Week #8 - Big Issues in Big D

Week 8

Jaguars @ Cowboys -6.5

Let’s put it this way: If the Cowboys don’t win all, and I mean ALL, hope is lost for Big D for the 2010 season.  Jerry Jones is going to be pissed and just might blow up his new billion dollar stadium just to spite the NFL of not having the Cowboys being in the Super Bowl there this year.  So with that said, the Cowboys will, hopefully, take this.

Panthers @ Rams -3

The Rams may actually be legit, not that legit though.  Just legit enough to beat the Panthers who really have no idea what they are doing on offense.  They are relying on a carousel of QB’s as opposed to their two 1,000yd running backs.  Look for the Rams to increase their division lead.

Broncos -1 @ 49ers

It’s a battle of two under-achieving teams.  Give some slack to the Broncos though because they have been injured riddled since the start of the season.  The 49ers have not and look very troubled at times.  Coach Singletary still believes he can win the NFC West.  His clock is running out and it’s going to start this week. 

Bills @ Chiefs -7.5

Yes the Bills are garbage but yet again last week impressed me by taking the Ravens into OT and putting up a lot of points.  The Chiefs on the other hand are continuing to lead the AFC West with a strong performance against the Jaguars last week.  Even though the Chiefs blew out the Jags, I like the fact that Buffalo can now put up some points, but they still won’t win the game.

Dolphins @ Bengals -1.5

The Dulphins lost a heartbreaker to the Steelers last week, which makes them a good pick this week.  The fact that they “practically” beat the Steelers just shows me that they can beat up on the Bengals this week who have no sense of identity on offense. 

Packers @ Jets -5.5

The Jets are coming off a bye and I don’t think they’ll miss a beat.  The Packers hassled Brett Favre and got a victory over their slumping division rivals in Minnesota .  The Jets are going to win this game but I think the high powered Packers will put up some points for the Jets not to cover.

Redskins @ Lions -2.5

This week may be the start for the Lions to go on a roll.  They are in a tough division but will compete from here on out with Stafford back at QB.  The Redskins will put up another tough fight like they do every week, but I think the home team will get this one.

Titans @ Chargers -3.5

The Chargers are by far the most under-achieving team in the NFL right now.  Their expectations are always so high yet always get off to a slow start, however it has never lasted this long in recent memory.  They need to pick their ish up, that’s for sure.  The Titans D has looked great and it’s going to be a close game but the Chargers will probably find a way to blow it as usual. 

Vikings @ Patriots -6

The Patriots looked sloppy and slow against the even sloppier Chargers last week.  The only reason they won that game was because the Chargers had 4 turnovers before halftime, and even then it seemed like a close game.  Brett Favre will be a game time decision but its time for the Vikings to get it together with or without him.  With the Vikings getting points, they’ll be good here.

Seahawks @ Raiders -1.5

Well look at the Raiders.  Unbelievable that they put up a whooping 59 points against the Broncos.  I didn’t even they think they could put 59 points up in a total of 3 games, but what do I know right?  The Seahawks are fairing well and Pete Carol is proving something so far this season, but look for the Raiders to put up some more points if they didn’t run out.

Buccaneers @ Cardinals -3

I’m still not believing in the Cardinals, even though they put up a good showing with Max Hall at QB.  Then again I don’t have confidence in the Bucs either, so it’s a lose-lose for me.  However I do believe in the power of getting points in a game like this, so I’m taking the Bucs in this one.

Steelers -1 @ Saints

I believe the Steelers will continue to dominate and prove they are the best team in the NFL with a victory over the on-again, off-again Saints.  The Saints may show up this week but it probably will not be enough to overcome the Steelers offense and dominating D.

Texans @ Colts -5.5

The Colts are going to be hell-bent on not being swept by the Texans for the first time since the two have faced off; losing once for the first time was bad enough.  The Texans support the NFL leading rusher in Arian Foster and the Colts have never been a team to stop the rush well.  The lose of DeMeco Ryans may hurt them, but they still have to account for the devilish ways of Peyton Manning.  It’s going to be a lot of points for the Colts to cover here.

