Football Forecasters

The past week came in with a mediocre 10 – 6 after a promising start making the season record straight up 111 – 65. Against the spread, though it was a disastrous 4 – 12 taking the season results there to 92 – 77 – 7 on the season.

I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect the picks I make there; for that league I can make changes until the first game kicks off and will (rarely) based on last minute injury information. These picks are for amusement value only; please do not confuse these choices with the real picks made on this site by those who are focusing on the best choices available as they see them. The line used is a line in effect when I picked the game (usually the day prior to the article being posted).

Week 13

Houston at Philadelphia – Houston has had a variety of defensive problems that limit their ability to win games despite an effective offense. The Philadelphia offense can be limited by a defense with speed which does not look to be an issue this week, Eagles win 31 – 21.

New Orleans at Cincinnati – The Bengals are hurting in the defensive secondary and do not have the team speed required to for this week’s matchup. New Orleans is getting healthy at a good time, their defense has come up with key plays at critical times, Saints win 28 – 17.

Chicago at Detroit – Detroit has been playing better but is still inconsistent and lacks discipline; still they are a dangerous opponent at home. Chicago has been playing better offensively, particularly along the line, and the defense is very good, Bears win 28 – 24.

San Francisco at Green Bay – The Forty-niners have been up and down; the defense has been less effective than the talent-level would suggest. Green Bay has a good attacking defense and a very effective passing defense that should be enough this week, Packers win 31 – 17.

Denver at Kansas City – Denver is one-dimensional offensively the passing game has been feast or famine, the defense is soft against the run. Kansas City plays off their running game and need to play from ahead, the defense is solid, Chiefs win 24 – 21.

Cleveland at Miami – The Browns are getting good play from their offensive line and power running game, the defense has been inconsistent though. The Miami defense has been solid but the offense ineffective at times, Dolphins win 20 – 17.

Buffalo at Minnesota – Buffalo is playing well and should not be taken lightly despite their record but they do have the worst rush defense in the league. The Vikings play well at home and seem to be energized by the coaching change, Vikings win 24 – 20.

Washington at New York Giants – The Redskins are giving up big plays defensively and have been fighting a lot of injury issues. New York has their own list of injury problems particularly in the receiver corps but the defense is good enough this week, Giants win 21 – 17.

Jacksonville at Tennessee – Tennessee needs to get Collins back on the field but they also need to get the running game going, the defense is on the field too much. Jacksonville has been playing well but need to play ball-control, Jaguars win 21 – 20.

Oakland at San Diego – The Raiders have to get their running game going and play with a lead to control the tempo of the game. San Diego is playing well and has been particularly aggressive on defense, the offense can score in a hurry, Chargers win 31 – 17.

St Louis at Arizona – Arizona has talent offensively but Anderson can be very inaccurate and the defense is undisciplined. St Louis and their rookie quarterback has been playing well, the defense has also contributed, Rams win 27 – 21.

Dallas at Indianapolis – The Cowboys are playing better, the defensive secondary has relied more on zone principles to solve some of their deficiencies. Indianapolis may be getting some players back; Manning is unlikely to have another bad game, Colts win 28 – 24.

Carolina at Seattle – Carolina has been beset by injuries and a generally depleted roster, they are playing hard but limited. Seattle generally plays well at home but injuries have made them more vulnerable than typical, Seahawks win 24 – 21.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay – The Buccaneers have a good team but they are not particularly dynamic offensively, playing well enough to win. Atlanta is coming off a big win and playing well on both sides of ball, while there might be a bit of a let down, Falcons win 21 – 17.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore – Baltimore has a productive offense and plays good defense but they are vulnerable to big plays in the passing game and do not produce a lot of big plays. Pittsburgh has a dominating defense and has a deep passing game, Steelers win 24 – 21.

New York Jets at New England – New England plays solidly on both sides of the ball and will be well prepared for this game. New York relies on their defense but they have found enough on offense to pull out some unlikely wins so far this season, Jets win 24 – 21.

TENNESSEE - Both squads have legitimate playoff aspirations and are struggling lately; this should be a dog fight. Houston doesn’t have the defense to run away with it, and this should be decided by a FG.  The Moss acquisition may finally pay off; look for the running attacks to dominate on both sides of the ball. 

Also Likes:  Chicago (ML), Seattle (ML)

New England at Detroit – The Lions are a much improved team but they have some injury issues and lack depth to fill in.  New England is coming off a big win and a short week to play on the road, there is some risk of a let down here but not too much, Patriots win 24 – 20.

New Orleans at Dallas – Dallas has been playing well but they have not been facing the defense and particularly the secondary is still very suspect.  New Orleans is getting healthier overall, the offense is relentless, and the defense can come up with big plays, Saints win 31 – 24.

