NFL 2024 Week 5 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. With four weeks of regular season action in the books, the season is 22% complete. For matchups this week, I'll keep an eye on the Buccaneers-Falcons, Ravens-Bengals, Cardinals-49ers, Cowboys-Steelers and Saints-Chiefs games this week. This week's post will include a preview and the picks for the Week 5 games, the Early & Late Game broadcast pairings that Fox and CBS will have. Let's get to work!

Week 5 Preview

The Fifth week of the NFL's regular season will start in Atlanta, Georgia and will end in Kansas City, Missouri. There will be a Thursday night game, a Sunday morning game, six early games, four late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. Week 5 will feature a 14-game slate where 28 teams will play. Teams on a bye this week are the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans. For matchups there will be six division matchups, four interconference games, one AFC game and three NFC games. CBS will have the doubleheader this week while FOX will have just the single, regional game this week. Let's get to the picks! 

Week 5 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me 

Tampa Bay (3-1) @ Atlanta (2-2) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Buccaneers

The Buccaneers beat the Eagles and the Falcons beat the Saints last week. Tampa had a rough time against Denver. Their pass protection broke down and they really rattled Baker Mayfield. Last week, they proved the doubters wrong and really blew out the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. Granted it was more of a game of attrition as the Tampa sun shined down. I think the key to the game for the Buccaneers is the pass protection. 

Atlanta started off rough to begin the season. Losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City put a damper on them. A big win against the Eagles and then the Saints gave them some meaning to play games. Their win against the Saints is their first where they didn't score an offensive touchdown while scoring on defense and special teams. I don't think we've seen Kirk Cousins straight up have a great game yet in a Falcons uniform. I think the Falcons will need to get a good game from their offense. The Buccaneers won't let them get the opportunity to score on special teams or on defense. I like the Bucs. 

All-time series: Buccaneers lead 31-30

NY Jets (2-2) @ Minnesota (4-0) (NFL Network; 9:30 am); TW: Jets

The Jets lost to the Broncos and the Vikings beat the Packers last week. The first of many international games this year. The Jets and Vikings will play in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Jets come into the game with a bad loss to the Denver Broncos. Their offense didn't score a touchdown all game and resorted to Greg Zuerlein hitting three field goals. Their offense needs to do better. The defense kept the Broncos to just 10 points so they can't be that bad on offense. Especially when they hung 20+ on the Patriots two weeks ago. 

The Vikings are currently the 2nd undefeated team in the NFC with the Seahawks. The game against Green Bay last week showed how great they can be and how bad they can be at holding leads. Had Jordan Love not threw an interception (the 3rd one in the day) and actually scored, it would've been a choking a 28-0 lead. Suffice to say, the Vikings are still undefeated. The offense has seen a blossoming with Sam Darnold leading the way, Aaron Jones piling up yardage and Justin Jefferson doing Justin Jefferson things. If there was a point where the undefeated season ended I think this week might be the closest that the Vikes might have it to losing. I'll take the Jets.

All-time series: Jets lead 8-4

Baltimore (2-2) @ Cincinnati (1-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens

The Ravens beat the Bills and the Bengals beat the Panthers last week. The rivalry renews in the AFC North. The last time these two teams met, Joe Burrow didn't play. As long as Burrow is playing the Bengals will have a chance to win games. They managed to get a win last week as they avoided the dreaded 0-4 record. Granted they played against the Panthers last week. Yes Andy Dalton has improved the Panthers but they still couldn't get a lead in the game against Cincy. The Bengals will have a tall task against the Ravens. 

Baltimore started off 0-2 and then they are now 2-2. The win last week against the Bills proved that they can create a lead and hold onto it. They couldn't quite put the foot on the gas and keep the Cowboys from almost beating them in week 3. Derrick Henry had a stellar day on the ground with 199 rushing yards. They should try to keep him involved in this game as well. I think they are in general the better team than the Bengals. I'll take them. 

All-time series: Ravens lead 30-27

Buffalo (3-1) @ Houston (3-1) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills

The Bills lost to the Ravens and the Texans beat the Jaguars last week. A good one in the AFC. A game that be key in deciding homefield in the divisional playoffs. At least a tiebreaker will be in play. For the Bills they blew out the Jaguars on Monday night and then the Ravens gave them a taste of their medicine and blew them out. It was a bit of a shocker as they let Derrick Henry run over them. They will need to clean up their run defense. If the offense can be like the Ravens it'll be a long day for them. Fortunately the Texans have the 18th ranked rush offense. It'll be a tough one to figure out with the Bills. They did get exposed a bit. 

Houston got a big bounce back win against the Jaguars. The Jaguars played one of their better games of the season but still lost. If there was a weakness for the Texans is pressuring CJ Stroud and forcing him into pressure and their run offense. The talent level for Joe Mixon and Cam Akers is average to good. I would like to see them utilize them a bit more if they see some sort of weakness in the Bills defense. The Texans defense is fairly underrated and they have a good pass defense that can shut down teams. I'll take the Bills.

All-time series: Texans lead 6-5

Carolina (1-3) @ Chicago (2-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Panthers

The Panthers lost to the Bengals and the Bears beat the Rams last week. Carolina had a rough start to the year, going 0-2. Then the change at quarterback with Bryce Young struggling. In comes the Red Rifle, Andy Dalton, who provides offense to a team that has a decent core. In just two starts, Dalton has thrown five touchdowns and just one interception. They will need him to keep going for this one as the Bears defense is not too shabby. 

The book on the Bears is pretty much their record, average. Caleb Williams has had an okay-ish start to the year. The turnovers could be cut down. I don't think we've seen a great game from him yet in four games this season. The Bears running game has gotten just as much touchdowns than their passer. I think if the Bears offense had to get off to a great dominating effort, I think this game might be the one. I like the Panthers though.

All-time series: Bears lead 8-4

Cleveland (1-3) @ Washington (3-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Commanders

The Browns lost to the Raiders and the Commanders beat the Cardinals last week. The Browns so far have been kind of what was to be expected. Their woes have been injuries to their offense. Nick Chubb hasn't played a down yet this year. David Njoku might be able to play. That will help out their cause to win. The quarterback play and mistakes have been their downfall in the early going. One such mistake was special teams missing a point after. 

Washington has been a bit of a surprise so far this season. Jayden Daniels has looked like the clear winner of the rookie quarterback debate so far. With three passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns, he is a scoring machine. He looked great against Arizona with his fellow teammates. The offense has put up so many points that their defense hadn't had to worry about them. I think the Commanders will take this but maybe it might be a bit less of a scoring fest as the Browns defense is a bit better. 

All-time series: Browns lead 35-12-1

Indianapolis (2-2) @ Jacksonville (0-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Colts

The Colts beat the Steelers and the Jaguars lost to the Texans last week. When all hope seemed lost for the Colts when a hip injury was inflicted on Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco came in and provided the help they needed. Flacco, the hardy veteran, was signed as a free agent who played in Cleveland in a magical season last year. He would lead the offense and got them to 27 points. The defense would hold off the Steelers last push. Jonathan Taylor found success in penetrating the Steelers defensive front. Joe Flacco kind of brought a breath of fresh air to the Colts.

Jacksonville has been a bit of a rough spot this season. They haven't won a game since December of last year. They had a 8-3 record and then fell off the earth and have been falling since then. The play last week was optimistic. They played smart football with little to no turnovers. Their defense kept the Texans to 24 points. They can't be playing that awful to the Colts possibly. The Jaguars just seem off whether it be that there is a rift with the head coach to the rest of the team. I think the Jags are a falling ship, I'll take the Colts. 

All-time series: Colts lead 27-19

Miami (1-3) @ New England (1-3) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Patriots

The Dolphins lost to the Titans and the Patriots lost to the 49ers last week. Miami looked to be a playoff and possibly a Super Bowl contender prior to the season. Since the loss to Buffalo, it looked like a bit of a lost season so far. If they can stay the ship and win games in Tua Tagovailoa's absense, they might have a shot to a wild card spot. The rough part is that he might return in Week 8. The sad thing is that the rest of the team hasn't stepped up in his absence. Perhaps the offense has been a bit more of a complex one than really anything. 

New England has had a rough season so far. Perhaps it has been expected. The flaws of the Patriots are pretty evident. They can't protect the passer as they they snap the ball in one second then Jacoby Brissett is on the ground the next. If they can find some solace in giving him time, they might actually move the ball down the field and get first downs and then possibly score points. Essentially the gameplan is get the ball out as quickly as possible and try to find open receivers and tell them to go the distance. The run game is decent and can be productive if their offense can be more balanced. It will be hinging on if the Pats can go the distance and sustain drives. I think they can do it. I'll take them. 

