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.

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.

T-Sizzle Takes On Football's Hey-Zeus (Plus Wild Card Picks)

First off, calling Tim Tebow Jesus is blasphemous, and all the references to him performing miracles is even worse.  Second, his team has been as bad as it has been good, he didn't turn around the organization. The guy he replaced came back and beat them and if the Raiders had won they wouldn't have made the playoffs.  But at 8-8 they have made the playoffs and will face an injured Steelers team in Denver.  Nothing in my football mind can allow me to pick them to win this weekend.  Actually as a quick run down, I'm picking the Steelers over the Broncos by 12, the Bengals over the Texans in a close game decided by field goals, The Saints over the Lions in a shoot out where the last TD wins, the Falcons over the Giants by 4 points.  The NFC games were there toughest to pick for me, I wouldn't bet money on any of those games they could go either way and not be an upset.  The only upset would be the Broncos beating the Steelers, well the Ravens & Patriots wouldn't be upset about that one.

OK so now to the title of this post. I read some comments that Terrell Suggs aka T-Sizzle of the Ravens had to say about Tim Tebow in the playoffs.  They were very entertaining but also had a lot of weight/truth behind them.  I don't blame Tebow for any of this the media has made his simple actions way bigger than they would have been with anyone else and I think T-Sizzle is just responding to this character that the media has built up and I'm sure if he knew Tebow as a person her wouldn't be attacking his actions.  Read below for his comments copied from ESPN's AFC North Blog written by Jamison Hensley.

Asked by Skip Bayless for his take on Tebow, Suggs said, “He’s all right. He’s all right. Come on now, let’s be honest, Skip. I can put up the numbers he was [putting up]. It’s all about numbers, baby. Give me a shot. Let’s see what we can do, create my own offense and hopefully my kicker can nail a 62-yarder to bail me out a few times, Jesus shows up."

Suggs added, "That boy be praying on the sidelines, boy. I don’t feel comfortable [if] I’ve got to pray every fourth quarter like, ‘Oh my God, please come save me again.’ Let’s just go out there and win the game.”

Suggs then took a shot at Tebow's religious persona. "With all due respect, we don't pray on the sideline," he said. "We do -- we give it up to God to keep us safe and healthy. When our quarterback prays, he's like, 'God, sit on the couch and enjoy this. Thank you for blessing me and letting me wake up and play this game. I'm going to impress you.'"

Bayless pointed out that Tebow went 7-4 as a starter and led the Broncos to the AFC West title.
"He didn’t win the AFC West," Suggs said. "Oakland lost it."

So, would Suggs rather have Joe Flacco or Tebow as his quarterback?

“Are you kidding me? Why don’t you like my quarterback, Skip? Is it his mustache? Is it his eyebrows? Is it because Tim Tebow is prettier?” Suggs said. “I understand you’ve got your man crush but you can’t force that on the rest of us. We here in Baltimore, we’ve got a quarterback that fits our personality. … I love the kid. He plays football. He’s my quarterback. I stand by him. And I love him on the sidelines with the ice in his veins. I just feel awesome about him.”

Back to my opinion, nothing is wrong with praying, or praying publicly, its actually a great testament of faith.  But pray to be safe, pray for strength, pray for health, pray for an injured player, I don't think praying to win a game is something a professional should do. Its a game, its not life.  If your life was on the line if you didn't win, then yes, please pray.  But a game is just a game at the end of the day, if everyone stays healthy then they go on to play another game and continue to get paid.  If Tebow is praying for wisdom in tough situations, then I greatly applaud that.  At the end of the day its between him and God, and I can only blame the media for making a simple gesture of faith by an overrated player into such a big deal.  Personally I think this is a great chess move by Terrell Suggs, but Tebow doesn't listen to any chatter that hits the media or if he does he doesn't let it effect him.  But it would be smart to hype up the opponent of the team that you don't really want to face for a third time this year in an elimination game on the anniversary of them eliminating your team from the playoffs a year ago.

