Tag Archives: New Orleans Saints

Arizona Cardinals VS New Orleans Saints: NFL NFC Divisional Playoffs

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How can the Cardinals play as well as they did last weekend? Kurt Warner almost had more completions than he did attempts, and that’s actually impossible. The Saints defense is tougher than it gets credit for, and though they will be missing their starting defensive end, as Grant’s out for the season, they will be as healthy as they’ve been in the secondary in a long time. That will play a big role in this weekend’s tilt with the Cardinals. Because, if I know anything, I know Captain Kurt will be winging that pigskin around.

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The Saints lost their last 5 games against the spread and actually lost their final three games straight up. They were 8-8 ATS this season, just 2-8 ATS over their last 10 games, which means, yes, they were 6-0 ATS to start the season. Aside from their first loss of the season, in Dallas in Week 15, the Saints dominated playoff teams, beating the Eagles 48-22, the Jets 24-10, and the Patriots 38-17. The question is, which Saints team will show up? The team that dominated both sides of the ball during the first 13 games of the season or the team that held on for dear life in the last 3 games, two of which they were actually trying to win?

The Cardinals rarely put two solid games together all season long. They won a few big games against big time opponents (okay, they only playoff team they beat during the regular season was Minnesota) but most of their good wins were either surrounded by losses or followed by them. I expect the Saints to play their best football of the last 6 weeks, and I suspect that will be enough to beat a Cardinals team that won’t be on fire like they were last week.

Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints (-7)

Papas Picks: Week 17 NFL Underdogs Bets

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Well I was only 2-3 last week as the Raiders, Jaguars, and Redskins all let me down with stinkers that basically exemplify everything I hate about those three franchises. The Redskins never know what they have, so how the hell can you? The Jaguars can play awesome football against good teams, put themselves in a nice position to succeed, then come out and crap all over themselves like this guy Samson that hangs out down past 31st and Douglas. And the Raiders, well, Al Davis made a deal with the Devil, and when the Devil came to collect, Al Davis promised he wouldn’t kill him if he didn’t kill him… got that? Hate. So this week I’ll leave those three pathetic crumbs off my list of dogs, and we’ll go with some teams with gumption. Believe it!

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Green Bay Packers (+3) @ Arizona Cardinals: They say that the Packers don’t have anything to play for, and while that may be true, neither will the damn Cardinals. That’s right, they will get a home game in Week 1 of the playoffs, and that’s about it. By the time this game gets going, Minnesota will have already won and Arizona will be once again, playing for nothing. The Packers brass claim their guys will be treating this like a regular week – and that’s enough for me, I’m in. Plus I think Green Bay is flat out better.

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2): The Bucs have won two straight, and I’m just as stunned as anyone. This will be 3 straight. Atlanta is a playoff caliber team, suiting up in Week 17 with no chance at the post-season. That right there is enough to count them out.

New Orleans (+7) @ Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have a decent running game, and Drew Brees is out, and I assume other Saints will be resting as well – but they are still playing the Panthers, and betting against the Panthers when they are a touchdown favorite seems like a great bet.

Indianapolis Colts (+10) @ Buffalo Bills: Really? +10? I mean, I know the Colts will be sitting lots of guys, but these are the Bills we’re talking about, and it’s not like the Colts have been terrible when using back-ups all season long. You forget, this defense just plugs in players and succeeds. I’m not guaranteeing a win, but the Colts should cover a dime spot.

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys: This is an interesting game, for the NFC East Championship and a possible first round bye if the Eagles win. Dallas won last time, in Philly, and I think the Eagles return the favor.

New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers NFL Week 17 Predictions

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I know the Saints aren’t starting Drew Brees, and who knows who else they are leaving in the locker room, on the bench, at home, etc., but I still expect them to compete for a win. New Orleans is loaded with position players, and they have enough difference makers that will be playing a lot of the game that I like them as a 8.5 point underdog against the Panthers.

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You have to remember, while the Panthers’ passing attack has been solid over the last few weeks, the heart and soul of that attack is out with a broken arm, and the Panthers are still missing plenty of players that will make a big win tough against New Orleans, even if the Saints are playing a meaningless game after all.

After going 13-0, the Saints have lost 2 straight, and have a chance to go into the playoffs riding their only losing streak of the year – and while that’s not the worst thing that could ever happen, you know New Orleans would like to notch out a win to get back on the right track.

When it comes right down to it, I think Mark Brunell knows enough and is good enough to keep the Saints in the game, and when you’re talking about an 8.5 point spread, that’s exactly what you’re looking for. The Saints have been solid all season long, and a Panthers team that also has nothing to play for doesn’t scare me all that much.

