Week 13 Picks - NFC Wild Card Battle Intensifies

Hello again, readers of my blog.  Last week was my first week showcasing my NFL picks, and it went a little worse than hoped.  I went 7-6 (I didn't pick Thanksgiving games), which left a little to be desired.  I remember saying that the Browns couldn't win against the Steelers.  They forced 8 turnovers.  Moving on.  I'm currently on the 81st percentile of Yahoo Pick 'em's, so a rebound is ideal.  And yes, I did forget to write this in time for Thursday night.  Let's assume I got that one right, (because I did).

Jaguars vs. Bills
What a pointless game to pick.  The Jaguars are coming off a decent win last week against the Titans, so a little more should be expected out of them.  Neither team has playoff hope, so at this point we're going for pride!  Chad Henne has quietly put up two amazing games in a row for the Jaguars, and this would be the team for him to keep up the streak against, huh?  The Bills are 26th in yards allowed this season, and Henne has 6 TDs and 650+ yards in two games.  Never thought I'd say that.  Never thought I'd say this either.
Prediction: Jaguars 34-28

Bears vs. Seahawks
This game is actually pretty intriguing.  The Seahawks are that team no one knows about in the NFC wild card race.  You look at the race and say these names: the 7-4 Packers, the 6-5 Vikings, the 6-5 Buccaneers, even the 5-7 Saints.  The Seahawks are there at 6-5 as well, though.  The Bears are never an easy team to play, and now with Cutler back they are ready to destroy.  Seattle is looking for revenge after a heartbreaking loss to Miami last week, but I think they'll be just a bit short.
Prediction: Bears 27-21

Colts vs. Lions
Two monster years for both of these quarterbacks.  Stafford and Luck are both doing great, and while they've had a few bad games, you can't deny their worth to their respective teams.  The Lions are pretty much dead at this point, where the Colts have a wild card spot to lose in the AFC.  Chuck Pagano's battle with cancer has inspired the Colts, and I think that they should take this game, although Stafford and Megatron could show up.
Prediction: Colts 31-20

Vikings vs. Packers
This is a great, quality, playoff wild card race deciding, football party hosting, eat some pizza and chips and watch kind of game.  I don't want anyone to correct grammar on the previous sentence for I have no idea what I just typed.  Simply put, the Packers need a rebound, and a Viking win is HUGE for Minnesota at this point.  Tiebreak and same record as Green Bay?  There couldn't be anything huger at this point in time.  I'll call this one a toss-up.
Prediction: Packers 30-26

Panthers vs. Chiefs
How bad are the Chiefs?  Almost unspeakably terrible.  However, they beat the Saints two months ago.  The Panthers are also terrible, and at 3-8 could finish last place in the entire NFC.  Cam Newton has more rushing yards and touchdowns than the 3 main running backs for the Panthers.  This game is terrible.  However, there has been a Chiefs tragedy including the suicide of a player after him murdering his wife.  That is another article.  The Chiefs emotionally can't play.
Prediction: Panthers 31-10

Patriots vs. Dolphins
The Patriots have won 19 in a row in the second half of NFL seasons.  That's impressive.  The Dolphins are not out of the playoffs yet, but it's futile.  And there's no better team to kill your playoff hopes than your friendly neighborhood rival Patriots.  That's all I have to say.
Prediction: Patriots 38-20

Cardinals vs. Jets
Hurray!  The two most lifeless teams in the whole league!  I consider throwing these guys under the Browns, Raiders, Jags, and Panthers in terms of worth.  But they still beat the Eagles and the Chiefs.  The Cards have lost 7 in a row since the devastation of Kolb's injury, and you know there's a problem when you are starting Ryan Lindley.  What can I say?  He's bad.  And the Jets.  The laughing stock of the NFL.  When's Tebow Time?  This game is terrible, and could realistically end 0-0.  But as much as it pains me to say it, the Jets have a good matchup.
Prediction: Jets 20-12

49ers vs. Rams
Wouldn't it be funny if they tied again?  The Niners have essentially locked a playoff spot, and the Rams have been a disappointment.  But this time they have a new quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, in one of the weirdest quarterback switches in a while, the whole abandoning a QB that's gone 19-5-1 in the last two seasons thing.  But Kaepernick is good, and can scramble really well.  The Rams will be Rams.  That isn't a good thing.
Prediction: 49ers 30-16

