Its that time again. The playoff races are shaping up by now. In the AFC its pretty clear that the West is decided, the East is getting close to done barring a NE meltdown, the winner of the North gets in and thats it, and the South is a tossup with 2nd place taking a wild card. That leaves one wildcard for Denver and the second place team in the East to fight for. In the NFC everything is up in the air. Minnesota had a chance to put things away but has dropped 3 straight. They'll still win because the Pack can't get things going. The East will come down to the Eagles and 'Boys. The Panthers are getting close to wrapping up the South. The West is wide open, but the Rams have a pretty easy schedule coming up. The wild cards are anyone's guess. This week's games: Titans over Jags Pretty easy one here. McNair is ripping teams up and the Titans have scored over 30 points in their last 6 games. Titans defense is shutting down running backs, which isn't good news for Taylor. Titans defense wins this one. Rams over Bears Rams can't let this game be a trap. They are far better than the Bears. As long as A-Train doesn't rip them a new one, this game should be over quickly. Bulger needs to produce a good game or two or Martz will put Warner back in. Rams defense continues it's takeaway's from last week. Eagles over Giants A classic NFC East matchup. It'll be close, because rivalry games like this are always close. But McNabb is getting it together, Philly WRs are catching passes, and the RB by committee seems to be working. The Giants have special teams problems (whats new), Barber can't hold on to the ball, and Shockey is out. With Shockey gone, less attention is needed from the defense, making it harder on Hilliard and Toomer. Panthers over Redskins I'm starting to believe in this Panther team. I've been skeptical because of their QB. Well, last week he lead a winning drive vs. the Bucs defense. Davis will want to come back and crush his old team. Washington's O-line better play like they did last week, or Ramsey will take another beating. Washington will have trouble scoring over 14 points. Buffalo over Houston Buffalo better start their run now or they're done. Otherwise, they still have a decent shot at the last wild card spot. Houston, as much as I like them, are still a mediocre team and won't be able to handle Henry. Bledsoe plays great at home (terrible on the road) so he'll have a good game. This Houston team could be pretty good in the next couple years. Miami over Baltimore Miami can key on Jamal Lewis because the Baltimore passing game won't cause any problems. Wright, the starting QB, hasn't played in the NFL since 2001. That means more turnovers and a loss for Baltimore. Miami only needs to score 13 points or so for the win. Ricky Williams will continue to struggle against another great defense. Ray Lewis is incredible, too bad he's wasted on a team that can't score. Cleveland over Arizona This could be a close game, but Cleveland is by far the better team. The Browns released their #1 WR this week, basically because him and he head coach can't get along. Willie Green is back for Cleveland and will help the running game. Clevelands defense is pretty good, and will hold the Cards in check. Shipp is the only hope Arizona has, if he can run and control the game the Cards could win a close one. Kansas City over Cincy Chad Johnson guaranteed a victory by the Bengals. All fine and dandy if you're playing a 5-4 team. But the Chiefs are 9-0 man, shut your mouth and play. In every faucet of this game the Chiefs are more talented. I see no reason why the Chiefs don't win this game. Priest has a big day, as does Rudi Johnson and the Chiefs go 10-0. New Orleans over Atlanta Because of the packed NFC the Saints still have a shot at a wild card. They'll need to win all but one of their games, but its possible. They'll start this week against the Vick-less Falcons. The parties over Falcons, back to reality after beating the Giants. Brooks, Horn and McAllister will take care of the Falcons terrible defense. The only saving grace for the Falcons is that the Saints defense isn't all that good either. Denver over San Diego Jake the Snake is back, and its about time. The Broncos went from one game behind KC when Plummer went down, to 4 games behind when he returns. He'll need to right the ship quickly if the Donkeys want a wild card berth. San Diego is a good warm up game. Portis and Plummer should have big games. By the way, don't go getting too worked up about Flutie. The Vikings defense has been playing poorly and, more importantly, they only had two days to prepare for Flutie (the Chargers were quiet about their starter until last Friday) The Broncos have a pretty good defense, although their depleted at LB. They've had a whole week to look at Flutie, and they'll be more effective in shutting him down. Colts over Jets The Colts need this game, and the Jets are done. Pennington has come on strong and proven he's the man the Jets need. The Colts, after a very disappointing loss, will come back with a vengence. Harrison is slightly injured, which doesn't help, but Manning will have plenty of weapons at his disposal and this game will be a two TD victory. Tampa Bay over Green Bay The Pack just aren't as good as they should be with a great QB, great O-line, All Pro RB, servicable WRs, and three talented TEs. Their defense isn't terrible, and they shouldn't be 4-5. That said, someone is leaving this game 4-6 and I doubt its the Bucs. While the Bucs offense isn't great, they'll do enough to win a close game. Seattle over Detroit The Lions just aren't good. Harrington needs help, and isn't getting it. Charles Rogers still is out, which is bad considering he's still the Lions leading WR although he only has played in half their games. Seattle is a decent team and hasn't lost at home. Alexander will have a big day, but the Seattle WRs need to use this practice game as a chance to get on track. They'll be needed later. Oakland over Minnesota Oaklands only wins have come at home. Minnesota has dropped three in a row. For some reason, call me crazy, I think Minnesota loses another game on the west coast. Theres something about travelling out west in consecutive weeks that effects teams (I've seen it happen to the Chiefs many times). I think it'll be a close game, but the Raiders manage a win. New England over Dallas This game has so many stories. Bill Parcells vs. Bill Biliceck. These two really hate each other, and they don't hide the fact. They coached together for so long, but once Biliceck turned down the Jets job that Parcells groomed him for its been all downhill. As for the teams, the Patriots are finding ways to win even though a new player goes on the IR every week. Their defense will shut down Carter and the 'Boys. The Dallas defense is (yardage wise) the best defense in the NFL. That won't matter as the Partiots in by a FG in a very low scoring game. 49ers over Steelers The Niners need this game, and the Steelers amazingly are still in the hunt for the AFC North title. I think that either Rattay or Garcia will have a hard time against a good Steelers defense. But the San Fran defense is pretty good as well, and will shut down Maddox and what ever RB Cower decides to use this week. 49ers get back in the hunt with a big Monday Night Football win.
Jeez, Ben. It's like I'm reading my own words! Again, I agree with most of your picks. But just for fun, here they are anyway, with longwinded analysis where warranted: Jax @ Tenn: Tennesee looked as impressive as they have all season last Sunday against Miami. They're the hottest team in the league right now, with McNair seemingly unable to do wrong. Jax will have the upset hangover, and Tennessee will win handily... St. L @ Chi: Gotta go with the Rams, although Chicago has been playing much better with Chandler at the helm. The Bears haven't really been beating themselves since he's been in there. That being said, the Rams are just a better team. The Chicago defense will be a godsend for Bulger after facing the inspired Ravens last week. Faulk continues to get his legs, and the Rams' underrated defense contains Thomas. Chandler won't lose many games, but he's not going to win any singlehandedly either. Rams by 10... NYG @ Phi: Still don't know what to make of the Eagles. Watching that game last Monday, with the bad weather and the Pack's inability to hold onto the ball, you could sense that Philly was going to pull it out somehow. Even after Green scored on the second of his long TD runs, when Favre couldn't get a first down on the next posession the writing was on the wall. Bad weather is usually the great equalizer for teams bidding for an upset. I don't like the Eagles any more than I did before last weekend. The Giants laid a monstrous egg against Atlanta, but Philly can't count on the same thing this weekend. The road team always keeps this rivalry game close, and often times they win it. The loss of Shockey hurts, but Philly can't just ignore Rivers as he's apparently got some talent. I know the Giants really like him. They've still got a potent offense when on their game, and I fully expect them to bounce back with a much improved effort. I'll take 'em in a mini upset... Was @ Car: Carolina continues to pull out close ones. I'm still not completely sold on Delhomme, but he's starting to win me over. Washington is a strange team, for sure. I think they've got some talent, but they sure don't play with much consistency week in and week out. I can see them playing Carolina close, as Carolina's offense isn't conducive to blowing teams out. Barring a rash of turnovers by the 'Skins (always possible), this looks like a field goal game with the Panthers and Kasay getting the final say, as usual... Hou @ Buf: Like where Houston's going, but Buffalo is still a better team at this point. They've beaten the teams they're supposed to beat, with the slight exception of that horrible loss to the Jets. The loss in New Jersey was excusable, the margin was not. They still have a good defense, and playing at home should be enough for the Bills' offense to get back on track. This also represents their last "easy" game of the season, so if they have any designs on a wildcard berth it's a must win. They will... Bal @ Mia: After getting embarrassed last week, and with Wannstedt needing to make a statement to save his job, the Dolphins should come up with an emotional effort. Expect to see Zach Thomas come back from his groin injury, and for him to team up with Seau for a fire and brimstone pregame meeting with the defense. Poor, poor Anthony Wright. He has no idea what awaits. But we do... Ariz. @ Clev: Love, love, LOVE Marcel Shipp. The guy better not lose a single carry to Smith when he comes back. Arizona is a tough little team, and McGinnis gets as much as he can out of them. Still, they don't win on the road. And Cleveland, as inconsistent as they are, isn't terrible. Butch Davis needs a win just so he can say "See? Cutting Kevin Johnson was the right thing to do." He's going to gameplan his ass off this week. Shipp keeps the Cards close, but the Browns pull it out... KC @ Cin: KC is the best team in the AFC. Scratch that. The NFL. Now Chad Johnson's gone and pissed them off. Not smart. Some might call it stupid. Still, this team plays hard for Marvin Lewis. Rudi Johnson is running out of his mind. Kitna's playing smart and is making the throws he needs to make. The Chiefs aren't going to go undefeated. It's too difficult these days. If they play the same game they played in Oakland or Baltimore, they could get ambushed in Cincy this weekend. The Bengals have won 3 in a row at home, and with the QB situation in Baltimore, the AFC North is there for the taking. Why not the Bengals? They've taken a few minor steps toward legitimacy with recent wins over Baltimore and the Seahawks. They take a giant leap this weekend. Bengals in a not-so-huge upset. Sorry, Ben... Atl @ N.O.: Since getting blown out on national TV against the Colts, the Saints have been playing some good football. Atlanta somehow beat the Giants in spite of putting up some horrible offensive stats. Remember, it's still Kittner and it's still the Falcons. With three of their final four games at home, New Orleans can set themselves up for a wild card run with a win this weekend. Brooks, Horn and McAllister put up some huge numbers for the second time this season against the hapless Atlanta defense. Saints, comfortably... SD @ Den: Flutie's insertion into the starting lineup has revitalized the Bolts. Although I still can't figure out why they didn't put a claim in for Kevin Johnson. Whatever. The Chargers always have a tough time in Denver, even when they're going well. I have a hard time envisioning them beating a Bronco team that needs to get back on track, and with Plummer back under center. Portis will get his yards and two TD's, as usual. But San Diego's going to score some points, too, so Plummer's going to have to step right in and play like he was before his injury. Just like Jose Mesa's capable of blowing a save at any time for any reason, Plummer is always capable of throwing in a clunker. The feeling here is that he'll come up with something in between. Combined with an above average day from Portis, it'll probably be enough to beat the Chargers in a moderately high scoring game, but I wouldn't put any money on it, especially at -8. NYJ @ Ind: Tricky game for Indy if Harrison doesn't play. The Jets pulled one out of their ass last weekend, but I'm still not sold on their running game. Moss is on fire, and Pennington seems to be 100%. But this isn't last season. Something still doesn't seem right with the Jets. Meanwhile, the Colts look like a solid playoff contender and will make the Titans work for the division title. They'll miss Harrison, but Manning, Wayne, Pollard and all four running backs will do just enough for the Colts to win this one. GB @ TB: Have no clue what to make of this game. Is Favre's thumb really fine like they say? I don't buy it. Still, Favre's shown he can win with nagging injuries. And yes, with Favre a broken thumb is considered a nagging injury. I'd like to see the Pack come after Sapp with some vengeance after his cheap shot on Clifton. Yeah, yeah, he said it was a legal hit and the NFL ruled it as such. But I've seen the replay many times. Not only was Clifton nowhere near the play, but Sapp did in fact leave his feet AND lead with his helmet. It was a dirty play, made worse by Sapp's classless challenge of Mike Sherman and post game denial that it wasn't dirty. Both teams have holes. With Sapp being the biggest hole of the A variety. Take the Pack, and hope Sapp gets his in a big way... Det @ Sea: Seattle's just a better team. Not much more to say. Can't see 'em losing... Minn @ Oak: It was just announced that Gannon is gone for the year. The season is officially lost. And the truth is that the window has closed for this group of guys. Callahan will be gone before he gets to his car leaving the stadium after week 17. Rice, Brown, Woodson (Rod), Parella, et al. It's been fun, but it's over. It's quite possible that the Raiders will earn the first pick in next Spring's draft. "Hello, Eli? Hi, it's Al Davis... how'd you like to be a Raiduh?" The Vikings are still a very, very good team. They've got some big defensive issues, but don't expect them to be exploited by Rick Mirer this weekend. The Vikes get back on track with an emphatic ass kicking of the worst team in the NFL. Man, that's fun to say when it's true... Dal @ N.E. Like three weeks ago in Tampa, Carter will struggle with a tough defense gameplanned to exploit his weaknesses. Dallas will play tough defense, as usual, and will keep the Cowboys in the game for a while. But as long as the Pats don't turn it over and get any semblance of a running attack to go with Brady's controlled passing, they should win this one. The Cowboys are going to come back to the pack. It has to happen sooner or later. I'm going with sooner... Pit @ SF: The Niners are the biggest enigma in the league. Lose to the Browns. Beat the Bucs. Lose to the Cards. Beat the Rams. Lose to the Steelers? We'll see. Both teams are equally talented, and both are equally inconsistent. Still think the Steelers will make some noise in the AFC North before it's all over. The Steelers have an excellent record on Monday Night Football under Cowher. I don't have the numbers, but I know it's good, especially as a road dog on MNF. With the QB situation still a little unsettled in SF, and with the renewed expectations that came with that huge win over St. Louis two weeks ago, the Niners are ripe for the upset. I like Pittsburgh in this one...
I'm not concerned at all with the Jets running game. I don't know many coaches in the league who would pass up the tandem of Curtis Martin and Lamont Jordan. It's the defense I'm worried about. They can't STOP the run. Hopefully, when Josh Evans steps back into the DT rotation that will get a little better. Also, the receiver corps is very thin right now. Chrebet was placed on IR, so his season is done, leaving the Jets with Santana Moss and not much else. They REALLY could have used Kevin Johnson. Finally, while I've been relatively happy with the output of Pennington, he's been a fumble machine since his return. It hasn't looked that bad because the Jets have been recovering most of them, but Chad needs to hold onto the damn ball. Overall, while I love my Jets, I just don't see how they can beat the Colts this week with what they have at their disposal.
Maybe its the high from beating the Vikings last week, but I have a special feeling about the Chargers pulling off another big win at Denver. The Bolts defense is improving a little bit. The Donks are without 2 linebackers, that could spell big points for Tomlinson. I think this game will come down to whoever gets the early lead. 35-28 Also a question: who should I start at RB for my fantasy team? Rudi Johnson vs KC (he had a phenomenal game last week, but I kept him on the bench because I wasn't sure if he had taken over the duties from Dillon; but he's going up against KC, who is surely going to jump out to a big lead and cause the Bengals to throw more than run). or Marcel Shipp vs Cleveland (not as good of a performance last week, especially compared to R.Johnson, but the previous two weeks he had great numbers. And how is Cleveland's running d anyway?
Actually I made the case last week when Lucid claimed that Priest would "go off" on the Browns that the Browns running defense isn't all that bad. Yeah Priest got two TDs (that happens most weeks anyway) but only got 90 yards. I mentioned that if you took away Lewis' 295 and Tomlinson's 200 vs. the Browns they were giving up 90 yards a game against the run. They held true to form, although the Chiefs did get pretty pass happy last week. This is a really good problem to have, and lucky. I've got Holmes and R. Johnson, and am starting them both (Kevin Faulk and Brian Westbrook on the bench). I personally would start Johnson because he gets the rock near the goal line, and the Chiefs seem to give up rushing TDs near the goal line. Obviously you'd have to make sure Dillon isn't coming back, but the way Ruid is playing I doubt we'll see Dillon. If you believe the upset talk, then Rudi could be a good play. But remember, the Chiefs are leading the league in takeaways and are in the top 5 in points allowed. As for Shipp, he's getting a lot of carries and yards recently. But in the Browns first 8 games they gave up 8 TDs. If I had to guess the Browns will be ahead in this game and therefore the Cards will throw more than run (you obviously never know, but on paper that is what should happen). That would also increase the chance of a passing TD for the Cards, at the same time decreasing the chance of a rushing TD. It really depends on how your league scores. Again, nice problem to have, I'd personally go with Johnson (because I am).
Niners over Steelers Two teams for whom it's do or die. Waingro, the Niners have lost five games this year, four by three points or less. In each of the close losses, their kicker du jour missed at least one easy field goal. (In one loss, a kicker missed three. In two others, the kicker missed two. Hurts when you lose close ones like that, but that's why the Niners are on their third kicker of the season now.) Moronic gaffes by certain others (hello, Cedric Wilson) didn't help, either. While I'm stil not convinced the Niners can overtake Seattle or STL, they certainly should be better than 4-5, and could be 8-1. Ouch. The QB situation for the Niners isn't "unsettled," either. Is that what the sports media hacks in your neck of the woods are feeding you? Garcia's still hurt. Rat is his backup, and is doing a good job. Coach Erickson has already made clear that Garcia is the starter, and will continue in that role when he's healthy. Cowher's a damn good coach, though. And he claims to have a plan that could still get the Steelers to the playoffs even though they're 3-6. If their defense can keep them in the game, it could be a good one. Vikings over Raiders I still think (hope) the Viqueens take care of Oakland. Rick Mirer is a deer in headlights on the field, and the backup situation for him is absolutely scary. But Mike Tice provided an intangible by publicly disrespecting the Raiders (guaranteeing a win) yesterday, and it got so much run out here in the Bay Area he even had to have a damage control conference call with local sportswriters. And I'm still not sure the Raiders have enough character to respond to such motivational bulletin-board material. Die, Raiders, die!
What kind of league is it? Do you get points for yards, like 1 pt for every 10 yards? Or do you only get points for TD's? Or somewhere in between? If it's a performance (yardage) league, I'd go with Shipp. Even if they're behind and forced to throw, Blake is still going to dump it off to Shipp quite a bit. They use him like the Raiders use Garner, except they don't pull him at the goal line. I know Shipp doesn't have any TD's, but that's because they're never been down by the goal line that much in the past three games. I remember one instance where Shipp and the Cards were at the 1 or 2 yard line and the Cards ran a play action and threw to the tight end, but Shipp's still the RB in the game at the goal line. But if Cincy's going to upset KC, then Johnson's going to have to play a big role. But the bottom line is that Cleveland's run defense isn't that great. Sure you can take away the two big games by LT and Lewis, but then you should also take away the stats where Cleveland blew out the Steelers since Pittsburgh had to abandon the run early in the 3rd quarter that night. I don't think Cleveland's run defense is horrible, but it's not that great either. The fact that they're capable of giving up a 200 yard game at a moment's notice should be enough for you to start Shipp...
Re: Re: NFL Week 11 [R] On a week when I couldn't dislike you any more based on the MLS team you support, I couldn't agree more with the above statement.
We've probably got the same hacks on the radio here as you guys do up there. Well, we don't have the Razor and Mr. T, but we get the same syndicated interviews like Peter King and Chris Mortensen that most sports stations around the country get. Anyway, between what I've heard on the radio, read in the local rags and on websites like sportsline and espn, and have been told by a friend of mine who lives in San Ramon and is a huge Niner fan, the word is that Garcia could be expendable. That Niner brass really like Ratay and might make him the starter next year. We'll see what happens. Personally, I'd like to see them cut Garcia loose so the Chargers could try to sign him. Anyway, if Ratay has another good game it'd be awfully hard to sit him down. I'm sure Ratay feels that way, and I've heard T.O. say in the past that he likes Ratay in there. Erickson may be trying to quell a QB controversy with his insistance that Garcia will start once he's healthy, but Erickson's fighting for his job, too. He's going to start whoever gives the Niners their best chance to win...
T.O complains about the QB, all the while he's leading the league in time thrown to. He'll be gone next year anyways. Garcia's a good QB, and the Niners would be stupid to let him go. Why is it that every time a proven vet has a bad streak (happens to every athlete, no matter what the sport) or gets injured and then the backup wins ONE game, there is all this talk about the backup taking over. I find it simply amazing sometimes, but oh well.
Dolphins 9, Ravens 6. Fish have little O, Ricky Willams is struggling, but Anthony Wright at QB? Let's hope all his pine time was carefully spent. He'll need help Sunday. He won't be as clueless as Redman in St. Louis but won't win either. I want to pick Atlanta in NO since the home team never seems to win but I can't see the Falcons winning two in a row. Eagles are hitting their stride, and are about to start their push for the #1 seed in the East. Beat the Giants fairly handily, 20-7. Carolina kicks Washington's asses. Well, not ready but Ramsey will take another beating. Buffalo's defense gets a home test, but they should have enough to beat the Texans. I don't see St. Louis laying another rotten egg on the road. They'll beat the Bears in a 34-27 contest. I'm so tempted to pick Cincy to be the first to beat KC, but I jjjjuuuussstt can't. 30-27 Chiefs on a long drive capped by a gmae ending FG by Morten Andersen. Arizona at Cleveland: unless you have fantasy players in this game, next. Tennessee is on a roll, and very well may be the NFL's best team when it's all said and done. Jacksonville at home spells rout. Jets at Indy: I see this being a rather competitive, high scoring affair. Pennington seems to be back, and even without Marvin Harrison Indy can move the ball. Colts 33-28. Chargers can beat the Broncos in Denver with Flutie running the show. But they won't, Plummer should be back for the Donkeys and they'll win 21-17, squeaking by like they've done in any of their wins since the Oakland game. Speaking of Oakland, they'll lose again. In total disarray, can't stop anyone, and even if they've lost 3 straight the Vikings can score lots of points. Detroit can't win on the road, going to overrated Seattle. 24-13 home team in a relative snoozer. How many Packers will Warren Sapp fight? More than how many TDs will be scored? I have no idea how the battle of the underachieving Bays will turn out. Pats 23, Cowboys 6. Belichick has better players and an offense. As great of a job as Parcells has done, he won't get it done this week. This is the best team Dallas will see until at least Philly, and it won't be pretty. Steelers get right back in the AFC North hunt with a win. They'll get it in SF. Just a hunch but I'm not sold on the Niners putting together two good games in a row.
I've gotta ask, what is the deal with this game? It seems that when you hear anyone (these quotes and even sports commentators) talk about this game its like they're leaning toward Cincy. The only people that seem to be picking KC are the gambling types, as the line is KC by 6. Don't get me wrong, this is a tricky game because Cincy is improved from previous years. But are people forgetting reality? There is hardly a position on the field that the Bengals are more talented than the Chiefs. Only the Bengal wide recievers are more talented than KCs, but that may not matter the way Warfield and McCleon have been playing. Not to mention that the Bengals are 4-5. They've beaten two teams that surprised everyone: Baltimore and Seattle. Baltimore has no offense, and yet the game went to the wire. Seattle is an enigma, yet I was impressed that Cincy beat them. This team lost to Arizona. This team barely beat Houston at home, while the Chiefs dismantled Houston in Houston. Sure, the Chiefs have pulled a couple out of their asses to go 9-0. But they haven't laid an egg against a team like Arizona. I guess I'm just a little confused as to why so many people have decided that this week, against an average team at best, is the week the Chiefs will fall.
