17-15 so far since posting picks on this site, I need some better luck!
I just can’t doubt the Chargers anymore. They’ve been doing so well this year I just don’t see them losing to the Titans. Tennessee lost Keith Bulluck and David Thornton for the season which will hurt them greatly. Bulluck was the leader of the defence and is arguably one of the best linebackers in the game. Plus, Tennessee is one of the worst teams against the pass and Philip Rivers has been lighting it up this year. The Titans will need to get their offence on track and running quickly because the Chargers might be able to put up a lot of points.
This will be a good test for the Colts offence: The #1 passing attack against the #1 pass defence and Darrelle Revis against Reggie Wayne. It’s going to be a tough game for the offence but I can see the Colts getting win #15. I don’t think that Mark Sanchez will have a good game. He is having a tough first year in the NFL. The Colts should be able to pick off Sanchez a few times in this game. The key to the Jets keeping this game close will be getting their rushing game going.
This is a tough game to pick but I think the Steelers beat one of their divisional rivals. If Pittsburgh does win, then their will be a dog fight for the two wildcard spots. A Baltimore loss means that they slip down to 8-7, and opens the door for the 6 teams that are on the outside looking in. If the Ravens win, they will need Jacksonville and New York Jets or Denver to lose, or Miami, New York Jets and Denver to lose. It’s going to be an interesting playoff race in the last two weeks.
I don’t think this was a hard one to pick. Both teams are over .500 but the Eagles have the edge in this one. The Eagles are one of the best teams when it comes to December while the Broncos have been struggling as of late. They also have an advantage as it is a home game. If you’re a Broncos fan and are going to attend the game, rethink your decision. Those Phili fans are vicious:
Eagles Fan Throw Snowballs At 49er Fans
In this game I think it is a matter of which team is better. In my opinion, that team is Houston. I can see the Houston passing attack dominating the Dolphins young pass defence. Andre Johnson has been red hot in the last two weeks. Both teams need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive. But both teams have tough matches Week 17. Miami has Pittsburgh and Houston has New England. A win for either team is necessary but probably won’t be good enough to get them into the playoffs at this point.
Falcons over Bills
Bengals over Chiefs
Raiders over Browns
Packers over Seahawks
Patriots over Jaguars
Saints over Buccaneers
Giants over Panthers
49ers over Lions
Cardinals over Rams
Cowboys over Redskins
Vikings over Bears
Redskins Get Slaughtered
Holding on to their playoff lifes, the New York Giants went into Washington Monday night and destroyed the Redskins 45-12. Everything seemed to go right with whatever the Giants did. It got so bad that Washington attempted a fake field goal at the end of the half which ended up being intercepted and almost taken for another TD. It was a hard game to watch, especially when the pass rush of the Giants kept nailing anyone that was behind center for the Redskins. The Giants should get a big momentum boost from this win against a rival. Up next for the G-Men: Carolina then a trip over the Minnesota. Two games that will be tough and the Giants need every win they can get.
Cheerful Cowboys
Dallas came in to New Orleans as underdogs and left with another win. Many doubted the Cowboys because of their December blues and because the Saints were 13-0. The Cowboys did allow the Saints to nearly tie the game but it was still an impressive win. Now the question is: has this win lifted the Dallas December curse? In my opinion, it’s only one game so we shouldn’t draw conclusions quite yet. But beating an undefeated team is very impressive. This gives a huge lift to the team and maybe they can use that momentum to get a win streak together. Their last two games are against the recently destroyed Redskins and the Eagles. We’ll see how they play against their two divisional foes.
Oh Those Chargers
A late Nate Kaeding FG won the game for the Chargers as they beat the mourning Bengals 27-24. It wasn’t a convincing win by any means but a win nonetheless. San Diego is now 17-0 in their last 17 games during the month of December. With the win, the Chargers clinched the division and now are in very good position to clinch a first-round bye. The one thing that still should worry Charger fans is how the team will do in January. Year after year, they make it into the playoffs with high hopes but end up messing up their opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl. Momentum has clearly been on their side in the last couple of years yet they have failed to make it to the big game. Maybe this year will be different but in my opinion, this isn’t the best team they’ve had in the last couple of years.
Steelers Get a Win
After being down 36-30, the Steelers took the ball and brought it all the way to the endzone. The game winning TD pass was caught by Mike Wallace who did his best Santonio Holmes impression. Many have been blaming the referees for giving Pittsburgh the game but all of those penalties were correctly called. It was a surprisingly high scoring game. Both teams needed a win as neither has clinched a playoff birth. For Pittsburgh, it is necessary to win every game in order to have a chance at the playoffs. They face Baltimore next week which has big playoff implications.
Playoff Picture
AFC
Colts (14-0)
Chargers (11-3)
Patriots (9-5)
Bengals (9-5)
Ravens (8-6)
Broncos (8-6)
In the Hunt: Jaguars (7-7), Dolphins (7-7), Jets (7-7), Steelers (7-7), Titans (7-7), Texans (7-7)
NFC
Saints (13-1)
Vikings (11-3)
Eagles (10-4)
Cardinals (9-5)
Packers (9-5)
Cowboys (9-5)
In the Hunt: Giants (8-6)
Cincinnati over San Diego
I’m not doing this on purpose Eddy. I think the Bengals are going into San Diego pissed and ready to go. They first lose in Minnesota and now today they lost one of their teammates. The last time the Bengals had a part of their family pass away, they won against the Ravens 17-14. They need this win to prove to everyone that they are a playoff team. On the flip side, a loss might hurt the swagger of Cincinnati. Losing two straight and one of their teammate will most likely have a negative affect on the team morale. Or maybe this is because I’m a Bengals fan. Either way, I pick the Bengals to win.
