Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a clipboard.
Ben from Outside the Boxscore might want to grab a clipboard as well, because he could learn a little from my amazing game picking abilities. In week 11 of the
NFL Prediction Battle I went 13-3, with two upsets among my three losses. Ben went 10-6 and fell to 15 games behind me in the standings. Don't get me wrong - picking correctly 62% of the time isn't bad. I'm picking at 72.5% though, so Ben is going to have trouble catching that. Let's see if he can at least win a little respect over these next few weeks of the season (you know I'm mostly kidding Ben, but I am kicking your butt!).
The Week 12 picks:
Thursday (Happy Turket Day Everyone!):
Packers at Lions - Packers
The Packers already lost to the Buccaneers, and so I was tempted to side with the Lions here. But with Stafford and Megatron potentially both out of this matchup, you really can't side with the Lions. Brandon Pettigrew can't do it all by himself.
Raiders at Cowboys - Cowboys
I made fun of Ben so much for picking the Raiders two weeks ago, and then they go ahead and upset the Bengals last week. The Cowboys aren't a much stronger team than the Bengals (and may actually be weaker, especially if Jason Witten sits). All that said, I don't know that I can live in a world where Bruce Gradkowski wins two games in a row. You're awesome Bruce...but we're talking post 2003 Raiders here.
Giants at Broncos - Giants
The Giants running backs are banged up. The Broncos team morale is banged up. Advantage Giants.
Sunday Games:
Dolphins at Bills - Dolphins
Ryan Fitzpatrick is scrappy, and I believe that I've protested my love for his play on this blog before. That said, the Fins are a heckuva lot better, especially with Ricky Williams playing like he's 23 again.
Colts at Texans - Colts
The Texans played pretty decently against the Titans. The Colts just keep winning though, and it's hard to keep a good Colts team down.
Browns at Bengals - Bengals
The Bengals were upset by the Raiders and that's just embarrassing. The Browns lost a game in the last minute...and that's probably one of the high points of their season. In the battle of Ohio teams, Cincy should win by quite a bit.
Panthers at Jets - Panthers
The Sanchize has looked more and more like a Rook every week, while the Panthers have started to get that passing game together. So I'll go with Johngelo Willart (DeAngethan Stewiams?) and company in this one.
Buccaneers at Falcons - Falcons
Byron Leftwich just got added to the IR, and the implications on this game are...not huge. The Falcons need a win badly. They'll get it.
Redskins at Eagles - Eagles
The Eagles make it look so hard every single week, despite an impressive roster. The Redskins are making strides but they still aren't that good, so I see DeSean Jackson scoring from 50+ yet again in an Eagles win.
Seahawks at Rams - Rams
This game has upset written all over it, even though the Hawks won 28-0 in week one. I like the Rams better with Boller than Bulger, Steven Jackson is amazing, and the Rams actually put up a better fight than the Seahawks last week in their respective games. That said - can I really pick a Rams team with a terrible offensive line and one win to date to win over a far better Seahawks team? I've got a big lead on Ben, so I'll say yes. But I wouldn't bet money on this game.
Chiefs at Chargers - Chargers
The Chiefs won impressively this past week, taking out the defending NFL champions. The Chargers might be the hottest team in the NFL right now outside of Tennessee though, and I don't see them losing here.
Jaguars at 49ers - 49ers
The 49ers don't win them all, but they always keep it competitive. That should be enough against the Jaguars here, though Maurice Jones Drew should find some room to run against the 24th ranked rushing defense. Close one though.
Bears at Vikings - Vikings
No comment needed if you watched these two teams play last week. Next.
Cardinals at Titans - Titans
Let the momentum roll. At some point the magic has to run out, but I'm sticking around through this week at least.
Steelers at Ravens - Ravens
The Steelers looked awful last week, and now Roethlisberger is banged up (then again, isn't he always?). The Ravens barely lost last week to a great team, and I think that they finally come through and win again this week. Should set up a nice rematch a few weeks from now.
Monday Night Game:
Patriots at Saints - Saints
I love the Patriots, and I think they'll put up some points. But the Saints keep getting it done week after week, and I think they'll find a way here whether by air or ground. It'll be a shootout though.
