NFL Week 13 Picks

Hello readers! The time has come yet again for another blog post on the National Football League in terms of picks and predictions. The time for eating turkey, shopping on Black Friday and eating leftover turkey is all in the past. The month of December is fast approaching us as the NFL regular season is at the 3/4 mark and much has yet to be decided.

If the playoff picture had become clearer in week 12, then it still hasn't by the time of writing this column. The Chargers win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving and the Chiefs loss to the Bills on Sunday proved that there might be a 10-6 or 9-7 division winner in the AFC West. A switch in the #3 and #4 seeds in the NFC as the Rams beat the Saints on Sunday.  Another division to watch out for is potentially the NFC South as you have New Orleans who lost to the Rams on Sunday, the Falcons winning against the Buccaneers and the Panthers winning against the Jets. Let's take a look at the playoff picture heading into Week 13:

AFC:

#1: Steelers
#2: Patriots
#3: Titans
#4: Chiefs
#5: Jaguars
#6: Ravens

Wild Card:
Ravens @ Titans
Jaguars @ Chiefs

In the hunt:
Buffalo (6-5), Cincinnati (5-6), LA Chargers (5-6), Oakland (5-6), NY Jets (4-7), Miami (4-7), Indianapolis (3-8), Denver (3-8)

Eliminated:
Cleveland (0-11)

NFC:

#1: Eagles
#2: Vikings
#3: Rams
#4: Saints
#5: Panthers
#6: Falcons

Wild card:
Falcons @ Rams
Panthers @ Saints

In the hunt:
Seattle (7-4), Detroit (6-5), Green Bay (5-6), Dallas (5-6), Washington (5-6), Arizona (5-6), Tampa Bay (4-7), Chicago (3-8).

Elimiated:
NY Giants (2-9), San Francisco (1-10)

Last week for the first time my rooommate, Cardinal Viking, took over as the leader in the head-to-head picker (in terms of overall record so far this season) while I held the title for 10 weeks. The picks are all in good fun and there is no prize for the winner, other than bragging rights. At the end of Week 11 he took a 3 game lead on me. Let's take a look at the results last week:

My record:

14-2 (Picked the Chiefs to beat the Bills and the Jaguars to beat the Cardinals, still 3-0 on Thanksgiving games)

Cardinal Viking's record:

13-3 (picked the Cowboys to beat the Chargers, the Chiefs to beat the Bills and the Jaguars to beat the Cardinals).

As with that I picked up a game on him and now the records are still not in my favor. I still reduced the lead held by Cardinal to 2. We will see how well this week's games go to determine who will remain on top.

With the holiday season now upon us it would seem necessary for me to do a Christmas song but since it is still November and Christmas is in December, I will eventually do one later. No since in making the season longer than it already is (former retail worker I can tell you that much). Instead whenever I think of this time of year, I always think of the great music genre that is jazz. The cool video this week is one such jazz classic, "Take Five" from Dave Brubeck.

Week 13 in the regular season will begin in Arlington, Texas and ends at Cincinnati, Ohio. The week features a Thursday night game, 9 early games, 4 late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. FOX will handle the doubleheader this week, while CBS will have the single game. There are no teams on bye week. Here are the picks:

Washington @ Dallas: Redskins. The Redskins won against the Giants last week while the Cowboys lost to the Chargers last week. Vegas has this game at +1 right now with the Cowboys being the underdog. The Cowboys proved last week how inept they are without Ezekiel Elliot at running back. They made a lot of mistakes against the Chargers. The Redskins however seem to be the more hungrier football team in this one and I'll take the Redskins despite their troubles at offensive line. 

Denver @ Miami: Broncos. Both teams took losses last week as the Broncos lost to the Raiders and the Dolphins lost to the Patriots. The two teams aren't going anywhere but down this season as they both have holes at the quarterback position. The Broncos however have a better receiving corp than the Dolphins and I can't trust the Dolphins. Hell I don't trust the Broncos either. It'll probably be a snore fest.

Detroit @ Baltimore: Ravens. The Lions last week lost to the Vikings while the Ravens won against the Texans on Monday night. Two playoff contenders looking to get a win. The Ravens have one of the better passing defenses in the NFL while the Lions have a great passing attack. I'm picking the Ravens based on the fact that they can run the ball (10th in rush offense) than the Lions can (30th in rush offense). It'll be close but I'll take the Ravens.

Houston @ Tennessee: Titans. The Texans took a loss against the Ravens last week while the Titans won against the Colts. I don't particularly like both teams with the exception of Houston (if they still had Deshaun Watson at QB) but the last time these two played they put up a quite an offensive showing. I think Titans will take the season series split as they don't have neither Watson or JJ Watt. God I don't feel safe. 

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville: Jaguars. The Colts took a loss last week against the Titans and the Jaguars lost to the Cardinals. Neither team looks to try to be great but the Jaguars seem to be a more complete team than the Colts are (god give Chuck Pagano a breath mask). The Jaguars look to be not a complete joke and I feel they'll win. I mean I would be crazy to pick the Colts in this game. 

Kansas City @ NY Jets: Jets. Both teams took losses last week as the Chiefs lost to the Bills and the Jets lost to the Panthers. The Chiefs are pretty much this season's version of the 2016 Vikings who got off to a hot start at 5-0 and eventually got to a meager 8-8 record. The problem with the Chiefs is that the things that got to where they were at the beginning of the season, well they've been terrible (looking at you Alex Smith and Kareem Hunt). If the Chiefs want to be successful in this game they'll need to get back to the basics and stop trying so hard. I'm sorry but I have to go with the Jets. 

Minnesota @ Atlanta: Vikings. Both teams got wins last week as the Vikings beat the Lions and the Falcons beat the Buccaneers. The Vikings seem to be legit this season and one of their biggest tests this week is when they travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. Usually I take defense over offense in games like this as the Vikings defense is one of the best in the NFL while the Falcons have a great offense as well. That defense took apart the Rams offense a few weeks ago. I'll take the Vikings but if they lose... well I'm not going to cry about it >:)

New England @ Buffalo: Patriots. Both teams picked up wins last week as the Patriots won against the Dolphins while the Bills won against the Chiefs. The game will depend on if Tom Brady stake up on his own two feet as the Bills defense is no slouch, but as long as Tom Brady is still in this league, the Bills don't have a chance against the Patriots. 

San Francisco @ Chicago: Bears. Both teams took losses last week as the 49ers lost to the Seahawks and the Bears lost to the Eagles. A couple of the NFC's worst teams this season do battle. Jimmy Garappalo will get the start for the 49ers but I don't trust the 49ers as much as I could throw them, I'll take the Bears based on rushing offense and better defense.

Tampa Bay @ Green Bay: Packers. Both teams took losses last week as the Buccaneers lost to the Falcons and the Packers lost to the Steelers. I picked against the Packers for the first time I started doing NFL blogs back in 2012 and it worked out well for me (Steelers won barely though). However I can't see the Packers losing to the bad Buccaneers. I'm not a foolish guy to take the Bucs. 

