Here are my picks for Wild Card Weekend:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Last week: 10-6 (62.5%), Season total: 166 ½-89 (65.0%)
Falcons (11-5)	Cardinals (9-7)	Congratulations to Arizona for finally winning the NFC West, but I like the Falcons in this one, they’ve just been far more consistent this year and I don’t think their QB’s inexperience will be a factor.		•
Colts (12-4)	Chargers (8-8)	Indianapolis has had their trouble in San Diego over the years, but there’s just too much talent on the Colts to lose in the opening round of the playoffs. San Diego has played very well over the past 4 weeks, but they are as good (or bad) as their 8-8 record.		•
Ravens (11-5)	Miami Dolphins (11-5)	I think the dream turnaround season for Miami ends this week. Of all the Wild Card games though, this one might give the home team the best shot to win. Miami doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, so I think this will be a very close contest, but I like the Ravens to win.		•
Eagles (9-6-1)	Vikings (10-6)	Philadelphia is lucky to be here, as all the pieces fell their way last week to give them a playoff spot. Now that they’re in though, they’ll probably do well as long as Donovan McNabb doesn’t blow up. The Vikings are good, but I don’t think they have enough balance on their team to keep the Eagles in check.		•

Don’t forget to check out ESPN’s Expert Picks. What do you think?

Here are my picks for the final week of the 2008 regular season:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Last week: 7-9 (43.8%), Season total: 156 ½-83 (65.2%)
Jaguars (5-10)	Ravens (10-5)	Joe Flacco has been very impressive this season, and so have the Ravens as a team.
Titans (13-2)	Colts (11-4)	I don’t know why I’m picking the Colts, but I think they need to keep their momentum going if they want to make a deep playoff run.
Giants (12-3)	Vikings (9-6)	At the start of the year I didn’t think the Giants would be able to overcome the losses their defense took… but they’ve proven me wrong all season long.
Lions (0-15)	Packers (5-10)	Aaron Rodgers has had a great season that will be completely overshadowed by the absolutely terrible performance put on by Green Bay’s defense this season. Their play down the stretch is the sole reason why the entire team will be watching the playoffs come January. If they can’t win this game at home against an 0-15 Lions team, the entire organization should be ashamed of themselves.
Raiders (4-11)	Buccaneers (9-6)	Not sure if this game will end up meaning anything in the end, but Jon Gruden loves sticking it to the Raiders.
Bears (7-8)	Texans (9-6)	The Bears have no business being in the playoffs. If they get in, I expect they’ll be “one and done” for sure.
Dolphins (10-5)	Jets (10-5)	Well, the Jets blew their chance against a team they should’ve beaten last week in Seattle. Unfortunately, this may be the last we see of Brett Favre… I’m not sure he’ll want to come back after a season that ended like this, but hopefully he goes out with a win.
Patriots (10-5)	Bills (7-8)	The Patriots need a win and some help from the Jets to get in. I think they’ll do their part, but will it be enough?
Panthers (11-4)	Saints (8-7)	Carolina is clearly the better team, but the Saints have been tough at home, so this really could go either way.
Cowboys (9-6)	Eagles (8-6-1)	I just don’t like either of these teams in this game, but if I have to pick, I’ll take Philly to spoil the Cowboys season.
Browns (4-11)	Steelers (11-4)	This should be a cakewalk.
Rams (2-13)	Falcons (10-5)	Matt Ryan for MVP? He may get a few votes for the part he’s played in turning around a Falcons franchise that no one saw coming this year.
Chiefs (2-13)	Bengals (3-11-1)	Pay no attention to this game… unless you’d like to poke fun.
Broncos (8-7)	Chargers (7-8)	The winner of this game takes the AFC West and I’m picking the Broncos simply because I want them to win. I’m just not a fan of Philip Rivers.
Seahawks (4-11)	Cardinals (8-7)	The Cardinals need to have some self-respect, grow a spine and win this one after being completely embarrassed by the Patriots last week. This is not what a division champ should look like.
Redskins (8-7)	49ers (6-9)	Another win should give Coach Jim Zorn a bit more job security.

