Saturday, January 14, 2012
NFL Divisional Picks
Welcome, brothers and sisters, to the High Holy Days in the Church of Football. Doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, pretenders need not apply. The top seeds enter the fray at home after a week off, and they are almost a 75% proposition to win in this round. But will they cover? I'm going to try to follow the trend, by taking the visiting team most likely to win, and taking all the other top seeds. This will be another parlay, so I have to win all of them for a 10-1 payday, and it's minus one unit if I lose.
New Orleans -3.5 at San Francisco: Seems like Vegas knows something too, as a 13-3 team is an underdog at home. It's not disrespect of the 49ers, it's recognition of the roll the Saints are on. As good as the Niners have been, they have done a lot of their damage in their weak division. They have little playoff experience, and it will show. Saints by at least a touchdown.
New England -13.5 vs. Denver: Congrats to Denver for hanging around long enough to outlast a Pittsburgh team decimated by injury. Cinderella wakes up this week, with her dress over her head and the faint smell of pumpkin in the air. Perfect Tommy and the Patriots--early, often and repeatedly.
Baltimore -7.5 vs. Houston: The Texans have done very well to win their division, and a playoff game, with a third-string quarterback. Reality will bitch-slap them, hard, on Sunday. Although Ravens QB Joe Flacco is little better than a third-stringer himself, he has more team around him. Ravens pull away in the second half.
Green Bay -7.5 vs. New York Giants: The East Coast-dominated media outlets have had a field day comparing this Giants team to the 2007 team. Two things they have missed: First, that Giants team was better on defense, and ran the ball more reliably. Second, that Packers team featured an aging Brett Favre, who would throw the ball on pure hope 2-3 times a game. This Packers team features Aaron Rodgers, who has been supernatural on demand this season. Packers 38-23.
New Orleans -3.5 at San Francisco: Seems like Vegas knows something too, as a 13-3 team is an underdog at home. It's not disrespect of the 49ers, it's recognition of the roll the Saints are on. As good as the Niners have been, they have done a lot of their damage in their weak division. They have little playoff experience, and it will show. Saints by at least a touchdown.
New England -13.5 vs. Denver: Congrats to Denver for hanging around long enough to outlast a Pittsburgh team decimated by injury. Cinderella wakes up this week, with her dress over her head and the faint smell of pumpkin in the air. Perfect Tommy and the Patriots--early, often and repeatedly.
Baltimore -7.5 vs. Houston: The Texans have done very well to win their division, and a playoff game, with a third-string quarterback. Reality will bitch-slap them, hard, on Sunday. Although Ravens QB Joe Flacco is little better than a third-stringer himself, he has more team around him. Ravens pull away in the second half.
Green Bay -7.5 vs. New York Giants: The East Coast-dominated media outlets have had a field day comparing this Giants team to the 2007 team. Two things they have missed: First, that Giants team was better on defense, and ran the ball more reliably. Second, that Packers team featured an aging Brett Favre, who would throw the ball on pure hope 2-3 times a game. This Packers team features Aaron Rodgers, who has been supernatural on demand this season. Packers 38-23.
