings square off against the Skins next Sunday night, in a game that has been flexed with good reason: this could be the deciding game for the final seed in the NFC playoffs. If the Skins win, they could have the sixth seed going into a must-win rival game against the Cowboys, who will really want to knock them out in the final week. They'll have the tie-breaker over the Vikings, as they had it over the Lions and Cardinals. With a win, the Vikings will have secured the final seed, basically making week 17 a final chance to firm up playoff match-ups. Trust me, nobody wants to play the Vikings, who are the NFC version of the Jacksonville Jaguars: a tough-as-hell team with a two-headed rushing attack, an athletic QB that can make plays on the ground, a stout defense, and the ability to score 35 points without passing the ball much at all. Like the Jaguars, they're built for winter football.
Week 16 picks will be out probably tomorrow. I haven't really looked at the schedule yet, but there are a few match-ups I've got my eye on: the Skins/Vikings game, Giants/Bills, and New Orleans/Whoever. Until then!
And let's get right to it:
Texans over Broncos, 31-13
My Pick: Texans over Broncos, 28-21
Could I have been a little closer? Yeah, sure, but I still feel like I nailed it. The Texans played a great game from beginning to end, and the Broncos, while competent, just aren't real good on the road and are even worse when behind. I think the corner duo on Denver is highly, HIGHLY over-rated; in fact, I thought Champ Bailey was highly over-rated when he was a Redskin too. He was eaten alive by Andre Johnson on multiple occasions, and Sage Rosenfels found Ken Walter and Owen Daniels all over the field too. Dre Bly had a pick: GREAT! But the ball landed right in his lap. The fact is, the few times I've seen the Broncos play this season, I've seen receivers and quarterbacks move up and down the field throwing the ball, including Brett Favre torching the Denver secondary and now Rosenfels. Here's the thing: I don't believe in the shut-down corner, I think it's one of the big myths of professional football. Deion Sanders was the last shut-down corner, the only one I can remember that actually closed his guy out on a consistent basis. People talk about Champ Bailey not giving up touchdowns: woopty-doo! Did you know Mike McKenzie gave up his first touchdown of the season in the Saints game against Atlanta? How valuable has that statistic been for the Saints? Let's see: they're the 30th ranked pass defense in football! Here's my point: I don't see Dre Bly and Champ Bailey shutting guys down, I see them getting burned. If the Broncos didn't have one of the worst rush defenses in football, their overpaid corners would be getting exposed nightly. Is it a coincidence that the Broncos and Raiders are ranked in the top 10 in pass defense, and in the bottom 5 in rush defense? Are the Raiders corners right up there with the "elite" guys in Denver? Apparently so.
49ers over Bengals, 20-13
My Pick: Bengals over 49ers, 38-16
This is how bad the Bengals are. Really. It's not one part of their team, it's the whole team, and it starts with the utter lack of leadership among the players. You know, this is just one of those games you don't lose when you're finally healthy, when you're playing for pride and the right to insist you're better than your record, and you're trying to finish your season with a little momentum and scrape your way out of the AFC cellar. Not when you've got some of the NFL's biggest stars and most prolific players on your offense. Not when Shaun Hill is starting for a 49ers team that hasn't even been competitive in the majority of their games this season. This Bengals team plays like they just don't know how to win. I've watched them this season, and I won't say they don't want to win, just that they don't know how. They don't know how to be on the same page, give a consistent, strong effort, do the little things, stay focused and intense, and just win a football game. They only know one formula for success, and that's by putting 45 points on the board and hoping the other team can't match 'em. I'd pick pretty much any team in the NFL to beat them if they could hold the Bengals under 28 points, and not because their defense is that bad, but because when they fail to put up huge numbers, they start pressing, they bicker, they turn selfish and frustrated, and they start making stupid mistakes that kill them. There's no way the 49ers have a good enough defense to hold the Bengals to 13 points, but when the Bengals aren't clicking early, they implode. As for San Francisco, they've won 2 of 4, their best stretch of football since week 2. That's pretty pathetic, but since .500 football is about the best the 49ers can do right now, it's nice to see them have this "success" at the end of the season, it'll be something to build on next year.