And that’s it, I haven’t done nearly as well as I wanted to and I haven’t had nearly as much time to put into these weekly picks as I have in years past, but I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride. Don’t forget to check out ESPN’s Expert Picks and compare how I’ve done against them. Also, as always, feel free to post your thoughts and predictions in the comments below. Merry Christmas to all!

With 2 weeks left in this year’s regular season, playoff seeds are really starting to take shape… this week could be make or break for several teams on the bubble. See also: this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

Check out this week’s ESPN Expert Picks and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Who are you picking this week? See also: ESPN Expert Picks.

There you have ‘em, my week 12 picks! Here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks as well. Now, discuss!

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Last week: 10-4 (71.4%), Season total: 97-47 (67.4%)
Jets (6-3)	Patriots (6-3)	I think the Jets are starting to fire on all cylinders… still, this will probably be very close.
Eagles (5-4)	Bengals (1-8)	Eagles. Period.
Titans (9-0)	Jaguars (4-5)	The Jags have disappointed this season, and I can’t pick against an unbeaten this late in the season.
Lions (0-9)	Panthers (7-2)	Is there any doubt?
Broncos (5-4)	Falcons (6-3)	The Falcons have been pretty good at home so far, and the Broncos are another team that has really taken a step back this season.
Raiders (2-7)	Dolphins (5-4)	Week 11 and the Dolphins are still in playoff contention. Impressive for a team that finished 1-15 last year.
Texans (3-6)	Colts (5-4)	The Colts look like they’re back on track. Houston still isn’t there.
Saints (4-5)	Chiefs (1-8)	The Saint usually don’t work out for me, but the Chiefs aren’t a safe bet either.
Bears (5-4)	Packers (4-5)	Must win for Green Bay.
Vikings (5-4)	Buccaneers (6-3)	This might be tight, but I’ll go with Tampa.
Ravens (6-3)	Giants (8-1)	This should be a great game in which the Giants have the edge.
Rams (2-7)	49ers (2-7)	They almost beat the Cardinals last week, which makes me think the 49ers might have enough to top the Rams.
Cardinals (6-3)	Seahawks (2-7)	I don’t think Matt Hasselbeck can save the Seahawks season.
Chargers (4-5)	Steelers (6-3)	San Diego just doesn’t play consistently enough to make me pick them against the Steelers.
Cowboys (5-4)	Redskins (6-3)	With Tony Romo back, the ‘Boys are a much better team than they are without him.
Browns (3-6)	Bills (5-4)	The Bills have regressed recently but a loss to the Browns would make things a lot worse by putting a playoff spot almost out of reach.

The bye weeks are over, which means there’s no way that I’ll finish 9-5 this week… hopefully the additional games will both be wins. See also: ESPN’s Expert Picks.

This week brings us our first game on Thursday night with the Denver Broncos visiting the Browns in Cleveland. Unfortunately for the NFL Network, this game is a lot less interesting than it looked like it would be back when the schedule was originally announced. Really, the only drama surrounding this game is that it will be the first career start for Brady Quinn. I guess that should provide some relief for all those Comcast subscribers who don’t have access to the NFL Network.

