December 5, 2006

NFL Week 14 Predictions

December 5, 2006, 7:00 PM | 11 Comments

Last week was another average week for my picks - I went 9-7 to bring the total up to 59.9%. There were definitely a few surprises, not the least of which was the Titans beating the Colts with a 60-yard field goal at the end of the game. It was just another example of the “anything-can-happen” season that it’s been all year.

The playoff races are really starting to heat up in both the AFC and the NFC. San Diego looks like they’ll cruise to a first-round bye in the AFC, but another loss by Indianapolis last week has made the competition for home-field advantage even tighter. The wild card race is a log-jam with 5 teams at 7-5 and all in the hunt for the 2 wild card spots.

This week’s poll question is a simple one, which AFC team that is currently in contention for a wild-card spot will not make the playoffs? Cast your votes!

Monday Night Wrap-Up:

What started out as an incredibly boring game in the first half actually turned into a good game. There must have been about 400 punts in the first half alone, which probably made a lot of viewers either fall asleep, or just go to bed altogether.

Thankfully, the 2^nd half was a lot more interesting and things started to get exciting. Once again though, the Panthers deflated in the 4^th quarter and allowed the Eagles to come back and get a much-needed win. Carolina actually had a great chance to win on their final drive, but Jake Delhomme was intercepted in the end zone when Keyshawn just jumped for the ball too early.

It was great to see Jeff Garcia have some success for once, and it wasn’t easy as even the Philly fans were booing him for most of the night. When it looked like Garcia got injured, fans booed when he stood up and appeared to be OK. That’s tough for any quarterback, let alone a guy who hasn’t played much in the last 3 years and who’s been arguably the worst victim of the “TO effect.” Anyways, great job by Garcia last night to get a well deserved win.

Also, special thanks go out to ESPN for not showing Steve Smith puking.

Week 14 Game of the Week: Broncos at Chargers.

This game is must win for Denver. If they do, they’ll still have a chance at the playoffs. If they lose though, they’re pretty much finished for this season and the rest of the year will be devoted to the development of Jay Cutler. Cutler’s performance on Sunday night wasn’t really that interesting, and I feel like Mike Shanahan called an overly conservative game-plan that didn’t really allow Cutler to get into any sort of passing rhythm. Just my 2 cents though.

What makes this game my game of the week though is the fact that LaDainian Tomlinson could very well eclipse Shaun Alexander’s total touchdown mark this week in just his 13^th game of the season. Tomlinson is sitting at 26 total touchdowns right now and needs just 2 to tie the record. Denver’s defense has been pretty good all year though, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the mark wasn’t set this week, but it would be something to see.

Anyways, on to my predictions for week 14!

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Browns (4-9)	Steelers (6-7)	Finally the Steelers are playing some half-decent football. It still won’t be enough for a playoff spot, but they’ll probably bang off a couple more wins down the stretch.
Falcons (7-6)	Buccaneers (3-10)	It’s risky to pick Atlanta, but usually Michael Vick has a couple good weeks in a row before imploding.
Ravens (10-3)	Chiefs (7-6)	After a disappointing loss to the Browns, the Chiefs are probably going to be even tougher at home this week. Baltimore is still in contention for a first round bye, but they need to win this week.
Colts (10-3)	Jaguars (8-5)	This is another tough game to call because Indianapolis is really starting to show cracks lately. Their run defense can’t stop anyone but their offense can get it done against most everyone… except the Titans apparently.
Vikings (6-7)	Detroit Lions (2-11)	The Vikings are a better team than the Lions and have a better defense, but the Lions have a better offense than the Vikes. This one could go either way.
Patriots (9-4)	Dolphins (6-7)	The Patriots are really starting to look like a threat to take away one of those first round bye-weeks in the playoffs. They’ve always had trouble with Miami though, so I expect a Patriots win, but a very close game.
Giants (7-6)	Panthers (6-7)	2 disappointing teams who can’t finish games. I think the edge goes to the Giants though because they can’t afford to take another loss. If the Panthers win, heads will roll in NY.
Raiders (2-11)	Bengals (8-5)	What a great win last week by the Bengals. They’ve still got a hold on one of the AFC wild card spots, but with road matches coming up against Indianapolis and Denver, they’ll need to win at least 3 of they’re last 4.
Eagles (7-6)	Redskins (4-9)	Last night’s MNF win was huge for the Eagles and could start some momentum to carry them back in to the playoff race.
Titans (6-7)	Texans (4-9)	After 2 impressive wins in a row, the Titans are starting to show a lot of promise for next season. Mathematically they’re still in the AFC playoff race, but they’ll need a lot of help (read: losses) from other teams.
Packers (5-8)	49ers (5-8)	The Packers need to win this game for Brett Favre’s sake.
Seahawks (8-5)	Cardinals (4-9)	With Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck healthy again, the Seahawks are starting to build some good momentum at exactly the right time.
Bills (6-7)	Jets (7-6)	Last week the Jets dominated the Packers at Lambeau Field. This week they’ll probably have a tougher time with the Bills, but the result should be similar.
Broncos (7-6)	Chargers (11-2)	Well, the start of the ‘Jay Cutler era’ was fairly uneventful and probably won’t get much more interesting this week against the Chargers in San Diego. The story this week is all about LT.
Saints (9-4)	Cowboys (8-5)	The Cowboys have just catapulted themselves in to ‘team to beat’ status in the NFC because they’re really on a roll. The Saints offense is great, but their defense hasn’t shown me anything to make me think that they’ll be able to stop the ‘Boys offense, so I’ll take “America’s Team” to win at home on national television.
Bears (11-2)	Rams (5-8)	Whether or not Rex Grossman can lead this team in the playoffs remains to be seen, but there’s no question he’s got to start playing better soon now.

This week I’m hoping that I’ll get back above the .600 mark with my picks… but anything can happen, right? I’m excited to see what happens in the next month because now that we’re in the final 4 weeks of the season, even the bad games are fun to watch. Check out this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

Update: After watching the first half of the MNF game, I thought that the Rams actually had a chance in what looked like a shootout. The Bears had different plans though and that completed my 11-5 week. Congrats to Rex Grossman for getting better now. My running total is now at 126-82. Check back tomorrow for my week 15 predictions.

Posted in: Sports