Thoughts From the Ravens - Broncos Double OT Thriller

1) I'm sure you've heard it already - the Ray Lewis legend lives on, largely in part to himself. He far and away led everyone with seventeen tackles in the 77-minute slugfest. He could hardly put words together in his post game interview; the 37-year-old left everything he had out on the field.

2) Watching Torrey Smith repeatedly scamper right past Champ Bailey made me think of my Eagles and the way highly esteemed corners Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie got torched umpteen times a game. Bailey, the fourteen-time Pro Bowler and eventual Hall of Famer, showed his age against the younger, speedier Smith. On switching to safety in the future, Bailey recently said he didn't think he'd want to do that. But it may be able to extend his career.

3) Though of course hundreds of factors contributed, one could argue the brutal blown coverage on the 70-yard game-tying TD by Jacoby Jones, which sent the game to overtime, cost the Broncos a place in the AFC Championship. The pass came with 31 seconds remaining, on a desperation heave by Joe Flacco aided by a terrible route taken to the ball by the talented 22-year-old safety Rahim Moore. "The loss, it was my fault," Moore said. "I got a little too happy. It was pathetic. My fault. Next time I'll make that play." He was on the verge of tears after the game. The worst part of these epic contests is the heartbreak that comes with nearly every one.

4) Since no on in any analysis ever seems to praise the offensive linemen, let's give them some props. The Ravens only allowed Joe Flacco to be sacked once by a vaunted Broncos pass rush featuring Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. The Broncos allowed just three, but there was also a crucial fumble by Peyton Manning. 

5) The Ravens will have to address their special teams for next week, whether they get the Patriots or the Texans. They allowed Trindon Holliday to return a punt for 90 and a kickoff for 104 (both TDs). On the day, he had 248 return yards, a playoff record.

6) This has been so far and probably go on to be the best postseason game this year.

7) How about John Harbaugh's confidence in his talented rookie kicker Justin Tucker? After getting to the Denver 34, he didn't even bother trying to get any closer, instead being content with a 47-yarder to win the game. Tucker, who had been hitting from 67 in his warmup, proved him right.

8) Though he's still not quite there, Joe Flacco's performance moved him closer to that stupid elite quarterback club thing.

9) Corey Graham's huge overtime interception (his second of the game) came on the most un-Payton Manning-like play by Peyton Manning imaginable. He tried to throw on the move across the field, his only weakness if he has one, and Graham read Brandon Stokely's curl route beautifully.

10) Quote of the postseason, from Ravens coach John Harbaugh: "This football game, did football proud."

Why I Have a Right to Criticize: NFL

You might ask why I write about sports, if all I am going to do is criticize them. It's not the sports themselves I am critical of, however, but rather the commissioners of the pro leagues and the leagues' evolutions.

For example, the NFL, the only major pro league with a genuinely competitive regular season where every game truly does matter, is pondering playoff expansion. Couple that with consideration of having teams abroad in Great Britain eventually, and in 20 years we get....

The British Knights (4-11) will be facing the London Monarchs (5-10) for a chance to claim the last spot in the expanded 22 team NFL Playoff Format.

Punt-off is at 3 AM EST.....

The punt-off, of course, refers to the talk of eliminating the kickoff, routinely the most exciting part of the game, for a punt to begin the game, which for some reason is supposed to keep the game safer.

"I care about player $afety fir$t and foremo$t," Goodell says on the matter.

His entire safety argument has no credibility whatsoever after he campaigned for an eighteen game season as well as signing with NFL Network to get a Thursday Night Game going all seventeen weeks.

Allowing replacement refs didn't sit well with players or fans, either, and completely conflicts with Goodell's safety claims.

One more thing about expanded playoffs: if there were 8 teams in from each conference, then the Jets would be a playoff team right now at 6-7. Does that seem right?