Jaguars over Steelers, 29-22
My Pick: Jaguars over Steelers, 20-17
I knew it! Nobody, NOBODY wants to play the Jaguars. They don't turn the ball over, their defense is outstanding, they run the ball extremely well, and they kill a lot of clock with their offense. They're built for playoff football, cold-weather playoff football where if you can put a few scoring drives together and play stout defense, you can beat anybody. And, AND they just went into Pittsburgh and got the first win for a visitor all season. They needed this win, sure, but the Steelers REALLY needed this win. The Steelers finish out with a tougher schedule than the Browns, who have now drawn into a half-tie with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North. I call it a "half-tie" because the Steelers swept the season series with the Browns and hold the critical tie-breaker. The Steelers finish up with two winnable road games, in St. Louis and in Baltimore, but this team has been wild on the road and an AFC North road game is never a sure thing. Cleveland, on the other hand, goes to Cincinnati and then hosts the 49ers. The Bengals are bottoming out and a home game against the Niners with the division on the line is a nice way to finish up. The Steelers are a team that REALLY failed to take care of business, not just this week, but in several of their losses this season. They're not very consistent, are they? What do you depend on in their offense? Ben Roethlisberger has had a great season, but he's not always able to move the ball and he'll pull a "Favre" and kill his team. Willie Parker is a great runner, but he sometime takes 25 carries and disappears with them. On the road in the playoffs, I'd have a hard time picking them, even in Cleveland, but especially in Indy, at New England, in Jacksonville, or even in San Diego. I don't know, I felt a lot better about this team a month ago.
Bucs over Falcons, 37-3
My Pick: Bucs over Falcons, 21-10
Somewhere in Arkansas, while his neighbor has sex with a cow outside his window, Bobby Petrino is laughing his ass off about this one. There were probably quite a few Falcons players talking a good one about how Petrino was bad for the team, bad for chemistry, and the team was better off without him. All true. Then the all important moment came when they had to either a) give a real effort in a football game for 90 minutes, or b) mail it in and make plans for their winter vacations, and the decision was, apparently, pretty fuckin' easy. Look, I know Atlanta's players have had to deal with a lot this season, but this kind of effort is really disturbing. They went into Tampa Bay and didn't give two shits about winning the game, that's the only way you can go down 27-3 in the first half to a division foe. As for Petrino, the only slim hope in hell he has of ever coming back to the NFL, even 15 years from now, is for Atlanta to look significantly worse without him than they did with him. The Bucs were a team the REALLY took care of business on Sunday, grabbing the lead early and running away with it, big time. In their pursuit of the NFC South crown, they took even this game seriously and never gave Atlanta a chance to play spoiler. Good for them. Now that they've taken their division, it's time to start resting some guys. This team is Karen Carpenter thin, across the board, and more than any other team in the NFL, they cannot afford any more significant injuries headed into the playoffs. They finish up at San Francisco and then hosting the Panthers: they'll want to win at least one of those games, but not at the expense of another big injury to a key guy. If they can wrap up the win in San Francisco, they'll probably start pulling guys and then play the practice squad at home against Carolina. I'd expect another big, aggressive start next weekend for the Bucs, in an attempt to put the Niners away early.