Cleveland @ LA Chargers: Chargers. The Browns lost to the Bengals last week while the Chargers won against the Cowboys. The Browns last win was against the Chargers, however that was last season and this Chargers team was a much different one than last season. Get that win and possibly claim a playoff spot, Chargers!

Carolina @ New Orleans: Saints. The Panthers got a win last week against the Jets and the Saints lost to the Rams. The Saints are currently the NFC South divsion leader and the Panthers are currently currently holding a playoff spot. The Saints won the first game in the season series and that was on the road. I like the Panthers at offense but I'll take the Saints as they seem to be a safe bet.

LA Rams @ Arizona: Rams. Both teams picked up wins last week as the Rams won against the Saints and the Cardinals beat the Jaguars. The first time these two teams played it was in jolly ole England and it was not a close game. The Rams beat the Cardinals rather soundly. I feel good with the Rams based on the offense and certainly the Rams defense will be on spot against the Cardinals offense.

NY Giants @ Oakland: Raiders. The Giants lost to the Redskins last week while the Raiders won against the Broncos. The biggest story of this game is that Eli Manning won't start in the game, snapping his 210 consecutive games started streak. In fact, the last time the Giants started a quarterback not named Eli Manning was Kurt Warner (yeah that long ago) back in 2004. The Raiders seem to be a more complete team than the Giants so I'll take them over a Geno Smith led Giants team.

Philadelphia @ Seattle: Eagles. Both teams took wins last week as the Eagles beat the Bears and the Seahawks beat the 49ers. The game of the week features the #1 seed Eagles taking on the playoff contender Seahawks. The Eagles may not be the complete team on defense but I don't trust the Seahawks offensive line to keep Russell Wilson on his own two feet. Fly Eagles Fly!

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati: Steelers. Both teams got wins last week as the Steelers won against the Packers and the Bengals beat the Browns. The Steelers last week played down to their competition but in a division game with the Patriots breathing down their neck they will come out fighting against the Bengals who look to be missing the playoffs yet again. 

Local TV Schedule (subject to change, via 506sports.com)

CBS Single:

Kansas City @ NY Jets

Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

FOX Early:

Minnesota @ Atlanta

Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis

FOX Late:

Carolina @ New Orleans

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

To find out which game is playing in your area, check out: NFL Maps, Week 13

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 8-6

Week 12: 14-2

Overall: 110-66

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 12-2

Week 12: 13-3

Overall: 112-64

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 12 Picks

Hello readers! Writing the column a little early on Wednesday night. Of course tomorrow will be Thanksgiving and a lot of people will be eating with family, friends, while of course watching some football! The column will also include a "What Teams Are Thankful For?" section, which will be quite interesting.

The week that was in picks was quite an interesting one as always with any week in the NFL regular season. Before last week's action happened I still held a 1 game advantage over my roommate, Cardinal Viking (not his real name, but a code name), and well... let's take a look at what the results were:

My record:

8-6 (Packers failed me yet again and the Chiefs... well they did Chiefs things).

Cardinal Viking's record:

12-2 (only messed up on the Rams over the Vikings pick, and also picked the Chiefs as well)

As for the playoff picture not much has changed in the first two spots in both the AFC and NFC. As far as the 3-6th seeding in the respective conferences much has changed. Let's take a look:

AFC:

#1: Steelers (8-2)
#2: Patriots (8-2)
#3: Jaguars (7-3)
#4: Chiefs (6-4)
#5: Titans (6-4)
#6: Ravens (5-5)

Wild Card matchups:
Ravens @ Jaguars
Titans @ Chiefs

In the hunt:

Buffalo (5-5), Miami (4-6), NY Jets (4-6), Cincinnati (4-6), Houston (4-6), Los Angeles (4-6), Oakland (4-6), Indianapolis (3-7), Denver (3-7), Cleveland (0-10).

NFC:

#1: Eagles (9-1)
#2: Vikings (8-2)
#3: Saints (8-2)
#4: Rams (7-3)
#5: Panthers (7-3)
#6: Falcons (6-4)

Wild card matchups:
Falcons @ Saints
Panthers @ Rams

In the hunt:

Detroit (6-4), Seattle (6-4), Green Bay (5-5), Dallas (5-5), Washington (4-6), Arizona (4-6), Tampa Bay (4-6), Chicago (3-7), NY Giants (2-8), San Francisco (1-9)

The Vikings win over the Rams last week kept the Vikings locked into that #2 slot as long as they stay the course as far as record, they will hold the tie-breaker over the Rams. The Chiefs loss to the Giants and the Jaguars win over the Browns pushed the Jaguars to the #3 seed while the Chiefs down to #4. There is still a chance that the Browns could still get in the playoffs (keep in mind there's about 47 scenarios).

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up I felt there was a best way to give my take on what the 32 teams in the NFL can be thankful for, even if they might be down in the dumps. The holiday reminds us to be thankful for the little things as well as the big things and what to be hopeful for. Here is the list:

Arizona Cardinals: You still have a shot to get into the playoffs... still. 

Atlanta Falcons: You beat the Seahawks at home, and you still hold your own destiny in the playoffs. 

Baltimore Ravens: You could be a dangerous team in the playoffs as you are in a weak AFC.

Buffalo Bills: You still have Tyrod Taylor as your QB even if some people might not want him there.

Carolina Panthers: You could make a deep playoff run with both a potent running attack and Cam Newton is back to his old self.

Chicago Bears: You might not be getting to the playoffs but it seems that Mitch Trubisky has proven to be your hope, now you just need help for him to improve.

Cincinnati Bengals: You still have AJ Green and you still have a shot to get into the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns: You still have a shot to get into the playoffs while holding #1 pick in next year's NFL Draft, what a great time to be alive!

Dallas Cowboys: You still have a shot to get into the playoffs but you'll need Zeke to get back ASAP.

Denver Broncos: In spite all the troubles on offense, you still have Von Miller and that defense!

Detroit Lions: You beat the Packers at home this season, something that doesn't happen all that often and you're not the Browns.

Green Bay Packers: You might not make the playoffs but I'll still support you. Aaron Rodgers could come back though.

Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson may not be able to come back this season but hopefully he'll be the answer for you for years to come on offense. Same for JJ Watt to come back stronger.

Indianapolis Colts: You're a Colts fan, stick with your team. You still have Andrew Luck even if he won't play this season.

Jacksonville Jaguars: You're not the butt of all NFL jokes this season. 

Kansas City Chiefs: You have Alex Smith at QB while you have Patrick Mahomes at the helm as your future. You cherish every touchdown your team gets. 

Miami Dolphins: Matt Moore will still be your backup and you have South Florida weather (seriously it has to be nice outside).

