Friday, December 23, 2011

NFL Picks: Week 16

Texans over the Colts
I never should have underestimated the fire that Payton Manning was willing to light under his teammates. You could see it in his face on Thursday night. "Win one for me guys!" Or in other words, "win one for me so Luck isn't drafted and we can avoid the drama that comes with that mess".  

Chiefs over the Raiders
I don't know what to think of the Raiders running game or passing game. It's hit and miss for both. I know Michael Bush has filled in admirably for their backfield but I would really have like to see Darren McFadden healthy this year. Do you remember the burst he had earlier in the season? He was being talked about as the best RB in the game. Now he's just that guy that we know is good who's always injured.   

Titans over the Jaguars
The Jags have Maurice Jones-Drew....and that's it. What a season by that guy!  He might end up winning the rushing title this year, which would be the lone bright spot in a season from hell.  Jack Del Rio should have been fired at least 3 years ago. 

Patriots over the Dolphins
The Fins have been downright plucky in the 2nd half of the season.  Shouldn't matter this week. The Pats offense should shred the Miami defense.

Bengals over the Cardinals
Best rookie on the Cincy Squad?  Dalton? I say it's A.J.  Green. A stud at receiver. 

Broncos over the Bills
McGahee mania! Right?!  Willis McGahee comes back to the town he started as a rookie and where infamously proclaimed himself  the best running back in the game.  Pretty clear that was never a true statement but it's also evident that we wouldn't be talking about Tebow so much right now if McGahee hadn't ran as well as he did in at least 4 of the wins in the past month and a half. . 

Steelers over the Rams
 Roethlisberger is out. Charlie Batch is in. Batch is has been around since the Jurassic Age and has been serviceable but if your a Steeler fan then you should be scared of the Rams this week. St. Louis stinks and should be tanking this game for a draft pick but remember they took out the Saints earlier in the year. 

Giants over the Jets
Besides the NY that precedes their names these teams really are very similar. They can can be great defensively on occasion.....they probably should be better than they are but tend to disappoint.....and they get more attention than they deserve. Certainly Eli is a better QB than Sanchez but in the past few seasons Sanchez has come up big at the end of the season.  Maybe this year is different for Eli and he can channel some 2007-08 magic. 

Redskins over the Vikings
Irrelevant game of the week.

Panthers over the Buccaneers
All I really care about in this game is watching Cam Newton and Steve Smith. Seriously, is there anything else remotely interesting about it?

Ravens over the Browns
McCoy is out again. and the Ravens defense (despite last week's shalacking by the the Chargers) should shut down anything Cleveland plans to do. The Colt McCoy concussion experience is something that used to happen every week in the NFL. The only reason it's gotten so much press is the current league crackdown and awareness about concussions.....which I think is good. Let's just not pretend this is something new. Sending a guy back in after a serious concussion has been commonplace in the league since it began. The guy who's the biggest douche in the whole thing is Mike Holmgren. His lame excuses about why McCoy went back in are almost comical. 

Lions over the Chargers
Detroit should be very worried that they are getting the "good" Chargers instead of the bad Charger team that slept walked through the middle of the season. 

Cowboys over the Eagles
I know that Philly is the popular pick here and honestly I almost think that the Eagles could pull this miracle playoff seed out in the last couple of weeks. But I can't buy those odds with this Eagles team. 

49ers over the Seahawks
Alex Smith has been pretty good this year. Not great, but pretty good. Still, unless he can make more of the big plays on 3rd down or in the Red Zone this team isn't going anywhere in the playoffs.

Packers over the Bears
It will be interesting to watch what the Packers do in regards to protecting their guys for the playoffs without losing their edge. 

Saints over the Falcons
tough one.  These guys are rivals and know how to play each other's strengths and weaknesses. This should be close.

Last Week: 5-11
Overall: 132-88 (60%)

1 comment:

notacynic said...

Watch for the Packers to try to establish the run early and stick with it the whole game. Gotta keep the hits off Rodgers.

Also I expect the defense to hold the Bears to 10 points or right thereabouts. No Cutler, no Forte (no Walter Payton). Time for the Pack to show they can win without Rodgers throwing 4 touchdown passes.