NFL 2022 Week 11 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. Week 11 brought us some interesting storylines. Such storylines like: Buffalo picking up a victory in Detroit, Dallas putting the hurt on the Vikings, Green Bay staying cold at home, and Kansas City picking up a close win on the road. In this post I'll do a recap of the week's games. Let's get to work

Week 11 Recap

Tennessee 27, Green Bay 17: TW: Packers; CV: Titans
In cold Green Bay the Titans wouldn't freeze up in the Frozen Tundra. Ryan Tannehill would stay warm in the game as he had 333 yards passing on 22 of 27 pass completions with two touchdown passes. Dontrell Hilliard and Austin Hooper would be the recipients of those passes. Tannehill would toss an interception in the 4th quarter that gave the Packers a shot to win. Derrick Henry would play quarterback on a couple of plays, one of them resulted in a passing touchdown. Henry would jump up to pass to Austin Hooper on a Tannehill fake pass. Along with the passing touchdown, Henry would have a rushing touchdown on 87 yards. Aaron Rodgers would finish feeling cold as he had 24 of 39 passes for 227 yards. He would thaw on two touchdown passes to Christian Watson who has scored five touchdowns in the last two games. Prior to last week the receiver had only 88 receiving yards. Aaron Rodgers wouldn't find much help with his running game as Aaron Jones would only get 40 yards on 12 carries. It would be a game where the Titans defense would hold the Packers to 271 yards of offense. The Packers would go 7 for 14 on 3rd down conversions and would fail to convert a 4th down two times. For the Titans, the AFC South remains theirs for the taking as they have a 7-3 record. For the Packers, the must-win contest fizzles out for them and their playoff prospects start to get even slimmer. Their 4-7 start is their worst since 2006. 

Next week:
Tennessee:
Green Bay: 

TW: 0-1; CV: 1-0

Chicago 24, Atlanta 27: TW: Bears; CV: Bears
A back and forth affair in Atlanta. Justin Fields would have an interesting day as he completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards passing and 85 yards rushing. He would have two total touchdowns with an interception. His teammate David Montgomery had 67 yards rushing with a touchdown. It would be a Montgomery touchdown that would tie the game at 24. Atlanta's defense would wreck havoc as they would sack Justin Fields four times. Team discipline would play a factor in this game as the Bears would face seven penalties for a total of 56 yards. Marcus Mariota would do enough to help his team win. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown pass to Drake London. Mariota would also score a rushing touchdown while getting 25 yards on the ground. Tyler Allgeier would get 55 yards rushing. Cordarrelle Patterson had 52 yards rushing and had a kick-six touchdown on a 103-yard return. It would be his 9th kickoff return for a touchdown in his career. For the Bears, the loss drops them to 3-8 and in the cellar of the NFC North. For the Falcons, their playoff prospects still remain warm as they go to 5-6. 

Next week:
Chicago: @ NY Jets
Atlanta: @ Washington

TW: 0-2; CV: 1-1

Carolina 3, Baltimore 13: TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
A closer game than what people wearing purple were wanting. Baker Mayfield would hit 21 of 33 passes for 196 yards with two interceptions that would happen in the 4th quarter. Certainly situations that the Panthers brass would not have wanted. D'Onta Foreman, the workhorse last week against Atlanta, would be held to 24 yards rushing on 11 carries. Overall the Panthers offense would get 205 total yards on 54 plays. That's a 3.8 yards/play average gain. Along with that, the Panthers were 3 for 12 on 3rd down and also lost a fumble to add to the turnovers. Lamar Jackson would have not a stellar day as he completed 24 of 33 passes for 209 yards with an interception to big man Bravvion Roy. Jackson would score the only touchdown in the game off a 1-yard run up the middle that would result from a Panther turnover. Jackson had 31 yards rushing. Kenyan Drake had 46 yards rushing. It wasn't a pretty game for the Ravens offense as they would go 6 for 15 on 3rd down. Penalties hurt the Ravens as well as they had 10 penalties for 93 yards. It would be the Ravens defense that would hold down the fort. For the Panthers, the loss drops their record to 3-8. For the Ravens, the defensive game win would give them a 7-3 record, well in control of the AFC North.

Next week:
Carolina: vs Denver
Baltimore: @ Jacksonville

TW: 1-2; CV: 2-1

Cleveland 23, Buffalo 31: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The game wasn't in Buffalo but the Bills would get their rebound win. Jacoby Brissett hit 28 of 41 passes for 324 yards with three touchdown passes to Amari Cooper who had two and David Peoples-Jones for one. Buffalo would make the Browns run game earn every yard as they had just 80 total yards on the ground, 32 of them to Kareem Hunt. Nick Chubb had 19 yards rushing. Jacoby Brissett had 29 yards rushing. Not quite the effort that you'd expect from them. Those who had Jacoby Brissett on fantasy football had a good day with him. Josh Allen would rebound in this game as he had 18 of 27 passes for 197 yards passing with a touchdown to Stefon Diggs in the 2nd quarter. Devin Singletary and James Cook would have 172 combined rushing yards in this game. Singletary had a rushing touchdown. Tyler Bass would be the key contributor in the game as he had a perfect 6 for 6 on field goals including a 56-yard field goal. Both teams would not do so hot in scoring opportunities as they both went 4 for 9 in the red zone and 4 for 6 in goal to go situations. For the Browns, the season is starting to slip from them and the playoff prospects are looking bleak as they go to 3-7. For the Bills, the rebound win gives them a 7-3 record and some breathing room. The Dolphins had a bye and the Jets lost to the Patriots. 

Next week:
Cleveland: vs Tampa Bay
Buffalo: @ Detroit (Thanksgiving)

TW: 2-2; CV: 3-1

Detroit 31, NY Giants 18: TW: Giants; CV: Giants
Don't look now but the Lions have won three straight games. Jared Goff wouldn't partake in the scoring but he would help with 17 of 26 pass completions with 165 yards passing. It would be the running game that gave the Lions the winning edge. Justin Jackson had 66 yards rushing on nine carries. Jamaal Williams would have a game as he rushed for 64 yards with three touchdowns. Dandre Swift had 20 yards rushing with a touchdown. It's interesting as the Lions had just 160 yards rushing in the game. Essentially 40 yards per touchdown. Detroit's defense really came through as they got three takeaways including two interceptions and a fumble. Daniel Jones would not play well in the game as he had 27 of 44 passes for 341 yards with a touchdown pass Richie James in the 4th quarter. The hurt would come from two interceptions. Daniel Jones would have a rushing touchdown on a bootleg that went to the right. Matt Breida would have a rushing touchdown as well. It is Detroit's first win against the Giants on the road since 2004 back when New York still called Giants Stadium home. For the Lions, the win is their 3rd straight with a 4-6 record and 2nd place in the NFC North. For the Giants, the loss drops them to 7-3. 

Next week:
Detroit: vs Buffalo (Thanksgiving)
NY Giants: @ Dallas (Thanksgiving)

TW: 2-3; CV: 3-2

LA Rams 20, New Orleans 27: TW: Rams; CV: Rams
The defending champs keep on faltering. Matthew Stafford would complete 11 of 18 passes for 159 yards with two touchdown passes to Allen Robinson and Tutu Atwell (nice first name buddy). The pass to Atwell would come on a 62-yard deep throw for the touchdown. Stafford wouldn't finish the game as he would come off with a concussion. Bryce Perkins would complete 5 of 10 passes for 64 yards. Cam Akers would make his return from injury as he had 61 yards rushing. Bryce Perkins had 39 yards rushing. Andy Dalton would get 21 of 25 passes for 260 yards with three touchdown passes. Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson and Jarvis Landry were the recipients of those passes that converted to scores. Taysom Hill had 52 yards rushing and had 14 yards passing. Alvin Kamara had 42 yards. For the Rams, they still have memories of last year to hold onto as they have a 3-7 record to stare at. For the Saints, the win improves their record to 4-7 ending a two-game losing streak. 

Next week:
LA Rams: @ Kansas City
New Orleans: @ San Francisco

TW: 2-4; CV: 3-3

NY Jets 3, New England 10: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The game looked like more of a baseball score than a football one. Zach Wilson would play a bit better than the last time these two teams met. He completed 9 of 22 passes for 77 yards with zero turnovers. He would have 26 yards rushing to lead the team in this game. Michael Carter had 19 yards. New York's offense would fare the worst as they would just get only 103 total yards, including 44 net yards passing. Zach Wilson would face the pass rush a lot as he was sacked four times. The Jets 3rd down conversions were not great as they had 3 of 14 conversions. Mac Jones would play an efficient game as he completed 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards with no turnovers. Jones would get sacked six times in this game. It wouldn't help his cause that center David Andrews would leave the game. He had been dealing with a nagging leg injury for most of 2022. Damien Harris would see the ball the most as he rushed for 65 yards rushing. Rhamondre Stevenson had just 26 yards. It would be a punt return of Marcus Jones that would be the game-winning play that gave the Pats the win. The return would be from 84 yards. For the Jets, the loss drops them to 6-4 and in the bottom of the AFC East. For the Patriots, the win improves them to 6-4 with a tough contest in Minnesota on Thanksgiving night. 

Next week:
NY Jets: vs Chicago
New England: @ Minnesota (Thanksgiving)

TW: 3-4; CV: 4-3

Philadelphia 17, Indianapolis 16: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
Oh boy, did the Eagles nearly blow this one. Jalen Hurts would complete 18 of 25 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown pass to Quez Watkins in the 3rd quarter. Hurts would put the hurt on the Colts with his legs as he rushed for 86 yards with a touchdown. The touchdown would be from a 8-yard run up the middle with 1:20 left in the game. The score and point after gave the Eagles a 17-16 lead. Miles Sanders had 47 yards rushing. Matt Ryan would hit 23 of 32 passes for 213 yards. Jonathan Taylor would score the only touchdown for the Colts on a 1-yard handoff to the left that gave the Colts a 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Taylor had 84 yards rushing at the end of the game. The slow start by the Eagles would be from the fact that they would punt on three of four possessions with a starting field position deep in their own territory. For the Eagles, the close win will keep them at 9-1 and at the top of the NFC East. For the Colts, the loss is Jeff Saturday's first as interim head coach as the Colts drop to 4-6-1. 

