christmas eve picks

Hey everyone. Hope you enjoyed my preview of LOST: Season Six. I realize it was a bit lacking of many major details (as Andy helped to point out) and I probably should rewatch the previous seasons before Feb. 2nd rolls around. I'm currently watching Season One of Heroes to pass the time in the middle of the night when Jack decides to cry and it is pretty good - not half as good as LOST, but intriguing. The babe is doing well, and tomorrow is Christmas!

Here are my Week 16 picks ...

Friday
San Diego @ Tennessee

Huge game for both teams. The Bolts are playing for a first round bye, while the Titans are playing to stay alive. Over the past eight weeks, these teams have lost a combined one game, and that was against the Colts. I don’t think either team’s defense can stop either team’s offense. Home-field is the difference and I’ll pick the Titans.

Sunday:
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans
The Saints’ goal in this game is to have Drew Brees resting comfortably on the sideline by halftime with a 20+ lead. Scoring shouldn’t be a problem. The defense just has to not allow Tampa not keep pace. I like the Saints but only by about 10.

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
Humongous game in terms of the AFC Wildcard. Baltimore needs a win and they’re in. Last time these teams met, Dennis Dixon started at QB and the Ravens barely won, at home. Now they’re in Pittsburgh, with Roethlisberger healthy, and possibly Polamalu back in the lineup, which would be huge. This game is going to be ALL Steelers. In fact, I’d make this my Guarantee of the Week, if I had such a thing.

Kansas City @ Cincinnati
Third times the charm for the Bengals to clinch the AFC North. KC is putrid on the road, and Ochocinco is a lock for at least 150 yards against this suspect secondary. Who’d of thunk that Cincy would be in the 2010 playoffs?

Jacksonville @ New England
You know what, I’m sick of the Patriots. Every week I look at them on the schedule against some crummy team like Buffalo or the Jets and pick them without even thinking. And every week they underachieve. They aren’t killing the crappy teams like they’re supposed to. Tom Brady simply isn’t playing like an elite QB this year. Other than that 59-0 blowout against the Titans, he hasn’t had an A+ game all season. Come playoff time, they better step their game up or they’re not going to win one game. Believe it or not, I’m picking the Jags here. They need the win more, and I don’t think New England can stop Jones-Drew. If you asked me to sum up the 2009 version of Brady, Belichick and the Pats in one word, it would be this: hubris. They are no longer my favorite AFC team either. I don’t know who is, but it’s not them. Sorry Crazy Keith. Jags by 4.

Buffalo @ Atlanta
I can’t think of a single reason to pick Buffalo, so … I guess I’ll take Atlanta.

Carolina @ NY Giants
Ah yes, the classic battle of Steve Smiths.
Actually, these may have been the two most impressive teams last weekend. Carolina ran the ball all over Minnesota’s unmoveable defensive line, and Julius Peppers gave new meaning to the term ‘dominance.’ Then on Monday night the Giants shellacked the Redskins and made it look much more than easy. Eli Manning was unstoppable and the running game finally got going. So who wins this one? Every logical argument says to pick New York: they’re at home, they’re sill in the playoff picture so they have something to play for, and they’re just better. But hold on. The Panthers are still playing for something too. Peppers is still playing for big money, and Matt Moore is still trying to earn a starting job. And Steve Smith, (the Carolina one), who by the way gave one of the stupid and most embarrassing post-game interviews of all time last week, is still out to prove that he’s an elite wide receiver. I like Carolina to make this game interesting and New York to choke a little bit. But I’m still picking New York, in a close one, thanks to a Matt Moore mistake, by 3.

Houston @ Miami
This just looks like one of those games I know I’m going to pick wrong. I hate both these teams. I’ll take Miami at home. Argh.

Seattle @ Green Bay
Let’s see… Seattle’s atrocious secondary against Rodgers and his many aerial weapons. At Lambeau. In a must-win for Green Bay. I’ll go with the Pack by ... I don't know, 24?

Oakland @ Cleveland
I don't know about you, but I can't wait to watch Derek Anderson duke it out with Charlie Frye. Seriously though, the Raiders have made themselves interesting in the last few weeks by beating contenders like Pittsburgh and Denver. And now they're prime for a major letdown and loss to the lowly Browns, thus proving that they are indeed ... still the Raiders. Can you believe whoever wins this game will be on a two-game winning streak? I like Jerome Harrison to have another monster game and Cleveland to win by a healthy margin.

St. Louis @ Arizona
Cardinals by a million.

Detroit @ San Francisco
49ers by five billion.
By the way, with Matt Stafford on IR, Jim Schwartz now has to decide who will start at QB for the remaining two games of the season. And surprise, surprise, he is keeping the decision a secret until Sunday. What the hell does he think he is accomplishing by keeping secrets in week 16? We are 2-13! San Fran doesn't give a crap who our quarterback is! It's obvious that Stanton should be given a chance, considering he outplayed Culpepper a-million-to-one last week and we spent a second round pick on him a few years ago. Daunte is clearly not a winner. I think 0-16 proved that. Give Stanton a chance. Not that it matters...)

Denver @ Philadelphia
Tough test for the Eagles here against an embarrassed Denver team that just lost to Oakland and now really, really needs to win. Westbrook might be back in the lineup, which in my opinion just makes things confusing at this point. Why mess with a good thing? McCoy wasn’t playing awesome, but he wasn’t hurting anything. The key matchup here is DeSean Jackson against Champ Bailey, which on the surface looks like an advantage for the Broncos. But I’m not really an ‘on the surface’ kind of guy. I actually think DeSean rises to the occasion and kicks Champ’s butt for a couple long scores. Truthfully, the only reason I want to pick Denver is because if they win, it makes it harder for Pittsburgh to make the playoffs. That’s not a good enough reason. I gotta stick with the Eagles.

NY Jets @ Indianapolis
Colts win again. By 7. But Revis should shut down Reggie Wayne and force Peyton Manning to utilize other options. Which should be no problem whatsoever for this year's MVP.

Dallas @ Washington
I'll take the Cowboys. While I don't really feel good about picking them in December, I can't take the Redskins after watching them last weekend. Did you see that "fake" field goal at the end of the first half, AKA the single worst football play I have ever seen? Was that Jim Zorn giving Dan Snyder the metaphorical middle finger? I think it was.

Monday Night:
Minnesota @ Chicago
Favre and Cutler are both notoriously lousy in primetime games and in cold weather. This should be a smashmouth game in snowy weather, and the advantage there has to go to Adrian Peterson and the Vikes.

Merry Christmas to all. And to all, Ndamukong Suh.