Now that we’re at the half-way point of the 2008 regular season, some of the races are starting to get very hot. The NFC North and South look as though they’ll both go right down to the wire this season, as does the AFC East. Either way, it’s been a very interesting first half and hopefully the second half will be just as enjoyable. Here are my picks for week 10:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Note: the Bengals, Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Redskins have a bye this week.
Last week: 9-5 (64.3%), Season total: 87-43 (66.9%)
Broncos (4-4)	Browns (3-5)	The Brady Quinn era officially starts against the faltering Denver Broncos.
Titans (8-0)	Bears (5-3)	Green Bay showed the Bears a formula for relative success against the Titans, but the Bears don’t have the offense that the Packers do.
Rams (2-6)	Jets (5-3)	When the now-in-first-place Jets can beat a good Bills team without much of a contribution from Brett Favre, that’s a good sign.
Packers (4-4)	Vikings (4-4)	Even though they lost to the Titans, the Packers looked like one of the better NFC teams last week — they need this win though.
Ravens (5-3)	Texans (3-5)	Maybe a risky pick here, but Sage Rosenfels has actually outplayed Matt Schaub as the starting QB for the Texans so far this season.
Jaguars (3-5)	Lions (0-8)	As much as the Jaguars have been sliding this season, I still can’t pick the Lions. What an embarrassment that would be for Jacksonville if they lose.
Seahawks (2-6)	Dolphins (4-4)	The Seahawks are 0-3 so far this season when playing in the Eastern Time Zone.
Bills (5-3)	Patriots (5-3)	They looked like the best in the East a couple of weeks ago, but the Bills are regressing and New England isn’t an easy place for struggling teams to get back on track.
Saints (4-4)	Falcons (5-3)	If the Saints want to keep any hope of making the playoffs alive, they need to win this divisional match.
Panthers (6-2)	Raiders (2-6)	It’s Oakland. Let’s move on, OK?
Chiefs (1-7)	Chargers (3-5)	In a weak AFC West, the Chargers are still right in the mix. KC? not so much.
Colts (4-4)	Steelers (6-2)	After last week, I think the Colts are now ready to start playing for real.
Giants (7-1)	Eagles (5-3)	Game of the week! In this heavy-weight fight, I like the Giants.
49ers (2-6)	Cardinals (5-3)	Arizona can take a commanding lead in the NFC West with a win.

Will this week bring another 9-5 record? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

Anyways, I wanted to get these finished today, so without further rambling, here are my picks for week 9:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Note: the 49ers, Chargers, Panthers and Saints have a bye this week.
Last week: 9-5 (64.3%), Season total: 78-38 (67.2%)
Packers (4-3)	Titans (7-0)	If the Colts had knocked off the Titans last night, I may have picked the Packers in this one, but the Titans just look too good. I hope I’m wrong.
Jaguars (3-4)	Bengals (0-8)	Jacksonville seems to have taken a step back this season… but they are playing the Bengals this week.
Buccaneers (5-3)	Chiefs (1-6)	Disappointing loss for Tampa last week, but they should be able to get back in the win column against the Chiefs.
Cardinals (4-3)	Rams (2-5)	The recent bright spots the Rams have shown makes this a more difficult pick, but I’m staying with the Cards.
Texans (3-4)	Vikings (3-4)	Now that Houston’s offense is alive and well, they’re going to be tough for any defense to contain.
Ravens (4-3)	Browns (3-4)	This one’s a toss up… Ravens.
Lions (0-7)	Bears (4-3)	I probably won’t pick the Lions to beat anyone this year… just a heads up.
Jets (4-3)	Bills (5-2)	Are the Bills coming back down to earth? Perhaps, but they’ve been more consistent so far this season.
Dolphins (3-4)	Broncos (4-3)	If this was in Miami, I’d go with the Dolphins, but Denver is still a difficult place for road teams to win.
Falcons (4-3)	Raiders (2-5)	The Raiders aren’t as horrible as in years past… but they’re not a whole lot better either.
Cowboys (5-3)	Giants (6-1)	The Giants are still the team to beat in the NFC. Sorry Dallas fans.
Eagles (4-3)	Seahawks (2-5)	Good win by Seattle last week, but these are the Eagles, not the 49ers.
Patriots (5-2)	Colts (3-4)	I feel weird saying this, but this is my upset pick for this week.
Steelers (5-2)	Redskins (6-2)	The Redskins have played well against tough competition so far this year. I expect more of the same this week.

Finally, here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

So what happened? Well, the Colts are suffering from several injuries and are just playing bad football, the Patriots lost Tom Brady in week 1, and the Cowboys are underachieving. The Packers are adjusting to life without Brett Favre, San Diego has (as is typical for them recently) started the season with a big helping of inconsistency, and even the Super Bowl champs inexplicibly lost to the then 1-3 Cleveland Browns. Each of these teams were expected to be better.