Minnesota Vikings: There's the prospect of you guys getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs (note the Super Bowl is at US Bank Stadium, in Minneapolis). 

New England Patriots: Tom Brady is still your QB and you look like you'll have another winning season again. 

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees has tapped into his youth again and your defense has improved.

New York Giants: In spite of high expectations, you could get the #1 draft pick still (needs help though).

New York Jets: Remember those 0-16 talks before the season began... you're 4-6.

Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr is your QB and you still have a shot to get into the playoffs. 

Philadelphia Eagles: North Dakota boy Carson Wentz and your team has the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Killer B's are playing well and the AFC North is bad.

Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay is a good coach and your offense is playing well, heck your team is playing well in all levels.

Los Angeles Chargers: There's still the prospect of going back to San Diego and that you could still get a new owner (if anyone would buy you).

San Francisco 49ers: #2 pick in the NFL draft... 

Seattle Seahawks: Russel Wilson is still alive and there's chance you get to the playoffs. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: South Florida weather and you beat the Dolphins last week.

Tennessee Titans: You're in the playoff picture as a wild card and Marcus Mariota is alive.

Washington Redskins: You don't actually play in Washington, and Kirk Cousins hasn't left your team yet.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and enjoy food with family. I'm thankful for good health, for a good job, and that I don't have to work on Thursday and into Friday. While Thanksgiving in November is an American holiday (Canadians celebrate it in October oddly) there is another thing that is quite an American treasure and it is this week's cool video... Thanksgiving... Peanuts style!

Week 12 in the NFL regular season will feature: 3 games on Thursday, 7 early games, 4 late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. CBS holds the doubleheader this week while FOX will have the single game. No teams will be on bye week. The week begins in Detroit, Michigan and ends in Baltimore, Maryland. Here are the picks!

Minnesota @ Detroit: Vikings. Both teams come off wins last week as the Vikings beat the Rams and the Lions beat the Bears. The early game in the Thanksgiving slate is a rematch of the close game played by both teams back in Week 4. Both teams were different then and I feel good with the Vikings winning this week. 

LA Chargers @ Dallas: Chargers. The Chargers come off a win last week against the Bills and the Cowboys come off a loss to the Eagles. The sleeper game while the turkey is coursing through your body will be somewhat of a sleeper game onto itself. The Chargers have been playing better since starting 0-4, but I feel good with the Chargers in this game. The Cowboys limited to the arm of Dak Prescott is no way to win a game. 

NY Giants @ Washington: Redskins. The Giants come off a win against the Chiefs last week while the Redskins lost to the Saints. The prime time game while you're out shopping for deals features a NFC East game with the Giants and Redskins playing. The Giants haven't had the best season so far but I feel their luck will run out and I just feel that the Redskins have too many weapons on offense and the Giants have one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL and I feel good about Washington. 

Buffalo @ Kansas City: Chiefs. Both teams come off losses last week as the Bills lost to the Chargers and the Chiefs lost to the Giants. The game will determine who starts at QB for the Bills as the Nathan Peterman experiment backfired (big time, 5 interceptions) and Tyrod Taylor (has 3 interceptions... all season). The Chiefs will rebound at home.

Carolina @ NY Jets: Panthers. Both teams were on bye week last week. The game looks good at first but I feel the Panthers rushing attack will keep the Jets defense on the field for most of the game and I don't trust the Josh McCown led Jets offense to keep up with the Panthers. 

Chicago @ Philadelphia: Eagles. The Bears come off a loss to the Lions while the Eagles won against the Cowboys. The Bears have Mitch Trubisky at QB and not a lot else on offense, especially in terms of passing attack. The Eagles seem to be the more complete team despite injuries on defense. Wentzylvania reigns again!

Cleveland @ Cincinnati: Bengals. The Browns come off a loss to the Jaguars while the Bengals won against the Broncos. The Browns could possibly take their first win of the season while this is a long shot. The Bengals have one of the better passing attacks in the NFL despite being inept in the offensive front early in the season, I'll take the Bengals while I don't trust them. 

Miami @ New England: Patriots. Miami come off a loss to the Buccaneers while the Patriots won against the Raiders. The Dolphins have been one of the more inept teams in the NFL on both offense and defense this season. Tom Brady is still playing at a high level and I can't go wrong with the Patriots this season who keep improving on defense each week. 

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: Falcons. The Buccaneers come off a win against the Dolphins and the Falcons won against the Seahawks. The NFC South have been one of the worse divisions in the NFL this season, despite this the Falcons still hold their own destiny in the playoffs. The Falcons have been one of the more unpredictable teams to pick this season. One week they can play lights out, the other week can lose to the Dolphins. Division games are important and the Falcons won't scoff at a chance to get back into the playoffs.

Tennessee @ Indianapolis: Titans. The Titans come off a loss to the Steelers last week while the Colts were on bye week. The Colts are looking at another possible losing season as they are currently 3-7 on the year. The Titans however look like a playoff contender and will need to win if they want to stay in the picture. Might be a snooze-fest. 

Seattle @ San Francisco: Seahawks. The Seahawks come off a loss to the Falcons while the 49ers were on bye week last week. The Seahawks look like a better team on paper than the 49ers sadly. The Seahawks did questionable things on Monday night but I feel they will put that game to the past and focus on one of the worst teams in the NFL this season. 

Denver @ Oakland: Raiders. Both teams come off losses last week as the Broncos lost to the Bengals and the Raiders lost to the Patriots. Both teams are different than what they were when they played back in week 4. The Raiders seem to be a more focused team and have been playing a bit more consistently in wins. The Raiders seem to have the QB problem figured out, unlike the Broncos. 

Jacksonville @ Arizona: Jaguars. Jacksonville came off the win last week against the Browns and the Cardinals lost to the Texans. The Cardinals seem to have figured out their QB problem in putting Blaine Gabbert but the Jaguars have the #1 pass defense in the NFL, and the Jaguars have a better offense than the Cardinals. I'll take the Jaguars, don't feel safe with either team but I have to pick one of them. 

New Orleans @ LA Rams: Rams. The marquee game of the late slate will feature the Saints and Rams. The Saints got the win against the Redskins while the Rams lost to the Vikings. The game will pit two of the better offensive teams in the NFL. The game will come down to whoever can stop the opposing team. Todd Gurley was held to 37 yards rushing against the Vikings last week, and the Saints are 20th in rush defense this season. The Rams have one of the better passing defenses in the NFL which is usually the Saints bread and butter is to pass the ball. I'll take the Rams. 

Green Bay @ Pittsburgh: Steelers. The Packers lost to the Ravens last week while the Steelers won against the Titans. I'm breaking another rule this week as I'm going against the Packers this week. As far as picks is concerned against me and Cardinal Viking, the only reward is bragging rights and I'm willing to sacrifice another blog rule for at least one week. The Steelers seem to be the complete opposite to the Packers, great offense, while stable defense, and they still have a QB that doesn't throw picks often. I'll still support you Packers, but this is personal. 