 



Week 7 NFL Picks: USC Bowl & Superbowl Rematches

The USC BOWL - If newly aquired Raider Carson Palmer starts on Sunday he will be facing his former backup Mat Cassel, who is pictures on the right as the back up of Matt Leinart.  Carson was at one point mentioned as a top 3 QB in the league, has never seem to fully recovered from his season ending injury a few years back.  Leinart has been to the Superbowl but only as a backup, he has failed to establish himself as a starter.  Cassel on the other hand got the opportunity to shine when Tom Brady missed an entire season and was able to lead the Patriots to a 10 win season, I believe that they missed the playoffs that year.  But that year earned him faith from other teams and the Chiefs made the move to make him their starter and paid him a pretty penny. As a starter for the Chiefs Cassel won his division and took the team to the playoffs.

Can the Raiders be a bounce back team for Carson, I believe so.  They are an established running team and they really just need someone to manage plays. Carson can do that and he can get ball down the field to his young and fast WRs.  I'm picking the Carson Palmer Raiders to beat the Matt Cassel Chiefs on Sunday.  But if Carson doesn't start, I'm not as confident in this pick.

Now for the Superbowl Rematches this weekend. We have The Saints vs. The Colts and The Steelers vs. The Cardinals in Superbowl Rematches, the only issue is the teams that lost these particular Superbowls are also losing a lot of games this year and aren't anywhere near a Superbowl or Playoff quality team.

Pittsburgh over Cardinals - Only this time the Steelers defense won't have to contribute as much to win this game.

New Orleans over Indy - No Special Teams trickery needed just an easy stroll in the park should be enough for the Saints to win this one.

Seattle over Cleveland - I really don't want the Seahawks to win, but I think they are a better team than they appear and I really don't think Cleveland has what it takes to win.

Detroit over Atlanta - The Lions are one of the NFL's toughest teams, great defense and dynamic offense, The Falcons have just been OK this year.

Tennessee over Houston - I'm going with the home team in this divisional battle.  The fact that the Texans are missing a few key players makes this decision easier to make.

Miami over Denver - Miami has to get a win at some point, Matt Moore didn't look terrible against a good defense, so I think he will look better against a subpar defense. He was able to get the ball there but the coverage of the Jets was very good against the pass.  Even though its Tebow Day in Miami, I feel that the Dolphins can win this one.

San Diego over NYJ - This was a tough pick but I think a rested Philip Rivers will do better at leading his team to victory than Sanchez. For the Jets to win this game they would need to do it on the ground and on defense, not just one, but both of those and I don't see it happening.

Tampa Bay over Chicago - Eh.... Who knows, I just picked the underdog in this one, if they stick to their formula and run the ball as well as the Lions did against the Bears, the Buccs can control the clock and win this game.

Carolina over Washington - I really want the Skins to win this game, but I'm looking at the close games against tough team that the Panthers have loss.  They have the ability to put up points, I haven't seen that yet from the Skins.  Hopefully they prove me wrong.  The Skins best bet as winning is to just run the damn ball, the Panthers suck against the run. If they get away from that and attempt to make a name for John Beck, then it will be a long ride back to DC.  Skins Please Prove Me Wrong.

Dallas over St. Louis - The Rams are an average team with a lot of injures which makes them a bad team.  They also appear to have the toughest schedule in the west, this game isn't any easier.  The Cowboys can have multiple turnovers and mistakes, but still win this game.

Green Bay over Minnesota - Neither Ponder or McNabb stand a chance against this unreal Packers team. The Packers score at will, the Vikings aren't able to do that.

Baltimore over Jacksonville - The Jaguars are another team that just don't seem to have it together enough to win tough match ups. The Ravens are one of the top 3 or 5 teams in the league this year, wins like this should be easy.

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 12 NFL Picks

Turkey Time!

I'm a little late with this post but I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving and enjoyed their Thanksgiving day football.  Thanks to TNF the past couple of years we've gotten more than the traditional two games featuring the Cowboys and the Lions facing various opponents.  The 8:30 TNF game always feels like a bonus.  The bonus for me this week is that my 3 picks for Thursday turned out to be correct.

New England over Detroit: Seemed like a no brainer, but at the end of the first half I was a little in shock, but at that point the family and I headed to our first of three dinners, by the time we got to my aunts house the Patriots had turned the game around full circle. Cha Ching!

