Sportszilla's NFL Picks: Week 13
By Zach
Once again, Ben and I are back with our picks for Week 13 for the NFL season. Since I'm feeling sick, you get limited commentary from me. Deal with it. As always, home teams are bolded.
This Week:
Ben: 7-9
Zach: 8-8
Dolphins -5 vs. Bills
Ben: Bills. Two bad teams with too big of a spread. At least as a rivalry game, this probably means something to the fans. Lord knows the rest of the country isn’t getting hyped up about JP Losman against Gus Ferrotte. I like the Dolphins to win this game but I don’t think they’re going to be blowing anyone out, especially a rival like Buffalo who usually can play them close. Right.
Zach: Dolphins. Miami hasn’t beaten Buffalo in December in forever…they’re not missing their opportunity this year. Wrong.
Steelers -3 vs. Bengals
Ben: Steelers. I’m sick of being let down by the Steelers this season and with Big Ben now revealing he has a thumb injury, it makes this pick even harder. But no team has been more consistent this season than Cinci; they own the bad teams and flop against the good ones. There are no freebees in the NFL, you want respect, you’ve got to earn it. The Bengals haven’t, yet. Wrong.
Zach: Bengals. I think they’ve ironed out their problems from the last meeting. Right.
Ravens -8 vs. Texans
Ben: Ravens. I can’t do it. I just can’t. I was on the verge of picking Houston, but I can’t take the worst team in the NFL. Even Jamal Lewis will be able to run against this team and god help David Carr behind that offensive line on the road. They couldn’t stop Ryan Fitzpatrick at home. Even Kyle Boller should be able to put up points on this team… right? If not, Brian Billick should be fired, Boller should be cut and Ravens should be contracted. Wrong.
Zach: Ravens. Guaranteed Jamal Lewis runs for 150 yards…long after it matters to my fantasy team. Wrong.
Colts -16 vs. Titans
Ben: Colts. Wouldn’t it be funny if the Colts lost here? I don’t see it happening, but it would be funny. Right.
Zach: Colts. I’d laugh. Right.
Browns +3 vs. Jaguars
Ben: Jaguars. Jacksonville generated bigger spreads against better teams. I don’t understand Vegas sometimes. Anyway, David Gerrard is in at QB. By all accounts he’s got talent. Plus as Zach pointed out to me earlier this week, he also suffers from Crohn’s Disease. That of course makes him an automatic member of “my favorite player club” and with just a mediocre performance he will vault to #2 on the list of guys I want to be Jets QB in 2006. The Browns will either be starting a banged up Trent Dilfer or inexperienced Charles Frye. I like the Jags chances either way. Right.
Zach: Jaguars. I don’t trust anyone who’s their own grandfather. Right.
Giants -3.5 vs. Cowboys
Ben: Cowboys. I don’t like the Giants, and I like them even less when the Jets stink. So I’ve got to ask myself, am I picking against them because I believe they’ll lose or because I want them to lose. Okay, reasons for Dallas this week: Long rest, better defense and I think this game will come down to three points. Reasons for the G-Men- banged up Dallas line, better at home than on the road, Dallas looks worse overall right now. I went both ways here, but I’m taking Dallas. The extra rest and the belief this game will be close were the deciding factors. Wrong.
Zach: Cowboys. Season over, Giants. Wrong.
Bears -7 vs. Packers
Ben: Packers. The Bears will win. But they can’t score TDs unless someone hands them the ball inside the 20. Figure Green Bay does that once in this game. That’s not enough to cover the seven points, unless you think the Packers will be held off the board, and I don’t think they will. The Bears win ugly, and ugly doesn’t cover big lines. Wrong.
Zach: Bears. Who’d win in a fight, Ditka or King Kong? Gotta go with Ditka. Right.
Lions -2.5 vs. Vikings
Ben: Vikings. I don’t know any personally, but I doubt Viking fans truly believe this team can make the postseason yet. They have to be drawn in just a bit further. Then as usual this organization will rip out their hearts again. That means they have to win here. Meanwhile, t-minus three quarters until Detroit figures out Jeff Garcia isn’t the answer. Stand by Dan Orlovksy, you might just get a shot this year. Of course knowing the Lions and Matt Millen, they’ll put Joey “Heistman” in there to waste the team’s snaps for the third straight season. Right.
Zach: Vikings. Right.
