Category Archives: Latest News

The latest news and updates from Joe Wooldridge. Oftentimes pertaining to new businesses in Kansas City, concerts, art fairs and more.

2017 Patriots Kansas City Chiefs NFL nfl predictions Tom Brady weekly predictions winners Hank Bocefus Are You Ready For Some Football? Hurricane Irma

Joe’s NFL Picks, Week 1: Are You Ready For Some Football? Chiefs and Patriots in a nail-biter – PLUS – NFC East grudge matches.

Share Button

Picking the winners and losers of 2017 week 1 in the NFL.
NFL weekly picks: 2017, week 1

Are You Ready For Some Football? The Chaos of Week 1 in the NFL. Lots of changes around the league. Are we saved now that football season is finally kicking off? The answer is yes – in a lot of ways. I will stand. I will salute. The return of Bocephus!

Grab your foam fingers (except you, Miley), here we go:

Thursday Night Game:

Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (-9.5)
The NFL Season Opener serves us up a classic nail-biter. The Chiefs are strong, but the Patriots are stronger – especially in Foxborough.
Patriots 21, Chiefs 20

Sunday Games:

Hurricane Irma and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins (CAT 5)
Mother nature dominates so strongly that both teams flee for safety, and live to fight another day.
Irma 1, NFL/Mankind 0

New York Jets (+9) at Buffalo Bills
Tank-fest 2017.
Bills 20, Jets 14

Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears (+7)
I think the Falcons are still pissed. And the Bears are not ready.
Falcons 42, Bears 22

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (-3)
A close and ugly game. Joe Mixon beats expectations and runs for over 100 yards.
Bengals 24, Ravens 20

Pittsburgh Steelers (-9.5) at Cleveland Browns
Steelers have a talent and experience surplus. The Browns have a lot of youth and raw talent. We know what wins here.
Steelers 35, Browns 17

Arizona Cardinals (-1.5) at Detroit Lions
Remember when Arizona came out flat last year and stayed flat? I do too. Carson Palmer’s arm falls off.
Lions 34, Cardinals 14

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-6)
The Houston Flood extinguishes the Jacksonville Dumpster Fire.
Texans 31, Jaguars 21

Oakland Raiders (+1.5) at Tennessee Titans
A tough and close game. Oakland should take this one, but they are not polished enough yet on defense. The Titans pound out a win.
Titans 28, Raiders 27

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins (+1)
In this NFC East slugfest, the Eagles come out strong to start the season once again. Redskins drama persists.
Eagles 24, Redskins 21

Indianapolis Colts (+4) at Los Angeles Rams
No Luck for the Colts in week one. Goff gets a win. Sammy Watkins hurts his foot again.
Rams 28, Colts 10

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers (-3)
The Seahawks show off their upgraded defensive line by mashing the Packers. Aaron Rodgers’ mustache gets its own endorsement deal. By week nine Rodgers will join ZZ Top.
Seahawks 35, Packers 27

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (+6)
Kyle Shanahan might be a good offensive coach, but the players play the game. Carolina shows what a talented roster can do to the undermanned.
Panthers 31, 49ers 17

New York Giants (+3.5) at Dallas Cowboys
The Giants beat the Cowboys twice last year, and the ‘Boys haven’t forgotten that. Ezekiel Elliot gets to play this game before his suspension – and he’ll be looking to lay down strong dibs on that starting job.
Cowboys 31, Giants 28

Monday Night Games:

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??!? BOCEPHUS IS BACK!

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (-3)
The Saints roll into the Purple Stadium and roll out with a “W”. Adrian ‘All Day’ Peterson runs for 150 yards.
Saints 26, Vikings 20

Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos (-3.5)
Philip Rivers puts on a show of how to beat Denver at Denver (like he has many times before). Keenan Allen makes some plays, Antonio Gates gets two touchdowns. Broncos Defense scores two touchdowns as well. John Elway wishes he’d actually brought in a better quarterback rather than standing pat.
Chargers 31, Broncos 24

Share Button
i miss you so much. Stay the night, stay for the night Stay with me all night, because I never let you go.

Lightening Up the Night (New Poem: May 12th, 2015)

Share Button

Lightening Up the Nighttwo in love

It’s all so temporary, our visit here
Raging storms of misery are so unnecessary
Grudges hold no value and Love is golden forever
A simple smile to all that pass your way
A good deed, a word of kindness
There are far too few of these arrows in flight
Stay the night, stay for the night
Stay with me all night, because I never let you go.

Joe Wooldridge
Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 at 12:06am.

