NFL Week 9

[cabbageboy 0]

The usual deal, here are the games for Sunday and Monday followed by predictions.

 

Sunday 1:00:

 

Atlanta (5-2) at Detroit (1-6): Vick has been on a roll, the Lions suck as usual. Unless something really bizarre happens the Falcons should win this handily. Atlanta by 10.

 

Green Bay (3-4) at Buffalo (2-5): Packers have won a couple recently and the Bills have remembered that they suck. I'll take Green Bay to win this by 6 and improve to .500.

 

Houston (2-5) at NY Giants (5-2): Giants have been rolling lately but the Texans have improved a bit at least. Still, the Giants should win this one with room to spare. Giants by 14.

 

Miami (1-6) at Chicago (7-0): Oh god. You want an assrape? Bears by 28.

 

Cincinnati (4-3) at Baltimore (5-2): The first real toss up game here. The Bengals seriously need a win but the Ravens may have found themselves offensively. I'll take the Ravens to win this by 7 with some hesitation.

 

Dallas (4-3) at Washington (2-5): Can Romo make it 2 solid wins in a row? Can the Skins somehow get off the mat? I'll take the Cowboys by 10 here. I think they're just a better team.

 

Tennessee (2-5) at Jacksonville (4-3): Titans have been playing a bit better of late, but somehow I have a feeling Vince Young will get beaten down by the Jags' D here. Jacksonville 14-10.

 

Kansas City (4-3) at St. Louis (4-3): This should be a fun game with offensive fireworks. Should come down to home field, so I'll take the Rams to win it by 3.

 

New Orleans (5-2) at Tampa Bay (2-5): Saints might be starting to get exposed a bit and they had a struggle with the Bucs the first time. I think Tampa pays them back and wins this one 21-17.

 

4:00:

 

Minnesota (4-3) at San Francisco (2-5): Vikings got their asses kicked by the Pats, how will they react? Niners got killed as well, but that's to be expected. Vikings will rebound and win this one by 7.

 

Denver (5-2) at Pittsburgh (2-5): Steelers are actually favored to win this one. Somehow I don't really see it given the way they have been playing, especially if the Broncos can continue to actually (gasp!) score. Broncos by 10.

 

Cleveland (2-5) at San Diego (5-2): Should be a beatdown, but the Browns seem to somehow stay in games where they should get squashed. Chargers by 14 regardless.

 

8:15:

 

Indianapolis (7-0) at New England (6-1): Why do the Colts seemingly always have to play at New England? It's become the 21st century version of the Packers constantly having to visit Dallas. Anyway, everyone has to lose at some point so I think the Pats pull out the usual lucky as hell win over the Colts by 3. Vinatieri will miss a possible tying FG.

 

Monday 8:30:

 

Oakland (2-5) at Seattle (4-3): Raiders are on a shocking win streak, but I think it'll have to end in Seattle, who is in desperate need of a win. Seahawks by 10.

[Red Baron 0]

Atlanta (5-2) at Detroit (1-6): Atlanta by 13.

 

Green Bay (3-4) at Buffalo (2-5): While the Packers are good, Buffalo will get the win here, mainly because of their defence. Buffalo by 8

 

Houston (2-5) at NY Giants (5-2): I'm going with Houston here. Carr is going to have one of those games that'll rip through that Giants secondary.

 

Miami (1-6) at Chicago (7-0): I predict Chicago will have 50 by half.

 

Cincinnati (4-3) at Baltimore (5-2): Bengals by 4

 

Dallas (4-3) at Washington (2-5): Romo and the Boys will make this game an ass kicking. Cowboys by 19

 

Tennessee (2-5) at Jacksonville (4-3): Jags will win, but on the last possession. 17-14

 

Kansas City (4-3) at St. Louis (4-3): St. Louis will win, because they are good at home, and Huard will face a much stronger defence.

 

New Orleans (5-2) at Tampa Bay (2-5): Tampa moves to 3-5, as N.O. goes back to normal. 28-10.

 

4:00:

 

Minnesota (4-3) at San Francisco (2-5): I'm going with another upset, Niners by 3.

 

Denver (5-2) at Pittsburgh (2-5): How is Pittsburgh the favourite? Especially losing to Oakland? Bronco's by 9.

 

Cleveland (2-5) at San Diego (5-2): LD with 3 TD's. Don't expect the Browns to roll over lightly. 34-27.

 

8:15:

 

Indianapolis (7-0) at New England (6-1): What an awesome Sunday night game. Though the Colts will lose, and lose bad. Pats by 14

 

Monday 8:30:

 

Oakland (2-5) at Seattle (4-3): I'm going with the Raiders. Why. Because Seattle's defence is MIA since the Superbowl.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

The NFL has been so fucked up lately, I'm just gonna go with the one pick I know...

