NFL 2013 Season Predictions: Redskins, Ravens, 49ers, Playoffs, & Super Bowl

I guess its a better time than any to give my predictions for this year.  Last years predictions weren't too off, I projected the Ravens to finish 10-6 winning their division along with the Patriots, Texans, and Broncos.  My predictions for the Redskins were 8-8 and with a chance at the Wild Card slot, they stepped it up to 10-6 and won the division with their end of the year winning streak. Other than the 49ers, Falcons, and Packers my NFC Playoff picks looked off.  I predicted the 49ers would finish 10-6 and win the division.  It's a bit tough to predict a tie, so I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt.  My fandom Super Bowl prediction of Ravens vs 49ers actually happened, but my real prediction of Packers losing to the Texans in the Super Bowl fell short.

Ok so lets break down my picks for this year like the ESPN Experts did, well minus the Coach of the Year, MVP, and ROY predictions.

NFL Season Predictions

		My Fan Picks	My Actual Predictions
SUPER BOWL CHAMPION
AFC East		Patriots	Patriots
AFC North		Bengals	Bengals
AFC South		Texans	Texans
AFC West		Broncos	Broncos
AFC wild cards		Bills, Chiefs	Bills, Ravens
NFC East		Redskins	Redskins
NFC North		Packers	Packers
NFC South		Saints	Falcons
NFC West		49ers	Seahawks
NFC wild cards		Seahawks, Falcons	49ers, Saints
AFC champion		Texans	Broncos
NFC champion		49ers	Saints

Story book ending for Peyton Manning, he ascends into football heaven (retirement) with his 2nd Super Bowl ring then Ray Lewis jumps out of the stands and hugs him, which ends up looking more like a tackle because Peyton wasn't expecting it.

Ok time to do the Redskins, Ravens, and 49ers predictions.  I'll start with the local teams then finish with my favorite team.

The Redskins had a great finish to their season last year, their Rookie QB and Rookie RB combo was practically unstoppable, until the injury.  RG3's injury does worry me somewhat, but I think as long as he takes it easy and stays away from Clay Matthews and Ndamukong Suh in weeks 2 & 3, he'll be ok and return from the BYE at full speed.

1. Eagles - LOSS - I think the Redskins will start off somewhat refrained and the Eagles will be full steam ahead.
2. at Packers - LOSS - Home Advantage
3. Lions - WIN - Shoot Out game.
4. at Raiders - WIN - Not sold on the Raiders
5. BYE
6. at Cowboys - WIN - I hear that the Redskins own Cowboys Stadium
7. Bears - WIN - Depends on which Bears show up, but this is winnable.
8. at Broncos - LOSS - The Bronco's should have all of the parts of their defense at this point
9. Chargers - WIN - I don't believe in the Chargers
10. at Vikings - WIN - Refrain (you can't stop) AP, and this is a win in the bag
11. at Eagles - WIN - The offense will be at full speed and keep up with the Eagles for a very enjoyable game to watch
12. 49ers - LOSS - I'll be here in my 49ers gear, the 49ers are winning this one. (Fan Pick)
13. Giants - WIN - Home Advantage
14. Chiefs - WIN - Andy Reid will make this interesting, but the Redskins appear to have a better team than the Chiefs, plus they are at home.
15. at Falcons - WIN - They almost won it last year, I think they can win it this year with a healthy RG3.
16. Cowboys - LOSS - These last two games could flip flop, they are more so to make the NFC race for 2nd place more interesting as the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles chase the Wild Card slot.
17. at Giants - WIN

 That puts them at 11-5, one win better than last year and a much more balanced full season.  I think they will win the division by 1 or 2 games, it won't come down to divisional wins in the NFC East this year.  The other 3 teams will be scrambling for wins towards the end of the season to get a wild card spot.

The Super Bowl Champion Ravens, I think this will be a tough transition year for them.  That got younger, which ultimately will mean they will be faster and possibly healthier, but I think it will take some time to get all components of the team to gel properly.  I know that the preseason means nothing, but at times they looked like confused misfits.  All that tells me is that position ranks weren't really determined and the 1st team hasn't had a chance to get used to playing as a unit.  It will take time, luckily the AFC North and the AFC East have a few teams that should help build confidence.

1. at Broncos - LOSS - Offense vs Offense, I gotta pick Peyton and his deep WR core. This should be a great game, I can't see it being a blow out for either team.
2. Browns - WIN - I expect the Browns to do something this year, just not against the Ravens
3. Texans - LOSS - Texans Defense wins this one
4. at Bills - LOSS - A sleeper loss.  Bills have a decent defense, a better QB, a great RB, and good WRs, I think the Bills can sneak away with this one.
5. at Dolphins - WIN - All of Baltimore will be in Miami on Instagram for this game, the stadium will likely be 75% purple and the Ravens get a big confidence booster.
6. Packers - LOSS - I'm going with Aaron Rodgers on this one.  If the Ravens pass rush is effective, they can make this swing the other way.  Defense will need to be excellent to win this one.
7. at Steelers - WIN - Nice win going into the bye week
8. BYE
9. at Browns - WIN - Feeling fresh from the bye another win to OWN the Browns.
10. Bengals - WIN -  Home Win against the Bengals to feed Ravens divisional confidence
11. at Bears - LOSS -  This could go either way, Home Advantage
12. Jets - WIN -  Do you really want me to explain this?
13. Steelers - WIN - Steelers OWNership with a home win.
14. Vikings - WIN - Home Advantage, plus I trust Flacco more than Ponder.
15. at Lions - LOSS - The Lions high powered offense will out power the Ravens in this road game.
16. Patriots - LOSS -  I just made a bunch of people angry with this one, sorry. I think the Patriots will have a surprisingly good year, this game will put the icing on the season for them.
17. at Bengals - LOSS -  This will likely be a must win for a Wild Card spot, if the Bengals are still playing starters in hope to get a bye then they will get this home win.

