Gobble Gobble Here we Go!

Thanksgiving Day:
Green Bay at Detroit (Green Bay)
Oakland at Dallas (Dallas)
New York Giants at Denver (Giants)*

Sunday:
Tampa Bay at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Miami at Buffalo (Miami)
Cleveland at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Indianapolis at Houston (Indianapolis)*
Carolina at New York Jets (Carolina)
Washington at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Seattle at St. Louis (Seattle)
Kansas City at San Diego (San Diego)
Jacksonville at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Chicago at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Arizona at Tennessee (Arizona)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore (Pittsburgh)

Monday:
New England at New Orleans (New Orleans 28-21)

Try not to eat too much :-)

It's Week 12

It's late... my Week 11 comments will come later. As for now, here is Week 12:

Thanksgiving Day:
Green Bay at Detroit (Green Bay)
Oakland at Dallas (Dallas)
New York Giants at Denver (Denver)

Sunday:
Tampa Bay at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Miami at Buffalo (Miami)
Cleveland at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Indianapolis at Houston (Houston)
Carolina at New York Jets (Carolina)
Washington at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Seattle at St. Louis (Seattle)
Kansas City at San Diego (San Diego)
Jacksonville at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Chicago at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Arizona at Tennessee (Arizona)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore (Pittsburgh)

Monday:
New England at New Orleans (New Orleans 35-28)

That's that... I want to wish all of you out there a Happy Thanksgiving!

Week 11 - And the train has left the station

Well Rick didn't look at the games very well. We disagreed on the Thursday game which went to Rick, also San Diego at Denver (huh??) which also went to Rick and then there was Chicago at Philadelphia which went to me. So it came down to the Monday night game, which was a darn good game. The Texans are definitely beginning to prove themselves as a contender. Although their Wild Card chances are dashed this year I think we will see greater things as the season progresses. This game came down to simply being outplayed. There wasn't anything either team can brag or whine about I don't think. The Titans just played a bit better.

Other games worth noting, SD at Denver .... what a steam roll. Denver flat out played like they were sleeping. The Minnesota game I have to be honest was a bore. By halftime I was channel surfing. I am not sure if maybe Seattle just gave up or what happened there. Cleveland and Detriot, wow that was quite the game. I enjoyed watching that game more than my own. This is when the season gets more exciting as we get closer to playoffs and fighting for position. Turkey Day football here we come!

P.S. Vince Young is a very good quarterback. Considering they haven't lost a game since he was back, he is versatile and can make a play out of nothing I am not sure how one can disagree.

Week 11 Picks

I won't mention the results of the Thursday game as I don't want to jinx myself. Here are my Week 11 picks for Sunday and Monday:

Indianapolis at Baltimore (Indianapolis)
Washington at Dallas (Dallas)
Cleveland at Detroit (Detroit)
San Francisco at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Buffalo at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Pittsburgh at Kansas City (Pittsburgh)
Seattle at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Atlanta at New York Giants (New York Giants)
New Orleans at Tampa Bay (New Orleans)
Arizona at St. Louis (Arizona)
San Diego at Denver (San Diego)
New York Jets at New England (New England)
Cincinnati at Oakland (Cincinnati)
Philadelphia at Chicago (Chicago)

Monday Night:
Tennessee at Houston (Houston 28-17)*

Mardi says Tennessee is a bit better than Houston? Hmmm.... They have been on a hot streak, but that's going to come to an end on Monday night. Vince Young is not a good quarterback and Houston's run defense has improved greatly over the course of the season. Until Tennesse can play a well rounded game, they are not really going anywhere this season. It's fitting that this should come down to the Monday Night game as this is our only other disagreement this week.

Sorry I can't be more verbose than this as it's been a busy week for me. I did have a good time at the concert on Thursday, so that helps. I'm thinking chicken breast cutlets topped with a clementine salsa for Monday night's menu. Enjoy the games, boys and girls!

Starting Week 11

As you may already know, Mardi took this week. It was a close one and it all hinged on that gamble by Bill Belichick that just didn't work out. Oh yeah, and the fact that Baltimore played like crap on Monday night and didn't roll on Cleveland like they should have. But I digress. The weekly score was 7-8 (me) and 8-7 (Mardi).

