Tim Ajmani
The Corsair
I predicted that there wouldn’t be too many upsets in the NFL last week. I did say, however, that Cam Newton and the Panthers would upset Atlanta. They did – for a half. What is becoming more and more apparent in this NFL season is that the most important position in football is quarterback. Three playoff contenders – Houston, Chicago, and Kansas City – have lost their starting quarterbacks due to injury. Houston is the only one of that group to have secured a spot in the playoffs.
In the Thursday night game between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger and Colt McCoy were knocked out for a time with injury. A shortened preseason and training camp may have a lot to do with the insane amount of injuries we’ve seen this season. But with three games left, playoff contenders can’t use them as an excuse for lackluster performances.
Last week, the NFL had few marquee matchups. That isn’t the case this week. My picks…
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9) @ Atlanta Falcons (8-5) – Thursday 7:20 CT
The pick: Falcons 27, Jaguars 10
Dallas Cowboys (7-6) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-9) – Saturday 7:20 CT
The pick: Cowboys 31, Buccaneers 17
Miami Dolphins (4-9) @ Buffalo Bills (5-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bills 24, Dolphins 21
Seattle Seahawks (6-7) @ Chicago Bears (7-6) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Seahawks 17, Bears 13
Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) @ St. Louis Rams (2-11) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bengals 27, Rams 20
Green Bay Packers (13-0) @ Kansas City Chiefs (5-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Packers 41, Chiefs 16
New Orleans Saints (10-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (2-11) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Saints 34, Vikings 24
Washington Redskins (4-9) @ New York Giants (7-6) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Giants 28, Redskins 17
Carolina Panthers (4-9) @ Houston Texans (10-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Texans 23, Panthers 20
Detroit Lions (8-5) @ Oakland Raiders (7-6) – Sunday 3:05 CT
The pick: Lions 31, Raiders 24
Cleveland Browns (4-9) @ Arizona Cardinals (6-7) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Cardinals 20, Browns 10
New York Jets (8-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (5-8) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Eagles 24, Jets 16
Baltimore Ravens (10-3) @ San Diego Chargers (6-7) – Sunday 7:20 CT
The pick: Chargers 27, Ravens 24
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (10-3) – Monday 7:30 CT
The pick: Steelers 20, 49ers 14
My Upset Pick:
Tennessee Titans (7-6) @ Indianapolis Colts (0-13) – Sunday 12:00 CT
I feel bad for the Colts. They lost Peyton Manning for the season before it began. They are the only winless team left in the NFL. The fan base is wondering whether or not the front office will choose to draft Andrew Luck and/or trade Manning in the offseason. However, people forget there is still talent on this team: Robert Mathis, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, just to name a few. While the Colts have been consistently bad, the Titans have been all over the place. One week they will upset Baltimore; the next, they get blown out by Pittsburgh. I’m going to be bold here, and say they will turn in another lousy performance, thereby giving the Colts their first win of the season…
The pick: Colts 19, Titans 16
Game of the Week:
New England Patriots (10-3) @ Denver Broncos (8-5) – Sunday 3:15 CT
I personally think this game could get more ratings than February’s Super Bowl. This game was so hyped last week that NBC and CBS argued over which network would televise the game. Think of the storylines in this game. The Patriots have won five in a row. The Broncos have won six in a row. The quarterback matchup of Brady versus Tebow illustrates the conventional against the unorthodox. Bill Belichick gets his first crack at the unusual Broncos offense. Many believe the Patriots will win this game in a blow out. But if the past six Broncos victories have taught us one thing, it has to be never to count them out of a game. I haven’t bet against Tebow all this year. And I won’t on Sunday…
The pick: Broncos 28, Patriots 24
On the season:
Overall picks: 32-16
Upset picks: 1-2