Week 12 Picks

On Thursday, Thanksgiving took place in the USA. It's always a tradition on Thanksgiving Day to have football on television sets, and with Green Bay beating Detroit by 22, Dallas beat Oakland by 17, and Denver beating the Giants by 20, it wasn't the most exciting day for football in recent memory. There are still 13 more games to be played, and with that being said, here are my picks for them.
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Miami (5-5) at Buffalo (3-7), 1 pm.
Pick: Miami, 27-19.

Ronnie Brown is out with a season-ending knee injury. Ricky Williams, who's the backup, has back-to-back 100 yard rushing games. Terrell Owens did show that he still has "it" with his 197-yard showing last week, but, the Bills' offense is still horrible. Without Trent Edwards, there is no playoff contention in their site. Expect this game to be close, though.
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Seattle (3-7) at St.Louis (1-9), 1 pm.
Pick: St.Louis, 24-14.

The Seahawks of Seattle haven't won a road game in almost a year, and the Rams haven't won a home game in more than a year. Steven Jackson is running like never before, coming back to form that took him to be one of the game's best backs in the game, and with Marc Bulger out 3-6 weeks with a foot injury, his productivity becomes even greater. Whenever TJ Houshmandzedah comes back to form and develops good chemistry with his teammates, that's when you can expect the Seahawks to be somewhat of a threat.
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Washington (3-7) at Philadelphia (6-4), 1 pm.
Pick: Philadelphia, 42-13.

This Eagles team still confuses me as to who they are as a team. Do they run tough against you? Do they keep you honest as a defense, threatening you with a long pass downfield? Against the Redskins, who have a horrible defense all around, and with running back Brian Westbrook gone, expect them to show signs of a great passing team, blowing the lowly Redskins out.
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Tampa Bay (1-9) at Atlanta (5-5), 1 pm.
Pick: Atlanta, 35-21.

After setting colossal expectations in his rookie year, Matt Ryan hasn't performed up to his performance that he put on last year. With a good mix of running and passing, especially against a Bucaneers team that is sitting in the bottom of the pack in the NFC, the Falcons should get the win.
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Indianapolis (10-0) at Houston (5-5), 1 pm.
Pick: Indianapolis, 28-27.

Yes, Matt Schaub is performing almost like Peyton Manning. Yes, the Colts are looking very shaky, escaping games with a win against New England and Baltimore in the past two weeks. Yes, the Texans have been playing under the radar, and yes, Schaub and receiver, Andre Johnson, are having great chemistry. However, the Texans have been blown out the past few weeks, especially against the Colts earlier this year. The Colts, even with a few blemishes, seem poised to a perfect season. Expect wonderful games played by Dallas Clark, Gary Brackett, Joseph Addai, and obviously, Peyton Manning.
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Cleveland (1-9) at Cincinnati (7-3), 1 pm.
Pick: Cincinnati, 41-20.

After an embarrassing loss to the Raiders last week, the Bengals face the Browns at home, and it's like the playground bully, who beats up on people not even close to his size. The Browns, who are coming off another losing season, can look to be blown away by the likes of Chad Ochocinco, Carson Palmer, and running back Cedric Benson, who may play this week. If the Bengals lose against the Browns, you shall never put your faith in them again.
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Carolina (4-6) at NY Jets (4-6), 1 pm.
Pick: NY Jets, 17-13.

It's really a surprise that the Panthers even have 4 wins, given that their starting quarterback is playing horribly and their star defensive back is not that far off. Yes, it's been that kind of year for Jake Delhomme and Julius Peppers. The only bright spot comes from DeAngelo Williams, who has ran for 982 yards. Only thing that holds the Jets back is the injury of Leon Washington, who has played greatly.
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Kansas City (3-7) at San Diego (7-3), 4:05 pm.
Pick: San Diego, 48-17.

The Chiefs put their money where the mouth was this offseason, when acquiring quarterback Matt Cassel for a whopping $63 million. However, when you don't put pieces around a quarterback, you can't expect him to magically play well, and that's why the Chiefs have been driven to the ground. The Chargers? It certainly feels a lot like last year, when they started off slow, but came back to haunt the Broncos, and it's no different this year at all. LaDainian Tomlinson is also coming back, after he showed signs that he was worn out. Expect an absolute shallacking.
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Jacksonville (6-4) at San Francisco (4-6), 4:05 pm.
Pick: Jacksonville, 26-21.

The Jaguars look to win their fourth straight, and surprise even more people around the world. Being ruled out of even a wild card spot at the start of the season, the life of the Jaguars has seemed to be revived. Maurice Jones-Drew is running all over defenses, running for 926 yards, and David Garrard isn't playing so badly himself. The defense is the only thing holding them back, but it still won't be enough for the 49ers.
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Arizona (7-3) at Tennessee (4-6), 4:05 pm.
Pick: Tennessee, 28-24.

After starting the season 0-6, Tennessee running back, Chris Johnson said that his Titans would win the rest of the 10 games left of the season. His prediction seems to hold true so far, after winning 4 straight games. Vince Young seems to be the answer more and more ever week, because ever since he started after their horrible 0-6 start, he has led them to a 4-0 record. Smart play-making abilities by Young coupled with Johnson's monstrous running attack, running for 1242 yards has made the Titans look like the same Titans that went 13-3 last season. Also, Kurt Warner, even though he's starting, should be affected by the hit that was delivered to him last week from O.J Atogwe.
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Chicago (4-6) at Minnesota (9-1), 4:15 pm.
Pick: Minnesota, 31-14.

The Vikings have the game's best overall running back in Adrian Peterson. They have a legend of a quarterback in Brett Favre. They have one of the best defensive backs in the game in Jared Allen. The Bears have the game's best flopper of a quarterback in Jay Cutler. Even if he doesn't have the right people around him and the offensive line is absolutely terrible, he should still be able to make better decisions with the ball, instead of throwing the 18 interceptions that he has thrown this year.
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Pittsburgh (6-4) at Baltimore (5-5), 8:20 pm.
Pick: Baltimore, 12-7.

The biggest reason why the Ravens will win this game is because of the fact that Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger is expected to sit out with his 4th concussion since 2006. However, it's not like the Ravens will runaway with this one because the Steelers still have the game's best defensive unit in the league, led by Troy Polamalu. Then again, the Ravens have, arguably, the game's second best defensive unit in the league, and for that, the Ravens will win, in a dogfight.
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MONDAY: New England (7-3) at New Orleans (10-0), 8:30 pm.
Pick: New Orleans, 42-41.

Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees. This will be the game of the year. The Saints have the most explosive offense in the league. The Patriots have had an incredible offense for quite a long time now. The Pats have the better receiving core, with Wes Welker and Randy Moss, and the Saints have Marques Colston and Lance Moore. The last determining factor of this game however, comes from the Saints' defense. They lead the league in INT's, and are led by Darren Sharper, who has 7 of them. If the passing game is limited, the Pats' running game shouldn't be oh-so-depended on. 11-0 is what the Saints will go.