My Week 13 NFL Picks

Washington Redskins @ Indianapolis Colts (-9) -  Washington's defense has played well lately and they have gotten good quarterback play from Colt McCoy in the 2 games he's played in.  Still, the Colts offense should take care of business at home against a lesser opponents and it is unclear how Jim Haslett's 3/4 defense will slow down Andrew Luck.

Andrew Luck and RG3 were supposed to battle out 

the best young QB this Sunday. But now RG3 is on the bench

Here's a good read that suggests that RG3 is on his way out of DC.

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans (-7) - Houston took care of business against the Titans last time around with JJ Watt piling on quarterback Zach Mettenberger.  At this point, the Titans are in the running for the top overall pick in next year's NFL draft. 

Expect to see JJ Watt in backfield a lot

like the last time they met (via nola.com)

Cleveland Browns (+3) @ Buffalo Bills - Cleveland has been a good road team.  Buffalo is only 2-3 when they play in Buffalo.  It should be a battle of good defenses, the Browns should get better QB play from Hoyer.

San Diego Chargers @ Baltimore Ravens (-6) - The Chargers pass rush has not been getting the job done which could allow for the Ravens offense going.  The Chargers could struggle against a good team against the Ravens as the Chargers are 1-4 against teams above .500 this season.

NY Giants (-3) @ Jacksonville Jaguars - The Giants played the Cowboys close last week- look for the Giants to carry that momentum into this game against a struggling Jacksonville team.  

Cincinnati Bengals (5.5) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay has yet to win a game at home this season while the Bengals are currently on a 2 game winning streak.  This team is much better offensively with AJ Green and Giovanni Bernard back in the lineup.   

Oakland Raiders @ St. Louis Rams (-6.5) - Oakland is coming off a win against the Chiefs so the Rams will come into this game motivated.  St. Louis did hold to Broncos to 7 points so it could be a struggle for the Raiders offense to put up points.  

New Orleans Saints @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-4) - It's hard to predict what this Steelers team will do given its quality wins against the Ravens and Colts and terrible losses to the Bucs.  The Saints in the meantime enter the game with a 3 game losing streak and still has struggled to find road wins especially with its porous defense.  

Carolina Panthers (+2.5) @ Minnesota Vikings-  This should be a close game.  The Panthers are coming off a bye which means Cam Newton should be healthier.  

Arizona Cardinals(-3) @ Atlanta Falcons - Arizona struggled against one of the toughest places to play in Seattle.  Look for the Cardinals to get back on track against the Falcons.  

New England Patriots @ Green Bay Packers(-3) - This should be a great game against the two elite teams.  The Packers should get the extra boost from the homefield advantage.

Denver Broncos (-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs - The Chiefs may not have the passing attack to keep up with the Broncos.  Plus Denver has a good run defense to slow down Jamaal Charles.  

Miami Dolphins (-7) @ New York Jets -  Miami Dolphins will look to get back on track against the Jets who pretty much have nothing to play for other than the top overall pick.

Pre-Turkey NFL Picks

via thehogs.net

Today, marks the 7th year anniversary of Sean Taylor's death.  

A documentary about Sean Taylor can be seen here.

Chicago Bears (+7) @ Detroit Lions - Jay Cutler is turnover prone and leads the league with 18 turnovers.  Detroit also is one of the top defenses against the run.  Still, it is a division game and Detroit has had trouble putting away opponents.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys (-3) - The Cowboys have only played .500 ball at home but the Eagles three losses have come on the road against above .500 NFC teams including the 49ers, Cardinals, and Packers.  This is a good test for Mark Sanchez.

Seattle Seahawks(+1.5) @ San Francisco 49ers - A game between the two teams from the NFC Conference Championship last year.  Patrick Willis is out for the 49ers and the 49ers offense for the most part struggled against Washington.   Seattle looks to have regained some momentum by shutting down the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday.