Panthers over Seahawks, 13-10
My Pick: Seahawks over Panthers, 31-13
Ha ha, those fraudulent Seahawks. There was no taking care of business in this one. The Panthers took down a team with no guts that never gives a consistent effort. Seriously, how awful is this Seattle team? They'd better hope the Bucs overtake them, otherwise they're gonna get humiliated in the opening round of the playoffs by the Vikings. All that BS about the Seahawks building great momentum for the post-season goes out the window. Have a little pride, Seahawks! Don't they care that they look like the laughing stock of all playoff teams? Seriously, of ALL playoff teams, they look like the softest, crappiest bunch, coming out of the weakest, worst division in football, and they can't even go on the road and take down a woeful Panthers team that hadn't won at home all year and started their NFL record 4th quarterback of the season, an undrafted rookie. I can't STAND the Seahawks, for the last 3-4 years they've been sitting atop that laughing-stock of an NFL division, padding their way to 9+ wins without even a shred of a chance of winning it all, with a roster full of over-hyped, overpaid pretty boys. Yuk. Yuk yuk yuk. As for the Panthers, way to play spoiler! When you don't have much left to play for except pride, hell, at least you played with pride. There are a lot of questions to be answered in Carolina in the off-season, it's a shame that very few of them can even be addressed as this season winds down. I think we all know Moore isn't the future of this team, but even more than that, is there a unit on this team that isn't a question mark? The receivers are consistently enigmatic, all parts of the defense are underperforming, the quarterback spot has been up-and-down for years, and the committee at tailback isn't exactly dominant. Still, for embarrassing the crappy Seahawks, they've got a fan-for-a-week in this guy.
Packers over Rams, 33-14
My Pick: Packers over Rams, 30-10
There you go, a professional team with home-field in the playoffs on the line stepping up and doing the job. I LOVE the Packers, and not only because I almost nailed the final score in this game. They have a great chance to snag the top seed in the NFC, and that'll make them one of the toughest outs in the final twelve, because no team wants to try to win a road playoff game in Lambeau, not even the great-but-slipping Cowboys. They go to Chicago next and then finish up at home against the Lions, in a game that could very well earn them the top seed. As for the Rams, you're supposed to score more than 14 points when your runningback erupts for 170 total yards and a touchdown, especially when you have one of the highest paid quarterbacks in football. I mean, the Rams did what they were supposed to do in this game, which was suck and lose, so I won't give them too much crap, but it's hard to know what to make of this team, or what to expect of them next year. On paper, they have their back, their quarterback, their top wide-out, and an assortment of other pieces, but as we've seen this season, none of those guys are able to lift the team above mediocrity if they sustain a few injuries. If they stay healthy next season, I guess they could finish anywhere in the pecking order of their division, but let's remember, it is the NFC West.
Dolphins over Ravens, 22-16
My Pick: Ravens over Dolphins, 14-13
I said this: "I want so badly to pick the Dolphins in this game. Forget their schedule up to this point, this is the best chance they've had all year to win a game. The Ravens are SUCH pretenders, SUCH phony, lousy pieces of washed up crap, and are so ready to punch the clock on this season and settle into their comfy chairs to watch the playoffs. The Dolphins, on the other hand, need a win so badly before their upcoming bloodbath against the Pats. Dammit. I have a strong, strong feeling that the Ravens will lose this game. I just can't pick the 0-13 team. Sorry. I hope I'm wrong."
Like everyone else in America, I thought the Dolphins could win this game, but didn't have the balls to pick them. Still, I'm thrilled they won. Let's be clear: I can't stand the Dolphins, I hate everything about them, including their stadium, their uniforms, their town, their coaches, and especially their "alumni". I would happily enjoy consecutive winless seasons from the Dolphins. But these Ravens deserved to lose to a winless Dolphins team in week 15. Is it any shock that the Ravens came out flat and stunk out the joint the same week their owner committed to their head-coach for another year? I'm betting he wishes he'd waited another few days before making that announcement. Ok, wait a minute, let me explain something: I applaud the move. Above anything else, I think consistency leads to success in professional sports. Brian Billick has done good things with this team, including winning a Super Bowl, and if the Rooney's have taught us anything, it's that sticking with a guy through the down times is the right way to go. But this season, Brian Billick has gone out of his way to show the NFL and football fans what a complete jack-ass he can be, what an arrogant, whiny prick he is and how totally clueless he is when it comes to keeping his team focused. The Ravens lost at Buffalo in a trap game before their bye nine weeks ago and haven't won since, but listening to Billick, you'd think it was an NFL conspiracy. I think this guy might actually believe that! Gimme a break! The calling card of this Ravens team is they think they're better than they are, they expect other teams to lay down in front of them, and they blame everyone but themselves when they lose. This team has never lost an honest game! If I were going to make a list of the teams in professional sports that I dislike the most, the Ravens would be somewhere near the top. Seriously, shut up and play football, you bunch of babies. I agree very strongly with Matt Stover, who remarked that he'd won many games for this team and would not be losing any sleep over missing the kick in OT. This game should NEVER have come down to an overtime field goal. To recap: the Dolphins are playing without their top quarterback, top tailback, top receiver, most of their defense, under a totally clueless first-year head coach, and with the embarrassment of a winless season looming, whereas the Ravens have all their top players at every position except quarterback, a Super Bowl winning head coach in his 8th year with the team, and even the backup quarterback has a couple years worth of starts under his belt and was a first round pick. They've got no excuse for the awful season they've played, so they're blaming the refs and the NFL. Nice job.