Lock of the Week:  Miami Dolphins

Record:  51-48-4 (7-7)         Locks- 6 for 7

Week #7 and its still anybody's game

Week 7

Steelers -3 @ Dolphins

Good game here.  Steelers are competing to be one of the best teams in the NFL while the Dolphins are competing to stay in the hunt for the AFC East crown.  The Steelers defense is just too good here for the Dolphins to overcome.

Bengals @ Falcons -3.5

I have no idea what happened to the Bengals.  They were a team that was supposed to be atop the AFC North with the Steelers and Ravens.  Instead they seem to have fallen into their old Bengal ways of under-achieving.  Look for the Falcons to bounce back this week after a miserable lose to the Eagles last week.

Rams @ Buccaneers -2.5

Who would have thought the Rams are in contention in their division?  Granted it is the very weak NFC West but still.  After only winning two games last year, they are steadily competing and improving every week.  The Bucs are in flux and they really are a tricky team to predict.  I like the Rams here.

49ers -3 @ Panthers

Teams have a combined 1 win.  Let’s see who will come out of this slugfest.  Oh wait, no one will really care.  The Panthers are digressing and going back to Matt Moore, who is not the future of the franchise, and the 49ers are trying to piece together a second straight win.  Look for the Niners this week in a strugggle at the bottom of the barrell.

Redskins @ Bears -3

The Bears at times play some real good football.  Then other times they look like they looked last year.  The Redskins started hot this year but have cooled off and so has Donovan.  The Bears are home and its starting to get cold out.  Look for Chi-town to erupt for them this week.

Browns @ Saints -13.5

The Browns running game led by Peyton Hillis is one of the tops in the league.  I think the Saints will win but they won’t cover as the Browns can put some points up on the board.

Bills @ Ravens -13

The Bills are still garbage, even in week 7, however have gotten stronger each week since Fitzpatrick became the QB.  Their coming off a buy week but I don’t think it will help much.  Look for the Ravens to absolutely crush them here.

Eagles @ Titans -3

The just seem to get better and better every week, but so do the Titans.  CJ had another monster week last week, but that was against the Jaguars.  The loss of Desean Jackson will hinder the Eagles but not to the point that it will affect their game plan as much as Maclin will fill in just fine.

Jaguars @ Chiefs -9

The Chiefs are atop the AFC West, but only by a game.  This may be the week that they pull away from the pack.  The Jaguars don’t have a QB yet as the only two on the depth chart were injured last week.  This is a big spread for the Chiefs but I think they’ll get this one this week.

Cardinals @ Seahawks -6

The Seahawks might finally be on a roll and found a grove.  They played well last week as Mike Williams had a career best day.  Max Hall, the undrafted Mormon from BYU, leads the Cardinals this week and for the most part probably the rest of the year if he keeps it up.  The Seahawks are home and have one of the best crowds in the league.  I got them here.

Raiders @ Broncos -8

This is the first meeting between these two division rivals this year so far.  The Broncos have had injuries all year and are slowly falling in the division, however the Raiders really don’t know what they are doing at all.  Broncos here but barely.

Patriots @ Chargers -2.5

I can’t believe I’m taking the Patriots here.  I’ve finally realized that the Chargers need to prove me something before I can pick them again.  The Chargers play better at home then on the road, but they are playing the Patriots.  They usually play the Pats tough in the past but there getting points here so I feel like I got to take them.

Vikings @ Packers -2.5

The Vikings won their must win last week, but they can’t stop now.  It seemed like the whole Packers team is now injured after last week, but they still have Aaron Rodgers and that’s all they need.  I think the Vikings figured it out and they of course have the Brett Favre factor, so I’ll take them here.

Giants @ Cowboys -3

It’s a must win for Big-D this week.  If they don’t win, half of America might blow up.  I’m just kidding, but you never know what Jerry Jones might do.  The Giants D might be back to full force of what it use to be.  I think they’ll upset the Cowboys here and leave Dallas fans still crying.

