NFL Week 9 Matchup

Not a bad week last week, but I am still searching for an undefeated week with my picks. I stand at 71-45 for the year. Let me relax, light a candle, and see if I can't predict a little better this week.

New York Jets @ Buffalo - Well, Favre had a terrible last game and so did the entire Bills team. The Jets will need to work more on the ground while the Bills will need to make sure their receivers still work, well actually their quarterback. Trent Edwards has got to make something positive happen this week. The Bills are at home and this game is important if they want to show the league that they are for real. Both teams should run the ball well but this will come down to quarterback play and I think that Favre is either showing his age or he's hurting. Winner - Bills

Detroit @ Chicago - Just when the Bears thought it was safe to come out and play they get the Lions. No I don't think that the Lions have the team to beat the Bears, but this is the trap game for the Bears. They are coming off their bye and they are at home. Calvin Johnson could wreak havoc on the Chicago secondary and make this game a lot closer than it needs to be. In the end, I doubt the Lions defense has enough to stop a potent Bears offense (when's the last time you could say that about the Bears?). Winner - Bears

Jacksonville @ Cincinnati - TJ Houshmandzadeh has come out and said that the Bengals won't go winless this year. He didn't promise a win against a certain team, but he said there's no way they go 0-16. Is this the week? I'd have to say 'NO'. The Jaguars are on a roll and their quarterback is playing good ball. The Bengals really don't have any offense and Ryan Fitzpatrick can be good in spurts, but that's it. I imagine that the boo birds come out, against the home team, right before halftime. Winner - Jaguars

Baltimore @ Cleveland - With all of the craziness that's been going on in Cleveland, they luck up and get the Ravens at home (tongue in cheek). It's about time for a Brady Quinn sighting in my mind. Jamal Lewis doesn't look like a good pick this week in Fantasy Football because he's going against this Ravens defense. The Ravens are showing that they trust Flacco a little more and opening the offense for him. The worst case if he doesn't succeed is that they have a good player in Troy Smith right behind him. Maybe, just maybe the Browns head coaches will find a way to text the Ravens defense saying 'I'm going to have a big game against you guys - signed Kellen Winslow' and then all of their problems will be solved. Winner - Ravens

Green Bay @ Tennessee - After beating the Colts on Monday night, the Titans get to host the Packers. The blueprint will be the same. Run the ball, make timely passes, and win. The Packers come in a little beat up at quarterback and running back. After having some success early in the season, Aaron Rodgers is looking to bounce back. This is going to be a tough game for the Packers and I don't think they have the moxy to pull it off. Winner - Titans

Arizona @ St. Louis - This is a hard game to pick. Early word is that Stephen Jackson is out, but I'm not buying that one, not yet. The Cardinals get back to full strength with Boldin back in the lineup and Kurt Warner wants a new contract. Nothing like stating your case by beating the Rams, soundly. The Rams are playing better, and if they can finally break out (Torry Holt, I mean you), they can actually make some things happen. I just don't think this is the week for the Rams. Winner - Cardinals

Houston @ Minnesota - What happens in the course of a week? I think the Vikings got healthier during their bye week and the fact that they aren't losing their big beef on defense (at least for this game) makes this game that much more interesting. The Vikings will continue to run the ball and try to manage the game. I'll say it again, we haven't seen an AP breakout game yet. Houston has quietly played well this year and it looks like they are turning the corner. Matt Schaub has provided some direction on offense while Mario Williams is finally making people think that maybe the Saints got it wrong for picking Reggie Bush instead of him. Going with the home team here coming off the bye. Winner - Vikings

Tampa Bay @ Kansas City - I can sum this game up in about 2 sentences. The Chiefs are without Larry Johnson for an extended period of time and the Bucs are coming off a close loss to the Cowboys. Nothing like giving the Bucs a reason to play better. I feel sorry for Tyler Thigpen this week as he is sure to get hit and hit hard sometime (probably often) during this game. Winner - Bucs

Miami @ Denver - This will be an interesting game. More interesting is my pick. Denver had been a high flying point producing team on offense, but that has slowed down as of late. The debacle at New England being the ultimate loss. They welcome the Dolphins into town this weekend. The funny thing is that I think the Dolphins are talented enough to win this game. They may not shock and awe you, but they will be prepared and they will play it tough. Dolphins don't do well in the cold, but I'll take them. Winner - Dolphins

