Arizona at Philadelphia
Last week Arizona had a pretty lucky win while St. Louis missed a game winning field goal as time expired. Patrick Peterson continues to look impressive in the return game during his rookie career especially as he returned a 99 yard punt for the win just a week ago. The Eagles continue to look strong, despite a late loss to the Bears in week nine. Michael Vick is always a handful, LeSean McCoy is a dominant running back, and the core of wide receivers that Andy Reid’s Eagles contain is astounding.
Expect Michael Vick to bounce back with a decisive win over the Cardinals 31-17
Buffalo at Dallas
Fred Jackson and the Buffalo Bills have been one of the more surprising teams of the year. With some big wins over some pretty good teams throughout the first half of the season the Bills have put themselves in a pretty strong position going through the rest of the year, but this week is going to be tough. After the Jet’s showed what it takes to beat the Bills last week expect the Cowboys to pick up on the same defensive schemes to pick apart Buffalo’s offense and contain them to some pretty small yardage. I think Tony Romo will be just okay against this Bills secondary, but Demarco Murray is going to have another great day.
Demarco runs over the Bills as Dallas wins 24-17
Denver at Kansas City
To quote a friend, “last week was a fluke for both of these teams.” Denver isn’t good. They have a couple of decent players on either side of the ball, and McGahee seems to look like he’s having a rebirth in the mile high air, but besides that the Broncos’ offense doesn’t seem too impressive. Kansas City is better than they played last week, and by a lot. I think KC was looking past the winless Dolphins and expected the game to be a pushover as they prepared for this week and the Chiefs. The running back situation is questionable down in Arrowhead Stadium, but Matt Cassel is growing into his young wideouts and things are looking up.
Kansas City takes one at home 27-20
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
This game is going to come down to whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew can outrun the outside rush of Freeney and Mathis. MJD is consistently a great back in the NFL but this week he needs to lower his shoulders and break through the line for the Jags to get another win on the year. Indianapolis just isn’t good. It’s the same thing week in and week out, a soft run game, and a quarterback that just still doesn’t quite get it. Maybe Painter finally starts to step it up a little bit, and maybe he gets a touchdown or two, but it just isn’t going to be enough for the Colts to get their first win of the season.
Maurice runs wild over a soft Colts run defense as the Jags win 20-17
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh fell short last week against the Ravens as Joe Flacco led a 92 yard drive and a game winning touchdown. The Steelers defense hasn’t looked as impressive as it has in years past this season, but they’re still pretty tough. Pittsburgh’s offense has some strong characters, and some big playmakers that can really change the game. On the other side in this game we’ve got Dalton who continues to impress through the air and get big touchdowns when they matter. With Cedric Benson being a balance for the aerial game that the Bengals have adopted the balanced Cincy offense seems to be on the right track to be successful for years. We’ve got two of the best defenses playing in this game, and it’s going to come down to who can shut down who.
The Bengals d holds Big Ben in check as Cincy wins 24-17
New Orleans at Atlanta
New Orleans has everything it takes to be a great franchise again this season but as they consistently give up big plays through the air it’s going to be an uphill battle. Sure they have the weapons on offense with Brees, a slew of running backs, and a handful of guys that can catch the ball, but with the lack of standout defensive players its hard to say they aren’t going to give up a lot of yards in any game. Atlanta looked great last week granted they were playing the lowly Colts. As Julio Jones stormed downfield a few times for a couple of huge touchdown receptions it leaves me with the thoughts of exactly the same things happening against the Saints this week. Matt Ryan and his offensive threats soaring through the secondary are just too dangerous for the New Orleans defense to handle.
Atlanta wins this through the air 31-28
Tennessee at Carolina
Tennessee is a team that I have no faith in any week. Chris Johnson is the biggest let down in the entire league this season, no one has made as big of demands as he did just to come back and do nothing for his team. With Hasselbeck under center maybe the Titans have a chance here and there, but for the most part I have no faith. Carolina on the other hand is exactly the opposite. Rookie sensation Cam Newton is impressive almost every week, and him throwing the ball downfield to Steve Smith is one of the highlights I look for week in and week out. Even with a weak ground attack this year the Panthers are starting an upwards swing that’s going to keep increasing for the next few seasons.