As I've been a little busy this week (with a new puppy thrown in the mix) I haven't had time to review the schedule and matchups... but my prediction for tonight's game will be that Miami beats Carolina. Here is our first disagreement this week.

I will have the rest of my predictions up in 24 hours as right now I have to get ready for a concert. I hope Mardi enjoys the game while I'm headbanging.

On to Week 11

In case you were wondering, I won week 10. Not that anyone had any doubts.... ok maybe a couple hehe. Week 10 proved to be a little more exciting then I originally thought. Some surprises as always and some really close games.

Let's move on though shall we?

Thursday
Miami at Carolina (Carolina)

Sunday
Indianapolis at Baltimore (Indianapolis)
Washington at Dallas (Dallas)
Cleveland at Detroit (Detroit)
San Francisco at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Buffalo at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Pittsburgh at Kansas City (Pittsburgh)
Seattle at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Atlanta at New York Giants (Giants)
New Orleans at Tampa Bay (New Orleans)
Arizona at St Louis (Arizona)
San Diego at Denver (Denver)
New York Jets at New England (New England)
Cincinnati at Oakland (Cincinnati)
Philadelphia at Chicago (Philadelphia)

Monday
Tennessee at Houston (Tennessee 21 Houston 17)

Ok here we go. I am not sure what games we are disagreeing on thus far but I am sure Monday nights is one of them. This was a close call for me actually. I think the Texans are going to come out swinging after their bye week but I think the Titans are still a bit better. I have been wrong before though.

Let's see what Rick has to say about it.

Week 10 already

Without further ado....

Thursday
Chicago at San Francisco (Chicago*)

Sunday
Atlanta at Carolina (Atlanta)
Tampa Bay at Miami (Miami)
Detroit at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Jacksonville at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
New Orleans at St Louis (New Orleans)
Buffalo at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Denver at Washington (Denver)
Kansas City at Oakland (Oakland)
Seattle at Arizona (Arizona*)
Dallas at Green Bay (Dallas*)
Philadelphia at San Diego (San Diego)
New England at Indianapolis (Indianapolis*)

Monday
Baltimore at Cleveland (Baltimore 21 Cleveland 7)


Four disagreements, starting tonight.

All in all its a boring week. NE at Indy will be the highlight of the week. All else - snore.

Week 9 Rolls to Week 10

The 2 of us didn't do so well this past Sunday. Again, the late games killed our predictions, but oh well. I edge out Mardi this week on the Monday Night game via the tiebreaker. The score for the week was 7-6 (me) and 6-7 (Mardi). The updated season score is 82 -47 (me) and 80-49 (Mardi).

Here is the Week 10 schedule:

Chicago at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Atlanta at Carolina (Atlanta)
Tampa Bay at Miami (Miam)
Detroit at Minnesota (Minnesota)
Jacksonville at New York Jets (New York Jets)
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
New Orleans at St. Louis (New Orleans)
Buffalo at Tennessee (Tennessee)
Denver at Washington (Denver)
Kansas City at Oakland (Oakland)
Seattle at Arizona (Seattle)
Dallas at Green Bay (Green Bay)
Philadelphia at San Diego (San Diego)
New England at Indianapolis (New England)

Monday Night:
Baltimore at Cleveland (Baltimore 35-10)

Bye: Houston, New York Giants

This is the last of the bye weeks and Houston has definitely earned it. They are 5-4 at this point and can definitely go on a roll into the end of the season, with games coming up against Seattle, St. Louis, and Tennessee. Houston getting 10 wins this season isn't out of the question, but they do need to remain focused on the tougher games coming up such as Jacksonville, Miami (both away) and Indianapolis (at home).

Minnesota is welcoming Detroit into the dome this Sunday. Minnesota wins, nothing more needs to be said about that game.

