On this final weekend of NFL football action, I would like to thank those of you that has helped us to grow into one the most popular NFL sites around. I say this with great excitement and anticipation for the years to come. Our readership has really grown in this first year of our website, and I thank you all for that. Please do bookmark, subscribe, or otherwise visit our content in the offseason as well. We will be posting news and predictions for the coming year, as well as some various other surprises.
We will be posting full game previews, predictions and content throughout the NFL playoffs and every match up will be broken down. Please check back for all of this as we should be on top of the coverage in a big way. Good luck to you all in your office pools and tournaments.
As always, picks against the spread will be at the end of the column and winners are in bold.
That said, lets not waste another moment…. Here are your NFL picks and predictions for the final week of the regular season:
SUN, JAN 3
Indianapolis at Buffalo – The Colts have every reason to simply sit their starters and get healthy for the playoffs. In spite of the drama over the undefeated season and such, the Colts coaching staff did the right thing. The Super Bowl is the important thing, and they are set and ready. For the Colts, even the second string will likely handle the Bills. Sad for the Bills really… they were hoping for big things this season.
Winner – Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville at Cleveland- The Browns are showing signs that they might be a decent team in the years to come. Problem is, they have been doing that for years in the past as well. Maybe the Browns can pull this one out, but my guess is the Jaguars will be a bit irritated and put up some points. Jags all the way in this one.
Winner – Jacksonville Jaguars
Chicago at Detroit- The Lions are really bad. The Chicago Bears are less bad. Nuff said.
Winner – Chicago Bears
San Francisco at St. Louis- The San Francisco 49ers are a team that will make some noise next year if they fill in a few gaps. The Rams are facing years of problems unless they go crazy and revamp the whole deal. Chances are, this will be ugly.
Winner – San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh at Miami- This game will be hotly contested, but the Steelers will likely walk away the winners. They are desperately trying to salvage a playoff spot, and they are known for coming up big when they need it.
Winner – Pittsburgh Steelers
NY Giants at Minnesota- The Giants flopped in a big way this season, and it was not really a surprise to me. This team was overrated when the season began. I expect the Vikings will right the ship and win a big one right before the playoffs begin. Brett has been known to do that.
Winner – Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta at Tampa Bay- Though Tampa won a big game last week, they will struggle against the Falcons. The Falcons are built for speed on the outside with their wide outs and Matt Ryan has shown that he is out of the funk from earlier this season. While the Bucs are much better with Josh Freeman in there, they will still fall to the Falcons.
Winner – Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans at Carolina- The Panthers are no pushovers as two victories against the Giants and Vikings have proven. Still, they are dismissed as the other team “not playing up to their abilities” instead. The truth is, the Panthers are really that good. Some horrible breaks this season stopped the Panthers, along with Jake Delhomme staying under center way too long. Whatever the case, this new Panther squad will whip the Saints as well, and show the NFL that they are going to be a force in 2010.
Winner – Carolina Panthers
New England at Houston- The Patriots are notorious for getting hot late in the season, and this year is no different. They will roll over the Texans, in spite of the Texans fighting for a playoff spot. Maybe next year Texan fans.
Winner – New England Patriots
Green Bay at Arizona- This game is going to be fun, but I think the Cards will win it in a shootout. I do not expect much defense and the Cards to win by about a touchdown. I do think that the Cardinals and the Packers are going to be good in the playoffs by the way, but not sure if they will advance. We will see when the matchups come out.
Winner – Arizona Cardinals
Washington at San Diego- The Chargers are simply a force at the moment. The Skins are not. Easy pick here, even if the Chargers rest some folks.
Winner – San Diego Chargers
Tennessee at Seattle- The Titans are one heck of a story in 2009. From the best to the worst, and now back to among the best. They are a team that simply pushed the envelope too long before winning. They will be back next year in the middle of everything. This game will be a whupping for the Seahawks.
Winner – Tennessee Titans
Baltimore at Oakland- The Ravens must win and the Raiders, though tough, are going down.
Winner – Baltimore Ravens
Philadelphia at Dallas- Got to love those NFC East match ups near the end of the season. Who will win the division? Though the Eagles are the popular pick, and it is easy to understand why, I think the Cowboys are going to steal it at home. This will be a game that will define Tony Romo even further. God help him if he plays a bone head game….
Winner – Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City at Denver- Denver recovers…..but will it be too late?
Winner – Denver Broncos
Cincinnati at NY Jets- The Jets are a team that many are predicting will be the surprise of the playoffs. I think inexperience will get them in the end, but they will survive this game.
Winner – NY Jets
Against the Spread Picks (Winners in Bold)
Date & Time
1/3 1:00 ET At Buffalo -6.5 Indianapolis
1/3 1:00 ET At Carolina -4.5 New Orleans
1/3 1:00 ET At Cleveland -1.5 Jacksonville
1/3 4:15 ET At Dallas -3 Philadelphia
1/3 1:00 ET Chicago -3 At Detroit
1/3 1:00 ET At Houston -8 New England
1/3 1:00 ET Pittsburgh -3 At Miami
1/3 1:00 ET At Minnesota -9 NY Giants
1/3 8:20 ET At NY Jets -10 Cincinnati
1/3 1:00 ET San Francisco -7 At St. Louis
1/3 1:00 ET Atlanta -2.5 At Tampa Bay
1/3 4:15 ET At Arizona -3.5 Green Bay
1/3 4:15 ET At Denver -13 Kansas City
1/3 4:15 ET Baltimore -10.5 At Oakland
1/3 4:15 ET At San Diego -4 Washington
1/3 4:15 ET Tennessee -4 At Seattle
Week Sixteen Straight Up – 12 – 4
Season Record Straight Up – 153 – 87
Week Sixteen Against the Spread – 11 – 5
Season Record Against the Spread – 41 – 39
