RECAP - WEEK ELEVEN

This Week: 10-6 (77-77-5)
Linebusters: 4-1 (27-27-1)
Straight Picks (w/o line): 12-3-1 (99-57-1)

Back to .500! Now that I've had two good weeks in a row, I have to keep it going!

You Still SUCK!
New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Line: Pats -3.5
O/U: 42.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Pats -3.5. New England at home is an easy choice. 27-17.
Result: Jets 34-31 (ot)
This game does not prove to me that the Jets are any good. It proves that the entire AFC East is bad. Buffalo has no wins over a .500 team, and is now at the bottom of the division. Miami is Miami. And the Pats lost to the Jets. The team atop that division, New York, may win it...but they've lost to the Raiders. Sorry Jets fans, but you're about to find out what a really good team looks like. Tennessee's going to kick your ass. If not, I'll eat my words.

Depleted Denver Still Scoring
Denver Broncos @ Atlanta Falcons
Line: Falcons -6.5
O/U: 50.5
My Pick: Broncos +6.5. It's just too high. Falcons win 34-31.
Result: Broncos 24-20
I expected Matt Ryan to put up more than 20, but credit a Denver squad that is pushing its way through injuries for still being able to score some points. That D won't take the Broncos very far, but in their division, 8-8 may be a playoff team...

Still Miami
Oakland Raiders @ Miami Dolphins
Line: Dolphins -10.5
O/U: 38.5
My Pick: Raiders +10.5. Miami still gets it done 19-13.
Result: Miami 17-15
See how close I was? Miami is a team that plays to their opposition. That means a lot of close games, and a lot of bad losses.

Second-Best, or Super Bowl Favorite? Can't it be both?
Baltimore Ravens @ New York Giants
Line: Giants -6.5
O/U: 42
My Pick: Giants -6.5. The Giants have to blow out one of these teams. 33-13.
Result: Giants 30-10
The Giants are clearly among the best teams in the NFL, but are they #1? With Tennessee at 10-0, you can't say the Giants are the best team, especially considering who they lost to. But if the two played head-to-head, I'd bet on a Giant win. So yes, the Giants are my super bowl favorite, yet I believe are currently the second-best team in the NFL.

Here they Come
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
Line: Colts -8.5
O/U: 50.5
My Pick: Texans +8.5. Colts win 27-21.
Result: Colts 33-27
See, these two teams tend to play close games. Anyway, the Colts are on their way back up. No, they won't be the prohibitive favorite out of the AFC, but they should have enough in the tank to make the playoffs, and can then figure things out from there. We know they have the talent, but can they put it all together?

So Kerry has an Arm...(the QB, not the senator...)
Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Line: Titans -3
O/U: 39.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Titans -3. Tennessee's D is too much. 27-16.
Result: Titans 24-14
Collins has showed us a few times that he can come back from a deficit and still get his team a win, which is the one potential criticism of the Titans. Granted, part of that is because the Tennessee defense can totally shut teams down and not let them increase the lead. We'll see what happens if the Titans ever get down by 14+ with only 1 quarter to play. With that D, though, it may not happen. The Titans should find themselves 14-0, but the Steelers and Colts will be a tough finish, especially with home-field already locked up at that point...

NFC North Bunched-up
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers
Line: Packers -4
O/U: 43.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Packers -4. Green Bay wins it 27-17.
Result: Packers 37-3
Ok, now that's a little ridiculous. Green Bay has effectively shown that the Bears are falling, and will end up right where everyone thought they would...3rd in the division. It'll be a classic fight to the finish for first, as the Pack and Vikings have each taken one game head-to-head.

Offensively Anemic Birds
Philadelphia Eagles @ Cincinnati Bengals
Line: Eagles -9
O/U: 42.5
My Pick: Eagles -9. Philly hangs a big number on the hapless Bengals. 37-13.
Result: TIED 13-13
What the hell, Philly? I knew the Bengals would score 13, but you were supposed to hang a number on them! Where did McNabb's "good" offense go? They were shredding teams the first 2 weeks, and now they stink? Philly is headed for last in the still-difficult NFC East. Sorry birdies...

Much Needed, but too little too late?
New Orleans Saints @ Kansas City Chiefs
Line: Saints -5.5
O/U: 50
My Pick: Saints -5.5. New Orleans wins 34-21.
Result: Saints 30-20
They won, but are now 5-5, good for last in the NFC South, one behind Atlanta, 2 behind Tampa, and 3 behind division-leading Carolina. Can they make the playoffs? Yeah, sure. But they're going to have to win a whole lot of games, especially the rematches with their division opponents. Two more losses and they're 9-7, which won't be good enough to grab a wild card in a tough NFC.

Best in the South? Anybody see that coming?
Detroit Lions @ Carolina Panthers
Line: Panthers -14
O/U: 40
My pick: Lions +14. Carolina still wins 24-13.
Result: Panthers 31-22
This game wasn't too surprising, but did anybody think the Panthers would be 8-2? Delhomme is playing great, and Carolina has surprised a lot of people, including me. I'm not sure how far they'll go, but they're a lock for the playoffs already, and may be joining the Giants with a first-round bye!

Minny Falls Back
Minnesota Vikings @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Line: Bucs -3.5
O/U: 38.5
My Pick: Vikings +3.5. Tampa wins 23-20.
Result: Bucs 19-13
Minny didn't score in the second half. At all. Credit Tampa for stopping them every time, but Minnesota is in a tight division race. They need to find some offense. Now.

Blowout 49-er Style
St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
Line: 49ers -6
O/U: 44.5
My Pick: Rams +6. 49ers win it, but not by that much. 27-24.
Result: 49ers 35-16
This was a very nice first win for Mike Singletary. His team played great offensively, and didn't let the Rams get too much going on offense. The Rams surprised me a bit by not being more competitive. I thought this was an offense they could hold down a little better. Maybe the Rams just had a good few weeks in the middle of the season and have since gone back to being a pushover...

How good are the Cards?
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks
Line: Cardinals -3
O/U: 47.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Cards -3. Arizona Whomps em 27-10.
Result: Cards 26-20
With Hasslebeck back, the Seahawks scored a little more than I thought they would, but Arizona still did what they need to do. Now 7-3, can the Cards compete for a playoff bye, or is that too much to ask? They play in an easy division, but have some tough out of conference games left. Arizona will end the playoff drought...but will they be a contender? Who knows. It's Arizona.

I Hate Officials SOOOOO MUCH!
San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Line: Steelers -5
O/U: 43
My Pick: Steelers -5. Pittsburgh wins it 27-21.
Result: Steelers 11-10 (17-10, as far as I'm concerned)
What the hell? Stupid ass refs. Seriously, this blown call was because a group of refs "got confused". They thought the first lateral was illegal and went forward and the second was legal, but mistakely thought, somehow, that the first lateral touched the ground and was an incomplete pass. Not even close, morons. They looked at the replay, and upheld the TD. Then they conferenced, somehow confused each other, and overturned it. How does that even happen? And can't the league just add the points? It happened at the end anyway! I'll bet a lot of people lost a lot of money on this game and are VERY upset. I think one of the refs had money against the spread, and decided to confuse everyone so he could win his bet.

Romo's Back...
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
Line: Cowboys -1.5
O/U: 43.5
Linebuster!
My Pick: Cowboys -1.5. I just don't think Big D will settle for .500. Cowboys 30-13.
Result: Cowboys 14-10
The offense isn't quite back to being a juggernaut yet, but the Washington O struggled enough that 14 was all the Cowboys needed to get back on the winning track. Now that they're playing for a wild card, the rest of the NFC needs to understand that there is likely only one spot left. The Skins and the NFC South will be contending for it...we'll see who gets it.

Watch Your Backs Tony Kornheiser and Mike Tirico...
Cleveland Browns @ Buffalo Bills
Line: Bills -5
O/U: 42
My Pick: Bills -5. Buffalo wins it 26-19.
Result: Browns 29-27
I knew I should have gone against this spread, but I didn't because I'm a fan. I'm not upset about MY loss, I'm upset about the Bills loss. As a hockey guy, I am very superstitious. So you can understand what went through my head when, as Longwell lined up a 47 yard field goal into the wind to win the game, Kornheiser and Tirico mentioned Norwood and "Wide Right" no less than 5 times each. They just kept saying it. Asses. Don't you know better? As soon as it got mentioned once, I knew we were screwed. You KNEW he was pushing that right. You don't mention things like that. It's like talking about the no-hitter while the game's in the 6th inning. YOU JUST DON'T DO IT!