Flanagan's NFL picks: Week 9
Kansas City Star
November 01, 2007
There has never been a scarier week of trying to pick NFL games than this week.
Why? Because you can make a strong case for every team winning their particular game this week, except perhaps Baltimore, which plays at Pittsburgh.
And that's going to make for a lot of craziness.
Good luck: We're all going to need it.
Last week's record straight up: 8-5
Season record straight up: 79-37
Last week's record against the spread: 5-8
Season record against the spread: 63-49-4
Chiefs 16, Packers 10: If there ever was a week for the Packers to ease off the gas pedal, it would be this week. The tough two-game stretch at Denver and at Kansas City already has produced no worse than a split, and chances are the Chiefs might get a Packers team a little complacent. Yes, the Packers have been unreal on the road (8-3) under coach Mike McCarthy, but the Chiefs are rested and coming off a bye week and a game at Arrowhead is unlike other road games. Look for some funny Arrowhead bounces and tipped passes that go the Chiefs way as they pull out an ugly, ugly win.
Line: Chiefs by 2
49ers 17, Falcons 14: Impossible to predict this one. The Falcons continue to bark at each other and their coaching staff, which may be enough of a distraction for the 49ers to slip away with a win.
Line: Falcons by 3
Bengals 23, Bills 21: Another coin-flipper. How low can the Bengals sink? The Bills have injury problems at quarterback and don't exactly have a potent offense to begin with. But the Bengals couldn't stop you or me if we were running a two-man offense. Take a guess.
Line: Bengals by 1
Seahawks 27, Browns 24: Yes, the Browns have been incredibly feisty and fun this season. But the Seahawks are motivated to create some separation in their own weak division. And the Browns nearly lost to the gosh-awful Rams, falling behind 14-0 at one point. It's a guess, but I think the Seahawks will play well this week.
Line: Browns by 1A1 2
Cowboys 30, Eagles 28: This was tempting to be an upset special. The Eagles, coming off a crushing home loss to Chicago, bounced back with a nice win against the Vikings in the Metrodome. And nothing would make the Eagles happier than being a thorn in the Cowboys' dream season. The feeling here is the Eagles will play strong throughout but Tony Romo will lead a last-minute drive to pull it out.
Line: Cowboys by 3
Broncos 24, Lions 17: The Lions simply can't be this good, can they? Are they really a 5-2 team? Denver is coming off a stunning home overtime loss to the Pack but at least the short week should help erase that memory. And simply put, the Broncos need this one desperately. Jay Cutler is getting better each week, though the Broncos' run defense is so bad, it's hard to pick them. I'm going to anyway.
Line: Lions by 3
Patriots 27, Colts 24: The game of the decade, no doubt. No team in history has put up the gaudy numbers that the Pats are this season. They have been so good it's laughable. And I keep picking against their big spreads and keep getting my you-know-what kicked. You'd be a fool to pick against the Pats straight up, but I still think this should be a tight game.
Line: Pats by 5
Saints 24, Jags 20: The Jags are one of the best road teams in recent memory. But the Saints are finally starting to get it together and could crawl out of their 0-4 hole and get back to .500. One problem: You can forget about running the ball against the Jags. But the Saints will find another way to squeak it out.
Line: Saints by 3
Raiders 10, Texans 3: At home, the Raiders should have a slight edge. But it wouldn't be a shock if the Texans rose up, either. Coin-flipper.
Line: Raiders by 3
Chargers 24, Vikings 13: This actually will be somewhat of a nice test for San Diego in a hostile environment. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they just don't have the firepower to be as fearsome at home at they've usually been. The Chargers should take control early and therefore take Adrian Peterson out of the equation.
Line: Chargers by 7
Bucs 20, Cards 14: Another coin-flipper. Tampa is coming off a hugely disappointing loss at home and the Cards have the punch offensively to make it interesting.
Line: Bucs by 3A1 2
Titans 13, Panthers 6: Oh, my, will this be ugly. These teams are designed similarly: Run the ball and play hard defense and keep the score down. The guess is that maybe Vince Young makes one wild scramble at the end to make the difference.
Line: Titans by 4
Washington 14, Jets 10: The Jets are switching quarterbacks and already are looking toward next year. Washington, after getting pasted by New England, still has its eye on the postseason. Washington should be the inspired one.
Line: Washington by 3A1 2
Steelers 24, Ravens 13: Most fans probably figured this was the surest bet in any knockout pool. The Ravens are a mystery and simply haven't shown they're capable of going on the road and performing well. Steelers fans no doubt will be howling on this Monday night and that should be enough to perhaps even make it a blowout.
