I pick four “best bets” and make one of those a “lock” each week. Those are listed at the end. Let’s get to it!
Detroit (-6.5) vs. Chicago
Let’s just get it out of the way now. I’m in a survivor pool that started with over 900 teams and is now down under 30. Due to the need to take Indy last week, we’re very cautiously believers in Detroit this week. So that’s why I’m picking the Bears here. Because they will probably win outright. And if they don’t, they sure as hell are going to keep it close enough that I won’t get to enjoy a good portion of my Thanksgiving!
Pick: Bears
Dallas (-2.5) vs. Philadelphia
Wow, Tony Romo and Mark Sanchez with the whole country watching? Can I predict a final score of 4-2? We’re gonna see passes so off target that they’re going to have Navin Johnson screaming to stay away from the cans.
Pick: Cowboys
San Francisco (-1.5) vs. Seattle
Jim Harbaugh can call Colin Kaepernick great all he wants. He’s merely above average in the eyes of the unbiased though. Like a guy at an all-you-can-eat restaurant that only gets the salad bar, you just can’t trust him.
Pick: Seahawks
New York Giants (-2.5) at Jacksonville
The G-Men seem to have found a little something in the offense. Oh I know, it’s the BEST RECEIVER IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL!
Pick: Giants
Buffalo (-1.5) vs. Cleveland
Oh good, it’s that team that alternates between dominating with sucking butt.
Pick: Browns
Pittsburgh (-3.5) vs. New Orleans
The defense couldn’t stop anything last week, but the bright sign was the return of the New Orleans offense. Methinks this one is going to have a lot of points, and the Saints will have a few more of them.
Pick: Saints
Indianapolis (-9.5) vs. Washington
Just to rub salt in the wound of my survivor pool pick, the Colts are going to blow Washington out of the water. (note – we were going to take Philly last week and the Colts this week, but didn’t want to go out relying on Mark Sanchez. So instead we’re relying on Matt Stafford, which is basically the same thing these days. Ugh.)
Pick: Colts
Saint Louis (-6.5) vs. Oakland
It’s time to face a harsh reality. The Raiders are bad, but they are on their way out from being laughingstock bad. The defense is getting fairly legit, the offense has a couple of decent playmakers, and after a decade of futility there are actual tangible signs of a turnaround. And even without all of that, the Rams probably aren’t good enough to be giving nearly a touchdown even if they are at home.
Pick: Raiders
Cincinnati (-3.5) at Tampa Bay
Pretty sure this spread is a typo and there isn’t supposed to be a decimal point between the 3 and the 5.
Pick: Bengals
Houston (-6.5) vs. Tennessee
Hey guess what – the Texans are nowhere good enough to be laying 6.5 points against anyone. For all you guys and gals in the playoffs who lost Nick Foles and then missed getting Mark Sanchez on waivers, you don’t need to rely on Andy Dalton or Alex Smith any longer. Next week’s waiver wire darling is going to be Zach Mettenberger. Get ahead of the curve on this one.
Pick: Titans
Minnesota (-2.5) vs. Carolina
For the love of God, can someone please get Jerick McKinnon 20+ carries in a game so I can decide if the kid is any good or not?!?
Pick: Panthers
Baltimore (-4.5) vs. San Diego
The Chargers have an absolutely brutal stretch of games coming up, and there’s a very real chance they finish up 7-9. But since they have to torture us just a little bit, I think they hang tight in this one and keep it a FG game in either direction.
Pick: Chargers
Arizona (-2.5) at Atlanta
Speaking of brutal schedules the rest of the way, the downfall of the Cardinals is going to be swift, and it starts this week with losing to one of the crummier teams in the league. Upset special.
Pick: Falcons
Green Bay (-3.5) vs. New England
As awesome as Green Bay has played, the Patriots are just hot on another level right now. The yoga pants of the NFL, if you will. And that extra half point is too valuable to pass up.
Pick: Patriots
Denver (-1.5) at Kansas City
As difficult as it is going into Kansas City this late in the season and coming out with a win, I’m not sure I can live in a world where I can wake up on the morning of Week 14 with this Chiefs team in first place.
Pick: Broncos
Miami (-4.5) at New York Jets
Coming off one of the more embarrassing losses in a long time (and that’s saying something for the Jets), they’re getting close to “playing for Rex’s job” time. Miami has been rolling, but that defense lost a little bit of swagger after coughing up the large lead to Denver last week. And going into the Meadowlands for a Monday nighter means the records become somewhat irrelevant.
Pick: Jets
BEST BETS: Seahawks, Giants, Patriots, Broncos
LOCK: Denver Broncos
LAST WEEK
Overall:11-4
Best Bets: 4-0
Lock of the Week: 1-0
YEAR TO DATE
Overall: 102-78 (56%)
Best Bets: 26-22 (54%)
Lock of the Week: 6-6 (50%)
POWER RANKINGS
Team Name W/L (Prv)
1. Patriots 9-2 (1)
2. Packers 8-3 (3)
3. Broncos 8-3 (4)
4. Cardinals 9-2 (2)
5. Eagles 8-3 (5)
6. Cowboys 8-3 (6)
7. Seahawks 7-4 (8)
8. Colts 7-4 (10)
9. 49ers 7-4 (11)
10. Ravens 7-4 (12)
11. Chiefs 7-4 (7)
12. Lions 7-4 (9)
13. Dolphins 6-5 (13)
14. Chargers 7-4 (14)
15. Steelers 7-4 (15)
16. Bengals 7-3-1 (16)
17. Browns 7-4 (18)
18. Texans 5-6 (17)
19. Rams 4-7 (19)
20. Bills 6-5 (20)
21. Saints 4-7 (21)
22. Bears 5-6 (22)
23. Panthers 3-7-1 (23)
24. Vikings 4-7 (24)
25. Falcons 4-7 (25)
26. Giants 3-8 (26)
27. Bucs 2-9 (27)
28. Jets 2-9 (28)
29. Redskins 3-8 (29)
30. Titans 2-9 (30)
31. Raiders 1-10 (32)
32. Jaguars 1-10 (31)
