Week 12 NFL Projections (After Thanksgiving Games)

Last week: 9-4
Season: 101-39

Oakland Raiders 20, Chicago Bears 17

Caleb Hanie might surprise some people here, as he actually did look competent in the NFC Championship Game when Jay Cutler was hurt. But he will probably be overwhelmed by the amount of times he'll be knocked down as any new quarterback would. Expect him to have a hard time getting into a groove with his receivers, and Carson Palmer, Michael Bush and the Raiders to put just enough points on the board.

New Orleans Saints 31, New York Giants 24

Drew Brees and crew should be able to take care of a Giants defense surprisingly ranked in the bottom half of the league this year. New York has higher stakes on this game as they are battling Dallas for the division crown, but the extra fight should not be able to stop New Orleans.

New York Jets 20, Buffalo Bills 13

Both teams are in the midst of ugly stretches, and a loss for either effectively eliminates their playoff chances. Only the Eagles have failed expectations worse than the Jets. The Bills started off the season a feel-good story, but with Fred Jackson's injury and current incompetency of the offense, have all but fallen out of the playoff radar. Both teams need this win more than ever, and it should be the Jets who stay over .500.

New England Patriots 24, Philadelphia Eagles 23
Atlanta Falcons 24, Minnesota Vikings 10
Cincinnati Bengals 10, Cleveland Browns 6
Tennessee Titans 20, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
Carolina Panthers 27, Indianapolis Colts 12
St. Louis Rams 21, Arizona Cardinals 20
Houston Texans 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Seattle Seahawks 17, Washington Redskins 14
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Denver Broncos 17, San Diego Chargers 13

Week 9 NFL Projections

Last week: 9-4
Season: 72-27

Buffalo Bills 24, New York Jets 21

This matchup has the makings of an outstanding football game. These two teams are polar opposites: the Jets are known for running the ball and their defense; the Bills for their high-powered, pass heavy attack. I picked on Mark Sanchez a few weeks ago and I'll continue to do it again: he needs to perform well in order to outscore the Bills, and I don't think he'll be able to. New York will be able to hold Fred Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Buffalo to a manageable scoring total, but it's up to Sanchez to keep his outspoken team over .500.

New England Patriots 27, New York Giants 24

I don't think I have picked against the Patriots so far this year. I wrongly chose them against Pittsburgh last week, but nonetheless, I can't help but pick them again. Tom Brady has slowed down considerably since the opening part of the season, but he is still Tom Brady. Enough said. While the Giants are the more well-rounded team at this moment, and will likely give the Patriots a dogfight, New England should be able to escape.

Green Bay Packers 31, San Diego Chargers 17

I'm starting to believe Green Bay will go undefeated. Sure, the most treacherous part of their schedule is yet to come, this game being the start of it. But as a team they are just too fundamentally sound to drop a game right now (as Philip Rivers did, literally, last week).

Baltimore Ravens 14, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Old-school football is this game. Baltimore was my preseason AFC Super Bowl pick, and while they have made me doubt it to a great extent the past few weeks, they were able to completely dismantle Pittsburgh in the first week of the season, 35-7. Joe Flacco's play has been uninspiring this year, however, expect neither quarterback to have a shiny performance is this defensive showcase. This game will surely be closer than Week 1, and Pittsburgh might just come out on top.

Philadelphia Eagles 31, Chicago Bears 20

Yes, I know, I am a little biased. I mean, I live in Philly and am a diehard Birds fan, so what do you expect? So if you want, you can just disregard this pick. But it does seem realistic Philadelphia can win this game, especially after that beatdown against the Boys last Sunday. Sure, Matt Forte might run for 465 yards and 5 TDs on the way to a Bears win (I don't know why they won't give that guy a contract. I'll be writing a post on that soon). If Andy Reid can devise a gameplan anywhere near as genius as the one employed last week, then the climb back to .500 is complete, and the one toward the playoffs stays alive.

Dallas Cowboys 20, Seattle Seahawks 12
Atlanta Falcons 27, Indianapolis Colts 6
Kansas City Chiefs 24, Miami Dolphins 10
New Orleans Saints 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
San Francisco 49ers 20, Washington Redskins 13
Tennessee Titans 20, Cincinnati Bengals 17
Oakland Raiders 12, Denver Broncos 10 (If I could pick them both to lose, I would.)
Houston Texans 26, Cleveland Browns 13
Arizona Cardinals 23, St. Louis Rams 17

Week 6 NFL Projections

Last week: 10-3
Season: 46-15

Detroit Lions 27, San Francisco 49ers 24

The 49ers may have surprised some people more than the Lions have to start this season. Everyone was aware of the talent Matthew Stafford possessed, but Alex Smith? He's looked like a legitimate NFL quarterback so far, albeit a very reliable one. He's only thrown one pick in his team's first five games. Nonetheless, the Lions are playing with a purpose right now; their entire team is on a roll. Look for them to stay undefeated, and Stafford to connect with Megatron for the receiver to reach double-digits in touchdowns this early in the season.

Buffalo Bills 30, New York Giants 27

This is a very good week to pick against the Bills. They haven't been able to cover teams' number three receiver at all this season, as demonstrated by Jason Avant's 160 yards last week. And the Giants have one looking to continue a breakout season in Victor Cruz, who is primed to have a huge day. However, the Giants defense wasn't what it once was, and should be susceptible to the Bills high-powered attack. The Bills have had success both running the ball with Fred Jackson and through the air, and the Giants D is barely average against both this year. Look for the surprise Bills to get to 5-1 after this high scoring affair.

Baltimore Ravens 24, Houston Texans 17

The Ravens had a bye last weekend, a huge advantage for their aging defense. And while Arian Foster is healthy, they are without another offensive cornerstone in Andre Johnson, obviously Matt Schaub's favorite target. The Texans brought in Derrick Mason for a little bit of help, but he and Schaub won't have any chemistry so soon. Behind Johnson, Houston doesn't have anyone worthy of filling in as a number one. This could keep them from a win, no matter how much they have cleaned up their defense.

New Orleans Saints 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20

The Bucs got smacked around last week against San Francisco, and it certainly doesn't look any better for them facing the high-powered Saints. Certainly they will put up more than the field goal they managed last weekend, but the way their offense has played lately they don't have a shot at putting up points to stay even with the Saints. Josh Freeman hasn't played like the guy he was last year, and if he wants a win today at home he'll need a career game.

Atlanta Falcons 23, Carolina Panthers 20
Washington Redskins 31, Philadelphia Eagles 28
Cincinnati Bengals 26, Indianapolis Colts 20
Green Bay Packers 41, St. Louis Rams 13
Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 19
Oakland Raiders 26, Cleveland Browns 13
New England Patriots 27, Dallas Cowboys 20
Chicago Bears 20, Minnesota Vikings 14
New York Jets 26, Miami Dolphins 6