“NFL Week 13 Predictions”

Welcome to Week 13.  We are entering the final quarter stretch.  3 of the AFC

Can Big Ben (pictured above) lead the Steelers to a huge victory over their divisional rival Baltimore on Sunday Night despite foot injuries?

Divisions have ties at the top.  The NFC West leader has a record of under 500.  Plus the Vikings and Cowboys, 2 of the preseason favorites have a combined 7 victories.  Parity.  The NFL has it.  And you got to love it.

Here is a look at the Pick’em Scoreboard.

TheSportsKraze:  103                         CV3:  107

I still got a ways to go to catch Mr. CV3.

TheSportsKraze Picks:

Saints at Bengals:  The defending Champs head to Cincinnati to take on a struggling Bengal’s team.  This team has self destructed, and all parties involved are already looking towards next year.  The Saints are perhaps involved in the best divisional race that the NFC has to offer.  Expect Drew Brees and the phenomenal Saint’s aerial attack to pick apart a depleted Bengal’s secondary.  Saints by 10 on the road.

Bears at Lions:  Da Bears head to Ford Field to take on the 2 and 9 Lions.  These are two teams heading in very different directions.  The Bears have won 4 straight games and appear to really be coming together both offensively and defensively, while the Lions have lost 4 straight.  In addition, the Lions have not even really looked competitive the past couple of weeks.  It may be freezing in Detroit, but the Bears are going to continue rolling behind their stellar defense.  Bears by 7 on the road.

49ers at Packers:  Green Bay is doing all they can to keep up with Chicago and remain in the playoff picture while the 49ers have vaulted themselves back into the NFC West race.  After starting out 0 and 5, the 49ers are now 4 and 7, and just 1 game out of 1st place.  The 49ers have not really wowed me any respect all season though.  And with Frank Gore going down for the season, they will struggle in the tundra that will be Lambeau on Sunday.  The Packers need a win in a big way to stay in the playoff hunt and they will do just that in front of the home crowd.  Packers by 3 at home in a freeze bowl.

Jaguars at Titans:  Who would have thought that the Jaguars would be sitting atop the AFC South come December?  I know that I did not.  Jacksonville has looked very sharp lately, despite coming off a tough 4 point loss in New York last weekend.  The Titans on the other hand have dealt with much inner turmoil and are currently on a 4 game losing skid.  Well that skid ends this week as Jeff Fisher gets his team hyped, and lights a fire under Chris Johnson, Nate Washington, Kenny Britt, and the entire Titan’s offense.  The race in the AFC South could involve 3 teams down the stretch.  Titans by 6 at home.

Broncos at Chiefs:  Times have changed.  And in a hurry.  The Broncos are now the AFC West bottom dwellers while the Chiefs sit at the top.  The Chiefs sport the best rushing attack in the League while the Broncos sport one of the worst.  In a cold weather atmosphere, running the ball efficiently is the key to success. The Chiefs are able to do this while the Broncos cannot.  Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones will be the difference in this game.  Chiefs by 7 at home.

Browns at Dolphins:  The Browns are playing good football.  Yes I said it.  The Browns are actually a team that can go out and beat most teams in this League.  Peyton Hillis, a former 3rd stringer at Arkansas (granted he was behind Darren McFadden and Felix Jones) is turning into one of the best backs in the League.  The Dolphins on the other hand are coming off a big time victory over a tough Raider’s team.  Conventional wisdom would point towards the Dolphins winning this game considering they are playing at home.  Oddly enough the Dolphins are just 1 and 4 at home this season.  Maybe the distraction of that South Beach Basketball All Stars has hindered their performance?  Whatever it is, I am taking the Brownies on the road by 3 in a great game.

Bills at Vikings:  The Bills have played very strong football lately and really should have beaten Pittsburgh last weekend.  The Vikings played better than they have played in a month in Washington last Sunday.  My gut is telling me to pick Buffalo in this one, but logically, I am thinking to go with the home team.  Expect Adrian Peterson, Toby Gerhart, or whomever the Vikings throw in the backfield to have a field day.  Vikings by 3 at home.

Redskins at Giants:  This is a good old-fashioned NFC East throwdown.  In the division that sports the best rivalries in the NFL, there are no gimme games.  Sadly this year, the Giants appear to be far superior in every facet of the game.  I fully expect the Giant’s extremely balanced offensive attack to shred a Redskin’s defense that is lacking in all sorts of ways.  I got the Giants by 9 at home.