Atlanta @ Oakland - The Raiders are still having all types of problems and I doubt they get any better anytime soon. I am however pulling for JaMarcus Russell who is having a decent year. Atlanta comes in with a good all around offense led by rookie Matt Ryan. The Falcons defense will get a chance to come after the Raiders after they get behind. I expect this one to be a blowout. What is former Falcon DeAngelo Hall going to do when he has to go against his former team? Winner - Falcons

Dallas @ New York Giants - This will be the game I watch. I'm not sure why though. All signs point to this being a blowout in the Giants favor because Brad Johnson can't stretch the field and all of the offensive play calls seem to forget that they have a beast in the Dallas backfield. But, isn't this the type of game where the Cowboys could come out and dominate. No one is giving them a chance and they are playing in NY. I can just see it now, Brad Johnson dropping back and throwing a deep ball to TO for a 50 yard TD,........then I wake up. Winner - Giants

Philadelphia @ Seattle - Matt Hasselbeck might as well hit the campaign trail with his wife since he won't be playing anytime soon. The Eagles defense won't allow Seneca Wallace to play like he did last week, although, he may be able to give them problems with his legs. I look for Donovan to play well and send his Eagles home with a win. Just call it the residual effect of the Phillies winning the World Series. Winner - Eagles

New England @ Indianapolis - At the beginning of the season this looked like the game of the week. 8 weeks later it's two struggling teams trying to right their ships, although the Patriots seem to have a head start on that. The Colts can't pass, run, or do anything right during game time, but you still can't count them out at home. Joseph Addai may play which will help, but for some reason these Patriots are giving me heartburn. Maybe they have found a way to make Matt Cassell a household name or maybe he is good? We'll see during this game. I still have faith in Peyton to get it done. They were thisclose last week to beating the Titans, so let's see if they can't finally make it happen. Winner - Colts

Pittsburgh @ Washington - This is going to be a better game than most think. The Steelers are playing off of fumes after a few close ones and the pounding that Big Ben has been taking. They do get 'Fast' Willie Parker back this week which will help their running game. Washington is sporting an equally good running game with Clinton Portis leading the way. This game is going to come down to Jason Campbell and whether he's made that step or he was just faking. Mike Tomlin has never lost on Monday night. There's a first time for everything. Winner - Redskins
**According to ESPN, the Presidential candidates are going to be interviewed during Monday Night Football.

NFL Week 6 Wrap Up

All I can say is, you have got to be kidding me!?!?! This was a fun week to watch these games, but the outcomes were terrible for my picks. Let's see what happened.

Chicago @ Atlanta - Wow! Matt Ryan looked like a seasoned vet. Yes, it was a home game, but the Bears defense was supposed to shock and awe the rookie. Ryan made every throw conceivable and helped put his team in position to win the game with 1 second left on the clock. There is life in Atlanta after Mike Vick. The owner may need to understand what the right football calls are, but other than that, this was a good week to be a Falcon. Inquisitive Mind 0-1 for the week.
Baltimore @ Indianapolis - It's about time. The Colts took it to the Ravens and put up some big numbers. This is the best that I have seen Manning play this season and I look for more of this. He's finally knocked the rust off of his game, despite having two knee operations this off season. Inquisitive Mind 1-1 for the week.

Detroit @ Minnesota - This game was a lot closer than I thought it would be. AP got his 100+ yards, but the Detroit defense was able to stifle the Vikings for most of the day. I don't know what to say about Detroit except that they let this one get away. They went in to Minny and should have come out with a win, but that's not how the cookie crumbled. Inquisitive Mind 2-1 for the week.

Oakland @ New Orleans - Drew Brees continued his wonderful season by going over the 300 yard mark yet again. The Raiders seemed outmatched from the beginning and this one got away from them early. I thought the Saints could have put up another 14 points. Inquisitive Mind 3-1 for the week.

