Week 8 Football picks

Maybe I should have saved the Chiefs for this week because they are playing the Bills. So I don't have Yahoo users' most popular pick this week and have to choose between a bunch of single-digit percentages of users' picks. As bad as the Cowboys have looked, they also had good moments against the Giants, some with Romo and some with Kitna against the prevent defense. Kitna was not ready last week, but he is not an invalid and should do well this week, along with their running game, against the Jaguars, so it's the Cowboys for their first home win for me.

All home teams are favored this week, including the designated home team in London, the 49ers:
Dolphins (+2.5) @ Bengals: the Bengals are a mess
Cowboys (-2.5) vs. Jaguars: the Jaguars couldn't do much for the last two weeks
Redskins (+2.5) @ Lions: the return of Matthew Stafford will be a painful one
Chiefs (-7.5) vs. Bills: heartbreaker for the Bills last week in overtime
Rams (-3.5) vs. Panthers: the Rams are chugging along winning every home game, losing road games
Packers (+6.5) @ Jets: the Packers have enough healthy talent to keep it close
49ers (-.5) vs. Broncos: a couple disappointing teams will probably put on a show in London
Titans (+3.5) @ Chargers: I see this game decided by a late field goal
Buccaneers (+3.5) @ Cardinals: the Buccaneers can slide into a tie for first place in the NFC South
Patriots (-5.5) vs. Vikings: Randy Moss can't help the Favres and his foot injuries enough
Seahawks (+2.5) @ Raiders: the Seahawks are the surprising only team to be above .500 in the NFC West
Saints (-.5) vs. Steelers: by this spread, the Steelers are the better team, but it's Halloween in New Orleans
Texans (+5.5) @ Colts: I'll take the team that won the first game with the points

Week 7 Football picks

Time to get risky with survivor. I'm going with the Chiefs this week to knock off a Jacksonville team that looks depleted after a 30-3 Monday Night Football loss to the Titans. It's a short weeks and their quarterback was injured, making the Jaguars ripe for the picking.

Falcons (-3.5) vs. Bengals: should be getting more of a point spread
Redskins (+2.5) @ Bears: the Bears are only getting the requisite points for being home in an even matchup
Eagles (+3.5) @ Titans: I should have had more faith in Kolb
Chiefs (-5.5) vs. Jaguars: the lock of the week
Dolphins (+3.5) vs. Steelers: should be a dogfight
Saints (-13.5) vs. Browns: time for the Saints to dominate again
Buccaneers (-2.5) vs. Rams: a couple of down teams with good records
49ers (-3.5) @ Panthers: I guess people still think the 49ers will be good
Ravens (-13.5) vs. Bills: the Bills' winless season continues
Cardinals (+5.5) @ Seahawks: who knew Max Hall could play?
Patriots (+2.5) @ Chargers: the Chargers are 2-0 at home but the Patriots are hot
Raiders (+6.5) @ Broncos: the Raiders could be ahead of two teams in the division if they win
Vikings (+2.5) @ Packers: the trendy Super Bowl pick has too many injured players
Giants (+3.5) @ Cowboys: if the Cowboys lose, Super Bowl talk is over

Week 6 Football picks

Luckily, I have two survivor entries, and I went with my gut in the main one that I had been making the picks posted here, so I'm still alive with the Falcons. This week, it makes perfect sense to take the Giants, who are resurgent, against the Lions, a dangerous team but still not too good. The Giants don't seem to play any easy games the rest of the way, as they have yet to start their division schedule.