Next week:
Philadelphia: vs Green Bay (Sunday night)
Indianapolis: vs Pittsburgh (Monday night)

TW: 4-4; CV: 5-3

Washington 23, Houston 10: TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders
Houston loses again. What else is new. Taylor Heinicke would play well enough as he completed 15 of 27 passes for 191 yards. Curtis Samuel would score the lone offensive touchdown for Washington on a 10-yard run in the 2nd quarter. Antonio Gibson had 72 yards rushing. Brian Robinson Jr had 57 yards rushing. Davis Mills would have a game to forget as he had 19 of 33 passes for 169 yards with two interceptions. One of those interceptions would come on a grab by Kendall Fuller that would go 37 yards for a touchdown. It was on just the Texans first possession of the game. Mills would shine for a play that would come on a scramble for four yards that would give the Texans a touchdown late in the 4th quarter. For the Commanders, the win moves them back to above .500 in the NFC East standings. For the Texans, the loss drops their record to a putrid 1-8-1 with the 1st overall pick in next year's draft looking more promising. 

Next week:
Washington: vs Atlanta
Houston: @ Miami

TW: 5-4; CV: 6-3

Las Vegas 22, Denver 16 (F/OT): TW: Raiders; CV: Broncos
It would come down to overtime but the Raiders would get a dub. Derek Carr would do well enough and got 23 of 37 pass completions for 307 yards with two touchdown passes to Davante Adams. The first would come on a 31-yard pass to Adams that would come also on a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on DJ Jones. The 2nd score would be the game-winner that would come on a 35-yard play. Josh Jacobs would have a good day on the ground with 109 yards rushing on 24 carries. Davante Adams would have a day as he had seven catches for 141 receiving yards. Russell Wilson would do efficiently but wanted more. He had 24 of 31 passes completed for 247 yards with zero touchdowns. Denver's only touchdown would be from a Latavius Murray run up the middle on a 1-yard play. That would come in the 1st quarter. Murray would have 49 yards on the day. Melvin Gordon would have 31 yards rushing. The rest of the points would be from Brandon McManus who hit 3 of 4 field goals in the game. Both teams would have offenses that were not great but the Raiders would have more total yards than the Broncos with a 407-320 margin. On 3rd down the two teams would combine for 6 of 23 conversions. Just not a great day for either team. For the Raiders, they get their 3rd win of 2022 and improve to 3-7. For the Broncos, they will drop to 3-7 with the dark reality of 4th place in the AFC West. 

Next week:
Las Vegas: @ Seattle
Denver: @ Carolina

TW: 6-4; CV: 6-4

Cincinnati 37, Pittsburgh 30: TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers
No Ja'Marr Chase, no problem. Very little of Joe Mixon, no problem either. Joe Burrow would struggle in the Steel City but would play well enough to get the win. He would hit 24 of 39 passes for four touchdowns with two interceptions. Three of the touchdowns would come to Samaje Perine and then to Trenton Irwin. Samaje Perine would have 30 yards rushing but his damage would come as a receiver with 52 yards receiving. Joe Mixon would start at running back and put up 20 yards before leaving the game with a concussion. Tee Higgins would carry the receiving corp with 148 yards receiving. Joe Burrow would only get sacked two times in this game. Kenny Pickett would start for the Steelers and put up points in this game. Pickett would complete 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards with a touchdown pass to George Pickens on a 24-yard pass play. Najee Harris who had a rather quiet start to 2022 would put up 90 yards rushing with two touchdowns. One of them would come from a 19-yard run play that would go to the left that the runner would leap up and fly into the endzone. The 2nd touchdown would come on a 1-yard dive in with 47 seconds left in the game. It would prove to be too little too late for the Steelers. For the Bengals, the win puts them at 6-4 in the AFC North. For the Steelers, the loss drops them to 3-7 as the prospects of head coach Mike Tomlin's first losing season seems more possible. 

Next week:
Cincinnati: @ Tennessee
Pittsburgh: @ Indianapolis (Monday night)

TW: 6-5; CV: 6-5

Dallas 40, Minnesota 3: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Last week, Dallas blew a 14-point lead going into the 4th quarter. This week, Dallas would put the hurt on the 8-1 Vikings. Dak Prescott would have one of his best starts this season as the passer would only have three incompletions for 276 yards with two touchdowns to Tony Pollard. Pollard would put 189 total yards in this game (109 receiving, 80 rushing) in this game. Ezekiel Elliot had 42 yards rushing with two touchdowns. With the 458 total yards on 70 plays, the Cowboys averaged 6.5 yards/play. Dallas would do well on 3rd down conversions as they would convert 12 of 17 chances. Kirk Cousins would have a rough game. He had 12 of 23 passes for 105 yards. That would be 8.7 yards/pass attempt. He would face the Cowboys pass rush and would get sacked seven times. Nick Mullens would see some play time as he had 54 yards passing. Dalvin Cook would have 72 yards rushing on 11 carries. Justin Jefferson, the hero of last week's win against the Bills, would be held to just three catches with 33 yards receiving. For the Cowboys, the win will keep them at 2nd place but have the edge over the New York Giants in the NFC East. For the Vikings, the loss drops them to 8-2 but the race in the NFC North is still in their favor. 

Next week:
Dallas: vs NY Giants (Thanksgiving)
Minnesota: vs New England (Thanksgiving)

TW: 6-6; CV: 6-6

Kansas City 30, LA Chargers 27: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
It would be a back and forth affair but the Chiefs would win it. Patrick Mahomes would put on a performance that even Henry Winkler would be proud of. Winkler, who played the role The Fonz on Happy Days. The Fonz who always played it cool was a mirror image of Mahomes who had 329 yards passing with three touchdowns. All of those touchdowns would go to his favorite target, Travis Kelce. The last touchdown would would come on a 15-yard play up the middle that Kelce would find and go to the endzone. Isiah Pacheco would get 107 yards rushing on 15 carries. Travis Kelce put up numbers as he caught six balls for 115 yards. Justin Herbert would have a stiff challenge in this game as he completed 23 of 30 passes for 280 yards with two touchdowns to Josh Palmer. On the Chargers last drive Herbert would toss a prayer ball to the sideline that would get knocked up and land on a player wearing red. Austin Ekeler would have 83 yards rushing on 19 carries with a touchdown run. Decent day for him. Not gonna lie, I would totally want a "Football. Family. Fonzie" t-shirt like Kelce wore prior to the game. For the Chiefs, the record is at 8-2 with the vehicle on cruise control in the AFC West. For the Chargers, the loss drops them to 5-5 but they still have 2nd place in the AFC West. 

Next week:
Kansas City: vs LA Rams 
LA Chargers: @ Arizona

TW: 7-6; CV: 7-6

San Francisco 38, Arizona 10: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
Miners would find gold in rainy Estadio Azteca. Jimmy Garoppolo would have a great game as the passer hit 20 of 29 passes for 228 yards with four touchdown passes. George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk would get two touchdowns each. Deebo Samuel had 94 total yards (37 rushing, 57 receiving) with a rushing touchdown. Elijah Mitchell would get 59 yards rushing on nine carries. Christian McCaffrey would get 39 yards rushing and had 67 receiving yards. San Francisco would have 387 total yards of offense in this game. Colt McCoy would get the nod at quarterback as Kyler Murray was still out on injury. McCoy would hit 24 of 34 passes for 218 yards with an interception. He would leave the game with an injury but third stringer Trace McSorley would play in relief. Trace would not produce a lot but he would hit 6 of 10 passes for 59 yards with an interception. James Conner would produce Arizona's lone touchdown on a 2-yard run up the middle that would give the Cardinals a 14-10 deficit in the 2nd quarter. Conner would finish with 42 yards rushing on 14 carries. Arizona would not have a good game on offense as turnovers killed them as well as only putting up 314 total yards. For the 49ers, the win moves them to 5-4 and with striking distance against the division leading Seattle Seahawks. For the Cardinals, the loss drops them to 4-6 at 3rd place in the NFC West. 

Next week:
San Francisco: vs New Orleans
Arizona: vs LA Chargers

TW: 8-6; CV: 8-6

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6

Total: 98-65-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6

Total: 88-75-1

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

I'll see you all on Wednesday for the Week 12 picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 11 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. Week 11 brings us that much closer to the playoffs as we have just seven more weeks after this then the regular season ends. The division races are heating up and the playoff picture starts to get clearer. For games this week I'll keep an eye on: Titans-Packers, Browns-Bills, Eagles-Colts, Cowboys-Vikings, and Chiefs-Chargers. In this post I'll do a Playoff Picture section, a Week 11 Preview, my picks for the games, and the Early & Late TV Broadcast pairings. Let's get to work!

Playoff Picture: Week 11

Let's start with the NFC

Seeding:

1st seed: Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)
2nd seed: Minnesota Vikings (8-1) 
3rd seed: Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
4th seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
5th seed: New York Giants (7-2)
6th seed: Dallas Cowboys (6-3)
7th seed: San Francisco 49ers (5-4)

Wild Card Matchups:

San Francisco @ Minnesota
Dallas @ Seattle
NY Giants @ Tampa Bay

In the hunt:

Washington (5-5), Green Bay (4-6), Atlanta (4-6), Arizona (4-6), Detroit (3-6), LA Rams (3-6), Carolina (3-7), New Orleans (3-7), Chicago (3-7)

No clinch scenarios so far but the Eagles are ahead of the Vikings based on head-to-head (Eagles beat the Vikings in Week 2). Some other notable things is that the first four seeds are division leaders so the Buccaneers would host a playoff game against a team with a better record. 

Onto the AFC

Seeding: 

1st seed: Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)
2nd seed: Miami Dolphins (7-3)
3rd seed: Tennessee Titans (6-3)
4th seed: Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
5th seed: New York Jets (6-3)
6th seed: Buffalo Bills (6-3)
7th seed: New England Patriots (5-4)

Wild card matchups:

New England @ Miami
Buffalo @ Tennessee
NY Jets @ Baltimore

In the hunt:

Los Angeles Chargers (5-4), Cincinnati Bengals (5-4), Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1), Cleveland Browns (3-6), Denver (3-6), Pittsburgh (3-6), Jacksonville (3-7), Las Vegas (2-7), Houston (1-7-1)

The AFC is a bit of an interesting one. New England is ahead of Los Angeles and Cincinnati based on strength of victory and the Patriots and Chargers have a better conference record than the Bengals. The Jets are ahead of the Bills based on head-to-head. Will have to see how well the AFC turns out in the coming weeks. 

Week 11 Preview

The Eleventh week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Green Bay, Wisconsin and finishes up in Glendale, Arizona. The week that is will have a 14-game slate where 28 teams will play. Teams on a bye this week are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Week 11 will have a Thursday night game, eight early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. FOX will have the single, regional game and CBS will have the doubleheader this week. Let's get to the picks!

