To Be Continued...

Unfortunately I don’t have time to write anything interesting this week. I really do have things to do with my life. I just spent almost three hours driving back to school so all I had time to do when I got back is write a little something for each game. I did make my picks yesterday, but I know people aren’t very trustful of others and I would lose all credibility if took the time to give my thoughts on the Thanksgiving games and made this post after the first set of games. I will get my two cents in this week though. You can bet the Lions are going to get some heat from me as well as McNabb. Yeah, that’s right, McNabb. I don’t care about how you did on Thursday, I’m not done with you yet. You’ve actually added fuel to my fire.

NY Jets (-8) over Denver

Let me be clear that this pick is NOT me jumping on the Jets bandwagon, but more of me jumping on the Broncos dilapidated rickshaw that is a sorry excuse for a bandwagon. They rival the Eagles for the most inconsistent, hardest-to-read team. They’ve beaten New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and San Diego, yet have lost to Kansas City, Oakland, and Jacksonville. I’m not completely sold on the Jets yet, but after their performances in the last two weeks this seems like an easy pick.

Buffalo (-6.5) over San Francisco

I’m going with tradition on this one, in that it is very hard for opponents to win in Buffalo in December (it basically is). And that goes especially for a 3-8 west coast team, despite the Bills recent struggles. Their offense explosion last week gives me hope they can pull this one out by at least a touchdown.

New Orleans (+4) over Tampa Bay

The Saints pretty much have to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive, and Drew Brees is a big time performer. He was my runner-up for MVP last week, and he certainly could win that award this year, but not if the Saints don’t make the postseason. They beat Tampa in their first matchup, and I’m going to bet that the Bucs defenders take at least a half to adjust to Brees after facing a Culpepper-lead Lions offense last week.

Green Bay (-3) over Carolina

This pick is very similar to the Buffalo one, in that opponents don’t go into Green Bay in December (it basically is) and come away with a victory. It’s also a play of percentages- Carolina: 6-0 at home, 2-3 on the road. Green Bay is a better team than 5-7, where a loss would put them.

NY Giants (-3.5) over Washington

The G-men are unfortunately the best team in football, and Washington has faded from the early season glory they showed. Granted that has been in part to Portis being banged up, but I don’t foresee a divisional grudge match here. Giants will win easily.

St. Louis (+7) over Miami

Steven Jackson is finally back for that Rams. Don’t get me wrong, St. Louis was never a good team, but they were competitive with Jackson. When he was completely healthy they beat Washington and Dallas, and gave the Pats a good game. Jackson is like an iron supplement for the Rams anemic offense. Combine that with the fact that Miami has screwed me the last couple times I picked them to cover (Oakland, Seattle) and I’ll take the Rams at home.

Baltimore (-7) over Cincinnati

Everyone saw what the Raven’s defense did to McNabb and the Eagles last week. This game won’t be much different. What are the odds of Ed Reed scoring more points than the entire Bengals team?

Indianapolis (-4.5) over Cleveland

I would hate to be a Browns fan. They don’t even know how to use the little talent they have. Brady Quinn is out for the season; Indy is rounding into postseason shape; all signs point to a Colts W.

Atlanta (+6) over San Diego

I think this is a fairly generous spread for the Falcons. I would like to highlight the subplot of Michael Turner returning to his old stomping grounds, where he served as a backup to LT for 4 seasons, watching him shatter the record books. Now that Turner has his time in the spotlight, he leads the league in touchdowns and is third in rushing yards. I’m a big believer in players shining in situations like this, and although there’s no hard feeling towards San Diego, I’m sure he wants badly to run all over them.

New England (-2) over Pittsburgh

As a Pats fan, this is it. This is the game. This game will answer the following questions: Is Matt Cassell for real? Are we going to contend for a title this year? Should we get excited for the remainder of the season, or just go back into sleep mode like we did when Brady got hurt? This is also a big game in terms of making the playoffs. The Jets have an easy schedule, and we need to keep up with Indy and Baltimore for the wild card spots.

Oakland (-3) over Kansas City

Umm, don’t really care about this game. It could be interesting, and I’ll be interested for fantasy purposes (Tony Gonzalez). Both teams scored 31 points last week, but KC let up 54 to a previously heartless Buffalo offense and Oakland held Denver to 10.

Minnesota (-3.5) over Chicago

The Vikings really are good. They are. Everyone hates on them because their starting quarterback is Gus Frerotte, which is understandable. But seriously, try and look past the fact that he is their QB. If you can ignore that, you will see they are a good team. I like them to win the North.

Houston (-3) over Jacksonville

Another game that no one should really care about. I like Houston because they are at home and I want to believe that Andre Johnson is going to have a huge fantasy performance for me; I’m going to need it. At least Houston limits their problems to on the football field. They have that working in their favor.

Last week: 10-4-1
Turkey: 2-1
Season: 49-78-2