All-time series: Dolphins lead 62-55

Arizona (1-3) @ San Francisco (2-2) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: 49ers

The Cardinals lost to the Commanders and the 49ers beat the Patriots last week. Arizona has shown some signs of life this season. Partially because of Kyler Murray being healthy and having a true #1 wide receiver in Marvin Harrison Jr out there making plays helps. Last week was a bit of an unraveling. They got destroyed by Washington and the Cardinals defense is kind of suspect now going forward. The run game of Washington did exploit a weakness in them. A weakness that the 49ers would like to capitalize on. 

San Francisco has had its growing pains this season. Starting off with a 2-0 record and then the losses to Minnesota and the LA Rams kind of exposed them a little bit. Teams with good offensive lines can hinder them. They found daylight in playing against New England's rough patchwork of an offensive line. Jordan Mason has been a bright spot for the running game of San Francisco. It kind of almost makes you forget that Christian McCaffrey is also on this team and once he returns he will likely make it back to the top spot in the halfback depth chart. I'll take the 49ers. 

All-time series: 49ers lead 36-29

Las Vegas (2-2) @ Denver (2-2) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Raiders

The Raiders beat the Browns and the Broncos beat the Jets last week. Las Vegas has been kind of a roller coaster of a team so far this season. They looked good and bad. Very bad for picking as I like to pick teams that are stable in what they're doing. Some drama is floating around with Davante Adams and the Raiders organization as the team is open to trading him. Kind of weird that they're willing to do it as he's probably their best wide receiver. Suffice to say, I think the Raiders have a shot to win this football game. 

Denver has been a bit more of a surprise than people realize. The team was expected to be not good but yet they have two wins under their belt. The quarterback Bo Nix finally got his first touchdown pass against the Jets last week. The Broncos defense did the rest. Prior to last week, the Jets scored three touchdowns each in their games. They scored none against Denver. Has to be something worthwhile right. The Broncos running game hasn't really picked up yet and Javonte Williams hasn't quite had the start he would like to have with just 129 rushing yards with 40 carries. It would definitely get their offense going if he can find holes in the Raiders defense. If it comes down to the Raiders defense vs the Broncos offense, I would take the Raiders a lot of the time. I'll go with the Raidas. 

All-time series: Raiders lead 73-54-2

Green Bay (2-2) @ LA Rams (1-3) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Packers

The Packers lost to the Vikings and the Rams lost to the Bears last week. Green Bay's season has been kind of a weird one. Jordan Love is 0-2 with the team while his backup Malik Willis is 2-0 on the year. Last week was also a weird one for the Packers. They were down 28-0 at one point against Minnesota and then lost by a 31-29 final score. Despite the turnovers and everything going wrong on defense, they only lost by 2 points. They might be down and outmatched but they still fight on. They might have a decent time against a depleted Rams team. 

Los Angeles was supposed to be the great team that was expected to do well this season. I'm sure I was high on them this year. Injuries to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp have been detrimental to them. Still you have to play with the guys that you got. Matthew Stafford is still healthy and moving so they have a shot to win anytime he's around. Remember he was a Detroit Lion. Suffice to say, the losses will be costly to them in this game. If only they can find some way to get them on the field sooner. The defense of the rams, isn't quite as good as they don't have a juggernaut of a force like Aaron Donald. Something that they will struggle a bit as the season goes on. I think the Packers will take it. 

All-time series: Packers lead 50-47-2

NY Giants (1-3) @ Seattle (3-1) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Seahawks

The Giants lost to the Cowboys and the Seahawks lost to the Lions last week. The Giants have had a rough go of it as of late. The loss to Dallas was a bit optimistic as they only lost by five points. Granted the game last year was a blowout. If there is a bright spot for the Giants it is Malik Nabers being the #1 guy as a wide receiver. The defense has shown some signs of improvement as well. 

The Seahawks fell back to earth last week against the Lions. Their undefeated bid ended. It was a bit warranted as the Lions are a really good team. They almost made it a game. Geno Smith had a rough game but the rest of the Seahawks except maybe Kenneth Walker III had a rough game as well. Every team has them. I think the Seahawks can have a rebound game and get back to basics of running the football and spreading the ball around to their playmakers in DK Metcalf. The 12's in Lumen Field will help them out for sure. 

All-time series: Seahawks lead 11-10

Dallas (2-2) @ Pittsburgh (3-1) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Steelers

The Cowboys beat the Giants and the Steelers lost to the Colts last week. The Sunday night game features two teams that are well known in NFL History. The Cowboys come into this game with a big needed win against the Giants. Their offense didn't do a whole lot but their defense kept the Giants from really running over them. Micah Parsons might not play in this game as he was injured last week. That might put things in a bind for the Mike Zimmer coordinated defense. 

Pittsburgh comes into this game with a loss to the Colts. They did knock out Anthony Richardson in this game but Joe Flacco, a foe they're all too familiar with, came in and provided needed offense to the Colts who needed it. The Steelers were down by a bit and they did almost pull off a tie game and/or a win, a lot of questions remain if Justin Fields can remain the starter while Russell Wilson is waiting in the wings. I think the Steelers defense will be the key once again. If they can give Cordarrelle Patterson more touches they could win this one. I'll take the Steelers. 

All-time series: Cowboys lead 17-16

New Orleans (2-2) @ Kansas City (4-0) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Saints

The Saints lost to the Falcons and the Chiefs beat the Chargers last week. New Orleans really had a letdown against the Falcons. Their team really should've won against the Falcons. Their offense was the better of the two. Unfortunately a muffed punt and a pick-six doomed them and prevented them from doing what they should've done. Their offense laxed after the first half and let the Falcons hang around. Taysom Hill getting two touchdowns should've been more than enough for this offense to put up more than just 24 points. 

Kansas City keeps their undefeated season alive with a 4-0 record. Rashee Rice got injured last week and will be out for at least this game and possibly more. It looked pretty bad. On the plus side, Travis Kelce did get going in this game just didn't get a touchdown pass. Their offense will remain the same as it is. Their defense will have a solid test against the Saints offense. If they can shut down the run game and force Derek Carr to beat you in the air. They have a solid shot to win this one. New Orleans did have the highest scoring offense earlier this season. 

All-time series: Chiefs lead 7-5

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

CBS Early

Buffalo @ Houston
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Baltimore @ Cincinnati

Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville 

Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

CBS Late

Green Bay @ LA Rams

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

NY Giants @ Seattle 

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty

FOX Single

Miami @ New England

Chris Myers, Mark Sanchez

Carolina @ Chicago 

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Cleveland @ Washington 

Jason Benetti, Greg Olson

Arizona @ San Francisco (Late)

Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady

Las Vegas @ Denver (Late)

Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston 

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2024: Week 5 Maps

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 10-6

Total: 44-20

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2
2023: 161-111

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 5 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 1 Picks

Hello readers! Another NFL season is set to begin as the games that count are about to begin. Week 1 is the toughest week to predict for pick 'ems as teams can either turn out to be good or bad. It almost seems like Week 1 is like the 4th week of preseason for most teams. In this post I'll do a breakdown of the rules, my history of pick 'ems, a preview of the week and my picks for the games. It's plenty to cover but I'm excited to get into it. Let's get to work!

Pick 'Em Rules:

The rules for my pick 'ems are relatively simple. My pick 'ems are straight up and not based on betting lines. No money will be used. Betting lines are too confusing for me to understand, I prefer straight up. 

Picks must be submitted before said game(s) begin. I used to be more stingy with this rule in the past then the COVID season of 2020 happened. Such players on teams would get tested positive before a game that would directly effect the outcome. One example was the Patriots-Chiefs matchup in 2020. Thursday picks must be submitted prior to the game but Sunday picks can be submitted before the early games. 

Pick 'Em History:

The 2022 NFL Season will be my 9th season doing pick 'ems. I first started doing Pick 'Ems in 2012 when I used a WordPress blog. I used Wordpress from 2012 to 2014. I took a step back from Pick 'Ems for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After some convincing I came back to doing Pick 'Ems during the 2017 season on the Blogger platform. I've used Blogger ever since. 

Since 2017 I have done pick 'ems with my former roommate, Cardinal Viking, who won the Pick 'Ems in 2017. In 2018, we would finish the season with a tie. I would finally win the Pick 'Ems in 2019 and would win again in 2020 and 2021. Maybe 2022 will be the year that Cardinal Viking breaks out of the losing column. 