Panthers and Cam take one at home 24-13
Houston at Tampa Bay
Arian Foster is one of the best players in the game, and Tampa Bay is down to a defensive tackle that is brand new to their system and only played a select handful of downs before being shipped out by the Patriots in Albert Haynesworth. If previous games are how you look to pick your game for the week then think about this – Arian Foster has over 100 yards and a combined five touchdowns in the last three games. Foster is hot. With a Tampa defensive line that looks questionable at best it’s hard not to pick the Texans in this one. On the other hand you have young standouts like Freeman and Blount who are looking good, but I just don’t think that it is enough.
Foster takes this one 28-21
St. Louis at Cleveland
Bradford and Jackson got robbed last week as the Rams missed their game winning field goal. I like the Rams young attack this year, sure they don’t have a lot of wins, but they’ve got potential and I think that there are going to be a few games this year where the Rams just take it and run with it – literally. Steven Jackson is an absolute BEAST when he’s healthy, and he is healthy now. Last week SJax had 130 yards on 29 carries and the week before he had a monstrous 159 on 25 carries. Give Jackson the ball twenty-plus times and watch magic happen. Cleveland is okay, I’ve said it for a few weeks now that I like Colt McCoy, but besides that there isn’t much going for them lately. With a continued absence of Peyton Hillis I don’t see this game falling the way of the Browns.
Jackson runs wild for the Rams as they win 21-10
Washington at Miami
Washington is very banged up and very injured with some of their biggest players going down a few weeks ago. With Beck being their best offensive weapon it’s very dangerous to put your pick in the hands of the Redskins. The Dolphins actually looked very impressive last week as they went off against the Chiefs. Matt Moore looked really good, and Reggie Bush looked surprisingly like a starter as he ran for over 100 yards. If the Dolphins can keep this streak going the second half of their season could be drastically different than the first.
Matt Moore leads the Dolphins to their second in a row 17-10
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Week 10 - Thursday Night Football
Oakland at San Diego
In two weeks with the Raiders Carson Palmer hasn’t done anything outstanding. He has six interceptions to just three touchdowns. Can this be blamed on the fact that not only was there a lockout this year, but he also didn’t play for the entire preseason or first six weeks of the season? Maybe, but that depends on what you think would have happened during those weeks. I think Palmer is going to need some time to develop chemistry with these young wide-receivers. No longer does Carson have staple players that he has gone to for years in the past, there’s no more Ochocinco for him, no T.O this year, no Jermaine Gresham, even no Cedric Benson. Palmer doesn’t have any of the players he’s used to playing with, all he has are three and a half short weeks with his new team under his belt, two losses, and six interceptions. What could make this week look even more ominous for the Raiders? They sat McFadden last week in hopes that he’d be ready for tonight, but unfortunately DMC hasn’t been able to practice and he’s out again this week – ouch.
San Diego put up a fight last week. They only lost to the undefeated Green Bay Packers by a touchdown, and Rivers had more touchdowns than interceptions for the second time this season. Antonio Gates looks to be turning it on again, he had eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, alongside Vincent Jackson’s three scoring receptions on seven catches for 141 yards. Tolbert picked up a good chunk of yards, 83, on 19 carries while he brought one into the end zone. The Chargers offense looked good last week if you can forget about their turnovers. This game is going to come down to their defense and whether or not it can hold back Carson Palmer’s aerial attack.
The Raiders have given up just under 250 yards through the air a game, as well as 14 passing touchdowns throughout their first eight. The Raiders defense needs to lock it down if they expect to contain the Chargers offense. The Chargers pass attack hits at just about 295 yards a game, and when matched up against this Raiders defense it’s the point to watch throughout the game. If the Raiders can get into Rivers’ head and control the tempo of the game, they stand a good chance. But if Philip is given the time and makes the throws he’s capable of making this games going to be won by the home team.
Watch this video and remember what Rivers and Jackson have done in the past.
Rivers’ air strike wins this one for the Chargers 31-24
In two weeks with the Raiders Carson Palmer hasn’t done anything outstanding. He has six interceptions to just three touchdowns. Can this be blamed on the fact that not only was there a lockout this year, but he also didn’t play for the entire preseason or first six weeks of the season? Maybe, but that depends on what you think would have happened during those weeks. I think Palmer is going to need some time to develop chemistry with these young wide-receivers. No longer does Carson have staple players that he has gone to for years in the past, there’s no more Ochocinco for him, no T.O this year, no Jermaine Gresham, even no Cedric Benson. Palmer doesn’t have any of the players he’s used to playing with, all he has are three and a half short weeks with his new team under his belt, two losses, and six interceptions. What could make this week look even more ominous for the Raiders? They sat McFadden last week in hopes that he’d be ready for tonight, but unfortunately DMC hasn’t been able to practice and he’s out again this week – ouch.
