Archive for January 5th, 2008
NFL Picks: The Playoffs
Redskins +3.5 at Seahawks: I certainly can’t handicap the whole league… the blog would be called East Coast Bias if some cyber-squatting douchetool didn’t already own the domain name… I had a decent handle on the NFC East this season. Of course, I said the Cowboys were over-rated and the Redskins wouldn’t make the playoffs… but I got half of it right. Honestly, I can’t think of a playoff game in recent memory I cared less about. Right now, Washington’s a really, really hard team to pick against. They’re playing like one of those teams that are getting hot at the right time and they’re playing a team I could easily see getting knocked off. All that said… I think you’re going to see a clunker to kick off the show. Seahawks cover, under 39.5
Jaguars -2.5 at Steelers: This game is one of those games that is SO obvious it wraps around and becomes shady. EVERYONE is going to pick the Jaguars. Everyone. They’re a good cold weather team. They JUST beat Steelers a few weeks ago. Every analyst is hopping on the bandwagon. This is one of those games that can make you overthink and convince yourself that your first instinct is wrong. I’ve tried to avoid doing that this season and it’s worked for me. So I’m sticking with “if it’s obvious, don’t overthink it.” Jaguars cover. Under 40.
Giants +3 at Bucs: I’d like to point out that I predicted a 10-win season for my boys way back in September. I quote me:
They skip ALL the elite teams except one. The Colts, Ravens, Saints, and Chargers are nowhere to be found. If I give them 4-1 in should wins, 2-2 in might wins, and 0-1 in probably loses… I come up with a 10-6 season… an almost certain wildcard berth in the NFC.
That said… I don’t love them in this game. On one hand, the Garcia bandwagon has served me well all season. On the other hand, the Giants are 7-1 on the road this season, they damn near knocked off the Patriots last week, and they have the ability to look teasingly good. At the end of the day, Garcia’s damn near 40 and the Giants are going to be pressing him on every down. The Bucs have been talking a whole lot this week… and how can you possibly dismiss Eli wanting to throw 1,000 yards on the mug of Ronde Barber? I mean… come on… he can destroy a guy with the exact same DNA… there’s no way he doesn’t go nuts. Giants outright… over 39.5
Titans +10 at San Diego: You can’t really say the Titans “snuck” in because they did win the last game they needed to win. However, they played a soft game against the Colts and now they run out to San Diego. Honestly, I don’t know what to do about the Titans because I’ve never seen them in a big game before. Plus… ten points? These two teams DID play this season already and the score was 23-17… not a blow-out… and we’re also talking Norv Turner versus Jeff Fisher. I’m not saying the Titans are going to win… I’m just saying they’re not getting destroyed. Titans +10. Over 39.