Week 1 Preview: 

The first week of the 2022 National Football League's regular season will start on September 8th and finish up on September 12th. All 32 teams will be playing in 16 games this week. There will be a Thursday night game, nine early games, four late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. Both FOX and CBS will have doubleheaders this week. Let's get to the picks!

Week 1 Picks:

Note: all game times are in US Eastern time. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate. 

Buffalo (0-0) @ LA Rams (0-0) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Bills
The regular season kicks off with the Rams defending their title against a solid Bills team that might've been the AFC's representative in last year's Super Bowl. It's looking like Matthew Stafford will be able to play in the game. He will need to be on the field as the Bills defense is solid. Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson will also be ready to play. Usually the home team wins on the Opening Night game so I'll give the Rams the nod.

Baltimore (0-0) @ NY Jets (0-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Ravens will have to go on the road to take on the Jets. With everyone set to go for the Ravens I would go with the Ravens. It is Week 1 and the Jets could very well play spoiler and notch a win. I don't think the Jets have that capability so I'll go with the Ravens.

Cleveland (0-0) @ Carolina (0-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers
The Baker Mayfield Revenge Game! Deshaun Watson will be serving that 11-game suspension in this one and the Browns will trot out Jacoby Brissett. Baker Mayfield will get the start against his former team. I will be giving the Panthers an edge as they do have the multiple capabilities of Christian McCaffrey and I tend to like the Panthers defense in this matchup. 

Indianapolis (0-0) @ Houston (0-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Colts
The Matt Ryan era starts in earnest against the hapless Texans. It feels like a trap game in the first week for the Colts as they could struggle to adjust to Ryan at quarterback. I don't think it'll be the case with this game but I could be wrong. I feel Jonathan Taylor will have a good day against the Texans rush defense. 

Jacksonville (0-0) @ Washington (0-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Jaguars
The first game of the Carson Wentz era starts in Washington as he leads the Commanders against the Jaguars. Jacksonville will have a better time in passing offense with the weapons that were picked up in the offseason. Wentz certainly started off poorly around this time last year and I think he will find some struggles in this game against a Jaguars team hungry for wins. 

New England (0-0) @ Miami (0-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Patriots
Tyreek Hill's first game as a Dolphin. New England made changes to the offense as Matt Patricia takes over for Josh McDaniels who left for Las Vegas. Mac Jones will likely struggle against the Dolphins who made improvements to their defense. I think it'll be a defensive struggle for both teams but I think the Dolphins come out on top. 

New Orleans (0-0) @ Atlanta (0-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Saints; CV: Saints
The Saints take on the Matt Ryan-less Falcons in this game. Matt Ryan won't be playing and Marcus Mariota will likely go as quarterback for the Falcons. I think it'll be a stressful season to be a Falcons fan as the roster that the Falcons have is just not that great. New Orleans seems to be on the right foot in terms of this game based on wide receivers. I'll take the Saints.

Philadelphia (0-0) @ Detroit (0-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Lions
The revamped Eagles go to Detroit and look to steal a win from the Lions. Philly made strides to their team in the offseason. Now is the time to see if those moves paid off. Aidan Hutchinson will make his debut as a Lion in this game and could be a factor in the Lions stealing this game. I don't think the Lions quite have that ability to beat the best teams in the NFC but I think they'll make noise. 

Pittsburgh (0-0) @ Cincinnati (0-0) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The AFC Champion Bengals take on the Steelers in a rivalry matchup. Last time the Steelers met the Bengals on the road it was a blowout. I think the game this go around will be different as they do have a younger quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky under center. I think the Bengals will be able to win it based on their offense vs the Steelers offense which might struggle with Trubisky under center. 

San Francisco (0-0) @ Chicago (0-0) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The game will feature two young quarterbacks in Trey Lance for the 49ers and Justin Fields for the Bears. The deciding factor in this game will be that Trey Lance will have a better supporting cast than Fields. It will also come down to how well the pressure that Lance may face as he will be given the keys to a high performance vehicle. I don't trust the Bears to do a lot of winning this season and this game might be the reason. 

Green Bay (0-0) @ Minnesota (0-0) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Packers
Its a classic rivalry game as the Packers travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. I feel both teams will have some struggles on offense that the two teams defenses will be better, specifically the Packers defense. The matchup that I will be watching is how well the Packers offense will do with the loss of Davante Adams. I think the Packers will struggle to move the ball so I'll take the Vikes in this game. 

Kansas City (0-0) @ Arizona (0-0) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Star power abound as Patrick Mahomes goes to the desert to take on Kyler Murray's Cardinals. It seems like this game is a matchup of defenses. If the Cardinals defense can cause havoc to Mahomes then they do have a good shot to win this game. For the Chiefs, just let Mahomes do Mahomes things in having him do what it takes to win a game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be a factor in this game. 

Las Vegas (0-0) @ LA Chargers (0-0) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Week 18 rematch! Last time these two teams met it was the Sunday night game in Week 18 that would've determined the fate for not just the Raiders and Chargers but also the Steelers. Justin Herbert and the Chargers really should've won that game as the Raiders were really letting that game slip through their fingers. Las Vegas has a new coach in Josh McDaniels which means that the offense will improve but also like his stint in Denver, it could backfire. I feel the Chargers will take the game based off of their offense. I'll take the Chargers. 

NY Giants (0-0) @ Tennessee (0-0) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The Daboll era in New York begins with a trip to the Music City to take on the Titans. Tennessee had a rollercoaster of a season last year. The factor for the 2022 Titans will be the health of Derrick Henry, without him the Titans are one dimensional. For the G-Men they have a running back who's looking to get back to form in Saquon Barkley. I think the Giants will be competitive in this game but I feel the Titans will come out on top. 

Tampa Bay (0-0) @ Dallas (0-0) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
Tom Brady's quest for ring #8 begins with a date with the Dallas Cowboys. The Buccaneers had a bit of a scare when Brady retired for a couple of months in the offseason. Fortunately for the fans, Brady had a change of heart. Tampa's roster has largely remained the same. For the Cowboys, the roster has seen some change as they had to shed talent due to the salary cap. I can't count out on Tom Brady so I'd take him in this game. 

Denver (0-0) @ Seattle (0-0) (ABC; 8:15 pm): TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos
To say this game has delicious storylines would be an understatement. Russell Wilson has a chance to beat the team that drafted him back in 2012. This will also be the Monday Night Football debut of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Both of them who had spent a majority of their broadcasting careers with FOX. Back to football, the game looks like a mismatch in terms of the quarterback position as Russell Wilson would seem to be the better quarterback than Drew Lock. On offense and defense I would say the Broncos have the better sides of the ball. It could be a rough night to be a Seahawks fan. 

NFL Early & Late Game Broadcast Pairings (games subject to change, check local listings, games in bold are being shown in my area): 

CBS Early:

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

New England @ Miami
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta

Baltimore @ NY Jets
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

Cleveland @ Carolina
Spero Dedes, Jay Feely

Indianapolis @ Houston
Tom McCarthy, Tiki Barber

CBS Late:

Kansas City @ Arizona
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Las Vegas @ LA Chargers
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

FOX Early:

San Francisco @ Chicago
Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

Philadelphia @ Detroit
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth

New Orleans @ Atlanta
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Jacksonville @ Washington
Chris Myers, Robert Smith

FOX Late:

Green Bay @ Minnesota
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

NY Giants @ Tennessee
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2022: Week 1 Maps

2022 Pick'em Records:

My record:

Week 1: 0-0

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 0-0

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1
2020: 167-88-1 
2021: 173-98-1

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 1 Recap post. Enjoy the games!

-Tom

NFL 2021 Week 4 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us. The week that will be features a fair amount of games that are worth watching. I'll be keeping an eye on the Panthers-Cowboys, Seahawks-49ers and of course the Buccaneers-Patriots matchups. In this post I'll do a preview of the week and my picks for the games. Let's get to work!

Week 4 Preview

The Fourth week of the NFL's regular season will start in Cincinnati, Ohio and finish in Inglewood, California. There will be a 16-game slate. No teams are on a bye this week. FOX will have the single game and CBS will carry the doubleheader this week. The week will feature a Thursday night game, nine early games, four late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. Let's get to the picks!

Week 4 Picks

NOTE: TW is me, CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate. All times are in US Eastern.

