So last week (my first week of putting my picks up on the blog) didn't turn out so well. I went 9-7, which borders on hideous. But that won't stop me from forging ahead with picks this week (unlike Tiger Woods, I don't take "indefinite" leaves of absence).
That said, I have to confess I'm already 0 for 1 this week, having picked the Steelers to win Thursday night. When will I stop picking Pittsburgh? They lost to the Chiefs and the Raiders, and yet I stuck with them. Surely they couldn't lose to the Cleveland Browns, right? Wrong. So wrong. But hey, I can still finish 15-1 this week:
New Orleans (12-0) at Atlanta (6-6): Here's a fun one right out of the gate. The Saints somehow eked out a win against the Redskins last week- an early Christmas gift for New Orleans courtesy of Shaun Suisham's right foot. Suisham's gift was the freedom to watch this week's game from his couch, since the 'Skins cut him immediately. The Falcons are in a must-win situation at home...but although I'm very tempted, I'll stick with the Saints, 38-24.
Detroit (2-10) at Baltimore (6-6): A must-win for the Ravens at home...and Stafford is doubtful. Ravens 27, Lions 10.
Green Bay (8-4) at Chicago (5-7): One team's stock is clearly rising, the other team's stock is clearly falling. Look for Rodgers to continue making Packers fans say "Brett who?"...and look for Cutler to keep making Bears fans say "Why did we trade Kyle Orton for this guy?" Packers win, 24-13.
Seattle (5-7) at Houston (5-7): Call this one the Mediocre Bowl (and that's being charitable). The Seahawks have won a few lately; the Texans have not. But look for Houston to bounce back at home, 23-17.
Denver (8-4) at Indianapolis (12-0): The undefeated Colts are playing at home, and Denver simply isn't that good. Colts stay perfect, 31-17.
Miami (6-6) at Jacksonville (7-5): If you're a fan of a middling AFC team (cough cough, hint hint), this may be the game of the week. The Jaguars currently occupy the 6th and final playoff spot in the AFC...with a handful of 6-6 teams just a game behind. The Jags are surprising...they're young, and I didn't expect them to be in the playoff hunt. The Dolphins are solid- they run the ball really well, and Chad Henne has been very solid filling in for Pennington. I like the Dolphins this week, riding high after beating the Patriots, 34-21.
Buffalo (4-8) at Kansas City (3-9): Eww. Unless you're a diehard Bills or Chiefs fan (and God bless you if you are), you probably won't mind missing this one. The Bills have actually looked pretty good at some points this year (they beat Miami, and they should have beaten New England in Week 1), but they also lost 6-3 to Cleveland in what was quite possibly the worst pro football game ever played. The Chiefs are generally tough to beat at Arrowhead. Chiefs 26, Bills 17.
Cincinnati (9-3) at Minnesota (10-2): The Bengals have been the surprise of the year. I'll be very interested to see if they're good enough to give the Vikings a run on the road. If the Vikes play like they did last week (are the Cardinals really that good? Or did the Vikings just not play well? Both? Is this, gulp, the beginning of the Favre fizzle that I suffered through last year?), Cincy has a chance. But I think the Vikings rebound, 28-13.
Carolina (5-7) at New England (7-5): Brady is questionable. If he doesn't play, it'll be the battle of the backups, as Matt Moore starts again for Carolina (he won last week, but that was against Tampa). Although I would LOVE to see the Panthers topple the beatable Patriots, I think New England wins this one, 27-14.
New York Jets (6-6) at Tampa Bay (1-11): As a Jet fan, I am scared to death of this game. Yet another game where a starting quarterback won't play, as the Jets are forced to start Kellen Clemens. I think the Jets will quite likely get a scare, but I also think they're defense (oh, who am I kidding, scratch the word defense and substitute Darelle Revis) is good enough to win this game for them. Jets 17, Bucs 10.
St. Louis (1-11) at Tennessee (5-7): The Titans have won 5 of their last 6, and the one loss was last week against the Colts. The Rams are awful. Chris Johnson is projected to earn me 31 fantasy points this week (that translates to something like 170 yards and 2 touchdowns). Titans 33, Rams 13, and let's hope Johnson runs wild.
Washington (3-9) at Oakland (4-8): Despite the dismal records, this actually could be a good game (emphasis on could). The Redskins should have beaten New Orleans last weekend, and they've played a lot of solid teams really tough. Oakland, despite looking downright horrid with Jamarcus Russell under center, suddenly looks like a competitive football team with Gradkowski running the show. The weird thing about Oakland: they have wins against the Eagles (8-4, tied for first place NFC East) and Cincinnati (9-3, first place AFC North). I was going to include Pittsburgh as an impressive win, but I guess that no longer applies. Still, two teams that have proven dangerous to some top-tier clubs. So who wins head-to-head? Give me the Redskins, 25-20.
San Diego (9-3) at Dallas (8-4): Yum yum. Allow me to channel Jon Gruden for a second: this is going to be a FOOTBALL game, with a lot of FOOTBALL players on the field. But seriously. Dallas is just so inconsistent, it must be maddening to a Cowboy fan. The Chargers are red-hot. If Dallas plays one of their good games, this will be a real battle and there's a good chance Dallas will prevail at home. If Dallas doesn't bring it, the Chargers could win big. I'm going to hedge though: Chargers 27, Cowboys 24, in a thriller.
Philadelphia (8-4) at New York Giants (7-5): This is sure to be a fun Sunday night game to watch, with enormous consequences for the NFC playoff picture. If the Cowboys lose and the Giants win, the NFC East will feature three (!) teams at 8-5 on Monday morning. The Giants got a huge win last week...can they do it again? I can't figure out if the Eagles are really good or just decent. Toughest game for me to pick this week...I'm going to side with the Giants, though. I just have a feeling. 34-27.
Arizona (8-4) at San Francisco (5-7): What a difference three months make. Flash back to Week 3: the Niners were 2-0, they had already beaten the Cardinals, and they had a game on the road against the Vikings all sewn up...until Brett Favre heaved a ball 40 yards into the end zone for a miracle touchdown as time expired. The loss sent the 49ers into a tailspin; the Cardinals, on the other hand, began to play better and better, culminating in a really, REALLY impressive win over Minnesota last week. The Cards offense looked great and it should continue to if Warner stays healthy, and their defense was something else. The 49ers will put up a fight...they're desperate. But the Cardinals are coming on strong, and they'll win on Monday night, 31-21.
Let's see if I can manage at least 10 correct predictions this week.
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