Finishing their season at 8-8, I would venture to say that they can get 1 out of the either the Lions or the Bills to finish 9-7 with a chance at the Wild Card in the AFC.

The NFC Champion 49ers, fell short from a Super Bowl win.  Some say it was the refs fault, but I'll just say that the team with more big game experience came out and played harder from the very beginning.  Its hard to expect to win if you are trailing by so much with half of the game gone.  Plus you can never count on refs calls to win games, teams have to play hard all 4 quarters to win games.  I think it was a good experience for a young team, young QB, and a fairly new Coach.  With the emergence of the Seahawks, and a target on their mobile QB, this season will likely be tougher than last year.  The past two years I would say that we were somewhat under the radar, even after going to the NFC Championship most "experts" predicted a huge fall off. 

1. Packers -WIN -  I'll give the advantage to our defense.  Tough game to start the season.
2. at Seahawks - LOSS - Home Advantage plus Guinness World Book Record for loudest crowd might make this game unbearable to watch as a 49ers fan.  It would be awesome if we could silence them though.
3. Colts - WIN - Back home for a win.  Luck  likes to throw INTs, and we have a bunch of folks that like to catch them.
4. at Rams - LOSS -  I don't think we should lose any games to the Rams, but they knew us too well last year, I'll give them this home win.
5. Texans - LOSS - Fanship says we'll win, my gut says it will be close.  I'll give this to the veteran team.
6. Cardinals - WIN - We still have the Cardinals number, Carson or no Carson.
7. at Titans - WIN -  Another nice win to build confidence.
8. at Jaguars (London) - WIN -  Should be a very convincing win, might see BJ Daniels or Colt McCoy in this game at some point.
9. BYE
10. Panthers - WIN - I'll give this to the QB with more weapons and the team with the better offensive line.  Not to mention this is a home game coming off of a bye.
11. at Saints - LOSS - Saints have a vendetta against the Harbaugh led 49ers, with Sean Payton back I think they may have a chance to get this home win against us....maybe.
12. at Redskins - WIN - I already commented on this above.  Defense wins and contains.
13. Rams - WIN -  Bounce back from the week 4 loss with a home win.
14. Seahawks - LOSS -  This game will likely be the deciding game for who will win the division, and the Seahawks will likely have Percy Harvin at this point.  Fanship says we win, but to make things interesting I'll give the Seahawks the sweep. It will make it more fun if we meet in the post season.
15. at Buccaneers - WIN - Might see some backups in the game as well.
16. Falcons - WIN - Last game at Candlestick Park, going out with a West Coast Win over the Dirty Birds
17. at Cardinals - WIN - A strong win going into the post season.

Finishing the season at 11-5, but losing twice to the Seahawks could put us in a Wild Card position if the Seahawks play as expected.  As a fan I believe that we can beat the Texans, get the home win against the Seahawks, and possibly beat the Saints in their house again.  So I guess as a fan I'm saying 13 to 14 wins, but hey I'm a fan, what can I say.

NFL Playoff Predictions and Week 17 Picks

Here's my playoff picture via http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine and picks for the week 17 winners.  I went all home teams accept the Buccaneers, I figured that the Falcons don't have anything to lose or gain with this game so they might slack off and put in some bench players.  The other games that didn't matter I just picked the home teams.  Some of the other games, the home teams need wins to have playoff hopes.  I'm sort of thinking that Detroit should just lose to get a better draft pick, but I don't think they will just let a divisional opponent beat them down at home.  They could still lose, but I don't see them just giving the win away.  I think Seattle is in, win or lose, but since they are playing at the same time as the 49ers, they will be playing for the win, just in case the 49ers slip up and lose the game to lose the division.  Also I'm going with the Skins over the Cowboys because they are at home and because they are coming in to this game red hot, so I think they will continue that trend against a mistake happy Dallas team.  The Skins just need to stop the run and let Romo help them win.  Three rookie QBs with 10+ wins gotta make other teams reevaluate what they have.  Head are going to roll in the off season.

NFL Playoff Predictions Going Into Week 16

This playoff prediction is based on my week 16 and week 17 weekly picks using the ESPN Playoff Machine (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine).  My predictions put starting rooking QB's in the playoffs and two of the squaring off in DC, while the other one travels to Baltimore to face a QB that has been in the playoffs since his rookie year.  Which makes for some exciting times in the Maryland/DC area.