Lock of the Week:  Baltimore Ravens

Record:  44-41-4 (7-4-2)         Locks- 6 for 6

Week #6 and Lots to Prove on the Gridiron.

Week 6

Ravens @ Patriots -3

The Ravens are a top 3 team in the NFL.  I’m very surprised to see that they are getting points here, but I know it is solely because the Patriots are the home team here.  The Ravens have all cylinders clicking on both sides of the ball.  Ray Rice finally picked it up last week too.  This will be the first game the Patriots play without Moss.  I like the points for the Ravens here.

Chiefs @ Texans -4.5

The Texans have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, however were stuffed by the Giants last week.  The Chiefs don’t have a defense like the Giants though, but they do have a shut-down corner in Brandon Flowers that could give Andre Johnson some trouble.  Look for the Texans to get their top ranked run game back on track against the surprising Chiefs.

Chargers -8.5 @ Rams

The Rams are contending for first in the weak NFC West and that is surprising a lot of people.  They are starting to turn that franchise around over there.  The Chargers on the other hand are somewhat disappointing as they keep betting themselves up.  Their special teams are nonexistent to say the least and that’s what is keeping them from being 5-0.  Philip Rivers is on pace to shatter Dan Marino’s single season passing yardage record.  I’m sticking to my guns and taking the Chargers here in a bounce back victory.

Lions @ Giants -10

Well the Giants finally stringed together a couple of good defensive games, so I’m on board now.  Like I said in earlier weeks, the Lions have been playing some good football this year and it showed in last week’s clobbering of the Rams.  The Giants are home but these points are a lot here so I’m sticking with the Lions.

Saints -4.5 @ Buccaneers

The Bucs are on an upswing winning 3 of their last 4 games, granted they were against bottom of the barrel teams.  The Saints on the other hand are struggling and are battling in close games with the likes of the winless 49ers and Panthers and losing to the Cardinals.  Perhaps the loss of Reggie Bush was more than they could account for.  The Saints are still the defending champs, so I still got faith in them here.

Browns @ Steelers -14

Now that Big Ben is done rapin chicks, he can start throwin picks.  Nahh, well at least not this week.  The Steelers are playing the Browns, who have been somewhat surprising this year due to Peyton Hillis and his beastly arms.  Colt McCoy sounds like will be getting the start this week for them.  Welcome to the NFL Colt, have fun against one of the topped ranked defenses in the game.  The Steelers are going to dominate here.

Seahawks @ Bears -7

The Bears will be getting Jay Cutler back this week, which is good considering Todd Collins threw 4 picks and has a passer rating lower than 10 and still managed to win thanks to the outstanding performance by Matt Forte.  The Seahawks are coming off a bye and will look to pull ahead in the NFC West.  They acquired Marshawn Lynch from the Bills and will now have a feature back to hopefully compliment their pass game.  The Bears may win here, but I don’t think they will cover.

Falcons @ Eagles -3

The Falcons looked impressive all year.  They haven’t skipped a beat since their opening day OT lose to the Steelers.  They are easily a top 3 team in the league, with a very explosive offense.  The Eagles have Kevin Kolb under center again and he will need to prove he is the starter before Vick returns healthy to the line-up for them.  Even though the Dirty Birds are away, I like them in the torturous city of Philadelphia. 

Raiders @ 49ers -6.5

Congratulations to the Raiders.  You have finally managed to beat the Chargers for the first time in about 6 years.  I guess they were due.  Jason Campbell did step up for the injured Bruce Gradkowski and showed why they brought him in the first place.  I think he should remain the starter, but what do I know?  The only word to describe the 49ers this year: disappointing.  They are winless yet Mike Singletary still believes they will win the division.  Win a game first Mike, and then start talking like that.  There heavy favorites here, maybe based on Singletary’s words?   I’ll take the Raiders.