Jacksonville (0-3) @ Cincinnati (2-1) (NFL Network; 8:20 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The Jaguars lost to the Cardinals and the Bengals beat the Steelers last week. The last time that Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow met, they were still in college playing for a National Championship in 2020. Ultimately, I feel the Bengals have made a stride last week against the Steelers especially on defense and in the running game. If there was a game that the Jags could win it would be this one but Trevor Lawrence will need help on defense to give him a shot to win. I don't see it happening, I'll go with the Bungles. 

Carolina (3-0) @ Dallas (2-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Cowboys; CV: Panthers
Both teams won last week as the Panthers beat the Texans and the Cowboys beat the Eagles. Christian McCaffrey suffered a hamstring injury that will put him on the sidelines for a few weeks. That will put more load on Sam Darnold to do it. He seemed do handle it well last week but he's facing off against a Cowboys team that has improved on defense. I think it'll be a good game but I feel the loss of McCaffrey will hurt Carolina. 

Cleveland (2-1) @ Minnesota (1-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Browns
Both teams won last week as the Browns beat the Bears and the Vikings beat the Seahawks. Cleveland's defensive line had a field day against Justin Fields last week. They will have a tougher test against the Vikings who have found better balance on offense last week against Seattle. Cleveland possesses a strong running game with a Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt tandem that can easily get going early. It will be a test for the Vikings defense to stop them. If they do, they have a shot to win. 

Detroit (0-3) @ Chicago (1-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Lions
Both teams lost last week as the Lions lost to the Ravens and the Bears lost to the Browns. What a doozy of a matchup. Detroit has come close quite a few times this season to a win but somehow they screw it up. The best shot they have for a win this season is against a Bears team that looks lost both intentionally and unintentionally. The quarterback situation is a mess but the defense has been a bright spot in an otherwise miserable team. Lions seems to be the less banged up team. Placing a lot of risk in the Lions but I'll take them in this one.

Houston (1-2) @ Buffalo (2-1) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
Houston lost to the Panthers and the Bills beat the Football Team last week. Davis Mills will set himself on the road to Buffalo where it was inhospitable for Taylor Heinicke and Washington. Houston will need to get better production from their run game and certainly Davis Mills will need to get into rhythm and keep the Bills offense on the sidelines to have a shot to win. Josh Allen has been on a tear lately and the running game has played well. Usually winning the battle in the trenches will give you a good shot to win. I'll take the Bills.

Indianapolis (0-3) @ Miami (1-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Dolphins
Both teams lost last week as the Colts lost to the Titans and the Dolphins lost to the Raiders. Carson Wentz hasn't played terrible but hasn't been that good either. Indy has run into some tough competition to start the season like the Seahawks, Rams and Titans. This game will be a must-win for the Colts as the Dolphins are banged up on offense with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. It'll be a toss-up game but I think the team that has the ball last will win. 

Kansas City (1-2) @ Philadelphia (1-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Both teams lost as the Chiefs lost to the Chargers and the Eagles lost to the Cowboys. The two teams had a terrible time not turning the ball over last week. Seems like a bold strategy but the team that wins this game will turnover the ball the less. Good teams rebound after a tough loss and I think the Chiefs will have the means to rebound from it. Philly just didn't look that good against Dallas. Jalen Hurts will need to play better. 

NY Giants (0-3) @ New Orleans (2-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Saints; CV: Saints
The Giants lost to the Falcons and the Saints beat the Patriots last week. New York kept it close with Atlanta last week. It ultimately came down to a field goal in that game. Daniel Jones has done well enough to stay in games the Giants just seem so lackluster on offense. New Orleans will play their first home game since Hurricane Ida left the SuperDome with some damage as well as a fire to the building. It'll be a tense game but I think the Saints will give the Saints fans some joy. 

Tennessee (2-1) @ NY Jets (0-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans 
The Titans beat the Colts and the Jets lost to the Broncos last week. Tennessee has gotten off to a better showing so far this year and Derrick Henry has lead the way. Ryan Tannehill didn't look as solid as he had with two interceptions last week against the Colts. He will need to play better. New York looks to be a team that has high hopes but low on the talent scale. How bad can the Jets be this season? Like not win a game this year bad. 

Washington (1-2) @ Atlanta (1-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Football Team; CV: Football Team
The Football Team lost to the Bills and the Falcons beat the Giants last week. Washington didn't get beat last week, they were embarrassed. The defense looked off and the offense didn't fare much better. They have a chance to rebound against a Falcons team that had some life on both sides of the ball. Matt Ryan has shown flashes of brilliance and some flashes of ineptness. This will be toss-up game but I think the running game of Washington will be the deciding factor. 

Arizona (3-0) @ LA Rams (3-0) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Cardinals
Both teams won last week as the Cardinals beat the Jaguars and the Rams beat the Buccaneers. The first of two NFC West matchups this week. Arizona has done their damage on the passing game with the run game playing a secondary role. Arizona has seen some stellar play on defense. Their biggest test of the season so far will come against the Los Angeles Rams. Matthew Stafford has had a renaissance in LA and his team has backed him up on it. I feel the Rams are the more battle tested team and the Cardinals will need to play error-free football to have them a shot to win. I don't see it happening. 

Seattle (1-2) @ San Francisco (2-1) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: Seahawks
Both teams lost last week as the Seahawks lost to the Vikings and the 49ers lost to the Packers. The second of two matchups in the NFC West. Despite the absence of Elijah Mitchell due to a shoulder injury, the 49ers stayed with the Packers until the end. Seattle comes into this one with back-to-back losses. The Seahawks defense looked lost against the Vikings. San Francisco had meager production from Trey Sermon. It'll be a toss-up but I think the 49ers get a close win. 

Baltimore (2-1) @ Denver (3-0) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
Last week the Ravens beat the Lions and the Broncos beat the Jets. Justin Tucker's leg would give the Ravens the edge last week. Hopefully for Baltimore that won't happen again. Standing in their way is the Denver Broncos who's currently holding an undefeated record after beating the Giants, Jaguars and Jets (a combined 0-9 record mind you). This game will be a test as to how well the Broncos can be as the Ravens aren't no Jets or Giants squad. Denver will need to limit the arm or legs of Lamar Jackson to win this one. For the Ravens, they will need to get better production from their running game. 

Pittsburgh (1-2) @ Green Bay (2-1) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Packers
The Steelers lost to the Bengals and the Packers beat the 49ers last week. Last time Aaron Rodgers played against Ben Roethlisberger was in Super Bowl XLV. Pittsburgh's offense is off to a slow, bad start with some key injuries on defense. Green Bay's offense seems to be back to the hustle that we've been so accustomed to. Green Bay's keys will have to be winning the battle in the trenches and force Big Ben to throw the ball. For the Steelers it will have to be better offensive line play and try to get the ball to Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers tight end. 

Tampa Bay (2-1) @ New England (1-2) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
Both teams lost last week as the Buccaneers lost to the Rams and the Patriots lost to the Saints. The one game that's been on everyone's radar since Tom Brady signed on to become a Buccaneer in March 2020. He will go into the place where he had won six Super Bowls and against the coach that he had helped win those six. Game wise, the Buccaneers seem to be the better team on both sides of the ball. New England will have Mac Jones playing quarterback in this one. Jones will need to have make better decisions as the Bucs defense are fairly good at playing defense. Ultimately, I think Tom Brady will have the last laugh in this one and beat his former team. 

Las Vegas (3-0) @ LA Chargers (2-1) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders
The Raiders beat the Dolphins and the Chargers beat the Chiefs last week. Week 4 finishes up with a good matchup in the AFC West. Las Vegas comes into the game playing well against great competition. Los Angeles comes into playing good football beating the defending conference champion Kansas City Chiefs on the road. The game feels like it'll be a shootout as both teams have passing attacks that can score often. Ultimately, I think the Raiders will win by the last possession. 

Early & Late Game TV Matchups (courtesy of 506sports.com):

NOTE: Local TV listings for my area are in bold

CBS Early

Kansas City @ Philadelphia
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Cleveland @ Minnesota
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Tennessee @ NY Jets
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta

Indianapolis @ Miami
Spero Dedes, Jay Feely

Houston @ Buffalo
Beth Mowins, Tiki Barber

CBS Late

Pittsburgh @ Green Bay
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Baltimore @ Denver
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

FOX Single

Carolina @ Dallas
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

NY Giants @ New Orleans
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Washington @ Atlanta
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Detroit @ Chicago
Gus Johnson, Aqib Talib

Seattle @ San Francisco (LATE)
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth

Arizona @ LA Rams (LATE)
Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2021: Week 4 Maps

2021 Pick'em Records:

My record:

Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6

Total: 27-21

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-10
Week 2: 12-4
Week 3: 13-3

Total: 31-17

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

See you guys after the Monday night game for the Week 4 Recap post. Enjoy the games!

