Thursday, December 2, 2010

Week 12 Results, Week 13 predictions



I have had two great weeks in a row. Two weeks ago, my prognostication hit it’s high-mark with a 12-3 record. I did not get the prediction for Dolphins v. Bears in before the opening gun, in fact I didn’t post predictions until the 3rd quarter, so I had to remove that game from my list. In week 12, I was almost as good with a 12-4 record. Of course, I would have preferred to put one more win on my record rather than one more loss. Sheeesh… who thought the Bears would beat the Eagles? Shit!

This week has four very tough choices and several not-so-tough choices. Bills v Vikings is a close call. Many do not think so, but I can easily see the Bills winning this one. Certainly, the Vikings are not as good as the Steelers, and the Bills very nearly upset the Steelers last week. Still, I’m going to play percentages and give it to the Vikings based on home field advantage.

I think the outcome of the Jaguars v Titans is entirely dependent on the health of Kerry Collins, when I made my predictions yesterday, Collins was still listed as day-to-day. Without Kerry, the Titans have no legit chance of victory. With Kerry, they have a puncher’s chance of taking the Jags. Still, at this point, the Jags have to be seen as the favorite.

Cowboys v Colts is the toughest call on the board if you ask me. If Peyton plays well, I can’t see the Colts loosing. The problem is that he isn’t playing well. The Super Bowl loser’s jinx is biting him hard right now. Still, what are the chances he has three consecutive off-games? I find it difficult to believe that Manning will stay in his slump. I look for him to snap out of it and take down the Cowboys. Still, the Cowboys may bounce back from the loss against the Saints with a huge effort. This is almost a coin-toss game. Pick one and know that you stand a good chance of being wrong.

The Jets v Patriots is not much easier to call than the Cowboys v Colts. Ultimately, the Patriots are packing quite a whallop at home. Tom Brady’s home field record is second to none. Given the fact that the Jets won once already, and this is a must-win situation for the Patriots at home, I have a hard time picking against Brady’s home streak. Still, the Jets are bringing that crazy-chaos amoeba defense to Boston, and they could do the Patriots on their home field. This is a bit shy of a coin toss, but the Jets could easily win this game.

I personally don’t think the Steelers v Ravens is that close a match. Big Ben is wearing an orthopedic boot right now, but the Steelers have been limping ever since he came back. They were more impressive without him than they are now. The Ravens already defeated the more impressive edition of the 2010 Steelers earlier in the year, and on their home field. I think the Ravens are more impressive now than they were then. I believe they can and should complete the sweep, and take the lead in the AFC North.