Cincinnati at New York Jets – Cincinnati is a team that is often its own worse enemy making critical penalties and turnovers at inopportune times.  The Jets seem to be willing to play to the level of their competition but manage to keep winning, Jets win 24 – 17.

Pittsburgh at Buffalo – Buffalo has some fundamental issues along both lines; they are the worst defense against the run in the NFL.  Pittsburgh has an inconsistent offensive line but they have a great defense and can make big plays, Steelers win 28 – 14.

Carolina at Cleveland – The Panthers are hurting offensively with a variety of injuries, they are hard pressed to put an offense on the field.  Cleveland plays a conservative style of fundamental offense, which should do well, Browns win 24 – 17.

Tennessee at Houston –Tennessee is changing quarterbacks but the running game and defense are solid; this week will hinge on getting Moss involved.  The Texans have a terrible pass defense and have found ways to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”, Texans win 28 – 24.

Jacksonville at New York Giants – Jacksonville has been playing well at home but they have a terrible pass defense, which is likely to be fatal this week.  New York is a fundamentally sound team and should control the game defensively, Giants win 28 – 17.

Minnesota at Washington – The Vikings are not a very good team at this point, there are issues in the offensive line and various injuries have not helped.  Washington is an up and down, injuries to running backs and a thin receiver corps, Redskins win 24 – 20.

Miami at Oakland – Miami has had ten days to recover a bit from a series of injuries that left them very limited offensively; even healthy the offense is not dynamic.  Oakland will need to get back on track with the running game, Raiders win 28 – 21.

Kansas City at Seattle – The Seahawks play better at home but their run defense has fallen off in recent weeks and the offense has been limited.  Kansas City has a solid running game but they have some weapons in the passing game as well, Chiefs win 24 – 20.
Green Bay at Atlanta – The Packers have a potent offense and an aggressive defense and are coming off an emotional win and might be a bit flat.  Atlanta is playing with balance in about every aspect of the game, ball control will be important this week, Atlanta wins 24 – 21.

Tampa Bay at Baltimore – Tampa Bay has a limited offense but has been successful by making plays at critical times; the defense is soft against the run.  The Baltimore defense can be exploited by the deep pass, which is less of a concern this week, Ravens win 28 – 17.

Philadelphia at Chicago – The Bears have been playing well but the offensive line play will be tested; the speed of the defense matches up well.  Philadelphia has a speed-based offense but can play ball control as well, defense will be the difference here, Eagles win 28 – 21.

St Louis at Denver – St Louis has played well at home, less so on the road, they are improving but still have steps to take, particularly on defense.  Denver has been up and down but can be explosive with their passing offense, Broncos win 28 – 21.

San Diego at Indianapolis – The Chargers are playing well and getting back some players this week but traveling after a Monday Night game.  The Colts have a number of injuries and are having problems but play better defense at home usually, Colts win 24 – 21.

San Francisco at Arizona – San Francisco has been a difficult team to handicap, the defense has underperformed and the offense has been inconsistent.  Arizona has a lot of offensive talent and need consistent quarterback play, the defense is inconsistent, Cardinals win 28 – 24.

The past week came in at 7 – 7 on a difficult week making the season record straight up 89 – 55. Against the spread, it was slightly worse going 6 – 8 mark taking us to 77 – 61 – 6 on the season. The bye weeks are over now so there are sixteen games a week to pick from here out.

I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect the picks I make there; for that league I can make changes until the first game kicks off and will (rarely) based on last minute injury information. These picks are for amusement value only; please do not confuse these choices with the real picks made on this site by those who are focusing on the best choices available as they see them. The line used is a line in effect when I picked the game (usually the day prior to the article being posted).

Week 11

Chicago at Miami –Chicago is traveling off a short week and are inconsistent offensively, the defense is well matched here but it may not be enough. Miami will apparently be starting their third-string quarterback they will be keeping the game plan simple, Dolphins win 20 – 17.

Baltimore at Carolina – The Panthers have a variety of injuries and a general lack of talent in the vertical passing game which will be fatal this week. The Baltimore defense is very good against the run and the offense wins on field position, Ravens win 24 – 10.

Buffalo at Cincinnati – Buffalo though fighting through a number of injuries finally have a win, they need to play better on the offensive line to have a chance here. Cincinnati has been careless with the ball and undisciplined defensively but should be fine this week, Bengals win 21 – 17.

Detroit at Dallas – The Lions do not play well on the road but do have some match up advantages against this defense. Dallas seems to have put together a complete game and while they still have issues, they have substantial talent as well, Cowboys win 28 – 20.

Cleveland at Jacksonville – Jacksonville has a poor pass defense and an inconsistent offense, the offensive line struggles at times. Cleveland is playing well and has a solid running game, the defense has been playing surprisingly well, Browns win 24 – 21.

