I’m at 62% for the year. Let’s bulk up that number with this week’s picks.
A few wayward results relegated me to an 8-6 performance in Week Ten. That brings my year-to-date record to 90-56-2 (.615).
For the second and final time this year, there are only 13 games on the upcoming week’s schedule due to bye weeks for Buffalo, Cleveland, Miami, New England, the Jets, and San Francisco.
(Note: All games on Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted,)
Green Bay 24, Seattle 20 (Thursday night): Everyone remembers the nationally-televised “Fail Mary.” Right? What you may not remember is that replacement officials were on the field for that game. That’s why the call was blown. No chance of that happening this time around — and there’s also little chance the Seahawks will salvage their season with a win.
Cincinnati 23, Baltimore 13: The Ravens will have had two weeks to prepare for this game (bye week) and they’re making sure the Bengals spend time preparing for two quarterbacks. But it doesn’t matter who plays. While the Ravens’ season is not mathematically over, the atmosphere in town suggests that it is.
Pittsburgh 37, Jacksonville 17: This game went through the ultimate flex, getting moved from the nighttime slot to 1 p.m. The Jaguars are home, but they are also racked by in-house turmoil.
Dallas 30, Atlanta 20: When the Cowboys played at Atlanta last year, they didn’t have left tackle Tyron Smith or running back Ezekiel Elliott. Result=seven sacks and getting blown out. Both players are healthy now and, with an underrated defense and solid special teams, I still feel that Dallas can win the NFC East.
Carolina 31, Detroit 17: The Panthers are on the road again, but will have had ten days to prepare for the Lions. Detroit’s season has turned south.
Tennessee 24, Indianapolis 13: The Colts will be playing a second consecutive AFC South Division road game. This time they will take on the Titans, a team that seems to be getting their act together.
Tampa Bay 33, New York Giants 10: The Buccaneers haven’t had much in the way of defense and–to make matters worse–their red-zone offense disappeared against Washington. But at least one thing will probably change this week: the visitors Bucs should be able to drive up and down the field against the Giants.
Houston 26, Washington 12: Houston will be coming off its bye with a six-game winning streak in tow. It’s ready to show Redskins’ fans (those that bother to show up) how a real football team responds to adversity. Remember that the Texans started the season at 0-3.
New Orleans 40, Philadelphia 23: This is a great matchup, perhaps the week’s best (despite the Eagles sitting at 4-5), and it’s probably why the game start was moved from 1 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. Philadelphia needs to make a last stand here, but with the Saints at home on a fast track, it’s “Flop, Eagles, Flop.”
Arizona 11, Oakland 6: Ah, yes! The proverbial “Game of the Weak” might set football back a few decades or more. At least it will be played in a beautiful, modern-day facility with a retractable dome–instead of Oakland’s warped, rusty old stadium, which stands as the Polo Grounds of the NFL. (Kids, ask your parents what that means.)
Los Angeles Chargers 27, Denver 16: Denver will be coming off its bye to play the Chargers in Los Angeles’ soccer-stadium home. The Chargers usually pull off a late-season fade, but they have more than enough talent to avoid a fall-off in this one.
Chicago 20, Minnesota 17 (Sunday night): Talk about a rude awakening from vacation! The Vikings, which are coming off their bye, jump right into a tough road division game that was flexed to the nighttime slot. In a spot like this, I’d usually take the Vikings and tell Bears fans to wait until next year. But I won’t do that this time around. I see Chicago taking a big step towards an improbable division title.
Los Angeles Rams 30, Kansas City 27 (Monday night … Note: The game had been scheduled for Mexico City, but poor field conditions led the NFL to move the game to Los Angeles): These are the last two teams in the league to have bye weeks. And here they are matched-up in a prime-time international showcase game. The usual clichés about a “Super Bowl preview” will no doubt abound, but there’s truth in those words. As for who’ll win, I’ll go with the team that plays better defense.
