FRIDAY FOOTBALL PICKS

I was 9-6 last week; I am 108-66-1 for the year.
Let's go!

NFL PICKS

Cleveland at Atlanta.  My pick:  FALCONS   24-20.  Honestly, who can predict what some of these teams are going to do?  But the way I look at this is:  the Browns have been very inconsistent; the Falcons here are at home, they've won a couple of games in a row (key to that:  the Falcons' offensive line has played together for several weeks in a row now and has gained consistency); and so look for the Falcons to keep it going.

Tennessee at Philadelphia.  My pick:  EAGLES   34-14.  The Eagles badly need this game; I expect them to play that way.  They have too many weapons for the Titans; note that Zach Mettenberger has yet to win as a starter, and I don't see that changing here.

Detroit at New England.  My pick:  PATRIOTS   31-14.  New England is on a roll, especially at home.  They are playing really well, and despite Detroit's solid defense, I don't see that changing here.

Green Bay at Minnesota.  My pick:  PACKERS    27-17.  Green Bay is not quite the same team away from home as they are at Lambeau; still...the way Aaron Rodgers is playing, matched up here with a rookie QB in Teddy Bridgewater, you have to think the Packers' roll will continue.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis.  My pick:  COLTS    33-16.  Indy got in the way of the New England steamroller last week; but they need to pick themselves up this time and get a win, and I'd expect them to play like it against a bad Jags club.

Cincinnati at Houston.  My pick:  BENGALS   21-19.  Hmmm.  So some oddsmakers have Houston made as much as a 1.5 point favorite here.  But I like Cincy.  It's a tough road game.  But I really like how the Bengals bounced back from adversity last week and won on the road in New Orleans.  That's a tough place to play, but the Bengals played one of their best games.  I look for that to give them a big boost, and it will carry over here, in what I see as a close win, again, on the road for them.

Tampa Bay at Chicago.  My pick:  BEARS   30-21.  Again, with both of these teams, who knows?  But the Bears played much better last week, giving them some momentum, and playing at home again in the cold gives them a familiar environment to keep things going.  Note also that this is the Bucs' second straight road game.

Arizona at Seattle.  My pick: UPSET SPECIAL---- CARDINALS   17-13.  Hmmm...again, interesting:  here again some oddsmakers make the Seahawks as much as a 7 point favorite here, over a 9-1 Cardinals team.  Yes, I know...Arizona has to use their 2nd string QB, Drew Stanton.  I know, Seattle is tough at home.  But this Seahawks has had problems.  Remember--Arizona BEAT Seattle, in Seattle, last year.  I think the Cards' defense is the best in the league.  So I say--Arizona is going to go up to the Great Northwest, and win...again.

St. Louis at San Diego.  My pick:  CHARGERS   16-10.  San Diego has issues.  I don't think they're fixed yet (for example--Philip Rivers is hurting; he has sore ribs).  I think the Rams' defense is very tough (they certainly showed that last week).  But the Chargers' defense is tough too, and I see that as the key to a Bolts victory in a low-scoring affair.

Miami at Denver.  My pick:  BRONCOS  24-16.  I think the Fins have a better team (and a tougher defense) than many give them credit for.  But:  the Broncos are at home, where they are very tough to beat; they've had a week to get over last week's disaster in St. Louis and, more importantly, to get practice time in and adjust to those who are injured.  I think Denver will bounce back here.

Washington at San Francisco.  My pick:  49ERS   20-10.  It's quite simple:  look for the Niners defense to dominate and get more turnovers here (just like last week), and that will be the key to the game.

Dallas at NY Giants.  My pick:  UPSET SPECIAL--GIANTS   27-24.  You know how it is--the Giants are now 3-7 on the year, and have lost 5 straight.  So this should be an easy pick, right?  But...I dunno.  Just a feeling.  It's a divisional game for the Cowboys, and on the road; that always seems to guarantee a closer battle.  The Giants still have weapons; they still have Eli Manning.  If the G-men lose, that would mean they'd lost 3 straight divisional games--that hasn't happened to them since 2003.  I just smell something unexpected happening here.

NY Jets vs Buffalo (game postponed from Sunday--it will be played in Detroit on Monday night).  My pick:  BILLS   17-10.  Kind of a strange situation, with the game being postponed.  But the Bills remain in the playoff hunt, and should be the hungrier team; and Buffalo's defense is very under-rated.  Look for them to dominate.

Baltimore at New Orleans (Monday night).  My pick:  SAINTS   28-24.  Obviously the Saints have under-performed this year.  But they remain in the thick of the playoff race in their division; so they have that going for them.  Plus, think of it this way--could the Saints really lose 3 straight games at home???  If they lost this one, that's what would happen; I just don't see it.  Look for New Orleans to bounce back.