Arizona at Kansas City – The Cardinals offense will do as well as their quarterback allows which can be a difficult thing to predict, the defense has been ineffective. Kansas City is not equipped to keep up in a shoot out, this week they should not have to, Chiefs win 24 – 17.

Green Bay at Minnesota – Minnesota will be likely get Rice back, which may help, but their offensive line play has been poor. The Green Bay offense is explosive and the defense capable of unrelenting pressure, which will be the key here, Packers win 27 – 21.

Houston at New York Jets – The Texans have the worse pass defense in the league, which has offset some good offensive efforts. New York has a good line play on both sides of the ball, the passing offense has been inconsistent but should prosper this week, Jets win 28 – 24.

Oakland at Pittsburgh – Oakland thrives on the running game, which they will have difficulty establishing this week, they lack a consistent passing game. Pittsburgh will be focused and able to shut down the run, which may lead to getting turnovers, Steelers win 28 – 17.

Washington at Tennessee – The Redskins defense has problems with keeping up with fast offenses and the offense cannot keep up in a shoot out. Tennessee looked very flat in their loss but Fisher should get them focused for this one, Titans win 24 – 17.

Seattle at New Orleans – Seattle is not a good road team, they are inconsistent offensively, the pass rush is poor, and the pass defense is one of the leagues worst. New Orleans is coming off their bye week and should be getting some injured players back, Saints win 31 – 17.

Tampa Bay at San Francisco – The 49ers are playing better offensively since changing quarterbacks the injury to Staley may set them back though. Tampa Bay is taking their porous run defense across country to play this week, Buccaneers win 21 – 20.

Atlanta at St Louis – St Louis plays better at home and they have been improving but injuries to receivers have left them without much a vertical passing game available. Atlanta is coming off some extra rest and playing very well and their offense can control the ball, Falcons win 28 – 21.

Indianapolis at New England – The Colts have had a number of injuries, which has affected their offensive timing, the defenses has not played well on the road. The New England defense can be vulnerable to a vertical passing game but they are improving, Patriots win 24 – 20.

New York Giants at Philadelphia – The Giants are nicked up; when the defensive line does not get pressure, the secondary is exposed. Philadelphia may be tired from scoring so much, they have a speed advantage but the offensive line needs to protect better, Eagles win 28 – 24.

Denver at San Diego – Denver lives and dies with the passing game, their best chance is to get in a shoot out but even then they are a bit overmatched. San Diego coming off the bye week should get a couple of receivers back for this week, Chargers win 31 – 24.

The past week’s result was a very good at 10 – 3 straight up making the season record there 82 – 48. Against the spread, we were a reasonable 7 – 4 – 2 mark taking us to 71 – 53 – 6 on the season. I believe that this has been a difficult season for picks given the number of upsets.

I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect the picks I make there; for that league I can make changes until the first game kicks off and will (rarely) based on last minute injury information. These picks are for amusement value only; please do not confuse these choices with the real picks made on this site by those who are focusing on the best choices available as they see them. The line used is a line in effect when I picked the game (usually the day prior to the article being posted).

Week 10

Baltimore at Atlanta – Baltimore has a very good defense and the offense is solid as well but they have not been as good on the road. Atlanta has a balanced offense but starts with establishing the run, which will, more difficult this week, Falcons win 24 – 20.

Detroit at Buffalo – The Lions have been playing well on both sides of the ball; but injury at the quarterback position is the problem at this point. Buffalo is not as bad as their record but needs to establish their running game, Bills win 21 – 17.

New York Jets at Cleveland – Cleveland has been playing very well but they are a running team with a great offensive line that will be pressed this week. The New York offense has been hit and miss, they need to establish the run more consistently, Jets win 17 – 13.

Minnesota at Chicago – The Bears offensive line is still miserable which can make a mediocre pass rush look good. The Vikings may get Rice back; they will need to protect Favre better if he is to make it through the season Vikings win 24 – 21.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis – Cincinnati has plenty of offensive weapons but injuries have depleted their defensive secondary. Indianapolis has injuries on offense seemingly a new one every week which has resulted in some inconsistency, Colts win 28 – 24.

Houston at Jacksonville – The Jaguars are coming off their bye week, the defense has been poor particularly the secondary. The Houston secondary has been even worse but offensively they are the better match this week, Texans win 28 – 21.

Tennessee at Miami – Miami has not won a home game, not coincidently their home opponents have been very good teams. Tennessee is coming off their bye and have added Moss to their receiver corps who may draw attention from Johnson, Titans win 27 – 21.

Carolina at Tampa Bay – The Panthers have some injury issues on an already depleted roster and will be changing quarterbacks again. Tampa Bay is playing effective ball and making the most of their opportunities, Buccaneers win 24 – 14.