Share Button
la belle damme sans merci

Laurie-esse’ de Bercail (Amant de Rêve)

Share Button

Laurie-esse’ de Bercail (Amant de Rêve)

yes, visitor. my soul is connected,  dream lover, she visits unbidden or bidden? my true love visits me in dreams. LRO
quantum mind notified
of a love growing old

i’ve an old love that never dies
you’re seven times harder to quit
binding my heart and vibrant

you trapped within your cocoon
and i wrapped inside my void
down deserted aisles

dream visitor aware
it’s so hard to talk, my love
haunting me with home

Joe Wooldridge
Wednesday, December 10th, 2014 @ 12:00am

Share Button
http://joewooldridge.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=700&action=edit&message=1

RIP Google Authorship, we barely knew ye . . .

Share Button

“ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes” - David Bowie

Goodbye to Google Authorship.

Yesterday Google announced that it was unplugging its ‘Google Authorship’ tool after a three year effort to match authors with content and apply to search.

Authorship was a great idea with a lot of potential, but lack of adaptation and impact coupled with the rise of (and constraints of) mobile search led to its demise.

More specifically:

  1. Not enough authors were using it,
  2. Not enough webmasters were adopting it,
  3. The images took up too much space in search results served to mobile, and
  4. Google found that Authorship did not have a noticeable impact on click traffic.

Officially announced yesterday by John Mueller (see Google+ post from Google Webmaster Tools), Google will no longer show authorship results in Google Search, and is discontinuing tracking data for any content using rel=author markup.

The news has even sparked speculation and stretching that Google+ could be next on the chopping block, but don’t count on that further development. Google has a long history of rolling out new experimental products and rigorously testing them for usefulness, adoption, relevance, impact and overall value.  If those products fell flat or failed to measure up, then Google has admiringly pulled the plug on them and moved forward. That approach to products and services is one of the main reasons Google has risen to the top – and also why they should continue their dominance.

Chances are that Google already has there eye on a better way to achieve the goals that Authorship failed to reach – and are testing it in a super-secret lab in the mountains.

Rock on Ziggy Stardust . .  Changes on Youtube.

 

Share Button
Vanessa-Redgrave-and-Franco-Nero-in-CAMELOT.png

Etre – Slaying Your Dragon

Share Button

More art from Sir Thomas Mallory's King Arthur.

 Etre – Slaying Your Dragon or

Notes from the Round Table, Part 1

Invariably I find myself seeing, interpreting and casting things in epic proportions. Chalk it up to growing up raiding the shelves of the Limestone Elementary School Library from ages 8-12.

The subject of choice?

Arthurian legends were by far the most fascinating subject for me – no doubt a natural progression from growing up on the classic fairy tales – you know the ones – where the 3 little pigs actually cooked the wolf and ate it and then danced around!

St. George slaying the dragon. Another look.Sir Thomas Mallory’s tales had all of the good stuff – legends, chivalry, romance, good, evil, quests, good deeds, magic, treachery, drama, misdeeds, redemption, courage, honor, jousts – well you get the idea.

So being a longtime writer I am often surprised at what spills out onto the pages of the trusty journal. Rather than crafting and molding it – I often find it more interesting to just let it pour out.

St. George slaying the dragon. A third look.

Last night’s entry:

Etre

Of the many things we could be
In life we must choose paths,
We must learn how to live
And learn why we live
We must weigh wisdom and history
And live a life examined
In order to wring the most of our gifts
And avoid being consumed by our appetites

Each rise and fall –
If we’re lucky we learn
From the cavalier, from the
Heartbroken sot, the genius,
The fool, the fearless, the
Helpless, the hedonist, the
Sinner clinging to prayer,
The lover, the fighter
We must learn from the
Many facets of ourselves.

Of the many forms of success
That we attain – perhaps the
Most painful and most rewarding
Is that of personal growth –
To be more than we ever thought
We could be, to push ourselves
To new heights and be
Good enough to help others
Do the same. For nowhere
Would we be if not for the
Lovingkindness of others.

Helping others in our journeys
Is really also a gift of peace
That we give ourselves.

So light the light, forge ahead,
Shine the light, show the way,
Help the wayward, as we were
Helped ourselves. Be joyous,
Have peace, swing the sword
And slay the dragon.

Peace.

Joe Wooldridge
Saturday, June 7th, 2014 7:03am

More art from Sir Thomas Mallory's King Arthur.

 Okay, so what does the featured image have to do with slaying dragons? Well, that’s Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere and Franco Nero as Sir Lancelot du Lac in the movie “Camelot”. I mean, hey – a man’s got to have some inspiration!

