Yet another week with a solid Elite Pick section, this time going up 12 units…. However, I didn’t do so well with my bottom half, but did enough to finish even over the final week.
Saturday’s Game…
New England (-13) @ N.Y. Giants: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: WSEX)
Each team played their best all game long. I never really saw that coming from the Giants. I hope it comes back to haunt them next week. I’ll tell you what though, they looked pretty damn good on Saturday Night, it’s probably the best they’ve played all season long. If they can run like that and cover like that, they will be a handful for any team in the NFC – that is my honest opinion – and I think they are the most overrated team in the whole 12 team playoff group.
Sunday’s Games…
Buffalo Bills (+9) @ Philadelphia Eagles: win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: 5Dimes)
That extra point just did it for me. But this game was going to be close, and that’s why I didn’t break the bank with this bet. It was one of the 3 Free Picks I actually won, what can you do? The Eagles got a big game through the air from Donovan McNabb, and many wonder if that will be D’s last game in the city that booed him, loved him, and booed him again. Ah, good old Philadelphia. All I know is, this game was way to close to bet a bunch one, but I’ll take the small win when I can get it. I knew 5Dimes +9 spread was going to help me out.
Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3): loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Bodog)
This game was close all the way down to the last few minutes. The Panthers were up 1 for most of the 4th quarter, and I thought I was going to walk away with a win despite Tampa resting what seemed to be their entire team for the entire freaking game. Carolina put a late touchdown over the goal line and they took the game by 8. There’s a reason I wasn’t a big fan of this game. The Panthers still proved to me that they can barely beat a team of back-ups, and the Bucs still proved that they could care less about the last couple games of the regular season. Blast!
Detroit Lions (+5) @ Green Bay Packers: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
I flat out missed this game. I thought the Lions would play with a little more want-to in Green Bay, and they just stunk it up from the get go. The Lions were back to turning the ball over, and Brett Favre threw 2 early touchdowns and was 9 for 11 throwing the ball early. You could tell, he wanted to win, and he wanted to put on a show for the home fans. Does he know something we don’t? Favre’s 2 scores gave him 28 on the season, marking the 10th time he’s thrown for 27 or more touchdowns during his career. That’s magic. It was the first time he’s thrown more than 20 in his last 3 seasons. The Lions sucked again. Nice way to end your season, fellas.
Seattle Seahawks (+1.5) @ Atlanta Falcons: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Bodog)
Shaun Alexander had his best day that I can remember, rushing 8 times for 31 yards and a touchdown… That’s almost 4 yards a carry – wow! The Hawks didn’t play much defense, as they chose to rest up at that position. Either way, this game came down to the last few plays, even having the Hawks recover an onside kick with just under a minute left. It was nullified by an off-sides penalty, and they didn’t get the next one. This marks one of the many times I’ve missed the Hawks games this season. The Falcons got a great game (4 TDs) from Chris Redman, as the whole offense played pretty well. Another close game that I just missed.
Kansas City Chiefs @ New York Jets (-6): loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
The Jets were up 7 for most of the game until Brodie Croyle stepped out of sucking for just long enough to toss a touchdown pass to Jeff Webb with under 3 minutes to play. At that point, I knew my covering dreams were over. Sure enough, the Jets came down and kicked a field goal in overtime, and I missed another close one. Dang it!
St. Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals (-6): win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
The Cardinals came out and obliterated the Rams early and often. Kurt Warner threw for 3 touchdowns, which gave him 27 on the season. The old man obviously still has some success in that old arm of his, 27 scores is no laughing number. Anyway, the Rams just didn’t come to play, rolling around like a team looking for a better draft pick. The loss gave them just 3 wins on the year, and a sure-fire #2 overall selection. So, instead of being tied with four other teams with a 4-12 mark, they get to have #2 all to themselves. Sounds like a brilliant reason to lose to me, if they were trying to or not. The win also got the Cardinals to 8-8, and yet another off-season of, “The Seahawks better look out, because the Cardinals are on the rise, they are everyone’s sleeper to find the playoffs next season… blah, blah, blah…” Maybe I’ll even write some of that stuff?