My Week 6 Picks: NFC Championship Rematch

Well I'm going to have to say that the game of the week this week is the New York Giants at the San Francisco 49ers.  Not just because I'm a fan, but because these two teams met in the NFC Championship last year and the winner of that match up went on to win the Superbowl.  Two #1 overall drafted Quarterbacks face off for only the 3rd time in their careers.  Even though this is Eli's 9th year and Alex's 8th year in the league last year was the first time they played each other.  Eli faced Cody Pickett's 49ers in 2005, Trent Dilfer's 49ers in 2007, and J.T. O'Sullivan's 49ers in 2008, he beat all three versions of the attempting to rebuild team as Alex was dealing with injuries and between getting benched by various coaches.  The Alex vs Eli match up is tied up 1-1, both games were played in San Francisco last season, the first game the 49ers won 27-20 and lost in the NFC Championship 17-20 in overtime after two dropped kick returns.  Most 49ers fans feel cheated, however I feel like it was a necessary evil to help the 49ers to address some of their weaknesses and to help them play with more of a chip on their shoulder.  This will be the 3rd New York opponent for the 49ers in a row but most would argue that those other two teams weren't really an opponent at all beating them by a total score of 79 points to 3.  Regardless of those scores no one in their right mind would think that this game will be a blowout for either team.

As a 49ers fan I'm picking the San Francisco 49ers to win this game by 7.  As a fan of football I am also selecting the San Francisco 49ers to win based on their improved offensive and defensive lines. 

The 49ers Offensive line will have to play to a perfection to fight off the Giants fierce Defensive line and pass rushers. 

On the other side of the ball the Giants Offensive line hasn't looked too strong this year and with the 49ers Defensive Line and Pass Rushers playing very well its likely that Eli will be getting reintroduced to the Candlestick grass.

I do expect this to be a dog fight, the best defensive stand will lead to the winner in this game.  The 49ers can win this game as long as they play focused and aren't focused on revenge.

Ok so here's the rest of my picks.

Steelers over Titans - The Titans haven't been able to get anything going yet this year.  Maybe if they rush the ball 30 times and get CJ going this will be competitive other than that, I can't see the Titans winning this one.

Buccs over Chiefs - I just think that Tampa should be able to pull this one off at home.

Ravens over Cowboys - Both of these teams have alter egos but I think the Cowboys alter ego is the worse of the two, the Cowboys would have to win this game on the ground to open up for the passing game, other than that Romo will have another rough game.

Falcons over Raiders - The Falcons will keep rolling with their undefeated record, last week was probably the best chance for them to lose one.  The Falcons do have a weakness against the run, but I haven't noticed McFadden having any stellar games lately.

Eagles over Lions - The Lions seem like they are missing something and the Eagles have been able to pull out wins at home this year.

Bengals over Browns - Bengals are just a better team.

Colts over Jets - The Colts look good, the Jets look bad, easy pick if you ask me.

Cardinals over Bills - The Bills look really bad right about now, and the Cardinals still have a pretty good defense.  The Cardinals should be able to bounce back from that road loss with a win at home this week.

Seahawks over Patriots - This is my underdog pick of the week.  I'm going with the 12th man and the defense to show up against the Patriots this weekend.  The Patriots have been able to play better when they can get the running game going, against the Seahawks defense I think that running game will suffer.

The San Francisco 49ers over GiAints - I explained this above.

Vikings over the Redskins -  I went back and forth with this one.  The Skins usually win when I pick against them and lose when I pick them so who knows what will happen.  The Vikings have looked like they have a good offense and the defense has also showed up lately, where as the Skins have way more offense than they do defense right now so I'm going with the more balanced team.

Texans over Packers - You would think the Packers would bounce back this week, but they have a tough match up against a team that knows how to play solid defense, get to the QB, and run the ball effectively to set up for the play action pass so I think they will have to wait a game or two for that bounce back.  The Texans still look like the complete package even after a not so impressive game against the Jets.  Texans stay undefeated for another week.

Broncos over Chargers - Tough pick, I flipped a coin.  Plus Peyton is more dependable than Phillip.

My Week 5 Picks

My Game of the week is the "So We Meet Again" game Tom Brady and the Patriots vs Peyton Manning and the Broncos.  To keep it short and simple, I'm going with the underdog Broncos for the win based off of their better defense.

I picked Cardinals over the Rams, but they blew up in my face, but as a 49ers fan I'm glad to see the Cards lose one.

Ravens over Chiefs - Chiefs don't seem to have what it takes to put together a complete game.

Steelers over Eagles - this was a tough pick but I went with the fresher legs after the bye over the beat up and bruised team.

Packers over Colts - Should be a good game but the Packers should come out on top.

Bengals over Dolphins - The Bengals just seem to be a more put together team.

Giants over Browns - This would ba a serious upset if they lose.

Redskins over Falcons - as my underdog pick.  The Skins have enough offense and a good enough running game to make this game tough for the undefeated Falcons.  Last team with the ball wins the game, I expect it to be a shoot out.

Bears over Jaguars - Bears are a better team.

