NFL 2006: Week Six!
My internet was down this week, and so I'm posting these late. Rest assured, though, all picks were made prior to the games starting.
NOTE: Scores added, records compiled.
Byes: Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, Jacksonville
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys
Final Score: Cowboys 34, Texans 6
New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons
Which Giants squad will we see this week? The one who got blown away by Seattle in Week 3, or the one that handled Washington last week? If they don't play solid football this week, they're officially schizophrenic.
Prediction: NY Giants
Final Score: Giants 27, Falcons 14
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
Prediction: Buffalo Bills
Final Score: Lions 20, Bills 17
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
Not to understate the importance of Shaun Alexander to Seattle, because he's their biggest impact player. But they haven't exactly had explosions out of any part of the offense this season, so I don't know if his loss will affect them as much as it would have last year. Still, he's important and St. Louis will be bringing their own offense. The real question for me is, if Matt Hasselbeck does get their offense moving, will the Rams have the defense to stop Seattle?
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks
Final Score: Seahawks 30, Rams 28
Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
So, Tampa Bay Quarterback Grybowski has shown me some things in the past couple weeks. I admit I didn't think they'd have any passing game whatsoever after Simms got injured. But the Cadillac is still stalled, and well... they are playing Cincinnati. Carson Palmer and the Cincy offense aren't about to roll over for the Buc-o's, and Grybowski won't find any sympathy from the Bengal defense.
Prediction: Cincinatti Bengals
Final Score: Buccaneers 14, Bengals 13
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints
This is a game where New Orleans can show the entire NFL something. They can send a serious message that they're for real, and not just 'hanging in there.' Philadelphia is a legitimate contender again, not to mention first place in the NFC East, and have only one loss this season. If there's a team you want to prove yourself again, this would be a good choice, and a good time. But it could get ugly, if 'utility man' Reggie Bush gets shut down, and Quarterback Drew Brees doesn't get proper protection from the Eagles defensive line. The Saints need to step up and defend their home turf, though, if they want to be serious contenders.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints
Final Score: Saints 27, Eagles 24
Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens
Carolina had a slow start, and it may be their downfall this season. They're going to have to make up for that start by beating teams like the Ravens, who have busted out of the gates and been better than expected. If Carolina really wants to make the Playoffs, they're going to need to find a way to figure out Baltimore's defense, which is no easy task. So how hungry are they?
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens
Final Score: Panthers 23, Ravens 21
Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins
Prediction: Washington Redskins
Final Score: Titans 25, Redskins 22
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
Yeah, the Jets got blown out by a pissed off Jaguars team last week. But you know what? Those losses are easier for Head Coach Eric Mangini to sweep out from the Jets players' minds. Because the Jets aren't a winless team. If they were, it'd be a different story, but they aren't. They've exceeded expectations so far, this season, and I don't expect they'll suddenly nosedive because of one bad loss. They had an off week, and every team is capable of it. The Jaguars game was a sobering realization for Jets fans, sure, because they were pretty happy about how they'd done so far. But maybe that's a good thing for the fans and the team? Conversely, it's pretty much universal opinion that the Dolphins have fell short of what was expected of them, to this point in the season. So much so that, this week, they may not even be favored against the Jets.
Prediction: NY Jets
Final Score: Jets 20, Dolphins 17
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are in danger of being written off for the season. QB Ben Roethlisberger hasn't shown the same ability to manage games as he did last season, nor has he scrambled as much. The defense has been good, but not as good. There's been talk of the "Post-Super Bowl" slump, whatever stock that might hold. The point is, this is make-or-break week for the Super Bowl Champions. Forget that it's even a home game for Pittsburgh; games they really must win now. If Pittsburgh can't beat Kansas City this week, they won't make the Playoffs. They're a better team than the Chiefs, whether KC has QB Trent Green or not-- and they still don't. If Pittsburgh wins, they're still in it, and we'll see how things go next week.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score: Steelers 45, Chiefs 7
San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
The Niners have been impressing me with their play. I have a higher opinion of QB Alex Smith, and though RB Frank Gore didn't do quite as well last week, I can see him emerging as a top Running Back. But the Chargers are supercharged, it seems. I wouldn't mind seeing them get back to the Playoffs, especially after they came up just short last season. Tight End Antonio Gates may be starting to get back into the offense, and Quarterback Philip Rivers is coming off a great game against Pittsburgh last week. We'll see if he can put up another great performance. And don't forget the defense, which also looked strong against the Steelers.
Prediction: San Diego Chargers
Final Score: Chargers 48, Niners 19
*Sunday Night Football*
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
This wouldn't have been a good Sunday Night Football game last year, so I don't see why it was put on the schedule for this year. You couldn't predict the Broncos starting off worse than they were last year, but the Raiders? You can't convince me people thought they'd be that much better this year. Aaron Brooks doesn't garner that much respect. I give this choice for 2006 SNF a thumbs down.
I know I've been pretty down on Denver QB Jake Plummer. But come on, Jake! If he can't put up big numbers against the Raiders, that would be just plain sad. And if Oakland is somehow still in this game during the fourth quarter, with the score low, we may find Jay Cutler getting command of the offense next week. This is as textbook example of a 'confidence builder' game for the Broncos as they'll get all season.