-Tom

UPDATE #1: Made correction about Rodgers vs Roethlisberger being the 5th time that both quarterbacks met. Haven't played against each other since Super Bowl XLV.

NFL 2021 Week 3 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has passed us by. The week that was featured some suprises, some upsets, as well as a field-goal that is sure to stand the test of time. Last week, Cardinal Viking beat me by a few games, we shall see if I can regain some lost ground this week. In this post, I'll do a recap of the week's action. Let's get to work!

Week 3 Recap

Carolina 24, Houston 9: TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers
Carolina is 3-0 for the first time since 2015. It was another superb job by Sam Darnold who threw for 304 yards and rushed for 11 yards with two touchdowns. Chuba Hubbard (cool name man) was the leading rusher for the Panthers with 52 yards. Star Christian McCaffrey would leave the game with a hamstring injury. Davis Mills would get the start for Houston and did alright with 168 yards with a touchdown. Houston wouldn't get a lot going on the ground as Mark Ingram was held to 21 yards. The loss of Christian McCaffrey could be a factor going forward but Sam Darnold has been playing well for Carolina. 

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

Next week:
Carolina: @ Dallas
Houston: @ Buffalo

Arizona 31, Jacksonville 19: TW: Cardinals; CV: Cardinals
It was a game of a Pick-Six and a Kick-Six. Kyler Murray threw for 316 yards with an interception. He also rushed for 19 yards with a touchdown. James Conner would have leading rusher honors with 43 yards with two touchdowns. Before halftime, Cardinals kicker Matt Prater attempted a 68-yard field goal. Jamal Agnew, Jaguars kick returner, would run it back for 109 yards for a touchdown. Trevor Lawrence threw for 219 yards with a touchdown and had two interceptions. One of the interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Byron Murphy. It was kind of an ugly win for Kyler Murray but it was a team win for Arizona. 

TW: 2-0; CV: 2-0

Next week:
Arizona: vs LA Rams
Jacksonville: @ Cincinnati

Atlanta 17, NY Giants 14: TW: Giants; CV: Falcons
It was to be Eli Manning day in Giants Stadium. Atlanta had other ideas. Matt Ryan had a good day throwing the ball with 243 yards with two touchdowns, the only offensive points that the Falcons would need. Mike Davis rushed for 50 yards with 12 carries. Daniel Jones wasn't able to conjure up some inner Eli Manning in him as he threw for 266 yards. It was a positive note for Saquon Barkley as he rushed for 51 yards with a touchdown run. His first since 2019. Giants kicker Graham Gano would hit 2-for-2 on field goals. 

TW: 2-1; CV: 3-0

Next week:
Atlanta: vs Washington
NY Giants: @ New Orleans

Baltimore 19, Detroit 17: TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
It was a crazy way to win and a crazy way to lose for one of the teams that played in Ford Field that Sunday. Lamar Jackson threw for 287 yards with a touchdown and had an interception. He was also the leading rusher in the game again as he rushed for 58 yards. Justin Tucker was called upon to try an almost guaranteed miss from 66 yards. It would be all that he needed as the football would hit the top of the post and go through. It would become an NFL-record for field goal distance. Jared Goff threw for 217 yards. Dandre Swift rushed for 47 yards with a touchdown and Jamaal Williams rushed for 42 yards with a touchdown. The field goal attempt almost never happened as the referees didn't call a delay of game penalty on Baltimore. 

TW: 3-1; CV: 4-0

Next week:
Baltimore: @ Denver
Detroit: @ Chicago

Chicago 6, Cleveland 26: TW: Browns; CV: Browns
Justin Tucker's field goal had more yardage to it than the Bears would produce on the ground. Justin Fields would get the start for Chicago and would finish with 68 yards passing with 12 yards rushing. David Montgomery rushed for 34 yards. Baker Mayfield threw for 246 yards with a touchdown. Nick Chubb rushed for 84 yards and Kareem Hunt rushed for 81 yards with a touchdown. Browns defensive end, Myles Garrett, made sure that the rookie quarterback wasn't comfortable all afternoon as Garrett finished with 4.5 sacks (a franchise record) as well as six tackles. 

TW: 4-1; CV: 5-0

Next week:
Chicago: vs Detroit
Cleveland: @ Minnesota

Cincinnati 24, Pittsburgh 10: TW: Steelers; CV: Bengals
It was a showcase party for the Bengals defense. Joe Burrow had one of his best starts in his career as he finished with 172 yards passing with three touchdowns and an interception. Joe Mixon finished with 90 yards rushing, his longest was from 27 yards. Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson had two interceptions in the game. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 318 yards with a touchdown and had two interceptions. It was another long day for first-round pick Najee Harris as he would only get to 40 yards rushing. Harris had a better day catching balls from Roethlisberger with 102 receiving yards. 

TW: 4-2; CV: 6-0

Next week:
Cincinnati: vs Jacksonville
Pittsburgh: @ Green Bay

Indianapolis 16, Tennessee 25: TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The Colts had their opportunities to win, they just never converted them when it mattered most. Carson Wentz would finish the day with 194 yards passing but didn't throw a touchdown pass but didn't throw an interception either. The Colts got a good day from Jonathan Taylor with 64 yards rushing. Nyheim Hines rushed for 25 yards with a touchdown. Ryan Tannehill threw for 197 yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions. Derrick Henry rushed for 113 yards but wouldn't get a touchdown run. 

TW: 5-2; CV: 7-0

Next week:
Indianapolis: @ Miami
Tennessee: @ NY Jets

LA Chargers 30, Kansas City 24: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Who would've thought the Chiefs would be at 1-2 through three weeks? Justin Herbert had 281 yards passing with four touchdown passes. Austin Ekeler rushed for 55 yards for the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes was mostly on during the game and off on some. He finished with 260 yards passing with three touchdowns but also had two interceptions in the game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire hit the century mark with 100 yards rushing in the game. Perhaps some hangover from the Super Bowl loss or that the AFC West got better. 

TW: 5-3; CV: 7-1

Next week:
LA Chargers: vs Las Vegas
Kansas City: @ Philadelphia

New Orleans 28, New England 13: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
Rebound game for Jameis Winston. Winston threw for 128 yards with two touchdowns. Alvin Kamara rushed for 89 yards and Taysom Hill rushed for 32 yards with a touchdown run. Mac Jones threw for 270 yards with a touchdown pass and had three interceptions in the game. Not quite a good game for him. Jones was also the leading rusher for the Pats with 28 yards. Next week for New England isn't just another week as some guy named Tom Brady comes back to face his former team. Sarcasm of course. 

TW: 5-4; CV: 7-2

Next week:
New Orleans: vs NY Giants
New England: vs Tampa Bay 

Washington 21, Buffalo 43: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
It was the Taylor Heinicke show for Washington and not much else. Taylor Heinicke threw for 212 years with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 21 yards with a rushing touchdown accounting for all of Washington's points. Antonio Gibson was the leading rusher with 31 yards. Josh Allen was masterful of the Bills offense as he threw for 358 yards with four touchdowns. Zach Moss was the leading rusher for the Bills with 60 yards. Cole Beasley was the leading receiver with 98 yards. 

TW: 6-4; CV: 8-2

Next week:
Washington: @ Atlanta
Buffalo: vs Houston

Miami 28, Las Vegas 31 (F/OT): TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders
The Raiders are 3-0 for the first time since 2002. Jacoby Brissett was the starter in place of Tua Tagovailoa. He had 215 yards passing as well as 37 yards rushing with a touchdown. Myles Gaskin rushed for 65 yards for the Dolphins. A questionable call would come from Brian Flores attempting to throw a screen pass in their own endzone. It would end up being a safety. Derek Carr threw for 386 yards with two touchdowns and had an interception. The interception ended up being a pick-six by Elandon Roberts. Peyton Barber rushed for 111 yards with a touchdown. The deciding score was from a Daniel Carlson field goal from 22 yards. Should be noted that the Raiders in 2002 went to the Super Bowl to take on Tampa Bay. Just saying. 

TW: 7-4; CV: 9-2

Next week:
Miami: vs Indianapolis
Las Vegas: @ LA Chargers

NY Jets 0, Denver 26: TW: Broncos; CV: Broncos
Denver is 3-0 for the first time since 2016. Zach Wilson threw for 160 yards and had two interceptions in the game. His pass protection wouldn't help him as he got sacked four times. New York's running game would once again not get a lot of help as Michael Carter rushed for 24 yards in the game. Teddy Bridgewater however did fare better than his counterpart as he threw for 235 yards. Melvin Gordon rushed for 61 yards with a touchdown and Javonte Williams rushed for 29 yards with a touchdown. The 2021 New York Jets might give the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns a run for their money if they keep this up and go 0-17.