Cincinnati @ New York Jets - The Jets won their statement game. They were coming off the bye and had to win against a dangerous (not so much with Carson Palmer holding a clip board) Bengals team. The Jets have put themselves in position to make some noise in the AFC. Thomas Jones had a monster game with 3 TDs. If they keep this up, everyone will forget that the Jets mortgaged their future to get Brett Favre. Inquisitive Mind 4-1 for the week.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay - I said that points would be at a premium in this game, but didn't realize that the Bucs would be paying for premium. The Bucs blasted the Panthers and it all came down to defense. The Bucs defense has 3 picks, a blocked kick, and a TD. That made things much easier for Jeff Garcia and the Bucs offense to put up 27 points. Inquisitive Mind 4-2 for the week.

St. Louis @ Washington - Just as we thought things were getting better in DC, the Rams come in and win against the Redskins. I said that this should have been a game where the Skins dominate from the beginning or they're in trouble. The Rams played their best game of the season and snuck a win out. This should bring all of the doubters back to DC. Inquisitive Mind 4-3 for the week.

Miami @ Houston - Finally, thanks to Matt Schaub, I picked against the Dolphins and won. Ronnie Brown should definitely get some MVP votes this year for him single handily keeping the Dolphins relevant. Andre Johnson made spectacular catch after catch to help the Texans earn this win. Inquisitive Mind 5-3 for the week.

Jacksonville @ Denver - I said that David Garrard had to lead this team to victory and he did. Yes, he did get some help from Maurice Jones-Drew (125 yards rushing), but Garrard was the reason they beat Denver. He made all of the right decisions and their defense continued to play strong. Denver is slowly going in the wrong direction and they need to turn it around quick before all of their hopes are shot for the season. Inquisitive Mind 6-3 for the week.

Dallas @ Arizona - This had to be the stunner of the week. Not only do the Cowboys lose, but they lose Romo for 4 weeks, Felix Jones with a partially torn hammy for an undisclosed time frame, and punter Mat McBriar for the year after fracturing his right foot. The Cowboys played well the first 3 games of the season and had many thinking Superbowl, but now a dark cloud is looming over Dallas with a tough road to hoe. Brad Johnson is now the starter and he better hope that offensive line can protect him better than they did Romo. Inquisitive Mind 6-4 for the week.

Philadelphia @ San Francisco - Donovan McNabb looked great again while throwing for 280 yards. The 49ers looked over matched by the Philly defense and this game became a blow out because of turnovers. Just when I count out the Eagles, they play like this. Inquisitive Mind 7-4 for the week.


Green Bay @ Seattle - Good all around team effort on the side of the Packers. Aaron Rodgers played well (208 yards and 2 TDs), Ryan Grant played well (although 33 carries for 90 yards won't help his health), and the Green Bay defense shut down a hampered Seahawks team. Who picked Seattle to go to the Superbowl? Inquisitive Mind 8-4 for the week.

New England @ San Diego - Revenge is a dished best served cold. The Chargers finally beat the Patriots (although minus Tom Brady, how good could this feel) in a dominating performance by the Chargers team . Phillip Rivers led the Chargers with 306 yards passing and 3 TDs. The defense mad life tough for Matt Cassell. Who thought Matt Cassell was the answer for the Pats? Inquisitive Mind 9-4 for the week.

New York Giants @ Cleveland - Talk about upsets. I thought Dallas losing was bad, but the Browns manhandled the Giants. They controlled the trenches and allowed Derek Anderson to enjoy a relatively pain free evening. Anderson finally got his game back and threw for 310 yards and 2 TDs. The Browns defense came up big by getting 3 pics of Eli Manning, and one of those being the back breaker (returned for a TD). Just one question: Why didn't Brandon Jacobs get the ball more than 14 times? He was the one player that seemed to hurt the Browns. Derrick Ward got a 100+ yards, but Jacobs being on the field changed the defensive calls for the Browns. Inquisitive Mind 9-5 for the week.

NFL Matchup Week 6

I went 8-6 last week, so the cumulative for the year is 45-24. Again, not bad and this isn't against the spread, just straight up. So Week 6 is up next and lots of good matchups. Let's see how this week plays out.

Chicago @ Atlanta - The Bears destroyed the Lions last week, and yes it was just the Lions but they looked good. I think that the Bears go down to the ATL and shock the Falcons. I say shock because I think some people have this as a win for the Falcons because they are at home and have a good running game. Then again, those people are probably just Falcons fans. So, take 'shock' out and let's just say the Bears win this game. Winner - Bears.