Seahawks over Panthers - another underdog, but I'll go with defense over a team that doesn't seem to have it together.

The San Francisco 49ers over the Bills - The Niners should be able to run the ball well against this weak rushing defense at home.  A mistake free 49ers should be able to get busy this game.

Vikings over the Titans - The Vikings are looking good so I'm going to stick with them on this one.

Broncos over Patriots - Like I said above, I'm going with defense.

Saints over Chargers - Even with the loses the Saints seem like they have it together a bit more than the Chargers and they should get their first win at home this week.

Texans over Jets - Jets suck and the Texans look like the most complete team in the NFL right now.


I know these are late but I make my picks on Thursday and I don't change them after that.  I'm just getting around to doing the blogpost.

Peyton Manning... On To The Next One

Ok as of 12:00pm 3/7/2012 Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt.  It seemed like it was going to happen but its still hard to believe that it happened.  The question now is where to go? Can he win a Superbowl with another team or will he just come up short? What's the best fit for him? Does he need star WRs, will he take Reggie Wayne with him? Does he need a warm weather team or a team in dome? Does the money even matter to him?  Can he be the first Elite QB to win a Super Bowl with one team then win another with a new team.  Kurt Warner, who wasn't even elite when he went to another team, came the closest to doing this with the Rams and the Cardinals. But remember he left the Rams as a backup and was a backup with the Cardinals at first as well, so this is a different situation.  You have to compare this Manning situation to Joe Montana (49ers to Chiefs), Joe Namath (Jets to Rams), and Johnny Unitas (Colts to Charger).

According to Adam Shefter at ESPN the "Final Four" teams for Peyton are the Redskins, the Jets, the Cardinals, and the Dolphins.  Out of that crew I'd shoot for the Dolphins.  Here's my least likely to most likely breakdown.

Redskins - Not sure the fans want another Vet QB experiment, plus what would happen to that system that they were always talking about, Kyle would have to let Peyton just run things.  Not to mention Peyton would face Eli twice a year and maybe a 3rd time in the playoffs.  That would be good for TV and sales, but Peyton seems too family oriented to want that type of public rivalry on a constant basis.  If it happens its because Snyder has deep pockets.

Jets - Maybe...but does he want to have that two year battle with Brady, both QBs are accustomed to winning their division this would throw a huge wrench in the game plan. Plus what happens to former 1st rounder Mark Sanchez, do they bench him for a couple years to learn behind Peyton or do they try to trade him, can they get any value from a trade for him?  This could happen though, I think the weather and making NY a two Manning town might influence him to go elsewhere. But this has more chance than the Redskins to me.

Cardinals - First off, I don't want this to happen! My 49ers finally get it together and then we gotta face Peyton twice a year. This could add some struggle to our next 2-3 years.  For Manning this is a great location, its warm, he can run the city, and he has Beanie Wells & Fitzgerald to help him and possibly help the Cards get over that hump.  Downfalls, facing a tough 49ers, sack happy, defense twice a year when everyone says you are "one hit away".  Also this is still the NFC so 2 games against Eli a year is very possible.  I don't think that will effect the decision as much as it would in DC.

Dolphins - Still in Brady's division but you are in a warm beautiful place called Miami.  A team that is in need of a QB and a team that is still fairly new as far as talent and coaches.  Doesn't everyone want to take their talents to South Beach?  Brandon Marshall is good WR that can be great with a great QB, Reggie Bush can catch out of the back field to help prevent Manning from getting sacked as much.  The defenses in the AFC East seemed mediocre at best last year, so it might be a safe place to play.

Some other teams that I would keep on the radar are the Seahawks, Titans, Texans, Jaguars, Chiefs, Broncos, 49ers, Rams, and pretty much anyone else who isn't the Patriots, Saints, Chargers, Giants, Eagles, Steelers, or the Packers have a slight chance at surprising people with a big on Peyton.

Seahawks - Need a QB.  They have decent WRs with potential plus the beast Marshawn Lynch.

Titans - Hasselbeck is nice, but Peyton would be a better vet QB to teach their rookie.

Texans - They are almost there, Schaub has been good but injury's slowed him down, if the Texans can trade him to say...the Redskins to link him back up with Kyle Shanahan and "the system", the Texans would open a spot at QB for Peyton and would be immediate Superbowl Contenders. Adarin Foster, Andre Johnson, Peyton Manning...whoa.

Jaguars - They need a QB. Peyton and MJD plus maybe a tag along from Reggie Wayne to go a long with some of the decent WRs that have potential on their team.  They could be a force to be reckoned with.  Plus it would give him a chance to save a franchise, almost Drew Brees like.

Chiefs - Yeah they got a couple good QBs, but they have a lot of weapons in place that a QB like Peyton Manning could easily assist them in winning their division next year, and not an 8-8 division winning record either.  Healthy Jamaal Charles plus Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breston, and emerging star Jonathon Baldwin.  Thats  4000 yard season easily each year in his contract in a very weak division.

Broncos - How do you shut fans up about Tebow Mania you bring in Peyton Manning. Tebow who?  Why wouldn't John Elway want a QB that is more of a traditional style QB to lead his team.  Tim Tebow took them to the second round of the playoffs, WWPD? 