Houston @ Baltimore: Ravens. Both teams come off wins last week as the Ravens beat the Packers and the Texans beat the Cardinals. The week ends as the Ravens host the Texans. The Ravens are one of the worst teams in terms of passing offense while the Texans are worst in pass defense. One team has to come out on top and I tend to like the Ravens at home. 

Local TV Schedule (via 506sports.com)

CBS Early:

Miami @ New England

Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

CBS Late:

New Orleans @ LA Rams

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:

Chicago @ Philadelphia

Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis

For more info on which game will be playing in your area, check out: NFL Week 12 Maps

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 8-6

Overall: 96-64

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Week 10: 9-5

Week 11: 12-2

Overall: 99-61

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 11 Picks

Hello readers! Another week of NFL regular season action has passed us by. The final 6 weeks of the season are upon us and there is still much up in the air in terms of playoff spots. Here are the current playoff spots as of right now:

NFC:

#1: Eagles (8-1)
#2: Vikings (7-2)
#3: Saints (7-2)
#4: Rams (7-2)
#5: Panthers (7-3)
#6: Seahawks (6-3)

Wild card:
Seahawks @ Saints
Panthers @ Rams

In the hunt: Atlanta (5-4), Detroit (5-4), Green Bay (5-4), Dallas (5-4), Washington (4-5), Arizona (4-5), Tampa Bay (3-6), Chicago (3-6), NY Giants (1-8), San Francisco (1-9)
AFC:

#1: Steelers (7-2)
#2: Patriots (7-2)
#3: Chiefs (6-3)
#4: Titans (6-3)
#5: Jaguars (6-3)
#6: Bills (5-4

Wild card:
Bills @ Chiefs
Jaguars @ Titans

In the hunt: Baltimore (4-5), Oakland (4-5), Miami (4-5), NY Jets (4-6), Houston (3-6), Cincinnati (3-6) LA Chargers (3-6), Denver (3-6), Indianapolis (3-7), Cleveland (0-9)

Not much has changed so far in the playoff picture, the Niners and Browns are still in the hunt so far. The Steelers play tonight and the Patriots play against the Raiders in Mexico City on Sunday so these two games could be the deciding factor on who gets the homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs.

Last week and same with every week past, present, and future I have been having my picks put to the test against Cardinal Viking, my roommate, who has been quite the picker in his own right. The margin has been very tight thus far this season as none of us have gotten the major edge. Despite this before last week's action I still held onto a lead. Let's see how well we did in last week's picks:

Me:

9-5 (Cardinals failed me and the Redskins laid an egg against the Vikings last week)

Cardinal Viking:

9-5 (Picked the Cards as well and he did pick the Falcons to beat the Cowboys).

Yesterday I celebrated my 29th birthday. It was mostly a great day as I get to survive another year on the planet Earth. So with that, this weeks cool video is probably one (if not my favorite song of all time) of the best songs ever made on to record. Of course I'm talking about "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Enjoy the eargasm!

Week 11 in the National Football League will have a Thursday night game, 8 early games, 3 late games (one of the late games will be played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico), a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. CBS will handle the doubleheader this week while FOX will have the single game. There will be 4 teams on bye week this week: San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets. Here are the picks!

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh: Steelers. Both teams come off wins last week as the Steelers beat the Colts and the Titans won against the Bengals. The week kicks off in the Steel City, and as long as the Killer B's have great games, the Steelers will roll on to another victory. Despite winning by 3 against the Colts, I feel safe with the Steelers. Titans could make it a game but its hard to stop the Steelers when they're on a run. 

Arizona @ Houston: Cardinals. Both teams come off a loss last week as the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks and the Texans lost to the Rams. The Texans come off certainly their worst loss of the season and Tom Savage didn't play spectacular last week so with the Cardinals looking for a win, I'd take the Cardinals, different story if Deshaun Watson was playing at QB for the Texans. 

Baltimore @ Green Bay: THE PACKERS! The Packers come off a win against the Bears, while the Ravens come off a bye week last week. The game doesn't have the same hype to it as it would normally to a casual fan, I mean Flacco vs Rodgers would be an ideal matchup, but life doesn't work like that. The Packers found a way to win against the Bears and I feel good with the Packers winning against a hapless Ravens team. 

Detroit @ Chicago: Bears. The Lions come off a win against the Browns while the Bears lost to the Packers last week. The game will be a good one in terms of division positioning. Either team could lose and get the division cellar while the other will get to play 3rd fiddle to the Packers. Personally the two teams don't seem that great on paper but I will go on a whim and pick the Bears to win, as the Lions will always do Lions things.

Jacksonville @ Cleveland: Jaguars. The Jaguars got a win last week against the Chargers while the Browns still haven't gotten a win, while losing to the Lions. The Jaguars seem to have more weapons than the Browns especially on offense. I feel safe with the Jaguars as of late so I'll take them again. Blake Bortles don't disappoint me.

Kansas City @ NY Giants: Chiefs. The Giants come off a loss to the 49ers while the Chiefs were on bye week last week. The Giants are in the midst of a terrible season despite having great expectations at the start of the season. The Chiefs while have been playing great this season, despite losing 3 of their last 4 games. Time to get off to the right foot by getting a win against the Giants.

LA Rams @ Minnesota: Vikings. Both teams come off wins last week as the Vikings beat the Redskins and the Rams beat the Texans. I like the Vikings in the matchup, I feel they have a better defense than the Rams. As far as offense goes it depends on which offense shows up, if the Rams offense makes the Vikings defense look like the Vikings in the Battle of Stamford Bridge (didn't end well for the Vikings, apparently), I'd say the Rams have an edge, but I'm going on a whim and take the Vikes.

Tampa Bay @ Miami: Dolphins. Both teams come off losses last week as the Buccaneers lost to the Jets while the Dolphins lost to the Panthers. This game was originally planned to be played in Week 1 but due to Hurricane Irma the game would be moved to week 11. The two teams certainly are different than what they were in Week 1 and I don't like both teams but if I had to choose one, I'd take the Dolphins at home.

Washington @ New Orleans: Saints. The Redskins come off a loss against the Vikings while the Saints won against the Bills last week respectively. The Redskins look like the team that we figured would be, a team that likes to be a show off but doesn't back it up, still the Redskins are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, however they take on an improved Saints squad that has won 7 straight games after going 0-2 to start the year. Drew Brees seemed to tap into the fountain of youth again and is having a good year. I'll take the Saints as a safe bet.

Buffalo @ LA Chargers: Chargers. Both teams come off losses last week as the Bills lost to the Saints, and the Chargers lost to the Jaguars. The Bills will be going with a different QB this week in Nathan Peterman, the rookie from Pitt, and the distractions of Tyrod Taylor will have an affect on the Bills in the game, I like the Chargers as they are at home and they still have Phillip Rivers at QB, that's more than enough.

