It was a big time football weekend. Saturday was crazy as both of my picks were proven false. But Sunday brought new life, as I finished .500 with a couple of correct picks.
On Saturday, the Arizona surprised a lot of people by beating a very talented Atlanta team. I wasn't too surprised by the outcome because I have seen Arizona play and know what they are capable of, however I did feel that Atlanta was the better overall team. Arizona played the better game though and played a great second half to pull off the win.
The night game brought the best game of the weekend, as the Colts fell to the Chargers in San Diego. It took overtime and a flawed NFL overtime system (in my opinion) for the CHargers to pull it out. The NFL's MVP wasn't even able to touch the field and give his team a chance in the OT session. It didn't help that the Chargers obtained 3 first downs on their overtime drive because of the officials.
Sunday brought a good early game, as the Ravens' defense manhandles the Dolphins offense and Chad Pennington in particular, who threw four interceptions. Ed Reed returned an interception for a touchdown and the 'Phins could never really recover, losing 27-9.
The late game Sunday featured a dominating Eagles defense, which overpowered Tavaris Jackson and the Minnesota Vikings. Asante Samuel's interception return, followed by Brian Westbrook's 71-yard screen pass score was all Philly needed to win. If not for a late David Akers field goal, my score prediction would have been dead on. Oh well...
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So, after going 0-2 on Saturday I was considering not making any picks for this week, since the Steelers are playing. But I guess I have a 50-50 chance on this week... Here goes.
NFC
2. Panthers over 4. Cardinals
- Arizona looked impressive against the Falcons, and I could see them pulling this one off. But it's not going to happen. The Panthers are well rested and ready to go. Steve Smith will have to play a big game, and you know the Panthers are going to run the ball. If Arizona can shut down the run, as they did against Atlanta, they could win. But I think Carolina makes enough to plays to win a surprisingly close one.
- Panthers-31, Cardinals-27
1. Giants over 6. Eagles
- This is another upset I could see happening. However, as I watch the Eagles-Vikings game, I felt as if it was more of a case of the VIkings being that bad, and not the Eagles being that good. These teams split their season series, winning both games in the opponents stadium. While I don't want to pick both top seeds, I don't think the Giants are going to lose this one after resting. Manning makes a couple big plays and the running game remains great. G-Men move on.
- Giants-27, Eagles-20
AFC
2. Steelers over 4. Chargers
- Ugh, I don't like doing this. This is going to be a great game no matter what. The Chargers are hot right now without question. But, with an injured LT things become questionable. Darren Sproles carried the work load and did a magnificent job of it against the Colts, but it will be another challenge entirely to do it against the Steelers and the leagues best defense. The weather looks to be in the high teens and snowing, playing into the Steelers favor. The Chargers will make it a game no doubt. But I think the Steelers are just the better team, and will (hopefully) play like such. B
- Steelers-17, Chargers-13
1. Titans over 6. Ravens
- While I am really tempted on picking the upset here, I can't do it. While I don't want to have to pick all the top seeds, I am. The Titans are the best team I've seen play all season, and I saw them in person. The Ravens are going to make this interesting, especially if they can slow down the Tennessee rushing attack. If they can, they will win the game. I don't think they will though, and Tennessee will win a close one to set up a much anticipated rematch in the AFC Championship.
- Titans-20, Ravens-10
While I think I have picked at least one game wrong here, I am sticking to my guns. I think the 4 teams I picked are the 4 best teams in the NFL, and will prove it. Let's see how it plays out... and of course, Go Steelers.
8 years ago
3 comments:
great weekend of games - loved it
just commenting on the overtime topic... why not keep it simple and just keep on playing until there is a winner.
No special Mickey Mouse rules, no coin tossing, just keep playing the game as a continuation of where it stood at the end of full time - until there is a winner.
see ya
ET
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Well I think that if they did that it completely rules out the whole idea of the 2-Minute drill, last minute drives and game winning field goals that aren't because of a coin flip. It's an interesting idea you have, but I think that it would make the offense fell as if there was no rush to score at the end of a game, and you would see a big boost in overtime games, which is probably not what the NFL wants.
I still think the college rule is best, the offenses and defenses both get chances no matter what. Just move the starting position to the 35 to add some difficulty for kickers, and make it a little harder for offenses to score.
Yes, really. All above told the truth. Let's discuss this question.
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