Thought on RG3 Getting Benched

Colt McCoy (center) gets the starting job

Griffin is probably depressed

(via SBNation)

Robert Griffin has been benched in favor of Colt McCoy, who started the season as the 3rd string quarterback.  Griffin's play over the past 3 weeks has been terrible in what otherwise would have been winnable games for Washington- which has all but knocked out Washington out of playoff contention.

I will say that perhaps Griffin is not necessarily done as a starting QB but he certainly has not been improving in his last three starts.  He keeps making the same critical mistakes

• Not reading defenses and finding the open receiver, perhaps because of his inability to learn the offense
• Unable to navigate the pocket and throw the ball away
• Taking unnecessary hits
• Accuracy, particularly on deep throws, has been below average

The benching will give Griffin more time to work on these aspects of his game and could provide Griffin with some extra motivation.  After all, Colt McCoy has improved since his poor start in Cleveland.  

Still, Griffin has not really earned the starting job even since preseason.  It seems to have to do more to do with how much Washington had given up to acquire Griffin in the first place or his play since his rookie year.  Still, Griffin has been a shell of that player since that knee injury where fans were wondering why Griffin was not taken out of the game.  

This is what the St. Louis Rams have

gotten in return for RG3

(via reddit.com)

Griffin will not get a chance to face off against Andrew Luck who was selected ahead of Griffin as the #1 overall pick.  What was supposed to be a budding rivalry turns into a battle of Colt (McCoy) vs the Colts.  

My Week 12 Picks

Josh Gordon returns from a suspension for a DUI

(Via ESPN)

Cleveland Browns (+3) @ Atlanta Falcons -  Atlanta is streaking.  Josh Gordon makes his return so expect a much more explosive Cleveland offense.

Detroit Lions @ New England Patriots (-7) - The Patriots are playing well especially at home and the Lions haven't been effective incorporating Calvin Johnson in their offense.

Tennessee Titans (+11) @ Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles run a high octane offense but the Titans defense is decent.  If Sanchez isn't running the ship smoothly, the Titans could cut it to single digits.

Green Bay Packers (-8.5) @ Minnesota Vikings - Some advanced statistics

"Pack leads the NFL in points/drive with 2.88, and int/drive with .039, and TD/drive .350, and ave lead with 7.83"

Still no Adrian Peterson

Jacksonville Jaguars (13.5) @ Indianapolis Colts - Jacksonville is not a good team but could get up to play a game against a division rival.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans (-1.5) - Houston's defense has been keeping them in games and could do the same against the Bengals.  

Arizona Cardinals (+7) @ Seattle Seahawks - Arizona is 9-1 and while they may lose the game, they have a good chance to keep it close against a Seattle team that has already stuggled a few times at home this season to teams like the Raiders.

St. Louis Rams @ San Diego Chargers (+5.5) - San Diego is a consistent team.  While the Rams had a great win against the Broncos, the Chargers will not be overlooking them.

Miami Dolphins @ Denver Broncos (-7) - Look for the Broncos to get back on track especially since they have played much better after bad losses.

Washington Redskins @ San Francisco 49ers (-9) - Washington has typically struggled against the 49ers defense and mobile quarterbacks like Colin Kapernick.  Plus Griffin has been turnover prone and not throwing the ball accurately.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Chicago Bears (-5.5) - Jay Cutler got back on track last week and it could continue against the Buccaneers who are one of the worst pass defenses in the league.  The Bucs did a good job slowing down Washington last week but Chicago offense has been better than Washington's.

Dallas Cowboys (-3.5) @ New York Giants - Dallas comes off a bye and should give the Giants a steady dose of DeMarco Murray.

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (-2.5) - This game is played on a neutral field after Buffalo has been snowed out.  Buffalo has been unable to practice with over 70 inches of snow this week.  The Bills have done a good job forcing turnovers against the Jets in New York so they should still win this game despite the game being in Detroit and lack of practice time.

Baltimore Ravens @ New Orleans Saints (-3) - A must win for both teams- the Ravens have struggled on the road against the Colts, Bengals, and Steelers. 