San Diego put up a fight last week. They only lost to the undefeated Green Bay Packers by a touchdown, and Rivers had more touchdowns than interceptions for the second time this season. Antonio Gates looks to be turning it on again, he had eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, alongside Vincent Jackson’s three scoring receptions on seven catches for 141 yards. Tolbert picked up a good chunk of yards, 83, on 19 carries while he brought one into the end zone. The Chargers offense looked good last week if you can forget about their turnovers. This game is going to come down to their defense and whether or not it can hold back Carson Palmer’s aerial attack.
The Raiders have given up just under 250 yards through the air a game, as well as 14 passing touchdowns throughout their first eight. The Raiders defense needs to lock it down if they expect to contain the Chargers offense. The Chargers pass attack hits at just about 295 yards a game, and when matched up against this Raiders defense it’s the point to watch throughout the game. If the Raiders can get into Rivers’ head and control the tempo of the game, they stand a good chance. But if Philip is given the time and makes the throws he’s capable of making this games going to be won by the home team.
Watch this video and remember what Rivers and Jackson have done in the past.
Rivers’ air strike wins this one for the Chargers 31-24
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Shorter Posts
First things first – This week I didn’t have enough time to do as long of write-ups as I have for the previous weeks, real life took some control this week. I still put as much thought into each pick, I just never had the time to write them down. Secondly there are some very tough games this week, and I think many of them could go either way. Now lets pick-em.
Week 9 - Monday Night Football
Chicago at Philadelphia
Another very hard game to pick. I’ve been going back and forth on this one in my head all week. It’s “Forte can run forever against this defense. Demarco Murray had almost 80 yards on eight carries! And he’s a rookie!” Back to “Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson are just so explosive.” The internal battle in my brain has never lasted so long for any game and I think both sides have a very good chance of winning. I think the home field plays a bit in favor of Philly, and I think their win last week gives them a little more of an edge too.
Philly wins this one 34-27
Another very hard game to pick. I’ve been going back and forth on this one in my head all week. It’s “Forte can run forever against this defense. Demarco Murray had almost 80 yards on eight carries! And he’s a rookie!” Back to “Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson are just so explosive.” The internal battle in my brain has never lasted so long for any game and I think both sides have a very good chance of winning. I think the home field plays a bit in favor of Philly, and I think their win last week gives them a little more of an edge too.
Philly wins this one 34-27
Week 9 - Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
In one of the harder games to pick of the week, it’s another must win for both teams. I think the Ravens are a little shook up right now and they’re going to be trying harder than normal to get back on a dominant track Sunday night. Flacco has to settle down, and Ray Rice needs to get the ball and run it up the gut on this injured linebacker core. The Steelers are on a bit of a high after taking out the Pats last week, and I think it’s going to cost them more than help them this week. I think the confidence level is going to be a bit too high, and the Ravens are going to swoop in and take it.
Ravens win a nail-biter 20-17
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
In one of the harder games to pick of the week, it’s another must win for both teams. I think the Ravens are a little shook up right now and they’re going to be trying harder than normal to get back on a dominant track Sunday night. Flacco has to settle down, and Ray Rice needs to get the ball and run it up the gut on this injured linebacker core. The Steelers are on a bit of a high after taking out the Pats last week, and I think it’s going to cost them more than help them this week. I think the confidence level is going to be a bit too high, and the Ravens are going to swoop in and take it.
Ravens win a nail-biter 20-17
Week 9 - 4 O'Clock
Cincinnati at Tennessee
Dalton and AJ Green. Earlier this year I said its going to take them a year or two to figure it out. I was wrong. These guys are getting some chemistry together very quickly, and I think it’s going to look even better against this Tennessee defense. Chris Johnson has under 60 yards in all but one game and I think he’s one of the biggest busts for the season if not the very biggest. If the Titans want to turn this around, it’s on Johnson’s shoulders.
Cincy takes one on the road 24-21
Denver at Oakland
Tim Tebow isn’t good enough yet to start in the NFL, sure he can get a win in his first start – but look at who it was against and what he did. It was against the Dolphins, and they were shut out for all but four minutes. Yes it was a great comeback, but the Dolphins have choked all year. Can we get some Brady Quinn? Can we get a real first round draft pick at QB Denver? Oakland doesn’t have McFadden but it doesn’t matter, Bush is just as capable, and Denver isn’t a big threat.
