Everyone’s favorite sports blogger is back—just in time for the NFL playoffs. You can thank a stubborn tummy-ache and a lack of motivation to finish up my homework for my triumphant return to the blogosphere.
Let’s get things started with the NFC:
Washington Redskins (9-7)
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Seattle Seahawks (10-6)
The momentum and motivation arguments alone seem like more than enough for me to justify picking the ‘skins here. If you’re still not convinced, consider Seattle’s lack of balance on offense, and the flaws in its defense. The Seahawks cannot run the ball effectively, and it will come back to haunt them in the playoffs, as this deficiency always does, regardless of the team or offensive system. And while Seattle has an exceptional group of linebackers, its secondary is quite suspect, as Chris Redman and the hapless Falcons showed us last week. These Seahawks are merely shadows of their former Super Bowl selves of two seasons ago. The Redskins, on the other hand, have a decent defense, a hard-hitting running game, a passing game that looks surprisingly solid as of late, and everything in the world to play for.
My Pick: Redskins advance to face the Cowboys
SAFE PICK
New York Giants (10-6)
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
Based off of the Giants’ inspired performance against the Patriots last week, and their impressive 7-1 record on the road (tied with Dallas for the best mark in the NFC), this one should be a no-brainer, right? Not so fast. I’m willing to give the G-men a fighting chance in this one, as the Bucs are likely to be a bit out of sync after not playing their offensive starters for much of the last two games after clinching the division title. Still, despite Eli Manning’s success against the Patriots, he has looked awfully shaky during the second half of the season. Even with his inspired, four touchdown effort against New England, he has thrown ten touchdown passes and eleven interceptions over that span, and completed fewer than half of his passes in three of those games. It is also important to note that of the Giants’ seven road wins, only one came against a winning team, and that lone quality win, against the Redskins in Week 3, was more the result of Washington miscues than good play by New York. The Buccaneers aren’t a great team, but they are solid in every facet of the game, on offense, defense and special teams. Jeff Garcia is a more consistent quarterback than Eli Manning, and in a game between two teams with equally solid but not spectacular defenses and equally effective running games, the quarterback play will be the difference.
My Pick: The Bucs advance to play the Packers
And now, the AFC:
Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5)
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Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
The Jaguars have the unfortunate luck to play in the same division as the Indianapolis Colts, and thus are forced to play on the road in the first week of the playoffs. Don’t let the seedings fool you however—this Jacksonville team is better than either of the division winners playing this weekend, and could make some serious noise in this postseason. The Steelers have teased us all year long, looking great at times (beating the Browns twice) and terrible at others (losing to the Cardinals). Roethlisberger has had perhaps his best season as a Steeler, but the defense has been inconsistent and the overall intensity level of the team has not been entirely reliable from week to week. The Jaguars, led by the vaunted running duo of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, a smash-mouth defense (which held Big Ben to his least accurate passing game of the season) and emerging quarterback David Garrard, already demonstrated how to beat the Steelers in Week 15, and in the playoff rematch the Steelers will be without starting running back Willie Parker. The Steelers will need nothing less than divine intervention to win this game, and they already cashed in all of their help from God for the next decade when they won the Super Bowl two years ago.
My Pick: Jaguars move on, and get to play with the big boys
SAFE PICK
Tennessee Titans (10-6)
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San Diego Chargers (11-5)
In my mind, Tennessee should not be playing right now. The Browns were a better team over the course of the season, and the Titans snuck into the playoffs only because they faced a Colts team that did not play its starters for the majority of the game. Did I mention that they still barely won the game against a group of backups? The Chargers, led by LaDanian Tomlinson, will manhandle the Titans in this game, but don’t be fooled—they’re not nearly as good a team as they will appear to be against this undeserving opponent.
My Pick: Chargers advance past a group of players and coaches that should be watching the game from their living rooms.
SAFE PICK
That’s all for now. Check back next week and I’ll post my next set of picks…I promise!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Now the World (Series)...
It’s been a wild postseason so far, and many are expecting the madness to continue in the World Series. Tonight, the Colorado Rockies, winners of 21 of their last 22, face off against the Boston Red Sox, who staged another October comeback to defeat a talented and balanced Indians team in seven games. In Game One tonight at Fenway, the regular and postseason leader in wins, Josh Beckett, will face off against Rockies ace Jeff Francis, who has won his first two postseason starts. With limited time at my disposal, I’m going to spare you the complete position-by-position analysis and get down to business here.