Happy Thanksgiving! NFL Picks and More

Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions

The Lions have lost their last eight Thanksgiving games. Well, it's about to be nine. It's not going to be the blowout everyone is projecting though. Sure, the Texans are 9-1, but they just escaped the pitiful Jaguars by a six point margin. The Lions, though vastly underachieving expectations thus far, are eons better than the Jags. And they're fighting for their playoff hopes, something the Texans have essentially locked up already. This game is going to be a barn burner, and the only way the Lions come out victorious is if Matt Stafford protects the football and connects with Megatron multiple times. Prediction: Texans 27, Lions 24


Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys

At just 5-5, the Cowboys sit just one game behind the Giants in the disappointing NFC East. They've beaten all the teams they should have (Tampa Bay, Carolina, Philly, Cleveland) and lost to the NFL's more impressive teams (Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta). The Redskins fall into the first category. On Washington's side, Robert Griffin III is coming off a game in which he posted a perfect 158.3 QB rating, albeit against an Eagles D in shambles. Neither of these two teams have been impressive, but someone has to win. I'll go out on a limb and predict Washington on a game winning drive. Tony Romo will do his team in with one too many turnovers, nothing new. Prediction: Redskins 24, Cowboys 20

New England Patriots vs. New York Jets

I'm going to be watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving during this game. The Jets aren't even worth writing about. They're the only team you're going to hear about in all three games' pregame shows. And the Patriots are going to trash them. Prediction: Patriots 34, Jets 13

And in other NFL news: All this San Francisco QB controversy business may be true, but I'm of the opinion Jim Harbaugh is just claiming he's unsure of his starter so the Saints spend half of their walkthroughs preparing for Colin Kaepernick, when Alex Smith is going to be the one playing.

Changing gears to college basketball, here is the box score of the game in which Division III Grinnell College's Jack Taylor scored 138 points. Look up Grinnell's offensive philosophy if you want to know how this was possible. Basically, coach David Arseneault runs a system in which he expects his team to pop fifty threes a game, and he recruits almost entirely sharpshooting guards. But still, 138 points is 138 points.

For your enjoyment, if you haven't watched the entire version yet and have only seen the TV version, here is the full Uncle Drew Pepsi MAX commercial. There's a part two that features Kevin Love.

Have a happy Thanksgiving. Here's a suggestion: put chocolate chips in the pumpkin bread. Trust me.

Doomed

Under Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys have won three Super Bowls, with former coach Jimmy Johnson's players.

The bottom line is this: the Cowboys, America's Team, have been a model of mediocrity since 1995, the year they last won the Super Bowl. They have won two playoff games since then, and are 123-124 since 1997. Jones has executed poor trades (for Roy Williams and Pacman Jones) and unimpressive drafting (five players drafted in 2010 and 2011 remain on the roster).

The recent history, combined with the team's current 3-5 record, begs the question: Would Jones ever consider stepping down as general manager, a role he has in addition to his ownership of the franchise?

As much as Cowboys fans yearn for this to happen, the man in power delivered a resounding no.

"We are not structured that way. We didn't structure it that way with my ownership. There's no way that I would be involved here and not be the final decision-maker on something as important as players, and that is a key area. That's never been anybody's misunderstanding. It's been a debated thing, but it's just not going to happen."

It's somewhat comical how he uses the term "we".  Because it's not like there is anyone telling him what to do. While the current management situation is in place, there is no reason to believe postseason success is on the horizon, particularly because Tony Romo remains their starting quarterback.

Romo is another story in its entirety. His Cowboys epic is defined by his fumbled snap of a few years ago, and he's never escaped the reputation of crumbling in the clutch. The way the team is playing now, he won't even get the opportunity to do so again.

With Jones calling the shots, though, it can be all but assured Romo is the quarterback for the next several seasons. He'll put up a sparkly stat line (though those interceptions are piling up this year), but Jones will be left scratching his head at the conclusion of the season, wondering what the heck happened to all the players he handpicked. But Cowboys fans, it's okay: he's confident in his ability as GM.

"We've had success doing it this way and we're going to have success in the future doing it this way," Jones said.

Not sure many people share his vision.

2012 NFL Player Rankings - Wide Receivers

Being a prima donna might get a few guys demoted a little. But not too much.

Here's the list:

1) Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions
2) Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
3) Andre Johnson, Houston Texans
4) A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
5) Victor Cruz, New York Giants
6) Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers
7) Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons
8) Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
9) Wes Welker, New England Patriots
10) Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers
11) Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
12) Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants
13) Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears
14) Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers
15) Percy Harvin, Minnesota Vikings
16) Dwyane Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs
17) Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
18) Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
19) DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
20) Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
21) Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
22) Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
23) Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins
24) Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
25) Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
26) Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens
27) Eric Decker, Denver Broncos
28) Stevie Johnson, Buffalo Bills
29) Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans
30) Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers
31) Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders
32) Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams

2012 NFL Player Rankings - Running Backs

These rankings are not for fantasy value. And yes, Darren Sproles may be too high, but I like the way he plays, and the dual threat he brings to the offense. Here's the list:

1) Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens
2) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles
3) Arian Foster, Houston Texans
4) Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings
5) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs
6) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
7) Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks
8) Matt Forte, Chicago Bears
9) Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
10) Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins
11) Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills
12) Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
13) Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers
14) Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
15) C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills
16) Darren Sproles, New Orleans Saints
17) Willis McGahee, Denver Broncos
18) Trent Richardson, Cleveland Browns
19) Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
20) BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals
21) DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
22) Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons
23) Alfred Morris, Washington Redskins
24) DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers
25) Michael Bush, Chicago Bears
26) Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers
27) Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh Steelers
28) Ben Tate, Houston Texans
29) Cedric Benson, Green Bay Packers
30) Andre Brown, New York Giants
31) Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans
32) Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints

2012 NFL Player Ranks - Quarterbacks

No writing on my part here. I'm simply going to rank the top players at each of the fantasy skill positions. Not by fantasy value, but by who I think is the best. Because I feel like it.

Some of you may think Andy Dalton is too high on this list, and he might be. But I feel he's going to prove me right this season.

Russell Wilson is a guy who I hope proves me wrong. I haven't seen much of his ability in the NFL yet, but there is definitely a chance he can be a top twenty signal caller this season. I like how he doesn't possess the ego of fellow newcomers Cam Newton (2nd year) and Robert Griffin III. His work ethic rivals anyone in the league, he doesn't complain about other teams "playing dirty" (RGIII) or charge fans cash for autographs (Newton).

Anyway, here's the list:

1) Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2) Tom Brady, New England Patriots
3) Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
4) Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
5) Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
6) Eli Manning, New York Giants
7) Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers
8) Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
9) Matt Schaub, Houston Texans
10) Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
11) Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
12) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
13) Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins
14) Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers
15) Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
16) Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
17) Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
18) Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
19) Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans
20) Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders
21) Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts
22) Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills
23) Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs
24) Kevin Kolb, Arizona Cardinals
25) Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings
26) Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
27) Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams
28) Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29) Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars
30) Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
31) Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
32) Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns

The Nasty Side of a Game

Yeah, Kyle Williams muffed yesterday.

He received death threats.

Honestly, what is wrong with people? Football is a game. Sure, Williams failed at his job yesterday. But football is a game. I can't imagine anyone having so little sense, so little compassion for another human being. What do the lunatics sending these messages think about themselves?

Williams' father, Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams, explained how he had to tell his wife, Kyle's mother, to expect having to deal with this on his way out the door in the morning.

People criticizing Williams need to get some perspective on things. He didn't do his job yesterday, no. But football is entertainment. He's not an air traffic controller, a sinking cruise ship captain, or a surgeon. What Williams did yesterday was equivalent to your favorite TV show director writing a bad script for last night's episode.

Sure people value their sports. I'm a diehard fan too. I get it. But do people really wish to end a man's life for a miscue in a game? What a disgusting world we live in.

To Bring Back an Old Issue...

As of this second there is 9:59 left in the Broncos-Steelers playoff game, and Jim Nantz just said how this would be the first playoff game without a kickoff return.

Now, this is basically a forgotten issue at this point, and most of us have indeed not thought about it since the early part of the season. But kicking off from the 35-yard line has certainly taken much of the excitement out of football games.

Guys earn their paycheck from making special teams plays. But with so many touchbacks this season (over two thirds of Matt Prater's kicks this year went into the end zone), the special teams players lose value.

That being said, the NFL is still happy about the change, and will not consider changing back anytime soon, as many campaigned for to start the year. Not only does it cut down on injuries, but it also enables a higher frequency of giant offensive plays. Offenses starting from their own 20 instead of at the 30 or 40 have longer to go down the field for a touchdown. Along with the increased penalties against defenders, this has been a contributing factor to passing numbers being up so high, and it may have helped to enable Drew Brees and Tom Brady to both break Dan Marino's yardage mark that had been in tact for over two decades.

The league is well aware fans like to see high-powered offenses.

One thing is for sure: you're never going to see an exciting touchback. But to the NFL, that is just fine.

Week 15 Sunday NFL Projections

Just scores this week. I've been working on the NBA Preview, which should be finished in a few days.

