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| Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson started off the week with a Thanksgiving feast of the Eagles. |
This is always a favorite holiday for us Stubborn OXen. Along with getting to eat a lot, something at which we both excel, we also get to watch a lot of football, another thing we do very well.
From our families to yours, and from New Hampshire to West Bum-Eff New York, have a great Turkey Day!
Here are our picks for the week.
Stally's Eight-Point Pick
Arizona over @San Francisco
Stally: The Cardinals proved last week by outlasting the Bengals that they're indeed one of the best teams in the league. The 49ers, meanwhile, continued to prove that they can't score enough points to compete. Last Sunday's home loss was San Francisco's fourth consecutive game with 17 points or less. This one might be closer than the last time they met, when Arizona won 47-7, but that's about the only thing to look forward to if you're a San Francisco fan.
Austen: Blaine Gabbert has been a nice surprise for the 49ers at QB, but he has still been one of the top-five worst starting quarterbacks this year. The Cardinals are looking to bury the Seahawks in the division race and try to lock up a first-round bye in the playoffs. This game will help them with both those causes.
Austen's Eight-Point Pick
@Cincinnati over St. Louis
Austen: The Rams preferred to stick with a concussed Case Keenum at QB (illegally, for that matter) than give the reigns back to Nick Folk. That's a real bad sign for a team that showed a lot of promise early in the season. Maybe they should have stuck with Sam Bradford? Oh wait, never mind.
Stally: I know this is a family blog, but eff the Rams. dude. I'm sick of trying to figure out how they manage to stay relevant. The bottom line is that they're 2-4 in their last six games with the only two wins being home victories over Cleveland and San Francisco, arguably the two worst teams in the league. They're not a good team ... nothing like the Bengals.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Green Bay over Chicago
Stally: The Packers pulled off a convincing win to reassert themselves in the NFC North. Minnesota is a good football team and beating them at home shouldn't be taken lightly. Now it's up to the Pack to keep rolling against a Bears team that let one slip away at home against the Broncos last week.
Austen: The Bears are getting RB Matt Forte and WR Alshon Jeffery back for this game, which is huge for this offense. However, QB Jay Cutler is at his worst playing in Lambeau over his career and I do not think that will change this week. The Pack are coming off a huge victory over the surging Vikings and they need this win to stave the Vikings off in the division race.
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
Carolina over @Dallas
Austen: Yes, Dallas is 3-0 with Tony Romo at QB. Well, guess what? The Panthers are 10-0 against a much more impressive collection of opponents. Tony Romo might keep his 3-0 status because he might not survive the full game against one of the best defenses in the league that is getting its best pass rusher back (Charles Johnson) this week. Look out.
Stally: Austen hates the Cowboys, and he hates Tony Romo, plain and simple. He stupidly picked against them with a whole lot of confidence in Miami last week (an incorrect pick), and he's again letting his blind hatred lead to a vastly disrespectful amount of confidence in the opponent. This will be a close game. Dallas is a Turkey Day team by tradition, and that, along with Carolina having to travel on a short week, will lead to Romo extending his record to 4-0 on the season.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@Kansas City over Buffalo
Stally: The Chiefs are rounding into form, having won their last three games by a combined 81 points. They aren't just beating teams, they're blowing them out. They haven't given up more than 13 points in the last four contests, while scoring at least 23 in each of those. Buffalo is a snake in the grass to any team that takes them lightly, but with the way the Chiefs are rolling on both sides of the ball, they're a clear favorite in this one.
Austen: Stally was right, I was wrong. The Chiefs are good. Not sure how or why, but they are. They seem to be mediocre in every phase of the game aside from running the football, but either way, they have enough fight to knock off the Bills in Arrowhead. It's also helpful that QB Tyrod Taylor might miss this game for Buffalo.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
New England over @Denver
Austen: I do not care that this is in Denver and that the Patriots have no receivers to throw to. They still have Brady and Gronk, that's all they need. The Broncos are a very good team, but I have not seen enough of Brock Osweiller at QB to be convinced that he can knock off the best team in the league.
Stally: Ah, music to my ears: "best team in the league," (New England Patriots). I am a little worried about the absence of healthy wide receivers, especially against the Broncos defense, which is one of the best in the league. The Pats should still win, as Denver's offense is bordering on anemic, but this is going to be a nail-biter for New England fans like myself.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
@Seattle over Pittsburgh
Stally: It's go time for Seattle! The Seahawks really haven't found a rhythm at any point this season and the 12th Man hasn't been that big of a factor, having gone 3-2 at home. That said, this is the kind of game that I expect last year's NFC champion to win.
Austen: I love them Seahawks, so I am praying for them this week. The Steelers are going to be a tough test with all their offensive firepower, but this is a game that Seattle has to win if it is going to stay alive in the playoff race. The Seahawks may not be as good as the last two seasons, but they should have enough to knock off a good team at home.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
@Detroit over Philadelphia
Austen: As long as Mark Sanchez is starting for the Eagles, I will bet against them. He makes just enough plays to look like he could be a starting quarterback, but then makes some bonehead play that a high school quarterback knows not to make. Jameis Winston had five touchdowns against the Eagles last week, but it was really Sanchez's turnovers that cost them that game.
