Thanks to Kyle Orton’s terrific Monday night performance against Pittsburgh and Green Bay’s outstanding effort in Tampa, I took one on the chin last week to go 2-3. Law of averages says I get things right this week, right? Right?!

Here are my top four plays for Sunday.

Bengals (6-2) at Steelers (6-2), 1:00PM ET
I don’t see the Bengals sweeping the Steelers this season, but Cincinnati isn’t getting enough respect. Their defense is legit and they have the secondary to matchup with a team like the Steelers that likes to put the ball in the air. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco have played well this season and should be able to keep the Bengals in the game. For as good as the Steelers are and as much as they’ll get up for a division rival like the Bengals who have already beaten them once this season, Pittsburgh is coming off a short week after earning an emotional win in Denver. In the end, I think the Steelers defense won’t wilt like they did in the fourth quarter of the first contest, but this game is going to be closer than the odds would indicate.
Odds: Steelers –7.
Prediction: Steelers 20, Bengals 16.

Saints (8-0) at Rams (1-7), 1:00PM ET
The Saints haven’t covered in two weeks as double-digit favorites and while some bettors might think now is the perfect time to back a Rams team coming off a bye and getting 13.5 points at home, I would caution them. The Falcons and Panthers played the Saints tough because they’re familiar with New Orleans and divisional games are always closer than people think. It’s about time Drew Brees touches another opponent up for three or four scores and this is the perfect weekend to do going against a suspect St. Louis secondary. Actually, the Rams defense isn’t as bad as many think and they might be able to hang with New Orleans in the first half. But the Rams’ offense is putrid and the Saints’ defense has preyed on their opponents’ mistakes all season. I fully expect Sean Payton’s team to romp and I’ll gladly eat the chalk.
Odds: Saints –13.5.
Prediction: Saints 37, Rams 10.

Falcons (5-3) at Panthers (3-5), 1:00PM ET
This has “trap” written all over it. The Falcons are clearly the better team, yet find themselves as only 1.5-point favorites entering this game. Even though the Falcons got off the schnide last week by beating a bad Washington team, Matt Ryan hasn’t played particular well in over a month and Carolina has one of the better defensive backfields in the league. If the Panthers can contain Michael Turner (which could be tough given that linebacker Thomas Davis was lost after he suffered a season-ending injury last week), then they’ll have a shot to win outright. Atlanta’s run defense has been shaky this year and as long as DeAngelo Williams plays (he’ll be a game time decision), he and Jonathan Stewart should control this game on the ground. If Williams is out, then throw my pick out because I just don’t think the Panthers have enough to beat a Falcons team that has the inside track of earning a Wild Card spot in the NFC.
Odds: Falcons –1.5.
Prediction: Panthers (with Williams) 24, Falcons 20…Falcons 27, Panthers 17 (without Williams).

Cowboys (6-2) at Packers (4-4), 4:15PM ET
I’ll cut to the chase: The Packers have zero chance of winning this game if they can’t figure out how to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers. And based on how the offensive line has looked so far, I doubt they’ll figure things out before Dallas brings its highly effective pass rush to Lambeau Field on Sunday. The Cowboys should control this game in the trenches and wear down Green Bay on both sides of the ball. I fully expect the Packers to give a better defensive effort than they did last week in Tampa, but DeMarcus Ware should feast on Rodgers, who rarely has time to blink in the pocket, nevertheless complete a pass. Assuming Wade Phillips’ bunch doesn’t play down to their competition this weekend, then the ‘Boys should earn another road win. (That said, beware that the Cowboys just won a huge game in Philadelphia last week, so this might be a letdown game for them.)
Odds: Cowboys –3.
Prediction: Cowboys 23, Packers 17.

Photo from fOTOGLIF
]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/13/nfl-pick-predictions-week-10/feed/ 6 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/09/ochocinco-tries-to-bribe-official/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/09/ochocinco-tries-to-bribe-official/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:11:25 +0000 John Paulsen http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=28671

From SHUTDOWN CORNER…

The impish Cincinnati Bengals receiver playfully tried to bribe an NFL official today during his team’s game with its division rival, the Baltimore Ravens. With the Cincinnati Bengals up 14-3 in the third quarter, Ochocinco caught a 15-yard Carson Palmer(notes) pass near the sideline. The side judge ruled it a catch, but the Ravens contended that Ochocinco’s foot was out of bounds. While the ref was under the hood looking at the replay, Ochocinco borrowed a dollar bill from an assistant and playfully tried to hand the one-spot to another official.

It’s funny, but not to his fantasy owners. They’re just hoping that this doesn’t result in anything more than a fine.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Ochocinco sent gift baskets containing deodorant to the Ravens’ secondary and to linebackers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis.

Chad Ochocinco, the Bengals’ flamboyant wide receiver, said today on 105.7 FM that he sent gift baskets containing deodorant to the Ravens’ secondary and to linebackers Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis.

“I not only sent them gift baskets, but I sent them something they could use so they don’t sweat,” Ochocinco said.

The Ravens and Bengals meet at 1 p.m. Sunday in Cincinnati.

Ray had this to say in response:

Not to take the fun out of this post, but I don’t think it was wise for Ocho to poke an angry dog with a stick. Considering the source, I’m sure Baltimore won’t get too riled up over the gift baskets, but the Ravens already have revenge on their minds after the Bengals beat them a couple weeks ago at their home turf and will desperately be seeking a win this weekend.

I think this is the week the Bengals start missing what Antwan Odom brought to the field. They didn’t need him in their Week 7 trouncing of the Bears, but the Ravens’ offense has been firing on all cylinders and just routed a good Denver defense last Sunday. Even for how good Cincinnati’s defense is, they still need the front four to generate some pressure or else Joe Flacco will pick them apart.

The Browns did the improbable in the fourth quarter by blocking an extra point following a Chad Ochocinco 2-yard touchdown pass to force overtime. Then they really did the improbable by allowing a gimpy Carson Palmer to scramble 15 yards in the extra period to set up Shayne Graham’s game-winning 31-yard field goal with four seconds remaining.

Did I mention that Palmer’s scramble was on fourth down? Had they stopped the Bengals on that play, Mangini and the Browns were looking at a tie at the very least, which certainly would have been better than suffering their fourth consecutive loss.

The good thing for Cleveland is that they fought hard after trailing Cincinnati 14-7 early in the first half. They also forced two key turnovers and the offense looked more efficient with Anderson under center than they did with Brady Quinn in previous weeks. Jerome Harrison rushed for 121 yards on 29 carries, while rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi caught eight passes for 148 yards.

But moral victories don’t really count when you’re 0-4. Mangini deserves time to build the roster he wants, but in the meantime he still needs to produce a victory or two because the Cleveland faithful has suffered enough. A win today would have given Mangini a little support.

Hell, a tie would have done the same thing.

- EVERY DAY SHOULD BE SATURDAY has “The Tim Tebow Song.” Pretty catchy.

- NO GUTS NO GLORY informs us that any Packers caught Tweeting during team activities will be fined $1,701. What I want to know is how they came up with that number.

- SHUTDOWN CORNER has video of Reggie Wayne showing up to camp in construction gear and a dump truck. Don’t worry, Reggie explains the metaphor.

- PRO FOOTBALL TALK has the transcript of the Chad Ochocinco/Mark Schlereth mini-feud on Twitter yesterday.

After missing virtually the entire 2008 season with an elbow injury, Bengals’ quarterback Carson Palmer says that he is 100% again.

“I’m great. I feel great. I’m 100 percent healthy, throwing, lifting, running all that stuff,” said Palmer, who played in just four games in 2008 after opting to forgo reconstructive surgery to repair a partially torn ligament and tendon in his right elbow. Instead, Palmer chose to let the tissue damage heal with rest and rehabilitation.

And while he admitted his arm strength wasn’t where he wanted it to be during a late June minicamp, Palmer told FanHouse this week he’s now 100 percent physically, and confident in his belief that the elbow shouldn’t hamper him in 2009.

“It’s just a big weight off of my shoulders. I didn’t know if I was going to have the ‘Tommy John’ surgery – I still wouldn’t be able to throw, to this day, if I had had that,” Palmer said. “I’m just thankful I didn’t have to go through that. The doctors who said that it would heal were right and it did heal. So I’ve been throwing, just doing everything to get geared up for the season.”

The Bengals aren’t as bad as they appear to be – they’re just incredibly dysfunctional. The defense has a couple of young, talented pieces to build around (i.e. Keith Rivers, Leon Hall, Rey Maualuga, etc.) and if Palmer can stay healthy, he gives this team a chance to stay in ballgames.

Of course the offensive line is a bit of a mystery and if this team is relying on Cedric Benson to be a consistent (key word: consistent) every down back, then it might be in for a rude awakening. Throw in Chad Ochocinco’s daily antics and it’s hard to get a good read on if Cincy is a potential dark horse or heading for a 4-12 season.

Either way, the Bungles will certainly be an interesting team to follow in ’09.

After the news of pop star Michael Jackson’s death reached the public, athletes everywhere started to share their disbelief on the web. One of those athletes was Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, who said Jackon’s death was just as sad as the 9/11 tragedy.

“Okay, first Mrs. Fawcett now Mr. Jackson, please tell me that this is a mistaken rumor, if not this is just as sad as 9/11 …

okay not as bad as 911, its sad period, both situations my goodness people, they just said he is okay in the hospital …

The 9/11 was a bit over the top, i am just in an emotional state right now, bare with me while i regroup people, be back in 10 minutes …

Sorry 85 million times, today sucks man, i still have my jacket with the zippers on it, wow”

Comparing Jackson’s sad death to a national tragedy was just flat out stupid. Ocho obviously crossed the line, realized it and apologized. But this is proof that certain athletes should stay off sites like Twitter, where the public can read their half-wit thoughts at any time.