Fuck football, fuck everything. That’s how I feel about football this week. Thanks a lot, Packers.
GAME OF THE WEEK – Cincinnati Bengals (8-1) at Arizona Cardinals (7-2), ARZ by 3 – Think the Bengals were caught looking ahead a little bit last night? Nobody thought they’d lose to Houston, and now they have to go on the road to face an impressive Cardinals team, with a Carson Palmer who’d love to stick it to his old team. The Bengals aren’t in danger of losing the division crown, but they need to basically win out if they want to have a shot at taking down the Patriots in the race for the top seed. I don’t think they get past this one. Cardinals 24, Bengals 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Tennessee Titans (2-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6), JAX by 2.5 – Hard for me to give a fuck about this one, but it’d be nice to see the Jaguars pick up the win and progress even more toward being an actual NFL-worthy franchise. Jaguars 27, Titans 17
Washington Redskins (4-5) at Carolina Panthers (9-0), CAR by 7 – The Redskins have surprised us several times this year, so this could very well be a trap game for the Panthers. But I don’t think Carolina loses its first game quite yet. Panthers 30, Redskins 20
Oakland Raiders (4-5) at Detroit Lions (2-7), OAK by 2 – The Lions did their best to lose against the Packers and still won. Unlike the Packers, the Raiders aren’t about to give up in the face of adversity. Raiders 30, Lions 21
Dallas Cowboys (2-7) at Miami Dolphins (4-5), PUSH – Not sure why this is listed as a push… maybe there’s a chance Romo plays? For now, I take the Dolphins. Dolphins 20, Cowboys 10
Indianapolis Colts (4-5) at Atlanta Falcons (6-3), ATL by 6 – Both of these teams are soft as fuck, but I’ll give the edge to the home team in this one. No Andrew Luck? Yeah. Falcons 33, Colts 13
St. Louis Rams (4-5) at Baltimore Ravens (2-7), BAL by 1.5 – The Rams have just benched Nick Foles for Case Keenum and are on a two-game losing streak. It seems a bit crazy that Baltimore is still getting the benefit of the doubt from oddsmakers in most cases, but in this one I can understand why. Ravens 20, Rams 17
New York Jets (5-4) at Houston Texans (4-5), NYJ by 2.5 – This could actually be a really interesting game if Houston’s defense played like it did against Cincinnati. Never would have expected the Texans to still be in the AFC South mix after 10 weeks, but here they are. The Jets played unfocused, sloppy football against the Bills, but they’ve had some time to stew over it. I think they get the win against the Texans, who have a short week to prepare. Jets 23, Texans 9
Green Bay Packers (6-3) at Minnesota Vikings (7-2), PUSH – No respect for the Vikings by oddsmakers. The Packers can’t compete with anyone right now, let alone a team as physical as the Vikings. They stand next to no chance in this game based on their past three performances, and anyone who picks them is a fool. Vikings 35, Packers 10
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-5), PHI by 5.5 – Raise your hands if you thought these teams would have the same record after 10 weeks of play. That’s what I thought. The Eagles are the more talented team, but how often has that mattered this year? I trust them more than Tampa, but wouldn’t be shocked to see an upset. Eagles 20, Bucs 12
Denver Broncos (7-2) at Chicago Bears (4-5), CHI by 1 – The Broncos will almost certainly be starting Brock Osweiler, and the Bears are on a roll lately. Even more, John Fox is coaching against his old team here, who he knows very well. Still, I think the Broncos shock everyone and Brock Lobster pulls one out. UPSET![‘/color] – Broncos 23, Bears 20
San Francisco 49ers (3-6) at Seattle Seahawks (4-5), SEA by 12.5 – Lol at these teams. Seahawks 40, 49ers 16
Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) at San Diego Chargers (2-7), KC by 3 – How the hell are the Chargers THIS bad? It goes against all reason. But I’ll go against all reason and take them in the home upset. [color=red]UPSET! – Chargers 27, Chiefs 20
Buffalo Bills (5-4) at New England Patriots (9-0), NE by 7 – UPSET ALERT. I keep saying the Patriots are going to go undefeated. And honestly, I really think that. But I also think that if there’s a chance on their schedule that they’re going to get beat, it’s right here. They’re coming off a down-to-the-wire game against the Giants, and are now without Brady’s top receiving target for the next six to eight weeks. The Bills are tough, coached by a guy who loves to beat the Pats, and are coming in to this game having just taken down the Jets. More importantly, they’re well rested after playing on TNF. This could be the upset of the week. UPSET! – Bills 24, Patriots 20
BYES: New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, new Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers
