NFL 2014 Week 19 Predictions: Divisional Round

Week 19 Predictions: Divisional Card Round

I am alive to go 11-0 against the spread for the playoffs! It is going to happen one of these years, perhaps it will be this one.

Patriots -7 over Ravens, 31-23

-This could easily be a tight game so the point spread scares me. But the Pats will be fresh and ready to go, hardly ever lose their first playoff game at home, and have a decided edge passing downfield on the Ravens’ abhorrent corner situation. I believe the Pats will keep extra blockers in on most plays to neutralize Dumervil and Suggs and win this game in a solid fashion.

Seahawks -11 over Panthers, 30-9

-The Panthers are having a hard time scoring right now. The Seahawks are not allowing anyone to score right now. Questions?

Packers -5.5 over Cowboys, 27-19

-I’m terrified of Rodgers’ calf, but overall I think the Packers are the much better team. Hopefully he stays upright and takes advantage of an overmatched Cowboys defense, especially in the secondary. I see Cobb and Nelson running wild deep in the Cowboys secondary. This is probably a stay away overall though because of the injury situation.

Colts +7.5 over Broncos, 24-23

-I’m delusional, ignore me. Broncos look broken and odd and the Colts are going to throw it all over the field and…okay, I’m done.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 3-1

By Spread: 4-0

Record this year:

Straight Up: 131-75

By Spread: 107-97

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 796-430
By Spread: 645-567

NFL 2014 Week 18 Predictions: Wild Card Weekend

Week 18 Predictions: Wild Card Round

Panthers -6.5 over Cards, 24-13

-It’s all about Ryan Lindley. Sorry Cards: fix that QB situation and move Fitz somewhere else and this team will be primed for a run at the playoffs again next year. For now, Carolina has been playing well for a month now and it is time to stop ignoring that.

Ravens +3 over Steelers, 21-20

-It is going to be a rainy, messy night in Steel City. Without Bell (most likely), I will take the Ravens to show up in this divisional matchup. The Steelers have been undoubtedly better than Baltimore this year, especially in the last 6 weeks or so. But the weather combined with the injury situations make this a different case.

Colts -3 over Bengals, 30-23

-I will take Andrew Luck over Andy Dalton in playoff games in almost all cases. With the injuries in Cincy right now, this was an easy choice. AJ Green won’t be 100% if he plays, and Jeremy Hill can only do so much. The Colts are going to be an overwhelming force down the field and try to contain the Bengals’ running in a close win.

Lions +7.5 over Cowboys, 23-21

-I honesty have no idea who wins this. It will be close, so I am taking the extra half point. In general you take the better defense when it is close. Combined with such a high line, my decision is made. The Lions can give that Cowboy offensive line some issues unlike many other teams, and I have no idea who covers Tate and Megatron. The Cowboys defense is going to be exposed soon, perhaps it is this week.

Easiest Prediction of the week: The Superbowl Champion isn't playing this weekend, so most of this doesn't matter. 

Record last week:

Straight Up: 9-6

By Spread: 9-6

Record this year:

Straight Up: 128-74

By Spread: 103-97

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 793-429
By Spread: 641-567

NFL 2014 Week 17 Predictions

Week 17 Predictions

Ravens -9.5 over Browns, 20-10

-Browns are falling apart and the Ravens need this.

Jags +9.5 over Texans, 10-19

-Texans are still alive so they pull this through. But that is too many points to give.

Chargers +2.5 over Chiefs, 24-13

-The Chiefs having this whole “WRs not scoring TDs” thing is going to bite them.

Fins -5.5 over Jets, 20-10

-Bye Rex.

Bears +6.5 over Vikings, 20-23

-I mean, it’d be exciting to get Matt Forte 100 catches?

Pats -5 over Bills, 28-17

-Even with some starters not playing and without much to play for, Pats still win this one to stay sharp with a two week layoff upcoming.

Saints -4 over Bucs, 27-16

-Who knows anymore with the Saints? Well, we know the Bucs want that first pick. #MarcusMariota

Colts -7 over Titans, 30-10

-Titans are in “just lose baby” mode. Colts need to get it right before the post season, and they do so here.

Cowboys -6.5 over Ethnic Slurs, 24-13

-In past years, the Cowboys lose this game. But this year, they seem to have the formula down.

Falcons -4 over Panthers, 24-19

-Panthers just don’t have enough on offense in this winner take all game. The Falcons biggest weakness in pass defense is something the Panthers will struggle to take advantage of.

Packers -7.5 over Lions, 34-20

-No Raiola, and Detroit’s offense isn’t exactly humming right now. You have to assume the Packers will claim this division.