Bears (-6.5) vs. Seahawks: Orton coming back to lead Martz's offense that was good before meeting the Giants
Ravens (+2.5) @ Patriots: could be the game for AFC supremacy
Giants (-10.5) vs. Lions: the Giants defense is taking over again
Falcons (+1.5) @ Eagles: tough matchup on the road, but no Vick for the Eagles
Browns (+13.5) @ Steelers: look for a low-scoring game on both sides
Dolphins (+1.5) @ Packers: Rodgers is playing, but the Packers have many injuries
Rams (+8.5) vs. Chargers: enough talent to take the home team with the points
Buccaneers (+5.5) vs. Saints: the Saints are not doing well enough to get this big of a cushion on the road, in division
Texans (-4.5) vs. Chiefs: the Texans should bounce back against a Chiefs team over their heads
Raiders (+6.5) @ 49ers: the 49ers will pick up their first win in a close game
Broncos (+3.5) vs. Jets: the Jets will not pull away on the road
Vikings (-1.5) vs. Cowboys: one team is going to be 1-4
Colts (-3.5) @ Redskins: the Colts don't look great, but Peyton Manning always is
Titans (-3.5) @ Jaguars: the Titans should be better than the Jaguars in the end

Week 5 Football picks

It came down to a choice between the Falcons on the road against the Browns or the Bengals at home against the 49ers. Coincidentally, the Bengals lost to the Browns last week. While the Buccaneers are coming off of their bye week, my pick is still going to be the Bengals. There are not a lot of wide point spreads overall this week, but maybe some should be bigger.

Jaguars (-1.5) @ Bills: the Bills are a sorry team and a candidate to go 0-16
Bengals (-6.5) vs. Buccaneers: the T.Ocho show is getting heated up
Falcons (-3.5) @ Browns: hopefully no letdown after the Falcons had to play hard against the 49ers
Rams (+3.5) @ Lions: would go with the Lions if Stafford was playing
Chiefs (+3.5) @ Colts: while I don't think the Chiefs are that good, the Colts aren't either
Redskins (+2.5) vs. Packers: taking the home points against the team with no running game
Panthers (+2.5) vs. Bears: up-and-coming Jimmy Clausen against old backup Todd Collins
Ravens (-7.5) vs. Broncos: the Broncos are going to have more problems this week
Texans (-3.5) vs. Giants: doubting the Giants ability to keep the momentum
Cardinals (+7.5) vs. Saints: almost obvious to take the home points in this matchup
Raiders (+6.5) vs. Chargers: the Raiders could do well enough to keep it close
Titans (+6.5) @ Cowboys: the Cowboys haven't looked like that Super Bowl team yet
Eagles (+3.5) @ 49ers: back to the Kevin Kolb era in Philadelphia
Vikings (+4.5) @ Jets: Favre to Moss is going to be an interesting connection

Week 4 Football picks

In my mind, there are a few equal choices for the survivor pool this week, all equally good and risky. The Texans on the road against the Raiders, the Falcons at home against the winless 49ers, the Jets on the road against the Bills, and the Bengals on the road against the Browns. I try to stay away from road teams and intradivision games, and the supposedly good 49ers are dangerous to pick against when they still have no wins. My pick is actually a team with a worse record in its matchup, the Chargers at home against the Cardinals. However, both teams could have easily had their results in the opposite column last week. Other picks:

49ers (+6.5) @ Falcons: new offensive coordinator for the 49ers
Bills (+5.5) vs. Jets: a surprising fight put up by Bills last week
Browns (+3.5) vs. Bengals: I'll believe in the Bengals the week after they start to impress
Lions (+14.5) @ Packers: the Lions are keeping it close and the Packers are coming off of a short week
Broncos (+6.5) @ Titans: Vince Young should not be given such a wide spread right now
Rams (+.5) vs. Seahawks: the Rams go for a second home win in a row
Panthers (+13.5) @ Saints: Brees, Bush, and Thomas are injured
Ravens (+1.5) @ Steelers: the Steelers can't go 4-0 without Roethlisberger
Colts (-8.5) @ Jaguars: Peyton is having the best statistical start of his career
Texans (-3.5) @ Raiders: the Texans shouldn't be derailed by the loss to the Cowboys
Chargers (+8.5) vs. Cardinals: the Cardinals are close to going down the drain
Redskins (+6.5) @ Eagles: the early triumphant return of Donovan McNabb
Bears (+3.5) @ Giants: the Giants have too many problems right now, but could win a close one
Patriots (-.5) vs. Dolphins: the Wildcat success started against Patriots, but they know it now

Good thing for the Cowboys and Vikings that they picked up their first wins last week because they are on byes and would have had to stew over winless starts during their breaks.