Jets -3 @ Broncos

Guess I will start to believe in the Jets hype.  I may even go as far as saying that they are the best team in the NFL right now.  OK, I’m not going that far…yet.  The Jets still prove that they can take on any team by beating the Vikings despite giving up their most yards this year.  Mark Sanchez continues to improve every week.  The Broncos are slowly falling, due largely in part to all the injuries they are sustaining, despite the high-caliber effort of Kyle Orton.  The Jets will show why they may be the best team in the league again here.

Cowboys @ Vikings -1.5

Desperate times call for desperate measures and this is that time for both teams.  This game is a must win for both teams, however we all know that only one team can win, except if they tie of course.  Favre had a chance against the Jets to pull that one off but once again threw a late game pick to seal the deal for them.  Some people are calling for the benching of Favre.  Really?  Do you really think Tarvaris Jackson is a better alternative?  Doubtful.  The Cowboys cannot seem to figure out how to win a game, even with Tony Homo throwing 400yd games left and right.  This games a pick’em and I’m picking the home team here.

Colts -3 @ Redskins

The Colts did not look all too impressive last week against the Chiefs.  I guess the only real good they got out of last game was that Adam Vinateri got a lot of game reps in.  Peyton will be Peyton for the rest of the year and as long as they have him they’ll be fine.  If Donovan McNabb can rally his troops together at home, they may have a shot.  That’s a big if though.

Titans -3 @ Jaguars

CJ once again had another fantasy feast of a game, leading the Titans to victory.  It didn’t hurt that Vince Young also had 3 touchdown passes in the game as well.  The Jaguars have been flying under the radar this year posting a solid 3-2 record thus far with wins over the Broncos, Bills and Colts.  Mighty Mouse has been leading the offense, as David Garrard and WR core have not been much to talk about.  The Titans always play well against the run and will look to stop MJD at all cost and make Garrard beat them.  I’m locking up the Titans this week.

Lock of the Week- Tennessee Titans

Record:  37-37-2 (7-7)         Locks- 5 for 5

The Double Edge Sword

Pick your poison. 

Now matter how the cards unfold, one things for sure. The Yankees will be in a dog fight for the AL crown.

With Texas you have Cliff Lee and a high powered offense. With Tampa you have David Price and a devastating running game. And with both teams, the Yanks still have to deal with their own rotation and a certain inconsistent pitcher named AJ. 

All I can say is good luck Yankees and let's hope that whoever wins can take down those phucking phils! Let's just hope they don't choke on the big one like the Braves.

Week #5: Break Away Time

Week 5


Buccaneers @ Bengals -6.5

The Buccaneers are coming off a bye week, but I don’t think that time off will really help them. They have been struggling a bit, however have showed some signs of life with the games leading up to their bye week. The Bengals come off a disappointing lose to the Browns and will look to rebound here.

Packers -2.5 @ Redskins

The Redskins are coming off an exhilarating win over division rivals, the Eagles, and McNabb will look to keep it up for his team. The Packers are coming off a close win over the Lions, but Aaron Rodgers is one of the best QB’s in the game. The spread is low here, so look for the Packers to cover.

Chiefs @ Colts -8

The Chiefs are coming off a bye week of the most surprising start in the NFL. They will look to continue their ways against the Colts and Peyton Manning, who are surprisingly at the bottom of their division right now. Peyton is playing very well, however the defense is not holding up. I think this will be a lot closer than most people think, thus I’m taking the Chiefs with a higher spread.

Falcons -3 @ Browns

The Falcons are one of the best teams in the NFL right now and it shows. Roddy White and Matt Ryan are on fire. The Browns played some good football last week, beating their division rivals, Cincinnati Bengals. I think the Falcons are just too much for the Browns to handle.

Broncos @ Ravens -7

The Ravens grinded out a good win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Ray Rice has yet to show why he deserved to be a top 5 fantasy pick. The Broncos are playing good football so far, coming off a good win against the mid-level Titans. This spread is pretty high, so I’m taking the Broncos here.