Raiders +14.5 over Broncos, 20-24

-Just a feeling a cover may be in order. The Raiders are showing they will be a competent team next year. Sparano deserves legit consideration

Cards +6 over 49ers, 21-20

-Too many points when one team needs it and the other is done. Jim may be gone by Monday.

Seahawks -12.5 over Rams, 27-10

-Seahawks will cream them and claim the overall seed. NFC playoffs go through Seattle.

Bengals +3.5 over Steelers, 21-20

-Too many points in such an important game. The Bengals can still get a first round bye if something crazy happens with the Broncos.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 6-7

By Spread:  6-7

Record this year:

Straight Up: 119-68

By Spread: 94-91

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 786-423
By Spread: 632-561

NFL 2014 Week 15 Predictions

Week 15 Predictions

Falcons +3 over Steelers, 24-23

-The Steelers are so aggravating and have a bad pass defense. I’ll take the points.

Ravens -13.5 over Jags, 34-6

-Blowout time.

Packers -4 over Bills, 35-20

-Bills fought Broncos hard last week, but the Packers are operating on a different level right now. Rodgers continues his MVP march. The 2010 Brady campaign is my favorite quarterbacking season (36 TDs, 4 INTS), more than 2007 Brady or 2013 Manning or any of the other great seasons. This Rodgers one so far is bettering that 2010 season.

Colts -6.5 over Texans, 28-17

-A shaky status for Andre Johnson and other Texans make what was a decent change fall to nil. Colts need this to seal the division and get it.

Raiders +10 over Chiefs, 13-22

-Just a feeling. This Raiders team is feisty.

Pats -7.5 over Fins, 37-24

-Pats at home in December versus a disintegrating Dolphins team. I’ll take it.

Chargers +4.5 over Broncos, 27-28

-These games seem to be close and the Chargers are still alive.

Lions -7.5 over Viks, 24-13

-The Vikings are going to struggle mightily in moving the ball, and Megatron is rolling at this point.

Seahawks -9.5 over SF, 28-10

-A much different game than just a few weeks ago. The Niners are about to combust. Seattle is going to happily watch.

Saints -3 over Bears, 27-23

-I don’t….I can’t….just give me my Saints and let me burrow into my hole.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 9-3

By Spread: 6-5

Record this year:

Straight Up: 105-59

By Spread: 84-78

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 772-414
By Spread: 622-548

NFL 2014 Week 13 Predictions

Week 13 Predictions

Lions -7 over Bears, 30-17

-The Lions are a better team than their record over the last month or so. They right the ship here.

Cowboys -3 over Eagles, 27-20

-Mark Sanchez in a big game on national TV on the road….yup.

Seahawks +1 over 49ers, 24-22

-I’ve always been on this side of the ledger. This 49ers team is weak. Seahawks pounce.

Ravens -5.5 over Chargers, 30-23

-The Patriots are 1 of 2 teams in the top 10 in offense, defense, and special teams. The other team is the Baltimore Ravens.

Colts -9.5 over Ethnic Slurs, 34-16

-This line couldn’t be too much. Colts will get it right here and Luck pushes an absurd yardage total.

Giants -2.5 over Jags, 26-13

-Giants are a bad team, but not as bad as Jacksonville is. The offense can produce some points, enough to win.

Rams -7 over Raiders, 17-9

-Rams are a touch little team. Raiders got their win and are about to fully pack it in for the season.

Bengals -4 over Bucs, 23-14

-I will not be watching this game. Bengals take care of business, but that’s about it here.

Saints +3.5 over Steelers, 31-30

-I don’t know what to do with the Saints. I have no idea. So I am taking the 3.5 points and Brees over Ben.

Cards -2.5 over Falcons, 20-16

-Ugh. Probably will be a painful game to watch.

Pats +3 over Packers, 34-30

-If I get points with the Pats, I’m taking it. The offenses are very close in ability. The defenses are not.

Chiefs +1.5 over Broncos, 27-24

-I have a feeling. The Chiefs are equipped to beat this team, especially with the offense line issues the Broncos are having.

Fins -5.5 over Jets, 26-6

-Yes please. Lock of the week.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 9-3

By Spread: 7-5

Record this year:

Straight Up: 89-50

By Spread: 73-65

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 756-405
By Spread: 611-535

NFL 2014 Week 12 Predictions

Week 12 Predictions

Browns +3 over Falcons, 27-20

-This is exactly the type of game the “first place” Falcons lose. Josh Gordon + Hoyer is the second best deep ball thrower efficiency wise + Falcons cover WRs about as well as a HS secondary would.

Colts -13.5 over Jags, 34-17

-Oh boy.

Packers -9 over Vikings, 41-14

-Oh boy again.

Pats -7 over Lions, 27-17

-The Lions defense will be tough, but the Pats are just vibing right now. Detroit also has no answer for Gronk.