Last week: 11-3
Season: 135-47

Denver Broncos 24, New England Patriots 23
Baltimore Ravens 24, San Diego Chargers 20
Seattle Seahawks 17, Chicago Bears 13
Detroit Lions 27, Oakland Raiders 24
Pittsburgh Steelers 19, San Francisco 49ers 17

Houston Texans 31, Carolina Panthers 14
Philadelphia Eagles 27, New York Jets 26
New Orleans Saints 31, Minnesota Vikings 10
New York Giants 24, Washington Redskins 13
Arizona Cardinals 14, Cleveland Browns 13
Cincinnati Bengals 13, St. Louis Rams 3
Buffalo Bills 20, Miami Dolphins 13
Tennessee Titans 23, Indianapolis Colts 6
Green Bay Packers 38, Kansas City Chiefs 17

Week 13 NFL Projections

Last week: 11-2
Season: 112-41

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 14

The last time these two clashed, I picked Pittsburgh because the lack of Cincy's quality wins. Well, that was just three weeks ago. Since then, the Bengals fell to yet another playoff team in the Ravens, and then barely squeaked by the bottom-dwelling Browns. Cincinnati has not beaten a single team currently with a winning record this season, and that says it all.

Atlanta Falcons 20, Houston Texans 17

Maybe T.J. Yates will surprise us. He has a healthier Andre Johnson to help him out, and one of the best o-lines/running back corps in the league on his side. But I will still take the safer pick here, as Michael Turner has been ruled healthy enough to play for Atlanta.

New Orleans Saints 34, Detroit Lions 27

This game has the makings of a shootout. Even with Ndamukong Suh to clog up the middle, the Lions' rush defense hasn't been very good, but with his absence, a guy potentially getting after Drew Brees all day is being taken away. New Orleans might rush Mark Ingram and crew a bit more than usual today, en route to a W in an eventful ballgame.

Green Bay Packers 31, New York Giants 20
Buffalo Bills 24, Tennessee Titans 23
Chicago Bears 24, Kansas City Chiefs 6
Miami Dolphins 24, Oakland Raiders 21
Denver Broncos 17, Minnesota Vikings 14
New England Patriots 45, Indianapolis Colts 20
Carolina Panthers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13
New York Jets 20, Washington Redskins 16
Baltimore Ravens 27, Cleveland Browns 17
Dallas Cowboys 28, Arizona Cardinals 23
San Francisco 49ers 28, St. Louis Rams 24
San Diego Chargers 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 13

Thursday's Eagles at Seahawks game had already been played when this was written.

Give Jay Cutler Credit

NFL fans take shots at Jay Cutler's toughness all the time.

Last year's NFC Championship was what drew the most attention, when he came out of the game with apparent injury. TV cameras repeatedly showed Cutler on the sideline in a winter coat and hat with his hands in his pockets, motionless, expressionless. People doubted whether he had any injury at all, much less one he should be playing through.

Former NFL great and current NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he had "better see" Dr. James Andrews operate on Cutler in person for him to be satisfied with the QB leaving the game.

He took a lot of heat for coming out of that game, in which you know the Bears went on to fall to the Packers. But it turned out he had torn his MCL, an injury impossible to play through, but saw no reason to tell the media about it.

Cutler's indifferent personality has been his undoing concerning the general public's opinion of him. Yes, he did whine his way out of Denver, that is true. But had he cared enough about his reputation to just tell a sideline reporter details of the injury rather than leaving it unknown, the backlash could have been far less.

This same sort of situation came up this past Sunday after he broke his thumb in a win over San Diego.

Cutler played through the entire game hardly indicating his injury, much less letting anyone know about it. The 7-3 Bears won 31-20 and all seemed fine. But after the game reports surfaced that his thumb was broken and could be out for an extended period of time.

Immediately, the jeers came from the fans. It was too minor of an injury, Cutler is a baby, he's letting his team down, he should play through this, etc.

The play Cutler seemed to have gotten hurt on was this: he threw an interception that wasn't his fault, then ran hard to attempt to bring down the defender who had picked off the pass, a play you will almost never see from any other quarterback.

And for those of you wondering, you can't grip a football, much less throw it, with a broken thumb.

Let's put Cutler's season into perspective. All year he has been playing with probably the worst offensive line in the league. He's been getting hit after practically every throw and completely beaten up. After each ballgame he looks like he's been through a war zone. Yet he hasn't once complained about his offensive line, continues to get up. And on top of that, he's put up solid stats and led his team to a 7-3 record.