Boston has the two best postseason hitters in the game on their team (Ortiz and Manny) but top to bottom Colorado has a better lineup. That’s not to say (as half the talking heads are) that the Rockies’ lineup is invincible; nor is it to say (as the other half of the talking heads are) that it is overrated; the truth lies somewhere in between. I see the Rockies’ lineup as comparable to the Indians’ lineup. That’s a compliment, but it doesn’t mean that I think they will fare any better against Beckett than the Indians did.
The Red Sox, although I’m not enamored with their rotation as a whole, have a clear advantage in the starting pitching department. The Rockies rotation, top to bottom, is filled with (very slightly) above average pitchers who will struggle to get outs against the heart of the Red Sox order. Yes, they looked great in the NLCS, but it’s one thing for Francis, with his league average regular season level ERA and WHIP, to dominate the Diamondbacks, with a leadoff hitter who batted below .240 and whose best batter is pitcher Micah Owings; it’s quite another to do it against a team with the best 3/4 combo in all of baseball. I expect the Red Sox to hit Colorado starting pitching early and often, beginning tonight against Francis. Of course, once the Rockies get past Beckett (the best big game pitcher in the league), they should be able to do some hitting of their own. Schilling hardly resembles the dominant pitcher he was in 2004, and Matsuzaka has looked tired and wild during the postseason.
Once the game gets to the later innings, both teams have two solid bullpen pitchers that will hold the opposing offense in check: Okajima and Papelbon for Boston, and Fuentes and Corpas for Colorado.
The defensive edge goes to the Rockies, who have quietly played the best defense in all of baseball this year. The Red Sox defense has been quite good as well (far better than it was in ’04), but it will take a hit when the Sawx travel to Colorado and have to play Ortiz in the field, and deal with lead-footed Manny having to cover more ground in left field.
You certainly can’t discount the advantage of a team getting hot during the playoffs (after all, the Cardinals did win it all last year), but Colorado’s long layoff and the way the Red Sox have played over the last three games have nullified that advantage for the Rockies in my estimation. I know that the Rockies took two of three from Boston in July, but that is ancient history. I also seem to recall the Yankees going undefeated against the Tribe during the regular season before being dominated by them in the first round. The bottom line is that this series will boil down to the same thing that it did during the Angels/Sox, Indians/Yankees and Sox/Indians series—starting pitching. Colorado doesn’t have a single starting pitcher that scares me, and I therefore can’t see them winning this series. I see them beating up on Dice-K and avoiding the sweep, but nothing more.
My Prediction: Red Sox in Five
Boston has the two best postseason hitters in the game on their team (Ortiz and Manny) but top to bottom Colorado has a better lineup. That’s not to say (as half the talking heads are) that the Rockies’ lineup is invincible; nor is it to say (as the other half of the talking heads are) that it is overrated; the truth lies somewhere in between. I see the Rockies’ lineup as comparable to the Indians’ lineup. That’s a compliment, but it doesn’t mean that I think they will fare any better against Beckett than the Indians did.
The Red Sox, although I’m not enamored with their rotation as a whole, have a clear advantage in the starting pitching department. The Rockies rotation, top to bottom, is filled with (very slightly) above average pitchers who will struggle to get outs against the heart of the Red Sox order. Yes, they looked great in the NLCS, but it’s one thing for Francis, with his league average regular season level ERA and WHIP, to dominate the Diamondbacks, with a leadoff hitter who batted below .240 and whose best batter is pitcher Micah Owings; it’s quite another to do it against a team with the best 3/4 combo in all of baseball. I expect the Red Sox to hit Colorado starting pitching early and often, beginning tonight against Francis. Of course, once the Rockies get past Beckett (the best big game pitcher in the league), they should be able to do some hitting of their own. Schilling hardly resembles the dominant pitcher he was in 2004, and Matsuzaka has looked tired and wild during the postseason.
Once the game gets to the later innings, both teams have two solid bullpen pitchers that will hold the opposing offense in check: Okajima and Papelbon for Boston, and Fuentes and Corpas for Colorado.
The defensive edge goes to the Rockies, who have quietly played the best defense in all of baseball this year. The Red Sox defense has been quite good as well (far better than it was in ’04), but it will take a hit when the Sawx travel to Colorado and have to play Ortiz in the field, and deal with lead-footed Manny having to cover more ground in left field.
