Sportszilla's NFL Picks: Week 7
By Zach
After a one-week hiatus, Ben and I are back to pick some more NFL games. And try to get above .500. Maybe. As always, home teams are bolded.
This week
Ben: 9-5
Zach: 6-8
Hurricane Special!!
Dolphins (-1.5) vs. Chiefs
Ben takes: Chiefs. Right
Zach takes: Dolphins. The Dolphins are a better team then Ben thinks. The Chiefs can't seem to get the ball to Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Johnson has been terrible the last few weeks. Plus, you figure the Marine Mammals will be better suited to the wet conditions. Wrong.
Rams -3 vs. Saints
Ben: Rams. My mantra this year with the Rams is to pick them at home and against them on the road. Of course, losing Marc Bulger puts a chink in those plans. Still, Rams offense is talented enough to get by at home against a mediocre Saints team, who I never will pick on the road unless they are playing someone like the Texans. Right.
Zach: Rams. Jamie Martin isn't very good, but you've got to figure the Rams are going to pound the ball with Steven Jackson, something the Saints won't be able to stop. Right.
Vikings +1.5 vs. Packers
Ben: Vikings. The Packers aren’t good. Neither are the Vikings. But the Purple People Eaters (yeah, that’s right, I meant it that way) are a different team at home. Against a bad Packer defense, Daunte and Co. will score enough to win this one. Also, the Vikings will be just one giant double entendre for the rest of the year. Mark it down! Right.
Zach: Packers. I'll take my chances with Brett Favre in a shootout, even if the game is in a dome. Wrong
Texans +15.5 vs. Colts
Ben: Colts. I said I’d never take three score spread. Well the Texans are that bad. Urgent call to David Carr: Dwight Freeney is already in the backfield. Repeat Freeney is ALREADY IN THE BACKFIELD! HEADS UP!!! Right.
Zach: Colts. Normally I'm just as leary of three-score spreads. But I saw the Texans last week. They're the worst team I've ever seen. Right.
Bengals -1 vs. Steelers
Ben: Bengals. The Bengals haven’t looked very good against quality teams this season, but those were on the road. The Steelers have a solid defense, but that offense doesn’t scare me. Wrong.
Zach: Bengals. I've been on the bandwagon all year, I'm not getting off here. Wrong.
Eagles -3.5 vs. Chargers
Ben: Eagles. The Chargers have looked great of late. The Eagles looked miserable against Dallas last time out… two weeks ago. With two weeks to prepare, at home, the Eagles should bounce back. It's what Super Bowl contenders do, right? Wrong.
Zach: Chargers. Man, I love getting points when I think the underdog is gonna win outright. The Eagles are a shell of their former selves, while the Chargers are flat out rolling. Right.
Browns -3 vs. Lions
Ben: Browns. You know I can’t help but feel as though this is some weird mirror match. I mean think about it, aren’t the Browns and Lions seemingly the same franchise? Two historic teams, both of whom have had some great players go through there and played some memorable games, but never ever have been to the Super Bowl. They can be respectable, but never feared. Tim Couch… Joey Harrington… hell Jeff Garcia played for the Browns last year. This year he might be starting for the Lions. In any case, go with the home team in this. Wrong.
Zach: Lions. The wheels have come off Trent Dilfer. They never were on for Joey Harrington. This one could be historically ugly. Right.
Redskins -13.5 vs. 49ers
Ben: 49ers. Teams that don’t score a lot of points don’t deserve one touchdown lines. As you can see, the Skins are giving up double that. As bad as the Niners are, figure they can keep it somewhat respectable and lose by 10. I mean, the Skins combined margin of victory in all 3 of their wins this season (6 points) isn’t half as big as that line! Wrong.
Zach: 49ers. Ben said it all. Wrong.
Seahawks -4 vs. Cowboys
Ben: Seahawks. Rooming with Zach last year has made me wary of these birds from the Northwest. Still, Dallas isn’t a very good team and the Hawks are at home. The Boys were lucky to beat the Giants last week at home. This week they’re on the road against a better offense. So I’ll doom Zach to a miserable Sunday, and pick the Hawks. Wrong.
Zach: Seahawks. As you can see above, I'm on the bandwagon. Without Julius Jones or Flozell Adams, the Cowboys won't be able to move the ball and score. Which you have to do against the #1 offense in the NFL. Wrong.
Raiders -3 vs. Bills
Ben: Raiders. Kelly Holcomb can’t fool me. Vinny Testaverde handed the Bills that game last week, despite the Bills letting a beat up, aging C-Mart run all over them at home. Sad really. You don’t get away with that on the road, so I’m taking Oakland. Right.