Texans vs. Titans
Do I need to say anything about this game?  What is there to say?  The Texans are probably the NFL's best team at this point, and the Titans aren't.  And Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, J.J. Watt, and Connor Barth are all really good too.
Prediction: Texans 34- 17

Broncos vs. Buccaneers
The Broncos are essentially in the playoffs as a 2-4 seed depending on how the season ends.  But boy is it a huge game for the Bucs!  It's a good chance to steal one and give an effort to make the playoffs as that wild card 6 seed.  This game could very well be a shootout.  Both teams will score a lot, but who would you take: Josh Freeman or Peyton Manning?  My thoughts exactly.
Prediction: Broncos 38-34

Ravens vs. Steelers
The Ravens are incredibly lucky to get the Steelers twice without Big Ben Roethlisberger, who is out for the third straight game.  The Steelers are coming off a pathetic eight turnover loss to Cleveland of all teams, and now face a tough Lewis-less Ravens squad.  Did you see Ray Rice's 30 yard 4th and 29 reception?  How can I guy that does that lose to a team starting Charlie Batch?  Both defenses are very good, but let's be honest.  Ravens got this one.
Prediction: Ravens 21-10

Browns vs. Raiders
The Raiders have allowed an average of 39 points there last three games, and have lost each one at least three touchdowns.  I don't know how to characterize just how bad the Raiders have been recently, but I do have something interesting about the Browns.  Despite being 3-8, they have only lost games by an average of 3.5 points, and that margin has only been 2 points in their last five games.  Surprisingly, in terms of points allowed, the Browns stand in 16th place at 22.5 a game.  That's actually top half.  Meanwhile, the Raiders are dead last at 32.4 a game.
Prediction: Browns 24-20  P.S. This would be 2-in-a-row for the Browns!  After this they have the Chiefs and Redskins.  They could realistically win 4 straight and be 6-8!?!?!

Bengals vs. Chargers
The Chargers need some kind of something good eventually.  But not now.  Just not now.  I don't know what needs to happen with the Chargers, but something does.  This has been the worst game preview ever, presented by Connor's Sports Blog.
Prediction: Bengals 30-17.  Note: The preview a just wrote is a direct result of having done 12 game previews before it over a 30-40 minute span.  You just get sick of it. 8)  

Eagles vs. Cowboys
The NFC managed to lock up both the Sunday night and Monday night game.  This division was supposed to have 4 contenders this year.  Instead we got the ever good but not great Giants, on and off Cowboys and Redskins teams, with a pathetic Eagle squad to boot.  Philly was so desperate they got rid of their best pass rusher, Jason Babin.  Babin is probably experiencing temporary insanity after being cut by the 3-8 Eagles, and then picked up by the worse 2-9 Jaguars.  Moving on, the only good thing about the Eagles last week was Bryce Brown, the rookie running back who went for 178 yards and two scores.  Brown won't be enough this week, however, as the Cowboys need to keep their playoff hopes alive by getting to 6-6.
Prediction: Cowboys 26-20

Giants vs. Redskins
The Redskins are desperate and the Giants want to lock up this division.  However, the Giants have a brutal finish, playing the Saints, Falcons, Ravens, and Eagles after this week.  The Redskins will come out firing this week and Pierre Garcon should get a lot of targets.  I figure this game won't be a blowout, but come on- the Giants destroyed Green Bay last week.  That was a statement.
Prediction: Giants 30-20

Your turn!  What do you think will happen?  Are my picks reasonable?  Why or why not?  Feel free to tell me on this blog in the comments section and I'll do my best to get back to you.  Happy December!
Connor

NFL Action- Week 12 Picks

It's Sunday!  It really should be renamed football day though, because in America it is how many people identify the first day of the week.  This week features many important match ups, including a big NFC North battle with the Vikings and Bears, the Giants and Packers going at it in a game where the Packers want revenge, and the Bills and Colts trying to work themselves into a wild card spot.  So without further ado, he are the Pick Professor's Picks for Week 12!

