Thursday, November 20
Chiefs (-7) at Raiders: It's probably hard to believe to kids today that don't know better, but at one time the Oakland Raiders were one of the NFL's top franchises. They were the face of the American Football League in the 1960s, they were consistently in the AFC Championship Game during the 1970s & won three Super Bowls from 1976 to 1983. Many of the moments that defined professional football like the Immaculate Reception & the Heidi Game featured Raider involvement. "Just Win, Baby" wasn't a punchline like it is today, it was a way of life for Al Davis. Men like John Madden, Jack Tatum, Ken Stabler, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen, Tom Flores & many others were part of a winning tradition that didn't have to take a backseat to anybody. How many kids did you know that rocked Raiders Starter jackets? They were the bad guys that fans either loved or loved to hate.
Now?
The Commitment to Excellence has been replaced by a Commitment to Futility. The downhill swing began after they lost the 2002 Super Bowl, but now things have hit rock bottom. The Raiders have lost sixteen straight NFL regular season games. They're still ten away from tying the record, but for longtime NFL fans it's hard to fathom what has happened to one of the proudest franchises of the last fifty years. It's also hard to see it getting better any time soon.
It's not getting any better this week. The Chiefs are peaking at the right time & look like they'll be a dangerous team to deal with in January. Oakland has to hope that KC is banged up from the Seattle game or that they're overlooking the Thursday night tilt.
And how sad that has to be for old Raider fans, that now they root for a team that's so irrelevant that they have to hope that other teams overlook them. Teams used to get up for Raider games, now they're just another team. Unfortunately for the Raiders, I think the Chiefs still hate them & will be ready to go this week.
Sunday, November 23
Browns at Falcons (-3): At first glance I was a bit confused that the Falcons were favored here, but then I thought about it & came up with the following explanations:
-The Falcons have been showing some life recently
-The Falcons play better at home
- It's that time of year when the Browns remember they're the Browns
I wasn't surprised at all when the Texans came into Cleveland & whipped the Browns last week. The Browns get up for the big games & are prone to laying eggs against teams they think they should best. As I said last week, they haven't changed that much. Close game here but I like the Falcons to continue their march to the top of the hapless NFC South.
Titans at Eagles (-11): Zack Mettenberger vs. Mark Sanchez! Quite possibly two of the sleaziest looking quarterbacks in the NFL going at it this week, which I guess is something. Eagles had a rough time of it in Green Bay last week, but I think they rebound this week. Do they win by 11? I think they do. Titans give up a bunch of rushing yards & Sproles & McCoy should take advantage of that. Fly Eagles Fly. That's how it goes, right?
Lions at Patriots (-7): We've been waiting for the wheels to fall off the Detroit Lion bus for some time now, because they always do. They have a top-notch defense, the offense usually looks good when they're not playing Arizona, and they're right in the middle of the playoff chase. But now they gotta go to New England. That usually doesn't end well for young teams looking to make their mark on the league, and I get the feeling that it won't end well for Detroit either. The Patriots are clicking on all cylinders right now and I get a feeling that this one could be a blowout even though the Lions aren't a bad team.
Packers (-9.5) at Vikings: I think I make reference to Aaron Rodgers relaxing every week, and the Packers win every week. The Vikings should be closer than they were when Christian Ponder played, but it won't be that close. Packers.
Jaguars at Colts (-14): Does this even merit discussion? Nah. Colts.
Bengals at Texans (-1.5): You know it was a good week for Cincinnati when the most discussed topic has been an asshole Saints fan ripping a ball from a Bengals fan. It was a good sign that they rebounded well from their Thursday night beatdown & went into New Orleans & whipped the Saints. It goes to show that you never really know with a lot of these teams from week to week, and the NFC South is even worse than we already thought it was. Gotta give the Bengals credit though. Andy Dalton had a tremendous performance, Jeremy Hill helped with the running game & the defense actually shut down Drew Brees in the SuperDome, something that just does not happen.
I'd love to jump back on the bandwagon this week, but the Bengals' history against the Houston Texans hasn't been great. They've lost five in a row, the last two taking place in Houston in the 2012 & 2013 Divisional Playoffs. They lost to TJ Yates & Matt Schaub in those games, and I figure Ryan Mallett will make it three QBs in a row. Mallett had a fine game in his debut against Cleveland, and you pretty much have to figure that JJ Watt is gonna run an INT back at some point here. It might be the difference, as I see the Texans winning a close one & kind of sneaking back into the playoff picture while nobody's paying attention to them.
