It was another horrible week for me against the spread in Week 14. It sure is a good thing that gambling is not legal in this country. So, go ahead and click on the picture to the left, and you will see exactly why the Saints lost to the Cowboys…because let’s be honest – New Orleans is better than Dallas, and it is not even close. Well, I guess the reason exposed in the picture – the fact that some idiot at ESPN.com, prior to the big game, decided it would be cute to call the Saints “America’s Team”, thereby pissing off the football gods. There is only one “America’s Team”, and the way they have been playing late in the season over the past 13 years, no other team should even want that moniker.
As for my Weekly JaMarcus prediction last week, I should have seen what would happen to Josh Freeman against the Jets and Gang Green. Although even I don’t think I could have seen it going so wrong that Freeman turned in this line: 14/33 for 93 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, 3 SACKS and a QB rating of 12.1. My predicted (Brady Quinn) was no slouch (48.1 QB rating) but there were SIX QBs (including Freeman) that played worse than Quinn.
Anyway – not a ton of time for preparation and lead-in this week, so let’s get right to it. As always, home team is in ALL CAPS.
LAST WEEK: 6-10
SEASON: 99-107-2
Indianapolis (-3.5) over JACKSONVILLE. My attempt at a reverse jinx did not work. Colts fans are still chirping a little too loud…but you can see something in the their eye, just below the surface…they know that teams are not going to choke away games in the playoffs, and they remember that Manning has a losing record over his playoff career. Whenever asked about it, everyone associated with the team down plays the significance of potentially having to play the team that has eliminated them each of the last 2 years (San Diego) in the playoffs again…but the entire fan base is scared beyond belief of the Chargers. Should be fun to watch it all play out, since it almost certainly will end with Colts fans crying on my TV, my favorite scene of the entire year, other than my kids on Christmas morning.
Dallas (+8) over NEW ORLEANS. A desperate team that is athletically superior to every other team in the league should be able to win a game like this. That’s not to say that the inability of the upper echelons of the Dallas organization to properly prepare and motivate this team, which has been clearly shown over the past several years during the end of the season, will not show up in one or both of the next two weeks. Then again, let me be the first to throw this out there – if Dallas wins out, they will probably be the 3-seed in the NFC and will have finished the season with wins against New Orleans, Washington, and Philadelphia…think any of the other NFC playoff teams will want any part of Dallas at that point?
New England (-8) over BUFFALO. I am very tempted to take the Bills and the points here based solely on the weather. Does anyone else remember what happened the last time Tom Brady played in the snow? That’s right – probably the best quarter by a QB in history. I’ll take the Pats and lay the 8 points all day.
Arizona (-14) over DETROIT. The Arizona pendulum should be swinging back up this week. In fact, if you are a Rams fan, make sure to check this out. Watching Fitzgerald, Boldin and crew in this game on the fast turf at Ford Field should remind you of “The Greatest Show on Turf”. On second thought, Rams fans, stay away. The last memory of those great teams involves Adam Vinatieri…and seeing Curt Warner do that with a bunch of new guys might be too painful – why would you want to do that to yourself?
TENNESSEE (-5) over Miami. This might be the week that we actually get an answer to the question that has been bugging Titans fans for 2 years. Is a banged up Vince Young better than a healthy Kerry Collins? I say, YES! After starting 0-6, the Titans have won every home game and covered every spread, too. I think that trend will continue for one more week.
Cleveland (+2) over KANSAS CITY. Unless you are a die-hard fan of either of these teams, you must impose some NFL Ticket Discipline regarding this game. Even if you stumble on it for a split second as a click-through to the next game up or down the dial, you risk getting sucked into watching it, like a train wreck. Remember, some things cannot be un-seen.
ST. LOUIS (+14) over Houston. I love a home dog with this big of a number…I always have. I think Stephen Jackson is due for a pretty big game in this spot. Call it a hunch. That’s already more analysis than this turd sandwich deserves.
NY JETS (-7) over Atlanta. Gang Green will be the only story after this game. I am seriously thinking that in order to cover the 7-point spread, the Jets offense is probably only going to need to come up with 10 points…the Jets defense should be THAT effective in this game.
Oakland (+14) over DENVER. Yes, I am picking Oakland as a road dog this week. Can we talk about something else now, please?
Cincinnati (+7) over SAN DIEGO. No one understands just how many Bengals players have been with the team long enough to have witnessed every sordid detail of what Henry did to his life since coming into the league. Every single one of those guys is a HUGE Chris Henry fan after seeing first-hand what he did to turn his life around, and all of them had so much hope that Chris was finally on the right track. Every one of those guys is going to be playing with something akin to a medieval battle rage this week. I think they win the game outright, and the outcome will never be in doubt. Plus, I think their defense can stop the Chargers running game and get to Rivers, which is basically all you need to do for a victory over the Chargers…it’s just hard as hell for most teams in the NFL to do only one of those things, let alone both of them.
San Francisco (+8) over PHILADELPHIA. No Westbrook. No Maclin. The Niners coming off a great defensive effort against Arizona. All signs point to the Niners…except for their QB. Luckily, this should be a cold and maybe even snowy affair…which makes it a Frank Gore vs. LeSean McCoy decision. I would ride Gore into that battle every time. McCoy could very easily help Philadelphia win this game – Gore could very easily win this game all by himself.
PITTSBURGH (-1) over Breen Bay. The Steelers are so due that it is not funny. The Packers offensive line has not fared well against creative, athletic defenses this year. I think that Aaron Rodgers is going to need therapy after this game. I am talking about something like 7 sacks, 8 knockdowns and 12 hurries…a dominating performance by the Pittsburgh defense in front of a raucous home crowd that is desperate for something to cheer about.
SEATTLE (-7) over Tampa Bay. To offer up any analysis of this game would be to justify its existence, which could only be bad for football and its fans everywhere. Let’s just give Seattle the ‘W’ and pretend it never happened. Better yet, let’s just give Seattle the ‘W’, forgo the game itself and save everyone a big hassle. Seriously, if you did that, and just called every Vegas bet on this game a push, do you think one single person would complain? I mean, Seattle and its fans would gladly take a win, and Tampa Bay would gladly take a loss that they did not have to watch unfold on television. I guess the only people that would complain would be the 53 guys that are saddled with the unenviable task of wearing the Bucs colors this week. See how these bad games suck you in like a train wreck. I am on sentence #8 of not writing about this game.
BALTIMORE (-11) over Chicago. What is the over/under for Cutler interceptions in this one? How about the over/under for Cutler turnovers? I mean, in order to get a book to take your money, wouldn’t the number have to be 4 INTs and 5 TOs? I think I feel a Weekly JaMarcus prediction coming on. Two more picks to make first, though.
Minnesota (-9) over CAROLINA. The Vikings defense might make Jake DelHomme turn in another January 2009 era playoff performance. Plus, I think that Percy Harvin can have a field day against the Carolina defense and special teams.
WASHINGTON (+3) over NY Giants. I think Washington will win this one outright. They have showed real signs of promise, and after all the personnel moves this week, and with it all but a certainty that Mike Shanahan (60%) or John Gruden (40%) will be the next coach, the whole city is energized about the Skins right now. Kind of a weird situation for a team that has fallen short in so many games this season, but I have to hand it to Daniel Snyder – Washington Redskins fans are some of the most excited fans about their team right now.
WEEKLY JAMARCUS. I will take Jay-Marcus Cutler facing the Ravens defense for this one – I know some of you are shocked by that, given my unwavering support for Jay Cutler over the years.
In case I am not able to blog before Friday – HAPPY HOLIDAYS everyone!!!!
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