Panthers -3 vs. Falcons
Ben: Falcons. Inconsistency, thy name is the NFC South. The Falcons showed me nothing by running over a Detroit team USC probably could have beaten. The Panthers showed me what I expected in their narrow win over the terrible Bills. I’ll take the Falcons here… why? The Carolina run game is just awful. The Falcons strength is their pass defense. Teams that can defend the pass, ala the Bears, the Bills and yes, even the Jets for three quarters, showed they can contain the Panthers offense. Until they can show they can run it, I won’t buy Carolina against any team with a decent defense. Wrong.
Zach: Falcons. I think the Falcons can at least partially limit Steve Smith, which means bad things for the Cats. Wrong.
Saints +3.5 vs. Buccaneers
Ben: Buccaneers. Pete Prisco gets another weekly rip from me: he claimed this week Chris Simms will be a pro bowl caliber passer in a couple of years. Yeah right Pete, and the Raiders are going to the Super Bowl this year. (I think he’s pretty pissed at Norv Turner too) Simms will be lucky to be Aaron Brooks in career. The difference of course is that the Bucs have a good D. The Saints don’t. That’s why the Bucs have a shot at the playoffs this year. The Saints don’t. That’s why Jon Gruden will have a job next year. Jim Haslett… well if they haven’t fired him by now, he might have the same deal with the devil Matt Millen does. Right.
Zach: Buccaneers. Man I hate having to pick Simms. Right.
49ers +3 vs. Cardinals
Ben: 49ers. I said I wouldn’t pick Kurt Warner, and I stand by that. The Niners are good at home and they have the Cardinals number. In fact, they’re the only number they’ve gotten in the last few years. Which puts them one number ahead of me. Does that make me the Houston Texans of the dating world? Yes, but I’m a hell of a lot poorer than David Carr. (And only slightly less beat up!) Plus I don’t get the first pick in the draft come April to try to correct this problem. Wrong.
Zach: 49ers. What have we learned this year? The 49ers can play at home. Wrong.
Rams +3 vs. Redskins
Ben: Redskins- Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. Harvard doesn’t play Division I teams. That meant going into Sunday, Fitzpatrick, an NFL rookie and third string QB (who never gets any practice snaps), had never seen a defense better than Division I AA. He still hasn’t. That changes this weekend though. The Redskins have had some tough losses of late, but I don’t buy that the Rams are the QB version of the Broncos: anyone they plug in can put up numbers. Fitzpatrick turns it over a lot this weekend and Skins win. Right.
Zach: Redskins. This might be the game where Clinton Portis plays the second half in costume. Right.
Patriots -10 vs. Jets
Ben: Jets. Finally, I can pick the Jets in good conscience! Why? Because one of my steadfast rules of picking NFL games is never to pick New England with a big spread. 10 points! The Jets are bad, but so are the Pats. With that defense they don’t deserve that big a line against anyone… maybe even the Texans. Besides, if the Jets get killed they just get another step closer to Reggie Bush. Like I said last week, things in Jetland are never that simple. Wrong.
Zach: Jets. Just to make Ben happy. Wrong.
Chiefs +1.5 vs. Broncos
Ben: Broncos. Don’t believe in Denver. Don’t believe in the Chiefs run defense even more. Arrowhead is a tough place to play, but the Denver O-line is impervious to just about anything. Plus, I still have faint hopes the Chiefs will go 8-8, considering the difficultly of their schedule down the stretch. First step in falling off the face of the playoff map comes here. Wrong.
Zach: Broncos. Heartbreak, thy name is Kansas City. Wrong.
Chargers -11.5 vs. Raiders
Ben: Chargers. Give me those San Diego Super Chargers and their high flying offense against the imploding Raiders who got lit up by head banger Gus Ferrotte last week. Not much more to say here. Right.
Zach: Raiders. The Chargers will win, but something tells me we’ll get one last good game from this Raider squad. If the Chargers wear their powder blues, however, consider this pick changed. Wrong.
Eagles +4 vs. Seahawks
Ben: Eagles. Ah Mike McMahon… you were one good performance away from locking up the race to be #1 in “Ben Valentine’s pick to be 2006 Jets QB”. I had the banner all ready and everything. Oh well, the Commish didn’t kill the Eagles last week, which is half the battle. And hey, they got me a win in the picks. Meanwhile, things are going too well for Zach lately. He has football bragging rights over T-Bone, David, (as well as me and Bryan by default). Me thinks a resident Eagles fan will be the only one who will be able to say anything to Sportszilla this year; of course until he points out to her that the Hawks are headed towards home field, while the Eagles are headed to the golf course. Wrong.
Zach: Seahawks. Do I sense a certain amount of jealousy coming from the green and white? Right.