 

 

Chicago 248, Miami -7

[Guest Princess Leena]

Joey Suckington having a great game against Chicago would be the ultimate WTF moment. So, it will happen.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Wouldn't be surprised if Miami beat Chicago. They were the ones to spoil their undefeated bid in 1985.

[Guest Princess Leena]

If there's one weakness Chicago has had, they've let #1 WR's do quite well against them. Maybe Chambers finally gets out of this funk.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Yeah, this is gonna be a crappy week.

[cabbageboy 0]

I can't see the Pats squashing the Colts. Manning will put up numbers on them, at least he has in the past few meetings in the regular season. The reason I say they get wildy lucky is that the Colts seemingly find ways to lose vs. NE. Like the season opener 2 years ago, where James fumbled twice in the redzone, Manning gets sacked late, Vanderjagt misses a game tying FG, etc.

 

I'm thinking it'll be a high scoring game, something like this past week's Denver/Indy game.

[KingPK 0]

I don't think the Patriots will be playing as conservative a defense that Denver played most of the game and they are notorious for making Manning throw mistakes. Remember, last year they were on their 3rd or 4th starting safety by that game instead of Harrison.

 

The offense should run the ball nearly at will against that porous Indy D. Plus, the passing game has improved in leaps and bounds over the last month. They'll do what they always do; run 8-9 minute drives and keep Manning off the field as much as possible (like the Jaguars did). Because of the rush D, I would have more confidence in New England stopping Indy than the other way around.

Edited October 31, 2006 by KingPK

[The Niggardly King 0]

Raiders win by 13... just another stop on the way to the Playoffs.

 

Joe Harrington shreds Chicago's defense.

 

Chargers shutout the Browns 35 to nothing.

 

Colts by a last minute Manning touchdown.

[Just John 0]

Alright, over .500 this week. Let's go.

 

Falcons 27, Lions 10: Detroit's not good enough to win this one.

 

Bills 16, Packers 13: Neither team is good. I'll go with the home team in an ugly mess.

 

Giants 31, Texans 17: Hopefully the Texans will keep improving, but it won't matter here.

 

Bears 27, Miami 0: Can history repeat itself? No, no it can't. Chicago will find a better team to lose to in the regular season.

 

Ravens 30, Bengals 21: I'll go with the Ravens at home, even if Cincy badly needs this win.

 

Redskins 24, Cowboys 17: Both teams are wildly inconsistent. Could go either way, but I'll pick the home team.

 

Jaguars 19, Titans 7: Typical Jags performance.

 

Chiefs 41, Rams 38: Offensive explosion here. I think the Chiefs are playoff material, though, just off to a slower start.

 

Saints 21, Bucs 17: NO always gives Tampa trouble, and they're actually a better team this year.

 

49ers 28, Vikings 25: San Fran's due for a surprise performance, and the Vikes are finally playing like they should.

 

Steelers 24, Broncos 21: I'm going to hold out optimism for another solid Big Ben performance to silence the critics. Denver's no easy task, though.

 

Chargers 27, Browns 17: The Browns have the heart, but not enough talent to win this game.

 

Patriots 31, Colts 24: Bellicheck's usually got the Colts' number, and he has a healthy team this year.

 

Seahawks 23, Raiders 10: No way Oakland takes their winning act on the road. Without the stars, Seattle wins in less than impressive fashion.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Everybody needs to stop picking the Ravens

[Guest Felonies!]

Why, so you can go "NOBODY BELIEVED IN US! WE WANT RESPECT!" and all that shit? They're probably the best team in the division, amidst the fading Bengals, faded Steelers, and perenially weak Browns.

[Cuban Linx 0]

I miss the days when the Titans beat the Jaguars with such regularity that they were able to openly brag about Jacksonville practically being a second home stadium for them. Jacksonville winning a 14-10 snoozefest sounds just about right.

[Just John 0]

I'll always remember the 1999 season where the Jaguars went 14-2 (both losses to Tennessee), then losing in the AFC title game to the Titans as well. Every other game they played, they dominated everyone (including giving Dan Marino the most unceremonious retirement ever). Definitely one of the best teams to not make it to the SB, but man did the Titans ever have their number. At the risk of sounding like a loser, I'll say the Titans were Austin Aires to the Jags' Samoa Joe.

[Guest Vitamin X]

I think the Pack's game this week against Buffalo should be a good test as to whether they've really improved, or if this winning streak is an illusion. Green Bay has never won in Buffalo, but they never won in Miami till this year, either.

 

Games of the week are of course Indy-New England, Cincy-Baltimore, and I think the KC-St. Louis will be a surprisingly good game between two teams that are on the fringe in their respective conferences and trying to prove themselves. That, and the whole interstate thing.