Oakland wins 24-13
New York Giants at New England
The Giants have a good pass rush, and Brady isn’t good when he’s pressure or out of the pocket. The Giants don’t have Hakeem Nicks or Ahmad Bradshaw which really hurts their offensive performance and its going to come down to their defense. Tom Brady is Tom Brady though. He’s got massive weapons in Gronkowski and Welker, and it doesn’t matter who goes down with an injury, almost all of those offense guys know the system and can fill in anywhere.
The Pats take this one 31-24
St. Louis at Arizona
St. Louis upset the Saints under QB A.J Feeley and a massive game by Steven Jackson. They also had a good turn out from their defense and shut down that Saints attack. If they could contain Drew Brees and that offense I think they’re going to handle a Cardinals attack relying on a backup QB. I don’t think Arizona has enough strong players on either side of the ball to take this one.
The Rams ride Steven Jackson to victory 27-14
Green Bay at San Diego
Green Bay is still incredible. I’m sure they won in they’re bye week too, that’s how good they are. Aaron Rodgers is going to take this game and just have some fun with it. Matt Cassel and the Chiefs beat these Chargers last week, and I’m sure the Packers have found the holes that the Chiefs exploited and they’re going to open them up even more. San Diego needs to start doing the small things right, get their collective heads leveled, and forget last week. I don’t think they rebound right away, despite how much they need to.
The Packers continue rolling 31-21
Dalton and AJ Green. Earlier this year I said its going to take them a year or two to figure it out. I was wrong. These guys are getting some chemistry together very quickly, and I think it’s going to look even better against this Tennessee defense. Chris Johnson has under 60 yards in all but one game and I think he’s one of the biggest busts for the season if not the very biggest. If the Titans want to turn this around, it’s on Johnson’s shoulders.
Cincy takes one on the road 24-21
Denver at Oakland
Tim Tebow isn’t good enough yet to start in the NFL, sure he can get a win in his first start – but look at who it was against and what he did. It was against the Dolphins, and they were shut out for all but four minutes. Yes it was a great comeback, but the Dolphins have choked all year. Can we get some Brady Quinn? Can we get a real first round draft pick at QB Denver? Oakland doesn’t have McFadden but it doesn’t matter, Bush is just as capable, and Denver isn’t a big threat.
Oakland wins 24-13
New York Giants at New England
The Giants have a good pass rush, and Brady isn’t good when he’s pressure or out of the pocket. The Giants don’t have Hakeem Nicks or Ahmad Bradshaw which really hurts their offensive performance and its going to come down to their defense. Tom Brady is Tom Brady though. He’s got massive weapons in Gronkowski and Welker, and it doesn’t matter who goes down with an injury, almost all of those offense guys know the system and can fill in anywhere.
The Pats take this one 31-24
St. Louis at Arizona
St. Louis upset the Saints under QB A.J Feeley and a massive game by Steven Jackson. They also had a good turn out from their defense and shut down that Saints attack. If they could contain Drew Brees and that offense I think they’re going to handle a Cardinals attack relying on a backup QB. I don’t think Arizona has enough strong players on either side of the ball to take this one.
The Rams ride Steven Jackson to victory 27-14
Green Bay at San Diego
Green Bay is still incredible. I’m sure they won in they’re bye week too, that’s how good they are. Aaron Rodgers is going to take this game and just have some fun with it. Matt Cassel and the Chiefs beat these Chargers last week, and I’m sure the Packers have found the holes that the Chiefs exploited and they’re going to open them up even more. San Diego needs to start doing the small things right, get their collective heads leveled, and forget last week. I don’t think they rebound right away, despite how much they need to.
The Packers continue rolling 31-21
Week 9 - 1 O'Clock
Miami at Kansas City
The Chiefs hot streak remains at home, they took out the Chargers here last week and now they have a reeling Dolphins team coming into town. I don’t think the abysmal Dolphins have what it takes to knock of such a soaring team.
Kansas City enjoys the home crowd winning 24-10
Atlanta at Indianapolis
With the Colts most dangerous weapons coming on the outside rush the Falcons are going to need to shut down both Mathis and Freeney. The good news for Atlanta is that if one of those guys breaks through Turner is good enough to see it and break it the other way or just go up the middle.
Turner for more than 100 again as the Falcons win 42-13
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
It’s a must win for both teams, but I think New Orleans has more to lose. I think Drew Brees starts to turn it around after throwing ten picks in the last six games. Although Ingram is ruled out I still think the Saints have the weapons that they need, and I think the wide-receivers make some big plays to get this offense rolling.