My Week 11 NFL Picks

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns (-3.5) 

Cleveland is coming off its third straight win.  The Texans have only one road win this season.

Minnesota Vikings  @ Chicago Bears (-2.5)

The Chicago Bears are a mess right now with a 3 game losing streak and the Vikings have won 2 in a row.  The Bears should get it together at home against a rookie quarterback... right?

Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers (-5.5)

Mark Sanchez celebrated his first win with a cheesesteak

and this week he will playing against the cheeseheads 

via SBNation

Green Bay has been playing lights out football and the Eagles are coming off a big win against Carolina.  Both teams are evenly matched but I think it will be a high scoring affair in which the Packers will come on top.

Seattle Seahawks @ Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5)

Kansas City is undefeated at home while Seattle has not been the same team away from home this season. 

Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers (+1)

Both teams have been mediocre this season.  I will take Carolina at home.

Cincinnati Bengals @ New Orleans Saints (-7) 

Andy Dalton has been struggling

but at least he has a nice jacket

The Saints should be playing with a sense of urgency and they are at home.  Two of the Bengals key starters; linebacker Vontaze Burfict and running back Giovani Bernard are out this week.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Redskins (7.5)

Robert Griffin has been inconsistent but Tampa Bay has been pretty bad and Washington is coming off a bye.  Josh McNown had a good game last time against the Washington in a Chicago Bears uniform but things haven't gone so well for him Tampa Bay.

Here's McNown getting emotional 

after last weeks loss

St Louis Rams (+9.5) @ Denver Broncos

St Louis is inconsistent from week to week but they have put together solid wins against the Seahawks and the 49ers.  Denver should win but the margin could be relatively close.  Of course there's always the chance of Manning piling up the points.

San Francisco 49ers (-4) @ New York Giants

It wasn't too long ago that the Giants had turned around their season after an 0 and 2 start with three straight wins.  Now the Giants have lost 4 straight and their offense appears to be a mess without top wideout Victor Cruz and Peyton Hillis is out this week with a concussion.  The 49ers are coming off a good win and still need to play with a sense of urgency in order to keep up with teams in their division including the Cardinals and the Seahawks.

Oakland Raiders  @ San Diego Chargers (-10)

The Chargers are coming off a bye while the Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL.  

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals (-1)

The Cardinals will have their hands full with Calvin Johnson but all they seem to do is win.  

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts (-3)

A great game that features Andrew Luck vs Tom Brady.  

Pittsburgh Steelers (-6) at Tennessee Titans

Big Ben and company are coming off a tough loss to the Jets.  Still, the Titans are struggling and the Steelers should come up on top.

My Week 10 NFL Picks

Dallas Cowboys (-7.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (in London) - Tony Romo returns in London.  Hard to make out if Romo will have the deer in the headlights look that he gave Washington or if he will play well despite having two fractured vertebrates in his back.  Jacksonville has still lost 3 games by 10 or more this season, Blake Bortles hasn't solved the Jacksonville offensive woes so I look for that trend to continue.

Jerry Jones wants Romo to play

All Romo has to do is hand it off to DeMarco Murray

Detroit Lions (-2.5) @ Miami Dolphins

Detroit is coming off a bye, playing home, and Calvin Johnson returns.  Miami has been playing well  and comes off a 37-0 win against the Chargers.  Still the Dolphins are not as good of team on the road as they are at home.  

Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) @ Buffalo Bills - The Chiefs are looking to sweep the AFC East.  Buffalo had a good win against the Jets and have a bye week to prepare.  Still, the Bills aren't as explosive offensively without CJ Spiller who is out for the season.

San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints (-5) - 

Frank Gore, running back of the 49ers has said "We are going to make the playoffs. We are going to do it."  Still, New Orleans is a different team at home, winning by double digits over Green Bay.  I'm going over recent history than a guarantee by a pretty good running back.

