Thursday, December 9, 2010

NFL Picks - Week 14


Somehow it seems ironically fitting that Ben R. has gotten punched in the face twice this year. Once on purpose and the other in the flow of the game, with the first one leveling him and the other breaking his nose. Or maybe it's just me and the girl he allegedly raped in the bathroom of a bar that feel this way. Not that I want to see the man hurt at all but I just think it's kinda funny.

Nevertheless, Ben came away with a across nose but also a HUGE divisional win on Monday night. Kudos to the Steelers and a smh to Joe Flacco who short-armed the hell out of the throw that would have kept the Ravens final drive alive and maybe let to a game-tying field goal (at the least). I've been saying all along that Joe Flacco has the tools to be a great quarterback but cannot handle the pressure. After Monday night, I rest my case. Where's Trent Dilfer when John Harbaugh needs him?

Indianapolis over Tennessee: Indianapolis needs this win and the Titans appear to be descending. I'll take Peyton in this one even with the shytload of interceptions he's thrown over the past few weeks.

Buffalo over Cleveland: Buffalo's been playing well all season (with the exception of last week) and I'm hoping they haven't started to mail it in. I'm a little leery about this pick because my gut is telling me the Bills' players are thinking about sunshine and margarita's in the Caribbean coming up and not about stopping Peyton Hillis. I've only picked one underdog this week (Washington) so maybe I'll change this one before the Thursday night game. We'll see.

Cleveland over Buffalo: Just realized Buffalo has the worst run defense in the league and Peyton Hillis is the new Mike Allstott. But the whole Jake Delhomme factor (in the event this comes down to a shoot-out) kinda makes me nervous. Hopefully it'll be snowy in Buffalo and the game will be mostly rushing (the forecast is calling for rain/snow).

Green Bay over Detroit: Aaron Rodgers much?

Giants over Vikings: The Giants and the Vikings are both two teams that can look good at times but really aren't going to do much if they make it to the post-season. Presumably the Giants will and I'm about 100% sure the Vikings won't. But, the Giants defensive line can potentially wreak havoc every single week from both sides of the line. I don't think Tavaris (or Brett) can handle that constant pressure. The Giants also have proven to have a very solid run game with the combination of Bradshaw and Psycho Jacobs. Minnesota has the 3rd ranked rushing defense in the league so it'll be an interesting match-up in that regard. If Minnesota runs AP 30 times and shuts down the running game of the G-Men I think they'll win. But something tells me the Giants (like the Eagles) will realize that they need this win to stay tied atop the NFC East and pull off the win.

Pittsburgh over Cincy: Cincy stinks and Pittsburgh plays tough. Hopefully Ben has a big day to help out my fantasy squad.

Washington over Tampa: The Redskins will show some heart and win this game at home. Apologies in advance to my brother who is a Bucs fan.

Atlanta over Carolina: Like my man Lance mentioned last week, Atlanta is due for a loss, but I just don't see the Panthers being good enough to pull it off.

Jacksonville over Oakland: I really want to pick Oakland, I really do. I think they've got the potential to win this game in a close battle. But Jacksonville's been toughing out wins lately and showing a lot of heart.

New Orleans over St. Louis: Drew Brees is going to have a good day.

49ers over Seattle: Flipped a coin and when I looked at it there was Mike Singletary starting at me like he used to do opposing QBs at the line of scrimmage. How was I supposed to NOT pick the Niners after that happening?

Patriots over Bears: Another case (like last week) of Bill Belicheck against a young QB. You know who won last week and expect it to happen again this week. Jay Cutler (no matter how well he's been playing in recent weeks) is always one week away from throwing a gazillion interceptions. I expect this to be the week he does just that. But if the Pats don't find a way to stop Julius Peppers it could be a long day for Tom Brady.

Denver over Arizona: Even with McDaniels gone I expect Denver to win this game. And no, I don't have any idea who his replacement is.

Chargers over Chiefs: Chargers lost last week to the Raiders and they need this win. If the Chiefs get out early and put points on the board this pick my go to smithereens. The Chiefs beat the Chargers back in week 1 and I'm sure the 6-6 Chargers who were surging (till last week) remember that. Also, I'm sure the Chargers are fully aware that they NEED to win this game to stay in the playoff picture.

Eagles over Cowboys: The Cowboys have been looking good lately and have beaten some decent teams. I think that Michael Vick however, poses a unique threat to them that none of the other teams the Cowboys have beat recently posed. And that is, a QB with the ability to run the ball if need be and also create on the run. Aside from that, the Eagles need to win this game to keep pace in the NFC East lead and I don't think they'll let the Cowboys get in the way of it.

Ravens over Texans: I expect the Ravens to fall behind early in this game but come back to win. Houston can run the ball well and pass well. That is, well enough to score on the Ravens defense that isn't as good as it used to be. The bad part for Houston is that their defense STINKS to high Heaven so I also expect the Ravens and Joe "Freeze-up in crunchtime" Flacco to be able to put up points on them.

No comments: