Time for this week’s football column. We’ve got crappy teams playing crappy teams, good teams playing crappy teams, and even a couple of games that could be good. Let’s get started, shall we?
Let’s start with the easy ones:
The Pats will roll over the Bills. The Bengals will embarrass the Browns if that’s still possible. The Titans will bring Houston one step closer to the top draft pick (which will be Reggie Bush, and that means he’s playing in Texas. Ugh.) The Vikings will continue their improbable playoff run, taking out the Rams. The Raiders (not as bad as their record) will beat the Jets (hey—on the bright side, if the Texans pick up another win, the Jets are in the running for the top draft pick). The ‘Skins will take out the Cards (though Arizona could make it interesting at home). Shaun Alexander will rush for 3 billion yards against San Francisco. The Chargers will keep winning and smack the Dolphins around. The Lions are probably better than the Packers, but they’re in such a tailspin right now that Green Bay will beat them in Lambeau. The Falcons will beat the Saints in a stinker on Monday night. The only reason to watch that one would be to see if Vick puts on a show. That can be entertaining.
Now let’s move on to the interesting games (some are interesting anyway).
Bears at Steelers:
The Steelers match up well against the Bears, since their offense can usually get it done, and their defense should be able to give Chicago’s less than stellar offense some problems. The problem with Pittsburgh is that Big Ben is just not the same lately. They could surely pull this one off, especially after a tough loss at home to Cincinnati. I just don’t think the offense will be able to score on Chicago. At least not enough.
Bucs at Panthers:
Carolina should essentially wrap up the division with this game. Chris Simms will still be a player in Tampa, but he’s not going to be able to get it done for them this week. This should be a pretty good game, but it’s one of those games that could also be a blowout.
Colts at Jags:
The Jaguars are the popular pick to end the Colts’ perfect season, but I just don’t see it happening. I think they’ll lose to the Chargers and Seahawks (yes, both). A division team just isn’t going to be able to give them enough of something they haven’t seen. Jacksonville’s defense is just not going to be able to stop Manning. He’s playing like a man possessed. That having been said, if David Garrard can put on a good performance, it should be a fun game to watch.
Giants at Eagles:
I could have put this one up at the top, but I’ve got some things to say. I know the Eagles are not good right now. That’s fine. But it’s got nothing to do with a Super Bowl hangover. It’s got something to do with a wide receiver that disrupted an entire season, five Pro Bowl players out for the season, a much-improved division, etc. Now I’m a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan, and I think the fans there are great. But the talk about running Andy Reid out of town is ridiculous. This guy has gotten the Eagles to the playoffs every year since 2000. I don’t need to go into detail here because we all know it. But for the ever-impulsive Philly fans, I just want to know a few things. Do you remember the years of Rich Kotite? Ray Rhodes? Anyone? Hello? Yeah. I remember it too. Remember the years of Buddy Ryan? That defense that he built was amazing, but what about the offense? You saw what Randall Cunningham did in Minnesota with players around him. If Buddy had given any attention to the offense whatsoever, I guarantee you right now we’d have gotten a Super Bowl trophy in the early-mid 90’s. What about Andy’s teams? Did you see last year? That Super Bowl was ours and we lost it on a couple of bad plays. That’s closer than anyone ever got us, including Dick Vermeil. Give me a bad year, a long off-season to rest the players, and a high draft pick over a new coach any day of the friggin’ week. And quit talking about trading up for Reggie Bush, because it’s just not going to happen. No team in position to take that guy is stupid enough to trade it away. What exactly would we trade to get up that high? I’ll be happy with a top-ten pick. Maybe. I’ve heard the badmouthing of McNabb, too, and I’m not even going to dignify that garbage. You want T.O. on your team at the expense of Donovan? Get out of my face.
Chiefs at Cowboys:
Kansas City made the AFC West mighty interesting last week. The Chiefs need this one desperately to stay in the playoff hunt (just like they’ll need every game for the rest of the year). The Cowboys need it to, but the Chiefs will be too much for them here.
Broncos at Ravens:
If Denver loses this game, forget it. They’re out. Forget the division. They’ll be out of the playoffs. I’ve got them winning this one, but it comes down to Jake Plummer. Is he the Plummer of earlier this year, or is he the same as every other year when the pressure is on? We’ll see.
That about wraps it up for this week. Enjoy the games, and I’ll be back with you next week.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Week 13: Thoughts and Predictions
Welcome back to the (kind of) weekly football breakdown. I’ve gone from one post a week to two posts to no posts, so hopefully now I’ll be able to at least get one in here. But for now, on to the games (picks are underlined):
Packers at Bears:
The Packers may not be quite as bad as their record, but they’re surely not good enough to beat a very hot Chicago team, especially at home.
Jags at Browns:
Losing Byron Leftwich hurts, but this Garrard kid is no slouch. He’ll be able to show off what he’s got against the Browns. This game could be an indicator of what to expect from the Jags as we get into the playoff races.
Vikings at Lions:
I don’t think the Vikings will make the playoffs (they’ll probably have to win four out of the last five games to get in), but they sure have made an impressive run after picking up the pieces of what could have been a disastrous season.
Titans at Colts:
Please. If this weren’t a division game, I’d say Tennessee could sneak up on the Colts, but that’s just not going to happen. Look for Edgerrin James to have a huge game.
Bills at Dolphins:
Yawn. Buffalo hasn’t won a road game all year, and this will be no exception. The Dolphins will most likely run all over them.
Bucs at Saints:
New Orleans (Baton Rouge? San Antonio?) never had a chance this year. Extenuating circumstances aside, they weren’t all that good to begin with, and they need a new coach.
Cowboys at Giants:
New York has got to have a sour taste in their mouth after last week’s “triple stomach punch” (as Bill Simmons called it) in Seattle. The best highlight of that game for me as an Eagles fan and Giants hater was where Shockey was doing the double finger-point at the camera and grinning like a jackass right before the first attempt sailed wide, then whipping his head around and getting confused when the crowd started cheering. Classic. That having been said, even with the Cowboys coming off a tough loss last week, they won’t be able to stop the Giants at home. Tiki Barber will have a big day here in a relatively close game, and then Manning will probably seal the deal midway through the fourth.
Bengals at Steelers:
For some reason, I don’t think the Steelers will be up for this one like Cincy will. Call it a hunch. The Steelers were thoroughly steamrolled by Indy on Monday night, while the Bengals are coming off a great four game stretch where they gave the Colts all they could handle. I see Carson Palmer lighting it up early and going for the sidelines, away from Polamalu. When the defense is stretched out, they’ll pound out the running game. This is a good match for the Bengals. Of course, the defense has got to be better than they were the last time these two teams played.
Falcons at Panthers:
This looks to be a pretty solid division game with playoff implications. Atlanta needs this one badly, as the rest of their schedule is not kind (Panthers twice, Bucs, Bears). I think Carolina will pull it out with a big offensive performance. They’re due for a big game after a couple of lackluster efforts.
Texans at Ravens:
At least the Ravens’ home fans will have something to cheer about. Fans of the Texans, meanwhile, well…we won’t say anything about how they’re feeling. At least they’ll get a high draft pick. Now to find a coach…
Redskins at Rams:
This is the upset special for the week. I’m not saying that this Harvard kid Fitzpatrick is the next Kurt Warner for the Rams or anything, but what does he really have to do other than get the ball into the hands of the Rams’ receivers? I may be stretching here, but with the Redskins’ bad road record and St. Louis’ explosive potential, I think they’ll pull it out.
Cardinals at 49ers:
Who said Arizona would win the NFC West? That was me? Oh. My bad.
Broncos at Chiefs:
Unless the Kansas City can pull out a win against the red-hot Broncos, this week will be the beginning of the end of their playoff hopes.
Jets at Patriots:
I’m not watching this game, if only because I’m sick of hearing about Tedi Bruschi. I can appreciate that he came back from a stroke. I just don’t want to hear about it every ten minutes, and for me he is also the face of the team that crushed my hopes of a Super Bowl trophy last year.
Raiders at Chargers:
San Diego will need to win at least four out of their last five games to get into the playoffs. I think they’ll do it, and they’ll start by dismantling the Raiders on Sunday night.
Seahawks at Eagles:
This is the first time I’ve actually picked against the Eagles this year, because it causes me pain to see that I actually think they won’t win. That’s not to say they can’t win. I just don’t think they will. Seattle is a very good team (I’m picking them to win the conference), but if the Eagles’ defense actually plays well for the entire four quarters (can’t remember the last time that happened), they could make this one interesting. I’ll be watching regardless.
So that’s it for this week. I’d favor you with my updated playoff predictions, but doing it now is almost like shooting fish in a barrel. I needed to do it a couple of weeks ago to lend my picking any credibility. But I’ll give you the wild cards, which are still up for grabs: NFC – Giants (Cowboys win the NFC East—and I just threw up in my mouth a little bit as I typed that), Bucs. AFC – Chargers, Jags.