49ers - The team seems to be coming together the defense and special teams can win games, Alex Smith had a decent year with less errors, an elite QB could take the team to the Super Bowl without a problem.  Well wait there is one problem, no WRs to throw to. Josh Morgan might be back, Ted Ginn should be back, Crabtree will be there.  You got some speed, but none of these guys are #1 WRs.  Peyton would need to bring Reggie Wayne with him or the 49ers would have to make a huge play at a Free Agent WR to make this appealing for Manning.  The other thing, Jim Harbaugh was a QB, he lost his job because the Colts drafted Peyton and even though Peyton stunk his first year, he went on to be the greatest Colt of all time.  That being said it would make for a good "full circle" story but who knows if these guys even get a long. Not to mention that Jim Harbaugh as a former QB likes to puppeteer his offense and has claimed that Alex Smith is his guy.  I think this situation is least likely but it has to be brought up due to the lack of a concrete QB.  But as a fan I think that if the Cardinals or Seahawks go after him, then the 49ers need to be active in that bidding process as well.

Rams - Why not? Sam Bradford has potential but we haven't seen it all yet.  He's has rocky moments and injuries.  He has great potential, but didn't they say that about Alex Smith the frist few seasons?  If you can get an elite Hall of Fame QB to take your team over the top or continute an experiement that hasn't gotten you to the playoff yet, then that might be the way to go.  But I also don't think this is that likely, I also don't think they will draft a QB, probably trade their pick to get more 1st rounders.

Ok I'm done, my favorites are the Chiefs, Jaguars, Dolphins, and Texans in that order.  It would be smart to make some Vegas bets on division winners before he goes to his next team and hope you pick the team that he goes to. 

At 4pm Peyton Manning is official a free agent, let the bidding begin!

Week 6 NFL Picks

Its two games that I'm going to spotlight for two different reasons.  The Eagles vs The Redskins and The 49ers vs The Lions.

The Eagles are 1-4 and look pretty down and out, this game is important for them to get back on track and for Andy Reid to keep his job, not to mention its a divisional matchup.  Vick had great success on this field last year on MNF, I'm sure most of you remember that.  For that reason this game is important to the Skins, their defense has looked strong this year and this rematch will feel more like revenge for exposing them to be weak last year.  For the defense this will be a proving moment.  For the whole team this is what is needed to hold down the top of the division.  I'm picking Washington over Philly at home.

Next up, 49ers in Detroit against the Lions. This game is important for both teams, the Lions need to win to keep that battle in the NFC North alive especially since the Packers should win their game today.  But a loss doesn't hurt them too much.  The 49ers need this win for recognition.  They are still under the radar, the teams that they have beaten aren't highly rated teams, also this is the first of a few tough games they will have (Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, NYG). For confidence reasons to keep rolling this is a needed win.  I am picking the San Francisco 49ers over Detroit, why because that's my team and they have proved a lot to me so far this year, I believe they can keep that rolling into the bye week.

Atlanta over Carolina - I'm giving ATL this only because they are at home, I think they will get beat when they go to Carolina.

Cincy over Indy - Cincy's is at home and their defense is looking good on the low.  I think they keep this a low scoring game.

Green Bay over St. Louis - Why would I pick any differently?

Buffalo over NYG - I think the Bills will prove that they are New Yorks team this year. Better defense and a more consistent offense wins the game.

Pittsburgh over Jacksonville - The Steelers better win this game, this should be a gimmie.

Oakland over Cleveland - The Browns haven't proven to be good enough to really compete this year and the Raiders have a lot of talent, they should win this game at home.

Baltimore over Houston - The Texans are a little banged up and the Ravens have fresh legs after the bye, I think they can pull this one out at home.

New England over Dallas - If this were in Dallas I think I would pick them for the upset after their bye, but I don't see them beating Brady and the Pats at home.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay - The Buccs need this to bounce back but the Saints look like they are gaining a lot of momentum, I think they will keep that running today in Sunny Florida.

Chicago over Minnesota - I don't think this will be an easy win, despite the Viks record they have played good games just not finished them.  But I think the Bears will make this much needed divisional win happen at home.

NJY over Miami - Neither team really has an identity this year but I think the Jets are still the better of the two and they are at home.

The NFL is BACK! 49ers, Redskins, Ravens Predictions

Its that time of year that I love, I'm a summer baby but I've fallen in love with the Fall.  NFL is back, MLB is working towards a World Series, NBA & NHL is getting ready to start back up...Its just a great time of year.  But this post and 80% of what I talk about during this time of year is the NFL, so lets get into it.

Preseason
Preseason means something different to every team, but in the long run it means absolutely nothing.  If you are an established team you get to get your rookies and some others some play time to evaluate if they would be good backups.  But win or lose, you already know who your team is for the most part.  If you are a team with positional controversy then you get a chance to try out all possible options for that position, the only problem is that they don't get to go against other teams playing at full speed so in the long run you won't get a true judge of how the player will play in the regular season.  Winning your games when your 1st team is playing another teams 2nd team means absolutely nothing in the regular season. Last year the 49ers went 4-0 in the preseason and started the season 0-5. So lets get to the things at hand, season predictions...

