My Week 3 NFL Picks

Week 3 of the NFL Season and I'm going to spotlight the AFC Championship rematch.  Who would have thought the Patriots who had "the easiest schedule in the NFL" would be 0-2 right now?  Many sportscasters  were predicting a 15 win season for them, well I guess we can say that isn't going to happen.  The Ravens missed the chance at a Superbowl appearance last year thanks to a TD catch that couldn't be held on to and a muffed field goal.  Last week the Patriots lost to the, now 2-0, Cardinals thanks to a muffed field goal.  No quite payback, but I'm sure Ravens fans felt good about it.  Tonight the two teams meet again after a both facing tough losses for a prime time Sunday Night Football game.  The Cardinals showed the NFL how to stop Brady, but the Ravens don't care about stopping Brady, they just want to hurt Brady.  The animosity runs deep between these two teams.  I think the Ravens defense will rally around this animosity and around the "what ifs" from last season to make this a very tough game for Tom Brady.  I also think this will come down to the wire.  The Ravens defense will outlast the Patriots offense and the Patriots young defense will be exploited by this new Ravens offense.  Patriots 24 - Ravens 27 for a Ravens win and the Patriots will be under .500 at this point in the season for the first time since the Brady era begun (more than likely, I didn't research this).

Here's the rest of my picks and a quick run down.

Panthers over Giants - I obviously picked this one wrong, but I was leaning on the fact that the Giants had to travel in the short week and they had multiple injuries and a very tough game last Sunday.  The current champs proved me wrong.

Cowboys over Buccaneers - They get the home field advantage, I'd probably pick the Buccs if this was in Tampa.

Colts over Jaguars - Colts look like they are starting to get things moving better and have the home field advantage.  I think they have a young team, but a better team than the Jags.

Dolphins over Jets - I'll just take the home team in this one.  Divisional match ups are always tricky, especial between two teams that lack any real identity.

Lions over Titans - I think the Lions will get it together and the Titans still have some figuring out to do.  High scoring affair but the Lions are much more high powered, so they get the W.

Saints over Chiefs - The Saints have to be the better team in this match up, plus they need to try to save face from the first loss at home this season.

Bears over Rams - Maybe this is the bounce back game the Bears need, they looked confused last week.  As for the Rams, I don't believe that they are who we saw last week.  They have a history of beating the Redskins when they aren't favored to win.  Plus I think that win was written in as part of the RGIII deal.

Bills over Browns - I really don't know here, both teams are iffy.  Ground battle game, but in the end the QB with the better arm will seal the deal.

Redskins over Bengals - I would say this is the toughest defense for Robert Griffin III so far this season, but in his home opener he will shine.  With Garcon out, DC native Josh Morgan will attempt to redeem himself.  Skins defensive line will beat the Bengals o-line to disrupt the passing game.

The San Francisco 49ers over Vikings - I hate games that look this easy on paper, they usually turn out as upsets but I believe the new Niners offense will be too much for a lacking defense and their defense will be too much for the Vikings offense to handle.  Moss returns to his original NFL home and has a big day.

Eagles over Cardinals - The Cardinals defense is a sleeper this year, but I don't think they will last all 4 quarters against the Eagles offense.  The Eagles get the edge.  Plus the Eagles defense is also very good in my opinion and will make the Cardinals offense look as bad as we know it is.

Falcons over Chargers - This is a tough pick, I'm going with the hot team with the new offense.  But this isn't a game I would bet money on, it could go either way.  It should be an entertaining game to watch.

Steelers over Raiders - Why not... The Raiders are still figuring things out, the established Steelers team should walk away looking like a top of line team.

Texans over Broncos - Peyton Manning as his old self could make this go the other way, but with this game I'm going to stick with one of the best defenses in the NFL and say the Texans grind this one out.

Ravens over Patriots - Did you not read the paragraph up top? LOL.

Packers over Seahawks - If the Packers lose this game then the Aaron Rodgers is cursed and needs to do what he has to do to clear himself of that.  The Seahawks have a nice defense a decent offense and the 12th man tonight, but if everything goes right the Packers offense should be too much and their front line should be able to contain the run on Monday Night Football.

