Week 16 Picks

Philadelphia and Washington face off

with the NFC East up for grabs

(via Washington Post)

Washington (+3) @ Philadelphia - A toss up game between division rivals in a game that could ultimately decide the division championship.  Washington has won its last two meetings against the Eagles and even in their loss against Philadelphia last season, Washington managed to put up 35 points at Lincoln Financial.

Sam Bradford is capable of throwing deep bombs against Washington's secondary.  Mychal Kendricks of the Eagles are talking trash and giving Washington bulletin board material- "If I know myself and I know my teammates, the Redskins got something coming to them.  For real. That's real shit."

Of course, DeSean Jackson likely could get revenge against his former team especially since the Eagles have injuries in the secondary


NY Giants (+6) @ Minnesota - Even though the Giants are losing Odell Beckham for one game due to a suspension, they are still playing for their playoff lives.  Manning has other viable targets including Randle and Vereen to make this close.  Of course, the Giants need to step it up defensively or they could be looking at another disappointing season.

Chicago @ Tampa Bay (-3) - Chicago has blown a lot of games as of late to lesser opponents and Lovie Smith looks to get revenge against his former team.

Carolina (-6.5) @ Atlanta - Atlanta is coming off a win but the Panthers have easily took care of business earlier in the season with 38-0 drumming.  Carolina had a bit of letdown against the Giants but are still playing for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

Dallas @ Buffalo (-6) - Buffalo will be missing Lesean McCoy with an injury but Dallas could be without Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley.  The Dallas Cowboys will go with yet another quarterback in Kellen Moore.

Jacksonville @ New Orleans (-3) - New Orleans blew another home game last week to the Lions but go against the Jaguars who are battling for a division title, have still struggled against lesser opponents including the Titans and Falcons

San Francisco @ Detroit (-10) - Detroit when playing up to its potential is cable of putting the clamps down on defense against high octane teams like the Packers and Saints.  The 49ers have scored 14 points or less in six of their past seven games.  

Cleveland @ Kansas City (-11) - Cleveland did struggle on the road against the Seattle.  These problems could continue against the Kansas City who look to solidify their playoff case.

Indianapolis @ Miami (-2.5) - Perhaps Matt Hasselbeck has reverted back to the mean.  In a battle of two struggling teams, the Dolphins may have the edge from the homefield advantage as they look to recover from a bad loss to San Diego.

New England  @ NY Jets (+3) - This could be a defensive battle especially if the Patriots could be without Brandon LaFell.   The Jets could devise an effective strategy to slow down Gronkowski and they have enough offensive weapons in Marshall, Decker, and Ivory to pull off the upset.

Houston (-3.5) @ Tennessee - In this battle of backup quarterbacks, Houston's defense could be the difference.  Look for the Texans to establish the run early and often with Alfred Blue.

Green Bay @ Arizona (-4.5) - While Arizona suffered notable injuries to their secondary, they could still throw out an effective game plan to slow down Aaron Rodgers.  Arizona may be the deepest teams in terms of receivers and running back David Johnson showed shades of Marshawn Lynch last week against the Eagles.

St. Louis @ Seattle (-12.5) - Seattle will look to take revenge against the Rams who pulled out a close win against Seattle earlier in the season.  Seattle was without Kam Chancellor and should put the clamps down on St. Louis's offense.

Cincinnati @ Denver (-3.5) - In the battle of backup quarterbacks, Brock Osweiler is slightly better. The Broncos managed to play the Steelers to one score where as the Bengals lost by double digits to Pittsburgh.  

Week 16 Thursday Night Pick

Phillip Rivers looks to even the series

after losing to the Raiders earlier this season

San Diego (+5.5) @ Oakland - Both teams come into this game eliminated from playoff contention.  San Diego is coming off a win against the Miami Dolphins while the Raiders did manage to keep it relatively close against the Packers. While it is a home game for the Raiders, San Diego should be more well rested given that they traveled less. 

Last week: 8-8

Season: 114-87-6

Week 15 Picks

Ryan Fitzpatrick is only 5 TDs away 

from setting the Jets franchise record

for most passing TDs in a single season

(via Newsday)

New York Jets (-3.5) @ Dallas - Dallas only managed to put up 7 points against Green Bays 'defense.  The Jets, under Todd Bowls, could easily replicate that efford.  Chris Ivory seems confident in the Jets running game as he declares himself a top 5 running back.