Eagles -11 over Titans, 27-10

-Sanchez is bad, but the whole Titans team is bad. Weird game that I won’t be watching very much of.

Rams +5 over Bolts, 23-14

-Chargers are going the WRONG direction.

Cards +7 over Seahawks, 20-24

-A good game that the Seahawks probably win at home. But when the probable number 1 seed is getting 7 points, you take it.

Dolphins +7 over Broncos, 27-26

-The interior line issues for the Broncos are very real, and the Dolphins can exploit that. They can also show with the Broncos enough to win this game.

Niners -9 over Ethnic Slurs, 17-12

-I don’t like either team, but the Niners just have far more talent. I won’t be watching any part of this game.

Cowboys -4 over Giants, 20-6

-A slugfest that will be ugly to watch, punctuated by a few big hits to Dez.

Bills -2.5 over Jets, 24-13

-A tough game that will probably be very disjointed. Bills have more talent, so I think that will

Saints -3 over Ravens, 31-23

-Both teams really need it, and at some point at night on national TV at home the Saints will right this ship. I’ve been there all year on the Saints bandwagon: if it goes off the cliff I’ll be on it.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 4-6

By Spread: 3-7

Record this year:

Straight Up: 80-47

By Spread: 66-60

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 747-402
By Spread: 604-530

NFL 2014 Week 9 Predictions

Week 9 Predictions

Fins -1 over Chargers, 24-21

-The Chargers are a better team, let’s get that straight right now. But the Chargers are a West Coast team coming East for an early game. And, they are currently wracked by injuries.

Jags +11 over Bengals, 20-24

-Just too many points.

Eagles -2 over Texans, 27-13

-I don’t understand this line. Explain it to me.

Chiefs – 10 over Jets, 24-6

-The Jets aren’t good. The Chiefs are a competent team. Questions?

Cards +3 over Cowboys, 24-14

-Cowboys are starting to slide off. Their defense isn’t that good, and the running game only takes you so far. This is the week Murray’s streak ends.

49ers -10 over Rams, 20-6

-I liked this Rams team, but the injuries are so extreme right now I can’t even have them as competitive in this game.

Pats +3.5 over Broncos, 34-31

-Pats at home in a nationally televised game are money. Pats as home underdog? NOBOBY BELIEVES IN YOU PATRIOTS!

Raiders +14.5 over Seahawks, 14-27

-The Seahawks are winning this game pretty convincingly. But that is WAY too many points for a team that isn’t exactly fluid on offense right now.

Colts -3.5 over Giants, 30-24

-You take the great quarterback on a prime time game if it is at all close. That simple.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 8-5

By Spread: 5-8

Record this year:

Straight Up: 61-37

By Spread: 47-49

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 727-392
By Spread: 585-519

NFL 2014 Week 7 Predictions

Week 7 Predictions

Ravens -7 over Falcons, 30-17

-Falcons are falling apart. Take out the win over Tampa and those numbers look UGLY.

Seahawks -7 over Rams, 27-7

-Seahawks aren’t losing two in a row and the Seahawks are better than the 49ers team that ran by a Rams team they spotted them two scores last week.

Browns -5.5 over Jags, 17-9

-Tough game, winnable I guess by the Jags. However, if the Browns want to be for real this is a “take care of business win”. Like NE over Oakland in a way.

Colts -3.5 over Bengals, 24-20

-After week 2, this would have been a big line FOR the Bengals. Now, they are legit dogs, and going to lose this one to a roaring Andrew Luck.

Bills -5.5 over Vikings, 20-10

-Bills defense is going to step up after the embarrassing loss to Brady and NE. The Vikings have problems all over the place and no running game is going to help them here.

Saints +3 over Lions, 24-20

-Off the bye, even without Graham, the Saints get on track versus the Lions who are missing Megatron. Brees finds a way.

Packers -7 over Panthers, 37-23

-Seems high, so this is probably a stay away. But the Packers are coming on strong and aren’t really hitting their high point on offense yet. It is coming.

Chargers -4 over Chiefs,

-Tough spot for the Chiefs, but the Chargers showed what I wanted to see last week in that trap game versus Oakland.

Cards -3.5 over Raiders, 20-13

-My eliminator lock of the week, despite the uncertainty here. Just shows the randomness of this particular week. The Cards get that leaky pass defense fixed and physically shove the Raiders around.

Cowboys -6.5 over Giants, 24-13

-I haven’t figured each of these teams out to be honest, but I do know the Cowboys can run the ball. The Giants will feel the loss of Cruz here and going forward.

49ers +6.5 over Broncos, 23-24

-Just taking the points. One of these slow starts is going to stick the Broncos in a hole they can’t get out of. Maybe it is this week. Either way, the points should be enough.