Predictions
The four teams in the AFC that I think will have a strong run at the Superbowl are Chargers, Patriots, Texans, and Ravens.  The Jets, Steelers, and Raiders will be part of the playoff conversation down the line too.
The four teams I'm picking to win the NFC divisions are the Eagles, Rams, Packers, and Falcons. Wild Card spots will go to another NFC East team (which ever of the other three wins the most NFC West games) and to the Saints.

Ravens

1. PIT - Loss.  It could go either way but I just have a feeling that both Steelers games will be the hardest games for the Ravens this year.
2. @TEN - Win.
3. @STL - Win.
4. NYJ - Win. The better QB will win the battle here, otherwise the teams are pretty evenly matched up.
5. HOU - Win.
6. @JAC - Win.
7. ARI - Win.
8. @PIT - Loss.
9. @SEA - Win.
10. CIN - Win.
11. SF - Loss. I'm a 49ers fan, so I'm hoping the HarBowl works out best for the rookie coach and that the Ravens are so high from all their other wins that they don't prepare properly for this game.
12. @CLE - Loss
13. IND - Loss. Manning will be back and working hard to get his team in the Playoff races by then.
14. @SD - Loss.
15. CLE - Win.
16. @CIN - Win. 

 
Finishing the season 10-6 and winning their division.  At best 12-4 winning against SF and @CLE
 

Redskins

1. NYG - Loss. Its 9-11. Thats my only explaination for this, plus the Giants have had the Skins number the past few years.
2. ARI - Win. A Triumphant win to make up for the previous loss.
3. @DAL - Win. The Cowboys won't really get going full steam until week 6 or so.
4. @STL - Loss. I'm on the fence about this one, I'm just giving STL home field advantage with this pick.
5. PHI - Loss.  I'm saying that the Skins will lose both Philly games unless Vick is injured.
6. @CAR - Win.
7. @BUF - Win.
8. SF - Loss. I told you the deal above. I'm a 49ers fan and I believe that our team isn't much differnt from the Redskins and that we can win this game.
9. @MIA - Win.
10. DAL - Win.
11. @SEA - Win.
12. NYJ - Loss.  The Skins have a possibility to shock the Jets in DC depending on QB play.
13. NE - Loss.
14. @NYG - Loss.  Could go either way.
15. MIN - Loss. If McNabb is still starting at this point.
16. @PHI - Loss.

Finishing the season 7-9.  At best 9-7 if they win @NYG and against MIN.  Not sure were they will be in their division but I'm predicting a 10-11 win year for the Eagles. Not sure about the Giants or the Cowboys, so the Skins could surprise some people.

The San Francisco 49ers (Read these as written by a fan)

1. SEA - Win. Seahawks are still trying to figure it out, and we will take advantage
2. DAL - Win. Like I said above, the Cowboys just won't have it together at this point in the season.
3. @CIN - Win. I don't expect much from Cincy this early in the season either.
4. @PHI - Loss. Back down to reality.
5. TB - Win. Revenge for last year when they destroyed us in our house, but under different management.
6. @DET - Win. Depending on the Lions QB health and their Defense at this point, but I'm not expecting them to be 100%
7. CLE - Win. The 49ers can stop the run, CLE won't really have much else.
8. @WAS - Win. If Gore is healthy this will be Gore vs. Hightower...we already know how that story ends.
9. NYG - Loss.
10. ARI - Win.
11. @BAL - Win. I explained this above as well.
12. STL - Win.  I think we will split games with the Rams, so either we win this one or win the last one.
13. @ARI - Win. Ownership.
14. PIT - Loss. The better QB wins in any defensive battle.
15. @SEA - Loss.  The Seahawks should be more comfortable as a team by this point. Special teams will win the game for them.
16. @STL - Loss - I said we would split games, so here you go.

I'm not even going to tally these up, because its so unrealistic that I would probably be worth A Million Dollars in Vegas.  But it adds up to 10-6, so give none maybe take 3...and they end up 7-9 and 2nd in the division behind the Rams.

49ers (Logically Thinking, so not as a fan)

1. SEA - Win.
2. DAL - Win.
3. @CIN - Win.
4. @PHI - Loss.
5. TB - Loss.
6. @DET - Loss.
7. CLE - Loss.
8. @WAS - Win.
9. NYG - Loss.
10. ARI - Win.
11. @BAL - Loss.
12. STL - Win.
13. @ARI - Loss.
14. PIT - Loss.
15. @SEA - Loss.
16. @STL - Loss.

I didn't put any explainations beside these because the ones that didn't change are the same as what I said above, the others were thought to logically end up as losses and the season ends at 6-10 which is the same as last year.  If anything gives it would be one of the divisional games putting us at 7-9 and still 2nd in the divison behind the Rams. 


Thats all I got.  Lets get this season started already!

My Week 15 NFL Picks - Playoff Hopes...