Jets at Bills (-4.5): We're not entirely sure this game will take place on Sunday, as Buffalo & the surrounding areas are covered by feet of snow & feet of snow are still yet to fall. Hope everybody out there's doing all right. Whenever the game does take place, I expect the Bills to win & cover. They beat the Jets by 23 in New Jersey & not all that much has changed since then except they aren't splitting time between Geno Smith & Michael Vick now.
Buccaneers at Bears (-5.5): Two teams coming off wins last week. Yes, we're talking about Tampa Bay & Chicago. It seems shocking, but not as shocking when you consider they were playing Washington & Minnesota last week. I can't see the Bucs winning two straight games, and it only makes sense for the Bears to go on a winning streak so Marc Trestman doesn't get fired.
Cardinals at Seahawks (-6.5): At some point we're going to stop doubting the Arizona Cardinals. I'm guilty of it myself, as last week I figured that the Lions could put up enough points to beat a team with Drew Stanton at quarterback. Turns out they couldn't. Stanton's not winning these games for Arizona, but he's not doing things to make them lose either. Add in the Arizona defense absolutely shutting down anybody not named Peyton Manning, and that's how the Cardinals are where they're at.
I'm not sure they win this game, but six & a half points feels like a wide margin for a Seahawks team that's not exactly blown out most of their opponents this year & has been very inconsistent. Nobody's been running on Arizona...but Marshawn Lynch has been going crazy the last two weeks. This will be an interesting test for the young Cardinal team that might be without Larry Fitzgerald...nah, he's going to play as long as his leg is attached to his body. Andre Ellington will play as well, he's always on the injury report for something or other.
I still haven't decided who will win, but I'm going to take the Cardinals and the points. Something's going on with them this year.
Rams at Chargers (-4.5): Have you ever played The Ultimate Football Blog Drinking Game? Here's a sample of how it goes:
-1 sip whenever Steve Cook or Jeremy Lambert take a shot at the NFC South
-1 sip whenever somebody mentions how bad the prime time games have been
-2 sips whenever we have to talk about somebody beating up their woman or their child
-1 shot when Steve Cook plugs something else he's writing or podcasting
-1 shot when Jeremy Lambert mentions his girlfriend
-1 shot when Dustin James mentions Marcus Mariota
-Entire glass when somebody mentions Johnny Football
You'll get drunk the quickest by keeping up with the Mariota mentions. Every week Dustin's talking about how everybody needs to tank so they can draft this kid. I mean, it does make sense considering the sterling reputation that Oregon QBs like Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, Kellen Clemens & Dennis Dixon have in the National Football League, so I understand the sentiment. But I can't get behind the idea that teams like the St. Louis Rams need to deliberately lose games so they can draft some kid. After all, as Herm Edwards said...
That's right, Herm! So Jeff Fisher shouldn't feel bad about his Rams actually managing to beat the Broncos last week. He should feel bad that his Rams are probably the least consistent team in the league, which is really saying something this year. They beat the 49ers & Broncos & Seahawks, and they get blown out by the Chiefs, the Eagles & some other good teams...including the Vikings? Huh.
Rams were good last week so they'll be bad this week. Take the Chargers.
Dolphins at Broncos (-7): I'm liking the Dolphins a bit more each week, but I really really don't like them this week. Peyton Manning is pissed about more than just the scoreboard operator. I don't care which Broncos he ends up throwing to or which ones can actually get on the field after last week's mess, my prediction for the Dolphins can be summed up in one word:
Pain.
Washington at 49ers (-9): Washington continues generating headlines by having their quarterback & head coach argue with each other through the media. Frankly they make San Francisco's "turmoil" look like a day at the park. Nine points is a lot but I think the 49ers will make it happen.
Cowboys (-3.5) at Giants: I keep waiting for the Giants to pull an upset on a better team. It hasn't happened yet, but the Dallas Cowboys seem like a prime candidate. The main thing going for the Cowboys is they're coming off their bye week & Tony Romo will be more healthy & DeMarco Murray will have had some rest. These are pretty big deals. I know that Sunday Night Football games typically aren't close, but these two teams seem to have close games in primetime fairly regularly. That's why I'm going to go with the Giants, as I think it'll be a three point game either way.
Monday, November 24
Ravens at Saints (-3.5): Saints laid a big ol' egg last week against the Bengals, so of course now it's time to put them on Monday Night. They tend to do well on Monday Night in New Orleans though, as Drew Brees performs best when the spotlight's on. I keep saying that the Saints will eventually show up. They keep not showing up. Eventually I have to be right.
Right?
Right. Saints get the big win to keep that compelling NFC South division race going! Yeah!
Last Week: 7-7
Season Record: 82-76-3
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