Cincinnati @ Denver: Bengals. Both teams come off a lost week as the Bengals lost to the Titans and the Broncos lost to the Patriots. The two teams haven't been spectacular this season as the Broncos were off to a good start but have fallen off the high horse (pun intended) while the Bengals are missing a spot (another pun intended, god I'm funny) on offense this season, being ranked last in total offense. Probably a throwaway pick but I can't trust the Broncos anymore.

New England @ Oakland: Patriots. The Patriots won against the Broncos and the Raiders were on bye week last week. The game won't be in Oakland but in Mexico City as CBS will have the call. The Raiders are just like the Packers, if they don't have their franchise QB healthy, they suck, and while the Patriots have been playing lights out so far, with the defense being suspect at times. I like the Patriots because they don't let me down in picks, *cough* Raiders *cough*.

Philadelphia @ Dallas: Eagles. The Eagles were on a bye week last week while the Cowboys lost to the Falcons. It'll be Prescott vs Wentz in the Sunday night game. I figured last week the Cowboys had capable running backs in Alfred Morris, despite the absence of Ezekiel Elliot due to suspension. The Cowboys will be biting their lips at this matchup as this will be a close one. However I feel the Eagles will find a way to win and put the division race out of reach.

Atlanta @ Seattle: Seahawks. Both teams come off wins last week as the Falcons beat the Cowboys while the Seahawks won against the Cardinals. The week finishes up with the Falcons traveling to Seattle to take on the Seahawks. The Seahawks won't have Richard Sherman in the lineup as he will be out for the season. Despite the big injury on defense I like the Seahawks to win the game. The 12th man in CenturyLink Stadium will be loud. As they usually are.

Local TV Schedule (via 506sports.com):

CBS Early:
Baltimore @ Green Bay
Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon

CBS Late:
New England @ Oakland
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:
LA Rams @ Minnesota
Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Greg Olson

For more info on which game(s) will be shown in your area check out: NFL Week 11 Maps

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Week 10: 9-5

Overall: 88-58

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Week 10: 9-5

Overall: 87-59

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 10 Picks

Hello readers! It is that time of the week again. Time to salivate at the prospect of football. Salivate at the chance to watch your team go on to victory or go down in defeat. Once the regular season reaches at the double digits in weeks it is certainly time to start looking at the playoff picture (normally I'd look at it the week of Thanksgiving but why not).

In spite of the flaws of the current playoff system, it is still a rather unique playoff system. Even if a 12-4 team gets in the playoff, there's still a chance that you would still have to play on the road (2013 San Francisco 49ers for example). For this system to be better it needs to go to a system based off record, not based on division. Such examples of this is the NBA system, where it is based off record (#1 seed has best record, #8th seed has lowest). Here is the current playoff picture:

AFC:
#1: Steelers
#2: Patriots
#3: Chiefs
#4: Titans
#5: Jaguars
#6: Bills

Wild card:

Jaguars @ Titans
Bills @ Chiefs

In the hunt: Miami (4-4), Baltimore (4-5), Oakland (4-5), NY Jets (4-5), Houston (3-5), Cincinnati (3-5), Los Angeles Chargers (3-5), Denver (3-5), Indianapolis (3-6), Cleveland (0-8).

NFC:
#1: Eagles
#2: Saints
#3: Vikings
#4: Rams
#5: Panthers
#6: Cowboys

Wild card:
Panthers @ Rams
Cowboys @ Vikings

In the hunt: Seattle (5-3), Atlanta (4-4), Detroit (4-4), Washington (4-4), Green Bay (4-4), Arizona (4-4), Chicago (3-5), Tampa Bay (2-6), NY Giants (1-7), San Francisco (0-9)

Certainly some of the bottom teams in the hunt won't likely get in come January, but it is worthwhile to keep an eye on the teams in the top/middle of the hunt. Momentum is key in playoff races. As far as I'm concerned this picture will look very different come the end of Week 17.

What will certainly be impactful in the playoff picture is the Ezekiel Elliot drama. Much like any other season in the NFL there will always be players in civil/criminal cases. What happens in the real world can be a different story in the football world. What I mean is that the NFL can suspend you despite the fact that you haven't been prosecuted or indicted. In Ezekiel Elliot's case, it can be very impactful. If he starts his suspension this week he would be eligible to play in the Week 16 game at home against Seattle. Had he decided to take the suspension in Week 1 he would've already been playing right now. Here's Dallas' next 6 games: @ Atlanta, home against Philadelphia, home against LA Chargers, home against Washington, @ Giants, @ Oakland. Despite the back and forth battle between him and the NFL, I would've taken the suspension earlier, in my opinion.

Where I live in Fargo, North Dakota there is no snow. As much as I would rather have 70 degree weather days right now, the denial is real. To me, its 3-4 months of depression and overall hate anything that is white on the ground. So the cool video of the week is something to hopefully keep you warm if you share the same opinion as me:

This week as the same with weeks past and weeks future, I have done picks with my roommate, Cardinal Viking, we had pretty similar picks last week but let's look at the results:

Me:

6-7 (fail falcons, and the Packers need to get a high draft pick as most of our team without Aaron Rodgers is terrible)

Cardinal Viking:

7-6 (he made the right call in picking the Cardinals over the Niners and well he picked the Lions too). 

Week 10 in the NFL regular season will begin in Glendale, Arizona and will end in Charlotte, North Carolina. There will be a Thursday night game, 8 early games, 3 late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. There will be 4 teams on bye week: Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders. FOX will have the double header and CBS will have the single game this week. Here are the picks:

Seattle @ Arizona: Cardinals. The Seahawks come off a loss last week to the Redskins, and the Cardinals won against the Niners. The game will be on NBC and NFL Network. The game could be a huge factor in the NFC West as the winner will likely play in the second place marker in the division. While the loser will have to look at being at home come January. Both teams don't like each other, and I'll take the Cardinals at home as their defense will get it done for them, and the offense will put up enough to win. 

Cincinnati @ Tennessee: Bengals. The Titans won last week against the Ravens and the Bengals lost to the Jaguars. The Mariota bandwagon will lose a rider as I tend to like the Bengals in this matchup. Why? Mostly the weapons that the Bengals have and certainly the Titans have weapons too, but I can't go wrong with AJ Green. 

Cleveland @ Detroit: Lions. The Browns got a win last week and a loss as they had their bye this week (I don't know if its a win-win) and the Lions won against the Packers last week. The Browns glimmer of hope is Josh Gordon is back (at least as of 5:02 pm) and should play in the game. However one team has to win in this game and the Lions are certainly leagues ahead of the Browns. Sorry but you get a loss again. 

