NFL Free Picks REVIEW: Week 15

Well, I lost some tied some and won some, all by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin. And all being tallied I came out in a tie. Yes, that’s right Donovan, it’s possible for me to tie, and it sucks almost as bad as tying with the freaking Bengals. But here goes the review of where I went wrong, right, and absolutely no where. Here’s my 7-7-2 “Push me around in a red radio flyer” week.

New Orleans Saints @ Chicago Bears (-2.5): (WINNER) That 2.5 was just enough for me, but I’m pretty sure it was closer to pick em just prior to game time. This was an interesting one as I expected a lot more out of the Bears’ offense. However, they didn’t need all that O as they held Drew Brees and company pretty much in check, battening down the hatches when they needed it most. It was a close one, but that seemed to be the way the weekend went.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) @ Atlanta Falcons: (Push) This is one where the early week pick hurt me. This line moved up to 5.5 for the Tampa Bay Bucs, and that would have been a nice win. As it finished, my +3 was just enough for an overtime push as Jason Elam snuck one in through the upper left upright. Those are the breaks of early picks. Hopefully you guys followed me late and got the win anyway.

Washington Redskins (-6.5) @ Cincinnati Bengals: (Loss) Not only did the Bengals cover, but they won. And how did they do it? Chad 85? Nope. TJ Houshmanzadeh? Nope, he had 3 grabs for 19 yards (thanks for the fantasy help TJ). It was Cedric freaking Benson blowing up for 160+ yards of total offense. You gotta love it when Ced Benson ousts your team from any sort of playoff hope. Awesome in a losing kind of way.

Tennessee Titans (-3) @ Houston Texans: (Loss) Well the field goal wouldn’t have won it for me, but I have a hard time believing that Rod Bironas can’t kick a 49 yarder and get it to the posts. I know it was windy, but really? Anyway, the Texans played tougher than I expected and Andre Johnson was big brothering cats like it was his job.

Detroit Lions (+18) @ Indianapolis Colts: (WINNER) One of my picks of the week, the Lions fought tough until the last snap – weird. Nobody wants to lose them all folks, but the Lions might just do that. They lost by 10, and covered by 8. It was a close game throughout as the Lions tied it late before giving up 10 straight to assure the loss.

Green Bay Packers (-1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars: (Loss) The Packers kind of pissed around all game long, but they were still up 13-7 headed into the 4th. Unlucky for them, they gave up 2 touchdowns in the final quarter and gave away a win over the Jags. Thanks for showing up Green Bay.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs (+6): (WINNER) Boy, the Chiefs can’t buy a win, but they always seem to play well enough to cover. That’s my kind of team. A last quarter surge helped the Chargers (and my fantasy hopes) as Philip Rivers took over the game that the running game failed to produce in. Still, this Charger team needs some help if they want to get back to respectability next season, and it’s going to start on the line.

San Francisco 49ers (+7) @ Miami Dolphins: (WINNER) Two tough teams that don’t score much. The 49ers are tough, and without their best player they still fought until the end with a chance to pull this one out. The Dolphins won but my 49ers covered the touchdown spread.

Buffalo Bills @ N.Y. Jets (-7): (Loss) The Jets were running away with this one early, but they continue to be one of the dumbest teams in the league. This team’s need to pass kind of makes me sick. Only 23 runs almost got them another loss – 35 should be their aiming point. At least 50-50 with passes. But they continue to throw the ball 30 times or more, and Brett continues to be the league leader in interceptions. Nice.

Seattle Seahawks (-3) @ St. Louis Rams: (Push) It was nice of the Seagulls to come out and actually play in the 2nd half. That was enough to get me the push here. That’s how bad the Rams are. On the other hand, this game was down to 1 point as the week dwindled toward kickoff and if you took the Hawks, you definitely got the win here. I hate taking teams that will lose spread points later in the week.

Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals (-3): (Loss) Where have all the Cardinals gone? This team looks lost of late. Maybe they’ll turn it around against a Patriots team that is fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. Ha. They sure didn’t put up any kind of resistance this weekend against the Tarvaris Jackson led Vikings.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2) @ Baltimore Ravens: (WINNER) An interesting game. An interesting final call. The Steelers get the win. I win as well. These are two very good teams, no doubt about that. They are both led by a defense wins championships mentality with an offense that grinds it out. This was as close as games get.

Denver Broncos (+9) @ Carolina Panthers: (Loss) My gut feeling was punched. The Panthers dominated this game, and once again, when they can run they can dominate. I thought Denver would play well as a huge dog, but they played like garbage. They dropped passes, threw the ball too much, and Jay Cutler wasn’t on his game. My gut lost one to my brain in this one, weird.

New England Patriots (-7) @ Oakland Raiders: (WINNER) “That may be the “smart pick” but something in me sees Bill Belichick realizing how crappy his team has played on West Coast trips and somehow working that in to practice to motivate them. Did I mention I hate Oakland?” The Patriots came out with guns a blazing, and the Raiders were helping them get into easy scoring situations. Randy tortured his former team to the tune of two touchdowns and an easy win for his team that isn’t run by a raging lunatic. I’m writing off Randy’s struggles in Oakland as an attempt for him to get the hell out of there. Consider his last season a success.

New York Giants (+3) @ Dallas Cowboys: (Loss) The Cowboys didn’t do much more than I thought they’d do. They were better defensively and their pressure on Ellie was too much for him to manage. A late safety gave the Boys some home, but in the end Tashard Choice was too much for the Giants. Crazy.

Cleveland Browns @ Philadelphia Eagles (-14): (WINNER) I had an eerie feeling that a couple late touchdowns might smack me in the face in this one, but the Browns offense still hasn’t scored in 250+ minutes of game time, and that was just enough to get the Eagles a 20 point win. That also got me a W – and a much needed one at that. I pushed, but it turns out that I don’t lose any games because of it.