On the Texans-Steelers game, I have no idea. Just take the under.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 9-2

By Spread: 7-3

Record this year:

Straight Up: 46-28

By Spread: 36-36

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 712-383
By Spread: 574-506

NFL 2014 Week 6 Predictions

Week 6 Predictions

Colts -2.5 over Texans, 31-14

-Another blowout? Another blowout.

Ravens -3.5 over Bucs, 20-13

-Low scoring and boring, but the Bucs aren’t nearly as good as Baltimore is. This is especially true for their front 7. 

Broncos -9.5 over Jets, 28-15

-The Jets may do a respectable job on defense and the Broncos are little inflated because they have played 3 of 4 at home. However, this is still a mismatch.

Lions -1.5 over Vikings, 27-23

-A lot depends on Calvin, but I think the Lions are just better regardless. Teddy being back will help though, as the Viks won’t be able to run the ball anyways.

Pats -3 over the Bills, 30-26

-This isn’t Pats/Bills of the last ten years. But it is also Brady versus Orton. I’ll take the Pats.

Browns -1 over Steelers, 21-20

-The Steelers aren’t good. The Browns are….decent?  

Packers -3 over Dolphins, 38-34

-Shootout, but Rodgers is vibing right now. But numbers for everyone involved.

Chargers -7.5 over Raiders, 31-10

-Not even a question. And Rivers, somehow is our MVP front runner.

Seahawks -9 over Cowboys, 28-17

-Seattle will be the first this year to stop Murray, and Romo throws 3 picks after that trying to press.

Cardinals -3.5 over Ethnic Slurs, 24-20

-The Cardinals are a great team example of how good you can be without a quarterback. Hopefully they find the answer soon, because the amount you can succeed without one is drying up.

Rams +3.5 over 49ers, 23-21

-Tough, physical game, and I continue to think the Niners are much worse than their listed record.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 7-4

By Spread: 5-6

Record this year:

Straight Up: 37-26

By Spread: 29-33

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 703-381
By Spread: 567-503

NFL 2014 Week 5 Predictions

Week 5 Predictions

Packers -10 over Vikings , 31-13

-With no Bridgewater, the Vikings have no chance. Plus, your weekly Thursday Night Football blowout is obviously in play.

Bears +2.5 over Panthers, 27-16

-One team can score, one team can’t. Also, the Panthers might be starting me at running back this week.

Lions -7 over Bills, 27-19

-This is the adjustment week to Kyle Orton. I think that QB change works out for them overall, but versus the Lions the Bills will have a hard time running the ball. Calvin being healthier will lead them to a win.

Ravens +3.5 over Colts, 23-24

-Just too close for this to be 3.5 points. Baltimore’s media disaster this year is shielding that this is actually a pretty decent team. Andrew Luck, though, continues the streak he is on and grinds out yet another close win in his early career.

Saints -10 over Bucs, 38-27

-If the Saints don’t get it right here, they will never get it right. I’m starting numerous Saints in 1 time use only eliminator leagues.

Eagles -7 over Rams, 30-20

-Eagles are going to score an offensive touchdown. Write it down now, I predicted it. The Rams are a nice team, but I don’t think even off a bye they can score with the Eagles.

Browns +2 over Titans, 24-13

-I don’t think the Titans are good. I know Locker/Whitehurst are no good. The Browns are coming off a bye, and will be well prepared for this game.

Cards +7.5 over Broncos, 27-26

-That Arizona defense is for real. If Demaryus Thomas THOUGHT he was having a bad year, watch out for when he meets Patrick Peterson.

Chargers  -6.5 over Jets, 27-14

-Still hate the Jets. So does Geno Smith, so this is an easy one.

Chiefs +6 over 49ers, 20-17

-I continue to say the Niners aren’t particularly good. We will see how that holds up here.

Pats +1.5 over Bengals, 24-23

-Okay, this is it. If the Pats get blown out, I will step away from my prediction of them as a good team that is going to win 12 games every year. And the Bengals are a tough test. But A. Brady/Belichick don’t lose at home. B. Brady/Belichick don’t lose prime time games. C. Brady/Belichick don’t lose consecutive games. D. Brady/Belichick aren’t scared of Andy Dalton. Here, my thought is if this Pats team is a normal Pats team that is just going through a tough stretch, they will grind this one out behind a pounding running game and some nicely timed turnovers. The return of Brandon Browner should help the secondary improve overall because it allows others to slide back a place or two.

Record last week:

Straight Up: 5-7

By Spread: 5-6

Record this year:

Straight Up: 30-22

By Spread: 24-27

Lifetime record:
Straight Up: 694-377
By Spread: 562-497