Hate Jay Cutler all you want, but if you are going to doubt his toughness, think again.

Week 11 NFL Projections

Last week: 12-3
Season: 92-36

Sorry, but it's just scores this week. I've been a little busy lately.

Jacksonville Jaguars 17, Cleveland Browns 14
Detroit Lions 24, Carolina Panthers 17
Green Bay Packers 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13
Miami Dolphins 20, Buffalo Bills 17
Oakland Raiders 21, Minnesota Vikings 16
Dallas Cowboys 28, Washington Redskins 10
Baltimore Ravens 27, Cincinnati Bengals 13
St. Louis Rams 14, Seattle Seahawks 12
San Francisco 49ers 28, Arizona Cardinals 17
Atlanta Falcons 30, Tennessee Titans 20
Chicago Bears 28, San Diego Chargers 20
New York Giants 31, Philadelphia Eagles 17
New England Patriots 41, Kansas City Chiefs 24

Week 10 NFL Projections

Last week: 8-6
Season: 80-33

New Orleans Saints 27, Atlanta Falcons 20

Atlanta has been vulnerable to the pass thus far, and the quarterback of the Saints is named Drew Brees. The Falcons are one of the better teams at stifling the run, but New Orleans doesn't run much anyway. At just 1-3 against winning teams so far, the Falcons haven't proven that they can beat elite teams in the league yet, so the Saints present a matchup that Ryan and crew will have a difficult time overcoming.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 13

The Bengals' 6-2 record looks pretty on paper, but it is really just a product of a relatively easy schedule. I'm not trying to take away from what they've done this year, but they only have one quality win, a 23-20 contest against the Bills. Other wins include Cleveland, Jacksonville, Indy, and Seattle. The Steelers should have a rude awakening in store for Cincy.

Dallas Cowboys 28, Buffalo Bills 24

Dallas needs this win to stay in the playoff hunt, and they draw a tough matchup against the 5-3 Bills. That being said, Buffalo's defense has kept them from being among the NFL's elite teams this year. DeMarco Murray should be able to run right through them, and Dez Bryant could break out against this spotty secondary. While Buffalo is capable of scoring with anyone, Dallas should have the better day.

Detroit Lions 23, Chicago Bears 20

Picking the Lions to win makes me second-guess myself, and this decision is probably influenced by the fact that Matthew Stafford is my fantasy QB. Chicago looked exceptional on offense last week; Jay Cutler marched his team down the field numerous times against the Eagles. While Philly's run D has been awful, they still showed indications of a complete offense, because Matt Forte has already proven himself. So why am I picking the Lions (who Matt Forte will run all over next week. He's also on my fantasy team)? Well, no one has seemed to notice that they have one of the worst passing defenses in the league. They'll rush the QB a lot, but Stafford could throw for 300 yards and a pair of scores en route to a big-time win.

San Francisco 49ers 24, New York Giants 20

It's up to Eli Manning in this one. While his big win against New England apparently made him "elite," I'm not buying it. San Fran won't give up anything on the ground, so Manning will need to play probably better than last week if he wants to get his team to 7-2. And Patrick Willis and crew won't let that happen.

New England Patriots 27, New York Jets 24

Patriots, three straight losses? Get outta here. I'd love to see it happen, but I'm not ready to buy the talk that they are no longer elite.

St. Louis Rams 17, Cleveland Browns 13
Philadelphia Eagles 27, Arizona Cardinals 20
Jacksonville Jaguars 13, Indianapolis Colts 10 (If Indy is ever going to win, though, this would be the week.)
Denver Broncos 20, Kansas City Chiefs 17
Miami Dolphins 23, Washington Redskins 17
Houston Texans 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
Tennessee Titans 24, Carolina Panthers 20
Baltimore Ravens 20, Seattle Seahawks 10
Green Bay Packers 24, Minnesota Vikings 12
Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers had already started when I wrote this post.

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 8 NFL Projections

Last week: 8-4
Season: 63-23

Buffalo Bills 27, Washington Redskins 20

Both of these teams are coming off of losses last weekend; the Bills losing a close one to the Giants and the John Beck-led Redskins by thirteen to Cam Newton's Panthers. Buffalo has the worst defense in the NFL this year, but Washington won't have the skill to exploit it enough to outscore the Bills. John Beck simply isn't what Mike Shanahan expects him to be: a reliable NFL starting quarterback. He didn't have that in Rex Grossman, either. And everyone knows in the NFL you need a good starting quarterback...