New Orleans Saints (+8.5) @ Carolina Panthers

NFL Free Picks Review: Week 16 2009 Predictions

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You know what they say, if you’re going to do something you might as well do it right. Okay, maybe I made that up, or maybe they say something similar to that, but it works for Week 16 as I ended up winning twice as many as I lost, and came away with yet another winning week. Single roll freaking Yahtzee! Here’s how my 10-5-1 Week 16 went down…

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San Diego Chargers (+3) @ Tennessee Titans (WINNER)  The Chargers made quick work of the Titans, and Tennessee couldn’t get that 2nd win over an above .500 team. Chris Johnson still did work though, and you can bet I’ll be all over the Titans against the Hawks next week.

Buffalo Bills (+9) @ Atlanta Falcons (Loss) The Bills couldn’t compete. If this team doesn’t have a new coaching staff within a week of the regular season ending, I’ll be stunned. The Falcons came out doing dirty work from the get go, getting people involved early, and dominating the Bills throughout.

Kansas City Chiefs (+14) @ Cincinnati Bengals (WINNER) You can count this game as a lesson learned, I fully expected the Chiefs to lose, but have seen the Bengals barely win too many games this season. Put another “close win” notch on their resume, a late TD to Ochocinco gave the Bengals a touchdown win.

Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns (-2.5) (WINNER) The Browns ran the ball, and while their best back (Harrison has been their best back for the last three years) didn’t have his best yard per carry day, he did control the game rushing more than 35 times and getting close to 150 yards on the day. As I said, the Browns didn’t need much QB help after all.

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers (-13.5) (WINNER)This game was over by the time Ryan Grant got his first carry. The big back ran downhill and the Hawks didn’t seem to fond of catching him. Two touchdowns, and some easy passes from Rodgers, an interception filled day from Hasselcrack – it was an easy win indeed.

Houston Texans (+3) @ Miami Dolphins (WINNER) As I said, the Texans are the better team, and here they are going for an outside shot at the playoffs. Houston’s defense played very well, and that’s because they are good. Weird. Who knew? Me.

Carolina Panthers @ New York Giants (-7) (Loss) The mighty Giants are a mess, and out of the playoffs, what a shame, no post-season looks of disgust from Eli’s frowny little face… The Panthers straight crushed the Giants, and the win apparently kept John Fox his job – great – another year of falling behind by a score early and completely abandoning the run – ugh.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+9.5) @ New England Patriots (Loss)The Patriots seem to have it figured out, or maybe they just played a Jacksonville team that always seems to put up soaked baby diapers when it matters most. Coaching… Anyway, New England tossed touchdown after touchdown early, giving the slow moving Jags offense no chance for success.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+15) @ New Orleans Saints (WINNER) The Bucs won outright, and they did it in pretty physically dominant fashion. Tampa controlled the line of scrimmage, and now the Saints are flailing to the finish.

Baltimore Ravens (+3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (PUSH) As it was, a tough game to call indeed. It ended up in a push as the Steelers hit a field goal to win it. Baltimore had plenty of chances, that’s for sure, but numerous mistakes haunted them and leave them needing a win to see the playoffs in the final week. I got the push, but I hate pushes.

Denver Broncos (+7) @ Philadelphia Eagles (WINNER) The Broncos fought hard and could have easily come out of Philly with a win, but Donovan McNabb through a missile to Jeremy Maclin that the rookie caught just before falling out of bounds, that’s when the game was over as Philly had to just run out the clock and kick a short field goal.

St. Louis Rams (+15.5) @ Arizona Cardinals (Loss) The heart and soul of the Rams offense, one of the best players in football, Steven Jackson, was a late scratch, and I have to believe, that if he was healthy, this would have been a cover. But what can a guy do? Lose with class I guess..

Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers (-11) (WINNER) Frank Gore was the best player on the field on Sunday, and the 49ers finally got back to realizing that as the compact running back marched for 150 yards from scrimmage, got 28 carries, and pounded the Lions all day.

New York Jets (+6) @ Indianapolis Colts (WINNER) Well, the better team was Indy, but as I said, that wouldn’t matter when you teamed up the Colts sitting their guys before the game was over and the Jets needing a win to see the playoffs – those two things got New York the game, and me a nice win. “Easy peazy japenesey.”

Dallas Cowboys (-4) @ Washington Redskins (WINNER) It’s pretty clear I have the Redskins pretty well pegged, and those weeks of playing solid football look to be over.

Minnesota Vikings (-7) @ Chicago Bears (Loss) Well, what can a guy do? The Vikings were beat up by the Bears, and though the final score shows an overtime loss, it looked worse than that. Minnesota had some huge plays just to get back in it, and one has to wonder if the Vikings are who we thought they were, or a greater version of the Panthers?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Prediction

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints Prediction: New Orleans is awesome and it’s claimed they’ll be starting and playing their best players exclusively, not slowing their offense down over the last two weeks despite having home field locked up throughout the NFC playoffs, aka, the part of the playoffs that is actually important to have home field advantage in – because, well, home team advantage matters not in the Super Bowl, unless you think the team that wears white has a better chance to win. In which case you are a donkey.