Week 11 Picks

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

Tennessee (6-3) @ Green Bay (4-6) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Titans
The Titans beat the Broncos and the Packers beat the Cowboys last week. The Packers got back on a winning track last week. Not sure if that's going to be enough on a short week. They will have to have a good day on the ground and to keep Derrick Henry off the field. Tennessee is a solid team and they aren't exactly the safest team either. They would beat the Broncos by a touchdown. I don't trust Ryan Tannehill to come up with a win in the Frozen Tundra. 

Chicago (3-7) @ Atlanta (4-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Bears; CV: Bears
Both teams lost last week as the Bears lost to the Lions and the Falcons lost to the Panthers. Chicago's offense has been on a better footing as their offensive system is geared to having Justin Fields run as much as he passes. Their running game is solid as well. Atlanta has had a decent season compared to what I had thought they'd be. They will need to have a better game running the ball as they really let Marcus Mariota throw the ball a bit too much. Not quite balanced. I'll take the Bears.

Carolina (3-7) @ Baltimore (6-3) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Panthers beat the Falcons and the Ravens were on a bye last week. Carolina made a surprise last week as they beat the favored Falcons. D'Onta Foreman was the catalyst in that win for Carolina. Their defense was also key in that game. What they face is a very good Ravens team. Lamar Jackson has had a rebound of a year and has been playing as well as he can. With a plethora of running backs I think it's going to be a tough matchup for the Panthers to win. 

Cleveland (3-6) @ Buffalo (6-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Browns lost to the Dolphins and the Bills lost to the Vikings last week. The game could be a bit white outside as there's supposedly a Lake Effect storm during this weekend. What that means is that the game could be postponed or moved or there's a possibility of a SNOW GAME! Cleveland might have to rely on their running game a bit more if that happens so I would lean on them to use Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the game. For the Bills, I would have to come out angry and just play with controlled emotion and get back on track. Devin Singletary needs to have a monster game. I'll take the Bills as the home team. 

Detroit (3-6) @ NY Giants (7-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Giants
The Lions beat the Bears and the Giants beat the Texans last week. The Lions really had a rebound to their season in the last couple of games. With their offense leading them, they've done well and gotten back to their high scoring offense earlier in the year. New York had a bit of a trouble in their game against the Texans as they won by eight points. I'll take the Giants but this game could be a scoring bonanza. 

LA Rams (3-6) @ New Orleans (3-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Rams
The Rams lost to the Cardinals and the Saints lost to the Steelers last week. Matthew Stafford should be available to play as he passed concussion protocol. He will be without his top target Cooper Kupp in this game. The Rams will have to rely on their defense to keep it close if they want to win. New Orleans has been rather of a disappointment this season and their running game has been lackluster. I think it could be a Saints win but I'll go with the Rams in a must win for them. 

NY Jets (6-3) @ New England (5-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots 
The Jets and Patriots had a bye last week. The last time these two teams met, the Patriots defense made Zach Wilson see ghosts as he was intercepted four times. The Patriots offense however has been a bit lackluster with a new system for Mac Jones. I would hope that he throws a bit more but stay in control of this game. I have to expect that the Jets defense will look to contain Rhamondre Stevenson and force Mac Jones to beat you. With a shaky offensive line, the Patriots will have their hands full. I'll take the Pats by a close one. 

Philadelphia (8-1) @ Indianapolis (4-5-1) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Eagles lost to the Commanders and the Colts beat the Raiders last week. The unbeaten streak is over for Philly. With that they can get back to more focused and concise football. Indy made heads turn as they beat the Raiders in Jeff Saturday's NFL debut as interim head coach. The team seemed to react well to him and the playcalling was better than expected. I think the Eagles will win but if the Colts can get it going on the ground and keep the Eagles offense off the field, it could be win #2 for Saturday. 

Washington (5-5) @ Houston (1-7-1) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders
The Commanders beat the Eagles and the Texans lost to the Giants last week. Washington won their Super Bowl in beating the Eagles. They had a defense that took advantage of giveaways that made you think they were taking advantage of coupon books. Taylor Heinicke the folk hero has been a solid choice at quarterback in the stead of Carson Wentz who has been out with injury. They also have a good tandem of running backs. Houston has been a consistently bad football team this year. They did have a decent chance to win against the Giants as they lost by eight points. They will really have to have the game of their lives and get Dameon Pierce the ball 50 times to win this game. 

Las Vegas (2-7) @ Denver (3-6) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Broncos
Both teams lost last week as the Raiders lost to the Colts and the Broncos lost to the Titans. The last time these two teams met was the last time the Raiders had beaten a team. That was back in Week 4. Denver has been also a disappointment this year and the blame has been in the shoulders in Russell Wilson. Their offense is not great and their defense is probably the better defense in the league. I don't like either team but I'll take the Raiders in a squeaker. 

Cincinnati (5-4) @ Pittsburgh (3-6) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers
The Bengals had a bye and the Steelers beat the Saints last week. A classic AFC North matchup. The last time these two teams met was a bleak one for the Bengals as they gave up a lot of turnovers. Joe Burrow was definitely to blame for the loss in Week 1. The game won't be any easier for the Bengals as TJ Watt is back. The Steelers offense has been meh as they have a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett who has been playing like a rookie. Eventually he will have to mature. He will need to have a running game get back to the classic Steelers running the football style of game. I'll take the Steelers in an upset. 

Dallas (6-3) @ Minnesota (8-1) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
The Cowboys lost to the Packers and the Vikings beat the Bills last week. Classic NFC matchup on CBS! Dallas really had a letdown of a game and further proved that they can be quite the chokers when it matters most. They will need to play better and not play conservatively. Minnesota played in one of the best regular season games in recent memory. The emotions of such a win could be a factor in this game. They could be a letdown. Suffice to say I don't like the Cowboys in this game as they really seem to shoot themselves in the foot. I'll take the Vikes. 

Kansas City (7-2) @ LA Chargers (5-4) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Chiefs beat the Jaguars and the Chargers lost to the 49ers last week. The Mahomes-Herbert rivalry continues! Patrick Mahomes has been playing like himself so far in 2022. The Chiefs have a good supporting cast around their quarterback who can help win games. The loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster could play into this game. The Chargers are a bit of a question mark. They have one of the better talented teams in the league. An offense that should be a lot better than they are. I have to imagine there will be more red in the stands than powder blue as the Chargers don't find a lot of fans in Los Angeles compared to let's say... San Diego. I don't trust head coach Brandon Staley to get a win. I'll take KC.

San Francisco (5-4) @ Arizona (4-6) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The 49ers beat the Chargers and the Cardinals beat the Rams last week. Christian McCaffrey has been a solid addition for the 49ers. Granted it has been a solid addition as the 49ers gave up a ton of draft capital to get him. San Francisco should be a lot better than they are yet they're 5-4. What they face is a Cardinals team that is very inconsistent but that was more along the lines of earlier in the year. They pulled off an interesting win against the defending champion Rams. They had a good game from James Conner who had scored two touchdowns. I'm not sure what to think about the Cardinals and I feel the safer bet in the 49ers. 

Early & Late TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: games in bold are games being shown in my area. Check local listings for yours.

CBS Early

Philadelphia @ Indianapolis
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

NY Jets @ New England
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Cleveland @ Buffalo
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

CBS Late

Dallas @ Minnesota
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta

FOX Single

Detroit @ NY Giants
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Chicago @ Atlanta
Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

LA Rams @ New Orleans
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Washington @ Houston
Chris Myers, Robert Smith

Carolina @ Baltimore
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Las Vegas @ Denver (Late)
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth

For more information on which game(s) are being shown in your area, check out: NFL 2022: Week 11 Maps

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6

Total: 90-59-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6

Total: 80-69-1

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 11 Recap! Enjoy the games and your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 10 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The week that was provided us fans many storylines like: the Game of the Year in Buffalo, an "Oktoberfest" like game in Munich, an upset game in Green Bay, and a former high school coach getting his first win in the NFL. All those storylines and more in this week's recap post! Let's get to work!

Week 10 Recap

Atlanta 15, Carolina 25: TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons
D'onta Foreman would lead the Panther charge against the Falcons on Thursday. Marcus Mariota would play well enough in the game. He would hit 19 of his 30 passes for 186 yards for two touchdowns that would take place in the 2nd half. Khadarel Hodge and Drake London would be the recipients of those touchdown passes. Mariota would also be the leading rusher as he had 43 yards rushing. In what I had thought would be a good game for Cordarrelle Patterson turned into a 18 yard, five carry day for him. PJ Walker would get the nod for Carolina to start under center. He would play a limited role but would hit 10 of 16 passes for 108 yards. Carolina's rushing attack would do the rest of the damage. D'Onta Foreman would face fatigue in this game but would power through for 130 yards rushing with a touchdown run on 31 carries. Not bad for a day's work. Laviska Shenault would also add a touchdown and had 42 yards rushing. Including a 41-yard run that would go for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. It would a be a solid day for Eddie Pineiro as he hit field goals from 46, 49, 40 and the 37 yard lines after missing a point after and a field goal a couple of weeks before against Atlanta. Sort of redemption story for him. For the Falcons, the lack of a running game cost them as they drop to 4-6 with the Buccaneers possibly moving ahead in the standings. For the Panthers, the win moves them to 3-7 with a 2-3 record since firing Matt Rhule. 

Next week:
Atlanta: vs Chicago
Carolina: @ Baltimore

TW: 0-1; CV: 0-1

Seattle 16, Tampa Bay 21: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Seahawks
It was a wild atmosphere in Munich's Allianz Arena as the NFL came to town. Geno Smith would play well as he hit 23 of 33 passes for 275 yards with two touchdown passes to TJ Lockett and Marquise Goodwin. The two touchdowns would come in the 4th quarter. Tampa's defense would clamp down on the Seahawks rushing attack as they would hold them to 39 total yards. Geno Smith had 22 yards rushing and Kenneth Walker III had 17. Tom Brady would play well as he had 22 of 29 passes for 258 yards with 258 yards and two touchdown passes to Chris Godwin and Julio Jones. He would have a pass intercepted in the game. Leonard Fournette would play quarterback for one play. He would toss a ball that looked like a duck floating that would find the arms of Seahawks player Tariq Woolen. Other than the pick he would finish up with 57 yards rushing with a touchdown run. Rachaad White would do the heavy lifting as he had 105 yards rushing on 22 carries. For the Seahawks, the loss drops them to 6-4 but still well within the division lead. For the Buccaneers, the win moves them to sole possession of 1st place in the NFC South. 

Next week:
Seattle: Bye
Tampa Bay: Bye

TW: 1-1; CV: 0-2

Denver 10, Tennessee 17: TW: Titans; CV: Titans
Defense would sing loudly in Nashville. Russell Wilson would put up some numbers in the game as he had 21 of 42 passes completed for 286 yards with a touchdown pass to Jalen Virgil in the 2nd quarter. The Broncos would put up only 10 points in this game. Latavius Murray and Melvin Gordon would both combine for 48 yards rushing. A testament to the Titans rush defense. Denver's offense would move the ball quite a bit in the game but they still have trouble on 3rd down conversions. They would have 4 of 17 conversions in the game. It would be Ryan Tannehill, not Malik Willis, that would start for the Titans. He had 19 of 36 passes for 255 yards with two touchdown passes to Nick Westbrookikhine. Nick would finish the game with five catches for 119 yards including one of the touchdowns for a 63-yard touchdown. Derrick Henry would have a secondary role in the game as the Broncos would limit him to 53 yards rushing on 19 carries. Have to be a win at least for them. Tennessee would find success in pass rush as they sacked Russell Wilson six times. For the Broncos, the ugly season continues as they go to 3-6 in 2022. For the Titans, the win moves them to 6-3 with control of their destiny in the AFC South. 

Denver: vs Las Vegas
Tennessee: @ Green Bay (Thursday night)

TW: 2-1; CV: 1-2

Cleveland 17, Miami 39: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Florida sun burned brightly as the Dolphins continued to stay hot against Cleveland. Jacoby Brissett hit 22 of 35 passes for 212 yards for a touchdown to Harrison Bryant on Cleveland's first drive of the game. Nick Chubb would be limited in the game as he had 63 yards rushing with a touchdown on a 33-yard run. He would bounce off a tackle. Tua Tagovailoa continues his stellar season as the passer had 25 of 32 passes completed for 285 yards with three touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill, Alec Ingold and Trent Sherfield. Tagovailoa has yet to throw an interception since he made his return from a concussion. Miami's running game would play well as Jeff Wilson had 119 yards rushing with a touchdown. Raheem Mostert had 65 yards rushing with a touchdown. Overall, the Dolphins offense would have 491 total yards on offense. For the Browns, the season is slipping away from them as they drop to 3-6. For the Dolphins, the win moves them to 7-3 with a bye week next week. 

Next week:
Cleveland: @ Buffalo
Tennessee: Bye

TW: 3-1; CV: 2-2

Detroit 31, Chicago 30: TW: Bears; CV: Lions
Holy crap Lions! Jared Goff had 19 of 26 passes completed for 236 yards with a touchdown pass to Brock Wright in the 2nd quarter. Jamaal Williams would have a good game as he had 59 yards rushing with a touchdown. The touchdown would tie the game in the 4th quarter with 2:24 left in the game. Mike Badgley would hit the key point after to give the Lions a lead. Dandre Swift would get a touchdown as well with six rushing yards. Justin Fields would have an alright game as he had 12 of 20 passes completed for 167 yards with two touchdown passes to Cole Kmet. He would have a pass intercepted on a play intended for Kmet that would get found by the arms of Jeff Okudah for a 20-yard touchdown. The Lions offense looked pedestrian prior to the 4th quarter as the Bears held a 24-10 lead. Fields would also score two touchdowns on the ground with 147 yards rushing. For fantasy owners, Fields had 42 fantasy points. Granted you started him at quarterback. For the Lions, it is their 3rd win of the season and their first back-to-back wins since Week 6 and 7 back in 2020. For the Bears, the loss drops them to the cellar of the NFC North. 

Next week:
Detroit: @ NY Giants
Chicago: @ Atlanta

TW: 3-2; CV: 3-2

Houston 16, NY Giants 24: TW: Giants; CV: Giants
The Texans would keep it close but no win for them either. Davis Mills would complete 22 of his 37 passes for 319 yards with a touchdown pass to Nico Collins in the 3rd quarter. He would have a pass intercepted by Dane Belton in the 4th quarter. Dameon Pierce had 94 yards rushing on 17 carries. He had a 44-yard run that was the longest in the game. Kaimi Fairbairn would hit 3 of 3 for field goals, including two in the 4th quarter. Houston's offense would out-total the Giants by a 387-367 margin. The biggest takeaway from the game for Houston was the redzone efficiency as they went 1 for 6 inside the 20.  Daniel Jones would be efficient in the game as he had 13 of 17 passes for 197 yards with two touchdown passes to Darius Slayton and Lawrence Cager. Saquon Barkley had 152 yards rushing with a touchdown run that would come on a 2-yard run play. For the Texans, the loss drops them further into the depths of the AFC with a 1-7-1 record. For the Giants, the 7-2 record is their franchise's best start since 2008 when the Giants went 7-1. 

Next week:
Houston: vs Washington
NY Giants: vs Detroit

TW: 4-2; CV: 4-2

Jacksonville 17, Kansas City 27: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
Business as usual for the Chiefs. Trevor Lawrence would hit 29 of 40 passes for 259 yards with two touchdown passes to Christian Kirk. Kirk had nine catches for 105 receiving yards. Travis Etienne had 45 yards rushing in the game. The Jaguars had a fair amount of opportunities to score but would miss on two field goals, go 2 of 3 inside the 20 and have 50% goal to go efficiency. The three turnovers the Chiefs would give up in this game would also be a factor for the Jaguars. Patrick Mahomes would fire on all cylinders as he had 26 of 35 passes completed for 331 yards with four touchdown passes with an interception. Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Noah Grey would be those players that would be the recipient of those Mahomes passes. Isiah Pacheco would lead the way in the running attack as he had 82 yards rushing with 16 carries. The win would be a costly one as Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster would suffer a nasty helmet-to-helmet hit by safety Andre Cisco that would leave the receiver motionless for a few moments. Along with the interception, the Chiefs would  cough up two fumbles. For the Jaguars, the loss puts them at 3-7 with the hopes of the playoffs slipping away. For the Chiefs, the win moves them to 7-2 with 1st place in the AFC West. 

Next week:
Jacksonville: Bye
Kansas City: @ LA Chargers (Sunday night)

TW: 5-2; CV: 5-2

Minnesota 33, Buffalo 30 (F/OT): TW: Bills; CV: Vikings
Holy shit what a game this was! Kirk Cousins had 30 of 50 passes completed for 357 yards with a touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson on a 22-yard pass play. Cousins had two passes intercepted. Dalvin Cook would run over the Bills defense as he had 119 yards rushing with a touchdown that would come off a 81-yard run that would start the Vikings comeback in the 3rd quarter. CJ Ham would go in for a play that would result in a touchdown as well. Justin Jefferson would haunt the Bills secondary as he would eat up 193 yards receiving. He would make arguably the catch of the year on a 4th down and 18 play that would give the Vikings life. Josh Allen would make the start after he was questionable to start. Allen had 29 of 43 passes completed for 330 yards with a touchdown pass to Gabe Davis that would give the Bills a 23-10 lead. Allen would be the leading rusher in the game as he had 84 yards rushing. Devin Singletary would be a factor in the game as he had 47 yards rushing with two touchdown runs. The final minute of the game would be summed up like this: Justin Jefferson crazy catch, Cousins fails to move six inches, Allen fumbles the snap to give the Vikings a lead, Allen guides the Bills for a game-tying field goal. Oh and Patrick Peterson would seal the Vikings win by a Josh Allen interception. It was an insane game. For the Vikings, the 8-1 record matches the 8-1 record that the 2009 Vikings had. For the Bills, they dropped their 2nd straight game with a 6-3 record and the Dolphins moving up ahead them in the AFC East. 

Next week:
Minnesota: vs Dallas
Buffalo: vs Cleveland

TW: 5-3; CV: 6-2

New Orleans 10, Pittsburgh 20: TW: Steelers; CV: Saints
The Yinzer faith is restored. Andy Dalton would hit 17 of 27 passes for 174 yards with a touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson in the 2nd quarter. Dalton tossed two passes that would land in the arms of the Black and Gold brigade. Alvin Kamara would only get 26 yards rushing on eight carries. Juwan Howard, Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill would combine for three yards. Kenny Pickett would limit the turnovers in this game as he had 18 of 30 passes for 199 yards with a touchdown run with 51 yards rushing. Najee Harris had 99 yards rushing on 20 carries. George Pickens would play running back on couple of plays as he would run on a 22-yard play and a 1-yard play that would result in a touchdown. The game would mark the return of their defensive leader TJ Watt. Watt would register two total tackles in the game. It wasn't a pretty game if you were an offensive coordinator as the Saints went 3 of 12 on 3rd down conversions and just 1.9 yards/play for rushing. Kenny Pickett would get sacked six times. Pittsburgh's redzone efficiency wasn't great as they were just 2 for 5 inside the 20. For the Saints, the loss drops them to 3-7 with a still relatively open NFC South. For the Steelers, the win moves their 2022 record to 3-6 with still some season left to make a push. 

Next week:
New Orleans: vs LA Rams
Pittsburgh: vs Cincinnati

TW: 6-3; CV: 6-3

Indianapolis 25, Las Vegas 20: TW: Raiders; CV: Colts
What the heck Raiders I didn't know you were into losing to head coaches who had no NFL coaching experience. Indy made headlines this past week in hiring Jeff Saturday after firing Frank Reich. A lot of questions were made of the hire but some of them have to be extinguished after this game. Matt Ryan would complete 21 of 28 passes for 222 yards with a touchdown pass to Parris Campbell that would give the Colts the lead and eventually the win. The touchdown would come off of a 35-yard pass play that would go to Campbell on a short pass. Matt Ryan would also get a touchdown on his legs on a 1-yard run with 38 yards rushing in the game. Jonathan Taylor would eat up the Raiders defense for 147 yards with a touchdown that would be off of a 66-yard play. Derek Carr would play well enough to be in this game as he had 24 passes completed out of 38 for 248 yards with two touchdowns to Davante Adams and Foster Moreau. Josh Jacobs would have a good game as he had 78 yards rushing with a touchdown run on 21 carries. Davante Adams would be useful in the game as he had nine catches for 126 yards receiving. For the Colts, the win gives Jeff Saturday his first win as interim head coach after much speculation of how well he would do in his job. I had my doubts. For the Raiders, the Josh McDaniels era is not looking too good as the Raiders drop to 2-7. The Raiders were 10-7 last season. 