TW: 8-4; CV: 10-2

Next week:
NY Jets: vs Tennessee
Denver: vs Baltimore

Seattle 17, Minnesota 30: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Can't lose a game by a field goal when your team is ahead by 13 points. Russell Wilson was on a great track going into the game and finished with 298 yards with a touchdown pass. Chris Carson had a solid game with 80 yards rushing. DK Metcalf had 107 yards receiving with a touchdown. His longest was from 30 yards. Kirk Cousins threw for 323 yards with three touchdowns. Alexander Mattison rushed for 112 yards in the game. Dalvin Cook would not play the game due to an injury. Justin Jefferson had 118 yards receiving with a touchdown. 

TW: 9-4; CV: 11-2

Next week:
Seattle: @ San Francisco
Minnesota: vs Cleveland

Tampa Bay 24, LA Rams 34: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Rams
The Rams really dominated this game and the score didn't really show it enough. Tom Brady would have a good day for the air with 432 yards with a touchdown. He was also the leading rusher with 14 yards with a touchdown. Chris Godwin would get a rushing touchdown on a 2-yard play. Matthew Stafford continued his hot start with a 343 yard, four touchdown performance. Former Patriot Sony Michel rushed for 67 yards in the game. The defending champs lose for the first time this season, perhaps a wakeup call. 

TW: 9-5; CV: 12-2

Next week:
Tampa Bay: @ New England
LA Rams: vs Arizona

Green Bay 30, San Francisco 28: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The 49ers felt safe with 37 seconds left in the game to celebrate. Aaron Rodgers felt otherwise. The Packer quarterback threw for 261 yards with two touchdown passes. Aaron Jones rushed for 82 yards with a touchdown run. The Packers defense did a good job in pass defense and especially in rush defense. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 257 yards with two touchdowns and had an interception in the game. Trey Sermon rushed for 31 yards with a touchdown run. The winning score would come on a 51-yard field goal from Mason Crosby. 

TW: 9-6; CV: 12-3

Next week:
Green Bay: vs Pittsburgh
San Francisco: vs Seattle

Philadelphia 21, Dallas 41: TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys
The last time Dak Prescott played at home, he would have a season ending injury. For this game, he made sure to put on a show for the Cowboys faithful. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 326 yards with two touchdowns with two interceptions. One of the interceptions was a pick-six by Trevon Diggs who would take it into the endzone for 60 yards. Jalen Hurts also rushed for 35 yards in the game. Dak Prescott would finish the game with 238 yards with three touchdowns. The game would also see a revitalization of Ezekiel Elliot as the runner would get 95 yards rushing with two touchdowns on the ground. 

TW: 10-6; CV: 13-3

Next week:
Philadelphia: vs Kansas City
Dallas: vs Carolina

2021 Pick'em Records:

My record:

Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6

Total: 27-21

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-10
Week 2: 12-4
Week 3: 13-3

Total: 31-17

Previous Picking Records:

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

See you all on Wednesday for the Week 4 Picks post! 

-Tom

NFL 2020 Offseason Thoughts

Hello readers! It has been a fair while since I had last wrote on this blog. Days and months have passed since I wrote back in February on the Kansas City Chiefs victory in Super Bowl LIV over the San Francisco 49ers. In this post I'll talk about: Tom Brady, my take on the coronavirus pandemic and how it could affect the 2020 season, and my thoughts on making the season more fan friendly.

Brady taking his talents to Tampa

Tom Brady has been in the NFL for 20 seasons. For the 100+ years that the National Football League has existed, Tom Brady has been in it for 1/5th of its history. How about that for crazy stats. For 20 seasons he played for the New England Patriots, a franchise who's best known player was offensive guard John Hannah (if you've never heard of him, check him out). Brady helped put the Patriots on the map and gave Boston area fans a reason to watch football on Sundays.

In March, Tom Brady bid farewell to the team that he helped lead to countless victories, including six Super Bowl wins, including nine Super Bowl appearances. The rumors of his departure were ever growing when last fall he put his house up for sale. Once the news broke, the media went into a frenzy. Once the hardy veteran's contract with the Patriots was up, he became for the first time in his career, a free agent.

I could imagine there were a few teams that wanted him, but I felt that he knew all along that he wanted to be a Buccaneer. Who could blame him for wanting to go there? He has one of the best wide receivers in the game in Mike Evans along with former Patriot teammate Rob Gronkowski. Tampa Bay has an underrated defense as well, finishing the 2019 season as the best rush defense in the league, only allowing 73.8 yards/game. Along with head coach Bruce Arians, the Bucs look to make some noise in the NFC South.

The After-Brady Era 

The loss of Brady will hurt but it was to be expected. There was no "Brady riding off into the sunset" victory last season. If Brady truly wanted to retire, he would've after Super Bowl LIII. Patriots head coach Bill Belichek has won games before Brady, and it would to be expected that he will win games after Brady.

The team that Belichek has is still relatively good. They still have the hallmark Belichek defense that from top to bottom has great depth and uses many packages to confuse offenses. It is more of how well the offense can do.

Before July, it had been assumed that Jarrett Stidham would be Tom Brady's successor in New England. All that changed on July 2nd when former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton signed a 1-year deal with the Patriots. The 10th year passer out of Auburn will compete against Stidham along with Brian Hoyer for the starting quarterback role in New England.

I feel there's a few reasons why Cam Newton came to New England. First was the fact that the Patriots, in my opinion, was like an island of misfit toys of sorts, when other teams discarded their players, they found success in New England. All you have to look is Rodney Harrison who was discarded by the Chargers in March 2003, eleven months later he would end up helping the Patriots win their 2nd championship. Bill Belichek always gave you a 2nd chance if he felt that you still had something left in the tank. A sort of 21st century version of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970's.

2nd reason was that the Patriots are a stable franchise that can help him with his mechanics, help him be a better player for them. It should be a fact that the most successful teams in any sense of the word, starts from the top and works their way to the bottom. If you have a stable front office/leadership then people will gravitate towards that. People tend to like places where there isn't a lot of drama or weak leadership.

Coronavirus and the NFL

If you've been living in a cave or under a bridge for the past several months, you've more than likely noticed that there's a pandemic going on. It has certainly affected local, state, national and international governments. The way that the pandemic has been going on in the US has been less than satisfactory. While I won't go into the political side of the issue, I do believe that things haven't gotten better in the United States, compared to other countries. Be smart, where a mask if you have to go out in public.

I think the NFL will be watching how well the other three major sports leagues will handle their situations. The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League will have restarts to their seasons later this month and Major League Baseball will start its season on Thursday the 23rd (I'm writing this as of the 18th). If it proves to be successful, then there should a good chance that the football season will start as scheduled come September. If it doesn't, then there could be problems.

There could be a possible reduction to the season where perhaps the only games will be divisional games or rather teams will play teams in close proximity to each other, to lessen the spread. The ultimate worst case scenario is that won't be no football this season. It is rather difficult to see how well things will go come September. American football is not exactly a sport where "social distancing" is a thing that is practiced all that often. Just imagine Aaron Rodgers telling Anthony Barr to practice social distancing while Rodgers hits Devantae Adams for a touchdown. In other words, it ain't gonna happen.

The Fan Experience

The major sports leagues in the US will more than likely have to have no fans in the stands for games. This will likely be none the truer than in the NFL. Since the possibility of no fans in the stands is in all likelihood, I've come up with a few ways to possibly make the fan experience better and help take our minds off of the problems of the outside world.

Cheaper price for NFL Sunday Ticket: The fact that you have to pay so much money for a TV package like Sunday Ticket is outrageous, let alone during a pandemic. It sucks that you have to be a Jets fan in Colorado or a Bears fan in Texas. It sucks that you have to pay close to 400 bucks for a whole season, hell it even sucks for those fans that can't even go to the games this season. You want to get fans interested in your league, make it cheaper, especially since many people right now are out of work.

Lessen the crowd noise: I don't really like artificial crowd noise. Hell, I hate it when teams put in crowd noise to drown out the fans in the stadium. I want to hear the players mic'd up. I want to hear them say words that you wouldn't say to your own grandmother. I want to hear them make adjustments as the game goes on.

