NFL Week 13

I once again forgot to post my Thursday night pick for this week, but I did indeed choose the New York Jets to cover the 3 point spread over Buffalo. I figured that the Bills didn't truly get a home field advantage, seeing as the game was in Toronto, and the Jets are the better team to begin with.

So I'm off to a hot start this week. Let's keep it going with the rest of my week 13 selections:

Denver (-4.5) over KANSAS CITY
To my dismay, the Broncos looked decent on Thanksgiving. More than decent, really. They looked playoff worthy. I couldn't tell how much of it was actually the Broncos, and how much was the complete incompetence of the Giants. But either way, they should make easy work of the Chiefs. This line should probably be a little higher.

PITTSBURGH (-14.5) over Oakland
The last 3 number one draft picks of the Oakland Raiders (Jamarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, and Darrius Heyward-Bey) have a combined 4 touchdowns and 12 turnovers this year. And they just happen to be the 3 main players on the offense. Unlucky huh? And just to rub it in, here is a list of players who have more receptions than Heyward-Bey: Leonard Weaver, Mike Sellers, Justin Griffith, Gary Barnidge, Joey Haynos, Daniel Coats, J.P. Foschi, Chris Baker, and Michael Crabtree. That list consists of 3 fullbacks, 4 tight ends I have never heard of, the Patriots BACKUP tight end (whom I have heard of) and the wide receiver they should have picked. Bravo, Mr. Davis, bravo.


Houston (PK) over JACKSONVILLE
The dreaded even line. Who to pick? Houston has more good players. Jacksonville has the best player. The Texans have little to no pressure on them (because no one expects anything from them anymore). The Jaguars have everything to play for. It is as even a match up as you will get. So why have I picked Houston? Ummm... Ermm...... Hey look over there! It's a Tiger Woods Sex Scandal!

Tennessee (+7) over INDIANAPOLIS
I am all over the Titans in this one. Unfortunately, the Titans don't really have that "sneaky underdog" factor on their side, because EVERYONE is picking the Titans. They have the run game, they have the quarterback who just wins games, and they have the defense (a much different defense than the one that gave up 31 to the Colts in Tennessee). I am nearly 97% sure this game will be within a touchdown, and I have a strong feeling that the Titans are going to win. Ballsy Pick of the Week: TEN 34, IND 24.


Philadelphia (-5.5) over ATLANTA
If you haven't heard, there is a strong possibility that the Falcons will be without Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Michael Jenkins this week. If that is the case, the starting QB, RB, and top 2 WRs would be Chris Redman, Jason Snelling, Marty Booker, and Eric Weems. 16,000 Falcons fans just rammed ice picks into their skulls.


CINCINNATI (-13) over Detroit
The long-awaited return of Cedric Benson. I can not think of a better defense for him to come back to. I know I have made the "Bengals can't blow anyone out" argument, but I think it's time for us to accept that the Lions are just... awful. They are not as bad as last year, but they are not the young, scrappy team we hoped they would be. They just aren't.


New Orleans (-9.5) over WASHINGTON
Do I really need to say anything? Didn't think so.


Tampa Bay (+6) over CAROLINA
Jake Delhomme is out this week. You can look at this one of 2 ways. 1) Jake Delhomme has been awful, Matt Moore can't be much worse. This is probably a good thing for Carolina. Or 2) Jake Delhomme has been awful this year, and he remained in the starting role for 12 weeks. Obviously, the coaches aren't too high on Matt Moore. I am in the second camp.


St. Louis (+8.5) over CHICAGO
This is one of the most ridiculous lines in recent memory. Are we talking about the same Chicago Bears here? The ones who have Jay Cutler, right? Do you know how many Interceptions Jay Cutler has through 11 games? 20. Do you know how many QBs have more than that? ZERO! Do you know how many QBs have less than HALF of that? 22. And this is the team with Matt Forte too, yeah? The so-called number 2 fantasy running back in this year's draft? The one who is on pace for less than 800 yards and 5 TDs? How are they going to win by 9 points??? HOW???

San Diego (-13) over CLEVELAND
Mike Scifres is listed on the injury report with a "Left Groin" injury... Is that why he is such a good punter? He has the advantage of an extra groin? That hardly seems fair...

Minnesota (-3.75) over ARIZONA
Interesting story behind this line. The website I get them from usually displays 3 lines for each game. If one is different from the other 2, I ignore it and go with the majority. If all 3 are different, I use the average of them. For this particular game, they only displayed 2, -3.5 and -4. So naturally I averaged them and came up with -3.75... Deal with it! Regardless, I'm choosing the Vikings. Unless the line is over 2 scores, I'm taking the Vikings.

San Francisco (PK) over SEATTLE
I just don't like the Seahawks very much... or at all. What exactly is it that they do well? Anyone? I guess they have a solid run game but the pass attack has been mediocre. The defense has been mediocre. Olindo Mare is the definition of mediocre (Don't you throw his 90.5% field goal percentage at me, he hasn't made anything over 47. They have to get him inside the 30 to score). My point is, no one out there is saying "I like this Seahawks team". NO ONE.

Dallas (-2) over NEW YORK GIANTS
Are we not giving up on New York yet? What's the deal here? They suck. If I had to pick which New York team has the better chance of making the playoffs right now, I would honestly say the Jets. The Giants have completely lost it. They have come off the tracks. They are not coming apart at the seams, they have come apart at the seams. And 3 of their last 5 are against Dallas, Philly, and Minnesota. It's done. Stick a fork in them.


New England (-4) over MIAMI
The Patriots do not lose back-to-back games. It doesn't happen. The week after an embarrassing loss is the worst week to play the Patriots. So what happens the week after the most embarrassing Patriots loss of the decade? The biggest Patriots blowout of the decade?


GREEN BAY (-3.5) over Baltimore
Aaron Rodgers is quietly putting up pro-bowl numbers, while Joe Flacco is loudly demolishing the hopes of the city of Baltimore. The Ravens still get to play Chicago, Detroit, and Oakland. And they have a chance to prove themselves against Pittsburgh, IN Pittsburgh, week 16 (Oh come on last week did NOT count, they were playing against Dennis Dixon, who had never EVER taken an NFL snap before). However, they are currently on the outside looking in and I'm not sure they have it this year. I have much more faith in Green Bay with a healthy offensive line.