My Week 15 NFL Picks

Although I knew it would be a tough game to win against the #1 rated defense in the league, as a fan I can't pick against my team.  I picked the 49ers to win against the Chargers.  It would've been an amazing win, and would've put out playoff hopes in our own hands, now we need to win our last two games at St. Louis and at home against the Cardinals as well as for the Rams & Seahawks to lose the rest of their games in order to make the playoffs.  Thats a tall order, but not impossible. Both the Rams & Seahawks have tough remaining schedules.  I think our toughest will be the divisional matchup against the Rams in St. Louis next week.

The game on Thursday could've turned out a lot less of a blow out if it wasn't for one series of plays.  We made a field goal, but a Chargers player got called for leaping, so we get the ball back with a 1st and goal. Alex Smith makes a run for it and dives... TOUCHDOWN!!! Wait Norv Turner challenges it, the ruling is overturned. Now its 4th down and inches.  We run the ball, get stopped, turn over on downs. On defense a shoving match breaks out, the ref tries to break it up and Justin Smith accidentally pushes him, then he gets ejected out of the game. So with in a matter of 5 minutes, we get 3 points, lose 3 points, get a TD, lose the TD, get on defense, lose our #1 defensive linemen.

After that point Phillip Rivers, who is a top 3 QB this year and definitely the best out of his rookie class of Big Ben and Eli Manning, seemed to have an abundance of time in the pocket.  You don't give a great QB that much time.  Prior to losing Justin Smith we were able to get to Rivers, and stopped them on a couple possessions.  Afterwards there was no stopping them.

Here's the accidental push that got Justin thrown out of the game and below it is that same ref tackling a running back in a play that he could've gotten a good amount of yards.  I wonder if the ref threw himself out of the game after that...





Read more about this situation here http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/12/16/1881380/justin-smith-ejection-video-referee-garth-defelice-overreacting-again

But here we go with the quick run down on my week 15 picks.

Cleveland over Cincy - The Bengals are playing for a QB next year via the draft obviously and the Browns have looked decent enough to win this game.

Dallas over Washington - I hate to make that pick but the Cowboys offense has come alive and the Skins offense has been in turmoil as of lately.  Not to mention the benching of McNabb, that really doesn't seem to help this situation, in my opinion.  I'm picking Dallas, but I would LOVE to be wrong on this pick.

Houston over Tennessee - the Titans seem lost.  The Texans have an explosive offense, so even with their suspect passing defense they should be able to beat the Titans and beat them early.

Jacksonville over Indy - eh... I want the Colts to miss the playoffs thanks to the Jags winning the division.  My future Parents-In-Law live in Jacksonville, so I'm going for the Jacksonville in this game.

Kansas City over St. Louis - KC got Matty back to run their offense after a week off.  The Chiefs have been a pretty good time this year, plus they need to win to win the division thanks to the Chargers win on Thursday. Chiefs all the way.  I think it will be close most of the game though, the Rams have proven to be good at home this year.

Buffalo over Miami - I picked the Bills FTW last week and I'm doing again this week.  Miami is also a confused team, I think the Bills can win this game based on the tougher games that they have played with better teams.

Philly over the NYG - Tough one to pick but I like Mike Vick and the Eagles better in this match up.  Thats all...

Tampa Bay over Detroit - Tampa is just a better team to me, and I think they still have playoff chances.

Arizona over Carolina - The Panthers stink.

New Orleans over Baltimore - Baltimore's defense has been horrible against the pass and against elite QBs as well as a few slightly above average QBs like Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Drew Brees is hot right now, I expect for him to give the Ravens secondary a run for their money.

Atlanta over Seattle - Atlanta wants to clinch that playoff victory as well as home field advantage w/the bye week.  They will do that this week in Seattle.  Bird GAME!  The Seahawks don't stand a chance in my opinion.

Oakland over Denver - The Raiders are just a better team than the Broncos, I don't think they will demolish them like last time, but they will win by at least 2 scores.

Pittsburgh over NYJ - This game is in Pitt and Pitt wants to clinch the victory and win their division, they need to do it here.  The Jets have been on a slump and I don't think they can get out of that slump this week against the Steelers.

New England over Green Bay - even if Rodgers was healthy my pick would be the same, but I would just call it as a close game.  The Patriots are the best team in football right now and they will put up 30+ points again this week.  The Packers might get 14.

In this weeks MNF outdoor game in below freezing temperatures I'm going with Chicago over Minnesota.  The Vikings are using their 3rd string QB and the Bears can win the division with a win here.  I think it will mainly be a running game but it might be sloppy, neither team is used to the cold weather.

My Week 11 NFL Picks - A VICKtorious Revenge...

A VICKtorious Revenge...

In week 4 the Redskins stopped Vick short of the endzone, and also put his season on pause just when most people thought he was returning to greatness.  A sandwich tackle to prevent a touchdown led to broken ribs, trouble eating, sleeping, sitting down, breathing and a host of other things.  Not to mention it lead to a divisional win for the Redskins in Philadelphia for a game that people were calling the McNabb homecoming game.  