Patriots over Jets, 20-10
My Pick: Patriots over Jets by a lot.
Interesting note: in the three games where I did not pick a final score for the Pats game but predicted a massive blow-out, the Patriots average margin of victory has been fewer than 6 points per game. I shit you not. In games where I picked a final score, the margin of victory has been 25 points per game! Who wants to guess which way I'll be picking Pats game from now on, forever?
Saints over Cardinals, 31-24
My Pick: Saints over Cardinals, 24-17
I nailed the margin of victory, but it's funny: when I look at the final score of this one, I'm a little disappointed in the Saints that the score was so close. At any rate, this finally and officially closes the book on the Cardinals playoff hopes. It was especially disconcerting to see Kurt Warner and the Cards offensive coordinator going at it on the sidelines: that's what you want to see from the aging back-up quarterback, the "team first" guy that's been so positive for your young group. Who does this guy think he is? Seriously, if I were head coach of an NFL team and any player got into a shouting match with an assistant coach, I'd suspend the hell out of the player, probably fine him, too. The Cardinals don't need this crap; they've had a good year, they've been a competitive team with realistic playoff hopes and have shown progress across the board, the last thing in the world they need is turmoil or dissent at the end of the year. Warner has been good for Arizona, but they sure as shit don't need the guy, and he'd do well to remember that. The Saints, in other news, took care of business and kept themselves in the hunt, slim though their chances may be. For a team that has lost both of their runningbacks and started the season 0-4, they've had a great year and can hold their heads high that they represented themselves well down the stretch. The Saints are clearly a team that can and will play competitive, winning football, and are capable of getting to the postseason. Their off-season priorities should be clear: they need help on their defensive line and in their secondary. They've got as much depth at receiver and tailback as any team in the NFL, and despite his erratic start and occasional bed-crapping, Drew Brees is pretty obviously a quality starting quarterback that can lead the Saints offense. Sean Payton, it seems, is a talented coach with a bright future, and just like Gruden and Garcia in Tampa Bay, he and Brees seem to share a brain and personality, an encouraging sign for the future.
Browns over Bills, 8-0
My Pick: Browns over Bills, 30-21
Hey, I almost had the margin pegged! You throw out all stats and trends when this kind of weather rolls in. The Browns did the job, they're one step closer to a playoff berth. Jamal Lewis was pretty awesome, rolling up the Browns offense and putting it on his back like the old days in Baltimore. As for the Bills, what can you do? They battled, which is the best you can do on the road in this kind of weather when you're outgunned by a more talented team. The Bills, I'm afraid to say, might be the Jets of '06: competitive and proud, piecing together a winning season, looking at the future, and then getting obliterated the following year, when their obvious dearth of talent is exposed. Still, they've got their tailback(s) of the future in Lynch and Jackson, at least one good receiver, a scrappy, talented defense, and a kid they think might be the guy at quarterback in Trent Edwards. It's hard for me to criticize them at all for the loss here, with their playoff lives on the line. Anybody could have won or lost this game in the blizzard, they just didn't get the breaks.