Look for New England to have a big day through the air against the depleted Indianapolis secondary. The only hope for Indianapolis to win will be to disrupt the air attack at the line (which is how they were able to keep Matt Shaub at bay). In the end, though, Indianapolis will suffer it's first loss of the season. I had to give homefield to Oakland. I'm just glad that one is out of market for my television coverage. Homefield also has to go to Pittsburgh. It took a last ditch effort by Cincinnati to beat Pittsburgh last time. This time, however, the defensive pieces are back in place and have shown the ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks with ease. The Seattle/Arizona game is a coin toss for me as Arizona has just been too inconsistent to call effectively. I would dismiss that loss to Tampa Bay as a fluke for Green Bay as they will beat Dallas this Sunday. Dallas may be on a tear, but somehow I don't think it can last. Tennessee is still a bad team, but Buffalo is worse. Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and Washington earn "Bad Team Losing" honors this week. The defense for San Diego has started to pull things together. While it still needs work, the pass protection for Philadelphia is seriously lacking, which is why San Diego will win.

This week's menu is as of yet undecided. What does Mardi think of this week?

Week 9 predictions ... dang bye weeks

Well this week is not so exciting seeing how the Vikings aren't playing but I suppose the show must go on.

Washington at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Arizona at Chicago (Chicago)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Baltimore*)
Houston at Indianapolis (Indianapolis*)
Kansas City at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Miami at New England (New England)
Green Bay at Tampa Bay (Green Bay)
Carolina at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Detroit at Seattle (Seattle)
San Diego at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tennessee at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Dallas at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)

Monday:

Pittsburgh at Denver (Pittsburgh 34-17)

Two game difference, will it go to Monday night? Nah I will win again! :-)

NFL Week 9

On to Week 9 we go. It has been interesting so far as he head into the 2nd half of this season. This week provides for some good matchups. Without further ado, let's look at the schedule:

Washington at Atlanta (Atlanta)
Arizona at Chicago (Chicago)
Baltimore at Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Houston at Indianapolis (Houston)
Kansas City at Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Miami at New England (New England)
Green Bay at Tampa Bay (Green Bay)
Carolina at New Orleans (New Orleans)
Detroit at Seattle (Seattle)
San Diego at New York Giants (New York Giants)
Tennessee at San Francisco (San Francisco)
Dallas at Philadelphia (Philadelphia)

Monday:

Pittsburgh at Denver (Pittsburgh 24-17)

Bye: Minnesota, Cleveland, Buffalo, New York Jets, St. Louis, Oakland

Houston is facing its toughest test this season when it goes up against undefeated Indianapolis. Payton Manning is having the best season of his career this year. I'm very surprised at how this turned out given their preseason performance. Indianapolis has the 4th ranked offense and the 9th ranked defense (versus 8 and 16 respectively for Houston). Part of the key for Houston to win will be the running game. Indianapolis doesn't have the best run defense where Houston has 2 hungry running backs. If Houston can open up the running game, it should keep the Indianapolis defense off balance. Another key is going to be keeping pressure on Payton Manning. Houston has shown it can get good pressure, even with Mario Williams playing as a one-armed DE right now. This will be a big test for the pass rush and the LB corps. Both teams are in the top 3 for Passing Offense, so I expect this to be a shootout. Owen Daniels was one of Matt Shaub's most dangerous threats, however given that Shaub does know how to spread the ball, the change at TE shouldn't be felt too much. The intangibles are what is going to decide this game. Houston wants to prove that it is no longer among the beat 'em ups in the NFL, and that hunger is going to propel them to victory.

I expect a lot of home team victories this Sunday. A lot of teams are evenly matched (good or bad) and home field advantage is key. Philadelphia, with the exception of the game at Oakland, has been on a tear all season whereas Dallas has been inconsistent. I expect Philadelphia to strengthen their hold on 1st in the NFC East. Miami has been building a more rounded offense as of late, but I expect Tom Brady to take apart their defense this Sunday. The youth movement in Jacksonville is inconsistent, but is still by far better than anything Kansas City has fielded this year. Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee earn the "Bad Team Will Lose" honors this week. Detroit at Seattle was a coin toss. The New York Giants are hurting right now but should be able to take apart a San Diego defense that just isn't very good. It's going to be on the NYG D-line to disrupt Philip Rivers. Denver is taking on another top flight offense this week when Pittsburgh comes to town. Although it is difficult to win in Denver, I expect Ben Roethlisberger to pick apart Denver defense. And finally, Joe Flacco has been inconsistent at best this season and unable to put together 2 good games in a row. I have to play the numbers here in predicting Cincinnati winning over Baltimore.