Atlanta @ Jacksonville (-3) - Atlanta has lost six of its past seven games and looks to avoid being the first team in NFL history to finish the season below .500.  The Jaguars in the meantime have averaged 38.33 points per game over the past 3 games including 51 points in a win against the Colts.

Houston @ Indianapolis (-2) - It looks like Texans QB Brian Hoyer is going to be out and TJ Yates who was not on the roster at the beginning of the season is going to start.  Hasselbeck, the 40 year old, has reverted back to the mean with terrible performances in the past few weeks but should still give the Colts the advantage at the helm.

Kansas City (-7) @ Baltimore - Baltimore appears to have thrown in the towel in a blowout loss to the Seahawks.  The Chiefs did get a much tougher fight from the Chargers, a division rival, but look to take care of business against the Ravens this week.

Chicago @ Minnesota (-5.5)- The Bears struggled on the road against Washington while the Vikings while losing to the Cardinals, did play relatively well and could bounce back with some momentum against Chicago at home.  

Green Bay (-3) @ Oakland - The Packers have rediscovered their running game with Eddy Lacy even though Aaron Rodgers is struggling.  The Raiders are coming off a big win against the Broncos but could be due for a letdown.  

Miami (+1.5) @ San Diego - Not much separates these struggling teams.  The Dolphins have slightly better players at running back (Lamar Miller) and wide receiver (Jarvis Landry).  

Tennessee @ New England (-14) -  While Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski did not practice, look for them to play against the lowly Titans.  The Patriots should be able to devise a defense that confuses rookie Marcus Mariota.  

Cleveland @ Seattle (-14.5)- Seattle is clicking on offense without Jimmy Graham and they look to stomp the Cleveland Browns at home to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Carolina (-4.5) @ NY Giants - While the New York Giants play for their playoff lives, the Panthers defense may be good enough to slow down Odell Beckham which could help continue Carolina's undefeated season.  

Arizona (-3.5) @ Philadelphia - Arizona looks to end Philadelphia's two game winning streak in order to maintain its division lead against the Cardinals.  The Eagles may be tough and look to win their third straight although the Cardinals may be a better team than the injured bunch the Patriots put out against the Eagles a few weeks ago.

Buffalo @ Washington (+1.5) - The lack of offensive line protection for the Bills was a concern against the Eagles even though the Bills have a mobile quarterback in Tyrod Taylor.  Although Washington did lose its last home game to Dallas, Washington is still 5-2 at home.  

Denver @ Pittsburgh (-6.5) - Pittsburgh could get a good performance from Big Ben who usually does not have two bad weeks in a row.  Even though Roethlisberger failed to throw a touchdown for the first time in 7 games, the Steelers were still put up 33 points.  The Broncos' offense may have issues after failing to score a touchdown in their last game and after being held scoreless in the 2nd half against the Raiders.

Cincinnati @ San Francisco (+5.5) - The 49ers defense could contain the Bengals offense without Andy Dalton.  Backup AJ McCaron was mistake prone in his appearance against the Steelers.  Blaine Gabbert looks to get the 49ers offense going as he did struggle against the Cleveland Browns last week.  

Detroit @ New Orleans (-3) - New Orleans may close out the schedule strong as all of their remaining opponents are under .500.  The Lions keep finding ways to lose and could struggle if the Saints make it a high scoring game.  

Week 15 Thursday Night Pick

Jameis Winston has so far  proven his critics wrong

and has show the ability to be a decent starting quarterback

(via NFL.com)

Tampa Bay (+2.5) @ St. Louis - The people who did not decide to book their tickets for Star Wars will get an opportunity to see this Thursday Night game.

The Bucs and the Rams previously played each other 

on Monday Night Football when a Star Wars movie came out

Tampa Bay looks to get going after losing a home game to the Saints.  Jameis Winston has gone through ups and downs but it looks like he is a solid leader.  Saint Louis Rams' running back Todd Gurley managed to rush for over 100 yards against the Lions; this was the first time in 6 games that Gurley surpassed 100 yards.   The Bucs have one of the top rushing defenses and have not given up a single run longer than 21 yards this season.

Last week: 7-9

This season: 106-79-6

Week 14 Picks

Adrian Peterson could be a tough 

challenge for the Cardinals' defense

Minnesota (+11) @ Arizona - Minnesota is coming off a blowout loss against Seattle where the Vikings only produced 125 yards of offense.  Still, Minnesota has won its past 4 road games and could make it competitive against the Cardinals.

