Friday, November 03, 2006

Week 9 NFL Picks

Last Week: 7-7 Season: 75-39

Dallas at Washington: Cowboys enter Game 2 of the Tony Romo era on a one-game winning streak, after pounding the Panthers in the second half for a 35-14 win. Bill Parcells did what Joe Gibbs has not done: replace his aging veteran quarterback, as Mark Brunell is still the quarterback in Washington. The Rib Man continues to grill, and the Cowboys sweep the hated Redskins. Pick: Dallas
Houston at New York Giants: David Carr is still the quarterback of the Texans, for now. He was benched last week, but has the dreaded vote of confidence and will be starting Sunday in the Jersey swamps. The Giants have won four games in a row by double-figure margins. This one should be no different. Pick: NYG
Kansas City at St. Louis: Winner gets to paint their team colors on the standing columns at the University of Missouri, located halfway between the two cities. Just kidding. The Chiefs have won four games with backup QB Damon Huard. The Rams were manhandled last week by the Chargers. This is the NFL, which means nothing is consistent. The Rams have home dome advantage. Pick: St. Louis
Atlanta at Detroit: The Lions have shown an ability to ring up yards and points, but only have one win to show for it. The Falcons are tied for first place in the NFC South. This is a potential shootout. The Lions can’t outscore the Falcons, though. Pick: Atlanta
Cincinnati at Baltimore: Huge game in the AFC North. Ocho Cinco needs to come up big for the Bengals. The Ravens would open up a two-game lead in the division with a win. The Ravens still have a strong defense, and have the home field. Pick: Baltimore
Green Bay at Buffalo: What are they playing for here, a golden snowball? The NFL would have done well to schedule this one in late December. The Packers are showing improvement. The Bills are just plain mediocre. Pick: Green Bay
Miami at Chicago: The Dolphins are the biggest disappointment in the league this year. The Bears are the most impressive team so far. This is a mismatch. Pick: Da Bears
New Orleans at Tampa Bay: Bucs return home to face the quick-starting Saints. The Saints suffered a crushing defeat last week at the hands of the Ravens. The Bucs have been strong at home, with wins over the Panthers and Eagles. Pick: Bucs
Tennessee at Jacksonville: David Garrard is back as starting QB in Jacksonville. The Titans have improved since Vince Young became their starting QB. The Jags need a win in the worst way. They get it here. Pick: Jacksonville
Minnesota at San Francisco: The Niners are awful. The Vikings are coming off a whipping by the Patriots. I know better than to pick San Francisco. Pick: Vikings
Cleveland at San Diego: The Browns won a game last week. I hope they enjoyed it, because San Diego is a step up in competition. The Chargers cruise. Pick: San Diego
Denver at Pittsburgh: This was supposed to be a marquee game. The Steelers have been a bad team recently, losing games like last week’s game against the Raiders. The Broncos have been stout on defense, until the Colts came to town last week. The Broncos have been better all year, and get revenge for last year’s AFC championship game. Pick: Denver
Indianapolis at New England: Regular season game of the year, to this date. The Colts are still unbeaten, and the Pats only have the hiccup loss to Denver. The Patriots keep replacing skill position players year after year, and continue winning. Bill Belichick is a mad scientist. Both teams leave Gillette Stadium with one loss. Pick: Pats
Oakland at Seattle: The Monday Night extravaganza brings a team known to some (Mike Rhyner) as the Greatness to the Northwest for a matchup with former division rival Seattle. The Seahawks are still missing QB Matt Hasselbeck and RB Shaun Alexander in a huge way. The Raiders are still not very good, despite the two defensive touchdowns in last week’s win over the Steelers. Pick: Seattle

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