Green Bay @ Chicago: Packers. The Packers lost to the Lions last week, and the Bears were on bye last week. The oldest rivalry in the NFL will be renewed again at Chicago. The Packers have let me down for two straight games since going 4-2 and hopefully they won't let me down this week, otherwise that all-time record in the rivalry will go back to a tie. Fuck you Dom Capers!

LA Chargers @ Jacksonville: Jaguars. The Jaguars won against the Bengals and the Chargers were on bye week last week. The Chargers/Jaguars game will certainly be an exciting one. Two playoff contending teams. It may come down to whoever makes the most plays and scores the most points (obviously). The Chargers could win the game but I feel good with the Jaguars. 

Minnesota @ Washington: Redskins. The Vikings were on bye week last week and the Redskins won against the Seahawks last week. The game will be quite interesting. The QB carousel in Minnesota will be coming to a head. The Redskins have their QB in Kirk Cousins and I feel the Redskins weapons on offense will give them an edge against the powerful Vikings defense, which is no slouch. Vikings are due for a loss as this is a trap game. 

New Orleans @ Buffalo: Saints. The Bills lost to the Jets last week and the Saints won against the Buccaneers. I hopped on the Bills bandwagon to see them lose to the Jets at New Jersey last week. I feel good with the Saints in the game as Drew Brees still can throw a ball or two deep. Sorry Buffalo but you lost my trust (and that's important) and my confidence in you. Enjoy 2nd place in AFC East. 

NY Jets @ Tampa Bay: J-E-T-S. The Jets won against the Bills last week while the Buccaneers lost to the Saints last week. The game will be in sunny Florida and I've lost most if not all of my confidence and trust in the Buccaneers. The Jets are a confusing team, they can play well one game and then play like awful the next one. Still better than that 0-16 finish that most experts were expecting. 

Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis: Steelers. The Steelers were on bye week last week and the Colts won against the Texans last week (big whoop). The Steelers seem to be back to form with the triplets of Roethlisberger, Brown, and Bell at the helm, but you have to remember that this team lost to the Jaguars at home earlier this season. The Colts are bad but they shouldn't be taken lightly. Still I feel good about the Steel City. 

Houston @ LA Rams: Rams. The Texans lost last week to the Colts and the Rams won against the Giants (rather soundly). The Rams have been the darling story of the NFL season so far as the team plays solid defense, runs the ball well and Jared Goff has had a great sophomore season (a rather different story most times). The Texans lost their franchise QB Deshaun Watson to injury a few weeks ago and the loss will be the biggest difference in this game. 

Dallas @ Atlanta: Cowboys. The Cowboys won against the Chiefs last week and the Falcons lost to the Panthers. Earlier today the Ezekiel Elliot story took a turn as the suspension has been upheld (for the 1000th time) and will begin this suspension this week. The Cowboys have other weapons at running back but I can't trust the Falcons this season. Especially when their defense is awful and Julio Jones hasn't had a breakout game this season. 

NY Giants @ San Francisco: 49ers. Both teams come off losses last week as the Giants lost to the Rams and the Niners lost to the Cardinals. I picked the Niners to win against the Cardinals and guessed it wrong. However the Giants are terrible as well as the Niners. I'll be on their bandwagon for at least one week. They can't possibly go 0-16. 

New England @ Denver: Patriots. The Broncos lost to the Eagles last week while the Patriots were on bye week. The Sunday night game will be an interesting one as Tom Brady has had a losing record against the Broncos, especially at Mile High. The Patriots have been off so far this season and had one great game against the Falcons while the week after almost lose to the Chargers. The Broncos are bad, but I feel safe with the Pats. 

Miami @ Carolina: Panthers. The Dolphins lost to the Raiders last week while the Panthers won against the Falcons. The week wraps up with the Dolphins/Panthers game on Monday night. Both teams have let me down in picking them but the Panthers seem to be the hot hand in this one. I can't trust Jay Cutler holding a football. 

Local TV Schedule: 

CBS Single:
Pittsburgh @ Indianapolis

Greg Gumbel, Trent Green

FOX Early:
Minnesota @ Washington

Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis

FOX Late:
Dallas @ Atlanta

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

For more info on which game is on in your area go to NFL Week 10 Maps

Record:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Week 9: 6-7

Overall: 79-53

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Week 9: 7-6

Overall: 78-54

See you guys next week!

-Tom

NFL Week 8 Picks

Hello Readers! It is that time of the week again. Hump day, the middle of the week, the day all camels rejoice because of their hu... oh I already did that pun already. My bad. With the previous week in the National Football League I needed a joke.

The Eight Week in the NFL season marks the midway point in the season. The midway point is a good way to look at where teams are at as far as record and what predictions got right and wrong. With Halloween pretty much coming up next Tuesday, I thought I would give my take on who has been the trick (disappointment) and/or the treat (surprise, in a good way). Here's my take:

Tricks:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Certainly a 2-4 record at this point in the season is a disappointment for this team. A lot of people figured this team would be much improved at the quarterback position, wide receivers and certainly the defense. While injuries has plagued the Bucs this season, there has to be no excuse. I mean your two wins came against a Mike Glennon-led Bears team and a 2-point win against the New York Giants. Certainly the other teams in the NFC South have taken advantage of their misfortune, especially the New Orleans Saints. Not also to mention they need a kicker that can hit the middle of the uprights.

Denver Broncos: You're looking at a meager 3-3 record so far this season. The season has had its ups and downs. Beating Dallas at home was certainly an up, while losing to New York at home was a down. You've lost 3 of your last 4 games. Trevor Siemian's record at home is okay, but his road record is horrendous. Certainly the loss of Oakland's QB Derek Carr would mean that you'd take advantage of it and possibly gain ground on the division leading Chiefs. Sad times in the Mile High.

Treats:

Los Angeles Rams: At this point last season you were staring at a 3-4 record while going to a 4-12 season by season's end. Fast forward to this season you're at a 5-2 record while in first place in the NFC West. The Rams Head Coach Sean McVay already has more wins this season than Jeff Fisher and John Fassel had last season. The Rams only two losses this season are to the the Redskins at home and the Seahawks at home. While getting the surprise win against the Cowboys on the road.

The story of Sean McVay is something to not be taken lightly. The guy is 31 years old and certainly has the respect of his team in the locker room. Here's a fact: the Rams are among the youngest teams in the league at 24.2. To be that young as a head coach to people that are not much younger than you are speaks how much of a leader McVay is and certainly can remind us all of how young Don Shula or John Gruden were when they started as head coaches and had success in the NFL. It will be curious to see if the Rams can keep it together but as long as Todd Gurley is healthy, the sky is the limit.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles this season much like the Rams, are improved compared to last season. Last season saw a 7-9 record for the Eagles in a certain rebuilding year for them. With a 6-1 record so far this season they seem to be the best team in the NFL, certainly in the NFC. You could make a case for the Patriots as well. The Eagles lone loss came on the road against the then undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, which was a 7 point loss. Last season saw a collapse for the Eagles so I would be advise caution being on the Eagles bandwagon for too long, but as far as I'm concerned this team is good so far this season. Treats for all!

