RECAP - WEEK TEN

This Week: 9-5 (67-71-5)
Linebusters: 3-2 (23-26-1)
Straight Picks (w/o line): 13-1 (87-56)

So I finally had a good week. The Jets impressed, the Chargers continue to struggle, and the Falcons are looking even better than I thought. Buffalo may not make the playoffs now, though, which is a bummer after a 5-1 start. The AFC East is just too good to drop 3 games in a row, especially to the other teams in the division. What an epic choke job...

Speaking of Choke Jobs...
Denver Broncos @ Cleveland Browns
Line: Browns -3
O/U: 46
Linebuster!
My Pick: Broncos +3. Denver needs this one. 33-20.
Result: Broncos 34-30
Cleveland has the offense working now, but can't get any help from the defense late in games. Twice they've been overtaken late, once by the offensive juggernaut of the Baltimore Ravens. That's not a good sign. It seems like the Browns can get ahead, but just don't know how to win. They can't finish games. They're all but out of playoff contention at this point. The Broncos are in a tough battle with the Chargers for the West crown. Neither is playing well. Coming down the stretch, the AFC West will go to the team that sucks less...

NOW they score points...
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions
Line: Jags -6.5
O/U: 44.5
My Pick: Lions +6.5. Jacksonville Still Wins 24-20.
Result: Jags 38-14
Nice Jacksonville. Wait until after you lose to the Browns and Bengals before you put up any points so that I will finally lose my faith in you and pick you to not cover against the lowly Lions. Now I' really hoping for 0-16 in Detroit!

New NFL Superpower
Tennessee Titans @ Chicago Bears
Line: Titans -3
O/U: 38-5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Titans -3. Tennessee Remains Perfect 23-17.
Result: Titans 21-14
Tennessee is very good. But can they win a non-defensive game? The Titans do a great job controlling the clock and forcing their opponent to play at their pace. The biggest roadblock to 16-0 could be week 17, as the Titans, who will have everything locked up by then, travel to Indy to face a Colt team that may stll be fighting for the postseason.

Tough Times in WNY
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Line: Pats -3.5
O/U: 41.5
My Pick: Pats -3.5. Bills fall to 5-4 at the hands of the Pats, 27-23.
Result: Pats 20-10
We were all so excited. Our beloved Buffalo Bills were 5-1 for the first time since the 1994 season that saw us march to our fourth consecutive super bowl. We'd rather not talk about what happened in those super bowls, but hey, we had made it that far...That was just 3 weeks ago...and the mood has changed drastically. We've lost to all three teams in our division, and sit tied for last at 5-4, with New England and the Jets in front of us. Ouch. Arizona is on their way to the playoffs, and if the Bills can't get there, they will become the team with the longest postseason vacation in the NFL...

Can They Really?
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
Line: Falcons -1
O/U: 50
My Pick: Saints +1. New Orleans wins 37-27.
Result: Falcons 34-20
A new coach and a young new QB have people in Falconland thinking about the playoffs, and forgetting all about that dogfighting guy...what was his name again? But can the Falcons really make the playoffs? They've beaten New Orleans. But two of their three losses are to Carolina and Tampa. So at 6-3, they have a good shot, but they must get by their divisional foes the second time around if they have designs on winning the NFC South.

Where did this come from?
St. Louis Rams @ New York Jets
Line: Jets -8
O/U: 44.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Rams +8. Jets still win it 23-21.
Result: Jets 47-3
Wow. I was way off base. Not only did the Jets crush the Rams, making them look far worse than anticipated, but the Jets won this game with consistency. Brett Favre wasn't magical, throwing multiple 40+yard touchdown passes and blowing the Rams away. Instead, the run game was consistent, and Brett did what he needed to do to get the Jets in the endzone on each drive. The defense was stout, and allowed very little. I still don't think the Jets are a playoff team, but I've been wrong before.

Seattle Should Move to Florida...
Seattle Seahawks @ Miami Dolphins
Line: Dolphins -8.5
O/U: 43
My Pick: Seattle +8.5. I think the Fins will win it by a touchdown 20-13.
Result: Dolphins 21-19
Seattle is having a very tough year, but is 2-0 against the spread in Florida. Granted they didn't win either of those games, but if they could play down there every week, they might eventually have a shot at a W. Miami continues to do what is needed to win games...who knows where they'll end up?

Defense wins championships...and screws me against the spread...
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Line: Vikings -2.5
O/U: 45.5
My Pick: Minnesota -2.5. GB has no answer for AP. Minny wins 27-21.
Result: Minnesota 28-27
Come on. Really? Green Bay was totally outmatched in this game, but managed to return a kick and an interception for touchdowns, thus beating the spread. Minnesota is now back where they want to be, on track for a playoff berth and an NFC North title...but there are a couple of good teams who will have something to say about that, so the Vikings will need to keep winning. If they falter, the Bears or Packers could easily step in.

Way too close
Carolina Panthers @ Oakland Raiders
Line: Panthers -9.5
O/U: 37.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Panthers -9.5. Carolina Crushes Oakland 37-10.
Result: Panthers 17-6
You can only imagine what was going through my mind, when the Panthers were driving with just minutes left on the clock and a 14-6 lead. Please, Please, PLEASE kick the damn field goal. They did. But they still only scored 17 against a Raider defense with no confidence in the team or the direction in which it is going, so Carolina may have its hands full next week against Atlanta.

Really Herm?
Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers
Line: Chargers -15.5
O/U: 47.5
My Pick: Chiefs +15.5. San Diego wins 27-13.
Result: Chargers 20-19
The Denver Broncos can pull that crap off. But when the Kansas City Chiefs try for a 2-point conversion to win instead of the extra point to tie, they deserve to be stopped. You are not good enough to pull that off. Herm should have taken the point and gone to OT. That said, I wonder how it feels to be the Chargers...screwed over multiple times early in the year, now they get a win handed to them...and in the same fashion in which one was stolen away in week 2!

Back and Forth
Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Line: Steelers -3
O/U: N/A
My Pick: Colts +3. Indy HAS TO get things going NOW. Colts 24-13.
Result: Colts 24-20
Now Indy has a shot. They're 5-4, as are a number of other teams in the AFC, and Dungy may have a chance at getting his boys to the postseason. It's tough to say how they'll play week in and week out, as they've been very inconsistent, but I expect things to even out a bit. The Steelers are now 6-3, even though it feels like they lose every week. They're all set for a playoff bid, as Cleveland and Cincy aren't really going to challenge for that division. Baltimore could make things interesting, but since they can't beat the Steelers, things should still go Pittsburgh's way.

Glad I got on Board...
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles
Line: Eagles -3
O/U: 43
My Pick: Giants +3. New York proves they're the Beast of the East. 27-20.
Result: Giants 36-31
Philly still hasn't won in the division. That means playoffs are a very unlikely finish to the year for a Philly team that is quite good, and sitting at 5-4. The Giants are all but a lock in the division and in the NFC. But is home field advantage a good thing for New York? All of last year's damage was done on the road...

Still a Stud
Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans
Line: Ravens -1
O/U: 42
My Pick: Ravens -1. Baltimore wins 23-21.
Result: Ravens 41-13
He may be getting older, but Ray Lewis is still one of the best linebackers in the NFL. 8 tackles and 2 interceptions...by a linebacker! He always knows where to be, lays guys out, and has helped to make Baltimore synonymous with defense. The Ravens are quietly 6-3, and may be making a run to the playoffs.

Who's at quarterback? What's at Wide Receiver? I don't know what the hell is going on!?
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Line: Cards -9.5
O/U: 46
Linebuster!
My Pick: Cards -9.5. Arizona is awfully good at home. 31-10.
Result: Cards 29-24
Shaun Hill? Josh Morgan? Who are these people? Well, a 7th year QB out of Maryland and a rookie wide out from Va Tech...but where did they come from? Who cares? They did the best they could against a solid Cardinals team, and almost came up with a win. Why wouldn't you throw on 3rd and goal from the 2 1/2 yard line with 3 seconds left? Singletary's decision may have cost the team a win. That said, he has his players playing a lot harder, with much more confidence. Arizona is 3 games over .500 for the first time since 1988, and is very likely a playoff team. We'll see what transpires down the road, but I feel like I must mention that all 3 Cards losses are in games played on the East Coast, and all 6 wins were played elsewhere...

Byes: CIN, DAL, TB, WAS