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Despite New Orleans being awesome, and their coach claiming they would be going gung-ho for victory, I have a feeling the Saints won’t go all out in this one. If they game has proven a good enough tune-up by halftime, I think the Saints do begin to rest players. With that in their head, and the feeling they have after finally losing a game last week, I actually think the Bucs at +15 are a fine bet.

Tampa can be very streaky, and a lot of that has to do with the fact that they have a freshman project quarterback running their offense, a freshman youthful coach running their sideline, and an entire team full of youngins. But streaky isn’t such a bad thing against the Saints, a team that has shown an ability (or knack) for playing down to their opponents. 15 is a lot of points for a Saints team with absolutely nothing to gain from playing all out in this one. The Bucs are too young to think about all they don’t have to play for, so I like them to cover on the road.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+15) @ New Orleans Saints

Arses Five Favorites: Week 15 NFL Predictions

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After my first losing week all season, a 1-4 performance in Week 13, I fought back with another winner, a 3-2 march in Week 14. It wasn’t 4-1 or 5-0, but it was a winner nonetheless. Week 15 has some nice favorites, and honestly, I had a tough time picking my Top 5. It’s cold up here in Alaska, but with all this darkness, I have plenty of time to do my research – and I expect it to continue it’s showy performance.

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New Orleans (-7) @ home vs. Dallas: Listen when I tell you, the Dallas Cowboys aren’t that good. But a good thing for the Saints is that everyone else thinks the Cowboys are. The Saints have beaten the pee out of top rated foes this year, embarrassing teams like Philly and New England, and well, beating everyone else as well. Let the 14-0 teams continue to roll!

N.Y. Jets (-6) @ home vs. Atlanta: The Jets are favored by 6 over the Falcons for a reason, and that’s because this is a terrible match-up for Atlanta. If people think that Michael Turner and Matt Ryan are all of a sudden going to come in and stop the run, they must be confused. The offense in Atlanta isn’t the problem.

Seattle (-6) @ home vs. Buccaneers: The Bucs are that bad. I hate taking the Hawks as a big favorite, but this game looks like a blowout. If Seattle loses here, I will refer to them as the Seagulls forever.

Vikings (-8.5) @ Carolina:The Vikings will run into, or I guess past the Carolina Panthers – I expect Minnesota to approach 40 rushing attempts this week in something like a 28-10 win over the Panthers, and it won’t feel that close. I don’t know what Carolina can do against the Vikings, but I also don’t know how the Panthers D will slow Minnesota.

N.Y. Giants (-1) @ Washington: How is this? I’m not convinced the Redskins are good just because they haven’t played terrible lately. They aren’t one of the worst teams in the NFL, maybe even better than their record insists, but the Giants are the much better team. In Washington doesn’t scare me.

Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints NFL Week 15 Picks

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Dallas Cowboys vs New Orleans Saints NFL Week 15 Picks: A couple things I know. I know the Saints have done their best work against the best teams they’ve played. I know the Saints are led by one hell of a leader in Drew Brees. I know the Saints have been playing pretty damn good football on both sides of the ball, especially when Sedrick Ellis is doing work up front on defense. I know the Saints are loaded with playmakers, and can run the ball almost as well as they pass it. I also know that the Saints want to win every game, and that competitive spirit is part of the reason they are so goo. I know all these things and yet I’m still taking the Dallas Cowboys, and honestly, I like the Cowboys to give the Saints their first loss of the season. However, taking the 7.5 points makes me feel a lot safer.

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I’m a strong believer in the idea that you don’t give a good team a touchdown to play with and get away with it too often. Despite the Cowboys recent publicity labeling them a soft late season football team, and their 0-2 start to December looming, the Cowboys are a pretty good team. A touchdown loss to the Giants in New York and a 3 point loss to San Diego don’t sound so bad when you think about it.

New Orleans has had a tough time of it lately, needing magic, luck, and a crappy kick to beat the Washington Redskins in overtime two weeks ago, and barely getting by an injury ridden Falcons team 26-23 last week. It may be their time. I know they want to win them all, but I think Dallas gives them a run, if only to shut people up in Big D.