It is hard to take Frank Gore seriously as 

he's heading towards career lows

Tennessee Titans @ Baltimore Ravens (-10)  -

Baltimore comes off a tough loss to the Steelers.  Still, the Titans aren't very good with their only win coming against the Jacksonville Jaguars especially since Zach Mettenberger has taken over as QB.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-4) @ New York Jets - Big Ben has had 2 straight weeks of throwing six touchdowns against two of the best teams in the NFL. The Colts and the Ravens were pretty good teams when the Steelers played them and the Jets are one of the worst teams in the NFL.   

Atlanta Falcons (-3) @ Tampa Bay Bucaneers - The last time the Falcons played, they choked away a 21 point lead against the Detroit Lions. The Bucaneers are struggling as they go back to Josh McNown as their starting quarterback.  Atlanta is coming off a bye which should have given them more time to prepare for the Bucs.

Denver Broncos (-12) @ Oakland Raiders - 

It is a division game, but Manning looks to redeem himself after a tough loss to the Patriots.  The Raiders played the Seahawks close in Seattle, but the Broncos offense is more explosive.

St Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals (-7) - Arizona is one of the best teams in the league.  St. Louis did beat the 49ers last week but they are inconsistent from week to week.

NY Giants @ Seattle Seahawks (-9.5) - Seattle is at home and the Giants are struggling especially on offense without Victor Cruz.

Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers (-7.5) - The Packers have been taking care of business against the Chicago.  Jay Cutler is struggling and it may be hard to get it going in Green Bay.

Carolina Panthers (+6.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles- Mark Sanchez makes his first start for the Eagles. The Panthers defense has been playing better over the past two weeks.  

My Week 9 NFL Picks

San Diego (+2.5) @ Miami

The Chargers haven't won a game in Miami in 32 years.  Still, today is a new day and the Chargers passing attack should take advantage of Miami's small secondary.  

Jacksonville @ Cincinnati (-10.5)

AJ Green returns so expect Andy Dalton

 to find his rhythm against a struggling Jacksonville team.

Tampa Bay @ Cleveland (-6.5)

Both teams have struggled as of late but Cleveland has shown the ability to at least win some games.  I look for them to rebound against the Bucaneers.

Washington (+1) @ Minnesotta

Robert Griffin makes his return against the Vikings.  Washington's defense has been significantly better despite guys like Deangelo Hall and Brian Orakpo getting injured.  Haslett will attempt to blitz Terry Bridgewater.  Norv Turner as an offensive coordinator faces the Redskins who he once coached.  

Hope everyone on the Redskins is OK from this accident.  

Redskins bus just got into an accident
— Dianna Marie Russini (@NBCdianna) November 2, 2014

Philadelphia (-2) @ Houston 

Philadelphia suffered a tough loss against the Cardinals while the Texans took care of business against the Titans.  Philadelphia offense should pose a tougher offensive challenge than what the Titans could muster last week. 

New York Jets @ Kansas City (+9)

The Chiefs have been playing well while the Jets offense has been a mess as they are shuffling between Geno Smith who threw 3 interceptions last week and the veteran Michael Vick who had his share of turnovers.

Arizona @ Dallas

Dallas will be without Tony Romo in this one 

(via the Washington Times)

St. Louis (+10.5) @ San Francisco

St. Louis had a poor effort last week but it was only two weeks ago that they beat the Seattle Seahawks.  

Denver (-3) @ New England

Brady vs. Manning

I have Manning outshining Brady in this one.  Of course, Manning has had his share of poor performances against Belichick's defense but even so, Manning's receivers are really REALLY good.

Oakland @ Seattle (+13.5)

Seattle has struggled over the past two weeks but return back home where they should take care of business against the Raiders.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

This is a rivalry game where anything can happen - I will go with the Ravens to rebound off of a tough loss.

Indianapolis Colts (-3) @ NY Giants 

Indianapolis's defense looks like a mess against the Steelers.  Still the Giants could struggle without Victor Cruz.