You certainly can’t discount the advantage of a team getting hot during the playoffs (after all, the Cardinals did win it all last year), but Colorado’s long layoff and the way the Red Sox have played over the last three games have nullified that advantage for the Rockies in my estimation. I know that the Rockies took two of three from Boston in July, but that is ancient history. I also seem to recall the Yankees going undefeated against the Tribe during the regular season before being dominated by them in the first round. The bottom line is that this series will boil down to the same thing that it did during the Angels/Sox, Indians/Yankees and Sox/Indians series—starting pitching. Colorado doesn’t have a single starting pitcher that scares me, and I therefore can’t see them winning this series. I see them beating up on Dice-K and avoiding the sweep, but nothing more.
My Prediction: Red Sox in Five
Monday, October 08, 2007
Using a pitching Wedge from the green or How to misplay pocket rockets
I know I’m not the first person to bring this up in a blog post today—everyone from Jon Heyman to Drew Carey thinks that Wedge’s decision to pitch Paul Byrd tonight could end up costing the Indians the game, and possibly the series—but I would like to point out that I saw this moment coming, before the series even began, when the Indians announced the starters for all five games before playing a single inning.
Throwing Sabathia and Carmona in the first two games was, of course, a no-brainer. Having Jake Westbrook pitch Game 3, in Yankee Stadium? That, I’m not so sure about. During two regular season meetings, Yankees hitters crushed just about everything Westbrook threw in their direction, piling up 17 hits (including five home runs) and 12 runs in just 8 2/3 innings. But, as the other possible starter Paul Byrd was also ripped apart by the Yanks in his only start against them (2 IP 7 H 7 R), and the Indians won the first two games of the series after going winless against New York during the regular season, let’s disregard past history and just think about this strategically.
In Game 1, the Tribe threw out Sabathia, a prototypical left-handed power-pitching ace. In Game 2, they pitched Fausto Carmona, a righty sinkerball pitcher who relies on keeping the ball down and off the plate to induce hitters into hitting weak groundballs. 2-0 Indians: So far, so good. Then it gets a little tricky. Normally you would want to start your third best starting pitcher in Game 3 of a playoff series, but you also need to consider the match-ups and your other personnel. Enter Jake Westbrook, another sinkerball pitcher, but with weaker velocity and less control than Carmona. Why would you pitch Carmona Lite after pitching Carmona? It makes no sense to me. The Yankees saw nine innings of hard sinkers in Game 2, and were able to have their plate approach from that game carry over into the next game. When the same pitch that they were looking for in Game 2 was slower and more hittable, the Yankees were, predictably, very successful hitting the ball against Westbrook in Game 3. Why not throw Byrd, a control pitcher who relies on a wide array of off-speed pitches, in Game 3 instead of Westbrook? I’m not saying he’s a Cy Young candidate, or even more than an average pitcher, but he would have at least given the Yankees a different look. And Byrd’s numbers during the regular season (15-8 4.59 ERA 1.39 WHIP) were comparable to Westbrook’s (6-9 4.32 ERA 1.41 WHIP). It’s not like I’m suggesting you not throw Sandy Koufax and vintage Randy Johnson back-to-back (on my all-time fantasy team) just because they’re both left-handed power pitchers. There is little to no drop-off in pitching ability between Westbrook and Byrd, but when Wedge started Westbrook after Carmona, it put Westbrook at an unnecessary disadvantage against a team whose collective batting eyes were already adjusted to hitting his only effective pitch.
Even though I KNEW Westbrook was going to get rocked in Game 3 before the series even began, I would be willing to give Eric Wedge a pass if he would just, even for a moment, consider changing his starter for Game 4. Wedge picking Westbrook over Byrd suggests a blind belief in groundball pitching over flyball pitching (Byrd’s career ground ball to fly ball ratio is less than 1) hindered Wedge’s ability to effectively analyze his team's match-ups, which leads me to believe that he is, despite reports to the contrary, capable of intelligent thought, because in many situations, this would be a sound strategy to follow. But by picking Byrd over Sabathia (and having Carmona as a fall-back plan for Game 5) for Game 4 Wedge has indicated to me that he is a) incapable of distinguishing between talent and mediocrity, b) stubbornly sticking with the game-plan he came up with before the series even started because he’s a republican and hates change, or c) is THAT guy at the poker table who has pocket aces but refuses to bet anyone out because he wants a bigger payoff (i.e. having the optimum setup of Carmona and Sabathia for the first two games of the ALCS). As I can’t come up with any other reasonable excuse for not using your best pitchers to close out a series with a potentially dangerous opponent, I’ll give Wedge the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is looking ahead to the next series. In that case, I see what he’s doing, but I don’t like it. “THAT guy at the poker table” does come away with a big pot about half of the time; the other half of the time, though, he loses big, and often loses it all. I would rather save the roulette strategies for $5 buy-in games with my suitemates, and play the odds when dealing with the fate of a $70 million baseball team, but maybe that’s just me. Of course, this could be a moot point if the Indians “break out the boom sticks” (thanks, Sportscenter) again against Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang (they torched him for 9 hits and 8 runs in 4 2/3 innings in Game 1), but as a fan of this talented, young Indians squad, I’m not feeling very confident at the moment.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
That would be Super...