Next week:
Indianapolis: vs Philadelphia
Las Vegas: @ Denver

TW: 6-4; CV: 7-3

Arizona 27, LA Rams 17: TW: Rams; CV: Rams
The battle of the backup quarterbacks! Kyler Murray was out for this game due to a hamstring. In would be journeyman Colt McCoy. The quarterback would do well enough in the role as he hit 26 of his 37 passes for 238 yards with a touchdown pass to AJ Green in the 2nd quarter that would put the Cards up 16-3. James Conner would do the rest of the work as he had 69 yards rushing (nice) with two touchdown runs in the 2nd and 4th quarters. The Cardinals offense would go 5 for 15 on 3rd down but would post a solid 3 for 3 on 4th down conversions. They would have 298 total yards in the game. John Wolford started for the Rams instead of Matthew Stafford because of a concussion. Wolford would fare not so well as the passer had 24 of 36 passes completed for 212 yards with a touchdown pass to Van Jefferson on a short pass. He would get a pass intercepted by Budda Baker. Cam Akers would have a meager day on the ground as he had 22 yards rushing. Darrell Henderson had 21 yards rushing with a touchdown that would cut down the Cardinal lead to seven in the 3rd quarter. The Rams offense, one of their strengths in 2021 would only put up 256 total yards, 190 of them being passing yards. For the Cardinals, the win puts them above the Rams at 3rd place in the NFC West. For the Rams, well the loss puts them at the cellar of the NFC West, a position they would not face last year. At 3-6 they certainly are at risk of missing the playoffs. The hangover is real. 

Next week:
Arizona: vs San Francisco (Monday night)
LA Rams: @ New Orleans

TW: 6-5; CV: 7-4

Dallas 28, Green Bay 31: TW: Packers; CV: Cowboys
The Mike McCarthy return to Green Bay would come in favor of Aaron Rodgers. Dak Prescott looked off for the first part of the game but would rebound. He finished the game with 27 of 46 passes for 265 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions would be converted into Packers touchdowns. Tony Pollard would have a good day on the ground game as he had 115 yards rushing with a touchdown on 22 carries. CeeDee Lamb had 11 catches for 150 yards receiving. With the 28-14 lead going into the 4th quarter, Dallas was 195-0 in ahead by 14 points. Aaron Rodgers was efficient in the game. He finished with 14 of 20 passes for 224 yards with three touchdowns to Christian Watson. Aaron Jones would be the top back in the game with 138 rushing yards with a touchdown on 24 carries. AJ Dillon had 65 yards on 13 carries. The game was a coming-of-age party to Christian Watson who had been on the receiving end of Aaron Rodgers' criticism. The rookie would catch four balls for 107 receiving yards. Three of those catches would go for touchdowns. The game would come down into overtime and Mason Crosby would find an easy try. He would end the Packers five-game losing streak with a 28-yard field goal that sent Mike McCarthy on the losing column. For the Cowboys, they suffer their 3rd loss of the season and with the Eagles and Giants ahead of them in the division, they can't afford to lose more games. For the Packers, the prospects of the playoffs are still alive. 

Next week:
Dallas: @ Minnesota
Green Bay: vs Tennessee (Thursday night)

TW: 7-5; CV: 7-5

LA Chargers 16, San Francisco 22: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
Defense would sound loud in Santa Clara on Sunday night. Justin Herbert would not play great as he had 21 of 35 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown pass to Deandre Carter in the 1st quarter. He would also throw an interception in the game. Austin Ekeler would run for 24 yards rushing on six carries. The Chargers would only put up 238 total yards on 56 plays. It would be a meager 4.3 yards/play. They would convert only six times on 3rd down out of 16 attempts. Not a great game for the Chargers offense. Jimmy Garoppolo would do alright but he finished with 19 of 28 passes completed for 240 yards. He wouldn't toss an interception or a touchdown. He would however get in with a rushing touchdown. At least he did something on the group project. Elijah Mitchell had 89 yards rushing with 18 carries. Christian McCaffrey would have 38 yards rushing with a touchdown. San Francisco would control the time of possession in this game as they won the time of possession by a 36:59 to 23:01 margin. They had 22 first downs to LA's 12 first downs. They just dominated the game but not necessarily the score. For the Chargers, the loss moves them to 5-4 with a hot date against the Chiefs next week. For the 49ers, the win moves them to 5-4 and in striking distance of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: vs Kansas City
San Francisco: @ Arizona (Monday night)

TW: 8-5; CV: 8-5

Washington 32, Philadelphia 21: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The 1972 Miami Dolphins ghosts can rest until the 2023 regular season as the Eagles unbeaten streak ends. Taylor Heinicke would not be a factor in the game as he had 17 of 29 passes completed for 211 yards with an interception that would happen in the 4th quarter. Brian Robinson would have a solid day on the running game as he had 86 yards rushing with a touchdown in the 2nd quarter on a 1-yard run. Antonio Gibson had 44 yards rushing with a touchdown that would give the Commanders a 7-7 tie in the 1st quarter. The Commanders would start off with a sluggish first drive that would result in a fumble. They would eventually hang in there and outlast the Eagles as they would outscore them 25-7 after the 1st quarter. Jalen Hurts would start off well in the game as he had 17 of 26 passes for 174 yards with two touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert and Devonta Smith. Hurts would also throw an interception but would get a rushing touchdown that would start the scoring run with a Hurts run up the middle. At the end of the game, Hurts would have 28 yards. Miles Sanders had 54 yards rushing. The Eagles would find it hard to retain control in this game after the 1st quarter. Washington really took control of the time of possession with a 40:24 to 19:36 margin. Philadelphia would also giveaway the  ball three times including two fumbles. One fumble would come on a deep pass to Quez Watkins that would be a mad scramble for the ball but would stay with the Commanders. It was an off night for sure. For the Commanders, they're back at .500 with a 5-5 record. For the Eagles, the loss will put them at 8-1 and will need to wipe this game from their memory as the 7-2 Giants and 6-3 Cowboys are in their rear mirror. 

Next week:
Washington: @ Houston
Philadelphia: @ Indianapolis

TW: 8-6; CV: 8-6

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6

Total: 90-59-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6

Total: 80-69-1

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 on Wednesday for the Week 11 Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 10 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of exciting National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! Once the season hits the double digits in terms of the number of weeks means that the nights are getting colder and the playoff picture starts to heating up. For Week 10, I'll keep an eye on the Seahawks-Buccaneers, Vikings-Bills, Cowboys-Packers, and Chargers-49ers matchups this week. In this post I'll do a Week 10 preview, my picks for the games, and the Early & Late game TV broadcast pairings. Let's get to work!

Week 10 Preview

The NFL's tenth week of the regular season will start in Charlotte, North Carolina and finish up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The week will have a 14-game slate where 28 teams will play. Teams on a bye are the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Week 10 will have a Thursday night game, a Sunday morning game, seven early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. FOX will have the doubleheader and CBS will have the single, regional game this week. Let's get to the picks! 

Week 10 Picks

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

Atlanta (4-5) @ Carolina (2-7) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons
The Falcons lost to the Chargers and the Panthers lost to the Bengals last week. The week starts off with a meh matchup in the NFC South. Atlanta is currently tied with the Buccaneers for 1st place in that division. They have a quarterback that can be worthy of being a starter but not sure of that "franchise" status. Marcus Mariota has done enough to get the Falcons to where they are at. It also helps to have a running game that is good. Cordarrelle Patterson would be a worthy runner to mention. Carolina has been the opposite. They have a quarterback situation that is a mess and that's not the least of their worries. They also have a relatively weak receiving corp and a running game that isn't that great. I think its a mismatch but I could be wrong. I'll take the safe bet in the Falcons. 

Seattle (6-3) @ Tampa Bay (4-5) (NFL Network; 9:30 am): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Seahawks
Both teams won last week as the Seahawks beat the Cardinals and the Buccaneers beat the Rams. Game won't be in Tampa but it will be in Munich, Germany for the first time. With the location of the game out of the way, I think the game will be a fun one to watch. You have the journeyman in Geno Smith and the GOAT in Tom Brady. Seattle has had a fun season and they seem like a confident and relaxed bunch. Geno Smith has had a renaissance of a season with 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions. It's insane. Tom Brady has had a trying 2022 season but still has the Buccaneers in a possible playoff spot let alone getting a division title. The win last week against the Rams has to give them some confidence going into this matchup. I think the Buccaneers will win in a must-win game for them. 

Denver (3-5) @ Tennessee (5-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The Broncos had a bye and the Titans lost to the Chiefs last week. A doozy matchup in the Music City. Denver had been a promising team that would've had a good offense going and a defense that can play well. Both things haven't happened. The wheels aren't moving well for Russell Wilson and his receivers as they look lost at times. Tennessee has had a rough go of it with Malik Willis as he has only completed 12 of his 30 passes in 2022. The former Liberty University quarterback has 141 passing yards to his name. If he has to go again in this game I don't feel optimistic. Sure they have Derrick Henry on their roster but sure Willis has to do more in the passing game. Or Ryan Tannehill is back and the Titans have a better shot at winning it. I don't trust either team but I have to take one or the other. I'll take the home team. 

Cleveland (3-5) @ Miami (6-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Browns had a bye and the Dolphins beat the Bears last week. Cleveland has been Cleveland in 2022. Not a great year for sure. They have their running game that will help them out in games but their quarterback play and sometimes inept defense keeps them at where they are at. Miami has been one of the better teams in the AFC with their quarterback play. Tua Tagovailoa has had a season of 15 touchdowns and three interceptions. Certainly one of the best seasons for a passer. Miami has also got it done with their running game and defense. The defense might be a stretch since they gave up 32 points to the Bears last week. It seems like a stretch for the Browns to win but I'll take the Dolphins. 

Detroit (2-6) @ Chicago (3-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Bears; CV: Lions
The Lions beat the Packers and the Bears lost to the Dolphins last week. Detroit has been Detroit this year with the added trimmings of once having the highest scoring offense weeks ago. Jared Goff and company did find their way to win against Green Bay. Still an upset either way you look at it. What they face is a Chicago team who has had a bit of a resurgence on offense. The fact that they've put up points against two defenses in the Patriots and the Dolphins means there's some hope in Chicago. It feels like its a game where both offenses will do well. Both have two running games that will be something to respect. I feel the Bears are a bit better on offense. I'll take the Bears.