The week that was Week 7 in the NFL regular season featured some close games, some surprises, some blowouts. Going into the week's action I had a 3 win cushion against my roommate, Cardinal Viking, and that cushion would get a little more tighter. Here is last week's records:

My Record:

8-7 (Come on Panthers, you lose to the BEARS!)

Cardinal Viking's Record:

10-5 (He picked the Bills to beat the Bucs, and the Saints to beat the Packers last week)

Certainly that 3 win cushion is now down to a 1 win cushion. I don't want to say that there is a panic button because this is somewhat all in good fun, but I'd press it if I were me. As it is only Week 8.

With Halloween coming up next week (writing this on October 25th), there will be people out trick or treating while getting their drink on. The costumes will be astounding, the candy will be delicious, the decorations will be scary good. Whatever way you're celebrating the holiday, do it in moderation. Here's a cool video about one of the better Halloween songs out there:

Week 8 in the NFL regular season will feature a Thursday Night game, Sunday Morning game (at London), seven Early games, two late games, a Sunday Night game, and a Monday Night game. FOX will have the doubleheader this week with the Early and Late game slots, CBS will have the single. There are six teams on bye week this week: Los Angels Rams, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The week begins in Baltimore, Maryland and ends in Kansas City, Missouri. Here are the picks:

Miami @ Baltimore: Dolphins. The Thursday night game on CBS/NFL Network is certainly the Toilet Bowl game of the week. The Dolphins got the win against the Jets, while the Ravens lost to the Vikings. The Dolphins won't have Jay Cutler for this game and will have to rely on Matt Moore to pull off the victory while the Ravens started off okay have certainly fallen back down to earth, hard. The sucky thing is that the World Series isn't on tomorrow as the Dodgers and Astros will have the travel day. Still there's some hope this game could be watchable as both teams aren't that good but I trust the Dolphins more than the Ravens.

Minnesota @ Cleveland: Vikings. The Vikings came off a win against the Ravens last week while the Browns lost to the Titans, still looking for their first win. The game will be on NFL Network and the game will be at Twikenham Stadium. The Vikings look to continue their season with the win, while I don't think the Browns will pull off a major upset in this one. Keep dreaming Browns fans.

Atlanta @ NY Jets: The... Falcons. Both teams come off losses last week as the Falcons lost to the Patriots, and the Jets lost to the Dolphins. I banked on the Jets to beat Miami last week and they let me down. While I expect the Falcons to get back to their offensive gameplan this week, Worst case scenario: you won't have to blow a lead if you've never had a lead. Simple as that. Jets pass defense is 20th in the league, while the Falcons pass offense is 7th. Yeah I feel safe.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay: Panthers. Both teams come off losses last week as the Panthers lost to the Bears, while the Buccaneers lost to the Bills. I don't particularly like both teams as contenders but I would go with the Panthers because they still have Cam Newton and I still can trust that he will have a bounce back game against the Bucs. The Buccaneers are 1st in pass offense, while the Panthers are 4th in pass defense. Something will come to a head, and I feel safe with the defense.

Chicago @ New Orleans: Saints. The two teams come off wins last week as the Saints beat the Packers and the Bears beat the Panthers. The Saints have the 4th ranked offense in the NFL, while the Bears are 30th in offense. As much as I think the Mitch Trubisky story is a good one, if the Bears are down by a touchdown in this game, its game over. I like the Saints as long as Drew Brees stays healthy.

Indianapolis @ Cincinnati: Bengals. The two teams come off losses last week as the Colts lost to the Jaguars and the Bengals lost to the Steelers. The game is going to be okay... ah who am I kidding. the Colts are a dumpster fire that makes real dumpster fires look like a Boy Scout campfire, and the Bengals have weapons to use at their disposal. WHO DEY!

LA Chargers @ New England: Patriots. Both teams come off wins last week as the Chargers beat the Broncos, while the Patriots beat the Falcons. The Chargers have won three straight games since going 0-4, while the Patriots defense saw much improvement against the Falcons. I still like the Patriots in this game even if the Chargers are 3-4. Brady & Company get it done.

Oakland @ Buffalo: Bills. The Bills came off a win against the Buccaneers while the Raiders beat the Chiefs. I have been doubting the Bills for most of the season and this week will be different, as I will pick them against the Raiders. This game will depend on which quarterback plays for the Raiders. Most experts seem to pick the Bills.

San Francisco @ Philadelphia: Eagles. The 49ers lost week to the Cowboys while the Eagles beat the Redskins. The Carson Wentz train seems to keep rolling on as the Niners come to Philly. I like the Eagles in the game as they're the better team at least so far in the season, and the Niners will have to look elsewhere to win.

Houston @ Seattle: Seahawks. The Texans come off a bye week last week while the Seahawks beat the Giants. Another story that has thrilled the NFL this season is the Deshaun Watson story. The dude seems to be legit so far this season. As much as I want to take the Texans, it will depend on which Texans team shows up. Hard to trust a team like that, but the Seahawks always seem to get better each week, hard to pick against that. I like Seattle.

Dallas @ Washington: Cowboys. The Cowboys come off a win against the 49ers while the Redskins lost to the Eagles. Will be picking the Cowboys again this week as they travel to Landover, Maryland to take on their arch-rivals the Washington Redskins. The game will be close I feel as the Dez Bryant vs Josh Norman match up is always a sight to see. As much as I hate the Cowboys, I'll pick them to win.

Pittsburgh @ Detroit: Steelers. The Steelers come off a win last week against the Bengals while the Lions come off a bye week. The Steelers despite the drama are sitting at a comfortable 5-2 record in the AFC North. I like the Steelers mostly based on the Steelers Triplets of Roethlisberger, Brown, and Bell. Steelers defense isn't that bad either. For the Lions well... 3-3 record and potential to gain ground on the Packers, this game is a must-win for you.

Denver @ Kansas City: Chiefs. Both teams come off losses to divisional opponents as the Broncos lost to the Chargers and the Chiefs lost to the Raiders. The week finishes up with the Broncos heading to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs. As always I don't trust Trevor Siemian's road record and I like Kareem Hunt of the Chiefs. Give me the Chiefs!

Local TV Schedule (via 506sports.com, subject to change)

CBS Single:
LA Chargers @ New England
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

FOX Early:
San Francisco @ Philadelphia
Kenny Albert, Charles Davis

FOX Late:
Dallas @ Washington
Thom Brennamen, Troy Aikman

For more information on what game is playing in your area go to NFL Week 8 Maps

Record*:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Overall: 61-45

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Overall: 60-46

 See you guys next week!

-Tom

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 8: The Trek to Minefield

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 7: Hallowed Out Rocks and Silver

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 6: Helping out Megaton

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 5: Leaving Vault 101

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 4: Butch

Fallout 3 Walkthrough - Episode 2: I'm Ten Years Old!