Giants @ Texans -3

The Texans are coming off a win over the Raiders off another big performance from Arian Foster. He has shown that he is a top player in the NFL right now. The Giants are coming off a much needed win over the Bears, a game in which the defense finally stepped up and had their way with Jay Cutler. Eli is still retarded though. Giants win here, with the points.

Rams @ Lions -3

If this was a game last year, I would be talking about how bad both of these teams are and that this may be the only shot for either team to get a win. However this is not last year and I will not be saying that here. Both the Rams and Lions are playing pretty good football. Not top tier football, but pretty good. I’ve been impressed with every game the Lions have played this year, and I’ll be impressed after this game too.

Jaguars -1 @ Bills

This game will be one of those games that the Bills will actually have a chance of winning, and it may be their only win of the year too. Their schedule is really tough, but it doesn’t matter because they are absolute garbage. Maybe if they can get CJ Spiller into the game for once, they could produce some points. The Jaguars are coming off a surprising win over the Colts. Look for them to beat the Bills, for the Jaguars sake.

Bears -3 @ Panthers

The Giants absolutely had their way with Jay Cutler and the rest of the Bears team last week. They will look to bounce back this week against the Panthers, who showed up to play against the Saints last week. The Panthers running game finally showed up, but look for the Bears to be fired up and get a victory here.

Saints -7 @ Cardinals

The Saints are coming off a squeaker against the Panthers off the leg of newly signed veteran John Carney. The Cardinals may be the second worst team in the NFL, next to the garbage Bills. They took out Derek Anderson, a player they believed was better than Matt Leinart, for Max Hall. Who? Exactly! I would have just kept Leinart and let him flop around out there, but apparently they think they can do something with Anderson and Hall. Well, not this week.

Chargers -6 @ Raiders

The Chargers needed their blow-out win against the Cardinals last week to boost their confidence as a team. This will be their second AFC West game, as they are behind in the standings to the Broncos and Chiefs. The Raiders are battling some injuries, as well as some QB controversy, but it looks as if Gradkowski has it sealed for now. The Chargers will continue their winning ways, and hopefully another blowout. I won’t hold my breath though.

Titans @ Cowboys -6.5

The Cowboys got their first win of the year entering into their bye week. Their running game has been abysmal and they need to pick it up in order to contend for the NFC East title. Tony Romo can’t do it all himself every game. I’m picking the Titans because this spread is high and CJ needs to bounce back after his 2nd non-100 yd rushing game of the year.

Eagles @ 49ers -3.5

If Vick doesn’t get hurt, the Eagles give Donovan a rude homecoming and win that game. Kolb did not do poorly in replacing him, but he isn’t the NFC Player of the Month. San Fran almost had it against the Saints, but the good news for them is the defense played like the 49ers D was suppose to play like, holding the high powered Saints to only 16 points. I like the Eagles here with points especially.

Vikings @ Jets -4

The Jets are proving every week that they deserved to talk all the smack they did leading up into the season. It seems as if every week they are getting better. They play another tough game here against the Vikings, who have been the most disappointing team so far. Favre will look to lead his Vikings against his former team, yes the Jets, in hopefully a win that will resurge their season.

Lock of the Week- Atlanta Falcons

Record: 30-30-2 (7-7) Locks- 4 for 4

Contender or Pretender? - Week #4 Picks

Week 4

Lions @ Packers -14.5

Losing to the Bears was a bit of a shock to me for the Packers, even with the sloppy game they played.  Their running game needs to step up for Rodgers to be as effective as he was last year, which made them a Super Bowl contender.  I think they’ll win the game here, but the spread is too much to cover, especially with a Lions team that is putting points on the board and looking impressive this year.

Broncos @ Titans -6.5

The Titans seemed to have their way with the Giants D, scoring on all fronts.  CJ had a bounce back game, but did not look as good as Vince Young’s bounce-back performance.  The Bronco’s question marks at RB will mean that they will have to really on Kyle Orton, who played relatively well last week.  The Titans will get this, but it’ll be a close game so they won’t cover.