Zach: Bills. I expect another big game from Willis McGahee. Wrong.
Bears -1 vs. Ravens
Ben: Bears. Talk about two teams being mirror images of one another. Aren’t the Bears just a younger version of the Ravens? Once again, go with the home version in a game that will probably be played close to the vest. Right.
Zach: Bears. The best team in the NFC North should get back to .500. Right.
Cardinals -3.5 vs. Titans
Ben: Cardinals. Dennis Green is doing his team a disservice by not officially naming Ron Mexico (AKA Josh McCown) his starter. I mean come on, what do you want the guy to do? He’s the Cardinals best QB and RB! Does he have to catch the football too? Anyway, I’ll take the Cardinals on the assumption Green hasn’t gone nuts and starts Kurt “the ball is glued to my hand” Warner. If Warner does start, I disavow any allegiance to this pick. Right.
Zach: Titans. The Cardinals suck. Always have, always will. Wrong.
Giants -2.5 vs. Broncos
Ben: Broncos. There’s something that isn’t right about the Giants. I’m not sure what. Maybe it’s the bickering that’s starting to be heard… I don’t know. The Broncos O-line is solid, which means the Giants pass rush will have problems. That means Jake doesn’t get pushed into making mistakes, which of course equals bad day for the Giants’ secondary. Right.
Zach: Giants. Wow, the two teams I believe in least. Both are big time mirages, but the Giants less so. Something tells me Tatum Bell won't keep averaging 10 yards per carry. Wrong.
Falcons -7 vs. Jets
Ben: Falcons. Until Vinny Testaverde is removed at QB for the Jets, I will not pick them. (Unless they are playing the Dolphins) Oh, and with no Kevin Mawae, the Jets get to throw out a weakened O-line against one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. Did I mention Vinny can’t move? By, the way, people are already talking about Jay Fielder’s recovery time. Bad sign there. Right.
Zach: Falcons. I don't think the Falcons are very good. They're tremendously lucky to be 4-2. But the Jets have no talent left on offense, and as good as their D is, it won't be able to handle spending 40+ minutes on the field against one of the best running teams in the NFL. Right.
Last week:
Ben: 5-8-1
Zach: 6-7-1
This season:
Ben: 26-29-1
Zach: 22-33-1
This week
Ben: 9-5
Zach: 6-8
Hurricane Special!!
Dolphins (-1.5) vs. Chiefs
Ben takes: Chiefs. Right
Zach takes: Dolphins. The Dolphins are a better team then Ben thinks. The Chiefs can't seem to get the ball to Tony Gonzalez, and Larry Johnson has been terrible the last few weeks. Plus, you figure the Marine Mammals will be better suited to the wet conditions. Wrong.
Rams -3 vs. Saints
Ben: Rams. My mantra this year with the Rams is to pick them at home and against them on the road. Of course, losing Marc Bulger puts a chink in those plans. Still, Rams offense is talented enough to get by at home against a mediocre Saints team, who I never will pick on the road unless they are playing someone like the Texans. Right.
Zach: Rams. Jamie Martin isn't very good, but you've got to figure the Rams are going to pound the ball with Steven Jackson, something the Saints won't be able to stop. Right.
Vikings +1.5 vs. Packers
Ben: Vikings. The Packers aren’t good. Neither are the Vikings. But the Purple People Eaters (yeah, that’s right, I meant it that way) are a different team at home. Against a bad Packer defense, Daunte and Co. will score enough to win this one. Also, the Vikings will be just one giant double entendre for the rest of the year. Mark it down! Right.
Zach: Packers. I'll take my chances with Brett Favre in a shootout, even if the game is in a dome. Wrong
Texans +15.5 vs. Colts
Ben: Colts. I said I’d never take three score spread. Well the Texans are that bad. Urgent call to David Carr: Dwight Freeney is already in the backfield. Repeat Freeney is ALREADY IN THE BACKFIELD! HEADS UP!!! Right.
Zach: Colts. Normally I'm just as leary of three-score spreads. But I saw the Texans last week. They're the worst team I've ever seen. Right.
Bengals -1 vs. Steelers
Ben: Bengals. The Bengals haven’t looked very good against quality teams this season, but those were on the road. The Steelers have a solid defense, but that offense doesn’t scare me. Wrong.
Zach: Bengals. I've been on the bandwagon all year, I'm not getting off here. Wrong.