Line: Steelers by 9A1 2
November 01, 2007
There has never been a scarier week of trying to pick NFL games than this week.
Why? Because you can make a strong case for every team winning their particular game this week, except perhaps Baltimore, which plays at Pittsburgh.
And that's going to make for a lot of craziness.
Good luck: We're all going to need it.
Last week's record straight up: 8-5
Season record straight up: 79-37
Last week's record against the spread: 5-8
Season record against the spread: 63-49-4
Chiefs 16, Packers 10: If there ever was a week for the Packers to ease off the gas pedal, it would be this week. The tough two-game stretch at Denver and at Kansas City already has produced no worse than a split, and chances are the Chiefs might get a Packers team a little complacent. Yes, the Packers have been unreal on the road (8-3) under coach Mike McCarthy, but the Chiefs are rested and coming off a bye week and a game at Arrowhead is unlike other road games. Look for some funny Arrowhead bounces and tipped passes that go the Chiefs way as they pull out an ugly, ugly win.
Line: Chiefs by 2
49ers 17, Falcons 14: Impossible to predict this one. The Falcons continue to bark at each other and their coaching staff, which may be enough of a distraction for the 49ers to slip away with a win.
Line: Falcons by 3
Bengals 23, Bills 21: Another coin-flipper. How low can the Bengals sink? The Bills have injury problems at quarterback and don't exactly have a potent offense to begin with. But the Bengals couldn't stop you or me if we were running a two-man offense. Take a guess.
Line: Bengals by 1
Seahawks 27, Browns 24: Yes, the Browns have been incredibly feisty and fun this season. But the Seahawks are motivated to create some separation in their own weak division. And the Browns nearly lost to the gosh-awful Rams, falling behind 14-0 at one point. It's a guess, but I think the Seahawks will play well this week.
Line: Browns by 1A1 2
Cowboys 30, Eagles 28: This was tempting to be an upset special. The Eagles, coming off a crushing home loss to Chicago, bounced back with a nice win against the Vikings in the Metrodome. And nothing would make the Eagles happier than being a thorn in the Cowboys' dream season. The feeling here is the Eagles will play strong throughout but Tony Romo will lead a last-minute drive to pull it out.
Line: Cowboys by 3
Broncos 24, Lions 17: The Lions simply can't be this good, can they? Are they really a 5-2 team? Denver is coming off a stunning home overtime loss to the Pack but at least the short week should help erase that memory. And simply put, the Broncos need this one desperately. Jay Cutler is getting better each week, though the Broncos' run defense is so bad, it's hard to pick them. I'm going to anyway.
Line: Lions by 3
Patriots 27, Colts 24: The game of the decade, no doubt. No team in history has put up the gaudy numbers that the Pats are this season. They have been so good it's laughable. And I keep picking against their big spreads and keep getting my you-know-what kicked. You'd be a fool to pick against the Pats straight up, but I still think this should be a tight game.
Line: Pats by 5
Saints 24, Jags 20: The Jags are one of the best road teams in recent memory. But the Saints are finally starting to get it together and could crawl out of their 0-4 hole and get back to .500. One problem: You can forget about running the ball against the Jags. But the Saints will find another way to squeak it out.
Line: Saints by 3
Raiders 10, Texans 3: At home, the Raiders should have a slight edge. But it wouldn't be a shock if the Texans rose up, either. Coin-flipper.
Line: Raiders by 3
Chargers 24, Vikings 13: This actually will be somewhat of a nice test for San Diego in a hostile environment. Unfortunately for the Vikings, they just don't have the firepower to be as fearsome at home at they've usually been. The Chargers should take control early and therefore take Adrian Peterson out of the equation.
Line: Chargers by 7
Bucs 20, Cards 14: Another coin-flipper. Tampa is coming off a hugely disappointing loss at home and the Cards have the punch offensively to make it interesting.
Line: Bucs by 3A1 2
Titans 13, Panthers 6: Oh, my, will this be ugly. These teams are designed similarly: Run the ball and play hard defense and keep the score down. The guess is that maybe Vince Young makes one wild scramble at the end to make the difference.
Line: Titans by 4
Washington 14, Jets 10: The Jets are switching quarterbacks and already are looking toward next year. Washington, after getting pasted by New England, still has its eye on the postseason. Washington should be the inspired one.
Line: Washington by 3A1 2
Steelers 24, Ravens 13: Most fans probably figured this was the surest bet in any knockout pool. The Ravens are a mystery and simply haven't shown they're capable of going on the road and performing well. Steelers fans no doubt will be howling on this Monday night and that should be enough to perhaps even make it a blowout.
Line: Steelers by 9A1 2
posted by The Gryphon at 9:18 PM
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