Went 9-5 last week for a 63-38 record overall. To quote Dom de Luise’s Emperor Nero, “Nice, not great, but nice.” It is clear that the playoff race for the AFC will feature a mediocre team. The NFC looks to come down to the wire.
On to the picks!
Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) at San Diego Chargers (3-4) - They STINK! at Fire Norv!
The Chargers went to Cleveland and scored SIX POINTS! Words fail me. Norv is history and should have been after last season. Rivers is on the clock too. I see major rebuilding in San Diego’s future. This is a battle of coaches soon to be fired. Pick: Chargers
Buffalo Bills (3-4) at Houston Texans (6-1) - Paid WAY too much! at Great Expectations
Mario is coming to town. If you blink you will miss him! I see a blowout here by halftime. This is a stat padding game. Pick: Texans
Denver Broncos (4-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) – Peyton Returns! at Sophomore Slump
The Broncos beat up a team with no D last week. Not buying the hype yet. The Bengals are regressing big time. As much as I would like to call an Admiral Ackbar here, I can’t. Still it would not shock me if the Bengals stole this one. Pick: Broncos
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Cleveland Browns (2-6) - The not so Contenders at Maybe they don’t Stink
I can see the Mon Cal gathering, but still no Admiral. Disney must have Ackbar someplace special. This could be a trap considering the Ravens’ D is awful. But I don’t see the Browns having the firepower to hang with the Ravens. Pick: Ravens
Arizona Cardinals (4-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-3) - Reverted to Normal at Returned to Normal
The Cardinals are who we thought they were. So are the Packers. Mr. Rodgers should score enough to win, but he will be in some pain when the game is over. Mr. Matthews will fight with Mr. Watt for the sack lead all season – this game should help. Pick: Packers
Chicago Bears (6-1) at Tennessee Titans (3-5) - Midway Maulers at Going in Circles
Mr. Congeniality himself, Jay Cutler, seems to have settled down some. I’m telling you, jockstrap wedgies do wonders for a disposition problem. The Bears might overlook this game, like they almost did with Carolina, but I think that game woke them up. Titans could be in for a long day. Pick: Bears
Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Indianapolis Colts (4-3) - Surprise, surprise, surprise! at No one saw this Coming!
This is a battle for playoff positioning. SERIOUSLY! Winner will have five wins when nine most likely gets into the postseason. As much as I like the scrappy Colts, there is more talent on the Dolphins. I am amazed at the rookies this season. I’ll admit I’m not happy that Andrew Luck is in the AFC South. Pick: Dolphins
Carolina Panthers (1-6) at Washington Redskins (3-5) - Not so Super Cam at Wonderboy
Last season’s wunderkind and this season’s. Panther’s season is in turmoil and I have a feeling a housecleaning is coming up when this lost season ends. Redskins aren’t out of it, but need a win to keep hope alive. Pick: Redskins
Detroit Lions (3-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) - Might be Waking Up at Is the season over yet?
The Lions rallied last week and the Jags were respectable. However, the Lions are still desperate and lions are bigger kitties than jags. The Jaguars might have lucked out with MJD out because they have to try other things to score. See what Gabbert can do! (Don’t go after Tebow – it would be a mess for years) Pick: Lions
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) at Oakland Raiders (3-4) - Pirates at Hanging Around
The Bucs play hard every game. The Raiders are always an enigma. The Black Hole is not a fun place to play for the road team. The Bucs aren’t out of the playoff hunt, but they are on the edge of elimination. Raiders are still in the hunt because the AFC is bad. I have to go with talent. Pick: Buccaneers
Minnesota Vikings (5-3) at Seattle Seahawks (4-4) - Norse Madmen at Misty and Confusing
The Vikings are falling back to earth, but still have bite. The Seahawks HAD the Lions and lost it. Seattle is a tough place to play and Ponder has been having some issues the last few games. This is a Wild Card slot game. If the Vikings win, they keep the inside track, lose and they have the same record as the Seahawks but lose the head-to-head tie-breaker. So this is a game with major playoff implications. I am torn on this one. Pick: Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at NY Giants (6-2) - Old & Rusty at the Champs
Dear Rooney Family, please do not subject football fans to those hideous throwback uniforms again. Thx! This could be a good game if the rusty defense can do to Eli what they did to RG3. The Giants were a mess in Dallas and the Steelers don’t give away games like the Cowboys do. I’ll play a hunch. Pick: Steelers
Dallas Cowboys (3-4) at Atlanta Falcons (7-0) - Egomaniacs at Prove it in the Post-Season
Cowboys are a mess. They lose this game and they could be cooked in the NFC. I’m thinking it might take 11 wins to make the playoffs. The Cowboys’ margin for error is now nil. The Falcons are cruising, but that means nothing. They have lost in the playoffs in their first game for the last three years. Desperate times and all that…nope can’t do it Pick: Falcons
Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (2-5) - Falling apart at Fell apart
It looked like a marquee game on paper when the schedule came out. Now this is a mess of a game. Andy Reid is on the hottest seat in the league. If his team can’t score against the 11 guys who claim to be the Saints’ D then he needs to turn his headset in. For Drew Brees, he should light up the pathetic excuse for the Philly D. One team hasn’t gone totally off the rails. Pick: Eagles
Bye: St. Louis, New England, NY Jets, San Francisco
Note: I will be meetings when this posts so I will join the conversation when I can.