Baltimore @ Indianapolis - Well, the Colts are off to a bad start. The offense hasn't clicked yet and now they get the Ravens. The Ravens lost to the Titans last week in a nail biter that saw their QB, Joe Flacco, make some bad decisions. The Colts should get their first win at home. Winner - Colts.

Detroit @ Minnesota - The Lions haven't looked good all year long. They have a decent D if their offense can put up some numbers, but they go to the Vikings this week and I don't see anything pretty happening for them this week. Look for AP or 'All Day' to have a great day against the Lions. Winner - Vikings.

Oakland @ New Orleans - Talk about inconsistent. The Saints have looked great but then they also look terrible. They have the firepower on offense, but for some reason, the D isn't doing the job. Shockey may play this week, that'll help even more on the offense, but they are going to have to stop someone. The Raiders are playing for their new coach and will play tough, but I think the Saints escape with a close win at home. Winner - Saints.

Cincinnati @ New York Jets - Carson Palmer out, hello Ryan Fitzpatrick, again. The Jets just need to come off of their bye week with some hunger and they should handle this team. Unfortunately for the Jets, their star receiver may be a little dinged, Laveraneus Coles, and Chad Ocho Cinco hasn't had a good game yet. Winner - Jets.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay - Points will be at a premium in this game. Two good defenses going at each other. Carolina has the better QB with Delhomme and possibly a better running game with Jonathan Stewart. Delhomme normally plays well against the Bucs, so I gotta go with the Panthers. Winner - Panthers.

St. Louis @ Washington - As well as the Redskins have been playing, this could be the game that derails it all. They have to come out and dominate this Rams team and not give them any hope. The Skins are for real. Who would have thunk it? Winner - Redskins.

Miami @ Houston - I have picked against the Dolphins most of the season and right now, it's been killing me. This team has showed up and has been more prepared than any of their opponents on their way to wins against teams they shouldn't have beaten (San Diego and NE). So, this week, there's got to be a let down, right? They can't keep pulling off this surprising wins? Winner - Texans.

Jacksonville @ Denver - This is the game for David Garrard to handle his business. He, and not the Jags running game, will decide this game. Denver has been up and down over the last two weeks, averaging a measly 17.5 points over the last two games. Winner - Jaguars.

Dallas @Arizona - Shootout alert! The Cowboys will be without Terrance Newman and they probably have a rattled Adam Jones based on his recent week. Romo should be hitting TO all day for big gains. Dallas, please don't forget Marion Barber. Winner - Cowboys.

Philadelphia @ San Francisco - Donovan McNabb called out his team and now they get the 49ers. The 49ers have played well over the last weeks, but come up against one of the best defenses in the league. I want this to be a shootout since I have J.T. O'Sulivan as my starting QB in Fantasy League, but I just don't see it happening. Winner - Eagles.

Green Bay @ Seattle - This should be an easy one for the Packers. They go in to Seattle after losing to the Falcons last week, so they should definitely have a chip on their shoulders. Winner - Packers.

New England @ San Diego - This is a fight for respect. The Chargers have felt slighted by the Pats for a while and now they get a chance to make a statement at home. We'll see how good Matt Cassell really is since I expect this Chargers defense to test him. Chargers watch out for Maroney, since he hasn't had a good game yet. Winner - Chargers.

New York Giants @ Cleveland - Plax is back and Giants look to be on pace to make some noise in the NFC East. The Giants are playing well and their defense should feast on the Browns. It's sad to say, but Romeo Crennell may be on his last legs in Cleveland. Winner - Giants.

NFL Matchup Week 4

32-15. Those are my picks so far this year. Let's see if we can't get this working a little better. I don't think I can win money in Vegas with these types of numbers. We'll see what's happening this week.