Bengals -3 @ Browns

The Bengals are staying competitive in the tough AFC North and with this rivalry game, they will continue to be competitive.  The Browns have not really shown anything this season, however with Wallace at QB I feel they have a better fighting chance then with Delhomme.  With that said, it still won’t be enough for the Browns to overcome the Bengals in this one. 

Panthers @ Saints -13.5

The Saints lost a heartbreaker to the Falcons on a Garrett Hartley missed FG.  The Panthers still do not have any potential plan of attack, even with Clausen in now.  Look for the Saints to bounce back and score at will against the lowly Panthers.

Ravens @ Steelers -1.5

Charlie Batch was throwing TDs left and right last week in his first start for the Steelers in years.  This is going to be a defensive battle, so the team who can battle through will ultimately prevail.  Flacco has been somewhat shaky this year so far, even with a nice bounce-back game last week.  Look for the Steelers to continue their winning ways.

Jets -4.5 @ Bills

The Jets are turning it around since their disappointing Week 1 loss.  This game should be no problem for the Jets as, yes you guessed it, the Bills are still garbage.  They did seem to wake up a little bit when Fitzpatrick became the starter, but they are by far the worst team in the NFL.  The Jets will easily cover this small spread.

49ers @ Falcons -6.5

It has been quite a shock at how bad the 49ers have been playing.  A lot of people predicted them to win the sluggish NFC West, but not at this pass.  The Falcons are looking like an elite team in the NFL and coming off a great win against the Saints, they should continue to do so.

Seahawks -1 @ Rams

The first place Seahawks look to stay atop the division going up against the Rams, who are coming off a surprising win against the Redskins.  If the Seahawks can keep up their D, look for them to not only win this game handedly, but also stay atop the NFC West.

Colts -8.5 @ Jaguars

Peyton Manning is off to his best start of his career and that’s saying a lot since Peyton has been an elite QB in the league for the last 10 years or so.  The Colts as a team on the other hand are struggling a little bit, mostly on the defensive side.  They recently have been playing better though.  The Jags have no chance here as they have no offensive fire power.

Texans -3 @ Raiders

The Texans suffered a minor bump in their plan to prove the league they are a greatly improved team with the loss to the Cowboys last week, however they get the Raiders this week.  Gradkowski gave the Raiders some life, but it won’t be enough here to top the Texans.

Cardinals @ Chargers -8

The Chargers are prone to slow starts in their recent seasons so there should be no red flags here….yet.  They usually do step up as the season progresses.  They have some ground to make up in the AFC West as the Chiefs are off to a hot start.  They should hopefully have no problem here against the Cardinals, however I’d caution with the high spread here.

Redskins @ Eagles -6

This is the game of the week by far.  The return of McNabb to Philadelphia could not come any sooner.  The Eagles are playing great football and are showing that they are the top dogs in the tough NFC East.  Vick is playing like a man on fire.  McNabb on the other hand will come out guns blazing.  That’s why I’m taking the Redskins here, even though the Eagles will probably win.

Bears @ Giants -3

What is happening with the Giants?  They go from a stellar defensive team, to a team that shows up like its playing with 5 people out there.  Eli the Magnificant and Ahmad Bradshaw cannot carry the team when the defense is giving up 29 points to a team like the Titans.  Cutler has stepped up so far this season and it shows with the Bears being unbeaten so far.  I like the Bears here, especially with points.

Patriots -1 @ Dolphins

Brady and Moss have found the connection that led them to a Super Bowl years back.  They came up short last week against the Jets.  There looking to improve this week especially against division foes.  The Dolphins can’t afford to lose any more ground in the tight AFC East.  This game could go either way, but look for the Patriots to bounce-back and take it to the Dolphins.

Lock of the Week- New York Jets

Record:  23-23-2 (7-9)         Locks- 3 for 3