San Francisco 49ers @ Cleveland Browns (-10): win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Bodog)
The 49ers didn’t roll over, and the Browns didn’t need to win this game at all. But for some reason, 10-6 feels a lot better than 9-7, and the Browns rolled out with their starters and did enough damage to cover without much trouble (20-7). Derek Anderson did get hurt though, and while it might not be much, Brady Quinn looked good in relief. Will the Browns re-sign Anderson and pay starter money to two quarterbacks? It should be interesting during the off-season, Anderson had one heck of a season.
Elite Picks for Week 17 – Up 12 Units! – Another good week with my elite picks!
Best Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) @ Baltimore Ravens: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
Baltimore came out with a lot more intensity than I expected, maybe they knew something I didn’t. Looking back on it, maybe they had heard their coach would be canned, and they were so damn excited they took it to the Steelers, who still had something to win. That being said, the Steelers are looking weak heading into the playoffs, and they don’t get a very kind opening game as Jacksonville comes to town.
NFL Action Minnesota Vikings (-3) @ Denver Broncos: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
The Broncos came out and smacked the Vikes around a little bit, ending Minnesota’s playoff chances even before they were eliminated with the Redskins win over the Cowboys. Minnesota’s run game sputtered down the stretch, and everyone knows that their passing game wasn’t going to get them any wins in December.
NFL Top San Diego Chargers (-8) @ Oakland Raiders: win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
“The Chargers actually have something on the line in this game. With a win, they will hold a home field playoff game against the likes of either Cleveland or Tennessee. With a loss, they could very well end up hosting the Jaguars, known by at least me as one of the best teams in football. My feeling is they’ll go out and try to end this game early and snatch up that Brown/Titan opponent, and allow the Steelers a shot at Jacksonville. Also, a win here would keep them away from New England until the AFC Title game, something I’m sure they’d like to accomplish.” Apparently I was right about this one. The Chargers kept most of their starters in for the duration of the game, and even Norv Turner was quoted saying that if the game was on the line late, LT would be in until the end. They didn’t need him that late, as the Chargers took over in the 2nd half.
NFL Action New Orleans Saints (-1) @ Chicago Bears: loss
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: 5Dimes)
The Saints are brutal, just like I thought, and Kyle Orton is a winner, just look at his numbers. The Bears need to get back to what won them games, and I get the feeling they’ll figure it out next year. They beat me here, those blasted Bears.
NFL Top Tennessee Titans (-4.5) @ Indianapolis Colts: win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: BoDog)
One of my biggest bets of the year panned out, despite many worries late into the game. Even without Vince Young, the Titans had enough to take down the Colts backups by 6 points, covering the spread by a mere point and a half. A wins a win, but how do a bunch of backups put up that kind of a fight against a team that needs a win to get in?
NFL Action Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans (-6): win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Belmont)
“The Jaguars have absolutely nothing to play for, and unlike the other great teams in the AFC, they’ll be playing a tough-nosed game against either the Chargers or the Steelers on the road next week. That means they’ll need their rest. I think the Jaguars are one of the best teams in the league, and actually think they have a legitimate chance to oust even the best in the game, but this weekend against Houston is a throw away game, and I’m willing to bet that Gary Kubiak is doing his damnedest to motivate his boys to win their final game of the year. I like Houston here.” This one seemed easy, and it ended up being exactly that. The Jaguars just weren’t trying to win, and despite a lot of points on the board from their backup offense, their 2nd string defense couldn’t stop a Texans team that looked motivated to find .500.
NFL Best Cincinnati Bengals (-3) @ Miami Dolphins: win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: Pinnacle)
“Yes, the Bengals are in a sea of disarray, but the Dolphins have just one win on the season, traded away their best receiver, watched their best player go down for the year with a knee injury, and many of the guys already see the writing on the wall. The Bengals may be the most disappointing team of 2007, but I still think they’ll come out punching the Dolphins in the mouth, and trying to prove that they aren’t a complete sack of junk.” The Bengals made it interesting, giving up 15 points in the 4th quarter, but they pulled through with relative ease, taking down Miami by 13 points.
NFL Best Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins (-9): win
(Line: Friday, 12:00pm EST: TheGreek)
I get this funny feeling that the Cowboys will regret not trying harder to ouste the Redskins before the playoffs began. This Washington team has a lot of momentum coming into the playoffs, and if they can get past their first playoff test, they’ll really be a team to reckon with. This was a nice win.