Last Week:
Ben: 9-6-1
Zach: 8-7-1
Season:
Ben: 66-73-5
Zach: 66-73-5
This Week:
Ben: 7-9
Zach: 8-8
Dolphins -5 vs. Bills
Ben: Bills. Two bad teams with too big of a spread. At least as a rivalry game, this probably means something to the fans. Lord knows the rest of the country isn’t getting hyped up about JP Losman against Gus Ferrotte. I like the Dolphins to win this game but I don’t think they’re going to be blowing anyone out, especially a rival like Buffalo who usually can play them close. Right.
Zach: Dolphins. Miami hasn’t beaten Buffalo in December in forever…they’re not missing their opportunity this year. Wrong.
Steelers -3 vs. Bengals
Ben: Steelers. I’m sick of being let down by the Steelers this season and with Big Ben now revealing he has a thumb injury, it makes this pick even harder. But no team has been more consistent this season than Cinci; they own the bad teams and flop against the good ones. There are no freebees in the NFL, you want respect, you’ve got to earn it. The Bengals haven’t, yet. Wrong.
Zach: Bengals. I think they’ve ironed out their problems from the last meeting. Right.
Ravens -8 vs. Texans
Ben: Ravens. I can’t do it. I just can’t. I was on the verge of picking Houston, but I can’t take the worst team in the NFL. Even Jamal Lewis will be able to run against this team and god help David Carr behind that offensive line on the road. They couldn’t stop Ryan Fitzpatrick at home. Even Kyle Boller should be able to put up points on this team… right? If not, Brian Billick should be fired, Boller should be cut and Ravens should be contracted. Wrong.
Zach: Ravens. Guaranteed Jamal Lewis runs for 150 yards…long after it matters to my fantasy team. Wrong.
Colts -16 vs. Titans
Ben: Colts. Wouldn’t it be funny if the Colts lost here? I don’t see it happening, but it would be funny. Right.
Zach: Colts. I’d laugh. Right.
Browns +3 vs. Jaguars
Ben: Jaguars. Jacksonville generated bigger spreads against better teams. I don’t understand Vegas sometimes. Anyway, David Gerrard is in at QB. By all accounts he’s got talent. Plus as Zach pointed out to me earlier this week, he also suffers from Crohn’s Disease. That of course makes him an automatic member of “my favorite player club” and with just a mediocre performance he will vault to #2 on the list of guys I want to be Jets QB in 2006. The Browns will either be starting a banged up Trent Dilfer or inexperienced Charles Frye. I like the Jags chances either way. Right.
Zach: Jaguars. I don’t trust anyone who’s their own grandfather. Right.
Giants -3.5 vs. Cowboys
Ben: Cowboys. I don’t like the Giants, and I like them even less when the Jets stink. So I’ve got to ask myself, am I picking against them because I believe they’ll lose or because I want them to lose. Okay, reasons for Dallas this week: Long rest, better defense and I think this game will come down to three points. Reasons for the G-Men- banged up Dallas line, better at home than on the road, Dallas looks worse overall right now. I went both ways here, but I’m taking Dallas. The extra rest and the belief this game will be close were the deciding factors. Wrong.
Zach: Cowboys. Season over, Giants. Wrong.
Bears -7 vs. Packers
Ben: Packers. The Bears will win. But they can’t score TDs unless someone hands them the ball inside the 20. Figure Green Bay does that once in this game. That’s not enough to cover the seven points, unless you think the Packers will be held off the board, and I don’t think they will. The Bears win ugly, and ugly doesn’t cover big lines. Wrong.
Zach: Bears. Who’d win in a fight, Ditka or King Kong? Gotta go with Ditka. Right.
Lions -2.5 vs. Vikings
Ben: Vikings. I don’t know any personally, but I doubt Viking fans truly believe this team can make the postseason yet. They have to be drawn in just a bit further. Then as usual this organization will rip out their hearts again. That means they have to win here. Meanwhile, t-minus three quarters until Detroit figures out Jeff Garcia isn’t the answer. Stand by Dan Orlovksy, you might just get a shot this year. Of course knowing the Lions and Matt Millen, they’ll put Joey “Heistman” in there to waste the team’s snaps for the third straight season. Right.
Zach: Vikings. Right.
Panthers -3 vs. Falcons
Ben: Falcons. Inconsistency, thy name is the NFC South. The Falcons showed me nothing by running over a Detroit team USC probably could have beaten. The Panthers showed me what I expected in their narrow win over the terrible Bills. I’ll take the Falcons here… why? The Carolina run game is just awful. The Falcons strength is their pass defense. Teams that can defend the pass, ala the Bears, the Bills and yes, even the Jets for three quarters, showed they can contain the Panthers offense. Until they can show they can run it, I won’t buy Carolina against any team with a decent defense. Wrong.