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Dallas Cowboys 24

No, I shouldn't be picking the Eagles to win this game. I just have a feeling about this one. Andy Reid has finally realized that it is desperation time in Philadelphia, which means he will call the pass 99.9% of the time... That is really the only thing holding Philadelphia back (the linebackers are another issue). If Reid comes to his senses and uses LeSean McCoy effectively like he did in last week's win, the Birds should be able to keep their playoff aspirations alive (unless they can't stop DeMarco Murray).

New England Patriots 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

It's cold. It's in Pittsburgh, and it has the makings of an old-fashioned, grit and grind battle. Twenty points would tie the Patriots' lowest scoring output of the season, but it makes perfect sense as the Steel Curtain looms. This game rides in the hands of Ben Roethlisberger and whether he can exploit the porous pass D of the Pats, as Rashard Mendenhall should have another rough day. I still have Tom Brady pulling out a win, but this game is essentially a toss up, even if New England has looked like the better team thus far.

Tennessee Titans 20, Indianapolis Colts 13
New York Giants 30, Miami Dolphins 6
Baltimore Ravens 23, Arizona Cardinals 14
New Orleans Saints 41, St. Louis Rams 10
Carolina Panthers 28, Minnesota Vikings 24
Houston Texans 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 15
Detroit Lions 27, Denver Broncos 20
San Francisco 49ers 24, Cleveland Browns 17
Cincinnati Bengals 21, Seattle Seahawks 7
San Diego Chargers 24, Kansas City Chiefs 20

Week 7 NFL Projections

Game face.

Last week: 9-4
Season: 55-19

New York Jets 20, San Diego Chargers 17

Minnesota, Kansas City, Miami, and Denver. These are the teams San Diego has beaten en route to a sparkling 4-1 start. And none of them have been convincing.  Oh, by the way, these four teams have a combined 4-17 record. Either they are all shooting for Andrew Luck or should be playing in the Backyard Barbecue League. And San Diego has barely beaten these teams led by your uncle's brother-in law: a field goal win at home against Kansas City, a five point victory against the hapless Broncos. The Jets may have a pretty boy Peewee Leaguer at quarterback, but they are at least a legit NFL team, and the last time the Chargers played one (New England), they lost by two touchdowns.

Detroit Lions 27, Atlanta Falcons 24

Just because they lost last week doesn't mean Detroit is going to start to fall apart a la the 2011 Red Sox. The Falcons have not lived up to expectations and the only aspects of their game they have excelled at thus far is rush defense and losing winnable football games. While Jahvid Best might have a tough time going north-south tomorrow, Matt Stafford should have a field day against this 27th-ranked pass D. With a loss, the Falcons would fall below .500 after such high hopes to start the year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, Chicago Bears 17

The Bears' offensive lineman probably wear paper bags over their heads when they walk around the city. Yes, they've been that bad. Jay Cutler looks like he's been into a bar fight after his first series every Sunday, and came out on the wrong end of it. Lovie Smith also isn't helped by the fact that his intimidating defenses of three years ago, or last year even, have reduced themselves to a pile of rubble. Freeman isn't the prodigy we all made him out to be after last year, but if he isn't capable of putting up points on the Bears he too should cover his face in shame.

Normally I write about four games every weekend, but the NFL decided to give us a college schedule for tomorrow and only have a few good games on the slate. Well, if the Colts were more than just Peyton Manning, the Sunday night game against the Saints would be highly anticipated. Instead, the only people watching will be from New Orleans (definitely not Indy).

Denver Broncos 17 (Tebow: 2-12, 6 yards, 2 INT; 15 rush, 137 yards, 2 TD), Miami Dolphins -12
Houston Texans 24, Tennessee Titans 20
Oakland Raiders 10, Kansas City Chiefs 3 (The Chiefs DO have a chance though!)
Washington Redskins 17, Carolina Panthers 14
Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Arizona Cardinals 13
Dallas Cowboys 24, St. Louis Rams 9 (Dez Bryant breakout game, especially because he is going up against clay figurines in Rams jerseys)
Cleveland Browns 13, Seattle Seahawks 7
Green Bay Packers 41, Minnesota Vikings 3
Baltimore Ravens 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 0