As a 49ers fan I was happy about this, because honestly at 0-4 I was scared for my team to face Michael Vick (I can't call him Mike anymore this dude has show tremendous growth over the past 2 years) in the form that he had been in the previous weeks.  None the less we still lost to Kolb in a game that will be remembered for Alex Smiths mistakes, his attempted benching, his blatant unapproved of the benching, him returning to the field and kicking David Carr of the field to almost mount an amazing come back.  But in the long run too many mistakes & turnovers will lose you a game no matter how much heart you have.

But either way I'm sure this haunted Vick and fueled his eagerness to get back on the field and prove himself as he sat on the bench watching Kolb take over the team (not that there is any bad blood there).  This year is important for Michael, he's playing for next years contract whether its with the Eagles or with someone else, the better he does the more money he will get in the off-season, he can't prove himself from the bench with broken ribs.  His first game back he played a back and forth game with future Hall of Famer possible top 5 QB of all time Peyton Manning, and he won.  Then on Monday Night Football, a stage for the world to see, he faced the team that injured him in their home, after weeks of their team going through a Quarterback/Coach crisis that ended with a multi-million dollar deal for McNabb to "solidify" him as the starter.  Well it seem like Vick and the Eagles wanted to make other headlines in Washington.  The first play of the game was a close to 90 yard pass and catch for a TD from Vick to DeSean Jackson and that ignited a flurry of air and ground assaults that the rain in Landover, MD couldn't put out.  Vick scored 6 total TDs and had the best game of his career and embarrassed the Redskins, 59-28,  in what is probably the worst loss of recent years (the only other one I can think of is the 52-7 loss in New England back in 2007).

I'm happy to see Vick back in rare form, I wasn't happy about the win, I did pick the Redskins to win that game, but it was amazing to watch history live at the stadium from great seats on the 40 yard line.  On the radio earlier that day Redskin & Football great Sam Huff down played Michael Vick saying "he's ok, but he's nothing compared to *some old dude's name I don't remember* that guy was the fastest and best QB ever", I'm sure Sam is kicking himself for that comment.  Michael Vick can lead the Eagles to multiple Superbowls and possibly be mentioned in a top 5 QB ever conversation if he can continue to play at this rate for another 5-8 years.

My first pick this week will be Philly over New York Football Giants, the Giants usually look good for a half of a season, well they started of 6-2 (I believe), so that half appears to be over after that surprising loss to the Cowboys last week.  I'm going with Philly for that reason, I'm also going with them because I just can't pick against Vick at this point in the season.  Its like picking against Peyton or Brees last year, or Picking against Brady in 2007, I just can't do it!

TNF: Miami over Chicago - I like Thigpen as a versatile backup QB, I trust him more than Cutler, Grossman, or any other QB that has worn a Chicago jersey in recent years (maybe except Orton).  

Buffalo over Cincy - I picked Buffalo last week and I'm going with them again, Cincy continues to disappoint.  Buffalo is a team that has almost won too many games and have come close against way tougher opponents than Cincy.

Dallas over Detroit - Detroit hasn't won on the road in the last 2 seasons, I don't think they will do it here either.  The Cowboys look like a new team, like the team they were projected to be.

Washington over Tennessee - The Redskins are better than they looked on MNF last week.  They are able to score point a lot more this year.  I think they will give Vince Young a hard time and as long as they don't allow Chris Johnson to have a career game they can win this game in the 4th Quarter.

Kansas City over Arizona - Arizona stinks.  KC still seems legit, even after the Denver loss last week.  The AFC West can be won by any team in it at this point. (IMO)

Green Bay over Minnesota - Aaron Rodger will place ownership on Favre much like Favre did to him last year.  The Vikings are in complete disarray, their circus of a team has been a disappointment this year.

New York Jets over Houston - I don't believe in Houston.  I don't think the Jets will have a field day, but I think their defense will win the game for them at the end of the game.

Pittsburgh over Oakland - This is a logical pick.  Part of me feels like Oakland can do it and actually of the 1:00 games I'm most interested in this one.  It feels like an old school clash of the titans type of game.  Pitt on paper is a better team, but Oakland has started to do great things in the 2nd half of the season.

Baltimore over Carolina - I'm not explaining this pick...

Cleveland over Jacksonville - Cleveland is a tough team, I think they can pull out a win at home against the Jaguars.  It might be a close game, this one can go either way.

Atlanta over St. Louis - St. Louis has been good at home this year, but the Falcons have proven to be a top contender this year and I think they can give the Rams another loss.

New Orleans over Seattle - The Saints are the Saints.  Reggie Bush (no hydro) will be back on Sunday to add as another distraction or weapon or whatever he is, but he helps them win.  The Seahawks are just eh...

San Francisco over Tampa Bay - I think this will be a close game, looking at stats the teams a very similar, the only difference is that Tampa Bay has been able to pull out wins even though they made some mistakes. San Francisco lacked that ability, but as of recently they stopped making mistakes so they are able to win.  I think they will win this game on Sunday at home.  The team has confidence in their new Smith QB.

New England over Indy - This can go either way.  I'm giving Tom Brady the edge because he's at home.

San Diego over Denver - The is the Chargers time of year, I think they will score at will on the Broncos, but they will need their defense to show up so that this is a close game/shoot out to the very end.