Saturday, October 17, 2009

NFL Picks - Week 6

Last week's matchups were just so awful, we decided not to even bother publishing a picks column.  Well, that's not entirely true, but there are times when we can't get to throwing up a blog post, so eventful and busy are our lives.

That said, we found a few spare moments here to put together some wisdom for Week 6.  Pull up a chair, soak in the knowledge, and enjoy.

CINCINNATI (-4.5) over Houston
Bengals are for real, apparently.  Texans play just well enough to not win each week - witness the pathetic failure to punch it in from the one against Arizona last week. We'll go with the Don't-call-us-the-Bungles-anymore at home.
Bengals 27  Texans 21

GREEN BAY (-13.5) over Detroit
Lions are frisky, and should be able to keep it interesting for a half, but Pack is coming off a bye, and playing at Lambeau.  Look for the late cover of this big number.
Packers 34  Lions 20

Baltimore (+2.5) over MINNESOTA
First challenge for Favre's Vikes.  Ravens defense has showed some vulnerability thus far, and killer schedule hasn't done them any favors.  The hunch is that they will find a way to harass #4 and slow down Peterson just enough to pull one out on the road.
Ravens 23  Vikings 21

NY Giants (+3.5) over NEW ORLEANS
Anytime Vegas wants to give you points with Big Blue, you take it, and don;t ask any questions.  Saints are very tough at home, but Jet defense did a fine job bottling up Brees just two weeks ago, so there is no reason why Jints can't repeat the feat.  IN what should be the game of the week, go with Eli and the boys.
Giants 23  Saints 21

TAMPA BAY (+3.5) over Carolina
Ew.  Bucs are slowly becoming more capable, and the erratic Panthers can't seem to put together sixty solid minutes.
Panthers 27  Buccaneers 24

Kansas City (+6.5) over WASHINGTON
Will Jim Zorn be fired by halftime?  Skins are simply not very good, while Chiefs are showing subtle signs of becoming a much better team in the second half.  Todd Haley gets his first W here.
Chiefs 24  Redskins 20

JACKSONVILLE (-9.5) over St. Louis
Jags are a mess, but nobody can lay claim to the term "Train Wreck" like the Rams.  If Jax didn't lose by 41 last week, this line would've been much higher, so count your lucky stars that you can lay less than 10 and cruise.
Jaguars 31  Rams 13

PITTSBURGH (-14.5) over Cleveland
Browns picked up first win, albeit in an ugly fashion, last week at Buffalo.  Champs have been up and down thus far, but get back Troy Polamalu, which signifies a return to normalcy.  Blowout city here.
Steelers 37  Browns 10

SEATTLE (-2.5) over Arizona
Seahawks enjoy a nice home field advantage, and a win here throws them right back into the hunt for the wide open NFC West.   Cards should have lost, or at least been taken to OT, last week, so football karma is in play here.
Seahawks 31  Cardinals 27

Philadelphia (-14.5) over OAKLAND
Wow, only 14.5?  Would not have been surprised if it was 20.  Eagles are back on track and ready to assert themselves as one of the Big Boys in the NFC.  How much longer can Oakland play JaMarcus Russell, who clearly is not ready to be an NFL QB?
Eagles 40  Raiders 13

NY JETS (-9.5) over Buffalo
Perfect time for the Jets to reassert themselves after back-to-back losses.  Bills are no match for Rex Ryan's defense, which will be in Trent Edwards' face all afternoon.  this one could, and probably will, get ugly.
Jets 37  Bills 13

NEW ENGLAND (-9.5) over Tennessee
Pats haven't really put it all together thus far, but the Titans are simply not very good.  The questions is how bad must Vince Young be if Jeff Fisher is not willing to play him now?
Patriots 27  Titans 14

Chicago (+3.5) over ATLANTA
Banged up Bears are not being given much of a chance this week, but we feel Jay Cutler will be able to have some success here and keep it close.
Falcons 20  Bears 17

MONDAY NIGHT
SAN DIEGO (-4.5) over Denver
A couple things:
1) Chargers, coming off bye after an awful 45 minutes against Pittsburgh, will be amped up at home.
2) Broncos have to have a letdown at some point, especially after back-to-back home thrillers over Dallas and New England.
Chargers 20  Broncos 14

Best Bets: Eagles, Jaguars, Steelers
Last Week: 7-7
Overall: 43-33


Sunday, October 4, 2009

NFL Picks - Week 4

No column last week, as we were traveling and too busy, and for that we apologize. Despite the lack of blogged evidence, we went 10-6, with no Best Bets chosen. Not bad, considering.

