Friday, October 27, 2006
NFL Week 8 Picks
I had a strong bounce-back last week, going 4-1 to run my record to 19-16-4. I have another tennis tournament this weekend, so clearly I'm a glutton for punishment. With that in mind, here's eight more picks.
Houston +3 at Tennessee: The better team is getting the points here. You take these any time you can get them. The Texans drummed a decent Jacksonville team last week.
Arizona +4 at Green Bay: The Cardinals must be out of ways to lose games...right? The Packers' pass defense is bad and injured, which is not a good combination. After allowing the mediocre Joey Harrington to shred them for 414 yards last week, the Pack faces Matt Leinart; though a rookie, he is a power of ten better. Good enough to stay within four points, at least.
St. Louis +9.5 at San Diego: The Rams are good, the Chargers are great. I think the good team, coming off a bye, can stay within shouting distance of the great team.
Indianapolis +2.5 at Denver: The marquee matchup of the week, and a tough call. Denver has a substantial home-field advantage, and their defense has stuffed a succession of stumblebums. The Colts are another matter entirely. I think Indy wins a squeaker.
New York Jets +1.5 at Cleveland: Again, the better team is getting the points. As I mentioned last week, the Jets do not stink. I assure you, the Browns stink on ice, covered with Lysol and wrapped in plastic. They should only be favored over the Raiders, which leads me to....
Pittsburgh -9 at Oakland: Although they lost last week, the Steelers seem to have rediscovered the joys of offense. At the time of posting, it appears that QB Ben Roethlisberger will start. It certainly does not matter; they could start Oprah at quarterback and beat the Raiders.
Dallas +6 at Carolina: My massively contrarian play of the week. An inexperienced QB, making is first pro start on the road, facing one of the scariest pass rushes in the league. I just have a hunch that Tony Romo has the goods athletically, and Bill Parcells will put him in good situations. He'll probably get sacked three times in the last minute, with the Cowboys down by four. But they'll cover. Listen to me, I gave you the Chiefs last week.
New England -2.5 at Minnesota: I'm still not sold on the Vikings, and I think the Patriots are at least a touchdown better. What's more, their coach talked some smack about Patriots Coach Bill Belichek. That was a stupendously bad idea. The Pats will use formations and plays never before seen to humiliate the Vikes on Monday night.
Houston +3 at Tennessee: The better team is getting the points here. You take these any time you can get them. The Texans drummed a decent Jacksonville team last week.
Arizona +4 at Green Bay: The Cardinals must be out of ways to lose games...right? The Packers' pass defense is bad and injured, which is not a good combination. After allowing the mediocre Joey Harrington to shred them for 414 yards last week, the Pack faces Matt Leinart; though a rookie, he is a power of ten better. Good enough to stay within four points, at least.
St. Louis +9.5 at San Diego: The Rams are good, the Chargers are great. I think the good team, coming off a bye, can stay within shouting distance of the great team.
Indianapolis +2.5 at Denver: The marquee matchup of the week, and a tough call. Denver has a substantial home-field advantage, and their defense has stuffed a succession of stumblebums. The Colts are another matter entirely. I think Indy wins a squeaker.
New York Jets +1.5 at Cleveland: Again, the better team is getting the points. As I mentioned last week, the Jets do not stink. I assure you, the Browns stink on ice, covered with Lysol and wrapped in plastic. They should only be favored over the Raiders, which leads me to....
Pittsburgh -9 at Oakland: Although they lost last week, the Steelers seem to have rediscovered the joys of offense. At the time of posting, it appears that QB Ben Roethlisberger will start. It certainly does not matter; they could start Oprah at quarterback and beat the Raiders.
Dallas +6 at Carolina: My massively contrarian play of the week. An inexperienced QB, making is first pro start on the road, facing one of the scariest pass rushes in the league. I just have a hunch that Tony Romo has the goods athletically, and Bill Parcells will put him in good situations. He'll probably get sacked three times in the last minute, with the Cowboys down by four. But they'll cover. Listen to me, I gave you the Chiefs last week.
New England -2.5 at Minnesota: I'm still not sold on the Vikings, and I think the Patriots are at least a touchdown better. What's more, their coach talked some smack about Patriots Coach Bill Belichek. That was a stupendously bad idea. The Pats will use formations and plays never before seen to humiliate the Vikes on Monday night.