Stally: Wow! What a hater! The Eagles defense gave up 283 rushing yards, had no control over the clock or game, and trailed 38-14 early in fourth quarter; and, Austen's blaming the quarterback for airing it out for two late-game picks in the final quarter. That's ridiculous. You're a hater! The Eagles are a broken team in a lot more places than just QB; the defense is terrible. Philly stinks, it won't win this game regardless of if Mark Sanchez has four turnovers or zero.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
@Jacksonville over San Diego
Stally: I'm in on the Jags, Austen! They don't win pretty, in fact, they win really ugly. But, that's a lot more than you can say for a Chargers team that doesn't win at all.
Austen: Stally is on the Jags bandwagon! Love it. Also, the Chargers are one of the most banged up and least talented teams in the league.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
@New York Jets over Miami
Austen: This is too much confidence to put on a struggling Jets team, but I really do not like any of the rest of these games. I'll take my homer pick against a team that does not matchup well against the Jets.
Stally: I agree with all of that. The Jets seem like they should win this game, but the Dolphins are just good enough that you can't really pick too hard against them. I'm glad Austen ended up with this pick and not me.
Stally's Three-Point Pick
New York Giants over @Washington
Stally: The Giants are rested and coming off a bye. That should help them open up a divisional lead against a Redskins team that spent last week getting demoralized in Carolina.
Austen: I have the Redskins with a large amount of confidence. Kirk Cousins has been playing lights out and this team has really responded to him. Truthfully, I am not sure why I am so confident in the Redskins, but I am.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
Minnesota over @Atlanta
Austen: Not sure why the Vikings are the underdog in this game, but I'll take them, no questions asked. They are the far better and more balanced team. Atlanta just lost to at home... to the 4-5 Colts... who started Matt Hasselbeck at QB. That is no good people.
Stally: After starting the season at 5-0, the Falcons have gone 1-4. At least their current losing streak has come against the best teams in the league, teams like Tampa Bay, San Francisco, and (as Austen mentioned) a Hasselbeck-led Indianapolis. Oh wait, that logic doesn't work either; Atlanta has turned into the Dirty ATL. The Vikings will win this one.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
Oakland over @Tennessee
Stally: It's hard to figure out the Titans. They've scored 42 and 34 points in their two wins, and yet have scored 14 or less in seven of their eight losses. Sure, Marcus Mariota could rise up at QB and lead the team in a shootout against Oakland, but the Raiders are a much surer bet to play a decent game. Tennessee is also 0-5 at home, so don't look too much into an "advantage" with that.
Austen: Raiders are the better team, but they are still the Raiders. It is hard to trust them on the road against most teams right now. They should win, but who knows. If Marcus Mariota plays up to his potential and continues to not turn the ball over, Derek Carr could throw the game away with his gun slinging tendencies.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Cleveland over Baltimore
Austen: Wait, so the Browns are back to starting their best quarterback again!? This game needs to get bumped up. This should be a sneaky lock of the week pick in your pick 'em leagues. The Ravens are basically out of offensive talent after losing QB Joe Flacco and RB Justin Forsett last week, after already losing WR Steve Smith for the season. And their defense is already bad. QB Josh McCown should give Browns fans something to cheer about as he slices and dices this Ravens defense for a big win.
Stally: Let's not go overboard on the Browns. I picked them as well, but you know you're a Cleveland fan when: you get excited to hear that Josh McCown will be your team's starting QB.
Stally's One-Point Pick
Tampa Bay over @Indianapolis
Stally: The Colts pulled off a late victory in Atlanta, but it's the Bucs that have actually been playing better football. QB Jameis Winston accounted for five touchdowns last week, RB Doug Martin ran for 235 yards, and the defense forced four turnovers including a pick-six. Look for Tampa Bay to win this one.
Austen: The Bucs are continuing the play better and better and I will keep betting on them so long as the matchup is favorable. Do not be fooled by the game last week, the Colts are a very bad team.
Austen's One-Point Pick
@Houston over New Orleans
Austen: Like the Bucs, the Texans have been playing better and better each week. Brian Hoyer is back and that is big for this team. He has been great since being benched Week 1 of the season and should easily carve up this awful Saints defense that is looking to be one of the worst in NFL history.
Stally: Wait, what? I'm picking the Saints and Austen isn't?! This surely is a first after he picked them 15 out of 16 times last season (they went 7-9). The Texans are playing better while the Saints seem to just be playing inconsistent. Most of that does fall on the defense, as the offense is competent most weeks. I like the Saints because they're coming off of a bye week and the change at defensive coordinator can't hurt a defense that's been so bad. It will be a close game.
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