Week 4 is upon us, and there are a couple of very interesting match-ups this week, including the ESPN-led, sure to induce vomit by kickoff due to Favre overload Vikes/Packers clash. More intriguing, at least from here, is the Saints/Jets battle of the unbeatens. It's also must win time for several teams, most notably the 0-3 Titans and the 1-2 Steelers. Losses here for either team will put them into deep divisional holes from which climbing out will be a huge challenge. On to the picks:

CHICAGO (-10.5) over Detroit
Bears are due to unload on somebody, and Lions are giddy over snapping long losing streak. Detroit might be able to hang around for awhile, but look for the Bears to pull away late and cover this double digit number.
Bears 27 Lions 13

Cincinnati (-5.5) over CLEVELAND
Bengals laying this much on the road is always a risky proposition, but the Browns are an absolute train wreck which has already quit on Eric Mangini. Throw in a decided lack of any offensive threat with a fan base that is out of patience and you've got a recipe for a blowout.
Bengals 30 Browns 10

INDIANAPOLIS (-8.5) over Seattle
Colts juist keep taking care of business, winning two big prime time games the last two weeks, now return home to face Seneca Wallace led Hawks. Too much Peyton, plus a dash of Joseph Addai/Donald Brown combo spell doom for Seattle.
Colts 27 Seahawks 13

NY Giants (-9.5) over KANSAS CITY
Arrowhead mystique really not in play these days, and Jints are way too solid away from Jersey for it to make any difference. Clearly emerging as the class of the NFC, don't look for the G-Men to slip up here.
Giants 31 Chiefs 13

WASHINGTON (-7.5) over Tampa Bay
Can't imagine the 'Skins being 8 points better than anybody right now, but the Bucs are in a state of disarray matched only by perhaps the Browns. This is a chance for the Washington fans and media to feel good about this team again, if only for a week.
Redskins 24 Buccaneers 14

Tennessee (-2.5) over JACKSONVILLE
Do or die for Titans, no doubt. Still holding to our assertion that the Jags are an awful squad, despite win last week. Look for Jeff Fisher's boys, who dominated in stretched at the Jets last week, to put together a full 60 minutes here.
Titans 30 Jaguars 10

HOUSTON (-9.5) over Oakland
Two words: JaMarcus Russel. Raiders defense is okay, and running game isn't bad, but the complete ineffectiveness at QB will continue to doom this team. Texans on a bit of a rollercoaster thus far, and this is an "up" week according to the pattern.
Texans 23 Raiders 10

NEW ENGLAND (-2.5) over Baltimore
Seems like a pretty stupid choice on the surface. Ravens are perhaps the best team in the AFC, showing a potent offense to go along with the stout defense, while Tom Brady has clearly not been the Brady of old thus far. Just a hunch that the Pats find a way to scratch out a tough win with a late FG at home, and that assumption is based on nothing factual.
Patriots 23 Ravens 20

NEW ORLEANS (-6.5) over NY Jets
Ahhh, here's the Game of the Week. High flying Saints matching up with the ball hawking, multiple looks, blitz crazy Jets defense. As is usually the case in game like these, we like to look at the other match-up, namely the New Orleans defense vs. Mark Sanchez and Co. The rookie QB has been an effective game manager so far, but at some point will be asked to take over and win a game by himself. Nawlins has some playmajers on defense which could give the Jets trouble, and the choice here is for an entertaining game ultimately going to the dome dwellers.
Saints 27 Jets 20

Buffalo (-1.5) over MIAMI
As we predicted, remember, this would be a very rough year for the Dolphins. Losing Chad Pennington just makes it tougher, and the Bills have played better than the 1-2 mark indicates (save for those disastrous 2 minutes against the Pats in week 1). Bills extend the Miami Misery another week..
Bills 27 Dolphins 16

DENVER (+3.5) over Dallas
Really not sold on the Broncos yet, mostly due to the opponents faced, but when you can grab a good defensive team getting points at home, you grab 'em. Cowboys have shown to still manage to come up small in big games, and we're betting this trend continues.
Broncos 20 Cowboys 17

SAN FRANCISCO (-10.5) over St. Louis
We believe in the Niners now, though one would be hard pressed to pick the Rams, well, ever. Even if Frank Gore sits, Frisco should roll.
49ers 31 Rams 10

San Diego (+6.5) over PITTSBURGH
Really tough to go against the Steelers at home coming off a loss, but this team is in trouble. The running game is a shambles, and the loss of Troy Polomalu seems to have rendered the defense toothless and passive. Can't see the Bolts not managing to stay close, if not winning outright.
Chargers 24 Steelers 22

MONDAY
Green Bay (+3.5) over MINNESOTA
Vikes escaped ugly loss with last second heroics last week thanks to Favre's heave. Never mind all of the hype surrounding #4 in purple, the real story here will be how Aaron Rogers manages to maintain his poise in a noisy house with the QB Who Wouldn't Leave standing on the otehr sideline. The play here is that the Pack will stick around, and maybe steal one here.
Packers 23 Vikings 21


Best Bets: San Fran, Buffalo, Cincinnati

Last Week: 10-6
Overall Record: 28-20