The Week 13 Picks

Here we go again.

Another poor Thursday showing has The Kid starting from behind the eight ball in Week 13. Last week, we were done in by the Lions and Bucs on Thanksgiving, and last night the Bengals defense decided to show up to keep the Ravens from clinching the North.

What’s worse, I traded for a Cincinnati wide receiver this week. Chad Johnson (eight catches for 91 yards)? Nope. T.J. Hoochie-mama (ten for 106 and a TD)? No. Chris Henry (no catches, no yards, zero Fantasy points)? You guessed it.

Luckily this season, I’ve gained valuable experience at swimming upstream, skiing uphill, playing from behind. And I’m sure that trend will continue through December.

Sunday, December 3rd, 2006

The Match-up: Arizona (+6.5) @ St. Louis
The Skinny: Why would Pete Carroll want to leave a football factory like USC to take the Cardinals job (which, by the way, is still not technically available)?
Straight Up: St. Louis
Against the Spread: St. Louis

The Match-up: Detroit (+13.5) @ New England
The Skinny: The Patriots have had their way with the rest of the NFC North, why not the Lions?
Straight Up: New England
Against the Spread: New England

The Match-up: San Diego (-6.0) @ Buffalo
The Skinny: While San Diego is clearly the better team (led by the best offensive player in the league), a California team in Buffalo in December could be in for a rude awakening. I like the Chargers, but not by much.
Straight Up: San Diego
Against the Spread: Buffalo

The Match-up: San Francisco (+7.0) @ New Orleans
The Skinny: Another virtual elimination game for the Saints, who are still in the thick of the NFC playoff race and can ill-afford a loss.
Straight Up: New Orleans
Against the Spread: New Orleans

The Match-up: Minnesota (+9.0) @ Chicago
The Skinny: Rex Grossman’s grip on the starting quarterback job is slipping. Paging Brian Griese!
Straight Up: Chicago
Against the Spread: Chicago

The Match-up: Kansas City (-5.0) @ Cleveland
The Skinny: The Browns are the latest team to suffer from internal strife, with Charlie Frye and Braylon Edwards nearly going at each other on the sideline last week. And with Larry Johnson running the ball, the sideline is where Frye and Edwards will spend most of Sunday afternoon.
Straight Up: Kansas City
Against the Spread: Kansas City

The Match-up: Atlanta (+2.0) @ Washington
The Skinny: Watch out for Ron “Double Barrel” Mexico and the Falcons to rebound this week in D.C.
Straight Up: Atlanta
Against the Spread: Atlanta

The Match-up: New York Jets (-1.5) @ Green Bay
The Skinny: I’ve flip-flopped on this one a few times, but I’ve got a hunch that the Packers will play for sixty minutes at home like they did for the first thirty in Seattle on Monday.
Straight Up: Green Bay
Against the Spread: Green Bay

The Match-up: Indianapolis (-7.5) @ Tennessee
The Skinny: Peyton Manning may have more fans in Tennessee that in Indianapolis. The Titans, meanwhile, may have used up all of their good karma in their amazing comeback last week.
Straight Up: Indianapolis
Against the Spread: Indianapolis

The Match-up: Houston (+3.0) @ Oakland
The Skinny: The Raiders fired their offensive coordinator this week. It warrants mentioning that the guy was managing a bed and breakfast a year ago. No telling whether or not Al Davis is going to hire the Maitre D from IHOP as his replacement.
Straight Up: Oakland
Against the Spread: Oakland

The Match-up: Jacksonville (+1.5) @ Miami
The Skinny: I know the Jags have struggled on the road this year, and they’ll have a tough task against the Dolphins in Miami. But Jacksonville seems to play to the level of their competition and should do so again.
Straight Up: Jacksonville
Against the Spread: Jacksonville

The Match-up: Dallas (-3.5) @ New York Giants
The Skinny: Here’s hoping we can stop all the “Tony Romo is the next Roger Staubach” nonsense. I’d like nothing more than to see the Giants plant him next to Jimmy Hoffa in the Meadowlands turf.
Straight Up: New York Giants
Against the Spread: New York Giants

The Match-up: Tampa Bay (+7.0) @ Pittsburgh
The Skinny: Much like Carroll downplaying rumors about leaving USC for the NFL, I don’t see any reason why Bill Cowher would leave Pittsburgh for N.C. State.
Straight Up: Pittsburgh
Against the Spread: Pittsburgh

The Match-up: Seattle (+3.0) @ Denver
The Skinny: Last week’s Sunday night affair was a coming out party for rookie Joseph Addai. This week could be the same for new Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.
Straight Up: Denver
Against the Spread: Denver

Monday, December 4th, 2006

The Match-up: Carolina (Off) @ Philadelphia
The Skinny: One of these teams needs to show some heart and effort and prove that they can still make a run to the playoffs. I think you know who I’m talking about…
Straight Up: Philadelphia
Against the Spread: Philadelphia