Titans over Chiefs, 26-17
My Pick: Titans over Chiefs, 14-0
I'm a little disappointed the Titans couldn't get the shut-out. Still, they handled their business and kept their very slim and fading playoff hopes alive. Maybe it's better for them if they don't get in; they don't seem ready at all. They've got a running game, and Vince Young looked pretty good in this one, but they don't seem able to give a consistent offensive effort and I have a hard time imagining them getting a win against any other AFC playoff team, especially on the road. Roydell Williams has been a nice surprise for their offense, and if Vince can develop some chemistry with these young options, they might be able to save their money in the off-season and spend it on draft picks and depth. I think they're a year away, but that's a scary proposition in their division, with the Texans, Colts, and Jaguars all showing strength and improvement. As for the Chiefs, who cares? They stink, they aren't going anywhere. It's been so long since the Chiefs have had a quarterback who I thought was very good, I almost have a hard time imagining this team with one. I hate even thinking about the Chiefs, they gross me out.
Colts over Raiders, 21-14
My Pick: Colts over Raiders, 28-13
Yikes. Not supposed to be that tough. Still, the Colts did what they had to do on the road, got the win, and didn't sustain any big injuries. All good. The Colts are another team that could probably use a week or two of rest before the playoffs start, they really don't need another injury to a key guy. Anthony Gonzales has turned out to be a very dependable and explosive receiver, they should have a hell of a group once Marvin Harrison comes back. As for the Raiders, I thought they'd reserved some playing time for JaMarcus Russell? Five attempts? Come ON! The game was a lot closer than they probably expected it to be, so I can understand maybe keeping McCown in there if you think it gives you the better chance to win. I was impressed with how long the Raiders were able to keep possession, chewing up clock and keeping the Colts offense on the bench. That can't be too encouraging for Colts fans, who've seen that sort of thing before. I kept an eye on this game on Sunday, and it seemed like every time I looked up, the Raiders were converting a short third-down and sustaining another long drive. They couldn't turn it into a win, but they gave the Colts a handful.
Chargers over Lions, 51-14
My Pick: Chargers over Lions, 21-20
Oh . . . my . . . God. Uhhh . . . let's all just divert our eyes from the Detroit Lions so they can slink away and hide without too much embarrassment. Holy hell, this might be the most discouraging loss I can remember any NFL team taking. I guess we'll say the Chargers took care of business, in that they crushed a road team and crept up on the Steelers for third in the AFC, but man, man oh man. Those Lions, after the positive steps they took this season, might finish the regular season in a more desperate state than just about any team in the NFL. This, my friends, is why you don't make big pre-season predictions of success. I don't quite know what to say. It's one thing to go to New England and get flattened along with your last hopes of a playoff appearence, or even Indianapolis or Dallas. But San Diego? I know they're a division leader and a playoff team, but hell! At the end of the game, Kinta, on the sidelines, had a look on his face like he'd just won the lottery and then accidentally dropped the cash into a volcano. It wasn't quite dispair, it was utter, utter disbelief, a look of being shell-shocked by the total inevitability of what had taken place. I want these Lions to be good, I want them to be competitive. I'm sick of the Lions being trash. Here's the best I can do for mapping out a road to success: fire Mike Martz, draft offensive and defensive lineman and sign or trade for at least one solid veteran on both units, and spend the off-season integrating a consistent ground game into your offense. My God, what a disaster. I feel genuine pity for those poor sons-of-bitches. As for San Diego, hey, what can I say? Good win. LT continues to shine, the defense was great, and even Philip Rivers did a thing or two. They REALLY need a good follow up in their last two games in order to enter the playoffs with any confidence at all. At least they aren't backing in.