And then there were two…
Last Week: 0-2
SAFE PICKS: 0-1
Playoffs: 8-2
SAFE PICKS: 2-1
Chicago (15-3) vs. Indianapolis (15-4)
I’ve heard way too many stories the past two weeks involving Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith’s skin color (as opposed to their coaching abilities), and the futility of the NFC as opposed to the AFC. I can guarantee that the Bears aren’t going to go down quietly. They have a very talented defense, their special teams play has been outstanding and Grossman, regardless of his inconsistency, has the ability to throw the deep ball and a speedy receiver (Bernard Berrian) who can catch it. That being said, the Colts have the weapons to counteract all of the Bears’ strengths. They have a talented and knowledgeable quarterback (Peyton Manning) that utilizes every eligible receiver on the field. They have an offensive line that protects said quarterback extremely well. And now, they have a one-two punch (of speed and power) running game that allows them to mix up their offensive game plan more than they were able to in previous years. The Colts’ run defense has been really solid during the playoffs, now that Bob Sanders is back in the lineup and plugging every running hole. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson will get some yards but the Colts should be able to keep them reasonably contained. The Colts’ pass defense is pretty solid and they should be able to keep the Bears’ receivers in check…if they can establish a strong pass rush (behind Dwight Freeney). Grossman doesn’t handle the blitz well and I think that it is essential that the Colts put lots of pressure on him.
Bottom line: If the Colts can consistently get pressure on Grossman, the Bears can’t win this game…at least not without a lot of luck. If the Colts allow Grossman time to sit back in the pocket, he will have a lot more success throwing the ball down the field and the Bears will have a chance to win.
My Pick: Peyton shuts up his critics and wins his first Championship
Last Week: 0-2
SAFE PICKS: 0-1
Playoffs: 8-2
SAFE PICKS: 2-1
Chicago (15-3) vs. Indianapolis (15-4)
I’ve heard way too many stories the past two weeks involving Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith’s skin color (as opposed to their coaching abilities), and the futility of the NFC as opposed to the AFC. I can guarantee that the Bears aren’t going to go down quietly. They have a very talented defense, their special teams play has been outstanding and Grossman, regardless of his inconsistency, has the ability to throw the deep ball and a speedy receiver (Bernard Berrian) who can catch it. That being said, the Colts have the weapons to counteract all of the Bears’ strengths. They have a talented and knowledgeable quarterback (Peyton Manning) that utilizes every eligible receiver on the field. They have an offensive line that protects said quarterback extremely well. And now, they have a one-two punch (of speed and power) running game that allows them to mix up their offensive game plan more than they were able to in previous years. The Colts’ run defense has been really solid during the playoffs, now that Bob Sanders is back in the lineup and plugging every running hole. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson will get some yards but the Colts should be able to keep them reasonably contained. The Colts’ pass defense is pretty solid and they should be able to keep the Bears’ receivers in check…if they can establish a strong pass rush (behind Dwight Freeney). Grossman doesn’t handle the blitz well and I think that it is essential that the Colts put lots of pressure on him.
Bottom line: If the Colts can consistently get pressure on Grossman, the Bears can’t win this game…at least not without a lot of luck. If the Colts allow Grossman time to sit back in the pocket, he will have a lot more success throwing the ball down the field and the Bears will have a chance to win.
My Pick: Peyton shuts up his critics and wins his first Championship
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Championship Time
The days are getting colder and the Super Bowl is getting closer and closer…
Last Week: 4-0
SAFE PICKS: 0-0
Playoffs: 8-0
SAFE PICKS: 2-0
New Orleans (10-6, 6-2 away)
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Chicago (13-3, 6-2 home)
It’s in Chicago, the strength of the Bears’ offense is their deep passing game and New Orleans’ secondary is weak…on paper, the Bears look to have the edge. The Saints feel like a team of destiny though and I think that they are going to keep marching…all the way to Disney World.