Bring back vintage uniforms: I like history. I enjoy watching old NFL films productions. Bring back old school uniforms. I want to see uniforms that teams wore in their early years.

Bring back Monday Night Football on ABC: There's a reason why ESPN shows their Wild Card game on their network and ABC, TO INCREASE VIEWERSHIP. It sucks that its on cable and not on an ABC affiliate. Monday is usually the last time you get to watch football until Thursday. Just for this season have it be on ABC/ESPN simulcast.

Let fans make the call: This one perhaps could be a iffy. There's no question that NFL officiating has been questionable over the last few years, let alone decades. You want to gauge fan interest, let them vote on the call on whether or not a player caught the ball or not. Let them decide on a fumble.

The next post that will happen will more than likely happen later this month. Once training camps start happening I'll talk more. Eventually, I'll get into my preseason picks and my picks for the weekly games. Until then, thank you for reading and I'll see you all on the next post.

-Tom

NFL 2019 Week 13 Picks

Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. There is only five more weeks of regular season left in the season and the playoff picture is still hazy as many divisions are very tight. This post will be a fairly long one as there will be a NFL 100 Spotlight, a Thanksgiving tradition in which what all 32 teams are thankful for, and my picks for the Week 13 games. Let's get to work!

NFL 100: A Spotlight

The 1980's was a turning point in the NFL. The previous decade brought much dominance from the American Football Conference. While the AFC would win two more Super Bowl's in the 1980's, the decade belonged to the National Football Conference. The team that would dominate the decade would be the San Francisco 49ers.

In 1979, the San Francisco 49ers hired Bill Walsh to help reverse the course of the franchise. San Francisco's playoff success in the early 70's took a turn for the worst by the mid to late 1970's. Bill Walsh, who made a name for himself as the offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1975, made it a point to help revamp the 49ers offense.

In the draft,  Bill Walsh drafted Joe Montana and Dwight Clark. The arrival of the two wouldn't cause an immediate impact as the 49ers finished 1979 with a 2-14 record. When the team won it's 2nd game the fans stormed Candlestick Park, tore down the goalposts and the 49ers players carried Bill Walsh off the field. It perhaps was a foreshadow of what was about to come for the coming decade.

By 1980, the franchise was finally putting fans in the stands as the 49ers offense was putting points on the board. The problem was that their defense couldn't stop opposing offenses from scoring points. San Francisco would finish the season with a 6-10 record.

In 1981, Bill Walsh would draft his defense, particularly the secondary, with such players like Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright. Their new players along with additions like Fred Dean and Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds they were the surprise story in 1981 with a 13-3 record. They would beat the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, the latter game would be known as "The Catch" as Joe Montana hit Dwight Clark for a game-winning touchdown. They would beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.

The next two seasons wouldn't see a Super Bowl championship for San Francisco. In 1982, the 49ers failed to recapture the magic that the previous year found as the 49ers finished 3-6 in the strike-shortened season. The next season would see the 49ers return to success as they finished with a 10-6 record with a division title. They would beat the Detroit Lions in the divisional playoffs but would lose to the Washington Redskins on a questionable pass interference call.

In 1984, the 49ers returned to glory as both their defense and offense dominated the competition with a 15-1 record. They beat the New York Giants and Chicago Bears in the playoffs with scores of 21-10 and 23-0 respectively. They were back in the Super Bowl.

For the 49ers in Super Bowl XIX, their star quarterback in Joe Montana played 2nd fiddle to Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who had a successful season. The 1984 Dolphins offense was one of the best in NFL history and made records that stood until the 2007 Patriots broke them. San Francisco's defense would cause havoc against Marino and wouldn't have a great game. Joe Montana, on the other hand, would have one of his greatest games as the 49ers would rout the Dolphins 38-16.

The next three seasons would bring change as the 49ers began to revamp their roster. In 1985, the 49ers drafted a diamond in the rough in Jerry Rice. The 49ers would finish the season with a 10-6 record but would lose to the Giants in the Wild Card round.

In the 1986 draft, the 49ers would draft Charles Haley, Tom Rathman, and John Taylor to help revamp the roster where older veterans would retire. The season was much of the same as the 49ers won the division by a 10-5-1 record. They would lose to the Giants in one of the worst losses in the Bill Walsh era as they were routed 49-3. One of the reasons for the loss was that Joe Montana was knocked out of the game.

The 1987 draft was somewhat of a quiet one as the 49ers would draft Harris Barton out of North Carolina. However, the team traded for Steve Young from Tampa Bay. The team finished with the best record in the strike-shorted season with a 13-2 record. San Francisco's season would end in one of the biggest playoff upsets as the Minnesota Vikings won on the road by a score of 36-24. Joe Montana struggled during the game and Steve Young wouldn't play savior either. Bill Walsh was stripped of his team president badge and there was much doubt whether or not the 49ers were finished.

The 1988 season would see much doubt as Bill Walsh alternated Steve Young and Joe Montana at quarterback. The carousel would match the record as the 49ers limped with a 10-6 record. There was doubt if the 49ers would win the Super Bowl. Joe Montana would recover and return to his past self late in the season and well into the playoffs. They would get their revenge over the Vikings and beat the Bears in the NFC championship game.

Their opponent in Super Bowl XXIII was a familiar one as the Cincinnati Bengals looked to get their revenge over their loss in Super Bowl XVI. They were also coached by Sam Wyche, Joe Montana's former quarterbacks coach. Montana would lead the 49ers on a game-winning drive to beat the Bengals 20-16. The game would be Bill Walsh's last as head coach.

In 1989, the 49ers would continue their momentum and plowed through the competition with a 14-2 record. George Seifert was named head coach. They would beat the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams by scores of 41-13 and 30-3 respectively. Super Bowl XXIV would be one of the biggest routs in NFL history as the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10 to close out the decade.

While the 49ers in the 1980's weren't quite the dynasty in terms of "X number of championships in less than 5-6 years" they were rather a dominant team that had much success in the decade, rather than being dominant in a period of the decade like the 2000's Patriots or the 1990's Cowboys. Truly the centerpiece for their team was the duo of Joe Montana and Bill Walsh.

Thanksgiving: NFL Style

When I restarted doing blogs on the NFL back in 2017, I made it a tradition to have a "Thanksgiving" portion of the blog where all 32 teams had something to be thankful for. Since everyone has something to be thankful for things like: health, family, friends, etc. This is essentially the same for NFL teams. Here's the list:

Arizona Cardinals: That you have a competent quarterback that you should keep for longer than a year. Seriously give him some help.

Atlanta Falcons: You've had a bad season but you did beat the Saints in the SuperDome in one of the biggest upsets of the season. You have that.

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar fucking Jackson! Enough said.

Buffalo Bills: You've had a soft schedule but you almost beat New England at home. Josh Allen is reasonably good quarterback, give him some help.

Carolina Panthers: You may have found a diamond in the rough in terms of Kyle Allen but more importantly you have Christian McCaffrey as a potential MVP candidate.

Chicago Bears: The Mitchell Trubisky era might be over... soon... eventually.

Cincinnati Bengals: You might be in the running for the #1 pick in the draft!

Cleveland Browns: You still have a shot to make the playoffs despite all the hype that you've gotten.

Dallas Cowboys: The Jason Garrett era might be over... eventually.

Denver Broncos: There's a plethora of quarterbacks in the draft... that John Elway will take another shot at.

Detroit Lions: Can't lose in the playoffs if you're not in the playoffs. Smart move.

Green Bay Packers: Matt LeFleur and Aaron Jones.

Houston Texans: DeShaun Watson has the possiblity to lead you into a division title while your division is terrible.

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck might've retired but the fact that you're at where you're at is more than enough to be thankful.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Gardner Minshew for giving you four of the four wins you have right now.

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes, otherwise your inept running game and defense would see this team below .500

Los Angeles Chargers: You're not likely going to go to London but Los Angeles isn't exactly your home either. You could always move back to San Di... oh that's right. :-(

Los Angeles Rams: You've had a rough season but you get to move into a new stadium next year.

Miami Dolphins: You're not going to be the first team to have teams that went 17-0 and 0-16 as a franchise.

Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins resurgence as a passer and Dalvin Cook.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady. You're spoiled as fuck.

New Orleans Saints: Teddy Bridgewater keeping you in the playoff hunt.

New York Giants: Danny Dimes.

New York Jets: Adam Gase is eventually going to be fired... right?

Oakland Raiders: You could potentially still be in the playoffs in your last season at Oakland.

Philadelphia Eagles: Your wide receivers could find their 2nd calling as jugglers since... they drop balls.