Packers at Bears:
The Packers may not be quite as bad as their record, but they’re surely not good enough to beat a very hot Chicago team, especially at home.
Jags at Browns:
Losing Byron Leftwich hurts, but this Garrard kid is no slouch. He’ll be able to show off what he’s got against the Browns. This game could be an indicator of what to expect from the Jags as we get into the playoff races.
Vikings at Lions:
I don’t think the Vikings will make the playoffs (they’ll probably have to win four out of the last five games to get in), but they sure have made an impressive run after picking up the pieces of what could have been a disastrous season.
Titans at Colts:
Please. If this weren’t a division game, I’d say Tennessee could sneak up on the Colts, but that’s just not going to happen. Look for Edgerrin James to have a huge game.
Bills at Dolphins:
Yawn. Buffalo hasn’t won a road game all year, and this will be no exception. The Dolphins will most likely run all over them.
Bucs at Saints:
New Orleans (Baton Rouge? San Antonio?) never had a chance this year. Extenuating circumstances aside, they weren’t all that good to begin with, and they need a new coach.
Cowboys at Giants:
New York has got to have a sour taste in their mouth after last week’s “triple stomach punch” (as Bill Simmons called it) in Seattle. The best highlight of that game for me as an Eagles fan and Giants hater was where Shockey was doing the double finger-point at the camera and grinning like a jackass right before the first attempt sailed wide, then whipping his head around and getting confused when the crowd started cheering. Classic. That having been said, even with the Cowboys coming off a tough loss last week, they won’t be able to stop the Giants at home. Tiki Barber will have a big day here in a relatively close game, and then Manning will probably seal the deal midway through the fourth.
Bengals at Steelers:
For some reason, I don’t think the Steelers will be up for this one like Cincy will. Call it a hunch. The Steelers were thoroughly steamrolled by Indy on Monday night, while the Bengals are coming off a great four game stretch where they gave the Colts all they could handle. I see Carson Palmer lighting it up early and going for the sidelines, away from Polamalu. When the defense is stretched out, they’ll pound out the running game. This is a good match for the Bengals. Of course, the defense has got to be better than they were the last time these two teams played.
Falcons at Panthers:
This looks to be a pretty solid division game with playoff implications. Atlanta needs this one badly, as the rest of their schedule is not kind (Panthers twice, Bucs, Bears). I think Carolina will pull it out with a big offensive performance. They’re due for a big game after a couple of lackluster efforts.
Texans at Ravens:
At least the Ravens’ home fans will have something to cheer about. Fans of the Texans, meanwhile, well…we won’t say anything about how they’re feeling. At least they’ll get a high draft pick. Now to find a coach…
Redskins at Rams:
This is the upset special for the week. I’m not saying that this Harvard kid Fitzpatrick is the next Kurt Warner for the Rams or anything, but what does he really have to do other than get the ball into the hands of the Rams’ receivers? I may be stretching here, but with the Redskins’ bad road record and St. Louis’ explosive potential, I think they’ll pull it out.
Cardinals at 49ers:
Who said Arizona would win the NFC West? That was me? Oh. My bad.
Broncos at Chiefs:
Unless the Kansas City can pull out a win against the red-hot Broncos, this week will be the beginning of the end of their playoff hopes.
Jets at Patriots:
I’m not watching this game, if only because I’m sick of hearing about Tedi Bruschi. I can appreciate that he came back from a stroke. I just don’t want to hear about it every ten minutes, and for me he is also the face of the team that crushed my hopes of a Super Bowl trophy last year.
Raiders at Chargers:
San Diego will need to win at least four out of their last five games to get into the playoffs. I think they’ll do it, and they’ll start by dismantling the Raiders on Sunday night.
Seahawks at Eagles:
This is the first time I’ve actually picked against the Eagles this year, because it causes me pain to see that I actually think they won’t win. That’s not to say they can’t win. I just don’t think they will. Seattle is a very good team (I’m picking them to win the conference), but if the Eagles’ defense actually plays well for the entire four quarters (can’t remember the last time that happened), they could make this one interesting. I’ll be watching regardless.
So that’s it for this week. I’d favor you with my updated playoff predictions, but doing it now is almost like shooting fish in a barrel. I needed to do it a couple of weeks ago to lend my picking any credibility. But I’ll give you the wild cards, which are still up for grabs: NFC – Giants (Cowboys win the NFC East—and I just threw up in my mouth a little bit as I typed that), Bucs. AFC – Chargers, Jags.
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