Pick up that lance, hop on that horse and go slay that dragon!

Share Button

Get Out of the Boiling Pot – Overcoming the ‘Crab Mentality’

Share Button

You know them. You have them in your immediate circle. You know who I’m talking about.

Them.

Those with the crab mentality.

Don't let people with the crab mentality keep you down.

If you Google the term “crab mentality” you will find roughly 193,000 search results. So we can’t pretend that it is not a prevalent problem with our fellow human beings.

So what do we mean by the crab mentality? And what could you hope to gain by identifying its presence in the behavior of others around you?

A person with the “Crab Mentality” is someone who employs a selfish, short-sighted thinking/acting strategy that boils down to the attitude of “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” We’re talking about people who will work hard – even go out of their way – to hold others back, denigrate and pull even their own family, friends and associates down rather than have that person(s) get ahead or realize their dreams.

Know anyone like this?

I do, and chances are that you do as well.

Picture a pot of water that a cook puts on to boil in order to prepare the crabs for dinner. An interesting phenomenon occurs as the water is heating up. These live crabs (at least the smarter ones) will endeavor to get out of the pot. But when one of them starts to escape – the other crabs will pull it back down to prevent it from getting free and escaping. Even worse, it takes on a more malicious tone as they will wait until the freedom-minded crab has almost escaped the pot before they pounce and yank it back into the boiling water. Those crabs know that they’re screwed if they can’t escape – but they just can’t bear the idea of someone else daring to dream of escape – of ‘going for it’.

Not cool.

Not only is it a selfish, jealous and harmful mindset/behavior – but if the crabs in the boiling pot all worked toward the goal of escaping, then they could manage to help each other get free.

Does this mean you can’t get free?

Hopefully not. But if you’re planning on making good on your escape to a better life (I.e. getting ahead, striving to achieve goals, building a dream, etc.) then you will be wise to take an objective look around you and identify those around you that would do their best to keep you down and prevent you from attaining a better life.

You’ll be surprised by the people who will make efforts to keep you from your goals. It could be a co-worker(s), friend(s), and oftentimes a family member(s).

Shocking, you say?

They may not always be aware of the motivations behind their actions. As the crabs exhibit, it evidently comes from a primal place.

The best you can do is be aware of those that are the crabs in your midst. The ‘sneaky ones’ are those who will put on the ‘encouraging face’ for you and then work in a clandestine fashion to keep your from reaching your goals.

Know the people around you.

Not sure who fits in the category? Just ask them. Ask what they think of your goals and your chances of success. If at all possible, limit your contact with the crabbies (not always possible). Definitely make a point to limit the impact that they can have on you as you strive to reach your goals. They will work to distract you, argue with you, create unnecessary drama in your life, put additional stress on you and throw obstacles in your path.

If you really want to reach your goals and escape the ordinary, you must shake off the crabs in your midst. You may have to actually FIGHT them off. Oh well, no one said it would be easy.

Go for it.

If you weren’t aware of this mentality being present among people you know, then now you can be aware and start to identify, and mitigate the ‘haters’. Here’s to reaching your goals!

Onward and upward.

About the Author: Joe Wooldridge is the Founder of a Digital Marketing Coalition company in Kansas City and Austin, TX called MYJOECARD.COM. Naturally this article is connected to Joe’s profile. It also links to Twitter if you’re into that.

Share Button

NFL Picks, Week 16: Cowboys beat Redskins, Underwater Knife Fight in Detroit

Share Button

Picking the winners and losers of week 16 in the NFL.

NFL week 16, 2013 SeasonLast Week: 9-7.  Season: 87-59-1 (59.59%).

Mid-December football in the NFL is upon us.

What’s old is new again, except for some of it which is now really, really old (insert Tony Romo December Choke comment or 4th Quarter Interception joke here).

Some highlights:

  1. The Chiefs are now rocking on offense (101 points in the last two games) and have the best turnover ratio in the NFL. NOBODY will want to see these guys in the playoffs.
  2. Peyton Manning’s arm is looking very weak and tired. Perhaps it is everything else adding up – the bumps and bruises – but the velocity is WAY down on his throws.  Eek for Denver fans,
  3. Chicago is a dangerous team with two quarterbacks (which may cover up for one lousy defense).
  4. Could it be a Seattle-Kansas City Super Bowl come February 2, 2014?

