NFL 2012: Week 9 Picks
What a great week of football. Not only did I have a solid week of picks and take a two game lead in my bet with a very special girl who continues to impress me with her knowledge of the NFL, but the Bengals did not disappoint fans...since they had a bye. However, expect disappointment and more frustration from the orange and black this week as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos come to town. Thoughts on that game and the rest of the games in Week 9 are next.
Week 9 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
SAN DIEGO over Kansas City: According to ESPN, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has more turnovers with 17 than any other quarterback in the NFL and he's only played in six games. Chargers QB Philip Rivers hasn't done much better either with 15 turnovers of his own. Both teams are quickly falling behind the Broncos in the AFC West, but the Chargers keep their hopes alive with a win.
Baltimore over CLEVELAND: The Ravens beat the Browns 23-16 back in Week 4 and I expect a similar result on Sunday in Cleveland.
GREEN BAY over Arizona: After starting 4-0, the Cardinals have lost four straight games and that number will grow to five as the Packers take them out at Lambeau Field.
Chicago over TENNESSEE: The last time a Bears defense was this good at forcing turnovers and scored this many touchdowns, Chicago ended up in the Super Bowl.
INDIANAPOLIS over Miami: The last time Ryan Tannehill and Andrew Luck were in Indianapolis together it was at the NFL combine earlier this year. On Sunday, with the Dolphins and Colts both at 4-3, a potential playoff spot could be on the line. Tannehill and Luck have both been impressive as rookies and I think this will be a really good game.
Miami has a good team, but I think the Colts have the advantage with Luck at quarterback and playing in Indianapolis also is in their favor. The Colts, however, are playing for someone other than their teammates; they are playing for head coach Chuck Pagano, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Indianapolis has gone 3-1 without their coach and they continue to play some very inspired football. Pagano apparently visited the team facilities for the first time this week after getting released from the hospital for a few days and I think that will inspire the Colts even more. Indy wins another one for Chuck.
WASHINGTON over Carolina: RGIII wins the battle of duel threat quarterbacks as the Redskins beat up on Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Detroit over JACKSONVILLE: The Lions have been a bit of a disappointment thus far this season, but the Jaguars have been as advertised...they're pretty bad. Last week's 60 Minutes story on Jacksonville owner Shahid Khan is worth a watch though and it must be nice to have an owner that's well liked by fans and is committed to winning. Bengals fans wouldn't know what that's like. I think the Jaguars will get better with time, but the Lions win on Sunday.
HOUSTON over Buffalo: Bills will give up 30+ as the Texans keep on winning and improve to an AFC best 7-1.
OAKLAND over Tampa Bay: Tough to decide who will win this pirate battle, but I like the Raiders at home.
SEATTLE over Minnesota: Both these teams have surprised me this season and although we are only halfway through the season, I expect both Seattle and Minnesota to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Seattle has the advantage being at home this weekend and they will get the win in a very close ballgame.
NY GIANTS over Pittsburgh: This should be a good one. Both the Giants and Steelers are playing good football right now and I expect this to be a very close game with the G-Men ultimately coming out on top.
ATLANTA over Dallas: The Cowboys have been so up and down this season and QB Tony Romo can't seem to get it altogether in back-to-back weeks. I like the Falcons to stay undefeated.
Philadelphia over NEW ORLEANS: There has been so much talk this week about whether Michael Vick will continue to be the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and I think head coach Andy Reid made the right decision by keeping Vick as the starter. I know it hasn't been pretty, but Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win and I think they will get a much needed win on Monday night because the Saints defense is historically bad. They are giving up an average of 475-yards of offense per game and they've given up 216 points through seven games. Yikes.
Broncos over BENGALS: That's right. For the first time this season I'm picking against my beloved, yet frustrating Cincinnati Bengals. I know the Bengals had two weeks to prepare for Peyton Manning and the Broncos, but to be quite honest; they could have an entire month and still not be prepared. From what I've seen from this team thus far this season, I just don't see any way that the Bengals win this football game mainly because the Broncos have Peyton Manning.
Manning is having an outstanding season and the Broncos are going to run away with the AFC West. One could even argue that Denver is the second best team in the AFC behind Houston and I agree. The Broncos may be 4-3, but they are 3-1 in their last four games and Peyton Manning has been, well, Peyton Manning in that stretch. The past four weeks Manning has thrown for at least 300-yards and 3 TD in every game with only one interception. Not good news for a Bengals defense that has given up more than 24 points or more in five of their seven games.
I hope I'm wrong about the outcome of this game, because I will be in attendance on Sunday as the Bengals take on the Broncos from Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals hopefully made some changes over the bye week, but one thing that can't change over a bye is the talent on the team. Denver has better players and they will ultimately win this football game dropping the Bengals to 3-5 on the season. Broncos 30, Bengals 20.
