Week 14 NFL Against the Spread Picks

Only four weeks of picks left. The possibility of Jeremy winning this thing has become frighteningly real.

Brien (32-31-2 for .508)

Chicago (+3) over WASHINGTON - This seems like the easiest pick on the board (which scares me a little bit). The Redskins suck, they played an emotional game on Sunday, went to Sean Taylor's funeral on Monday, and now they have a short week?

NY Giants (+3) over PHILADELPHIA - Let's not get too carried away over the Eagles' performance against New England.

Cleveland (-3.5) over NY JETS - I keep thinking that Vegas is going to wise up about the Browns, but apparently that's not going to happen. I'm willing to overlook last week's loss to Arizona. The Cardinals have surprised a few teams this year.

San Diego (pk) over TENNESSEE - The Chargers are one of the hottest teams in football now, and the Titans are just trying to hold on for a Wild Card berth.

Minnesota (-8) over SAN FRANCISCO - The Vikings have been blowing out teams lately, so the big number doesn't worry me. What worries me is that I picked all road teams.

Jeremy (34-25-6 for .569)
& Magic 8 Ball (36-23-6 for .600)

Jeremy's Picks:
So many games, so many difficult lines to pick on. I can barely even find two or three that I'm confident of, let alone five.

Pittsburgh (+10.5) over PATRIOTS - I'll come out of the gates swinging with this game. The Steelers D is good enough that I think the Pats win, but I can't see them scoring enough points to cover this kind of spread. 50+ against the 'Skins and Bills is one thing... the Steelers is a whole different ballgame.

Cleveland (-3.5) over JETS - The Browns killed me last week, but Kurt Warner is a better QB than Kellen Clemens. And the Browns did almost pull the game out. Seriously... I didn't know "Kellen" was such a popular name. Each team has their own.

Dallas (-10) over DETROIT - A big spread, but remember what Brett Favre did to the Lions D on Thanksgiving Day? You do? Well guess what... Romo and T.O. are better. And I'm going up against both of them in my fantasy football playoff this week. Great....

PHILADELPHIA (-3) over Giants - This is going to be a true war. Eagles come out on top. And the New York media begins to roast Eli again.

BUFFALO (-7) over Miami - Buffalo's offense is horrible. Miami has to travel to the frozen tundra of Ralph Wilson Stadium. I think Buffalo can win by more than a TD. Ryan Lindell has six FGs in him.

Magic 8 Ball Picks:
I refuse to be beaten by a human. Especially after I was mocked by that asshole J-Red.

PATRIOTS (-10.5) over Steelers - "Signs point to yes." [Pats beat spread]

JETS (+3.5) over Cleveland - "Signs point to yes." [Jets beat spread]

Dallas (-10) over DETROIT - "No" [Lions won't beat spread]

Giants (+3) over PHILADELPHIA - "My answer is no." [Eagles won't beat spread]

BUFFALO (-7) over Miami - "Yes." [Bills beat spread]

J-Red (32-30-3 for .515)

Chicago (-3) over WASHINGTON seems like the most logical pick in the world, right? Others have justified it well. I'm just scared of Rex Grossman.

Dallas (-10) over DETROIT - Detroit is fading fast, and Dallas still only has a 1.5 game lead on home field advantage. They can't pull off the accelerator yet, and they know it.

NEW ENGLAND (-10) over Pittsburgh - Ok, mediocrity and weather combined to undermotivate the Patriots the past two weeks. Seeing that black and gold and a likely playoff opponent won't have that effect. I think we get back to the old New England this week.

Miami (+7) over BUFFALO - The football gods are not going to let this Miami team go winless. They're really not horrendous. They're a little healthier, playing a division opponent, giving a rookie QB his third or fourth start, and getting a touchdown. I'll take it.

My God there are some truly putrid games this week. It seems like every matchup is either a clear-cut mismatch or a combination of two unpredictable teams.

Tampa Bay (-2.5) over HOUSTON - I have yet to see ten minutes of Tampa Bay football this year, but the stats indicate they are running the ball well, playing good D and limiting turnovers. I think playing fundamentally sound football is about all you need to stop Houston.

Cleveland (-3.5) over NY JETS - Cleveland's the bad team that has found some mojo, but they're definitely good enough to beat last year's bad team that found some mojo.

Russell (28-35-2 for .446)

I have 4 weeks to get back to .500, so I might as well go 5-0 this week. I can still catch J-Red and/or Brien if they stumble.

Chicago (+3) over WASHINGTON - The loss last week to the Bills was devastating, and with the short week and the funeral, I think this could get ugly. There's more than a slight chance the Skins won't win again this year.

BUFFALO (-7) over Miami - Buffalo's the better team, and the 'Phins never play well in the cold.

SEATTLE (-6.5) over Arizona - Boldin and Fitzgerald are both hurt, and AZ has really struggled on the road.

NY JETS (+3.5) over Cleveland - Cleveland does not win big on the road, and the Jets are definitely playing better than they were.

Dallas (-10) over DETROIT - Yeah, Dallas is this good, and Detroit is this bad right now, esp without Roy Williams.

RECAP

Brien - CHI, CLE, MIN, NYG, SD
Jeremy - BUF, CLE, DAL, PHI, PIT
J-Red - CLE, DAL, MIA, NE, TB
Russell - BUF, CHI, DAL, NYJ, SEA
Magic 8 - BUF, DAL, NE, NYG, NYJ

STANDINGS

Magic 8 (36-23-6 for .600)
Jeremy (34-25-6 for .569 -- 2 GB)
J-Red (32-30-3 for .515 -- 5.5 GB, 3.5 GB Jeremy)
Brien (32-31-2 for .508 -- 6 GB, 4 GB Jeremy)
Russell (28-35-2 for .446 -- 10 GB, 8 GB Jeremy)