First and foremost, I would like to extend congratulations to Bennett (commonly referred to as The Brains) for beating me in our head-to-head pick’em last week. I guess I got a little too happy with the larger spreads, and it came back to bite me. But that’s ok, because I stuck neck-and-neck pretty much until the end with the guy, and if you bet on the games I wrote about in my article, you would have become a very rich person. I think that is why I am happy too, because I am finally back on track after the previous week of woe.
This weekend will be just as hectic as the last one because I am currently in the eye of the storm of my midterm schedule; however, I will certainly make time to watch some football.
However, football is not the only sport that’s going on, and now that I have NBA League Pass, I get to watch the Knicks lose wins all the time!
Do I think this winning streak has something to do with Amar’e Stoudemire out, with the lack of tread their old guard as accumulated this season, or them magically overcoming their subpar efforts on the boards? A bit of them all I suppose. But until they revert into the .500 squad we all know and love, I will use them to help me overcome the carnival known as the New York Jets.
And unfortunately, they are playing this week. Which means another opportunity to lose. I hate football. Let’s get to these picks. (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)
New York Giants at CINCINNATI BENGALS
Boy, did Eli pull a fast one on us. I guess the Giants were getting way too much positive feedback from the media. “Eli is just too good in the fourth quarter,” “Their defense is just unstoppable,” blah blah blah. Turns out they couldn’t stop Isaac Redman (who?) from running all over them. Big Ben basically chilled out in the pocket until he felt like throwing, in which case the wide receiver was always open.
Their defense is a big problem, but whether or not it gets addressed this week is the biggest question. I believe that the Giants will win this game, lose the next three and win the next three into the playoffs. If they do this, they will win the Super Bowl, and if they do not, they will not. Plain and simple.
The Bengals are on a four-game slide and are playing a lot worse than they actually are. After the Giants, they have a pretty easy slate over their next five games. They will bounce back into contention. Pay attention to BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He is the type of bruiser back that gives the Giants defense trouble.
New York 31 Cincinnati 24
Atlanta Falcons at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
And now, they are finally starting to make it a season. After their atrocious 0-4 start, the Saints have bounced back to 3-5, largely in part to the addition of Joe Vitt to the coaching staff, and Jonathan Vilma into the clubhouse.
No one doubts that they have a difficult, uphill battle, but they have the tools to succeed and are starting to blaze their path to the playoffs, potentially. On the other side, you have the Falcons. I seem to write about them every week, especially since every week someone new expects them to lose.
Each week, I talk about the same thing and make the same prediction of how it is just not that week. Well this week, it is not that week either. The three-man air attack of Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez has been nearly impossible to stop all season long. And now that Michael Turner is back to form, their offense is almost unbeatable.
Expect Lance Moore and Devery Henderson to get a good chunk of action, for a lot of the Falcon’s secondary will be focused on containing Jimmy Graham and Marques Colston.
Atlanta 27 New Orleans 20
DALLAS COWBOYS at Philadelphia Eagles
What a game we have here! Two underperforming, overrated teams essentially playing for their respective seasons! I am almost 99 percent positive that this game was scheduled to be the Sunday Night Football game, but because both teams have done nothing but suck, it had to be rescheduled.
How embarrassing. But in reality, both teams have many issues on either side of the ball. How long before Michael Vick gets pulled out of the game? Why did the Cowboys decide to stop sacking the quarterback? These are just some of the few questions that will be answered soon by the play on the field.
In all reality, I do not have any faith in the Eagles’ offensive line to contain Demarcus Ware, and I think that Romo is significantly better than the defense he is facing off against. The Eagles will get embarrassed again, and this will be the true beginning of the end of the Andy Reid era.
Kevin Ogletree is essentially the odd man out in terms of match-ups. There’s always a possibility that Nnamdi or DRC can have a lockdown game, so Miles Austin and Dez Bryant will have to work for their yards. Ogletree will not.
Dallas 38 Philadelphia 17
I know that I essentially went against the book and picked three away teams this week. But I have faith and maybe a bit too much bravado after last week’s performance, so I will gladly go against the book.
We are creeping up on Thanksgiving, and I already know what I’ll be thankful for. I am so thankful it’s football season. Have a safe weekend.
– By Jayson Patel
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