Week 9: Bye Week

As these two pretty boys enjoy their bye weeks, the SOB boys
allow themselves to agree with each other on this week's matchups.

Trash talking will be at a minimum this week as both Stally's Patriots and Austen's Jets are on bye this week.  In general the slate of games aren't overly enticing, so it's hard to expect either OXen will be glued to the TV all day, but it's getting to be that time of year where teams start to define their season.

Stally's Seven-Point Pick: @Houston over Buffalo

Stally: The Texas have been the cream of the AFC crop and that Bills are, well, the Bills.  I didn't have to think about this one for very long.

Austen: Right pick. I can't imagine the Bills staying in this one for long. Arian Foster could have a career day.

Austen's Seven-Point Pick: @Green Bay over Arizona


Austen: The Packers pass rush will win this game single handedly. Clay Matthews is second in the league in sacks and the Cardinals have no one (or no two) who ever have a chance of slowing this beast down. Aaron Rodgers could continue to struggle a bit and this could still be a blow out.


Stally: I have to disagree with the statement that Aaron Rodgers has struggled.  He enters the game with 21 TDs and four INTs and the Packers are back on track.  They should roll in this one.


Stally's Six-Point Pick: Chicago over @Tennessee


Stally: It seems like both Austen and I have been high on the Bears this year.  It gives me some pause that the Titans are wildly inconsistent and also at home.  It could be an upset in the making, but this was the surest bet I saw.

Austen: Stally steals my pick again. Apparently we actually agree at the top of this week.

Austen's Six-Point Pick: @Seattle over Minnesota

Austen: I love Christian Ponder, but he has really struggled as of late (seven interceptions in the last four games). Things will not get easier against the most physical and talented defensive backfield in the NFL. Their defense has not helped them out either and Marshawn Lynch should provide enough offense to give the Seahawks yet another big win at home.

Stally: I think the Seahawks at home are the choice is well, but when it comes to talent, these two are evenly matched, so I'm not as confident as Austen.

Stally's Five-Point Pick: @San Diego over Kansas City


Stally: This Thursday night game was a blowout, as I expected it would be.  It's not that the Chargers are that good, it's that the Chiefs are that bad.

Austen: I had them as well, but don't forget this game was 7-6 going into the fourth quarter. That's why I did not take them with this much confidence.

Austen's Five-Point Pick: Detroit over @Jacksonville


Austen: This could actually be an upset this week, but I still put a lot of value betting against the Jags even when MJD is fully healthy. He is still out and it is hard for me to invision the Lions taking a step back on the road after such a strong performance against the surging Seahawks last week.

Stally: Austen just put that first sentence in there to sandbag against my statement that I'm taking the Jags.  They seem to win a game or two every year against a decent team to remind the greater national audience that they're still in the league, and the Lions are ripe for the picking.

Stally's Four-Point Pick: Denver over @Cincinnati 


Stally: It seems like the Broncos get more and more comfortable every week with Peyton Manning's offense.  The Bengals haven't looked good as of late and this is a classic matchup between one team good enough for the playoffs and one that is not.

Austen: I think the Bengals are better than you give them credit, but that being said, Peyton Manning has been too good and Andy Dalton has turned the ball over too often for the Broncos to fall in this one.

Austen's Four-Point Pick: Baltimore over @Browns


Austen: This again could be one of those big upset games, but again I have to side with the far superior team on the road. Joe Flacco has been horrendous on the road this season, but the Browns just are not good. They are coming off their bye with two weeks to prepare of the Browns, so there are no excuses for this team to fall to one of the worst teams in the league.


Stally: Neither Austen nor I would be surprised if the Browns pulled off the upset, but we both agree that the Ravens are a clear favorite that needs to take care of business.

Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton will always be
compared  to one another, but this week will put on
display how different these two players really are.

Stally's Three-Point Pick: @Washington over Carolina


Stally: RG3!  RG3!  I've been riding this bandwagon most of the season and I can't wait for him to show that he's a better cornerstone for a franchise than the melancholy Cam Newton.

Austen: I'd take RG3 over Cam Newton any day, but Cam Newton will have success against this Redskins defense that is sorely missing Geico spokesman Brian Orakpo. This will be a close one, but I have to put my faith in the Redskins at home. 

Austen's Three-Point Pick: @Atlanta over Dallas


Austen: The Falcons have to lose eventually, but I cannot see the Cowboys pulling off the upset without DeMarco Murray and a banged up Felix Jones. If they cannot get the ground game going, which they have struggled to do all season long, I think the Falcons' corners will give the Boys' receivers trouble all day. Should be a good one to watch, but I will ride the hot hand and bet against the team that loves to disappoint their fan base.


Stally: You know I'm always one of the first to pick the Cowboys.  The fact that I don't want to touch them with a ten-foot pole this week should be a sign that the Falcons are a clear favorite.

Stally's Two-Point Pick: @New Orleans over Philadelphia


Stally: I don't think the Eagles are very good.  Plain and simple. The Saints aren't great either, but they always play much better at home, where the offense can roll, so they should win this one by at least a score.

Austen: I have the Saints with the least confidence of any matchup this week. I have a sneaking suspicion that Vick will have a very good day against this defense, and the Eagles defense has as much talent as anyone. Drew Brees will have to play lights out to win this one, but he most likely will.

Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have combined
for five Super Bowl appearances and four rings in the
last seven seasons. Both of these guys are winners, but
only one can come away with a win this week.

Austen's Two-Point Pick: @New York-G over Pittsburgh


Austen: Eli Manning vs. Ben Roethlisberger is the best quarterback matchup of the week, and might be the best of the year so far. The RG3 vs. Cam Newton is getting a lot of publicity, but this is the game to watch. Two quarterbacks taken in the first round in the same draft class, both with two Super Bowl rings, both with a penchant for stunning comebacks at the end of the game. It does not get much better than this. The Giants have the better defense and the Steelers are incredibly banged up (when aren't they these days), which is why I am siding with the Giants.

Stally:  Wow!  We've seen Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers vs. Drew Brees, and you're going with Big Ben Roethlisberger as being part of the best QB matchup of the season!?  That's crazy, but then again, I'm the one expecting Big Ben's team to win.  I think the difference in pre-game routine for the Steelers will have them running on adrenaline to a win over a Giants team that keeps lucking its way to victory.

Stally's One-Point Pick: @Indianapolis over Miami


Stally: This is a case where the Colts are much better at home.  If this game were in the Miami, I think both Austen and I would (begrudgingly) go with the Dolphins.

Austen: I do begrudgingly agree with everything Stally just said. The Dolphins pass defense will once again be their downfall.

Austen's One-Point Pick: Tampa Bay over @Oakland


Austen: Josh Freeman is playing like the quarterback we all expected him to be last season. He has been lights out since their bye week. Doug Martin is stepping up as a true feature back and giving the Bucs an element to their offense they sorely missed in a disappointing 2011 season. The Raiders are improving, but I still think the Bucs are the far superior team and the Raiders tend to make costly mistakes that cost them close games.

Stally: Well, I didn't expect him to be that great last season, but I did expect him to level off somewhere between 2010 and 2011 and he's done that.  Personally, I'm about as excited for this Super Bowl XXXVII rematch as I was when it happened; simply put: I'm going golfing with Rob Lange.