Houston (1-6-1) @ NY Giants (6-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Giants
The Texans lost to the Eagles and the Giants had a bye last week. Houston has the Astros World Series title to celebrate. For its football team its not looking like a title in the future. Davis Mills has been the captain of a sunken ship for well over a season and the Texans don't have a lot of help for him. Dameon Pierce will be a good back to rely on in the future. New York has had a resurgence of a season. At least when it comes to the past few seasons. The Giants should take care of business in this game as the Texans have a running game that isn't that solid. It'd be a crazy upset if the Texans win this game. 

Jacksonville (3-6) @ Kansas City (6-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Jaguars beat the Raiders and the Chiefs beat the Titans last week. Jacksonville had one of their best comebacks against the Raiders. It was against the Raiders granted but it was a game that has to give them some boost of momentum. Kansas City pulled off a squeaker against the Titans despite the Titans having Malik Willis at quarterback. They will have to do better at the running game to give Patrick Mahomes less of a burden to handle. After all Patrick Mahomes lead the team in rushing last week. It is interesting that the Jaguars haven't won in Arrowhead Stadium since 2007. I think they'll be waiting a bit longer for that to happen. 

Minnesota (7-1) @ Buffalo (6-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Vikings
The Vikings beat the Commanders and the Bills lost to the Jets last week. Minnesota has done well this season. With a new coach that has an offensive mind, the Vikings offense has had a jump start. They will face off against a Bills defense that is putting up numbers. I tend to think good defense will beat good offense. The big story in this game will come down to the health of Josh Allen. While the presence of him not being on the field will be felt, I think it won't be a huge factor. Buffalo has a backup quarterback in Case Keenum. What I do have a question on is how will the Bills running game respond to Allen not in the lineup. Devin Singletary is a capable back but will Keenum stay in sync with the offense. I still like the Bills in the matchup by a sliver. 

New Orleans (3-6) @ Pittsburgh (2-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Saints
The Saints lost to the Ravens and the Steelers had a bye last week. It was a let down game for the Saints as they really got ran over by a good Ravens team. Andy Dalton has been somewhat of a capable quarterback in his time backing up Jameis Winston. The biggest letdown for the Saints this season has been Alvin Kamara. The running back hasn't had the season of years past. Pittsburgh has had a bit of a rough stretch of ball. Their offense has been pitiful and their defense is a walking carpet without TJ Watt in the lineup. The good news is that the latter might come back in TJ Watt. Watt's presence will be needed if the Steelers want to get back to the playoffs in consecutive years. I really don't like either team but I'll go with the home team. 

Indianapolis (3-5-1) @ Las Vegas (2-6) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Colts
The Colts lost to the Patriots and the Raiders lost to the Jaguars last week. Colts owner Jim Irsay made some headlines as his team fired Frank Reich and brought in former Colt Jeff Saturday to serve as interim head coach. It wasn't the wildest thing as Parks Frazier will be handling play-calling duties for the Colts offense. It just seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Or the Colts actually win a game. For the Raiders, the chances of them turning it around and getting a playoff spot seems not likely. The hiring of Josh McDaniels seems to look worse every week. Both teams aren't very good but I'll take the home team. 

Arizona (3-6) @ LA Rams (3-5) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Rams
The Cardinals lost to the Seahawks and the Rams lost to the Buccaneers last week. It looked like the NFC West would be a good division this year. The Cardinals and Rams definitely proved that thought otherwise. Kyler Murray is a good quarterback who is as versatile as anyone in the game. The recent addition of DeAndre Hopkins who had served a suspension has been putting up numbers. The Rams as defending champions don't have that same spark that they had at this time last year. Matthew Stafford has regressed and the offensive line which had been their strength in 2021 has been not great. Darrell Henderson's numbers are a symbol to that offensive line play. The Rams typically have the Cardinals number in recent years and they're at home. I don't think either team will put up numbers but I'll take the Rams. 

Dallas (6-2) @ Green Bay (3-6) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Cowboys
The Cowboys had a bye and the Packers lost to the Lions last week. It won't be an Ice Bowl game for the two teams. Dak Prescott will be better rested and the Dallas offense will be ready to play. Their running game for sure. Green Bay has had one of their worse seasons since the late 2010's. The reasons are multiple with the receiving corp and their defense failing up to expectations as one of them. Aaron Rodgers has had some decent games passing the ball. His interception numbers are higher than in the past few seasons. It just seems like it was a year that the Packers could've rebuild and just start fresh with Jordan Love. I'm up on Cardinal Viking by a few games, I can risk taking the huge underdog in this game. I'll take the Pack. 

LA Chargers (5-3) @ San Francisco (4-4) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Chargers beat the Falcons and the 49ers had a bye last week. The Chargers offense has been kind of lackluster without its pass catchers in Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. The result last week was clear as they manage to score only 20 points and still win. They'll have their hands full this week with San Francisco. San Francisco's record really seems a bit of a misguided one. Their offense should be a lot better than they are. The addition of Christian McCaffrey to their offense seems to produce positive results. Time will tell if McCaffrey can stay healthy as he had not healthy seasons the last few years. I don't think the Chargers will win and their defense will have their hands full in this one. 

Washington (4-5) @ Philadelphia (8-0) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Commanders lost to the Vikings and the Eagles had a bye last week. The week finishes off with a good NFC East rivalry game. The Commanders have the folk hero in Taylor Heinicke who has played alright in the last few weeks. Their running game is fairly underrated in the tandem of Antonio Gibson, Brian Robinson and Curtis Samuel. Chase Young should also be mentioned as well. What Washington faces this week is the current undefeated team in the Philadelphia Eagles. The 8-0 start for the Eagles is their best in franchise history. They've gotten it done on both the pass and run. Jalen Hurts is hard to stop as the guy has 18 total touchdowns in 2022. His supporting cast of running backs is good too. The Eagles defensive liability is their rush defense as they give up 121.4 yards/game. They will need to shore up the gaps well to beat the Commanders. I think the undefeated streak will end eventually but not in this game. 

Early & Late TV Broadcast Pairings

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

CBS Single

Jacksonville @ Kansas City
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Houston @ NY Giants
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Cleveland @ Miami
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta

Denver @ Tennessee
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

Indianapolis @ Las Vegas (Late)
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

FOX Early

Minnesota @ Buffalo
Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

Detroit @ Chicago
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

New Orleans @ Pittsburgh
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth

FOX Late

Dallas @ Green Bay
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Arizona @ LA Rams
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

For more information on which game(s) are being shown in your area, check out: NFL 2022: Week 10 Maps

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2

Total: 82-53-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4

Total: 72-63-1

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 10 Recap! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 9 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come and gone. The week that was offered us fans such storylines like: an upset in New Jersey, a drubbing in Cincy, many games with a 20-17 final score, and Tom Brady leading his team to a comeback win. All those storylines and more in this week's recap post for Week 9. Let's get to work!

Week 9 Recap

Philadelphia 29, Houston 17: TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
For Philadelphia, at least you have the Eagles. For Houston, you have the Astros World Series championship to hang your hat on. Jalen Hurts did well in this game as he had 21 of 27 passes completed for 243 yards with two touchdown passes to Dallas Goedert and AJ Brown. The Eagles running game would provide scoring as well. Miles Sanders did most of the damage on the ground with 93 yards rushign with a touchdown on 17 carries. Kenneth Gainwell had 22 yards rushing with a touchdown. Philadelphia would score a touchdown in each quarter. Davis Mills would have a decent showing as he had 13 of 22 passes completed for 154 yards with touchdown passes to Teagan Quitoriano and Chris Moore. He wouldn't help the cause as he did have two passes intercepted. Dameon Pierce would have a great game on the ground for Houston with 139 yards rushing on 27 carries. He had a run that was for 36 yards that was his longest in the game. Along with the turnovers, the Texans went 2 for 9 on 3rd down conversions and were 2 for 4 in the redzone. For the Eagles, the 8-0 start is their best start in the 90-year history of the team. For the Texans, the loss keeps them in the cellar of the AFC South at 1-6-1. 

Next week:
Philadelphia: vs Washington (Monday night)
Houston: @ NY Giants

TW: 1-0; CV: 1-0

Buffalo 17, NY Jets 20: TW: Bills; CV: Bills
Well this was a bit of a surprise of the week. Josh Allen would be the lone man wrecking crew for the Bills. Allen had 18 of 34 passes completed for 205 yards with two interceptions. His two rushing touchdowns would be the only offensive scores that the Bills would put up. He had 86 yards rushing. The Jets would hold the Bills passing game to 183 yards where they averaged 315.1 yards/game. Another reason would be the Jets sacked Josh Allen five times. Zach Wilson completed 18 of 25 passes for 154 yards with a touchdown pass to James Robinson. Michael Carter had 76 yards rushing with a touchdown run. One of the reasons for the Jets victory was that they protected the ball better than last week where Wilson was picked off three times. It's the first Jets victory at home against Buffalo since 2017 where they beat the Bills 34-21. For the Bills, the shock still keeps them at 6-2 but the resurgence of the Dolphins are slowly at their rear view mirror. For the Jets, the win puts them at 6-3 in a battle for 2nd against the Dolphins. 

Next week:
Buffalo: vs Minnesota
NY Jets: Bye

TW: 1-1; CV: 1-1

Carolina 21, Cincinnati 42: TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
Joe Mixon's critics were put on ice in this game. PJ Walker would start in the game but the passer had 3 of 10 passes completed for nine yards and had two passes picked off. Baker Mayfield would come off the bench and provided 155 yards with two touchdowns to Terrace Marshall Jr and Tommy Tremble. Donta Foreman would have the leading rusher honors for the Panthers with 23 yards. Raheem Blackshear would have 13 yards rushing with a touchdown. The Panthers scoring would come in the 2nd half as they were shutout at halftime 35-0. Joe Burrow had a better game than last week as he completed 22 of 28 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown to Joe Mixon. He also had a rushing touchdown. The game would belong to Joe Mixon who had 22 carries for 153 yards with four touchdown runs. His longest run was for 29 yards. Samaje Perine had 51 yards rushing. Cincinnati's offense had 30 first downs had 6.8 yards per pass and had 6.2 yards per rush. For the Panthers, the loss pushes them to 2-7 with nine more weeks left to go in the season. For the Bengals, the win moves them back to 5-4 with a bye week in their horizon. 

