My college picks continue to be complete and utter garbage, but I’ve held my own in the NFL this season.
After going 3-1 in Week 8 and 3-1 again in Week 9, I followed those performances up with another 3-1 week last Sunday. The 4-0 week continues to be my Everest, but who knows, maybe Week 11 is it. Maybe this is the Sunday I taste glory.
Or maybe this is the week my college picks infect my NFL picks and I go 0-4. Should be fun either way.
Browns (3-6) @ Jaguars (5-4), 1:00PM ET
The Browns have become a fan favorite of late and why not? They beat the Saints and Patriots and if it weren’t for a Chansi Stuckey fumble in overtime last week, they probably go on to beat the Jets too. In terms of being a competitive team, the Browns are “for real.” There’s no question. But they’re due to lay an egg and I think it’ll be this week in Jacksonville. The Jaguars certainly aren’t a great team by any stretch of the imagination and they needed a fluke Hail Mary touchdown last week after they collapsed in the second half against Houston. But this is a matchup that favors the Jaguars because neither team is very explosive. They can hang with teams that can’t turn games into a track meet. I think the Jags will limit Peyton Hillis and get the best of the Browns this week.
THE PICK: JAGUARS –1
Lions (2-7) @ Cowboys (2-7), 1:00PM ET
I think it would be a mistake to hop on the Cowboys’ bandwagon again after one win. I agree that it was a big win over a formidable opponent in the Giants, but the ‘Boys aren’t above overlooking a team like the Lions – even when they’re sitting at 2-7. The Lions have struggled all year but they’ve covered every week outside of a loss to the Vikings in Week 3. For those that have been burned several times by the Cowboys, you know laying seven points is too much with this team. Detroit will keep it somewhat close and cover (either with a legit cover or of the backdoor variety that they’ve become accustomed to doing).
THE PICK: LIONS +7
Packers (6-3) @ Vikings (3-6), 1:00PM ET
I have no problem saying that I hope the Packers send Brett Favre home with a nice parting gift in the form of a blowout defeat. But this game reeks of Lord Favre magic. The Vikings have looked hapless for most of the year and Favre’s play has been downright pathetic at times. But this might be his last chance to stick it to the Packers and you know he’s going to make the most of the opportunity, especially with the game being played on his turf. That said, Minnesota needs to figure out where its pass rush went or else Aaron Rodgers will shred the Vikings’ suspect secondary. The Vikes don’t want a shootout – they want to control the clock and take their chances in the vertical passing game when opportunities present themselves. As much as it pains me to say it: Minnesota plus the points.
THE PICK: VIKINGS +3
Ravens (6-3) @ Panthers (1-8), 1:00PM ET
The best picks are usually the ones where you want to throw up as soon as you make them. And picking the Panthers this week already has me reaching for the trashcan and my stomach rumbling. There’s absolutely no reason to take Carolina this Sunday. They’re down their top three running backs, they’re starting a quarterback in Brian St. Pierre that has only attempted five passes in his career and their defense sucks (to put it mildly). Baltimore should roll, which is why I’m taking the Panthers in a no-way-they-should-cover situation.
THE PICK: PANTHERS +10.5
Season Record: 19-16-1
