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| Neither of us will ever forget this Thanksgiving memory from 2012. (New York Post) |
Thanksgiving is about getting the family together to do two things: eat and watch football. What's better than that?
Um ... nothing!
Stally does his little 5K run in the morning to keep the calories down, and Austen does a 5K in his dreams wondering why anyone would get up early on the best holiday of the year to go for a run. But, to each his own.
By the time the games kickoff on Thursday afternoon, both will be situated in front of a TV, watching the games, and waiting for a turkey leg to gnaw on.
Happy Thanksgiving! Here are our picks for the week:
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Indianapolis over Washington
Austen: This game is not actually on Thanksgiving, but Andrew Luck has to be looking at this game like a Thanksgiving feast. Luck might be down a lot of his top offensive weapons, but he definitely has enough to to make minced meat out of these Redskins (don't blame me for the team having a racist name).
Stally: This is the QB matchup everyone has anticipated since the 2012 NFL Draft, right? First overall pick Andrew Luck versus ... Colt McCoy? The Redskins were in such desperate need of a quarterback in 2012 that they drafted Robert Griffin III second overall and Kirk Cousins in the fourth round. Some problems never alleviate themselves, I guess.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
@Pittsburgh over New Orleans
Stally: At some point, it's gone from funny to pathetic. Out of respect for the world's football intelligence, I can't let Austen keep taking the Saints. They suck. They flat out suck. They're 4-7 ... because they suck. Give me someone, anyone, other than them right now. I'll even go ahead and predict that the Steelers score at least 40 points in the win. Why? Because the Saints suck!
Austen: I don't disagree with the general opinion. However, I have the Saints winning this one. Not with much confidence (one confidence point for all you Yahoo Pick 'Em people), but I think they still have enough to take care of business against the Steelers. Hell, the Jets beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh has peaked so I think we will see the team they really are for the final stretch of the season, which I think is a sub-par team.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @Tampa Bay
Austen: I do not care where this game is being played, the Bengals are so much better than the Bucs; it is not even close. The talent disparity is too big for me to think any more about this game. The Bucs are simply a bad football team.
Stally: The Bucs have found ways to lose nine games, but six of them have been by eight points (one score) or less, and two of those have have been in overtime. Are the Bengals the favorite? Absolutely, but it's hard to trust a team that lost 24-3 to Cleveland. They're capable of laying a smelly egg. You've been warned.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Houston over Tennessee
Stally: This pick is simple: the Titans are terrible. As I mentioned last week, the only reason they aren't recognized as one of the worst teams in the league is because they're in a division with Jacksonville. Tennessee's offense ranks 28th in yardage and 29th in scoring, and its defense ranks 28th in yardage and 26th in scoring. I'll take their opponent, regardless of who that is.
Austen: From top to bottom, the Titans might be the most untalented team in the league. Can you name one above average starter on the entire roster? Jurrell Casey (a fellow Trojan) is by far the best player on the team, and I'd bet 99% of football fans have no idea who he is. Also, J.J. Watt might be the most dominant player in all of football. He would probably be my pick for league MVP.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Miami over @New York Jets
Austen: Do I really need to talk about this game? The Dolphins are a legit playoff team with one of the best defenses in the league. The Jets run the ball well, but that's it. This should be another horrendous blowout.
Stally: The Dolphins don't play well in cold weather, but the Jets can't even figure out which incompetent QB they want to start from week-to-week. I'm not sure about the blowout that Austen is predicting, but I'm confident Miami will win.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@St. Louis over Oakland
Stally: The Rams have had a brutal schedule. They haven't played a team with a record that's currently worse than 7-4 since Week 2. And, yet, they've managed to beat Seattle, San Francisco and Denver in that span. Their 4-7 record is deceiving and they're far better than the Raiders.
Austen: If the Rams were in the NFC South, they would be atop their division and be a team that no one would want to play in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Rookie Aaron Donald has been one of the most dominant interior defenders in the NFL in recent weeks, and their entire defensive line has carried their team. They should easily take care of the Raiders at home.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
New York Giants over @Jacksonville
Austen: I know, I know. The Giants are not very good. The Jags seemingly have a ton of young pieces in place to become a very good football team, but somehow right now they are unwatchably bad. The Giants have been inconsistent, but they have enough talent to knock off the young Jags.
Stally: Honestly, the health of RB Rashad Jennings is the only thing tipping the scales for the Giants right now. Despite a horrendous quarterback in Eli Manning, the Giants offense has enough talent with Jennings and rookie WR Odell Beckham Jr. to outlast a nondescript Jacksonville team. Don't be surprised, however, if this one is only decided by a field goal or so.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Baltimore over San Diego
Stally: The Ravens are 4-1 at home, while San Diego is just 2-3 on the road with their two wins coming at Buffalo and Oakland. I like the home team in this one.