My Pick: Saints secure a spot in the Super Bowl
SAFE PICK
New England (12-4, 7-1 away)
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Indianapolis (12-4, 8-0 home)
Is this finally the Colts’ year? This is the weakest Patriots team in recent memory. They were very fortunate to win last week and will need more luck and some help from Peyton Manning to make it back to the Super Bowl. Still, I’m not convinced by the Colts’ defense or Manning’s performance during the playoffs.
My Pick: The Patriots will find a way to pull this one out
Last Week: 4-0
SAFE PICKS: 0-0
Playoffs: 8-0
SAFE PICKS: 2-0
New Orleans (10-6, 6-2 away)
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Chicago (13-3, 6-2 home)
It’s in Chicago, the strength of the Bears’ offense is their deep passing game and New Orleans’ secondary is weak…on paper, the Bears look to have the edge. The Saints feel like a team of destiny though and I think that they are going to keep marching…all the way to Disney World.
My Pick: Saints secure a spot in the Super Bowl
SAFE PICK
New England (12-4, 7-1 away)
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Indianapolis (12-4, 8-0 home)
Is this finally the Colts’ year? This is the weakest Patriots team in recent memory. They were very fortunate to win last week and will need more luck and some help from Peyton Manning to make it back to the Super Bowl. Still, I’m not convinced by the Colts’ defense or Manning’s performance during the playoffs.
My Pick: The Patriots will find a way to pull this one out
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Round 2: 2.0
Seattle (9-7, 4-4 away)
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Chicago (13-3, 6-2 home)
The Seahawks haven’t been able to gel this year. Their offense seems stagnant and their defense is riddled by injuries. The only way that they win this one is if Grossman has another meltdown, which is possible.
My Pick: DA Bears
New England (12-4, 7-1 away)
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San Diego (14-2, 8-0 home)
One thing’s for sure…Belichick is going to stack the line to subdue Tomlinson. If the Chargers are going to win this game, Philip Rivers needs to come up huge for them. I’m hesitant to put that much faith in an untested player against a defensive mastermind, so I’ll take the Patriots here, in a close one.
My Pick: Pats pull it out in the 4th quarter
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Chicago (13-3, 6-2 home)
The Seahawks haven’t been able to gel this year. Their offense seems stagnant and their defense is riddled by injuries. The only way that they win this one is if Grossman has another meltdown, which is possible.
My Pick: DA Bears
New England (12-4, 7-1 away)
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San Diego (14-2, 8-0 home)
One thing’s for sure…Belichick is going to stack the line to subdue Tomlinson. If the Chargers are going to win this game, Philip Rivers needs to come up huge for them. I’m hesitant to put that much faith in an untested player against a defensive mastermind, so I’ll take the Patriots here, in a close one.
My Pick: Pats pull it out in the 4th quarter
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Round 2...
Last Week: 4-0
SAFE PICKS: 2-0
Indianapolis (12-4, 4-4 away)
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Baltimore (13-3, 7-1 home)
Baltimore’s defense is pretty damn good but now that the pressure has eased on Peyton Manning (as they are the #3 seed, playing on the road), will he able to come through? I think he’s too good and too dedicated a player to not find a way to overcome his playoff misfortunes.
My Pick: A Great offense beats a great defense
Philadelphia (10-6, 5-3 away)
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New Orleans (10-6, 4-4 home)
Someone’s Cinderella story is about to come to an end. I think it will be the Eagles’. Jeff Garcia has played really well but, if the game turns into a shootout, he can’t compete with Drew Brees.
My Pick: Saints come marching [o]n…
SAFE PICKS: 2-0
Indianapolis (12-4, 4-4 away)
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Baltimore (13-3, 7-1 home)
Baltimore’s defense is pretty damn good but now that the pressure has eased on Peyton Manning (as they are the #3 seed, playing on the road), will he able to come through? I think he’s too good and too dedicated a player to not find a way to overcome his playoff misfortunes.
My Pick: A Great offense beats a great defense
Philadelphia (10-6, 5-3 away)
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New Orleans (10-6, 4-4 home)
Someone’s Cinderella story is about to come to an end. I think it will be the Eagles’. Jeff Garcia has played really well but, if the game turns into a shootout, he can’t compete with Drew Brees.