Zach: Falcons. I think the Falcons can at least partially limit Steve Smith, which means bad things for the Cats. Wrong.
Saints +3.5 vs. Buccaneers
Ben: Buccaneers. Pete Prisco gets another weekly rip from me: he claimed this week Chris Simms will be a pro bowl caliber passer in a couple of years. Yeah right Pete, and the Raiders are going to the Super Bowl this year. (I think he’s pretty pissed at Norv Turner too) Simms will be lucky to be Aaron Brooks in career. The difference of course is that the Bucs have a good D. The Saints don’t. That’s why the Bucs have a shot at the playoffs this year. The Saints don’t. That’s why Jon Gruden will have a job next year. Jim Haslett… well if they haven’t fired him by now, he might have the same deal with the devil Matt Millen does. Right.
Zach: Buccaneers. Man I hate having to pick Simms. Right.
49ers +3 vs. Cardinals
Ben: 49ers. I said I wouldn’t pick Kurt Warner, and I stand by that. The Niners are good at home and they have the Cardinals number. In fact, they’re the only number they’ve gotten in the last few years. Which puts them one number ahead of me. Does that make me the Houston Texans of the dating world? Yes, but I’m a hell of a lot poorer than David Carr. (And only slightly less beat up!) Plus I don’t get the first pick in the draft come April to try to correct this problem. Wrong.
Zach: 49ers. What have we learned this year? The 49ers can play at home. Wrong.
Rams +3 vs. Redskins
Ben: Redskins- Ryan Fitzpatrick went to Harvard. Harvard doesn’t play Division I teams. That meant going into Sunday, Fitzpatrick, an NFL rookie and third string QB (who never gets any practice snaps), had never seen a defense better than Division I AA. He still hasn’t. That changes this weekend though. The Redskins have had some tough losses of late, but I don’t buy that the Rams are the QB version of the Broncos: anyone they plug in can put up numbers. Fitzpatrick turns it over a lot this weekend and Skins win. Right.
Zach: Redskins. This might be the game where Clinton Portis plays the second half in costume. Right.
Patriots -10 vs. Jets
Ben: Jets. Finally, I can pick the Jets in good conscience! Why? Because one of my steadfast rules of picking NFL games is never to pick New England with a big spread. 10 points! The Jets are bad, but so are the Pats. With that defense they don’t deserve that big a line against anyone… maybe even the Texans. Besides, if the Jets get killed they just get another step closer to Reggie Bush. Like I said last week, things in Jetland are never that simple. Wrong.
Zach: Jets. Just to make Ben happy. Wrong.
Chiefs +1.5 vs. Broncos
Ben: Broncos. Don’t believe in Denver. Don’t believe in the Chiefs run defense even more. Arrowhead is a tough place to play, but the Denver O-line is impervious to just about anything. Plus, I still have faint hopes the Chiefs will go 8-8, considering the difficultly of their schedule down the stretch. First step in falling off the face of the playoff map comes here. Wrong.
Zach: Broncos. Heartbreak, thy name is Kansas City. Wrong.
Chargers -11.5 vs. Raiders
Ben: Chargers. Give me those San Diego Super Chargers and their high flying offense against the imploding Raiders who got lit up by head banger Gus Ferrotte last week. Not much more to say here. Right.
Zach: Raiders. The Chargers will win, but something tells me we’ll get one last good game from this Raider squad. If the Chargers wear their powder blues, however, consider this pick changed. Wrong.
Eagles +4 vs. Seahawks
Ben: Eagles. Ah Mike McMahon… you were one good performance away from locking up the race to be #1 in “Ben Valentine’s pick to be 2006 Jets QB”. I had the banner all ready and everything. Oh well, the Commish didn’t kill the Eagles last week, which is half the battle. And hey, they got me a win in the picks. Meanwhile, things are going too well for Zach lately. He has football bragging rights over T-Bone, David, (as well as me and Bryan by default). Me thinks a resident Eagles fan will be the only one who will be able to say anything to Sportszilla this year; of course until he points out to her that the Hawks are headed towards home field, while the Eagles are headed to the golf course. Wrong.
Zach: Seahawks. Do I sense a certain amount of jealousy coming from the green and white? Right.
Last Week:
Ben: 9-6-1
Zach: 8-7-1
Season:
Ben: 66-73-5
Zach: 66-73-5
posted by Zach at 9:07 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home