The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 15

New England (-7.5) at Buffalo
John: New England (4)
Ryan: Buffalo (1)
Kevin: New England (4)

Brilliant Prediction (John): Pat Patriot's in jail.  Randy Moss was called out by Chris Gamble.  There are still pictures like this of Tom Brady all over the Internet.  Something has to break right for the Pats this week.

Arizona (-13) at Detroit
John: Arizona (1)
Ryan: Arizona (7)
Kevin: Arizona (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): 13 is a lot of points, but the Lions are a lot of bad. Arizona's defense should have little trouble shutting down a Detroit offense featuring Daunte Culpepper under center yet again. Kurt Warner and the Arizona offense will be anxious to atone for a lackluster performance in a prime time game last Monday at San Francisco. Detroit has covered the spread only once in the past 8 games. Make it 9.

Cleveland (+2) at Kansas City
John: Kansas City (1)
Ryan: Cleveland (1)
Kevin: Kansas City (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): Both of these teams are awful.  I'll take the home field advantage with apologies to the great Brady Quinn.


Atlanta (+6) at NY Jets
John: Atlanta (4)
Ryan: Atlanta (3)
Kevin: Atlanta (1)

Brilliant Prediction (John): There's only two things I know about turf toe: (1) it made Jimmy Clausen look mortal for a few weeks this fall; (2) it held the NFL's toughest player, Deion Sanders, out for like half his career.  But I refuse to believe it's a real injury, and hopefully Matt Ryan can return this weekend and play at some functional level.  Because Atlanta is simply a better football team than the Jets, and I will gladly take 6 points here.


San Francisco (+8) at Philadelphia
John: San Francisco (1)
Ryan: San Francisco (1)
Kevin: San Francisco (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Eagles are the better team, but the 49ers proved last week that an aggressive secondary can slow down even the most dangerous aerial attack. Things don't get easier this week in Philadelphia, but the forecasted 15-20 mph winds favor the power running game of the 49ers and should help to keep Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson off the score sheet. The Eagles win, but the Niners will keep it close.

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 14

New Orleans (-10.5) at Atlanta  [New Orleans 26, Atlanta 23]

John: Atlanta (1)

Ryan: New Orleans (2)

Kevin: New Orleans (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan):  The hook makes it tough to take the visiting Saints to cover, but all signs point to this game being anything but competitive. The Saints will be ready to go after the Redskins threatened to end their perfect season last Sunday in D.C. These two teams played a close game back in November, but this time the Falcons will have to line up without Matt Ryan under center and Michael Turner in the backfield. New Orleans wins by a few scores.

Detroit (+13) at Baltimore   [Detroit 3, Baltimore 48]   

John: Baltimore (1)

Ryan: Baltimore (3)

Kevin: Baltimore (1)

Brilliant Prediction (John): When the lions aren't accidentally beating Cleveland or Washington this year, they're losing by more than a touchdown.  Only two of their ten losses have been by less than ten points (by seven to the Rams and eight to Pittsburgh, both at home).

Green Bay (-3) at Chicago  [Green Bay 21, Chicago 14]

John: Green Bay (3)

Ryan: Green Bay (4)

Kevin: Green Bay (6)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): The Bears do not beat good football teams.  Outside of a week 2 victory over Pittsburgh (which doesn't look all that impressive now), Chicago's wins have come at the expense of some of the league's worst teams: Seattle, Detroit, Cleveland, and St. Louis.

Seattle (+6) at Houston  [Seattle 7, Houston 34]

John: Houston (1)

Ryan: Houston (4)

Kevin: Houston (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): Do you really need any sort of statistical analysis to pick this game? Despite their two game winning streak (against the Rams and Niners) the Seahawks are absolutely dreadful. Their win against the Rams in Week 12 is their only win on the road this season. I look for Matt Schaub and the Texans to snap their 4 game losing skid in convincing fashion. How can you pick against Ryan Moats?

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 13

Philadelphia (-5.5) at Atlanta [Philadelphia 34, Atlanta 7]
John: Philadelphia (2)
Ryan: Atlanta (1)
Kevin: Philadelpha (1)

Brilliant Prediction (John): What an awesome match up. I can't wait for Donovan McNabb to go down with an injury so that Mike Vick can come in and set the single-game rushing record against the team that sanctimoniously turned its back on him. It's too bad for Vick; he'd probably still be on the Falcons if he had only taken a cue from a few of his former teammates and simply beaten his wife, endangered lives by drunkenly speeding, or abused some dogs. Oh wait.

Tampa Bay (+7) at Carolina [Tampa Bay 6, Carolina 16]
John: Tampa Bay (1)
Ryan: Tampa Bay (1)
Kevin: Tampa Bay (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): Carolina star running back DeAngelo Williams is banged up and might miss Sunday's game against Tampa. The underrated Josh Freeman and the Bucs will keep it close.

St. Louis (+10) at Chicago [St.Louis 9, Chicago 17]
John: Chicago (1)
Ryan: Chicago (1)
Kevin: St. Louis (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): You read that right. The Bears are laying 10 points. And I'm taking them! Cutler has to find his intended receiver in the red zone at some point this season, and I'm guessing he'll do it this weekend at home against the Rams. Or not. If you're actually taking this game you have a gambling problem.

Detroit (+14) at Cincinnati [Detroit 13, Cincinnati 23]
John: Detroit (1)
Ryan: Detroit (1)
Kevin: Cincinnati (1)

Brilliant Prediction (John): I said this last week, so I'll say it again this week: Cincinnati simply doesn't blow teams out. Until they prove me wrong, I don't care who they are playing at home, I'm not picking them by 14.