Next week:
Carolina: vs Atlanta
Cincinnati: Bye 

TW: 2-1; CV: 2-1

Green Bay 9, Detroit 15: TW: Lions; CV: Packers
It was certainly an upset and the Lions do well against the Packers at home. Aaron Rodgers looked lost and hopeless as he had 23 of 43 passes for 291 yards with a touchdown pass to Alan Lazard in the 3rd quarter. He would be seeing Lions all day as he was picked off three times with at least one of them in the redzone. Rodgers had 40 yards rushing and was the leading rusher for the Pack. The Packers offense would  go 0 for 4 in the redzone and 0 for 2 in goal to go situations. They had a 34:42 advantage at time of possession. Jared Goff would have a solid day as a passer as he completed 14 of 26 passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns to Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell. He would have a pass intercepted by Jaire Alexander. Jamaal Williams, the former Packer, had a good day running the ball with 81 yards rushing on 24 carries. The Lions had a better showing on offense as the went 2 of 3 in the redzone and were a perfect 2 of 2 in goal to go situations. For the Packers, the season is starting to slip away and doesn't look to be getting better as take on the Cowboys next week. For the Lions, they get their 2nd win of the season. 

Next week:
Green Bay: vs Dallas
Detroit: @ Chicago

TW: 3-1; CV: 2-2

Indianapolis 3, New England 26: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
Defense and special teams would rule the day in Foxboro. Samuel Ehlinger had his 2nd start of his career and would face the lions den in it. He completed 15 of his 29 passes for 103 yards with an interception that would lead to a pick-six by Jonathan Jones that would put the nail in the coffin for the Colts. Ehlinger had 39 yards rushing on five carries. The bright spot for the Colts was a fumble and four sacks on Mac Jones. The black hole stat was the nine sacks that the Patriots put on Samuel Ehlinger that totaled up to 60 yards. The Colts were held to 121 total yards. Mac Jones did enough to keep his job as he completed 20 of 30 passes for 147 yards with a touchdown pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. The touchdown pass would come on a special teams blocked punt that would provide the Pats with a drive inside the five yard line. Rhamondre Stevenson had 60 yards rushing in the game. The Patriots would have the higher total yards count with 203 yards of offense. Leading the sack party was Matthew Judon and Josh Uche with three sacks each. For the Colts, the game was an ugly one as their season spirals out of control at 3-5-1. For the Patriots, they get their 2nd straight win with a bye week at 5-4. 

Next week:
Indianapolis: @ Las Vegas
New England: Bye

TW: 4-1; CV: 3-2

LA Chargers 20, Atlanta 17: TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
It came down to Cameron Dicker's leg to put the Chargers on top at Atlanta. Justin Herbert completed 30 of 43 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown pass to Austin Ekeler. Herbert had a pass intercepted that was deflected and ran into the arms of Falcons safety Richie Grant. Austin Ekeler would have a rushing touchdown along with the receiving touchdown as he had 47 yards rushing. In just his 2nd NFL game, kicker Cameron Dicker would hit two critical field goals, one to tie the game on a 31-yard field goal. The 2nd would come from a 37-yard field goal that would lift the Chargers with a dub. Marcus Mariota had 12 of 23 passes for 129 yards in the game. Tyler Allgeier had 99 yards rushing in the game with a 44-yard run being his longest in the game. Cordarrelle Patterson made his return from injury in this game. He had two touchdowns with 44 yards rushing. For the Chargers, the squeaker of a win puts them at 5-3 to keep pace with the Chiefs. For the Falcons, the loss drops them to 4-5 in an ugly NFC South where there is no team above .500 in the division. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: @ San Francisco (Sunday night)
Atlanta: @ Carolina (Thursday night)

TW: 5-1; CV: 4-2

Las Vegas 20, Jacksonville 27: TW: Jaguars; CV: Raiders
Another blown lead for the Raiders. Rinse and repeat. Derek Carr had a good game as he had 21 of 36 passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns to Davante Adams that were thrown in the 1st half. Josh Jacobs had 67 yards rushing on 17 carries. The Raiders would put up points compared to last week where they put a 0 burger against the Saints. Las Vegas would score on four of their first five drives that gave the Raiders a 20-7 score towards halftime. Adams had 146 receiving yards on ten catches. Trevor Lawrence had 25 of 31 passes for 235 yards with a touchdown pass to Christian Kirk. He would improve in the turnover department as he threw no interceptions in the game. Travis Etienne had a good game on the ground as he had 109 yards rushing with two touchdown trips on 28 carries. Trevor Lawrence would also play running back for a bit with 53 yards rushing. The 17-point comeback was the 2nd greatest comeback in Jaguars franchise history. The first was a 21-point comeback against the Giants in 2014. One of the biggest reasons why the Raiders wouldn't put up more would be their inefficiencies at 3rd down as the would go 3 of 12 on those conversions. For the Raiders, the season is slipping away from them as they have a 2-6 record staring at them. For the Jaguars, they finally get a win after suffering a five-game losing streak. 

Next week:
Las Vegas: vs. Indianapolis
Jacksonville: @ Kansas City

TW: 6-1; CV: 4-3

Miami 35, Chicago 32: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
It was a shootout in the Windy City. Tua Tagovailoa would lead the Dolphins in this game. He had a great game as he completed 21 of 30 passes for 302 yards with three touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and newly acquired piece Jeff Wilson from the 49ers. Wilson would provide some help in the running game as he had 51 yards rushing. His former 49er teammate Raheem Mostert had 26 yards rushing with a touchdown run. Miami would score a touchdown on four of their five drives in this game as well as go 5 of 10 on 3rd down conversions. Justin Fields had a great game as the former Buckeye had 17 of 28 passes completed for 123 yards with three touchdowns and had 178 rushing yards with a touchdown. The three touchdown passes would go to Darnell Mooney for one and Cole Kmet for two. Newly acquired receiver Chase Claypool had two catches for 13 yards. There would be five lead changes in this game. For the Dolphins, they have won three straight games after losing three straight games where they also won three straight games. For the Bears, the season not looking good for them as they go 3-6 in 2022. 

Next week:
Miami: vs Cleveland
Chicago: vs Detroit

TW: 7-1; CV: 5-3

Minnesota 20, Washington 17: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Minnesota wins its sixth straight game as Kirk Cousins travels back to Washington for the first time since 2017. Cousins would start off slow as he did have a pass intercepted in the first half. He would finish the game with 22 of 40 passes completed for 265 yards with two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook. Dalvin Cook had 47 yards rushing with 17 carries. Newly acquired tight end TJ Hockenson had nine catches for 70 yards receiving for his new team. Taylor Heinicke had 15 of 28 passes completed for 149 yards with two touchdown passes to Curtis Samuel and Dax Milne. He would have a pass intercepted in the game. Brian Robinson added 44 yards rushing with 13 carries. The game would feature one of the weirdest plays this season. The play was a Heinicke "hail mary" pass to Curtis Samuel who was in triple coverage. Vikings safety Camryn Bynum would collide with back judge Steve Patrick who had attempted to get out of the way. Samuel would catch the ball on the Vikings goal line. For the Vikings, the win is their 6th straight win since the debacle against the Eagles in Week 2. For the Commanders, the loss brings them back down to below .500 at 4-5. 

Next week:
Minnesota: @ Buffalo
Washington: @ Philadelphia (Monday night)

TW: 8-1: CV: 6-3

Seattle 31, Arizona 21: TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
Seattle just keeps winning and proving people wrong. Geno Smith was efficient in this game as he had 26 of 34 passes completed for 275 yards with touchdowns to Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. His lone hiccup was an interception that was grabbed by Zaven Collins that would convert to six points for Arizona. Geno Smith has been efficient in his completion percentage as he leads the league in that category with 70% completion. Kenneth Walker III continues to make his case for Rookie of the Year resume with 109 yards rushing with two touchdown runs. Kyler Murray would play alright in the game as he had 25 of 35 passes for 175 yards with touchdowns to Zach Ertz and DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins who had been on a tear since returning to the Cardinals from a suspension had been putting up numbers. Murray would once again lead the team in rushing with 60 yards. James Connor had 45 yards rushing. Seattle's defense would make things a bit difficult for Kyler Murray as the passer was sacked four times. For the Seahawks, the win keeps them in 1st place in the NFC West at 6-3. For the Cardinals, the loss puts them at 3-6 with their next two games against NFC West opponents. If they want to get back to contention they will need to win those games. 

Next week:
Seattle: @ Tampa Bay (Sunday morning)
Arizona: @ LA Rams 

TW: 9-1; CV: 7-3

LA Rams 13, Tampa Bay 16: TW: Rams; CV: Rams
Tom Brady returned to his old roots and lead his team to a comeback win. Matthew Stafford would find Tampa inhospitable as he would complete just 13 of his 27 passes for 165 yards with a touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp. Stafford would get sacked four times. The offense would only convert on 3rd down four times out of 15 tries. Darrell Henderson had a decent game on the ground as he had 56 yards rushing on 12 carries. Tampa's defense would hold the Rams to 206 total yards with an average gain of 3.7 yards/play. Tom Brady would use his arm a lot in this game as he had 36 of 58 passes completed for 280 yards with a touchdown pass to Cade Otton that would be the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left in the game. Rashaad White had 27 yards rushing in the game for Tampa. The final drive for Tampa would start on their own 40 yard line that would go 54 yards on six plays. It almost felt like vintage Brady but it also kind of felt numbing as it might be one of the last times that you'll see him lead a team for a win like he has done many times in his illustrious career. For the Rams, the defending of a title proves to be a toughie as they drop to 3-5. For the Buccaneers, they're tied with Atlanta for the rights of 1st place in the putrid NFC South. 

Next week:
LA Rams: vs Arizona
Tampa Bay: vs Seattle (Sunday morning)

TW: 9-2; CV: 7-4

Tennessee 17, Kansas City 20 (F/OT): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
It would be Derrick Henry vs the Kansas City Chiefs in this game. Malik Willis had not a great game as he would only complete five passes for 80 yards with 40 rushing yards. Derrick Henry would ultimately carry the Titans in this game as the runner had 115 yards rushing with two touchdowns and a 56-yard run being his longest in the game. The Titans would put up 229 total yards in the game for offense. Patrick Mahomes had a game like no other in his career with 43 completions out of 68 passes. He threw the ball for 446 yards with a touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman early in the 2nd quarter. He also rushed for 63 yards with a rushing touchdown and had an interception in the game. Mahomes' running game would be limited in this game as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco would rush for five yards each. It would be a defensive battle as the Titans would give up quite a bit of yardage but the points they gave up would be limited. It wasn't until the Mahomes running touchdown and the two-point conversion that proved that the Titans really had the Chiefs number in this game. Unfortunately Harrison Butker's go-ahead field goal would give the Chiefs the lead in the game. It would be the Titans that would fail to answer back in overtime. For the Titans, the Malik Willis experiment needs to be tinkered with and be given better preparation. Especially if they know Ryan Tannehill will be out for a duration. For the Chiefs, the win moves them to 6-2 in a rather must win game for them. 