Grab your Cheeseheads and Machineheads, here we go:

Sunday, December 22

Indianapolis Colts (9-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-3)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Chiefs -7, 45 O/U
A marginalized Colts team pays a visit to Arrowhead in late December to face a Chiefs team that is on a roll. I pity the fool.
Chiefs 42, Colts 35

Miami Dolphins (8-6) at Buffalo Bills (5-9)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Dolphins -2.5, 42.5 O/U
A tough Miami team leaves the sunny confines of South Florida to visit Buffalo, NY and play the QB-challenged Bills in the elements. I think the Dolphins steal a close one but I’m not very confident in the pick.
Dolphins 24, Bills 21

Cleveland Browns (4-10) at New York Jets (6-8)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Jets -2.5, 40.5 O/U
Getcha Pepto Bismol. A much-maligned Cleveland team (which is to say, a Cleveland team) visits NYC to play the J-E-T-S. Why does the better team have the worse record? Vive le butt-fumble.
Browns 28, Jets 20

Tennessee Titans (5-9) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Titans -5, 44 O/U
Call it in the air? Yes, I know the Titans are favored but the Jaguars will want this more. I can just see Chad Henne throwing for 423 yards.
Jaguars 34, Titans 26

Denver Broncos (11-3) at Houston Texans (2-12)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Broncos -10, 53 O/U
Evidence of opposites attracting. Denver wins, but not by more than the 10 point spread.
Broncos 27, Texans 20

Dallas Cowboys (7-7) at Washington Redskins (3-11)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Cowboys -2.5, 53.5 O/U
Even an ugly rendition of this classic rivalry is cause celebre. As much as Kirk Cousins is a very serviceable QB, the ‘skins are out-manned against Dallas. The Cowboys also are vying for a postseason appearance.
Cowboys 38, Redskins 13

Minnesota Vikings (4-9-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (9-5)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Bengals -8.5, 47.5 O/U
Cincinnati has too much on the line to lose this game – at home at least. A spoiler-minded Vikings team could quite conceivably roll into Cincy and blast the Bengals, but I’m not sure that Matt Cassel can throw for more than 400 yards for two weeks in a row. Nay.
Bengals 30, Vikings 27

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-10) at St. Louis Rams (6-8)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Rams -4, 43 O/U
Jeff Fisher has his team playing confident, aggressive football. I could see the Rams overlooking the Bucs this week if they were a playoff contender this year, but they are not. It is a pride game and a chance to build momentum going into the off-season.
Rams 31, Buccaneers 21

New Orleans Saints (10-4) at Carolina Panthers (10-4)
Kickoff: 12:00pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Panthers -3, 46.5 O/U
They’re the Saints at home and the ‘Aints on the road. Guess which one shows up in Carolina this weekend? Lest we forget, the Panthers field a strong defensive unit and a Colossus at quarterback.
Panthers 35, Saints 31

New York Giants (5-9) at Detroit Lions (7-7)
Kickoff: 3:05pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Lions -9.5, 49 O/U
This match-up is like an underwater knife fight, in the dark. I’ve lost faith in the Giants this season – they’ve just too many holes to plug. Eli can’t cover up the inadequacies of the team. On the other side, Detroit can’t get out of their own way. Getcha Pepto Bismol back out. Ouch.
Lions 14, Giants 13

Arizona Cardinals (9-5) at Seattle Seahawks (12-2)
Kickoff: 3:05pm CST on (FOX)
Odds: Seahawks -10.5, 43 O/U
If Carson Palmer leads the Cardinals to a victory in Seattle this weekend, I’ll eat my own foot (well, not really).
Seahawks 28, Cardinals 21

New England Patriots (10-4) at Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
Kickoff: 3:25pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Ravens -2.5, 45 O/U
Forget the rest, this is the “Hey, check out what a REAL elite quarterback looks like!” game for these teams. I suspect Tom Brady will end up screaming at someone on the sidelines (Josh McDaniels?), but the Patriots will leave Baltimore with another “W” on their record.
Patriots 30, Ravens 28

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-8) at Green Bay Packers (7-6-1)
Kickoff: 3:25pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Pick’em
Aaron ‘Brittle’ Rodgers still is out this week. Don’t expect Matt Flynn to have that kind of a second half against Dick LeBeau’s defense – even an OLD Dick LeBeau defense.
Steelers 42, Packers 17

Oakland Raiders (4-10) at San Diego Chargers (7-7)
Kickoff: 3:25pm CST on (CBS)
Odds: Chargers -10, 50.5 O/U
San Diego is a tough and talented team that just went into Denver and played flawlessly in a victory over the Broncos. Do I think they will beat the lowly Raiders this week playing at home? Yes I do, even in this crazy world that is the NFL.
Chargers 45, Raiders 21

