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| Just when we thought Thursday Night Football couldn't get any uglier, an overtime game was decided by a safety. (AP) |
Stally: Aye.
In the three-year history of the blog, the two of us have never agreed more on the outcomes that with this coming weekend's NFL games. It wasn't until the final of 13 games picked that we disagreed on the predicted winner of a game. Let's be honest, at that point, it's really just a coin flip anyway.
The bad news is that we've both already missed on the Thursday night game, so despite a lot of concurrence, we clearly aren't omnipotent.
Ok, enough with the big words, let's talk football. Here's who we have this week:
Austen's Seven-Point Pick
@Seattle over Tampa Bay
Austen: The wheels are flying off in Tampa. This team is in total disarray. It would take half of the Seahawks roster going down with injury for the Bucs to eek out a win in Seattle.
Stally: And, that analyst of how the Bucs could win is being generous on Austen's part. I'm open to debating if the Bucs are worse than the Jags, but I feel like that's a meaningless waste of type. It's possible both those teams go 0-16; it's far less likely that Tampa Bay wins this game.
Stally's Seven-Point Pick
@Dallas over Minnesota
Stally: The Cowboys continue to find mind-boggling ways to lose close games. Last week's debacle against the Lions marked their second one-point loss of the season, and that doesn't even include the 51-48 loss to the Broncos. They're a pretty good team with poor closing ability; Minnesota is not good at all.
Austen: When you have three mediocre quarterbacks, you have no quarterback. The Vikings are not very good, but I think taking a very mediocre Dallas team this high is too risky. You never know when Adrian Peterson is going to go off for 200 yards and take over a game.
Austen's Six-Point Pick
Kansas City over @Buffalo
Austen: I've been making fun of the Bills for starting a quarterback from Duke for weeks now. Well, now he is injured and they might have to start the guy who was beaten out by the quarterback from Duke. They also happen to be playing one of the toughest defenses in the NFL. This does not bode well for Buffalo.
Stally: I'll agree that there is no reason to expect the Bills to win. Therein lies the problem, however, as I fear that Kansas City has really benefitted from some poor opponents in recent weeks, as they've been able to sneak out wins. They're ripe for a loss, and while I don't think it will happen in Buffalo, keep track of this game.
Stally's Six-Point Pick
@New England over Pittsburgh
Stally: The Patriots haven't been playing well, but they're still 6-2. On the contrary, the Steelers just lost to a Raiders team that neither Austen nor I put in high regard. Also consider that New England tends to have the upper hand against Pittsburgh when the two teams meet.
Austen: This is the second pick in a row that I think Stally reached a bit. The Steelers are not very good, but neither are the Patriots. I have the Patriots, but if this was in Pittsburgh, I might have to go with the Steelers.
Austen's Five-Point Pick
@Green Bay over Chicago
Austen: The Bears simply do not win games without Jay Cutler. They do not win a whole lot of games against the Packers, even with Jay Cutler. Josh McCown has started two games since 2007. That does not bode well for their hopes in this one.
Stally: I had no idea Josh McCown was still in the league. Is Luke McCown still in the league? Are they even different people? I'm more intrigued to answer these questions than I am to see either of them take an NFL snap, to be honest. This one won't be close.
Stally's Five-Point Pick
New Orleans over @New York Jets
Stally: There are a few reasons why this mismatch fell to the sixth pick of the week. The Saints are clearly the better team, but they're used to the indoors and the warm weather. This game will have neither element, and the Jets are capable of playing defense. That said, does it sound crazy for Geno Smith to beat Drew Brees? Yes. New Orleans should win handily.
Austen: I would be completely shocked if the Jets found a way to win this game, but I said the same thing about the Bucs and Pats games, and they found a way to win each of those matchups. They also tend to play much better in the odd weeks, in which they are undefeated.
Austen's Four-Point Pick
Tennessee over @St. Louis
Austen: The Rams' offense is simply too bad to have them win many games. They have no quarterback, their top running back (Zac Stacy) might not even make it onto the field, and they still lack any real playmakers in the pass game, despite all the money and draft picks they have dumped into pass catchers. The Titans' defense is playing lights out and they are coming off a bye, so to me this is a no brainer.
Stally: Hmm, I'm not sure why Austen thinks that this is such a mismatch. The Rams were a one-yard run away from beating the mighty Seahawks on the final play of the game last week. Had they won, they would have been 4-4. The Titans are 3-4. I do have Tennessee, but I think it will be a one-score game, and my jaw won't drop should St. Louis win.
Stally's Four-Point Pick
Indianapolis over @Houston
Stally: This is a lopsided matchup. Plain and simple. Houston gets some benefit being at home, but the Colts are far better.
Austen: This might be the worst the Texans have looked in four to five years. Their offensive players are banged up and their defense is shockingly bad. On the other hand, the Colts are one of the best teams in the league.
Austen's Three-Point Pick
San Diego over @Washington
Austen: The Redskins have so much talent, but RG3's health and this porous defense will make it very difficult for them to win much of anything. Phillip Rivers is coming off a bye and has an astonishing 111.1 quarterback rating. He has had two weeks to plan for the worst defense in the league. Plug him in to your fantasy lineups.
Stally: San Diego is actually a pretty decent football team. They've been in every game they've played and are better than their 4-3 record. Technically, the worst defense (points wise) in the league is the Jags, but the Redskins are a close second. Rivers should have a field day!
Stally's Three-Point Pick
Cincinnati over @Miami
Stally: The Bengals lost on a safety in overtime. That's ugly. Why bother with the Thursday night games that none of us watch? Seriously, why bother? ...
Austen: I don't get either of these teams. Are they good? Are they bad? I guess the fact that I need to ask both of those questions just means that they are both mediocre. The Bengals are the better team on paper, but you just never know what team will show up for either of these squads.
Austen's Two-Point Pick
@Carolina over Atlanta
Austen: Cam Newton is in a groove right now, while the entire Falcons' team is in quite a funk. Having a healthy Steven Jackson back is their only hope at salvaging what looks like a lost season.
Stally: It's pretty sad that the 13-3 Falcons from last year have fallen so far that the mediocre-as-can-be Panthers get a confident nod from both Austen and I. I'm almost always down on Carolina, so something must really be broken in The ATL, if I'm all for the Newtons this week.
Stally's Two-Point Pick
@Cleveland over Baltimore
Stally: The Browns almost beat Baltimore on the road earlier in the season. Heck, they almost beat the Chiefs in Kansas City last week. They're not great, but they're capable of an upset most every week.
Austen: While the Ravens are better on paper, the Browns have played better football so far this season. The Torrey Smith-Joe Haden matchup is going to be the deciding factor of this game. I like Haden at home, especially since his performance will not depend on how well Joe Flacco throws the ball to him ... or will it?
Austen's One-Point Pick
@Oakland over Philadelphia
Austen: Well it seems fitting that the only game Stally and I disagree on this week is the last pick of the draft. He is holding out hope for Philly being good, while I am extremely intrigued by Terrelle Pryor's play. These are both equally bad teams, so I will side with the one that does not need to travel across the country.
Stally: This game is truly a coin flip. I don't mind Nick Foles at QB for Philly, and I like the Eagles team as a whole a little more than the Raiders. I wouldn't say I'm holding out for them to be good any longer, but I am holding out for them to be at least mediocre.
Stally doesn't have a one-point pick due to byes for Arizona, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, the New York Giants and San Francisco.
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