 

Also, maybe it's just me, but I'm glad MNF has taken a backseat to the Sunday Night Football. I've always liked catching a game late on Sunday than the whole schedule mix-up that occurs with short weeks and all on Monday nights.

 

Why do the Colts seemingly always have to play at New England? It's become the 21st century version of the Packers constantly having to visit Dallas.

No, the 21st century version of the Packers having to constantly visit Dallas is Green Bay at Philly, but I think your analogy works just as well, considering Indy and New England have been perennial title contenders this decade like GB and Dallas were in the 90's.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Also, maps!

 

Ha! Another national Broncos game, and another national Cowboys game. Now before anyone starts complaining about Denver being one of the "top" teams in the AFC, I complain about this not because of their status as a contender or not, but because they're usually pretty fucking abysmal to watch, just like with Dallas.

 

Hey, Miami-Chicago is in HD. Sodomy, now available in high definition!

[Just John 0]

I figured once Peyton finally won in Foxboro, they'd stop sending Indy up there every year.

[Guest]

I haven't watched pro football in weeks. Surely I must lose in the KKK contest soon!

[Guest Princess Leena]

Northern Alabama must have a strong Browns fanbase.

[Guest Felonies!]

Might have to do with some local guy being on the team. They'll give New Mexico some Bears games for this reason.

 

I think I speak for America when I say NO MORE DENVER BRONCOS. Look, if they want to be a contender, I'm totally cool with that, and if they want to win with really boring games, that's fine too, but man, DO NOT SUBJECT EVERYONE TO THEM. If they don't get a Sunday night or Monday night game, they get the second CBS game that goes to 95% of the country. Somebody needs to step in here and find some better games to put on. At least the Chargers can be fun to watch.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, but since this is the "rematch" to last year's AFC Championship, it gets the national coverage, I suppose.

 

On the other hand, watching the fucking Browns may be worse than watching the Broncos. Pittsburgh isn't very good this year, either.

 

Man, the late afternoon games are horrible on Sunday. None of them could have even looked remotely interesting outside of Denver-Pittsburgh, even going off of last year's results.

[Guest Felonies!]

I think every Denver Broncos game has been available to me. Let me check.

 

I've seen them lose to the Rams and Colts, and beat the Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens, Raiders, and I'm forgetting one in there, I think. Ah. Browns.

 

EDIT: Yep, that's each and every one. Holy shit. Why.

[Guest Paul]

Man, I get dicked out of the Giants game, for the Ravens.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I think every Denver Broncos game has been available to me. Let me check.

 

I've seen them lose to the Rams and Colts, and beat the Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens, Raiders, and I'm forgetting one in there, I think. Ah. Browns.

 

EDIT: Yep, that's each and every one. Holy shit. Why.

 

At least you're guaranteed the Bears every week. I get the fucking NFC east ALL THE TIME. I hate that division. Every team in it.

 

Well, The Giants are tolerable, but fuck the stupid everyone else. I've seen the Cowboys or the Eagles every week.

[sfaJack 0]

Goddamn I wish the NFL would fold up/move the Texans. In addition to everything about their organization sucking since day one of their existence (making the whole thing a gigantic waste of time), I don't get see a lot of Cowboy games on TV here because NFL rules either require that only the Texans' game is shown or the local affiliate is encouraged to not show the Cowboys head up against them.

 

Fuck.

[Guest Felonies!]

How competitive were the Houston Oilers when they were around?

[Red Baron 0]

I get the Bills every week, and if its not the Bills its infomercials.

[CanadianChris 0]

How competitive were the Houston Oilers when they were around?

They at least made the playoffs on a semi-regular basis.

[sfaJack 0]

How competitive were the Houston Oilers when they were around?

In terms of TV, the rules must have been different back then because I remember the Cowboys were almost always on (at least I seem to remember my dad watching all the Cowboys' games), even when they sucked bad in the 80's. Beginning around '91/'92, due to their return to glory, the Cowboys were in a lot of national games that were shown here. Then, in the Oilers' later years, the Cowboys were often on OVER the Oilers because the Oilers stopped selling out their games and fell victim to several local blackouts. After the Oilers left in '96, the Cowboys became Houston's de facto "home" team--all of their games were shown here.

 

Now it seems we're lucky to get 10 Cowboys' games a year on TV here. It fucking sucks. Add that in with the fact that the Texans officially complained to the NFL when a Beaumont radio station (that can only be heard in the eastern third of the Houston area anyway) started carrying the Cowboys' Radio Network this season, resulting in the station being forced to pull the Cowboys, and I'm really frustrated. What does it hurt to have the RADIO feed of the Cowboys on a rimshot signal that barely cracks into the Texans' home market? There are A LOT of Cowboy fans in town...why would the NFL shun part of their fanbase?