Let's Play Euro Truck Simulator 2 | Episode #3: Liverpool to Milan

NFL Week 9 Picks

Hello readers! The post is somewhat later than usual but still well ahead of the Thursday night game. In typical weeks I would have the post up by Wednesday but watching the World Series this year has been intoxicating. Nonetheless with the baseball season over it is now time to focus on football.

In the week that was week eight in picks was a very close contest. Before last week's action I had a 1 game edge in picks with Cardinal Viking. After last week with our picks very close together, it would be surely a close one again. Here are the results:

Me:
12-1: (only loss was the Dolphins getting shut out to the Ravens, wtf).

Cardinal Viking:

11-2: (picked the Dolphins and picked the Lions over the Steelers).

What would normally be a normal week for some teams, the past week would prove to be a make or break time for some. With the trade deadline past, some teams look to give up their future to pick up the short-term solution for their teams. NFL trades don't tend to get the same spark as NBA or MLB trades, but they would prove to be a deciding factor when draft picks are involved. Here's a recap:

Philadelphia Eagles pick up Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins for a 4th rounder (train robbery).

New England trades Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco for a 2nd round pick (guess they couldn't keep him.

Buffalo Bills pick up Kelvin Benjamin from the Carolina Panthers for a 3rd and 7th round pick (could be an interesting strategy)

A difficult decision has come to my attention. Something that has been apparent since I started on this blog post. What is this week's cool video? Well out of random here it is:

Week Nine in the NFL regular season will start from East Rutherford, New Jersey and ends in Green Bay, Wisconsin. There will be six teams on bye week: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns, and New England Patriots. There will be a Thursday night game, 7 early games, 3 late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. CBS will handle the early and late doubleheader, while FOX will have the single game this week. Here are the picks:

Buffalo @ NY Jets: Bills. The Bills come off a win against the Raiders, while the Jets lost to the Falcons. The week starts out in East Rutherford and the Bills coming to town looking improved I personally like the Bills winning the matchup based on that Tyrod Taylor picked up a new weapon in Kelvin Benjamin this week. Unfortunately Benjamin will not play tonight but the Bills got this.

Atlanta @ Carolina: Falcons. Both teams come off wins last week as the Falcons beat the Jets, and the Panthers beat the Buccaneers. The game could come down to which offense puts the most points as this will be a shootout, the Falcons have been downplaying this year and I still am expecting them to finally put up a offensive performance this Sunday, their defense is suspect. More suspect than Colonel Mustard in the library with a knife.

Baltimore @ Tennessee: Ravens. The Ravens won last week against the Dolphins while the Titans were on bye week last week. The Ravens are a complicated team to predict and pick. Last week I picked against them and they win. The game will come down to which team's running back will have the better game as both teams are top 10 in rush offense, and when you have a good rushing attack, you can open it up in the pass, and that will be another factor.

Cincinnati @ Jacksonville: Jaguars. The Jaguars come off a bye week last week while the Bengals come off a win against the Colts. The game will be at Jacksonville where the Jags are 1-2 at home this season, I feel the Jags will put on their best game of the season against the Bengals, who barely squeaked by last week against a bad Colts team. Give me the Jaguars!

Denver @ Philadelphia: Eagles. The Eagles won last week against the Niners and the Broncos lost to the Chiefs. The game features the season debut of Brock Osweiler, who replaces a struggling Trevor Siemian, who will get the start. The Eagles haven't let me down so far this season and I feel good with them in this game.

Indianapolis @ Houston: Colts. Both teams come off losses as the Colts lost to the Bengals and the Texans to the Sehawks This would normally be a shocker to some people on why I'm picking the Colts, well Deshaun Watson tearing his ACL will be a big factor in the game. Watson has been a shining light for the Texans offensively which normally was a defensive team. I could be wrong but there's a reason why they're predictions.

LA Rams @ NY Giants: Rams. Both teams are coming off a bye week last week. The game is certainly a tale of two teams. The surprising Rams and the disappointing Giants. The Rams have been playing well during the stretch so far we will have to see if the bye week does limit their focus and preparation. Give me the Rams!

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans: Saints. The Saints come off a win against the Bears while the Buccaneers lost to the Panthers. Drew Brees still can throw the ball, Mark Ingram can still run the ball and if the Saints defense limits the offensive attack of the Bucs, then I like the Saints chances. Plus, the Superdome is quite a homefield advantage.

Arizona @ San Francisco: 49ers. The Cardinals are coming off a bye week last week while the Niners lost to the Eagles. The team by the bay picked up possibly their future starting QB in Jimmy Garopollo from the Patriots. Unfortunately the rest of the team isn't that good and probably won't be that good for a while. However, I feel the Niners will finally get their first win of the season by beating the Cardinals without Carson Palmer.

Washington @ Seattle: Seahawks. The Seahawks won against the Texans and the Redskins lost to the Cowboys last week. The 12th man will be pretty loud this week, I feel the Redskins will come off a loss again this week. The Seahawks always seem to get better each and every week, however they need homefield advantage in the playoffs so they have to win.

Kansas City @ Dallas: Chiefs. Both teams come off wins last week as the Chiefs won against the Broncos and the Cowboys beat the Redskins. The marqee game of the late slate will be the Chiefs-Cowboys game. The game will be on CBS and will mark Tony Romo's return to AT&T Stadium as the color-commentator for the TV network. However I like the Chiefs in the game as the Cowboys defense is suspect, more than the offense though.

Oakland @ Miami: Raiders. Both teams come off losses last week as the Dolphins lost to the Ravens and the Raiders lost to the Bills. The Sunday night game will show two disappointing football teams but which team will be the ones that show up, I feel the Raiders will based on that Derek Carr could start and the Raiders need to win to keep up with the division.

Detroit @ Green Bay: Packers. The Lions come off a loss to the Steelers last week while the Packers come off a bye week. The Monday night game will feature two division rivals in the NFC North division as the Packers and Lions renew their old rivalry. The Lions still have their franchise quarterback on his own two feet while the Packers will look to have Brent Hundley at quarterback. The Packers need to win the game in order to stay in 2nd place against the Vikings in the division race. I like the receiving corp of the Packers to win it for them as they need to make the big play.

Local TV Schedule (via 506sports, subject to change):

CBS Early:
Denver @ Philadelphia
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

CBS Late:
Kansas City @ Dallas
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single:
Atlanta @ Carolina
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman

For more info on which game is playing in your area, go to NFL Maps, Week 9

Record*:

Week 1: 10-5

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 8-7

Week 8: 12-1

Overall: 73-46

Cardinal Viking, my roommates record:

Week 1: 7-8

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-5

Week 5: 4-10

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-5

Week 8: 11-2

Overall: 71-48

See you guys next week!

-Tom