Raiders at Chargers:  After a very slow start, the Chargers leapfrogged the Raiders last weekend in the suddenly very competitive race in the AFC West.  Since a major victory in overtime over the Chiefs on November 7th, the Raiders have just looked abysmal.  The Chargers on the other hand have looked awesome since Halloween in winning 4 straight games.  And you better believe that the Chargers are looking for some payback from an October loss to the Oakland boys.  The Chargers will exploit a weak Raider’s running defense which will open up the pass for one of the best QB’s in football, Philip Rivers.  Chargers by 9 at home.

Panthers at Seahawks:  The Panthers are probably the worst team in  football.  They are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak, and do not appear to be making improvement in any facet of the game.  They can’t pass the ball.  They struggle running the ball.  And you better believe that they cannot stop the run.  The Seahawks on the other hand have not been much better in getting blown out the past two weeks. Call me crazy but I am taking Carolina on the road.  They are bound to win again sometime.  Panthers by 1 in Seattle. 

Falcons at Buccaneers:  Two of the NFC’s best will link up in Tampa this weekend.  The Bucs are coming off a tough loss to a very good Baltimore team and are looking to make a statement to the rest of the NFC.  And I will admit that their chances to pull off the upset improve dramatically in getting to play at home, but the Falcons appear to be just too strong all around to drop this one.  The Falcons are looking to remain atop the Saints in the NFC South and will put on a great performance in Tampa.  Roddy White will have a huge day against a weak Buccaneers secondary.  Falcons by 7 on the road.

Rams at Cardinals:  The Cardinals have lost 6 straight games and in the words of Derek Anderson, “This isn’t funny.”  Derek is right, but sadly for Arizona, they are playing a Rams team that continues to improve each week.  Even with Arizona at home, I got the Rams behind rookie Sam Bradford to keep rolling.  The NFC West is wide open folks.  Rams by 3 on the road.

Cowboys at Colts:  In September, this appeared to be a big time matchup where one of the NFC’s best would get to take on one of the AFC’s best.  Sadly, the Cowboys did not pan out the way people expected.  In addition, due to a plethora of injuries, the Colts have struggled more than people expected as well.  Well expect those struggles to end.  Peyton does not ever lose 3 games in a row.  Though I think this will be a very close and high scoring affair, I got Indy by 3 at home.

Steelers at Ravens:  What a matchup this will be.  It is almost as good as the Monday Night Affair.  The NFL got it right in scheduling the night games for this week.  This is probably the best combo of Sunday Night/Monday Night games we will get all year.  Both teams are rolling at the moment and are living large on their stellar defensive units.  Earlier this year, Pittsburgh fell in a very close game against the divisional rival Ravens.  You better believe that they still have that loss on their mind as they head into Sunday Night.  Expect the Steelers to play inspired football behind a banged up Ben Roethlisberger.  Steelers by 1 on the road.

Jets at Patriots:  This may be the best matchup of the entire season thus far.  These two teams realize the importance of this game in gaining a divisional title and possible home field advantage.  Both squads are extremely familiar with each other and have been rolling.  The Patriots have been winning behind an electric offense while the Jets have been relying on their great defensive unit and the timely big play offensively.  The Jets beat the Patriots at home earlier this season by 2 TDs.  Due to home field advantage and a chip on their shoulder from the earlier defeat, I got the Pats by 1 at home in a thriller.

CV3’s Picks:

Saints over Bungles by 16
Bears over Lions by 3
Pack over Niners by 10
Jags over Titans by 3
Chiefs over Broncos by 14
Dolphins over Browns by 1
Vikings over Bills by 17
Giants over Skins by 12
Chargers over Raiders by 2
Colts over Cowboys by 21
Rams over Cards by 7
Panthers over Seahawks by 8
Falcons over Bucs by 10
Steelers over Ravens by 10
Patriots over Jets by 14

This is just a great slate of games.  The AFC will be much clearer after this weekend.  The two night games are especially exciting though as both teams at the top of the AFC East and AFC North lock horns for divisional supremacy.  Can Rex Ryan outsmart the ultimate coach in Bill Belichick?  Who will survive the physical struggle that will ensue in Baltimore this weekend? 

He could go all the way..or could he?

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

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“NFC East Preview”

Tony Romo should be all smiles. He has girls, the looks, and a great team. Look for the Cowboys to repeat as NFC East Champions.

