Last Week’s record 8-7; for the season, 92-52
Pick of the week, 1-0; for the season, 7-3
Last week was nothing to write home about, but I did manage to hit my Pick of the Week. The Bengals hurt me with a road win in Pittsburgh and the last-second heroics of Peyton Manning cost me the Patriots game. It amazing — just when you think you have a handle on things, strange things happen.
Here we are heading into the 10th week of the season and aside from the Colts and Saints, all of the division races and wild card berths are still up for grabs. What that means, of course, is that for the most part all the remaining games will have an impact on the playoff picture. Let’s get on with it.
Thursday, Nov. 19
Miami at Carolina — Week after week the Dolphins come to play and play hard. As far as Carolina goes, all of a sudden it looks like Jake Delhomme has found his groove and the Panthers have become a team to reckon with. I’m pulling for the Dolphins, but my pick is Carolina, 23-17.
Sunday, Nov. 22
Indianapolis at Baltimore — Wow, what a comeback against the Pats, and wow, what a gamble Coach Belichick made. There were certainly plenty of wows in the Patriots game. I doubt the Colts will run the table, but I don’t see the Ravens beating them, even at home. I’ll stick with Manning and friends, 31-21.
Buffalo at Jacksonville — The Bills are on life support, while the Jags are still in the thick of the wild card race. I think that says it all. I’ll stick with the Jags, 20-10.
Seattle at Minnesota — This game should be very predictable. The Seahawks are usually bad on the road and the Vikings are rolling along with Favre and Peterson. I’ll make the Vikings my Pick of the Week, 33-20.
New Orleans at Tampa Bay — As of late, the Bucs have shown some improvement, while the Saints have continued to find ways to win. Until someone beats them I’ll stick with New Orleans, 34-17.
Atlanta at New York Giants — The Falcons have been shaky of late and have struggled on the road. The Giants are coming off their bye week and this game is an absolute must-win if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. I think the Giants will come out, play a sound hard-hitting game and win this one, 24-19.
Pittsburgh at Kansas City — The Steelers are still smarting from a home loss to the Bengals, while the Chiefs picked up their second win of the year (both on the road) last week against the Raiders. Pittsburgh cannot afford a letdown in this game. Look for Big Ben to return to form. I’ll take the Steelers, 27-17.
San Francisco at Green Bay — Both of these teams are still alive in the wild card race. If the Packer defense continues to play as it did against the Cowboys, the team may be back on course. I like the 49ers and the job the Coach Singletary has done with them, but I’m sticking with the Packers, 21-13.
Washington at Dallas — Could it be the Redskins are primed for a playoff run? If they can beat the Cowboys that would certainly help their cause. As for the Cowboys, they just can’t seem to stand prosperity. The Skins will show up and play tough, but in the end the Boys prevail, 23-17.
Cleveland at Detroit — Let’s be honest: This is the game we have all been waiting for. The Browns’ performance on Monday night against the Ravens was just plain awful, while the Lions have been awful since Barry Sanders retired. Regardless, someone has to win and I say it is the Lions, 17-14.
Arizona at St. Louis — The Cards are sure to make things interesting, especially at home. The Rams played the Saints tough but consider this: They are 0-4 at home, while Arizona is 4-0 on the road. Enough said. I’ll stick with the Cards, 31-20.
San Diego at Denver — One of these teams is a pretender and I think that team is the Broncos. This is a huge division game for both teams and I think Philip Rivers will find a way to win this game. I’ll stick with the Chargers, 27-13.
Cincinnati at Oakland — Watch out for a letdown by the Bengals, but if it happens, it should only last for a couple of possessions. The Raiders are just plain bad and need to fire their owner. I’ll stick with the high-flying Bengals, 27-9.
New York Jets at New England — Lightning struck once earlier in the season when the Jets upset the Pats at home, but rest assured, it won’t happen again. The Pats, still smarting from their last-minute loss to the Colts, will be fired up big time and that’s bad news for Jet fans. I’ll stick with New England, 30-13.
Philadelphia at Chicago — I can’t imagine a tougher game to pick than this one. Both teams are a mystery to me. Last week McNabb threw 55 times for 450 yards but the Eagles only gained 29 yards on the ground. As for the Bears, they couldn’t find the end zone in their 10-6 loss to the Niners on Thursday. I like the Bears more than the Eagles, so I’ll take Chicago, 23-20.
Monday, Nov. 23
Tennessee at Houston — This is a good matchup and should be a really good game. All of a sudden the Titans are playing well with Vince Young at quarterback. The Texans are coming off their bye week and should be ready to rock and roll. I like both teams, but I’ll stick with Houston, 24-21.