NFL 2012-13 Season Predictions and Projections for Redskins, Ravens, and 49ers

Ok, I did this last year so I'm going to do it again this year.  I will get my predictions for the two local teams, then get my prediction for my favorite team as a fan and logically thinking.  Last year I predicted the Ravens at 10-6 or 12-4 at best, they finished at 12-4.  I projected 7 wins for the Redskins, 9 if they got lucky, they ended up with 5.  As for the 49ers logically I gave them 6 wins, as a fan I gave them 10, they shocked the world and ended with 13.

Lets start with the league as a whole and playoff projections. 

I will take the Patriots, Ravens, Texans, and Broncos as AFC divisional winners (again) with the Chargers and Bengals getting the Wild Card.  Its tough not to pick the Steelers, but I think they are getting old, we saw signs of this last year and I think it will continue this year. 

As for the NFC Eagles, Packers, Falcons, and 49ers winning their divisions with the Giants* Bears and Saints as Wild Card teams. 

AFC Championship Texans and Ravens, NFC Championship Packers and Eagles. 

I think the Super Bowl will be Texans and Packers, with the Texans winning it all. 

However I would love for the Super Bowl to be 49ers and Ravens.  Eagles vs Texans would also be an interesting Super Bowl just because it would be a QB vs his old backup, if they both make it though the season.

*please note, I didn't change the Giants because of the opening game results, but because I think the NFC East has one of the toughest schedules in football this year and the division winner will likely win by one game and/or thanks to having the best record in divisional matchups.  I'm picking the Eagles to win that division with 9 or 10 wins. The Bears, Buccs, and Lions will have more wins than the #2 team in the NFC East so one of them will be granted the Wild Card Spot*

Let's start with the Redskins, I think they have made a lot of good steps forward to build their team, not sure if they will completely reap the benefits this year but I do think they will be noticeably better because of it.

 

Washington Redskins

1. at Saints - Loss.  The Saints have a lot to prove right now and will likely be operating on all cylinders, this game could get out of hand.  Also right now I can only compare RG3 to Cam Newton, and the Saints seem comfortable dealing with him as an opponent.
2. at Rams - Win.  This won't be as easy as it would have been last year but it will be a win.
3. Bengals - Loss.  The Bengals could actually win the AFC North they are a dangerous and young team on both sides of the ball.
4. at Buccaneers - Loss. This one was tough, I think the 2010 Buccs will be back. Close game though.
5. Falcons - Loss.
6. Vikings - Win.
7. at Giants - Loss.  The current champs have a chip on their should about getting beat twice, don't think it will happen at their house this year.
8. at Steelers - Loss.
9. Panthers - Win.  Defense will win this game.
10. Bye
11. Eagles - Win.  Good win coming off the bye to an Eagles team that would have just gotten beaten up by their previous 3 match ups.
12. at Cowboys - Loss.  Flipped a coin.
13. Giants - Win.
14. Ravens - Loss.  I'd rather see the Redskins win this game of all the games.
15. at Browns - Win.
16. at Eagles - Win.  Playing the spoiler.  Also beating the Eagles twice puts them in the Super Bowl automatically, lol.
17. Cowboys - Win.  Still playing the spoiler and knocking the Cowboys out of the Wild Card spot.

That's an even 8-8, I think even if they flip flop some of those wins they will finish 8-8 or 7-9 in a very tough division and playing against a very tough divisions in the AFC North and NFC South.  The beginning of the season will seem like a roller coaster but they will finish strong to give more hope for the future.

I think the Ravens will miss Suggs, and Ray Lewis will start to show some signs of his age. He will still be effective and a great motivator for his team but they will have to rely on some other people for the big plays, mainly the offense. The better the offense plays the more rest Ray Ray gets.

Baltimore Ravens

1. Bengals - Win.  Tough game played to the wire.
2. at Eagles - Loss. 
3. Patriots - Win.
4. Browns - Win.
5. at Cheifs - Win.
6. Cowboys - Win.
7. at Texans - Loss.  With a healthy Matt Schaub.
8. Bye
9. at Browns - Win.
10. Raiders - Loss.  Random loss to a team who will be high powered in their ground game.
11. at Steelers - Win.
12. at Chargers - Win.
13. Steelers - Loss.  I just feel like they will split the games this season.
14. at Redskins - Win.  Like I said before, I'd rather see the Skins win this one.
15. Broncos - Loss.  Peyton full steam ahead.
16. Giants - Loss.  This game will help secure the Giants as a Wild Card
17. at Bengals - Win.  Winner of this game wins the division.

