Saturday, November 19, 2005
NFL Week 11 Picks
Another ugly 2-4 week makes me 23-29-2 for the year. Forget about picking games; I'm starting to question whether I should be taking up valuable oxygen from the other six billion souls on this planet. Plans to move to Vegas have been put on hold, but I will go ahead and make some more picks.
Tampa Bay +6 at Atlanta: The Bucs have owned this series in recent memory. Why are they getting so many points? Is it because their defense looked so shaky last week? Well, let me tell you something--the Falcons' defense hasn't been a world-beater lately either. Tampa probably wins this game outright.
Cincinnati +6 vs. Indianapolis: I think this is the week the Colts' perfect season gets derailed. A dome team, playing outside in some pretty bad weather, against a 7-2 squad coming off a bye; if I didn't tell you it was Indy, you would never take the road team in that situation. The Bengals could still lose this game, but not by a lot.
New York Giants -7 vs. Philadelphia: I have to decide whether the Giants' loss last week was an aberration or a trend. Let's see...they gave up an interception return for a touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Since that has NEVER HAPPENED IN NFL HISTORY...I vote for aberration. The Eagles, on the other hand, have been publicly imploding for weeks. Take the Giants and lay the wood.
Pittsburgh -3.5 at Baltimore: The Ravens are dreadful, and I cannot imagine why this line is so low. It must be that people are spooked by the notion of Tommy Maddox at quarterback. The fact is, they could put Tommy Hilfiger back there and still stomp Baltimore flat. The Steelers might score enough points on defense to win this game.
San Diego vs. Buffalo over 42 points: The Charger offense is ruthlessly efficient, and will probably get over 30 by themselves. The Bills are probably good for 13, although it may take a garbage-time touchdown to get there.
Green Bay -4.5 vs. Minnesota: Both teams come off road wins against better teams. The Vikes' win over the Giants was, as noted above, a fluke. They won't do it two weeks in a row. The cheeseheads, well fortified against a night colder than a pimp's heart, will cheer themselves hoarse on the way to a big victory.
Tampa Bay +6 at Atlanta: The Bucs have owned this series in recent memory. Why are they getting so many points? Is it because their defense looked so shaky last week? Well, let me tell you something--the Falcons' defense hasn't been a world-beater lately either. Tampa probably wins this game outright.
Cincinnati +6 vs. Indianapolis: I think this is the week the Colts' perfect season gets derailed. A dome team, playing outside in some pretty bad weather, against a 7-2 squad coming off a bye; if I didn't tell you it was Indy, you would never take the road team in that situation. The Bengals could still lose this game, but not by a lot.
New York Giants -7 vs. Philadelphia: I have to decide whether the Giants' loss last week was an aberration or a trend. Let's see...they gave up an interception return for a touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Since that has NEVER HAPPENED IN NFL HISTORY...I vote for aberration. The Eagles, on the other hand, have been publicly imploding for weeks. Take the Giants and lay the wood.
Pittsburgh -3.5 at Baltimore: The Ravens are dreadful, and I cannot imagine why this line is so low. It must be that people are spooked by the notion of Tommy Maddox at quarterback. The fact is, they could put Tommy Hilfiger back there and still stomp Baltimore flat. The Steelers might score enough points on defense to win this game.
San Diego vs. Buffalo over 42 points: The Charger offense is ruthlessly efficient, and will probably get over 30 by themselves. The Bills are probably good for 13, although it may take a garbage-time touchdown to get there.
Green Bay -4.5 vs. Minnesota: Both teams come off road wins against better teams. The Vikes' win over the Giants was, as noted above, a fluke. They won't do it two weeks in a row. The cheeseheads, well fortified against a night colder than a pimp's heart, will cheer themselves hoarse on the way to a big victory.