Dallas Cowboys (+7.5) @ New Orleans Saints

Arses Five Favorites: Week 14 NFL Picks

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Well, I guess I was bound for a bad week – after thinking this stuff was much too easy, I went and got slammed last week, as the Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers all blew late covers and Houston just turned up the suck from the get go. Philly came through to keep me from being winless, but 1-4 wasn’t nearly as happy-go-lucky as my two weeks of 8-1-1… Here’s last week’s Review and this week’s picks:

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Week 13 NFL Picks REVIEW:

(W) – Philly -5 @ Atlanta: This one seemed too easy as the Falcons were without their main offensive stars and continue to play porous defense. It was my first (and only) win of the day.
(L) – Houston -1 @ Jacksonville: The Texans could have used Steve Slaton on Sunday – their offense had no punch, and while the Jaguars didn’t play awesome football, it was good enough to oust Houston.
(L) – Cincinnati (-13) @ home vs. Detroit: The Bengals had this spread covered up, but a couple 4th quarter touchdowns were as potent as a bloodsport punch to the face, and I went down hard.
(L) – Patriots (-3) @ Miami: I couldn’t believe this spread. Halfway through the game, I still couldn’t believe it. When the game ended, I couldn’t believe how bad the Pats offense had to play to lose. Damn.
(L) – Chargers (-13) @ Cleveland: The Chargers had this nice and covered up as well, but a late score got me where it counts, and just like that, 1-4 on the week. Ouch. So this is what losing feels like. I don’t like it.

WEEK 14 NFL Picks:

Saints (-10.5) @ Atlanta: The Falcons are down and out without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner – I don’t think Redman has it in him to keep the Falcons close, and I know that Atlanta defense can’t get it done against Drew Brees and his gaggle of awesome receiving options. The answer to that stupid Saints chant, not the damn Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts (-1) @ home vs. Denver: I just can’t go betting against Peyton. This team is looking for win #13, probably the last time they’ll care about winning before the playoffs start – and I think they do so easily.

Green Bay Packers (-3) @ Chicago: I can’t see the Bears ever beating anybody good ever again. This one seems too easy. I know the Bears are 4-2 at home, but the only teams Chicago has beaten all year have losing records, and the only team even close to .500 is Pittsburgh, and they’ve lost 5 in a row, 3 of which were to terrible teams. Give me the Packers with a smile.

Jets (-3) @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs aren’t good. The Jets defense is too aggressive for a rookie QB- this seems like free money to me.

Cardinals (-2.5) @ San Francisco: The Cardinals are playing lights out and can lock up the division with a win over the 49ers on Monday Night Football. The 49ers have absolutely no run game, and I think that might mean a painful night for Alex Smith. I’ll take the Cards, easy.

New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons Pick & Preview

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New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons Pick & Preview: I know Matt Ryan played a terrible game last week in his chance to show he can still play. But I also know that any quarterback can have a bad game, and the Eagles weird defenses can give any guy a lot of trouble. I know that the Falcons have been a good home team for some time, and that’s been pretty consistent this year (sans last week’s game against the Eagles). Matt Ryan is almost surely out another week, but I think Redman will play just fine. He has proven in the past that he can make all the throws, and he’s had success.

Giving up 10 points to the Falcons at home is just too much. I know they’re missing two of the biggest reasons why they’ve turned their poor play around over the last couple years, but this team can win without Michael Turner (who still might play) and Matty Ice. They still have playmakers all over the field, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and even Jerious Norwood can do a lot with a little space.

The Saints have been amazing all year long, and it’s hard to believe that Atlanta will be able to slow that high powered offense down at all – but New Orleans has been winning quite a few games they haven’t played well enough to win in – and luck is bound to run out one of these times. An undefeated season is almost unheard of, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they threw up a stinker.Either way, I like this game to stay close. I think the Falcons score in the high 20s, maybe even get to the 30s – and if that’s the case, it will be tough for the Saints to cover.

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons (+10.5)

New Orleans Saints vs Washington Redskins Pick & Preview

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New Orleans Saints vs Washington Redskins Pick & Preview: I hate going against the Redskins as a big dog, but this week puts me to the test, what can I say? Big favorites late in the season really aren’t my style, especially on the road and playing against a pretty talented defense that has brought their Sunday’s best against good teams so far this season. But I have to go with the big road favorite in this one, my blasted feelings are just pushing me toward the Saints – and no, it has nothing to do with blasting the Patriots last Sunday Night…

The Saints have torched good secondary’s all year long. I don’t see what will stop them from doing the same thing against the talented Redskins. Washington can’t key in on a couple receivers, the Saints just have too many weapons. And if the Redskins drop 8 into coverage every down, the run-game in New Orleans is also very good, and they can certainly win with that – they have before. 10 points to the Saints is barely anything at all, that’s a couple plays in the 3rd quarter.

Defensively, the Saints are opportunistic as well – they’re basically a big favorite bet’s dream. The Defense can score, can set up a great offense on a short field, and can make a play deep in their zone to prevent points. This is a very complete team, a team more complete than Washington has seen all year – and I think the Saints continue to make a mockery of the league despite the possibility of this being a trap game. Trap shmap.

New Orleans Saints (-8.5) @ Washington Redskins