Prediction: Denver Broncos [Suicide Pick*]
Final Score: Broncos 13, Raiders 3
Monday, October 16, 2006
*Monday Night Football*
Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals
Unlike the SNF game, this one is even better than people would have expected last year. The Cardinals weren't difficult to watch last year, even if they did disappoint. I think they're a fun team to see play, especially now that rookie Matt Leinart has taken his rightful place as the Cardinals starting Quarterback. And the Bears are Da Bearz! They're just completely awesome. Great offense, exceptional defense, great coaching. Makes for an exciting game. Thumbs up on this one.
I'm not a big Bears fan, but I really respect Head Coach Lovie Smith. He's made that team what it is now; taking them from mediocrity to the class of the entire NFC conference. The key thing: their attitude. He's seemingly taken the merciless mentality of previous dominant defensive Bears teams, and instilled it into this one. Combine that with a healthy Rex Grossman at Quarterback, with a chip on his shoulder, needing to prove he's capable of leading an offense for a whole season? You've got one aggressive, powerhouse of a team.
The Cards could surprise a lot of people with a win this week. QB Matt Leinart could make a big statement about how prepared he is for the NFL if he can engineer the Cardinals offense to score on the Bears defense. No easy task, mind you, and a scenario that isn't likely to happen. We all know the Bears deal: they're running roughshod on every opponent, in every facet of the game, every week. But a team like Arizona, they're sort of like the Jets this year. They've got spunk, and more fire than one might think. If you don't come to play seriously, you might just get burned. Of course, as I've stated, I expect Lovie Smith will have his team ready to play. But I'm feeling something about this game. The Bears are undefeated, it's true, and have shown no signs of letting up. There may not be a logical reason to pick against them. But sometimes, you never do see it coming.
Plus, I don't see Chicago losing a single game at home, on Soldier Field. It's only going to get colder there, and the Bears will only get nastier at home during the winter. If they lose, it'll be on the road. I'm going with my gut on this one.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals
Final Score: Bears 24, Cardinals 23
Week 6 Record: 8-5
2006 Season Record [through Week 6]: 56-31
Suicide Pick Record: 6-0
-Teams Used [through Week 5]: Philadelphia, New Orleans, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Chicago
*The suicide pick means I am picking the selected team as my lock to win for the week. I can't choose any team twice over the course of one season. I'll keep a separate record of these picks, but each one will also be counted in the overall record for the week, and season.
NOTE: Scores added, records compiled.
Byes: Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, Jacksonville
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Houston Texans at Dallas Cowboys
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys
Final Score: Cowboys 34, Texans 6
New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons
Which Giants squad will we see this week? The one who got blown away by Seattle in Week 3, or the one that handled Washington last week? If they don't play solid football this week, they're officially schizophrenic.
Prediction: NY Giants
Final Score: Giants 27, Falcons 14
Buffalo Bills at Detroit Lions
Prediction: Buffalo Bills
Final Score: Lions 20, Bills 17
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
Not to understate the importance of Shaun Alexander to Seattle, because he's their biggest impact player. But they haven't exactly had explosions out of any part of the offense this season, so I don't know if his loss will affect them as much as it would have last year. Still, he's important and St. Louis will be bringing their own offense. The real question for me is, if Matt Hasselbeck does get their offense moving, will the Rams have the defense to stop Seattle?
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks
Final Score: Seahawks 30, Rams 28
Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
So, Tampa Bay Quarterback Grybowski has shown me some things in the past couple weeks. I admit I didn't think they'd have any passing game whatsoever after Simms got injured. But the Cadillac is still stalled, and well... they are playing Cincinnati. Carson Palmer and the Cincy offense aren't about to roll over for the Buc-o's, and Grybowski won't find any sympathy from the Bengal defense.
Prediction: Cincinatti Bengals
Final Score: Buccaneers 14, Bengals 13
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints
This is a game where New Orleans can show the entire NFL something. They can send a serious message that they're for real, and not just 'hanging in there.' Philadelphia is a legitimate contender again, not to mention first place in the NFC East, and have only one loss this season. If there's a team you want to prove yourself again, this would be a good choice, and a good time. But it could get ugly, if 'utility man' Reggie Bush gets shut down, and Quarterback Drew Brees doesn't get proper protection from the Eagles defensive line. The Saints need to step up and defend their home turf, though, if they want to be serious contenders.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints
Final Score: Saints 27, Eagles 24
Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens
Carolina had a slow start, and it may be their downfall this season. They're going to have to make up for that start by beating teams like the Ravens, who have busted out of the gates and been better than expected. If Carolina really wants to make the Playoffs, they're going to need to find a way to figure out Baltimore's defense, which is no easy task. So how hungry are they?
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens
Final Score: Panthers 23, Ravens 21
Tennessee Titans at Washington Redskins
Prediction: Washington Redskins
Final Score: Titans 25, Redskins 22
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
Yeah, the Jets got blown out by a pissed off Jaguars team last week. But you know what? Those losses are easier for Head Coach Eric Mangini to sweep out from the Jets players' minds. Because the Jets aren't a winless team. If they were, it'd be a different story, but they aren't. They've exceeded expectations so far, this season, and I don't expect they'll suddenly nosedive because of one bad loss. They had an off week, and every team is capable of it. The Jaguars game was a sobering realization for Jets fans, sure, because they were pretty happy about how they'd done so far. But maybe that's a good thing for the fans and the team? Conversely, it's pretty much universal opinion that the Dolphins have fell short of what was expected of them, to this point in the season. So much so that, this week, they may not even be favored against the Jets.
Prediction: NY Jets
Final Score: Jets 20, Dolphins 17
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are in danger of being written off for the season. QB Ben Roethlisberger hasn't shown the same ability to manage games as he did last season, nor has he scrambled as much. The defense has been good, but not as good. There's been talk of the "Post-Super Bowl" slump, whatever stock that might hold. The point is, this is make-or-break week for the Super Bowl Champions. Forget that it's even a home game for Pittsburgh; games they really must win now. If Pittsburgh can't beat Kansas City this week, they won't make the Playoffs. They're a better team than the Chiefs, whether KC has QB Trent Green or not-- and they still don't. If Pittsburgh wins, they're still in it, and we'll see how things go next week.
Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers
Final Score: Steelers 45, Chiefs 7
San Diego Chargers at San Francisco 49ers
The Niners have been impressing me with their play. I have a higher opinion of QB Alex Smith, and though RB Frank Gore didn't do quite as well last week, I can see him emerging as a top Running Back. But the Chargers are supercharged, it seems. I wouldn't mind seeing them get back to the Playoffs, especially after they came up just short last season. Tight End Antonio Gates may be starting to get back into the offense, and Quarterback Philip Rivers is coming off a great game against Pittsburgh last week. We'll see if he can put up another great performance. And don't forget the defense, which also looked strong against the Steelers.
Prediction: San Diego Chargers
Final Score: Chargers 48, Niners 19
*Sunday Night Football*
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
This wouldn't have been a good Sunday Night Football game last year, so I don't see why it was put on the schedule for this year. You couldn't predict the Broncos starting off worse than they were last year, but the Raiders? You can't convince me people thought they'd be that much better this year. Aaron Brooks doesn't garner that much respect. I give this choice for 2006 SNF a thumbs down.
I know I've been pretty down on Denver QB Jake Plummer. But come on, Jake! If he can't put up big numbers against the Raiders, that would be just plain sad. And if Oakland is somehow still in this game during the fourth quarter, with the score low, we may find Jay Cutler getting command of the offense next week. This is as textbook example of a 'confidence builder' game for the Broncos as they'll get all season.
Prediction: Denver Broncos [Suicide Pick*]
Final Score: Broncos 13, Raiders 3
Monday, October 16, 2006
*Monday Night Football*
Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals
Unlike the SNF game, this one is even better than people would have expected last year. The Cardinals weren't difficult to watch last year, even if they did disappoint. I think they're a fun team to see play, especially now that rookie Matt Leinart has taken his rightful place as the Cardinals starting Quarterback. And the Bears are Da Bearz! They're just completely awesome. Great offense, exceptional defense, great coaching. Makes for an exciting game. Thumbs up on this one.
I'm not a big Bears fan, but I really respect Head Coach Lovie Smith. He's made that team what it is now; taking them from mediocrity to the class of the entire NFC conference. The key thing: their attitude. He's seemingly taken the merciless mentality of previous dominant defensive Bears teams, and instilled it into this one. Combine that with a healthy Rex Grossman at Quarterback, with a chip on his shoulder, needing to prove he's capable of leading an offense for a whole season? You've got one aggressive, powerhouse of a team.
The Cards could surprise a lot of people with a win this week. QB Matt Leinart could make a big statement about how prepared he is for the NFL if he can engineer the Cardinals offense to score on the Bears defense. No easy task, mind you, and a scenario that isn't likely to happen. We all know the Bears deal: they're running roughshod on every opponent, in every facet of the game, every week. But a team like Arizona, they're sort of like the Jets this year. They've got spunk, and more fire than one might think. If you don't come to play seriously, you might just get burned. Of course, as I've stated, I expect Lovie Smith will have his team ready to play. But I'm feeling something about this game. The Bears are undefeated, it's true, and have shown no signs of letting up. There may not be a logical reason to pick against them. But sometimes, you never do see it coming.
Plus, I don't see Chicago losing a single game at home, on Soldier Field. It's only going to get colder there, and the Bears will only get nastier at home during the winter. If they lose, it'll be on the road. I'm going with my gut on this one.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals
Final Score: Bears 24, Cardinals 23
Week 6 Record: 8-5
2006 Season Record [through Week 6]: 56-31
Suicide Pick Record: 6-0
-Teams Used [through Week 5]: Philadelphia, New Orleans, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Chicago
*The suicide pick means I am picking the selected team as my lock to win for the week. I can't choose any team twice over the course of one season. I'll keep a separate record of these picks, but each one will also be counted in the overall record for the week, and season.