Eagles -3.5 vs. Chargers
Ben: Eagles. The Chargers have looked great of late. The Eagles looked miserable against Dallas last time out… two weeks ago. With two weeks to prepare, at home, the Eagles should bounce back. It's what Super Bowl contenders do, right? Wrong.
Zach: Chargers. Man, I love getting points when I think the underdog is gonna win outright. The Eagles are a shell of their former selves, while the Chargers are flat out rolling. Right.
Browns -3 vs. Lions
Ben: Browns. You know I can’t help but feel as though this is some weird mirror match. I mean think about it, aren’t the Browns and Lions seemingly the same franchise? Two historic teams, both of whom have had some great players go through there and played some memorable games, but never ever have been to the Super Bowl. They can be respectable, but never feared. Tim Couch… Joey Harrington… hell Jeff Garcia played for the Browns last year. This year he might be starting for the Lions. In any case, go with the home team in this. Wrong.
Zach: Lions. The wheels have come off Trent Dilfer. They never were on for Joey Harrington. This one could be historically ugly. Right.
Redskins -13.5 vs. 49ers
Ben: 49ers. Teams that don’t score a lot of points don’t deserve one touchdown lines. As you can see, the Skins are giving up double that. As bad as the Niners are, figure they can keep it somewhat respectable and lose by 10. I mean, the Skins combined margin of victory in all 3 of their wins this season (6 points) isn’t half as big as that line! Wrong.
Zach: 49ers. Ben said it all. Wrong.
Seahawks -4 vs. Cowboys
Ben: Seahawks. Rooming with Zach last year has made me wary of these birds from the Northwest. Still, Dallas isn’t a very good team and the Hawks are at home. The Boys were lucky to beat the Giants last week at home. This week they’re on the road against a better offense. So I’ll doom Zach to a miserable Sunday, and pick the Hawks. Wrong.
Zach: Seahawks. As you can see above, I'm on the bandwagon. Without Julius Jones or Flozell Adams, the Cowboys won't be able to move the ball and score. Which you have to do against the #1 offense in the NFL. Wrong.
Raiders -3 vs. Bills
Ben: Raiders. Kelly Holcomb can’t fool me. Vinny Testaverde handed the Bills that game last week, despite the Bills letting a beat up, aging C-Mart run all over them at home. Sad really. You don’t get away with that on the road, so I’m taking Oakland. Right.
Zach: Bills. I expect another big game from Willis McGahee. Wrong.
Bears -1 vs. Ravens
Ben: Bears. Talk about two teams being mirror images of one another. Aren’t the Bears just a younger version of the Ravens? Once again, go with the home version in a game that will probably be played close to the vest. Right.
Zach: Bears. The best team in the NFC North should get back to .500. Right.
Cardinals -3.5 vs. Titans
Ben: Cardinals. Dennis Green is doing his team a disservice by not officially naming Ron Mexico (AKA Josh McCown) his starter. I mean come on, what do you want the guy to do? He’s the Cardinals best QB and RB! Does he have to catch the football too? Anyway, I’ll take the Cardinals on the assumption Green hasn’t gone nuts and starts Kurt “the ball is glued to my hand” Warner. If Warner does start, I disavow any allegiance to this pick. Right.
Zach: Titans. The Cardinals suck. Always have, always will. Wrong.
Giants -2.5 vs. Broncos
Ben: Broncos. There’s something that isn’t right about the Giants. I’m not sure what. Maybe it’s the bickering that’s starting to be heard… I don’t know. The Broncos O-line is solid, which means the Giants pass rush will have problems. That means Jake doesn’t get pushed into making mistakes, which of course equals bad day for the Giants’ secondary. Right.
Zach: Giants. Wow, the two teams I believe in least. Both are big time mirages, but the Giants less so. Something tells me Tatum Bell won't keep averaging 10 yards per carry. Wrong.
Falcons -7 vs. Jets
Ben: Falcons. Until Vinny Testaverde is removed at QB for the Jets, I will not pick them. (Unless they are playing the Dolphins) Oh, and with no Kevin Mawae, the Jets get to throw out a weakened O-line against one of the best pass rushes in the NFL. Did I mention Vinny can’t move? By, the way, people are already talking about Jay Fielder’s recovery time. Bad sign there. Right.
Zach: Falcons. I don't think the Falcons are very good. They're tremendously lucky to be 4-2. But the Jets have no talent left on offense, and as good as their D is, it won't be able to handle spending 40+ minutes on the field against one of the best running teams in the NFL. Right.
Last week:
Ben: 5-8-1
Zach: 6-7-1
This season:
Ben: 26-29-1
Zach: 22-33-1
posted by Zach at 4:44 PM
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