For this Sunday's menu I'm going to have a pan-seared sirloin steak salad with a red-wine and shallot vinaigrette and some parmigiano-reggiano crusted carrots thrown in for good measure. This should be an exciting day of football (for me at least). Now, let's see what Mardi's picks are for this Sunday.

Who doubted the Vikings? Surely not me! Week 8

Let's start with the best game of the week, the Vikings win in Green Bay. I would have to say our offense looked pretty good out there. Favre passed for 244 yards, 4 touchdowns and completed 17 of 28 passes to stump the Packers. The Vikings did good holding it together offensively and defensively in Green Bay. The game was definitely an exciting one as the score remained close pretty much the entire game. Bernard Berrian has proven himself a most valuable asset. He has a chemistry with Favre that makes our offense dangerous. A.P. has seen less and less yardage as most opponents are gunning for him yet he had a decent show on Sunday. Percy Harvin is another player to watch. The Vikings have a bye week coming up this week so they can rest before they host Detroit.... ooooohhhh that should be exciting.

I was a bit surprised by the Giants/Philly game. I expected that to go the other way but Philly is full of surprises I guess. McNabb was certainly on top of his game Sunday. The Jets at Miami was a bit of a surprise to me. Statistically the Jets should have owned this game. Arizona and Carolina well all I have to say is 6 turnovers can kill ya.

Houston at Buffalo well hmmm. I mean I figured they would win but not in the complete fashion they did. I guess miracles do happen... hahaha just kidding. Houston put on a good show when they decided to play.

So week 9 will be boring with no Vikes but I will have my picks up soon.

Week 8 Wrap

Mardi takes this week in a big fashion by winning 3 of the 4 disagreed upon games. The score for the week was 7-6 (me) and 9-4 (Mardi). The gap for the season has narrowed to 1 game with the current tally at 75-41 (me) and 74-42 (Mardi).

Houston got off to a slow start offensively at Buffalo on Sunday. The Buffalo defense held Houston to only 6 points at the half to 10 for Buffalo. Jarius Byrd had another big game on defense, picking off 2 of Matt Shaub's passes. Buffalo's only touchdown came on a very nicely executed end-around to Terrell Owens. Houston lit it up in the 2nd half, however, scoring 25 points to win the game 31-10. Steve Slaton's running woes continued this week. A fumble led to his benching in favor of Ryan Moats. Moats made the most of his opportunity by scoring all three Houston touchdowns on the ground. Moats finished the day with 23 carries for 126 yards, which is the best run performance for any Houston RB this season. Matt Shaub had a decent day throwing the ball going 25 of 34 for 268 yards. Houston suffered a big loss on Sunday as TE Owen Daniels went down for the season with a torn ACL.

Green Bay was starting to show promise after the Week 4 loss in Minnesota. I don't know what happened, but Aaron Rodgers seemed to forget all the lessons he learned that week and repeated the same mistakes. As good as he has been so far, he doesn't quite perform as well under pressure and doesn't seem to be able to get rid of the ball. Minnesota got pressure on him most of the game and came away with 6 sacks. The Minnesota offense didn't have a spectacular day, but they did work in a very efficient manner while picking apart the defense. I honestly thought that by learning the lessons from Week 4 that Green Bay would emerge the winner, but that wasn't to be this week. Congratulations on another Minnesota win this week.

How bad do you have to be to lose to a bad team in your own stadium? I'm talking to you, Detroit and Arizona. Vince Young had no impact on Tennessee beating Jacksonville as it was all done on the ground. Apparently the run defense for Jacksonville decided to take the day off. Eli Manning's foot injury may be lingering as his performance over the past few games has gone way down. I was watching some analysis and they showed that even Manning's stance seems to have changed somewhat since the foot injury. And as for Baltimore beating Denver, Baltimore's defense really seemed to click while Joe Flacco started to find his groove once again.

At any rate, those were my surprises for the week. I'll have my Week 9 predictions up in about 24 hours. I would love to hear Mardi's assessment of this week's action.