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
The Jaguars are at home but I have a feeling it won’t make a difference. The Colts are the better team in this matchup by far. However, Jacksonville did make it a tight game in their first meeting with the Colts. Expect this one to be close but the Colts will most likely win.
New Orleans over Dallas
Dallas can’t buy a break in December. Now they have to go into the Louisiana Superdome and try to win against an unbeaten team. I’m not picking the Saints because Dallas has a poor record in December. I’m picking the Saints because they are the better team. New Orleans has beaten better teams. If the Saints continue with their successful passing game, they’ll be at an advantage.
Tennessee over Miami
The Titans were dynamite against one of the league’s worst teams last week. The problem is Vince Young pulled a hamstring after a long run. Hopefully the Titans have him on the field next week so that they can have their two-headed rushing attack back. I think the Titans can tear through the Dolphins defence with that rushing attack and win this game. Miami will keep it close. Of course, both teams are (barely) in the hunt for the playoffs. We’ll see how this game turns out.
Pittsburgh over Green Bay
Now I know that the Steelers are almost out of the playoffs but I think that they win this game. Pittsburgh is at home and I think that they can come together and end their losing streak. Amazingly, the Steelers are actually favoured in this game. I’ll go with the consensus and say that the Steelers win this game by seven.
Other picks:
New England over Buffalo
Arizona over Detroit
Kansas City over Cleveland
Houston over St.Louis
New York Jets over Atlanta
Philadelphia over San Francisco
Baltimore over Chicago
Denver over Oakland
Seattle over Tampa Bay
Minnesota over Carolina
New York Giants over Washington
Hopefully I do better than 8-8 this week
After getting into a dispute, Chris Henry’s fiancé took his truck and started driving away. Henry decided to jump into the trunk and later fell out. His injuries were deemed “life-threatening” and he was put on life support. Less than 24 hours after being admitted to the hospital, Chris Henry was pronounced dead.
As a Bengals fan, this news was a bit more disturbing than it is to others. We all know about his troubles with the law. But ever since he resigned with the Bengals, he stayed out of trouble and focused more on football. He got a tattoo under his left ear that said ‘Blessed’. His teammates noticed his difference in attitude. He was turning around his life. Cincinnati plans to wear a patch on their helmets with the number 15 on them. Here is an image from NFL.com:
Now, all we can do is remember the man that had his life, his new life, taken away. I think I speak for everyone on this site when I say that our condolences go out to his family. This must be a devastating time for them, especially his fiancé and Henry’s three children.
RIP Chris Henry, you will be missed
Patriot Problems
Wow it’s amazing what can happen when your team loses two straight for the first time since 2006. Tom Brady calls out his team, Adalius Thomas gets benched and now people are speculating that Randy Moss is giving up on his team. Moss made one catch that he fumbled. After the game, Chris Gamble said he knew that Moss would shut it down and give up. But the thing is the Patriots won the game so maybe we should delay the talk of the dynasty crumbling until after the season. The question I’d like answered: Who is more important to that offence, Wes Welker or Randy Moss?
Monster Receiving
Andre Johnson: 11 Catches, 193 yards, 2 TD’s
Brandon Marshall: 21 Catches, 200 yards, 2 TD’s
Enough said right? It’s clear that these two receivers are two of the best in the league. For Marshall, it’s a bitter sweet feeling. He’s 9th in the league for receiving yards and 3rd for receptions even though he only started 11 games. But for Johnson, this was just another day at the office. In my opinion, Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the league. He is also one of the quietest receivers in the league. He’s currently 1st in the league for receiving yards and 7th for receptions. We could see some more great numbers out of these two guys as they both face average pass defences this week.
Cleveland Steels a Game
Yes, the Browns beat the Steelers. Now who is to blame? Well we can’t blame the Steeler defence. They did allow some big runs but they kept Quinn to only 90 yards and the Browns put up only 13 points. The blame should be placed on the execution of the offence and the sacks giving up. Pittsburgh was in position a number of times to score yet they wouldn’t be able to get into the end zone. Plus, Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times. Everyone blames the offensive line for the sacks but if you watched that game, you would see that some of the sacks could have been avoided. Roethlisberger had time to pass yet he constantly hung on to the ball for too long. For each of the last four years, the Steelers have been one of the most sacked teams. I don’t think you can continue to place the full blame on the offensive line. Roethlisberger needs to get rid of the ball faster instead of hanging in the pocket hoping for a big play.
Playoff Picture
AFC
Colts 13-0 (Homefield and division locked up)
Chargers 10-3
Bengals 9-4
Patriots 8-5
Broncos 8-5
Jaguars 7-6
In the Hunt: Ravens (7-6), Dolphins (7-6), Jets (7-6), Steelers (6-7), Titans (6-7), Texans (6-7)
NFC
Saints 13-0 (First round bye and division locked up)
Vikings 11-2
Eagles 9-4
Cardinals 8-5
Packers 9-4
Cowboys 8-5
In the Hunt: Giants (7-6), Falcons (6-7), 49ers (6-7)
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