That puts them at 10-6, I think at best they could end up 11-5, but the AFC North will be won with in one game, likely that last game between the Ravens and the Bengals.  This actually looks like a fairly easy schedule for the Ravens but I do think to win these games it will have to be the offense instead of the defense carrying them.

Here we go the 49ers who won 13 games last year and everywhere I look I'm reading that they got the easiest schedule along with the Patriots.  Then I'm reading that history shows that they won't win more than 9 games coming off of that 13 win season.  Personally based on some of the flaws that I noticed last year we have a tougher season this year.  Last year we only faced one QB considered "Elite" in Eli Manning and we faced an injured Big Ben.  If Ben was healthy and could plant his foot on some of those throws a few holes might have been exploited in the defense.  In the off season we addressed secondary and receivers, the main issues that held us back last year. 

 

San Francisco 49ers

1. at Packers - Loss.  Packers got a lot to prove and I think we still have some getting used to when it comes to our new weapons on offense.  I don't think it will be a high scoring game like the 49ers/Saints game ended.  It will more of a better defense vs a better offense and a below average offense vs a below average defense.  The kickers will have fun and Rodgers will have to use his feet to get in the endzone due to coverage.
2. Lions - Win.  SNF Prime Time win at that.
3. at Vikings - Win.
4. at Jets - Win.
5. Bills - Loss.  Seems like a weird loss, I know.  The Bills defense will be nice and they will be heavily under rated as a whole.  I'll just say this will be the one that got a way.
6. Giants - Win.  Revenge, plus we aren't losing back to back at home.
7. Seahawks - Win.  Hard hitting game, but the experience of our defense and offense will hold strong.
8. at Cardinals - Win.
9. Bye
10. Rams - Win.
11. Bears - Loss.  Traditionally great defense and a more high powered offense, this will be a tough game.
12. at Saints - Loss.  Sorry to say, but revenge game in the Super Dome sounds dangerous.  Brees is still one of the most dangerous QBs in the game.
13. at Rams - Win.
14. Dolphins - Win. 
15. at Patriots - Loss.  Cold December Night... Doesn't sound like a good look for the boys from the bay.
16. at Seahawks - Loss.  That stadium has never been a good place for the 49ers to play.
17. Cardinals - Win.

So not completely picking as a fan I gave the 49ers a 10-6 season and winning the NFC West.  As a fan, I'd add two more wins out of the Elite QB games that were picked as losses (Packers, Bears, Patriots, Saints), most likely the Bears and Packers.  I'd also probably add a random road divisional loss and take that Bills game at home as a win.  So as a fan I'm saying 12-4, logically I'm saying 10-6 or at worse 9-7.

My NFL Week 8 Picks

This week I'm going to do it a little different, it seems like the majority of the games are highly favored to one team this week so I'm only going to touch on a couple of the games.  My Spotlight game is one that looks like  a AFC Playoff game in the makings, The New England Patriots travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers.  Earlier this week ESPN (AFC East Blog) spotlighted this game as well but spoken like a fan they named the article "Why Tom Brady Owns the Steelers" where they laid down valid points and stats about past games and why the Steeler have a 1-7 losing record against Tom Brady. Also they mentioned points about no matter how great the Steelers defense is playing that Brady single handedly pulls them apart. 

I'm a believer in Brady, I believe he is the best QB in the league right now (with Aaron Rodgers pulling at his coat tail).  I also believe that at their primes he's better than Peyton Manning, but I'm not going to argue that point because it would go on for days with no resolution.  But with all that said I'm completely going against Vegas and ESPN and picking the getting hot Steelers to win this one at home.  Why? Man I just got a feeling.  The Patriots are good this year, but they are flawed, they have shown vulnerability.  The Steelers are my 2nd least favorite team in the NFL, but I think they will make the needed adjustments so that Brady doesn't make them look like the Miami Dolphins.

I'm also Picking The Eagles at home to win over the Cowboys.  I have a feeling that this will be a mistake heavy game and the game will be won on the ground and not through the air like most people probably believe.  The Eagles have a stronger ground game and their defense might actually be coming together after all of these weeks.