All of that adds up to a very unpredictable season so far, which unfortunately means that my predictions have been a little less than hoped for in recent weeks. This week might (and that’s a big might) provide a bit more stability though. Looking at the schedule for week 8 will show that in most games, there is a marginally clear favourite… and I’m hoping that translates well for my picks. Here they are:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Note: the Bears, Broncos, Packers and Vikings have a bye this week.
Last week: 9-5 (64.3%), Season total: 69-33 (67.6%)
Falcons (4-2)	Eagles (3-3)	With the Cowboys regressing as of late, the time is now for the Eagles to move up in the NFC East.
Cardinals (4-2)	Panthers (5-2)	The Cardinals have played well this year, but I have to take the Panthers at home in what I think will be a high-scoring game.
Bills (5-1)	Dolphins (2-4)	The Bills have been consistent so far this season and as I said at the beginning of the year, Buffalo finally has a solid #1 QB in Trent Edwards.
Buccaneers (5-2)	Cowboys (4-3)	The Cowboys have some big issues now and the injuries are really piling up.
Raiders (2-4)	Ravens (3-3)	The Ravens should be able to handle the Raiders at home this week.
Redskins (5-2)	Lions (0-6)	As long as the ‘Skins don’t overlook the Lions like they did the Rams two weeks ago, they should win easily.
Rams (2-4)	Patriots (4-2)	Matt Cassel just removed the doubt in my mind, and even though he still holds onto the ball too long, the Patriots looked scary last night.
Chiefs (1-5)	Jets (3-3)	Plain and simple: the Jets need this win to stay in the hunt, especially if the Pats can keep it going.
Browns (2-4)	Jaguars (3-3)	I still think the Browns win over the Giants in week 6 was a fluke. Take the Jaguars.
Bengals (0-7)	Texans (2-4)	Seriously, what is Cincinnati doing?
Seahawks (1-5)	49ers (2-5)	With injuries and a defense you can carve through with a putty knife, the Seahawks won’t be winning too many games this season — which is sad for Mike Holmgren’s swan song.
Giants (5-1)	Steelers (5-1)	I think the Giants should give Plaxico Burress the “Jeremy Shockey” treatment — they’re better off without him.
Chargers (3-4)	Saints (3-4)	Drew Brees is having one of the best seasons in his career, but without Reggie Bush this offense lacks 1 or 2 game-changing plays per game, and that might be the biggest difference for the Saints.
Colts (3-3)	Titans (6-0)	These are not the same Colts as we’ve been seeing for the past few years. Coincidentally, these aren’t the same Titans either.

And there you go… my picks for week 8! Check out ESPN’s Expert Picks, and let me know what you think!

Other highlights (lowlights?) included the Falcons beating the Bears at the very last second, the Cardinals dusting off the Cowboys in overtime and the defending champion New York Giants laying an egg in Cleveland. No matter how you look at it though, there were some exciting finishes and loads of drama.

Week 7 brings a bunch of matches that are pretty difficult to pick, but hopefully things will work out in my favour. Here are my picks for week 7:

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Note: the Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons and Jaguars have a bye this week.
Last week: 9-5 (64.3%), Season total: 60-28 (68.2%)
Ravens (2-3)	Dolphins (2-3)	I love the creativity of the Dolphins offense this year.
Cowboys (4-2)	Rams (1-4)	With all the injuries plaguing Dallas, and the way they’ve played over the last few weeks, this is actually a difficult pick… fingers crossed.
Chargers (3-3)	Bills (4-1)	A well rested Bills team should be able to get the job done at home.
Saints (3-3)	Panthers (4-2)	Both of these teams seem to struggle with consistency, but I like New Orleans to edge out the Panthers.
49ers (2-4)	Giants (4-1)	Do you think maybe the Giants overlooked the Browns? The can’t make the same mistake against the ‘Niners.
Titans (5-0)	Chiefs (1-4)	Tennessee’s defense will probably be enough to win this game on its own. Any offense is just a bonus.
Vikings (3-3)	Bears (3-3)	If the Bears 5th ranked run defense can keep Adrian Peterson relatively in check, I like their chances.
Steelers (4-1)	Bengals (0-6)	The Bengals season is a lost cause and at 0-6, I can’t pick them against (pretty much) anyone.
Lions (0-5)	Texans (1-4)	The Texans offense is starting to come alive, and that should have teams paying a little extra attention to Houston.
Colts (3-2)	Packers (3-3)	Homer alert! I’m worried that Peyton Manning will pick apart a depleted Green Bay defense… but I have to go with my team.
Browns (2-3)	Redskins