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

Week 5 NFL Projections

Last week: 13-3
Season: 36-12

Buffalo Bills 34, Philadelphia Eagles 31

The Eagles have only played Nnamdi Asomugha in man coverage on around 40% of plays this year, rather than the 95% of man he played in Oakland. The results haven't been pretty: Asomugha has showed his lack of tacking ability. As a result of Nnamdi, Asante Samuel, and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie playing so much zone, opposing receivers haven't been shut down nearly as much as they should be. And the lack of solid linebacking has turned the Birds into one of the league's worst run defenses, despite the all-star defensive line. Expect Buffalo to carve up this once intimidating-looking defense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, San Francisco 49ers 20

Both of these teams are 3-1, but neither has many believers yet. The pressure is on Josh Freeman, as the 49ers have stymied the run the far, but are susceptible to the pass. San Francisco also possesses a below average offense, and if Freeman can lead his team to a few scores, a 4-1 start should be in store for Tampa Bay.

Oakland Raiders 23, Houston Texans 22

The Raiders might come out with a little more fight following a loss to New England and the passing of legendary owner Al Davis. Houston has cleaned up their pass defense a bit this year, but their rush defense is just average, and Run DMC should have another field day. He'll need to carry this Oakland offense, as Jason Campbell has pretty much just played the role of manager thus far.

New England Patriots 31, New York Jets 21

The rivalry will be renewed tomorrow, at the expense of the Jets. Rex Ryan won't like the look of a 2-3 record once after the Patriots are through with them. New England's pass D is dead last in the league, so Mark Sanchez will certainly outdo last week's abysmal performance, but it won't matter.

Kansas City Chiefs 20, Indianapolis Colts 17
Arizona Cardinals 24, Minnesota Vikings 13
New York Giants 31, Seattle Seahawks 12
Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Tennessee Titans 14
New Orleans Saints 34, Carolina Panthers 27
Cincinnati Bengals 17, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
San Diego Chargers 30, Denver Broncos 10
Green Bay Packers 28, Atlanta Falcons 24
Detroit Lions 27, Chicago Bears 17

Week 4 NFL Projections

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 23-9

Detroit Lions 24, Dallas Cowboys 20

A win in Jerry Jones' Palace would put Matt Stafford and the mighty Lions at 4-0. Stafford has looked like he's been quarterbacking for years in the Lions' first three wins. And his team's defensive line is more than capable of taking Tony Romo right out of the game. That and the fact that Dallas is missing Miles Austin and is playing with a hurt Dez Bryant equals a Detroit win.

Baltimore Ravens 17, New York Jets 14

A part of me wants to pick the Jets in this game, simply because they are coming off of a loss and there is no way Rex Ryan would let them go back-to-back. But the Jets aren't quite the same team they had a year ago. Their run defense is tanking, allowing 136.7 yards per game, 31st in the league. And their own rushing hasn't fared much better: just 82.5 yards per game, good for 25th in the league. This ballgame looks to be played mostly on the ground, which favors Ray Rice and the Ravens.

New England Patriots 27, Oakland Raiders 20

I was on the verge of picking the Bills to upset New England last week but couldn't get myself to do it. This week, there is a similar situation. Again, I'll go with the Pats, and maybe regret it later. But Tom Brady tanking two weeks in a row? Gimme a break. Last week's four INTs were a fluke, and when he is back to his normal self tomorrow, he'll grind this one out for a W.

New York Giants 24, Arizona Cardinals 21

Arizona's defense has been nonexistent in the first few weeks of the season. They can still hang around with many teams though, losing their last two games by a combined four points. Zona also possesses a solid passing attack: Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald, who could catch 70 passes with a cardboard bag throwing to him, have developed chemistry. Despite this, Kolb is turnover prone, and expect the Giants to force a few, while Eli Manning dissects this porous Arizona defense.

Carolina Panthers 20, Chicago Bears 17
Buffalo Bills 30, Cincinnati Bengals 21
Tennessee Titans 21, Cleveland Browns 17
Minnesota Vikings 23, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Philadelphia Eagles 31, San Francisco 49ers 24
Washington Redskins 20, St. Louis Rams 10
New Orleans Saints 38, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Houston Texans 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 20
Atlanta Falcons 26, Seattle Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers 31, Denver Broncos 7
San Diego Chargers 34, Miami Dolphins 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Indianapolis Colts 9