Pick Professor (a.k.a. Connor)

Bears vs. Vikings - This is  very interesting game and one which could help in deciding wild card spots.  These two along with the Packers are all good out of the NFC North.  The Bears are on a two game losing streak, and they have Jay Cutler back for this one.  However, the Vikings are another good team and I don't think the Bears will be able to deal with Peterson and end their skid.  

Prediction: Vikings 27-20

Bengals vs. Raiders - At 5-5 the Bengals will be looking to take one from the struggling 3-7 Raiders.  The Bengals had a great showing against the Giants in week 10, and manhandled Kansas City 28-6 last week.  Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have an even better connection this year with 911 yards and 10 TDs, and the Raiders don't have a defense.

Prediction: Bengals 34-16

Browns vs. Steelers - The Steelers will be looking to rebound after putting up only 10 points last week against Baltimore.  Their defense played great in that game, though.  The week before they only beat the Chiefs by 3 in a game the Chiefs played better in.  26 points in 2 weeks with Byron Leftwich meant time to change.  Charlie Batch, who's been with the team for awhile now, gets the start.  I don't know what that means, but the Steelers won't lose this game.

Prediction: Steelers 20-10

Colts vs. Bills - Andrew Luck is having a great season, but Ryan Fitzpatrick has as well.  The 4-6 Bills are looking for a win here, but they won't get it.  Reggie Wayne is already over 1000 yards on the year and Andrew Luck looks confident in the offense.  The Bills aren't going to blank anyone, that's for sure, and the Colts will take it comfortably.

Prediction: Colts 31-17

Titans vs. Jaguars - Jacksonville just can't win a game.  And the Titans need to.  Jacksonville is 29th in the league in scoring, and with Maurice Jones-Drew out, the team lacks offensive firepower. The Titans will take it.

Prediction: Titans 27-10

Broncos vs. Chiefs - The Chiefs are the lowest scoring offense in the league and Peyton Manning has 24 TDs passing.  The Chiefs have 6.

Prediction: Broncos 34-13

Seahawks vs. Dolphins - Both teams are desperate, but the Seahawks are in a better position at 6-4.  Russell Wilson is having a good rookie year, but Marshawn Lynch is having a career year this season, already over the 1000 yd mark.  Sidney Rice and Golden Tate are making a good receiving core, and this team is actually clicking on offense for the first time in a while. The Dolphins have had ups and downs, and an inconsistent season by Reggie Bush.  Today will be a down.

Prediction: Seahawks 31-20

Falcons vs. Buccaneers - The Falcons have all but clinched the NFC South with a 9-1 start, while the Bucs are surprisingly having a good 6-4 season.  Doug Martin is a rookie sensation with 1300+ total yards and 8 scores.  Josh Freeman is finally having a good year as well.  The Falcons will be tested by a good team today, and it might go into overtime, but the Falcons have a slight edge.

Prediction: Falcons 34-31

Ravens vs. Chargers - The Chargers have hit a huge skid, losing 5 of their last 6 to plummet to 4-6 on the season.  They have one chance to get back on the right track with a win against an unimpressive Baltimore team from last week.  The Chargers were the Saints first win when they were 0-4, and also fell to Cleveland.  Even with a win, looking ahead they have Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.  I can't see a string of wins, or even one of these three.

Prediction: Ravens 27-16

Cardinals vs. Rams - Larry Fitzgerald will take on Cortland Finnegan in this one, and the Cardinals will be looking for something against a 3-6-1 Rams team led by Jeff Fisher.   The Cards started 4-0 but have lost 6 in a row!  Kevin Kolb is playing, and hoping to grab a win since he's quarterbacked in all of the four victories before getting injured.  This one could legitimately go either way, but I think without Danny Amendola, the Rams aren't going anywhere.

Prediction: Cardinals 24-20

49ers vs. Saints - What a surprise the Saints have been recently!  They turned their season around and are now a reasonable contender for the playoffs.  The 49ers have some QB questions to be answered, and Colin Kaepernick played a great game last week.  Somehow I just think the Niners defense will be too much on this one, which is why I'll take the Niners in a close one.