Kansas City at Denver – Denver has been one-dimensional offensively relying on their passing game and they are bad defending the run. Kansas City has the best rushing offense in the league and an underrated offensive line, Chiefs win 28 – 21.

Seattle at Arizona – The Seahawks may be getting Hasselbeck back but the have a number of other injury issues as well as their road issues to overcome. Arizona has quarterback issue but otherwise good talent at the skill positions, Cardinals win 24 – 20.

Dallas at New York Giants – Dallas has been playing without any focus, replacing the coach may help but the change is not going to make the cornerbacks better players. New York is playing well on both sides of the ball; the defense sets the tempo this week, Giants win 28 – 20.

St Louis at San Francisco – The Rams are coming off their bye and are a vastly improved team but they do not really travel well. San Francisco has changed quarterbacks and perhaps energized the offense; the defense needs to step up, Forty-niners win 24 – 17.

New England at Pittsburgh – New England played a poor game and is unlikely to have two in a row but this week is much tougher. Pittsburgh will play good defense and the offense is usually able to take advantage of superior field position, Steelers win 27 – 21.

Philadelphia at Washington – The Redskins are coming off of a bye but have managed to create a quarterback controversy for no apparent reason. The Philadelphia offensive line play has not been good, Vick can minimize the effect of that though, Eagles win 28 – 24.

The past week was solid at 9 – 4 straight up making the season record there 72 – 45. Against the spread, we managed to outperform our straight up results for the week again with a 10 – 3 mark taking us to 64 – 49 – 4 on the season. I will try not to let that go to my head I am slightly behind last seasons results at the midway point (79 – 37 straight up and 67 – 48 – 1 versus the spread in 2009).

I participate in a pick’em league and these choices reflect the picks I make there; for that league I can make changes until the first game kicks off and will (rarely) based on last minute injury information. These picks are for amusement value only; please do not confuse these choices with the real picks made on this site by those who are focusing on the best choices available as they see them. The line used is a line in effect when I picked the game (usually the day prior to the article being posted).

Week 9

Tampa Bay at Atlanta – Tampa Bay has been playing reasonably well and winning close games despite average talent, they are not good against the rush. Atlanta plays well at home and is a run first team that sets up the pass, Falcons win 24 – 17.

Miami at Baltimore – The Dolphins have been tremendous on the road based on good defense and good enough offense but this challenge is a bit much. Baltimore is coming off of their bye week, the defense is better with Reed back, Ravens win 21 – 17.

Chicago at Buffalo – Buffalo has been playing better than their record the past few weeks and they certainly have been the victims of some bad luck. The Bears are coming off their bye week, perhaps they learned how to block, Bears win 21 – 17.

New Orleans at Carolina – The Panthers are not very good offensively and have had various injury problems, the defense is good but left on the field too long. The New Orleans defense came up big last week, the offense has had a lot of injuries to work through, Saints win 28 -17.

New England at Cleveland – Cleveland is coming off a bye week and have been playing hard but there is still a talent deficit. New England has some flaws, particularly in the defensive secondary but are still a potent offensive force, Patriots win 28 – 17.

New York Jets at Detroit – The Lions are playing well, the defense has come along and the offense can put up points. The New York defense is their strength but the offense is getting better except for a propensity to make costly penalties, Jets win 24 – 17.

San Diego at Houston – San Diego has had some real problems keeping wide receivers healthy, the special teams have been uniquely horrible. Houston has a number of offensive weapons to challenge this week, the defensive secondary needs to improve, Texans win 24 – 21.

Arizona at Minnesota – The Cardinals are still playing quarterback roulette but have plenty of talent at the skill positions. The Vikings are struggling in every aspect of the game; they have a solid rushing game and can play ball control, Vikings win 21 – 17.

New York Giants at Seattle – Seattle plays well at home and has a very good rushing defense, the secondary questionable though. The Giants passing game is very good but their pass rush has been the key to their defense, Giants win 31 – 21.

Kansas City at Oakland – The Chiefs have been playing very solid defense and have the best rushing offense in the league. Oakland has been playing better on both sides of the ball, their rush offense has been particularly effective, Oakland wins 21 – 17.

Indianapolis at Philadelphia – Philadelphia off their bye week should have Vick back and his speed can be an issue for some defenses. Indianapolis has the fastest defense in the league, offensive injuries are an issue but they have shown remarkable depth, Colts win 24 – 21.

Dallas at Green Bay – The Cowboys have been generally ineffective, sloppy play, silly penalties, and missed opportunities; the defensive secondary has been giving up big plays. Green Bay has a number of injuries but the passing offense is the ticket this week, Packers win 31 – 21.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – Cincinnati has been mush less effective this season defensively, injuries are a part of that but the line has underperformed. Pittsburgh has been passing much more, perhaps too much; they need to establish the run, Steelers win 28 – 20.