Here's why. Just kidding. I think it's a combination of factors as to why some have picked this week for the Chiefs to lose. One, it's next to impossible to go undefeated in this day and age. 16 games, injuries, traveling, etc. My pick is rooted in this fact, that they're going to lose at some point, so the next step is deciding when it's going to happen. Many people look at KC's schedule and decide that if they do lose a game, it's going to be at Denver or at Minnesota. I'm sure KC's players have looked at the schedule, too, and privately think the same thing. The Chiefs will be favored in every game through the rest of the regular season, with the possible exception of those two games. KC has to be looking at the next few weeks (Oak, SD) and thinking that they could be 12-0 heading into Denver. I guarantee most KC fans are, too. Everything's laid out perfectly for a run at an undefeated season. Regardless of what the players and Vermiel are saying publicly, they could be looking past this game just a bit. Sure, Johnson's prediction will make the bulletin board, but that won't change the fact the KC knows they're the better team. As for Cincy playing down to some questionable teams, those same teams have inexplicably beaten some other quality teams already this season. The Cards beat the Niners and Packers, and Houston beat Carolina and the Dolphins in Miami. Obviously all those teams have some holes, but they're still quality teams. Are they as good as KC? No. But don't these games illustrate that you don't have to be the best team to win? Definitely. And the fact that the Chiefs haven't laid their egg yet isn't necessarily a good thing. They played less than they're best against Baltimore, Oakland and even last week against Cleveland and still won. But they haven't flat out laid an egg yet. It's going to come sometime. It does for everyone. Even the 85 Bears laid an egg... So, why pick Cincy to be the team that pulls the upset? Well, they've been improving every week under Lewis. They've got an above average offense that can put points on the board against any team. And while KC's defense is much improved over last year, and probably good enough to win the Super Bowl with that offense, it's not dominating. The Chiefs can be scored on. And the Bengals can play some defense, too. Again they're not great, but they're decent, and Lewis is assured to put together a great defensive gameplan. I've always admired that guy... Will it happen? Well, the spread's only 6. That alone should tell you that while Vegas thinks the Chiefs are the better team, they don't think KC's a lock. And the line hasn't moved all week, which means that an equal amount of money is coming in on both sides. It's unlikely that the Cincy money is tourist money. Some locals are betting the Bengals. In the end, it's just a hunch. I still think KC goes 14-2 and earns homefield advantage throughout. But they're in for a real dogfight this weekend in my opinion...
Yeah, funny. That scared me this week. I don't like that jinx. Thats where you're wrong. The coach and players mean what they say when they take it one at a time. They've said since week 1, if we lose its not because we looked past a team. People keep doubting this fact, but its true. One word: parity. That, and only that, makes this weekends game a possible Chiefs loss. Uh, the Buffalo and Cleveland games were considered our most "complete" games of the season by the coach and media. I'll give you Baltimore and Oakland as slight let down games, but we dimantled Cleveland with a complete performance. Correction, they can give up yards. They don't give up points (4th fewest in NFL). They lead the league in turn over ratio. They have 29 take aways, tied for most in the NFL with the Rams. Last I checked, yards didn't matter. Points do, and we're just not giving them up. Yeah, he's trying to game plan Gonzalez, Holmes, Hall, Green, Kennison, Morton and arguably the best combine O-line in the league with the talent that the Bengals have. Twice they've been held under 24 points: Baltimore with their amazing defense and Oakland a rivalry game that always defies the stats (they have defensive talent as well). I think they go 14-2 as well. But visiting San Diego, Denver and Minnesota worries me a whole lot more than Cincy.
Very happy that my indoor soccer game falls in the middle of the day. The only two games I get until the PATS at 6:30 are Redskins - Panthers and Chargers - Donkeys. 6:30 can't get here soon enough. Can't wait to see the Cowboys O get exposed.
Damn, the Skins are hanging tough. Patrick Ramsey should get a purple heart for the shots he's been taking and still getting up. Skins 17 Carolina 13
BENGALS DO IT! I still think Palmer was a bad pick, Kitna is their man, and they could have gotten a great D player
We don't need a great D player...we have Marvin Lewis!This is a team oriented club now.We used to hang our hats on Dillon and Spikes.Not anymore.If your not on the train,then get the Hell out of the way because this team has no fear and they're not backing down from anybody. PEACE
Eh.....how about this... Chiefs 9-1 If you told me in August that KC would be 9-1 on Nov. 16th I wouldn't have care who that one loss was to. (Chiefs offense sucked it up. How do you waste that field position?)
WHEW! (wipes brow) the RAMS squeak out a gut-checker at soldier field 23-21 - da bears gave all STL could handle! - RAMS now 7-3, but we GOTTA do something about the kick coverage - after a couple of close calls, it'll be nice when we get back to blowing teams away... oh! and arizona is our next opponent... how delicious!!