Next week:
Tennessee: vs Denver
Kansas City: vs Jacksonville

TW: 10-2; CV: 8-4

Baltimore 27, New Orleans 13: TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
It was a great night if your name was Kenyan Drake. Lamar Jackson would play well in the game as he had 12 of 22 passes completed for 133 yards with a touchdown pass to Isiah Likely (great last name buddy) late in the 4th quarter on a 24-yard pass play. It would be the longest pass that Jackson would throw in the game. Kenyan Drake would have the honors of the world on his back in the SuperDome as he had 93 yards rushing with two touchdown runs on 24 carries. Lamar Jackson would have a good rushing day as he had 82 yards rushing on 11 carries. It would be a game where the Ravens would control the tempo and protect the ball at all costs kind of game as Baltimore had a time of possession of 37:47. Andy Dalton would do okay but not great as the passer had 19 of 29 passes completed for 210 yards. The "Red Rifle" would have a touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson late in the 4th quarter that would cut the Ravens lead to 14 points. Alvin Kamara would not get a lot going in this game as he had 30 yards rushing on nine carries. He would have a 10-yard run that would be his longest in this game. New Orleans would not have an easy time on offense as they went 3 for 11 on 3rd down conversions and had 243 total yards in the game. With 49 total plays that would make out to 5.0 yards/play in the game. 

Next week:
Baltimore: Bye
New Orleans: @ Pittsburgh

TW: 11-2; CV: 9-4

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2

Total: 82-53-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4

Total: 72-63-1

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 on Wednesday for the Week 10 Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom

NFL 2022 Week 9 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! There are eight weeks in the books and there is plenty of season left to see who are the contenders and the pretenders are. Typically November is the month where you start to see those teams. In this post I'll do a Week 9 Preview, my picks for the week's games and the early and late game tv broadcast pairings for the week ahead. Let's get to work!

Week 9 Preview

The ninth week of the National Football League's regular season starts in Houston, Texas and finishes up in New Orleans, Louisiana. The week will have a 13-game slate where 26 teams will play. The Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the San Francisco 49ers have a bye this week. Week 9 will have a Thursday night game, eight early games, two late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. The doubleheader this week goes to CBS and FOX will have the single, regional game. Let's get to the picks!

Week 9 Picks

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

Philadelphia (7-0) @ Houston (1-5-1) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Eagles beat the Steelers and the Texans lost to the Titans last week. Game holds special meaning to another sport as Philadelphia and Houston have teams in the World Series. Unlike the World Series, this matchup in the NFL seems to be a bit of a mismatch. You have a David in the Texans who have 1 1/2 wins in 2022. You have a Goliath in the Eagles who have the only unbeaten record in the NFL. As much as I like underdogs and the Texans are 14-point underdogs, I don't see the Texans pulling off the upset of upsets this week. 

Buffalo (6-1) @ NY Jets (5-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Bills beat the Packers and the Jets lost to the Patriots last week. Buffalo has had a great season and they are certainly a great team and they face a Jets team that has had a resurgent year. New York despite playing awful against the Patriots, they only lost by five points. It was a game that could've went their way. I think it will be a great test for the Jets to see how good they can be. If they can limit the turnovers and get the ball to their players they have a good shot to win. Buffalo is the class of the AFC East and they would have to fall off the cliff to lose this game. I'll take the Bills.

Carolina (2-6) @ Cincinnati (4-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
Both teams lost as the Panthers lost to the Falcons and the Bengals lost to the Browns. Carolina has had a bit of a turnaround for a couple of weeks with Matt Rhule out and PJ Walker in at quarterback. They've been competitive in games they just don't win. Cincinnati had a let down game against their state rival last week. I think the competitiveness of the Panthers ends for this week as they have a tough task against the Bengals offense. I'll take the Bengals in a game that seems like a mismatch on paper but possibly a good one on the field.

Green Bay (3-5) @ Detroit (1-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Packers
The Packers lost to the Bills and the Lions lost to the Dolphins last week. A doozy of a matchup. Green Bay is banged up on offense and will need to have more cohesiveness in the passing game. It would have to be a running game that would push the Packers forward against the Lions. Typically the Lions have done well against the Packers at home. At least in recent years. The Lions will have a good chance to really limit the Packers passing game assuming they don't let their wide outs free and open. I think its an upset that doesn't seem like an upset. I'll take the Lions in an oddity. 

Indianapolis (3-4-1) @ New England (4-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The Colts lost to the Commanders and the Patriots beat the Jets last week. Matt Ryan out and Samuel Ehlinger in for the Colts. It seems like a matchup between Mac Jones and the Colts blitz as the Colts do have a decent defensive front. Mac Jones did enough to start again for this week but left the door cracked open for Bailey Zappe. If I was the Patriots, I would try to get Mac some simple short passes to his targets and force the Colts to play pass defense. If I was the Colts I would try to pressure Mac Jones early and often. I think the former will happen, I'll take the Pats. 

LA Chargers (4-3) @ Atlanta (4-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers had a bye and the Falcons beat the Panthers last week. Justin Herbert and company will be well rested for this game. They really have a 4-3 record not on their talent but more so on their head coach who seems to follow more of an analytical approach than a football approach. Atlanta currently leads the NFC South (like everyone thought they would). Their quarterback play has been a surprise in Marcus Mariota. While I think the rest will have a factor for the Chargers I think the better team is the Chargers and I'll take them in this one. 

Las Vegas (2-5) @ Jacksonville (2-6) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Raiders
Both teams lost last week as the Raiders lost to the Saints and the Jaguars lost to the Broncos. Toilet Bowl game! Both teams offenses are just stinky and smelly. The Raiders put up a zero burger against a team that certainly is worthy of putting up more than zero points on. Jacksonville's offense stinks as well but at least they do have something of a running game that makes it interesting to watch. Trevor Lawrence in his 2nd year hasn't made progress to be the player that went #1 in the 2021 NFL Draft. The game stinks to high heaven but someone has to win so I'll take the home team. 

Miami (5-3) @ Chicago (3-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Dolphins beat the Lions and the Bears lost to the Cowboys last week. Miami has a fun offense and they added a running back from San Francisco in Jeff Wilson. Wilson adds to a running game that has another former 49er in Raheem Mostert. I think the Dolphins offense seems to be a bit of a tough task for the Bears defense who traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens. Justin Fields could make it an interesting game with his running ability and the addition of Chase Claypool could be something to keep an eye on as he is an okay wide out that could add to offense. For now, I'll take the Dolphins in a offensive game against the Bears. 

Minnesota (6-1) @ Washington (4-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
The Vikings beat the Cardinals and the Commanders beat the Colts. Both teams have been keeping it close this season. Minnesota is certainly one of those teams you have to consider to be a good team. They like to play it close to the chest and that's some reason why they are being held back from being a "great" team. Washington has had some fun games with folk hero Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. If they want to have a chance to win they really need to keep the Vikings offense off the field and to take some shots down the field. It would be nice if they ran the ball as well. I'll take the safe bet in the Vikings. 

Seattle (5-3) @ Arizona (3-5) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
The Seahawks beat the Giants and the Cardinals lost to the Vikings last week. Geno Smith has been a nice story to the Seahawks this season. With 13 touchdowns and just three interceptions to his name in 2022, Geno Smith has provided some stability to the Seahawks offense. Kenneth Walker has also provided stability and production at running back. Arizona has been not great this year when they're on offense as well as defense. The games they won were close ones. DeAndre Hopkins is back and he does provide Kyler Murray some help in the passing game. I'll take the Seahawks.

LA Rams (3-4) @ Tampa Bay (3-5) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Rams
Both teams lost last week as the Rams lost to the 49ers and the Buccaneers lost to the Ravens. A rematch of the NFC Divisional playoff game last January. Both teams haven't been the kind of teams like they were that day and it seems that their seasons are just getting worse. The Buccaneers seem to be the team that is worst off as their offense hasn't been the offense of the last few years. They don't have a formidable running option other than Leonard Fournette. The Bucs don't run the ball as much as they should. Tom Brady looks lost and out of it and just seems that retirement last year should've happened for him. The Rams play has been very much on the shoulders of Matthew Stafford who has more interceptions than touchdowns to his name in 2022. LA's running game, one of the better ones in 2021, hasn't been the team that it should. I just think this game could be a bore but I'll take the Rams.

Tennessee (5-2) @ Kansas City (5-2) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Titans beat the Texans and the Chiefs had a bye last week. The Sunday night game features some good AFC teams that have very good offenses. Tennessee has obviously Derrick Henry and he could put some yards against this Chiefs defense. Eventually Derrick Henry will find his way to get at least 50 yards rushing. What I question for the Titans is their quarterback and defense. If the Chiefs lose this game it would have to be the fact that the Titans offense controls the line of scrimmage and keep either Ryan Tannehill or Malik Willis healthy and on their feet. I think its just a matchup that weighs heavily in favor for the Chiefs. 

Baltimore (5-3) @ New Orleans (3-5) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Ravens beat the Buccaneers and the Saints beat the Raiders last week. The week finishes up with an okay matchup in the Bayou. Lamar Jackson had some hurdles to go over earlier in the season. Such hurdles like the blown leads against the Dolphins and the Giants. He has also been the leading rusher for the Ravens. I think Baltimore's running attack of Kenyan Drake, Gus Edwards, and JK Dobbins are just a nightmare for any defensive coordinator to handle. Its underrated. New Orleans success this season has been the resurgence of Andy Dalton who has played well enough to get the Saints to competitiveness in 2022. Alvin Kamara, the top running back, hasn't had the point production that he's had in previous years. I think the Ravens will take care of business with their defense and their acquisition Roquan Smith from the Bears. 

Early & Late Game TV Pairings:

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

CBS Early

Buffalo @ NY Jets
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

Miami @ Chicago
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Indianapolis @ New England
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta

Las Vegas @ Jacksonville
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton

CBS Late

LA Rams @ Tampa Bay
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

FOX Single

Green Bay @ Detroit
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

LA Chargers @ Atlanta
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Minnesota @ Washington
Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth

Carolina @ Cincinnati
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Seattle @ Arizona (Late)
Adam Amin, Daryl Johnston

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2022: Week 9 Maps

2022 Pick ‘Em Records

My record:

Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3

Total: 71-51-1

Cardinal Viking's record:

Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6

Total: 63-59-1

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 9 Recap post! Enjoy your week and the games! 

-Tom