New Orleans over Dallas: The Cowboys have seemed renewed since dropping their coach, but the Saints are looking to get back into the Superbowl contender conversation with their starting distraction Reggie Bush back, so the Saints seemed like an easy win for me.  But this one came down to the wire.  When the family and I were at our 2nd dinner it seemed like the Saints had complete shut down the Cowboys.  But once again during our travel time to the 3rd dinner something happened.  The game was now close, and this game went to the wire! I would like to thank Roy Williams for helping me to get this pick correct.  Maybe she should be carrying the whole teams shoulder pads in practice this week.

New York Jets over Cincy: The Bengals are the largest disappointment of the season to me.  The 49ers, Cowboys, and Vikings are also disappointments but neither of those teams have reality shows and "Superhero's" on their team.  At the end of the night, this was an easy pick.

Green Bay over Atlanta: Honestly, I'm picking the Packers because my money league fantasy team is headed by Aaron Rodgers.  But this game could go either way.  I assume it will be a shoot out.  Green Bay has the better QB, but ATL has the better running game and better WR.  So what will decide this game is the defense, whoever turns the ball over the most will lose.

Pittsburgh over Buffalo: Yeah I've picked the Bills in past weeks, but not against the Steelers.  The Steelers are top 3 in the AFC, this will be an easy win for them as long as they don't underestimate the Bills.

Cleveland over Carolina: The Panthers suck.  The Browns have actually shown that they can beat teams, plus they are at home.

Jacksonville over New York Giants: This sounds like a stretch but the Jags are at the top of their division that includes the Titans, Colts, and Texans.  They are on a natural high right now, and they will look to keep that going against a Giants team on the decline of their season and dealing with several injuries.  Peyton can get it done with any WR staff, I'm not sure that Eli can do the same...

Minnesota over Washington: I want to take the Skins at home against a disappointing Vikings team, but I'm going to take the Vikes only because the fired their coach.  Not that Chilly was a bad coach and neither was Wade, but I guess making that change lights some fire under whatever team.  The Cowboys looked like we thought they would and with a backup QB, I'm looking for the Vikings to come to life as well. This is actually an underdog pick too.

Houston over Tennessee: I just think the Texans offense will take over this game.  The Titans looked confused last week, now they have a 3rd string QB running the show.  I think the Texans will prove to be the better team in this game.

Oakland over Miami: They both have tough loses last week, but I think the Raiders were expected to lose, Miami didn't seem to be able to do anything last week.  This game could go either way, but I'm going with the Raiders, they are just the faster team and I think it will help them in a redemption victory this week.  Plus they are at home.

Kansas City over Seattle: The Chiefs are actually a good team both teams are at the top of their division, but as time has shown over the past few years the NFC West is probably the worst division in the NFL.  The 2nd worst this year would have to be AFC West, based on team records.  I look for KC to destroy the Seahawks in this NFL West Superbowl.

Philly over Chicago: The Bears defense seems to be getting close to being back in form, but I'm going to go with the Eagles.  Its hard for me to pick against them going forward this season.  This should be a good game and I do think it will be close but the Eagles offense is just so much more explosive than the Bears offense.

Denver over St. Louis: The Rams have been good at home, but bad on the road.  The Broncos have a high powered offense, The Rams have an above average offense.  The Broncos should have this game put away by half time.

Baltimore over Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay is looking good in the NFC, but the AFC is a different ball game.  The Ravens are a top 3 AFC and top 3 NFL team right now.  The game might be close at the beginning but once the Ravens get warmed up, I look for them to take complete control of the game.

San Diego over Indy: The Chargers are getting key weapons back, even though they are missing Gates again, they have some other great WRs back in place.  The Colts are dealing with too many injuries.  I think it will be a close game, but the Chargers will continue their 2nd half of the season run to make the playoffs.  I called 31 to 27 in the Chargers favor.  The Colts will need a TD to win, and won't get it to end the game.

San Francisco over Arizona: Both teams have the same record, but the Cardinals have lost twice in the division and the 49ers have only lost once.  Another issue for the Cardinals is that they have allowed more points against them than the 49ers.  The Cardinals will continue their losing streak to 6 games in a row after this Monday.  I look for the 49ers to bounce back with their first road win of the season which will move them to 2nd place in the division.  I'm calling a score of 21 to 6 in the 49ers favor.