Byes: St. Louis, New England, NY Jets, San Francisco
Last Week: 11-3
Overall: 75-43
Week 9 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
SAN DIEGO over Kansas City: According to ESPN, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has more turnovers with 17 than any other quarterback in the NFL and he's only played in six games. Chargers QB Philip Rivers hasn't done much better either with 15 turnovers of his own. Both teams are quickly falling behind the Broncos in the AFC West, but the Chargers keep their hopes alive with a win.
Baltimore over CLEVELAND: The Ravens beat the Browns 23-16 back in Week 4 and I expect a similar result on Sunday in Cleveland.
GREEN BAY over Arizona: After starting 4-0, the Cardinals have lost four straight games and that number will grow to five as the Packers take them out at Lambeau Field.
Chicago over TENNESSEE: The last time a Bears defense was this good at forcing turnovers and scored this many touchdowns, Chicago ended up in the Super Bowl.
 |
| Ryan Tannehill and Andrew Luck may be rookies, but both have their teams in contention for the playoffs. (Brian Spurlock/US PRESSWIRE) |
INDIANAPOLIS over Miami: The last time Ryan Tannehill and Andrew Luck were in Indianapolis together it was at the NFL combine earlier this year. On Sunday, with the Dolphins and Colts both at 4-3, a potential playoff spot could be on the line. Tannehill and Luck have both been impressive as rookies and I think this will be a really good game.
Miami has a good team, but I think the Colts have the advantage with Luck at quarterback and playing in Indianapolis also is in their favor. The Colts, however, are playing for someone other than their teammates; they are playing for head coach Chuck Pagano, who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. Indianapolis has gone 3-1 without their coach and they continue to play some very inspired football. Pagano apparently visited the team facilities for the first time this week after getting released from the hospital for a few days and I think that will inspire the Colts even more. Indy wins another one for Chuck.
WASHINGTON over Carolina: RGIII wins the battle of duel threat quarterbacks as the Redskins beat up on Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Detroit over JACKSONVILLE: The Lions have been a bit of a disappointment thus far this season, but the Jaguars have been as advertised...they're pretty bad. Last week's 60 Minutes story on Jacksonville owner Shahid Khan is worth a watch though and it must be nice to have an owner that's well liked by fans and is committed to winning. Bengals fans wouldn't know what that's like. I think the Jaguars will get better with time, but the Lions win on Sunday.
HOUSTON over Buffalo: Bills will give up 30+ as the Texans keep on winning and improve to an AFC best 7-1.
OAKLAND over Tampa Bay: Tough to decide who will win this pirate battle, but I like the Raiders at home.
SEATTLE over Minnesota: Both these teams have surprised me this season and although we are only halfway through the season, I expect both Seattle and Minnesota to stay in contention for a playoff spot. Seattle has the advantage being at home this weekend and they will get the win in a very close ballgame.
NY GIANTS over Pittsburgh: This should be a good one. Both the Giants and Steelers are playing good football right now and I expect this to be a very close game with the G-Men ultimately coming out on top.
ATLANTA over Dallas: The Cowboys have been so up and down this season and QB Tony Romo can't seem to get it altogether in back-to-back weeks. I like the Falcons to stay undefeated.
Philadelphia over NEW ORLEANS: There has been so much talk this week about whether Michael Vick will continue to be the starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles and I think head coach Andy Reid made the right decision by keeping Vick as the starter. I know it hasn't been pretty, but Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win and I think they will get a much needed win on Monday night because the Saints defense is historically bad. They are giving up an average of 475-yards of offense per game and they've given up 216 points through seven games. Yikes.
 |
| Peyton Manning has been picking defenses apart this season and the Bengals might be next. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images North America) |
Manning is having an outstanding season and the Broncos are going to run away with the AFC West. One could even argue that Denver is the second best team in the AFC behind Houston and I agree. The Broncos may be 4-3, but they are 3-1 in their last four games and Peyton Manning has been, well, Peyton Manning in that stretch. The past four weeks Manning has thrown for at least 300-yards and 3 TD in every game with only one interception. Not good news for a Bengals defense that has given up more than 24 points or more in five of their seven games.
I hope I'm wrong about the outcome of this game, because I will be in attendance on Sunday as the Bengals take on the Broncos from Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals hopefully made some changes over the bye week, but one thing that can't change over a bye is the talent on the team. Denver has better players and they will ultimately win this football game dropping the Bengals to 3-5 on the season. Broncos 30, Bengals 20.
Byes: St. Louis, New England, NY Jets, San Francisco
Last Week: 11-3
Overall: 75-43
Comments
Post a Comment