My Pick: Saints come marching [o]n…
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Life on the Wild Side...(Birthday Edition)
Happy Birthday to me—I have to miss the Patriots game because I am working the scoreboard for a basketball game. Oh well. I guess I will just have to drown my sorrows with some legal fruity mixed drinks later on tonight…
New York Jets (10-6, 6-2 away)
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New England (12-4, 5-3 home)
The Patriots are too talented and battle-tested to lose at home to a first-year coach whose team over-achieved to get here. Brady will play well and the defense will play even better. Sorry Pennington, Coles, Mangini and co…your impressive season is about to end.
My Pick: Patriots eliminate their AFC East rivals
SAFE PICK
New York Giants (8-8, 5-3 away)
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Philadelphia (10-6, 5-3 home)
The Giants’ secondary is awful. Jeff Garcia and the reinvigorated Eagles will light the G-men up through the air. And Brian Westbrook will give them trouble all day as well. On the other side of the ball, Brian Dawkins and the Eagles pass defense will shut down Eli Manning with ease. Even if Tiki Barber has another 200 yard rushing game, the Giants will still lose this game…
My Pick: The Giants’ disappointing season comes to an end
SAFE PICK
New York Jets (10-6, 6-2 away)
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New England (12-4, 5-3 home)
The Patriots are too talented and battle-tested to lose at home to a first-year coach whose team over-achieved to get here. Brady will play well and the defense will play even better. Sorry Pennington, Coles, Mangini and co…your impressive season is about to end.
My Pick: Patriots eliminate their AFC East rivals
SAFE PICK
New York Giants (8-8, 5-3 away)
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Philadelphia (10-6, 5-3 home)
The Giants’ secondary is awful. Jeff Garcia and the reinvigorated Eagles will light the G-men up through the air. And Brian Westbrook will give them trouble all day as well. On the other side of the ball, Brian Dawkins and the Eagles pass defense will shut down Eli Manning with ease. Even if Tiki Barber has another 200 yard rushing game, the Giants will still lose this game…
My Pick: The Giants’ disappointing season comes to an end
SAFE PICK
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Life on the Wild Side...
I know I promised an in-depth playoff preview but a lot happened in between then and now. As I have run out of time, I will simply give you my picks for tonight’s wildcard games.
Last Week: 11-5
(SAFE PICKS: 2-3)
Regular Season: 148-108
(SAFE PICKS: 58-37)
Kansas City (9-7, 3-5 away)
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Indianapolis (12-4, 8-0 home)
The Chiefs are lucky to be in the playoffs but they have Larry Johnson, one of the best running backs in the league, and thus have a chance to exploit the Colts’ fatal weakness—run defense. The problem is, if the Colts stack the box to stop the run, will Trent Green be able to lead the Chiefs down the field through the air? I’m not convinced he can. He has looked pretty shaky the last couple weeks. I’ll take the Colts simply because I don’t trust the Chiefs’ passing game.
My Pick: Colts win and move to 9-0 at home
Dallas (9-7, 5-3 away)
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Seattle (9-7, 5-3 home)
This looks like it could be a wild game. With the way that these two defenses have struggled as of late, I expect a pretty high scoring game. Seattle’s secondary is in shambles because of injuries and the Cowboys have completely lost their confidence defensively. Expect big games for Deion Branch and Darrell Jackson, and, on the other side of the field, Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn. It’s going to be close but…
My Pick: I’ll take Seattle here since they have the home-field advantage
Last Week: 11-5
(SAFE PICKS: 2-3)
Regular Season: 148-108
(SAFE PICKS: 58-37)
Kansas City (9-7, 3-5 away)
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Indianapolis (12-4, 8-0 home)
The Chiefs are lucky to be in the playoffs but they have Larry Johnson, one of the best running backs in the league, and thus have a chance to exploit the Colts’ fatal weakness—run defense. The problem is, if the Colts stack the box to stop the run, will Trent Green be able to lead the Chiefs down the field through the air? I’m not convinced he can. He has looked pretty shaky the last couple weeks. I’ll take the Colts simply because I don’t trust the Chiefs’ passing game.
My Pick: Colts win and move to 9-0 at home
Dallas (9-7, 5-3 away)
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Seattle (9-7, 5-3 home)
This looks like it could be a wild game. With the way that these two defenses have struggled as of late, I expect a pretty high scoring game. Seattle’s secondary is in shambles because of injuries and the Cowboys have completely lost their confidence defensively. Expect big games for Deion Branch and Darrell Jackson, and, on the other side of the field, Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn. It’s going to be close but…
My Pick: I’ll take Seattle here since they have the home-field advantage
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