Line: Patriots by 2½   

 

            This isn’t a movie I wanted to watch again, but it’s the Super Bowl, so we give it our due diligence as American citizens. The Patriots and Giants at least figure to put on a heck of a show, just as they did four years ago in Glendale. Rather evenly matched, there are advantages and disadvantages for both clubs. A further look:

 

Quarterbacks – Tom Brady vs. Eli Manning

 

            “I believe in Eli,” said D...

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We’ve reached the Final Four and perhaps more refreshingly, two of the league’s three offensive sideshows have been put to rest. The Saints and Packers and their circus-like attack will be home watching three teams at least built in large part on defense, while the one dragon left to slay resides in Foxborough. The Ravens and Giants are built to win on the road, but in championship weekend history, only twice have both road teams won  (1992 and 1997). Still, from 1997-2005 at least one...

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Chris Berman calls this the best weekend in all of sports, the divisional round of the playoffs. The big four are coming off their byes, a week after all four home teams won in the wild card round for just the third time in 22 years since the NFL went to a 12-team playoff format. However, all four teams have not won in the divisional round since 2004. However you slice it, there figures to be a surprise or two this weekend and some exceptional football. Though Metlife Stadium and Invesco Fiel...

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Welcome to the second season, my friends. The playoffs are here – in a season that almost never was. A dual rookie QB matchup and the toast of the league trying to slay the mighty Steelers should make for a fun Wild Card weekend.

Regular season: 118-129-9

Cincinnati at Houston (-3)

Analysis: The last time the Texans won, it was four weeks ago on the road against Cincinnati. But since, rookie third-stringer T.J. Yates has struggled, and after suffering five sacks against the Bengals in t...

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Hard to believe a season that almost never was is almost over. While most of the playoff spots have been locked up there is still some drama remaining, including the NFC East showdown between Dallas and the Giants and the final AFC wild card spot. 16 divisional games are on the docket, which certainly isn't a foolproof solution to fixing some of these so-called meaningless games, but nevertheless we are in for another fun finish.

Last week: 8-8

Season: 110-121-9

Buffalo at New England (-1...

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Houston (-7) at Indianapolis
Analysis: Thankfully, we are out of force-fed Thursday Night Football games by Roger Goodell after this one. The Texans suffered a major setback last week against Carolina, but still have hopes of getting a first-round bye. The Colts are ecstatic after breaking through for their first win and are looking to repeat the wonderful finish of the 1986 club, which similarly started 0-13 yet ended with three consecutive wins. The difference here is the running game. The T...
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Hey, a Thursday night win! I'm off to a good start to a week for the first time this year. And now we kick back Sunday to enjoy what figures to be a good finish to the year. Patriots-Broncos headlines things, with Ravens-Chargers and Steelers-49ers following suit. Other games will feature teams simply playing for pride or their coaches' jobs.

Last week: 9-7

Season: 95-105-8

Dallas (-7) at Tampa Bay

Analysis: Raheem Morris is still the coach in Tampa despite a report that the Bucs intended...

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Jacksonville at Atlanta (-13.5)
Analysis: For every Tim Tebow, there is a Matt Ryan. Quiety the fourth-year QB has the Falcons in the playoff chase yet again, and with the lowly Jags making a short flight into town now would be the time to solidify their standing in the crowded NFC playoff field. Atlanta has yet to really clobber an opponent at home, yet this spread has jumped from 11 to 11.5 to 13.5. At 8-5, a win would go a long way towards assuring Atlanta returns to the playoffs for a seco...
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All eyes will be on Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon, as the Green Bay Packers' march to 16-0 continues against Oakland. In the evening they will turn to Jerry World, where the Giants and Cowboys will face off in the first of two meetings in the season's final four weeks to decide the NFC East. As for me, I need a miracle to finish over .500. My chances are about as good as that of the Bills - as in non-existent.

Last week: 7-9
Season: 86-98-8

Atlanta (-3) at Carolina

Analysis:            Carol...

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It's almost gotten to the point where I'm "playing out the string", to drudge up the dreading saying. 10 games under means I need almost every week to be a stellar one the rest of the way. That starts with a Thanksgiving weekend full of monster games, perhaps none bigger than Packers-Lions to open the Turkey Day slate. The Harbaugh Bowl and Super Bowl XXXIX Pats-Eagles rematch are big, but Sunday's gem could be Arizona-St. Louis. After all, their first meeting featured back-to-back safeties a...
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Another Thursday loss means another uphill climb come Sunday for me. Bengals-Ravens highlights Week 11, as does Part 6 of the Jay Cutler-Philip Rivers saga. The Packers' chase for perfection collides with the reeling Bucs, while the Colts jaunt towards imperfection takes a hiatus with a much-needed bye.

Last week: 6-10
Season: 66-74-6
 

Buffalo at Miami (-1)

Analysis:            Does anybody want more redemption in this game than Dan Carpenter? The normally-reliable Dolphins kicker missed a career...

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Good thing there's Sunday. After bombing Thursday's pick, it's time to get back over .500 in a week featuring a number of key divisional and intraconference showdowns. Several divisions could see a changing of the guard, most notably the AFC East, where the Jets are looking to unseat the hated Patriots.

Last week: 6-8
Season: 60-64-6

Arizona at Philadelphia (-14)
Analysis: It appears as if Kevin Kolb's homecoming won't happen, meaning John Skelton gets to face the slumping, underachieving Eagles....
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            With my big Week 7 surge, I have officially moved over .500 for the year. What an accomplishment considering the Dolphins-like start I had to my season. There are five double-digit spreads among the six early games, so if you live on the West Coast like me, you can probably sleep in until the late games start this week. Then again, could we have an upset or two in store?

 

Week 7:            9-3-1

Season:            49-48-6

 

Arizona at Baltim...

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Finally, a week to be proud of. 8-4-1 (I guess the bye weeks are helping me out) and now 3-3 on upset specials for the year. Did I say upset special? Jim Schwartz was especially upset after Jim Harbaugh’s overly-excited postgame handshake. That means only the 6-0 Packers remain unbeaten. Will they remain so in Week 7? Let’s take a look at the 13 games on tap: 

Last week: 8-4-1
Season: 40-45-5

Atlanta at Detroit (-3.5)

Analysis:            Okay, so the Lions are human after all. At 5-1, t...

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Buffalo at New York Giants (-3): Giants
Carolina at Atlanta (-4): Falcons
Indianapolis at Cincinnati (-7): Colts
Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (-13): Steelers
Philadelphia (-1) at Washington: Eagles
St. Louis at Green Bay (-14): Packers
San Francisco at Detroit (-4): 49ers
Cleveland at Oakland (-6.5): Raiders
Houston at Baltimore (-7.5): Texans
Dallas at New England (-7): Cowboys
New Orleans (-4.5) at Tampa Bay: Buccaneers
Minnesota at Chicago (-3): Vikings
Miami at New York Jets (-7): ...
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Yikes. 5-11 a week ago, it's time I get this thing turned around. But until I do, feel free to look at my picks and for betting purposes, pick the opposite. That would have made you wealthy in Week 4. Week 5 rolls around with just two unbeatens, the Packers – okay, we're not shocked – and the Lions – seriously, were they playing Division I-AA schools? But give Detroit credit, including the preseason, they have won 12 straight games dating to last year. There are still four winless teams...

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History has been in the making so far in 2011. The Bills trailed by 18 or more the past two weeks and rallied to win, the first time in history that's happened. The Vikings have led their first three games at halftime and have held double-digit leads in each, and lost each one, an NFL first. And the Dallas Cowboys have officially put their fans into cardiac arrest with an NFL-record nine consecutive games decided by three points or less. Once again Week 4 is a measuring stick for teams like H...

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I wasn't exactly on point last week, going 5-9-2, although the late games brought me back a bit (thanks for showboating, Jesse Holley). The aerial assaults and scoring barrages continue, a trend that looks like it's here to stay. Week 3 features several perennial also-rans playing in big games looking to show they are for real (see: Detroit, Buffalo, Houston). 2-0 is great for those teams, but stepping up to a real challenge is what truly makes believers. And now, a breakdown of the games:

La...

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To say the offenses were ahead of the defenses in Week 1 is a vast understatement. Five different games featured two quarterbacks going over 300 yards, most unforgettably Cam Newton's stellar 418-yard debut and Tom Brady's 517-yard demolition of the Dolphins on Monday night. So will it be more of the same in Week 2? In Newton's case, a repeat performance will be awfully tough against the defending champion Packers. Brady will also face a stiff test in San Diego. But smart money says continue ...

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Football is back, and what a way to get it started with the Saints and the Packers coming down to the very last play of an absolute barnburner Thursday night. Picking Week 1 is already tough, but picking Week 1 in a lockout year is an utter crapshoot. All eyes will be on the Steelers-Ravens rivalry renewal, Chad Ochocinco's Monday night Patriots debut, and New York and Washington on what will be the 10^th anniversary of the devastating 9/11 attacks. Without further ado, here is a breakdown of ...

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The Tampa Bay Rays are proving that, in spite of the notion that they are “baseball's farm team”, their recent run of success in the rugged AL East is no fluke.

GM Andrew Friedman has been criticized (even by yours truly) for failing to pull off a big midseason trade during the team's 2008 and 2010 division-championship seasons. Instead, he and manager Joe Maddon felt confident in the young core they had in place. The result? 97 and 96 win seasons.

But it appeared this offseason would b...

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Week 7 is already upon us, and this so-called year of parity is really only a half-truth. The NFC is wide open with no one-loss teams after just six weeks, but it’s the usual suspects in the AFC. This week features a few key divisional games, perhaps none bigger than Monday night in Dallas between the surging Giants and the fading Cowboys. Will Wade Phillips, remarkably still employed at this point, still have a job if Big D loses that one? At any rate, let’s dive right into the picks:

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