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati (-3) - Cincinnati looks to sweep the season series against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In their last game, Ben Roethlisberger threw 3 interceptions.  The Bengals are playing to keep homefield advantage and should be motivated against a division rival.  

Buffalo (-1.5) @ Philadelphia - LeSean McCoy looks to get revenge against the Philadelphia Eagles who traded him to Buffalo.  While the Eagles are coming off an impressive win against the New England Patriots,  Philadelphia is still only 2-5 outside of their division.  

Atlanta @ Carolina (-7.5) - Cam Newton is playing himself as the MVP favorite.  While the Panthers had a close win against the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons have lost their past 5 games.  This could be a close game if Falcons coach Dan Quinn can come up with an effective game plan against Newton, as he was 3-0 against Newton when he was with Seattle.  Of course, the Falcons defense has not been nearly as good as the legion of boom so far this season. 

San Francisco @ Cleveland (-1.5)- Cleveland tries to get back on track after suffering a big loss to the Bengals as they go back to Johnny Manziell as their starting quarterback. San Francisco in meantime came away with an impressive win against the Bears although itthey could be due for a letdown.  

Washington @ Chicago (-3) - Washington and Chicago both had disappointing losses to below average teams.  Washington appeared worse though given that they likely could have locked up a playoff spot with a win.  The Bears look to get back on track against Washington who has failed to register a road win this season. 

Detroit (-2.5) @ St. Louis - Detroit is still feeling the sting of a last second loss off a Hail Mary from Rodgers to Rodgers.  Still, the Lions look to be the superior team to the Rams who have lost 5 straight.  The Rams look like they have made a mistake by extending Nick Foles before the start of season.  

San Diego @ Kansas City (-10) - Kansas City came away with a blowout win earlier this season against San Diego and are on a six game winning streak.  San Diego offense looks in shambles as they only scored 3 points last week against the Broncos and their only wins this season are against below .500 teams including the Lions, Browns, and Jaguars.  

Indianapolis (+1) @ Jaguars - Hasselbeck seems to be healthy again and look to bounce back after suffering a blowout loss to the Steelers.  

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay (-3.5) - While New Orleans did play Carolina close, that still does not mean that they have yet overcome their road struggles as the Bucs look to sweep the Saints.

Tennessee @ NY Jets (-7) -  Marcus Mariotta and the Titans offense put up 41 points against the Jaguars offense but could struggle to put up the same number of points against the New York Jets could have Revis back after he participated in practice this week.  

New England (-3) @ Houston - The Patriots come into the game losing their past two games and could kiss their chances of a by goodbye if they lose to the Texans.  JJ Watt could be limited a bit with a broken hand.

Oakland @ Denver (-7.5) - The Onion speculates about Peyton Manning.  In the meantime, the Broncos appear to be a better team with Brock Osweiler at quarterback.   

Dallas @ Green Bay (-7) - While Dallas kept its playoff chances alive by beating Washington, Green Bay could prove to be a tougher test.  Although Green Bay also struggled to run the ball against the Lions,  I would expect the Packers to put the pressure on Dallas's offense as they should put up more than 16 points that Washington put up last week.  

Seattle  @ Baltimore (+9) - Seattle has won its past 3 games.  Still, the Ravens have made it a habit of keeping their games close; all of their losses have been by 8 points or less.  

NY Giants (-1) @ Miami - The Giants playoff chances are alive and well despite losing 4 of its past 5 games.  This is perhaps the Giants easiest game left on their schedule although it could be tough as the Dolphins are 2-1 against NFC east opponents.  

Last week: 7-9

Season- 99-70-6

Week 13 Picks

You like that!!??

Kirk Cousins looks to keep Washington atop 

the NFC East with a win against Dallas

(via the Washington Post)

Green Bay @ Detroit (+3) - 

Bizarro World pic.twitter.com/1KSsK4uhpe

— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) December 3, 2015

It appears the Lions are playing better football right now and did win their last meeting at Green Bay.  It will be interesting to see if Rodgers can play more like the quarterback that started the season 6-0.  The Lions comes off a week of rest while the Packers have only 3 days rest.  