Pittsburgh Steelers: You still could get in the playoffs despite losing Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown in the offseason while losing Ben Roethlisberger to injury.

San Francisco 49ers: Your team is reminiscent of those 80's and 90's teams.

Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston throwing a touchdown pass. Pretty much any pass in general is reason to be thankful for.

Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill has given new life to your offense and you're one of the hotter teams in the NFL.

Washington Redskins: Your team sucks but eventually Daniel Snyder has to go away (whether it'll be death, selling the team). At least you have the Capitals and the Nationals to give you attention.

Week 13 Picks!

Week 13 in the NFL regular season will start in Detroit, Michigan and ends in Seattle, Washington. No teams are on a bye week. There will be three Thursday games, eight early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. CBS will have the double-header this week while FOX will have the single, regional game. Here are the picks!

Chicago (5-6) @ Detroit (3-7-1) (FOX): TW: Bears; CV: Bears

The Bears beat the Giants and the Lions lost to the Redskins last week. Thanksgiving starts off with a decent match-up with two NFC North rivals. I feel the Bears will get it done based on their defense. Plus, the Lions are starting David Blough whom I had no idea who he was until now. Sorry Lions.

Buffalo (8-3) @ Dallas (6-5) (CBS): TW: Cowboys; CV: Bills

The Bills beat the Broncos and the Cowboys lost to the Patriots last week. The "turkey in your system forcing you to sleep" game features a match-up that the Cowboys should win. Buffalo hasn't played a solid team and won in the same game. I can't trust them. I feel if the Cowboys can get Ezekiel Elliot going and create balance on offense and make Josh Allen beat you, then Dallas has a shot to win.

New Orleans (9-2) @ Atlanta (3-8) (NBC): TW: Saints; CV: Saints

The Saints beat the Panthers and the Falcons lost to the Buccaneers last week. While you're out shopping for gifts, this game will be on. This game wouldn't have much storylines had the Saints beat the Falcons a few weeks ago. The game will be a grand revenge game for New Orleans who upset them at home. Go get 'em.

San Francisco (10-1) @ Baltimore (9-2) (FOX): TW: Ravens; CV: 49ers

Both teams got wins last week as the 49ers beat the Packers and the Ravens beat the Rams. A really good early game to watch if you're bored. The 49ers are traveling cross-country and we will learn a lot about their rush defense and how they can defend against Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram. I feel the jet lag will effect them the way that Oakland had last week.

Tampa Bay (4-7) @ Jacksonville (4-7) (FOX): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Jaguars

The Buccaneers beat the Falcons and the Jaguars lost to the Titans. Nick Foles has yet to get a win in his tenure at Jacksonville. In general, I like the Bucs pass offense as they do have some great weapons in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and a running game to match. Jaguars defense is not good.

Tennessee (6-5) @ Indianapolis (6-5) (CBS): TW: Titans; CV: Colts

The Titans beat the Jaguars and Colts lost to the Texans last week. The Colts rush defense will have their hands full in this one as the Titans have a great running attack. The Colts will need to find a capable back to ease some pressure off of Jacoby Brissett. Ultimately, I like the Titans running game and their quarterback Ryan Tannehill has done well in Marcus Mariota's stead.

Washington (2-9) @ Carolina (5-6) (CBS): TW: Panthers, CV: Panthers

The Redskins beat the Lions and the Panthers lost to the Saints last week. The game is a mismatch on offense as the Panthers have balance on offense, while the Redskins... don't. Washington's defense could make this game interesting and close but I don't see them slowing or stopping Christian McCaffrey.

Philadelphia (5-6) @ Miami (2-9) (FOX): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles

Both teams lost last week as the Eagles lost to the Seahawks and the Dolphins lost to the Browns. The game is a must win for the Eagles if they want to stay with the Cowboys in the division race. It will take a lot of luck for them to get a wild card spot. Miami isn't quite the team to match with the Eagles but this game could be an upset if you're not too careful. I'll take the safe bet with Philly.

NY Jets (4-7) @ Cincinnati (0-11) (CBS): TW: Jets; CV: Jets

The Jets beat the Raiders and the Bengals lost to the Steelers last week. If there was a game where the Bengals could get win #1, it is this one. It's a long shot but its better than 0% chance. Unfortunately, I like the Jets in their pass offense and their overall defense. I'm gonna take the safe bet again and take the Jets.

Green Bay (8-3) @ NY Giants (2-9) (FOX): TW: Packers; CV:  Packers

Both teams lost last week as the Packers lost to the 49ers and the Giants lost to the Bears. Green Bay had its worst showing last week and they're heading into a period of playing weaker teams in the schedule. Aaron Rodgers and the offense needs to play better and get back to the plays that made them an 8-3 team. Green Bay's defense should be alright as the Giants offense outside of Saquon Barkley pose a tremendous threat.

Cleveland (5-6) @ Pittsburgh (6-5) (CBS): TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers

Both teams got wins last week as the Browns beat the Dolphins and the Steelers beat the Bengals. The game will have intensity but not the "helmet swinging" intensity as the last game. Cleveland could very well win the game but they haven't done well on the road with a 2-3 record so far. Devlin Hodges has a small sample size of tape but I feel that Hodges is a winner and can play confident in this game. The loss of Myles Garrett due to the suspension will hurt the Browns defense. If the Steelers defense can cause havoc against the Browns offense, they got a good chance to win.

LA Rams (6-5) @ Arizona (3-7-1) (FOX): TW: Rams; CV: Rams

The Rams lost to the Ravens and the Cardinals were on a bye last week. Arizona will have an extra week of rest while the Rams look to redeem themselves after a terrible loss. I think the Rams will win based on their running game and a capable quarterback that can throw to his receivers. I don't like the Rams chances if they let the Cardinals hang around in this game as Kyler Murray can get it done with his legs and arm.

LA Chargers (4-7) @ Denver (3-8) (CBS): TW: Chargers; CV: Broncos

The Chargers were on a bye and the Broncos lost to the Bills last week. Phillip Rivers had pretty bad game against the Chiefs two weeks ago and the Broncos defense are hungry for his mistakes. Denver has a pretty good running game and its hard to say which team's run game will win the game. I tend to lean the Chargers as they do have a decent defense.

Oakland (6-5) @ Kansas City (7-4) (CBS): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Raiders lost to the Jets and the Chiefs were on a bye last week. The Raiders-Chiefs rivalry will have its best chance to reignite in this one. The Chiefs running game will need to step it up and keep Patrick Mahomes on the field as he presents the biggest obstacle for the Raiders to win. It's a tough task and the Raiders will utilize Josh Jacobs to the fullest extent but the Chiefs will get a win at home.

New England (10-1) @ Houston (7-4) (NBC): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots

Both teams got wins last week as the Patriots beat the Cowboys and the Texans beat the Colts. The game looks like a good one as both teams have capable quarterbacks and running games to match. Defense will be the deciding factor in this game as New England presents a great challenge against the Texans offense as they can shut down any team, especially when it comes to scoring touchdowns. I like the Pats defense.

Minnesota (8-3) @ Seattle (9-2) (ESPN): TW: Seahawks; CV: Vikings

The Vikings were on a bye and the Seahawks beat the Eagles last week. Minnesota will be on extra rest in the game while the Seahawks look to keep up in the division race with San Francisco. Both teams really are similar and I feel the Vikings defense is better than Seattle's, I feel the balanced attack of Seattle will expose the Vikings defense. Seattle will need to shut down Dalvin Cook if they want a shot to get a win. Definitely an entertaining match-up to end the week.

Local TV Schedule:

FOX Single:
Philadelphia @ Miami
Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber

CBS Early:
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh
Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts

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

Courtesy as always from 506sports, games subject to change, for more info on which game is being played in your area, check out: NFL 2019: Week 13 Maps

The Records (By Week & Year):

Cardinal Viking:

2017: 167-89

2018: 156-98-2

2019:

Week 1: 11-4-1

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 7-8

Week 5: 9-6

Week 6: 7-7

Week 7: 10-4

Week 8: 11-4

Week 9: 8-6

Week 10: 2-11

Week 11: 12-2

Week 12: 9-5

Overall: 108-69-1

My record: 

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2

2019:

Week 1: 12-3-1

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 8-7

Week 5: 5-10

Week 6: 9-5

Week 7: 7-7

Week 8: 14-1

Week 9: 8-6

Week 10: 5-8

Week 11: 10-4

Week 12: 10-4

Overall: 109-66-1

I will see you guys after the Monday night game for the Week 13 Recap!

-Tom