Cleveland @ Cincinnati - Two 0-3 teams who both were supposed to be a lot better than what thy have shown us thus far. The Browns are in the midst of a possible QB change, although at last check, Derek Anderson will start this week. The Bengals are hurting, although they showed some signs of life last weekend against a good team, the Giants. This is like picking the Alien vs the Predator, both are bad, so why pick one? Winner - Bengals

Minnesota @ Tennessee - The Titans have proved that all they need is someone upright in the QB position and they can still win games. The Titans actually have the top two guys on the INT list for the season so far. The Vikings are stout on D and again, I'm not a Frerotte fan. I think this goes horribly wrong for the Vikings if they get behind. I'm hoping they don't get behind. Winner - Vikings

Denver @ Kansas City - This for all intensive purposes should be a blow out of monumental proportions, but that's why they play the games. The Chiefs are talking about starting a 3rd different QB this week, not good when this is game 4 of the season. Denver looks to continue their run to 4-0. Winner - Broncos

San Francisco @ New Orleans - Well, this should be a shootout. New Orleans can't stop anyone and the 49ers are bringing in a balanced team with J.T. O'Sullivan playing well. The Saints are losing Shockey and Jamar Nesbit for this week at a minimum. This is my 'riding the wave' pick for the week. Winner - 49ers

Arizona @ New York Jets - Two similar teams. Two old as dirt starting QBs. Two decent running backs. Two decent defenses, when they come to play. This will come down to which O line protects their QB. Favre is hobbled with a sprained ankle and Warner is looking real good. Can Favre continue where he picked up last week (no, not with a loss, but being more comfortable with his receivers) or are the Cardinals clicking at the right time? Winner - Cardinals

Green Bay @ Tampa Bay - Battle of the Bays. The Bucs come off a come from behind win at Chicago and a QB that might not have an arm this week after 67 pass attempts. The Packers come off a tough loss at home against a very good Dallas team. This is Aaron Rodgers' chance to bounce back against a good team. Tampa is playing at home and hey if Griese's arm is dead, they got 4 other QBs to throw in the game. Winner - Bucs

Atlanta @ Carolina - Two 2-1 teams and this is oddly a statement game. The Panthers need to show that last week was an anomaly. They have their starting receivers back and a punishing ground game. The Panthers D will definitely not allow Michael Turner to get 200 yards or anything close. Winner - Panthers

Houston @ Jacksonville - Talk about what a win will do for you. The Jags looked like a team that found it's groove. I expect them to pound the ball again and get back to the way they were playing last year when no one wanted to see them. Garrard should have a good game too. Winner - Jaguars

San Diego @ Oakland - Normally this is a good game, if not for anything but the Black Hole. Well, as my brother-in-law told me, black implies the absence of light. The Black Hole has a lot of light coming through it. The Raiders are terrible and were it not for a sorry Chiefs team, they would probably be looking for their first win. Monte Kiffin is holding on to his job and trying to keep his chin up. Stay strong Kiffin. Winner - Chargers

Buffalo @ St. Louis - Does St. Louis have a football team? Trent Green is going to start? Even Marshall Faulk was concerned about Green's health starting behind this O line. Why isn't the coach? The Bills, even with the loss of Roscoe Parrish, should dominate this game. Someone please have an ambulance ready for Trent Green. For real. Winner - Bills

Washington @ Dallas - This ought to be good. The Redskins are coming to Dallas to play their final game in the Texas Stadium. The Redskins are 2-1 and the Cowboys look like they are world beaters after taking the Packers down a notch last week. TO had 2 catches for 17 yards. I expect that stat to be increased substantially. Felix Jones will get more carries this week too, although nothing does any Cowboys fan justice like giving Barber the rock often. Winner - Cowboys

Philadelphia @ Chicago - Another good one. McNabb comes home to Chicago with the Bears needing a win to stop the bleeding. The Bears couldn't sack Griese last week and he dropped back 67 times. McNabb and the Eagles just find a way to win even with Westbrook hobbled (ankle), LJ Smith hobbled (back), and McNabb himself with a sore chest. The Bears need to run the ball, fire their offensive coordinator, and pray that all of the Eagles linemen just fall down, allowing a bee line to McNabb. Why couldn't the Bears find a way to trade Urlacher for McNabb this summer? Winner - Eagles

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - The Steelers are without Willie Parker, Casey Hampton, and Brett Keisel. Big Ben, Troy Polamalu, DeShea Townsend, LaMarr Woodley, and Donovan Woods are banged up. The Ravens are winning games like they used to, run the ball and don't let their QB screw it up. McGahee has a swollen eye after tangling with some of the Browns in a pile last week, so hopefully he'll be able to see the white jerseys hitting him on Monday night. Rashard Mendenhall gets his first start against a good Ravens D. Welcome to the NFL Rashard - Signed Ray Lewis. Winner - Ravens