Week 16 Picks

Seasons greetings everyone as we transition from Christmas to football. Though, not necessarily for everyone as the Vikings-Eagles game has been cancelled. This is the third week in a row that the Vikings will have their game switch on them, and if the trend continues into Detroit, it could lead to the first time there are games not played on the schedule, a la baseball. When they play Tuesday night, my pick is the Eagles to blow them out, in case the line changes. Here are the rest of my picks.

Home teams in CAPS

Detroit (+3.5) over MIAMI- The Lions should continue their late season run of good play leading into sleeper status for next year. Plus, I have no confidence in the Dolphins at home anymore.

Washington (+7) over JACKSONVILLE- Without Maurice Jones-Drew means that if the Redskins try to win, they will. They need to run the ball in order to make David Garrard effective, which is why everyone who had Garrard an MVP candidate over MJD confused me.

ST. LOUIS (-3) over San Francisco- Better coach and better QB at home for the Rams and whenever the Niners see opportunity, they blow it. They would be better off losing and firing Mike Singletary anyway.

BUFFALO (+7.5) over New England- The Bills play the good teams tough and at home I see the same today. Of course, they won't win, but come agonizingly close.

CHICAGO (-3) over Jets- If in the Meadowlands, I'd easily take the Jets, but the Bears play better at home. Best example; their win over the Eagles.

Baltimore (-4) over CLEVELAND- It's one thing to see the playoffs and have the Bears in your way, but I don't see the Ravens lose today to the Browns. Though, the Bengals have no chance of beating the Ravens next week.

KANSAS CITY (-4.5) over Tennessee- Chiefs can close in on the AFC West with a win here. Titans probably take it easy here and save some effort for the Colts next week. You also can bet Arrowhead will be loud.

OAKLAND (+3) over Indianapolis- The Raiders ground game will keep Peyton off the field, and I have to think the muddy field will benefit the home team. If things break right, Raiders will play for the division next Sunday.

DENVER (+3) over Houston- It's come to the point that any time you see a team looking ready to quit, just play the Texans and you'll win. Hence, Tim Tebow gets his first win as a starter.

San Diego (-8) over CINCINNATI- The Bengals didn't quit against their rivals last week, probably won't quit against the Ravens. Probably means they take it easy here against the Chargers, who need the game.

TAMPA BAY (-6.5) over Seattle- If the Bucs don't cover this game, they will lose, because the Seahawks only lose big. I think the same happens here in the longest road trip of the season.

Giants (+3) over GREEN BAY- No logic here, let's just move on.

New Orleans (+3) over ATLANTA- Statement win it would be for either team. Falcons will have home-field unless they blow next week's game with Carolina, but the Saints can reassert themselves as a team to beat.

This week: 1-1
Last week: 6-10
Season record: 113-105-6

Week 14 Picks

No extensive picks post again, this time the reason is a good one. Today is the one Sunday of the year that I must work and I'll just quickly post these picks before my shift starts.

(Home team in CAPS)

JACKSONVILLE (-4) over Oakland

Cincinnati (+8.5) over PITTSBURGH

Cleveland (PK) over BUFFALO

DETROIT (+7) over Green Bay

Atlanta (-7) over CAROLINA

Tampa Bay (-3) over WASHINGTON

St. Louis (+9) over NEW ORLEANS

Seattle (+5) over SAN FRANCISCO

CHICAGO (+3) over New England

Miami (+6) over JETS

Denver (-4) over ARIZONA

SAN DIEGO (-10) over Kansas City

DALLAS (+3.5) over Philadelphia

Baltimore (-3) over HOUSTON

Giants (no spread) over MINNESOTA- No clue now when or where they play.

This week: 0-1 (Stupid Titans backdoor cover)

Last week: 6-9-1 (Tie for not picking last Thursdays Texans-Eagles game)

Season record: 99-88-6

Fight of the Night- Scott vs Janssen

(video courtesy of hockeyfights.com)

The first of the new running feature comes from last night's Blackhawks/Blues tilt which saw the lone three fights of the night. The one I chose was John Scott and Cam Janssen as the best of the three. Scott is slowly becoming one of the best fighters in the league, using his 6'8" frame as an advantage against smaller combatants. I expect that he will fight around 15 times this year when it's all said and done, dominate for two years, before no one in the league wants to challenge him and he fights around 10 times a year. You'll know when this happens about the same time the Rangers sign him to a 4 year deal worth over $3 million.

A couple fights from the past couple days I wanted to mention since I didn't post Monday or Tuesday; from Monday night, the Sean Avery-Tyler Kennedy tussle, which I was there to see in person. The other, from Sunday, is the Andre Johnson-Cortland Finnegan fight, since you don't see NFL fights like that everyday.