Friday, December 23, 2005
NFL Week 16 Picks
A rare winning weekend of 4-2 brings my record to 37-46-4, which leaves me hope that I can at least rise to mediocre. Regular readers (both of you) may notice I am making more and more picks. This is known to degenerate gamblers as "chasing", and it is almost always fatal. However, the holidays have me in a festive mood, so here's seven more picks:
Cincinnati -13.5 vs. Buffalo: Yes, Virginia, it is a lot of points. But with Bengals receiver Chad Johnson promising a touchdown celebration featuring a live deer, how can I resist? The harmlessly insane Johnson and Cincy will romp over the merely harmless Bills.
Houston +6 vs. Jacksonville: The Jaguars could barely eke out a win over the feckless 49ers last week. They have demonstrated a real knack for playing down to their opposition all season. That's going to cost them dearly, maybe even including a playoff berth, if they aren't careful. The Texans will make one more strong effort before settling in to throw the Reggie Bush Bowl next week.
San Francisco +9 at St. Louis: Same logic as above. The Niners will hang around with the Rams, a passing team without a quarterback. In fact, I say this is the week that 49er QB Alex Smith finally throws his first touchdown pass, to go with his standard two interceptions.
New York Giants+3 at Washington: The Redskins are on fire, right? Sure, if you count wins against underachievers like St. Louis and Dallas. The Giants are the better team, period. And getting points. Sign me up.
Green Bay +7 vs. Chicago: This is a contrarian play for the ages. The Packers could not have possibly looked worse than they did last week, while the Bears were lifted by the return of their starting quarterback. That is precisely where one finds value. The weather enters into the calculation here as well, so much so that I like the under 31 points total, even though it is the smallest number on the board this week.
New England -5.5 at New York Jets: The Patriots get their defense and running game back together and in good health as the playoffs loom. Be afraid...be very afraid.
Cincinnati -13.5 vs. Buffalo: Yes, Virginia, it is a lot of points. But with Bengals receiver Chad Johnson promising a touchdown celebration featuring a live deer, how can I resist? The harmlessly insane Johnson and Cincy will romp over the merely harmless Bills.
Houston +6 vs. Jacksonville: The Jaguars could barely eke out a win over the feckless 49ers last week. They have demonstrated a real knack for playing down to their opposition all season. That's going to cost them dearly, maybe even including a playoff berth, if they aren't careful. The Texans will make one more strong effort before settling in to throw the Reggie Bush Bowl next week.
San Francisco +9 at St. Louis: Same logic as above. The Niners will hang around with the Rams, a passing team without a quarterback. In fact, I say this is the week that 49er QB Alex Smith finally throws his first touchdown pass, to go with his standard two interceptions.
New York Giants+3 at Washington: The Redskins are on fire, right? Sure, if you count wins against underachievers like St. Louis and Dallas. The Giants are the better team, period. And getting points. Sign me up.
Green Bay +7 vs. Chicago: This is a contrarian play for the ages. The Packers could not have possibly looked worse than they did last week, while the Bears were lifted by the return of their starting quarterback. That is precisely where one finds value. The weather enters into the calculation here as well, so much so that I like the under 31 points total, even though it is the smallest number on the board this week.
New England -5.5 at New York Jets: The Patriots get their defense and running game back together and in good health as the playoffs loom. Be afraid...be very afraid.