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 12

Green Bay (-11) at Detroit [Green Bay 34, Detroit 12]
John: Detroit (1)
Ryan: Green Bay (5)
Kevin: Green Bay (2)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Packers, winners of two straight, take their show on the road where winning streaks don't exactly go to die. It would take a Thanksgiving miracle for the Lions to cover much less win, with rookie Matthew Stafford nursing an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Even if the gutsy Stafford manages to start, don't look for him under center by the second half against a Packers defense playing inspired football and a Lions offensive line yielding the 5th most sacks in the league. At least we'll get our fill of Fox's loveable robotic turkey. Take the Pack and change the channel.

Oakland (+13.5) at Dallas [Oakland 7, Dallas 24]
John: Oakland (4)
Ryan: Dallas (2)
Kevin: Oakland (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): Oakland’s offense looked much better last week with new starter Bruce Gradkowski at the helm in a win over the Bengals. Can the Raiders pull off another upset this week? Probably not, but the combination of Romo’s sore back and Oakland’s stellar cornerbacks should keep the game close.

NY Giants (-6) at Denver [New York 6, Denver 26]
John: Giants (2)
Ryan: Giants (1)
Kevin: Giants (3)

Brilliant Prediction (John): Kyle Orton will be back starting for Denver, but the reeling Broncos will need far more than Orton to keep up with a Giants team that, at least for a half, once again looked like a Super Bowl contender last week.  Don't get me wrong, Orton's had a fairly good season, but I'm pretty sure that the last time his return meant much of anything to a football team was in the fourth quarter of the 2004 Ohio State game.  And let's just say I'm not encouraged when Justin Tuck is out there saying things like this: "I eat every day; I am not worried about necessarily eating on Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully I get to eat some quarterbacks."  I made my mistake picking the Broncos last week (and oh what a mistake it was), so I'll atone for my sins this time around.

Tampa Bay (+12) at Atlanta [Tampa Bay 17, Atlanta 20]
John: Tampa (1)
Ryan: Atlanta (1)
Kevin: Atlanta (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): After an emotionally draining overtime loss to the Giants last week at the Meadowlands, the Falcons are 5-5 and officially in must-win mode. 12's a big number, but too many signs point to an Atlanta cover. Tampa Bay rookie quarterback Josh Freeman has yet to start a game outside of Florida, and the Georgia Dome -- which hasn't hosted the Falcons since November 8th -- should cause him some problems. The favorite in this rivalry is 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings. Make it 6-1 after Sunday's matchup in Atlanta.

The Buck List NFL Pick Off: Week 11

Welcome to the first installment of a series that is sure to continue for many, many moons -- The Buck List NFL Pick Off. First,we must go over a few ground rules. Listen carefully, as I don't plan on repeating myself. The three of us each have a total of 30 units to wager on the week's games, and each contestant must bet at least one unit on each game. (Note: The Carolina-Miami game will not be included this week because, well, it already happened). We will keep track of our winnings as the year progresses, and the overall season champion will be awarded a twenty dollar gift certificate to the Flea Market Montgomery. Have at it:

Indianapolis (-2) at Baltimore  [Result: Indianapolis 17, Baltimore 15 (push)]

John: Indianapolis (2 units)

Ryan: Indianapolis (1 unit)

Kevin: Baltimore (1 unit)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Ravens were my preseason pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, but since then they've been curiously average on defense, particularly against the pass (13th in the NFL). I don't expect them to perform much better against Peyton Manning and an offense that leads the NFL in passing, averaging more than 300 yards per game. Baltimore needs this game, but no more than they needed it this past Monday night when they managed only 270 yards of total offense against the woeful Browns.

Washington (+10.5) at Dallas  [Washington 6, Dallas 7]

John: Washington (1)

Ryan: Washington (1)

Kevin: Washington (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): Dating back to 2006, 4 of the last 5 meetings between these two teams have been decided by less than a touchdown. Question marks surround a suddenly lifeless Cowboys offense which narrowly avoided being shutout last Sunday in Lambeau while Washington is coming off a rare win at home over the Broncos. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Cowboys get back on track in their first home game in over a month, but it's hard to take them to win by more points than they scored against an ordinary Packers defense. The Redskins are bad, but their defense is playoff caliber and they won't roll over in a rivalry game at Jerry World. Cowboys win -- Skins cover.

Cleveland (+4) at Detroit [Cleveland 37, Detroit 38]

John: Detroit (3)

Ryan: Detroit (1)

Kevin: Detroit (3)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): The Lions and Browns are bad. The Browns' defense performed admirably on national television against the Ravens and will keep this game close early, but if the offense can't stay on the field for more than 20 minutes, Calvin Johnson and the Lions will eventually capitalize. I'll lean towards the team whose playbook consists of a play where the receiver runs more than 7 yards downfield: Lions -4.

San Francisco (+6.5) at Green Bay  [San Francisco 24, Green Bay 30]

John: San Francisco (1)

Ryan: Green Bay (2)

Kevin: San Francisco (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Ryan): No one really knows what to make of the Packers thus far this season. Two Sundays ago they yielded 38 points in what may result in Tampa Bay's only win of the season, only to follow it up with a simply dominant performance against a Cowboys team who many had pegged as the most complete team in the NFC. This week they play host to a San Francisco team who has lost 4 of 5, their only win coming last Thursday courtesy of Jay Cutler and 5 gift-wrapped interceptions. Somehow the Niners still only managed 10 points in a tight 4 point victory. Take the Packers and the points in a low scoring game at Lambeau.

Buffalo (+9) at Jacksonville  [Buffalo 15, Jacksonville 18]

John: Buffalo (4)

Ryan: Buffalo (1)

Kevin: Jacksonville (1)

Brilliant Prediction (Kevin): This game bores me. I'll go with the team that isn't starting Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB.