Mr. Silver is upset with me because I neglected to post his picks for Thursday’s games. He has a right to be. While I was posting a 1-2 record for the American Thanksgiving smorgasbord of football, Mr. Silver correctly picked all three games. Good for you, Mr. Silver, and a thousand pardons for the oversight.
(The previous paragraph leads me to suspect that I am slowly going insane due to silver poisoning.)
Last week, I was 10-5, while Mr. Silver, despite picking the Raiders over the Chiefs, still only finished 7-8. He already has a 2 game lead over me after Thursday’s action. Could this be the week he gets his first victory against me?
Sunday
Washington at Colts
It’s Colt vs. the Colts, as Washington turns back to Colt McCoy at QB, essentially ending Robert Griffin III’s tenure with the club. Indy should have little trouble regardless. Winner: Colts
Titans at Texans
Speaking of sudden QB switcheroos, if you blinked, you might have missed the Ryan Mallet era in Houston. Still, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick behind Center, the Texans should be able to handle the Titans. Winner: Texans
Browns at Bills
The Bills should win this one because their defence will do the job of forcing Brian Hoyer into making mistakes that the Browns’ defence won’t be able to accomplish against Kyle Orton. Winner: Bills
Chargers at Ravens
The Chargers got lucky last week in pulling out a victory against the Rams, but luck won’t be enough as they travel across country to face Baltimore. Winner: Ravens
Giants at Jaguars
Not a lot at stake here save pride, so I expect the Giants to play hard for their coach. Winner: Giants
Bengals at Buccaneers
Cincy should be able to dominate the Bucs on both sides of the ball. Winner: Bengals
Raiders at Rams
It’d be nice to see Oakland win two in a row, but the Rams are the better team, and should still be smarting from their missed opportunity against San Diego last week . Winner: Rams
Saints at Steelers
The Saints haven’t won since October 30th, losing three straight at home against quality teams. Going on the road to face the Steelers, who are fresh off their bye, likely puts the NO in November. Winner: Steelers
Panthers at Vikings
As the Panthers limp towards the end of a disappointing campaign, a visit to Minnesota to face a feisty Vikings squad will only add to Carolina’s misery. Winner: Vikings
Cardinals at Falcons
Arizona sorely missed Larry Fitzgerald in their showdown with the Seahawks in Seattle, looking pitiful on offence. Fitzgerald should be back on the field this week, which will restore the Cards’ offensive balance. Winner: Cardinals
Patriots at Packers
You’ve heard the hype: the Pats have their guy, and he has his guys, but the Pack have a guy too, and he’s got some guys. We’re dealing with a lot of good guys. It’s really hard to pick against the Packers at home, but I believe that New England’s defence is significantly better than Green Bay’s. The Pats’ talent and depth in the secondary will go a long way towards limiting what Aaron Rodgers can do, relative to what Green Bay's defence will be able to manage against Brady and Co. Winner: Patriots
Broncos at Chiefs
It’d be easy to look at KC’s loss to Oakland and think that there’s no way that team could beat the mighty Broncos. Watching the Chiefs-Raiders tilt, this is what I saw; KC started slow, Oakland quickly jumping out to a lead. Then, the rain came, and the Raiders were able to grind out a win. I still like the Chiefs, especially their pass rush. I can’t forget what the Rams did to Peyton Manning two weeks ago, nor have I forgotten the Dolphins scoring 36 points against the Broncs last week. Oh, and Arrowhead; definitely can’t forget that. Winner: Chiefs
Monday Night
Dolphins at Jets
This is just the type of game that Miami always loses, against an inferior opponent, and with major playoff implications. Still, the Dolphins are the better team, and they should win. I just wish I felt better about this one. Winner: Dolphins
Mr. Silver’s Picks
Colts
Texans
Browns
Ravens
Jaguars
Bengals
Rams
Steelers
Panthers
Cardinals
Patriots
Broncos
Dolphins
(The previous paragraph leads me to suspect that I am slowly going insane due to silver poisoning.)
Last week, I was 10-5, while Mr. Silver, despite picking the Raiders over the Chiefs, still only finished 7-8. He already has a 2 game lead over me after Thursday’s action. Could this be the week he gets his first victory against me?
Sunday
Washington at Colts
It’s Colt vs. the Colts, as Washington turns back to Colt McCoy at QB, essentially ending Robert Griffin III’s tenure with the club. Indy should have little trouble regardless. Winner: Colts
Titans at Texans
Speaking of sudden QB switcheroos, if you blinked, you might have missed the Ryan Mallet era in Houston. Still, even with Ryan Fitzpatrick behind Center, the Texans should be able to handle the Titans. Winner: Texans
Browns at Bills
The Bills should win this one because their defence will do the job of forcing Brian Hoyer into making mistakes that the Browns’ defence won’t be able to accomplish against Kyle Orton. Winner: Bills
Chargers at Ravens
The Chargers got lucky last week in pulling out a victory against the Rams, but luck won’t be enough as they travel across country to face Baltimore. Winner: Ravens
Giants at Jaguars
Not a lot at stake here save pride, so I expect the Giants to play hard for their coach. Winner: Giants
Bengals at Buccaneers
Cincy should be able to dominate the Bucs on both sides of the ball. Winner: Bengals
Raiders at Rams
It’d be nice to see Oakland win two in a row, but the Rams are the better team, and should still be smarting from their missed opportunity against San Diego last week . Winner: Rams
Saints at Steelers
The Saints haven’t won since October 30th, losing three straight at home against quality teams. Going on the road to face the Steelers, who are fresh off their bye, likely puts the NO in November. Winner: Steelers
Panthers at Vikings
As the Panthers limp towards the end of a disappointing campaign, a visit to Minnesota to face a feisty Vikings squad will only add to Carolina’s misery. Winner: Vikings
Cardinals at Falcons
Arizona sorely missed Larry Fitzgerald in their showdown with the Seahawks in Seattle, looking pitiful on offence. Fitzgerald should be back on the field this week, which will restore the Cards’ offensive balance. Winner: Cardinals
Patriots at Packers
You’ve heard the hype: the Pats have their guy, and he has his guys, but the Pack have a guy too, and he’s got some guys. We’re dealing with a lot of good guys. It’s really hard to pick against the Packers at home, but I believe that New England’s defence is significantly better than Green Bay’s. The Pats’ talent and depth in the secondary will go a long way towards limiting what Aaron Rodgers can do, relative to what Green Bay's defence will be able to manage against Brady and Co. Winner: Patriots
Broncos at Chiefs
It’d be easy to look at KC’s loss to Oakland and think that there’s no way that team could beat the mighty Broncos. Watching the Chiefs-Raiders tilt, this is what I saw; KC started slow, Oakland quickly jumping out to a lead. Then, the rain came, and the Raiders were able to grind out a win. I still like the Chiefs, especially their pass rush. I can’t forget what the Rams did to Peyton Manning two weeks ago, nor have I forgotten the Dolphins scoring 36 points against the Broncs last week. Oh, and Arrowhead; definitely can’t forget that. Winner: Chiefs
Monday Night
Dolphins at Jets
This is just the type of game that Miami always loses, against an inferior opponent, and with major playoff implications. Still, the Dolphins are the better team, and they should win. I just wish I felt better about this one. Winner: Dolphins
Mr. Silver’s Picks
Colts
Texans
Browns
Ravens
Jaguars
Bengals
Rams
Steelers
Panthers
Cardinals
Patriots
Broncos
Dolphins