San Diego Chargers over Kansas City Chiefs at home.  I believe the Chargers have the better offense but for some reason it doesn't seem like they have been able to put it all together this year, but I think they will step it up to hold their grown in the division.

I'll also take Cincy over Seattle in Seattle.  Now most people probably don't care about this game.  Cincy on the low has proven to have a solid defense this season, not sure if that will take them anywhere with a Rookie QB, Rookie WR, and RB running from the law in a division with the Ravens and the Steelers, but it will win them some games.  Seattle is considered one of the toughest places to play, the noise level in Detriot caused multiple offsides and bad snaps for the past few weeks, Seattle is that time 10 for every game.  I'm sure it has to be the accoustics in the stadium, I can't believe a Seattle team would have more rowdy fans than any team that has actually been winning the past few decades.

Thats All Folks, if any of the other upsets win, just know that I didn't pick the underdog this week (minus the Steelers).

Have a Happy and safe Halloween

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.

My NFL Week 2 Picks...the Breakdown

Maybe I'm reaching with one of them, but hey I'm a fan.  Plus I've heard several other sports analyst make similar predictions about that Renewed Rivalry game between the 49ers and the Cowboys.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Philly over Atlanta - Honestly, Vick could lose this game for the Eagles if he gets caught up in the emotions of being back there as a starter or trying to get revenge, but this new Michael Vick doesn't seem to be that type of guy.  I think he will be poised and play a great game.  This game will be determined by the defenses. If Philly studied what kept the Falcons wings clipped last week they can win this game without a problem.

Buffalo over Oakland - I'd rather see the Raiders win this one, but the Bills look pretty explosive last week, and West Coast teams tend to have a bad record playing the 10am PST game on the East Coast.

Detroit over KC - KC stunk last week, I need them to do better (fantasy football reasons). But Detroit aren't who we thought they were. Detroit's defense might be nice this year.

Tampa Bay over Minnesota - I don't think the Vikings are put together well right now. Tampa Bay has potential.

Chicago over New Orleans - The Bears looked great last week, as did the Saints.  I just went with an underdog here, hopefully it works out for me.

New York Jets over Jacksonville - Does anyone think differently?

Pitt over Seattle - Do I need to explain this. Forget the Pitt ya'll saw last week, yeah their defense is old, then need a lil more Bengay than most units, but I'm sure that they well get their legs back for this game.

Washington over Arizona - I'm picking this based off of the Skins looking good against the Giants and the Cards defense allowing Cam Newton to get silly on them last week. Hightower might have a career game and a lot of receptions.

Green Bay over Carolina - The person who picks against the Packers in this game and win is paid for life. But this aint Vegas and I'm not gambling so I'm picking the logical pick for this one.

San Fran over Dallas - The QB with the least mistakes (leading to turnovers) will lead his team to victory in this game.  If the game is flawless, and the Special Teams of the 49ers doesn't "do it A-Ginn", then the Cowboys have the best chance to win. But I don't see this being a flawless game and I think Romo will make the most mistakes. 49ers win, 28-27.

Cincy over Denver - Eh... who cares.  I closed my eyes and picked this one.

Houston over Miami - This is a toss up to me, but I think Houston has a better offense and a stronger running game to control the clock. 

San Diego over New England - I wasn't impressed by the Patriots defense allowing a mediocre team to almost score at will, so I believe that a team with a strong running game and passing game should be able to make the game a lot closer than the game was in Miami. On top of that a team with a much better defense should hold Tom Brady to a 200-300 yard game. Chargers win by 4.

St. Louis over New York Giants - Eh... both teams seem to be injured right now, I wouldn't bet my money on either of these teams in this game. I went with the underdog for this one.

My Favorite Time of Year! NFL Week 1 Picks

And tonight, it begins... The NFL Season has returned, the offseason was short, the offseason deals were compounded into a week of pure excitement.  Super teams were created, great teams stayed the same but got healthy, mediocre teams are still trying to figure it out, and Peyton Manning will miss a start of a season and a game for the first time since the 90's.

The past few years have been all about the Quarterback and what better way to start the season than to have the past two Superbowl MVP QBs to face off in what we hope to be a high powered shoot out.

My Picks are below, if you want to go against me week to week join my NFL Pick 'Em Pool http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/pickem 

ID: 25761 Password: winning

Packers over Saints - This game could go either way I'm picking the Packers based off of homefield advantage, no injuries, and because they have the least changes to their team from last year.

Falcons over Bears - This isn't a give me either, but I just trust in the offense of the Falcons more than the Bears and their questionable WR Core.

Browns over Bengals - This game doesn't even sound interesting, but the Browns have less change to their team from last year and that team was decent. The Bengals sucked last year with super stars, now they have no one, so I'll let you figure that one out.

Chiefs over Bills - The Chiefs proved last year that they can be a contender, the Bills never seemed like they could finish games.  Chiefs win by two scores.

Eagles over Rams - I pick the Eagles to win this because the have to win this game.  The Dream team can't lose any games to the NFC West, a division that was all .500 and under last year.  This might be a playoff match up for January...

Lions over Buccs - I went back and forth with this pick, but Stafford is back and healthy, the Lions have an offense that can put up numbers and their defense had Tom Brady shaking in his Uggs.

Titans over Jaguars - Both teams are suspect but the Jaguars dropping Garrard made this pick for me. The Titans have a better running game and a veteran QB that beat the former Superbowl Champs in the playoffs not long ago. Titans all day.

Steelers over Ravens - I'd rather the Ravens win but when Big Ben is in the game against Flacco on the other side, they haven't had much luck.

Texans over Colts - No Peyton and the Texans are a pretty good team, so I pick the the Texans.  If Peyton doesn't travel with the team then this might be an easier win than I'm predicting.  If the Colts are smart they will have Peyton at every game mic'd up talking to Kerry in his ear every play.

Panthers over the Cardinals - This is just one of the underdog picks I decided to take a chance with. I'm not sure if either team really knows who they are yet so defense and special teams might decide this one.  I'm not a believer in Kolb.

Chargers over Vikings - The Chargers just have a better team on paper than the Vikings.  They didn't lose many and didn't have to make many changes. They are healthier than last year so I expect them to be stellar this year if they remain that way.

The San Francisco 49ers over Seahawks - Tavaris Jackson is my reason for this pick.  Sike nah, I'm a Niners fan, I think we had a good team last year, we have a better coach this year and a couple more targets for Alex Smith.  I would feel better with someone else under center but with the short offseason Alex knows the team the best at this point.  Seattle still needs some time to get things together, I don't think they are completely sold on their QB situation as of yet.

Giants over Redskins - Its 9-11, its written in the book of (NFL) life for the New York Football Giants to win this game.  I think this game will come down to the 4th quarter and Sexy Rexy making an error large enough to put the nail in the coffin.  The Skins still have some bugs to work out but their schedule looks easy enough for them to do so in the first few weeks. This game will help to point out things that need to change.

Jets over Cowboys - This doesn't have as much of a 9-11 will be the reason for the NY team winning feel to it, but I just don't think the Cowboys will play comfortably until half of the season is gone.  Romo was gone for practically a whole season, he will have some kinks to work out on top of the kinks he had before.

Patriots over Dolphins - Just because they are the Patriots and we know who they are, who are the Dolphins?

Raiders over Broncos - The Raiders were undefeated in the AFC West last year for a reason. The team is fast and high powered, the other teams in the division aren't really built to keep up.  The Bronco's defense is old and the Raiders seems to be able to run the ball with anyone they put in the backfield as well as air it out pretty well.

Thats all for today folks.  Tomorrow I'll post my Fantasy Football lineups.

My NFL Week 17 Picks & Playoff Predictions

My NFL Week 17 Picks 

& 

Playoff Predictions

Ok here we go with the quick rundown and just so you know my picks are submitted into a pool every week so I do think about my picks before I make them because at the end of the games I like to collect money.  I have only won once this year, but I've been amongst the people battling for the pot on Monday Night several times.  With that said he's the quick rundown.

Atlanta over Carolina: They are in Atlanta, yeah they lost to the Saints but the Saints are the Superbowl champs, who are the Panthers? Road Kill.

Pitt over Cleveland: This will be a tough matchup but I think the Steelers will have the most heart and the most to play for to pull this one out.