Austen: This is one of those matchups that I really could see going either way. I have the Ravens, but both of these teams are totally capable of showing up and blowing out the other team.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
Arizona over @Atlanta
Austen: The Falcons just lost at home to the Browns. They have officially lost any and all good will I had towards them.
Stally: I'm going to go with the division-leading, 4-7 Falcons. It's quite embarrassing that Mike Smith can't get enough out of this talent Atlanta roster to be in better shape right now. Some thing has got to give, either win a game or lose your job, Mike. The Cardinals are a different team with Mike Stanton at QB and have managed just 17 points in the last two weeks. If Coach Smith can finally get the home team playing football, Atlanta should win.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Detroit over Chicago
Stally: Identical 21-13 home wins over Minnesota and Tampa Bay in back-to-back weeks doesn't make the Bears suddenly good. They've been having a down season and will get fed to a Lions team on Thanksgiving that's looking to prove itself after two bad showings.
Austen: Matt Stafford is in a serious touchdown drought. The Bears defense had a great showing last week against the Bucs, but well, that was the Bucs. I think the Lions offense tears up this banged up Bears defense that simply lacks playmakers.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
@Dallas over Philadelphia
Austen: Stally, enjoy this sentence. The Cowboys are a great football team. Their defense is not great, but they are far better than people thought they would be. They are putting together a special season right now. If someone pointed a gun at my head, I would probably say the Cowboys are the best team in the NFC. That was an unfathomable thought two months ago. They need to win this game to stay atop of the NFC East, and I think they take care of business.
Stally: Hear, hear, Austen! Welcome to the bandwagon. I don't like the idea of taking Mark Sanchez on the road against, as Austen said, the best team in the NFC.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
New England over @Green Bay
Stally: I get it. America loves the Packers. But, it's offensive to see them starting out at a 3.5-point favorite over a team that's playing the best football in the league. For all the talk of Brady vs. Rodgers, this one will come down to Brady vs. a Packers defense that ranks 23rd in yardage and 16th in points against. The Patriots have scored at least 34 points in four straight games, and it's hard to see that Swiss cheese defense slowing New England down. Expect a lot of points, and expect the Patriots to prevail.
Austen: I have the Patriots as well, but I see this as one of those surprise defensive struggles. Both of these defenses have been making strides and I think these coaches start off with conservative game plans before opening up the playbook in the second half. The Patriots are definitely the better team, but there is no question in my mind that Aaron Rodgers is the better quarterback right now. I could see it going either way, but I think the Patriots take an early lead and hold onto it for the entire game.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
Denver over @Kansas City
Austen: If the Chiefs win this game, the AFC officially becomes a mess, and puts Denver in a difficult spot. Despite losing to the Raiders last week, the Chiefs still have a solid shot of winning the division. However, that all hinges on them winning this game. I cannot see a team losing to the Raiders one week and then beating the Broncos the next.
Stally: I can! The Broncos peaked last season and have been on the downhill ever since. Denver is just 2-3 away from home, and that doesn't bode well going into Kansas City, where the Chiefs are always good and post a 4-1 record this season. K.C. has had extra time to stew over the embarrassing loss at Oakland, and that extra rest could be a difference maker.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Buffalo over Cleveland
Stally: There aren't a lot of pretty things about Cleveland, and their wins certainly aren't going to be one of them. They've blown out Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, which is impressive, but it seems like most of their games come down to the wire. Three of their seven wins have been by two points or less. The Bills just blew out the Jets 38-3 in a "home" game at Detroit and should play some inspired football now that they're actually back home.
Austen: This should be a close game no matter how you slice it and I think Josh Gordon makes the game-deciding play for the Browns. He can simply take over games and I think this might be one of them.
Austen's One-Point Pick
Seattle over @San Francisco
Austen: I am still not buying the 49ers as a playoff team. I've been on that bandwagon all year, so this is their chance to prove me wrong. The NFC playoff picture is so unclear that the winner of this game could still take the division from the Cardinals, or they could miss the playoffs entirely. Basically I am saying this game is really, really huge for both of these teams.
Stally: I've supported the 49ers a lot more than Austen, but he does have a point that San Francisco hasn't been as strong as it has in years past. The Seahawks are a better team in general, and San Francisco has yet to establish dominance in its new building (3-2 record). I also like the Seahawks.
Stally's One-Point Pick
@Minnesota over Carolina
Stally: This is a tough one to call, which explains why it's the last one off the board. Austen is going to go with the team coming off a bye (Carolina); I'm going to go with the one that's playing at home (Minnesota). Neither one of these teams has earned enough competitive respect for me to break it down much further.
Austen: Well Stally made my point for me so I will leave you all with this: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
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