San Francisco @ Chicago (-7) - 

Jay Cutler is three touchdowns away from becoming the 39th quarterback in NFL history to reach 200 career passing touchdowns. #Bears

— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) December 3, 2015

The Bears shut down the Packers offense last week.  It will be interesting to see if Bears can score more than 20 points which they were not able to do the past two weeks against the Broncos and Packers.   The 49ers now go to Shaun Draugn as the starting running back. while Blaine Gabbert has shown signs of being an NFL quarterback with good mobility and pocket presence so far.  It may not be enough to overcome a Bears team that is playing pretty well.  

Cincinnati (-9.5) @ Cleveland - Apparently, Greg Rosenthal thinks that Dalton can make you a super bowl contender.  While that remains to be seen, the Bengals will benefit from playing a dysfunctional Browns team whose coaching has not been great as they have managed to lose their past 6 games.  

Jacksonville (+2.5) @ Tennessee - The Jaguars look to make up for a loss against a 2-8 Chargers team and lost ground in their division with Houston and Indianapolis winning.  The Titans did manage to keep it close last week against the Raiders but they still can't walk away from the fact that they are 1-9 in their past 10 games.  

Houston (+3) @ Buffalo - 

AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November: @HoustonTexans DE J.J. Watt. 5th career Player of the Month Award

— Jon Zimmer (@NFLhistory) December 3, 2015

The Bills have lost their past two games on the road.  Although the Bills have not been all that great at home either with a 2-3 record.  JJ Watt and Houston's defense appears to be hitting its stride as they have won their past 4 games.   

Baltimore (+4) @ Miami  - Baltimore did come out with a road win against Cleveland.  It remains to be seen if the Ravens can find the same special teams magic that they did against Cleveland.  Still, the Dolphins have lost 4 of their past 5 games.  

Carolina @ New Orleans (+7) - The Saints did play the Panthers close earlier in the season with their backup quarterback.  While the Saints have been struggling with 3 straight losses, they are still 3-2 at home and all of those losses at home were by 7 points or less.  

Seattle @ Minnesota - Russell Wilson has been playing great- he's statistically playing better than some all time greats.  If Wilson is solid, the Seahawks could come out with a win even against a Vikings team that has won 6 of its past 7.

Arizona (-6) @ St. Louis - St. Louis did beat Arizona earlier in the season although they have currently lost their past four games.  Jeff Fisher is 12 losses away from having the most losses of all-time.  The Cardinals will have to survive without Chris Johnson for the rest of the season.  David Johnson will have to fill in a bigger role and perhaps we will even see more runs from Carson Palmer like this.  

Atlanta (+1.5) @ Tampa Bay  -  The Buccaneers look to get back on track after losing by double digits to the Colts.  The Falcons have lost their past 4 games although their past two losses are against hot teams including the Colts and Vikings.  Atlanta is 3-2 on the road and Tampa Bay is 2-3 at home so the homefield advantage should be minimal for the Bucs.  

NY Jets @ NY Giants (-2) - For what it's worth, Eli Manning is 2-0 against the New York Jets in his NFL career.  The Jets may be without Darrell Revis (concussion) and Marcus Williams (knee) which could make it hard for them to contain Odell Beckham Jr.  

Denver (-4) @ San Diego - Manning still says he not close to returning but the Broncos remain undefeated with Brock Osweiler as their starter after an overtime win against the Patriots.  The Chargers did come away with a win against the Jaguars but could be in for trouble against a much better Broncos team.  

Kansas City (-3) @ Oakland - The Chiefs have won their past five games including two on the road.  The Chiefs defense has a clear edge over the Raider's defense so far this season.  

Philadelphia @ New England (-9.5)- The Eagles have lost their last two games by at least 28 points to below .500 teams.  New England comes off its first loss of the season and looks to get back on track.  

Indianapolis (+7) @ Pittsburgh - The Colts have been under the radar as they have won their past 3 games and their past 5 with Matt Hasselbeck as a starter.  Despite last weeks loss to the Seahawks, the Steelers have won their past 2 games and have managed to score 30 or more point in those games.  Still, the Steelers defense did give up 39 points to Russell Wilson and also gave up a lot of points recently to the Oakland Raiders.

Dallas @ Washington (-4.5) - 

NEXT ON #MNF. @dallascowboys vs @Redskins. https://t.co/RNsZuCZ47h

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 2, 2015

Washington has won its past 5 games at home as Kirk Cousins has thrown 10 TDs and 0 interceptions during that streak.  The Cowboys have lost their past 7 games without Tony Romo in the lineup.  

Last week: 12-4

Season: 92-61-6