Eagles over Cowboys, 10-6
My Pick: Cowboys over Eagles, 20-16
I hesitate to point out that good teams don't put up 6 points in a home loss to the last place team in their division with home-field on the line, so I'll say this: great teams CERTAINLY don't put up 6 points in a home loss to the last place team in their division with home-field on the line. This was an ugly, ugly failure by the Cowboys, and this is the wrong time of the year for it. Let's be clear about two things: a) the Eagles weren't exactly on fire on Sunday. They didn't even play their best game of the season, not even close, and b) many other teams put up terrible offensive numbers on Sunday, only none of those teams played indoors in Texas. Generally, those teams either played in horrible winter weather or are just awful. Tony Romo looked like chewed up garbage; confused, inaccurate, flustered, terrible. What's funny about it is that his offensive line was just fine, with a few exceptions. The Eagles didn't do a lot to win this game, but they didn't give it away, and in this case, that was enough. 6 points? Really? From the best team in the NFC, at home? Ugly ugly ugly.
Redskins over Giants, 22-10
My Pick: Giants over Redskins, 24-16
The Giants definitely gave this game to the Redskins. That's what happens when you're the Giants and you've had a pretty good season. The end of the year rolls around and you start playing like crap, and you're a lock to have a few big injuries down the stretch. What shocked me in this game was the great protection up front by the Redskins offensive line. They did an amazing job! On the other side, what the hell were the Giants thinking? What's with the 52 pass attempts in the worst windy conditions imaginable? The wind was ripping every ball out of the sky, the Giants receivers were dropping everything, but they kept going to it! Add to that the fact that Brandon Jacobs was running wild! Unbelievable, inexcusable bed-crapping action by the Giants coaches, who're in a bit of trouble now. I can't believe it! They have to win 1 of 2 or they'll need help to get in the playoffs, but that means going into Buffalo and beating a tougher-than-hell Bills team, or BEATING THE PATRIOTS IN WEEK 17 WITH THE PERFECT SEASON ON THE LINE! I can't believe it. If the Saints or Redskins win out, the Vikins win one more, and the Giants don't either get a HUGE road win in Buffalo or a forget-about-it home win against the Pats, they're OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is setting up as the best Giants collapse EVER. Can you imagine? As for the Redskins, great win. The injury to Rocky McIntosh is a real disappointment, he was having a great year. I like the rookie, H.B. Blades, I think he'll do the job. Seriously, anybody else on the Redskins want to step up and earn respect for eternity with gutsy play in big games? Doughty, Heier, Todds Yoder and Collins, Fred Smoot, Lee Torrence, the list goes on and on. These guys are ballers. Bravo, Joe Gibbs. At last, I get it. You've got a team full of prideful, professional tough-guys, guys who go out and play their balls off in all circumstances. I don't even care if the Skins make the playoffs, the fact that they might have killed the Giants in week 15 in New York makes the season a success. Now, if they can only upset the Cowboys in week 17 . . .
Vikings over Bears, 20-13
My Pick: Vikings over Bears, 23-9
Yep, nailed it. I wanted to write about how Tarvaris Jackson was really turning it around, but I don't have much evidence, not after he tossed three picks last night in a game that shouldn't have even been as close as it was. Still, if you like Vince Young, if you liked Michael Vick, you've got to like Tarvaris Jackson, who has completed about 68% of his passes since week 11 and can make a lot of plays with his feet. If this guy can just learn to get set before he throws, he could have a bright future. He's sure making Brad Childress look good. The Vikings square off against the Skins next Sunday night, in a game that has been flexed with good reason: this could be the deciding game for the final seed in the NFC playoffs. If the Skins win, they could have the sixth seed going into a must-win rival game against the Cowboys, who will really want to knock them out in the final week. They'll have the tie-breaker over the Vikings, as they had it over the Lions and Cardinals. With a win, the Vikings will have secured the final seed, basically making week 17 a final chance to firm up playoff match-ups. Trust me, nobody wants to play the Vikings, who are the NFC version of the Jacksonville Jaguars: a tough-as-hell team with a two-headed rushing attack, an athletic QB that can make plays on the ground, a stout defense, and the ability to score 35 points without passing the ball much at all. Like the Jaguars, they're built for winter football.
Week 16 picks will be out probably tomorrow. I haven't really looked at the schedule yet, but there are a few match-ups I've got my eye on: the Skins/Vikings game, Giants/Bills, and New Orleans/Whoever. Until then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