This is probably the most intriguing division in my eyes year in and year out.  You have the most heated rivalries.  You have big cities.  Large media outlets.  Very exciting divisional battles.  Plus at least one of the NFC Wild Card spots has come out of this division each of the past 5 years (both wildcards in 2007).  This division is rugged.  This division is tough.  And I could go on and on.  The saddest part is none of these teams are ones that I religiously root for and actively follow.  You just got to love the intensity and rivalries that continue to get better every year. 

I feel this is probably the hardest division to predict in the NFL.

NFC East:  Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, Redskins (alphabetical order)

Philadelphia Eagles (4th):  Boy did the city of brotherly love forget to show the love this offseason.  The loss of Donovan McNabb will really sting.  And it will not only hurt their team, but you better believe he will be ready to show Philly what they lost when the Eagles take on the Redskins.  Philadelphia always took Donovan for granted.  That was a big mistake.  This team had a solid offensive attack to go along with a solid defensive attack.  But they are investing a lot of faith into Kevin Kolb, who has the weight of the world on his shoulders.  Andy Reid is a great coach though, and I have faith in his judgment.  Also the rushing game has never been all that great in Philly, but now without Brian Westbrook, there is a lot of faith being placed in the former Pittsburgh Panther, LeSean McCoy.  Now I do not think this team will have a horrible season.  I am guessing anywhere between 6 and 8 wins.  But in this division, 6 to 8 wins will help you find your way to the cellar.  I think the Eagles would be better off playing Vick.  And honestly, if things do not go well the first month, Michael Vick might be an NFL starting quarterback again.  Wouldn’t that be fun?   

Washington Redskins (3rd):  The sad thing is this team dramatically improved this offseason.  Donovan McNabb might have been the best pickup made in the entire League since the end of last year. Also Mike Shanahan is a decent coach, though I do think he is overrated and has been nothing since the retirement of John Elway.  Just sadly, this franchise has suffered from inner turmoil due to their highest paid player Albert Haynesworth being unhappy with the defensive scheme.  Not to mention, that they are led by probably the most incompetent owner in the League other than Mike Brown (Dan Snyder).  For a team that went 4 and 12, it is very surprising that they had such a solid defense.  And this all comes back to the outstanding play of super linebacker, London Fletcher.  This guy is one of the League’s best at his craft.  I feel Snyder has a syndrome that cannot be fixed in just one year.  I do see this team winning 8 games, which would be a 4 game improvement, but this will not be good enough to make the playoffs.

New York Giants (3rd):  I got the G Men finishing in 2nd.  I do think they will nab a Wildcard.  So it will not be all that bad of a year for the Giants in their new stadium.  This team has really demonstrated a strong passing attack, a solid rushing attack, and confidence in their quarterback Eli Manning.  Winning the Super Bowl in 2007 really got fans off of Eli’s back.  Other quarterbacks should take note.  This team does not have the defense that they once had, but they still have a decent group.  They have become a middle of the road defensive team in defending both the run and the pass.  I expect them to improve on this and bring back a defense that is reminiscent of the team in 2007.  Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora will need to become the bash brothers of old.  They have not been able to depend on Michael Strahan, the man with the most well-known gap in sports for the past couple of years.  Now Strahan does fitness and Subway commercials for a living.  I feel like there is something about this team that will help them find their way into the playoffs.  Because on paper, they are no better than either the Eagles or the Redskins.

Dallas Cowboys (1st):  America’s team is going to repeat as NFC East Champions.  They got the best stadium, the hottest girls (thanks to Tony Romo and the Cowboy Cheerleaders), and one of the most well-known owners in all of professional sports (Jerry Jones).  Dallas has a great defense, led by Demarcus Ware, that is one of the best at stopping the run in the entire League.  They also have one of the most high-powered offenses in the League.  They ranked 2nd last year just behind the Super Bowl Champion Saints.  This team possesses a 2 headed monster at running back in Marion Barber and Felix Jones.  If these guys stay healthy, teams will not be able to keen in on Tony Romo and the outstanding Cowboy aerial attack.  They also have Miles Austin, who came out of nowhere to turn into one of the best receivers in the League.  They have arguably the best receiving tight end in the game today in Jason Witten.  Witten and Romo have a fantastic chemistry, and who cares if TO doesn’t like it.  But this team is tough.  I expect them to make a deep run in the playoffs. They do have a prayer of getting to play a Super Bowl at home come February (if they are lucky).

So there you have it.  Those are my NFC East picks.  I have both the Cowboys and Giants making the playoffs out of this always rugged division.  This is the hardest division for me to predict by far.  Great rivalries and great teams every year.

Should be another wild year in the NFC East.  I would not be surprised if all of the teams finish within 3 games of each other.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze

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