Prediction: 49ers 30-28

Giants vs. Packers - In a typical Giants move, they G-Men can't win a November game.  The Big Blue have a horrendous November record in recent years, and are 0-2 this year.  This being the last one against the Packers, whom they've knocked out of the playoffs twice en route to titles in the last five years, the Cheeseheads will be looking for revenge.  This one will be a battle, a dogfight even, but history repeats itself, so I see a tight Giants win.

Prediction: Giants 38-34

Eagles vs. Panthers - Monday night is the worst game of the week.  A combined 5 wins between these two disappointing squads.  The Eagles are without Vick and McCoy this week, leaving Nick Foles a second start in a row.  Bryce Brown is expected to be the running back.  The Panthers are terrible as well, and there whole offense is Cam Newton, scratch that, there whole team is Cam.  He is experiences some sophomore blues this year, and hasn't really to expectations.  I see this as a toss up, but I'll give a nod to the Eagles who are playing for Andy Reid's job at this point.

Prediction: Eagles 21-20.

So, what do you think of my picks?  What are your picks?  Feel free to comment or message me with your input on the games as I'll do this every wick.  And thanks for reading.

Connor

Thanksgiving Recap: RG3 Shines, Texans Lucky

Thanksgiving Day came and passed, and while many people focused attention on food, there was some really good football being played as well...by teams not coached by a Ryan brother.   For the rest of them, they can really say they put out a good effort and put on a show for the fans.  Here's a breakdown of what happened.

 

Texans vs. Lions

Coming into this game at 4-6, this was one game the Detroit Lions desperately needed to win.  Going 4-7 would pretty much take them out of playoff condition, as they would need the Vikings, Cowboys, Redskins, Seahawks, Saints, and Bucs to all pretty much bomb their remaining games.  This was a game the Lions really should have won.  They offensively manhandled the Texans D, which was considered great until the last two weeks, giving up 37 to Jacksonville and 31 to Detroit, putting up 547 yards of offense, 441 of which were thrown by Matthew Stafford, who let's face it-throws for 300+ like every game.  The Lions simply just kept scoring, putting up points on long drives every time they touched the football.

The most controversial play occurred on an 81-yard touchdown run for the Texans by Justin Forsett in the third quarter.  With the Texans desperate for an answer and down 24-14, Forsett seemingly gets tackled, but then gets up and runs for the score.  Since all scores are reviewed, this one would have came back.  The catch is that Lions coach Jim Schwartz threw a challenge flag, and since you can not challenge a scoring play, a penalty was called, which Houston declined, giving them a score.  Had Schwartz not thrown the flag, the TD would have came back.  This became pivotal as the game was taken into OT, and the Texans eventually won.  So, the question is: did the decision by Schwartz lose them the game?

My answer is NO!  Of course that didn't cost the game, while it is the most obvious mistake, there is no saying the Texans wouldn't have scored a TD on that drive anyway.  And the Lions could have allowed less than 31 points in the first 4 quarters.  Also, let's look at the Lions 3 overtime possessions. Yes people, the Lions had 3 chances in overtime.  The results were fumble, punt, missed FG.  All of these results happened in Texans territory.  They could have scored 3 points on any of these drives and won.  

In conclusion, the Lions got robbed, but you have to know the rules.  And the Texans have clinched a playoff spot.  Good for them, we totally didn't see it coming.  Texans 34-31.

Cowboys vs. Redskins

The NFC East has underperformed this year, and both of these teams still have a shot at the division.  However, this game was very important for the Cowboys as winning could have put them half a game behind the Giants with the G-Men playing the Packers.  The Redskins were playing for their season.  Going 4-7 would be killer, but going 5-6 with tiebreaker on the Cowboys, potentially one game behind the Giants with a matchup against them in the next week.  