Minnesota over Detroit: This could be a close joint, but the Viks looked good last week if they can keep that going they should be able to win without any issues.

Oakland over KC: Oakland has been amazing against divisional opponents this year and they will be the first team to be undefeated in their division but not make the playoffs.

New England over Miami: The Dolphins can't beat the Patriots, unless they decide not to show up today because they got their #1 seed clinched.

New Orleans over Tampa Bay: this was a hard pick for me but I think the Saints will be able to pull this one out mainly because they are at home.  I have a feeling it will be down to the wire though...

NY Jets over Buffalo: The Jets know they need this to make the playoffs and I think they won't allow the Bills to come into NY and play the spoiler role.

Baltimore over Cincy: Cincy has played the Ravens hard in the past few years but I'm confident that the Ravens who are now aware that they have the best WR core, will run the Bengals out of town.

San Diego over Denver: Honestly I picked this because Rivers said its a privilege to play in the NFL and even though his team won't make the playoffs he's going to play today.  And because in one of my fantasy football leagues I'm in the championship with Rivers as my QB (I added Tebow on the bench to give Rivers some encouragement to do better, it worked for Aaron Rodgers in my other Championship I won last week).  

Green Bay over Chicago: The Packers at home will show the Bears why they were predicted to win the division before all of the injures and what not.  Aaron Rodgers has been amazing this year and he will show his talent today against the Bears to give his team playoff hopes.

Indy over Tennessee: The Titans stink and Indy knows if they lose this and the the Jags win, then they are out of the playoffs, its not going to happen.

Philly over Dallas: Vick will use this game as a bounce back game to prove to the people that have started to talk and doubt him based on last weeks performance that him and his young teammates can take this all the way.

San Francisco over Arizona: The Niners beat them in Arizona, I expect nothing less than that from them at home.  Plus I think this year every first game for the new coaches that take over teams, they have won, I expect this to continue for this last game of the season.

NY Giants over Washington: The Giants are an up and down team and have looked more down than anything lately, but I think they will win this game today but it won't be a blow out. I think it will be a game that has a difference of one score in the end.  The win will mean nothing because they still won't make it to the playoffs.

Houston over Jacksonville: If MJD isn't playing I don't think the Jaguars will have what it takes to beat Houston for the 2nd time this year.  They need this win and Indy to lose to make the playoffs, the chances of both happening are probably Vegas odds that could win someone their whole salary by betting just a weeks worth.  

Seattle over St. Louis: I'm only picking this because of home field advantage and as most people know the 12th man in Seattle has helped them win plenty of games.  On top of that the Rams have been horrible on the road this year.  But on the other hand if the Seahawks are smart they will throw this game so that they don't go down in history as the worst team to ever make the playoffs at 7-9, in my opinion.

My NFL Playoff Predictions as of Week 15

NFL Playoff Predictions

as of week 15

My Predictions are exactly the same after week 15, the only thing that is a flip flop, based on week 17 games. I now have Oakland beating KC in week 17 which allows the Chargers to become the #3 seed in the AFC.   Everything else remains the same.

NFL Playoff Predictions

as of week 14

My friend put me on to this playoff predictive page that ESPN is on, and my quick predictions as of now look like this...

click on the image to enlarge

The 49ers will be the first team to enter the playoffs at below .500 based on this prediction.  This is with them losing on Thursday against the Chargers in San Diego but winning in St. Louis then beating the Cardinals in San Francisco to end the season.  Of course in my weekly picks I'm still picking the 49ers to win the game on the Thursday but for this Playoff Predictions page I went with a little more logic than faith.  But honestly the Chargers have lost to a few teams this year that people didn't think they would lose to, and we have had close games with with NFC 3 NFC teams that are for the most part playoff bound.  Greed lost us the game against the #1 seeded Falcons.


No matter how I picked the games the following teams were in it no matter what, Patriots, Steelers, Ravens, Jets, Falcons, and Philly.  The teams that need the most from their own teams and loses by other teams were the Packers, Jacksonville, and Kansas City.  There was one way that I picked it where the NFC playoffs included Atlanta, Philly, Chicago, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and SF.


The Giants, Chargers, Colts, and Buccaneers were the teams that seemed like they were really on the bubble depending on several factors.

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.