New Orleans wins a tough one 24-21
New York Jets at Buffalo
Sanchez and the Jets going rolling into Buffalo with hopes that they can quiet down the Bills, but the Bills have shown lately that they have more weapons than I lot of people thought they did. Fred Jackson is a complete running back, Stevie Johnson is a great wide-out, Fitzpatrick is awesome. I don’t think the Jets have the defense to contain everything the Bills have to offer, and I think the Buffalo Defense gets a few interceptions to seal the victory.
Bills take a division game 21-17
Seattle at Dallas
I don’t think Seattle is good, I don’t think that they have what it takes to be a winning franchise right now. I don’t think Jackson, Rice, and Lynch can do anything great, maybe some good things yes, but not enough to get big wins. On the other hand you have Romo, Bryant and new standout running back Demarco Murray. Murray set a Dallas record two weeks ago with 253 yards, and last week he had 74 yards on eight carries. Get Demarco the ball!
Dallas wins this one 31-14
Cleveland at Houston
Hillis is out again, Colt is possibly turning something around, but there’s not really much else to say about Cleveland. Houston on the other hand it doesn’t matter if Andre Johnson is out, sure it helps when he plays it opens up the field and lets them spread the ball a little bit more, but Arian Foster is good enough to carry this team as far as it needs to go. Whether running or receiving Foster has been effective since his return and I don’t think that changes against the Browns.
Houston wins 27-14
San Francisco at Washington
San Francisco is one of the best teams in the league right now. Everyone in that franchise has flipped a switch this year and taken control of their game to better it for the team, Alex Smith is finally becoming the first round draft pick they were hoping for, and Frank Gore is continuing to be a beast. Washington is on a downward spiral and running out of time quickly. It doesn’t help with injuries to some of their major players and the season looks to be almost over very early for them.
Frank Gore dominates the line again winning 31-17
The Chiefs hot streak remains at home, they took out the Chargers here last week and now they have a reeling Dolphins team coming into town. I don’t think the abysmal Dolphins have what it takes to knock of such a soaring team.
Kansas City enjoys the home crowd winning 24-10
Atlanta at Indianapolis
With the Colts most dangerous weapons coming on the outside rush the Falcons are going to need to shut down both Mathis and Freeney. The good news for Atlanta is that if one of those guys breaks through Turner is good enough to see it and break it the other way or just go up the middle.
Turner for more than 100 again as the Falcons win 42-13
Tampa Bay at New Orleans
It’s a must win for both teams, but I think New Orleans has more to lose. I think Drew Brees starts to turn it around after throwing ten picks in the last six games. Although Ingram is ruled out I still think the Saints have the weapons that they need, and I think the wide-receivers make some big plays to get this offense rolling.
New Orleans wins a tough one 24-21
New York Jets at Buffalo
Sanchez and the Jets going rolling into Buffalo with hopes that they can quiet down the Bills, but the Bills have shown lately that they have more weapons than I lot of people thought they did. Fred Jackson is a complete running back, Stevie Johnson is a great wide-out, Fitzpatrick is awesome. I don’t think the Jets have the defense to contain everything the Bills have to offer, and I think the Buffalo Defense gets a few interceptions to seal the victory.
Bills take a division game 21-17
Seattle at Dallas
I don’t think Seattle is good, I don’t think that they have what it takes to be a winning franchise right now. I don’t think Jackson, Rice, and Lynch can do anything great, maybe some good things yes, but not enough to get big wins. On the other hand you have Romo, Bryant and new standout running back Demarco Murray. Murray set a Dallas record two weeks ago with 253 yards, and last week he had 74 yards on eight carries. Get Demarco the ball!
Dallas wins this one 31-14
Cleveland at Houston
Hillis is out again, Colt is possibly turning something around, but there’s not really much else to say about Cleveland. Houston on the other hand it doesn’t matter if Andre Johnson is out, sure it helps when he plays it opens up the field and lets them spread the ball a little bit more, but Arian Foster is good enough to carry this team as far as it needs to go. Whether running or receiving Foster has been effective since his return and I don’t think that changes against the Browns.
Houston wins 27-14
San Francisco at Washington
San Francisco is one of the best teams in the league right now. Everyone in that franchise has flipped a switch this year and taken control of their game to better it for the team, Alex Smith is finally becoming the first round draft pick they were hoping for, and Frank Gore is continuing to be a beast. Washington is on a downward spiral and running out of time quickly. It doesn’t help with injuries to some of their major players and the season looks to be almost over very early for them.
Frank Gore dominates the line again winning 31-17
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