The Cowboys got off to an early 3-0 lead, and that was the score after the first quarter.  The Cowboys then put up potentially the worst quarter of the NFL season, only to be beat by the Jets 4 hours later.  What happened?  RG3.  He happened.  Romo struggled, throwing two picks, and Miles Austin was injured, while Robert Griffin and a rocket arm took over.  It started with a 68 yard pass to Aldrick Robinson, leading the fans to wonder where the defense was.  Dez Bryant fumbled on the next drive, which Alfred Morris would capitalize on with a touchdown.  Next time the Skins touched the ball, it went deep, 59 yards to Pierre Garcon.  After a Romo pick giving the Redskins field possession at the Dallas 33, Santana Moss got in the action, making it 28-3 at the break.  The Redskins were rolling, and pretty much had the game rapped up.  Or did they???

Something got into Tony Romo in the second half.  The Cowboys were back.  Romo was firing, and would finish with 441 yards.  After getting a field goal, the Cowboys stuck quickly with the third long score of the game, 85 yards to Dez Bryant on a perfect play.  The Redskins had another passing score to Niles Paul, but the Cowboys struck twice more in the fourth, and with a two-point conversion the score was 35-28. However, the Cowboys could not complete the comeback, and it ended Redskins 38-31.  Both teams now stand 5-6, and the Redskins will hope to draw blood against the Giants next week, while the Cowboys need to rebound versus the struggling Eagles.

Jets vs. Patriots

The Jets were the last 4-6 team of the day playing a better opponent, and for the sake of their season, they hoped to play like the Redskins.  The Patriots are cruising to another AFC East title, but another win is also valuable as they are now playing for home-field advantage.  

The first quarter had no score.  The second quarter had 38 points.  Exactly.  Wes Welker started the scoring spree with a 3 yard TD catch on the first play of the quarter.  The fun starts around the 10-minute mark, as the Jets fumbled three times and the Patriots score three touchdowns all in about a minute.  It starts with a Shonn Greene fumble in Patriots territory.  Next play- Shane Vereen 83 for a score off a short pass from Brady.  The Jets' second offensive play of the next drive was #1 on ESPN's not top plays.  Sanchez essentially runs into his own man, falls, fumbles, and the Pats take it to the house.  21-0.  The kickoff is then fumbled into the hands of Julian Edelman, who easily takes it for a score.  It is now 28-0 six minutes into the second quarter.  Tim Tebow can only pray as he doesn't take a snap.  This wasn't enough as Julian Edelman strikes again, this time with a 56-yard reception, and the half ends 35-3 with a Jets field goal.  

The Jets surprisingly showed bits of life in the second half, recording a safety, albeit by a penalty in the end zone, but hey-they scored.  On the next drive Bilal Powell runs for a touchdown.  Sanchez would later add in a throw to Dustin Keller, and the Pats would add Tom Brady and Stevan Ridley runs for touchdowns.  The game was very lopsided, and the Pats took it easily.  Patriots 49-19.  This is a testament to the Patriots.  49 points, and 59 last week against the Colts.  108 points over two games is third all-time.  After the game Rex Ryan said that the Jets were "as wounded as you can possibly be", but "not dead."  I would say they're dead, but they do have the easiest remaining schedule in football.  Anything can happen.

CONCLUSION

Turkey day had some good games going on, and a lot of points were put up in all three.  That's always fun.  So while the Lions and Jets had hopes practically vanish, the Redskins were given new life and are on a two game win streak.  I learned some things yesterday.  Here are those 10 things.

1) Andre Johnson still has it- NFL record 461 receiving yards in the last 2 weeks

2) The Patriots love sharing.  Yesterday 6 players scored touchdowns.  Tom Brady, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman (2 scores) and Steve Gregory.

3) The favorite snack of the Jets is Butterfingers.  5 fumbles by five different people- 4 lost.

4) RG3 is even better than we think he is.  20-28 for 311 and 4 TDS.  OK he did throw a pick.

5) Cole Beasley is underrated .  He may be 5'8", but he was great in the slot for Dallas. 

6) Arian Foster knows where the end zone is.  6 scores in his last 5 games.

7) It is possible to throw for  a league leading 312 yards a game and be 4-7.  Sorry Stafford.

8) There are a lot of rules in football that we have never heard of.

9) Teams can't stop long plays.  6 scores of 50+ yards in 3 games yesterday.

10) The Jets coaching staff must really be against Tebow if they still won't play him.

Thanks for reading and check back frequently for more stories.

Connor