Chicago Bears (8-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (8-6)
Kickoff: 7:30pm CST on (NBC)
Odds: Eagles -3, 56 O/U
Best game of the week. Two teams within reach of the playoffs. A brutal playing environment. Sounds like Thunderdome, doesn’t it? Who run Bartertown?!? Say it!
Bears 41, Eagles 31

Monday, December 23

Atlanta Falcons (4-10) at San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
Kickoff: 7:40pm (CST) on (ESPN)
Odds: 49ers -13, 45 O/U
This game falls under the title “There’s only so much Tony Gonzalez can do”. Tony’s great – the greatest TE of all time. He’ll probably go for 200+ receiving yards in this one and 2 or 3 touchdowns . . . but it is still not enough. The Giants should have picked him up the year before he went to Atlanta, they would have another Vince Lombardi trophy in their case if they had done so.
49ers 49, Falcons 41

Share Button

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas! A stocking stuffer deal for you!

Share Button

12 Stocking Stuffers for only $20 (delivery incl.!)

Go Green with MyJoeCardGo Green This Christmas w/ MyJoeCards!

ORDER HERE

The perfect stocking stuffer will save those on your ‘Nice’ list money at HUNDREDS of area locations for many years to come.

Cards are Durable CR-80 Quality (Waterproof).

What a great gift! Cards are accepted at:

  • Restaurants (Dining & Entertainment)
  • Salons/Spas (Health & Beauty)
  • Car Wash & Auto Repair (Automotive)
  • Golf Courses/Attractions (Activities)

Where does it save you $$?

Save at Union Station Kansas City Save at Mirabile M.D. MedCosmetic Save at Great Wolf Lodge
Save at Starlight Theatre Save at Stanford and Sons Comedy Club Save at Lidia's Italy

and many more! See the full list here.

Go Green with MyJoeCard

 

Subscribe for updates twice monthly!

click here

 

List of Savings is also posted monthly in downloadable PDF form online here.

*Cousin Eddie Approved!! (He Says that it’s better than the “Jelly-of-the-Month” Club)

Share Button

Happy Thanksgiving – 23 things to be thankful for in 2013

Share Button

Happy Thanksgiving! 2013 was a year of growth. This year I am thankful for the following (in no certain order):Thanksgiving 2013: List of 23 Things I am Grateful for

1. Health, wisdom, and good sleep when I need it,

2. The love of family and friends,

3. The best friends in the world that are like family (you really are),

4. People with dreams, vision, passion, and that like to build things,

5. A Guardian Angel that works overtime,

6. Anyone that believes in me – that means the world, and a great community that decided that my dream was worthy of becoming real,

7. Thinkers – for they help us consider our consciousness and reality in new ways,

8. Inventors, Innovators and Tinkerers – for they help us experience existence in new (and hopefully better) ways,

9. Artists, Entertainers and Storytellers – for they help us all to see, hear, smell, touch and taste the World from new and amazing points of view,

10. The Kansas City Chiefs, #amazingyear

11. The greatest Mom in the world,

12. The Love of a Benevolent God,

13. Thunderstorms,

14. People that stand up for what is right,

15. Forgiveness,

16. Passion and Inspiration,

17. Second chances (even ones that haven’t come yet),

18. The Internet and other cool technology (as long as we use it right),

19. Free Thinkers that ask questions,

20. The ability to learn from mistakes,

21. My dog (such unconditional love, loyalty and companionship),

22. Those strong enough to win their own battles and help others that struggle,

23. Being part of the World at important time where we are beginning to grow up.

So there is the short list. What are YOU thankful for this year? Please weigh in, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

And Happy Thanksgiving to you!

– Joe

Yes I am grateful!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Share Button

Joe’s NFL Picks, Week 13: Chiefs seek redemption, Seahawks lose at home

Share Button

Picking the winners and losers of week 13 in the NFL.

NFL Parity Illustrated
NFL Parity Illustrated, courtesy Deadspin.com.

Last Week: 6-7-1.  Season: 57-41-1 (57.57%).

Grab your Turducken, it is Thanksgiving week in the National Football League! Time to enjoy great food, family and fun – and then escape to watch football when you’ve had your fill of the rest.

There are many things to be thankful for as an NFL fan this year. Especially as a Kansas City Chiefs fan. In addition to being grateful for parity in the league where your team CAN go from worst to first – and that the ‘Any Given Sunday’ rule holds true (see graphic, courtesy, Deadspin.com). Side note: Sunday Night we saw all we need to see in the Brady versus Manning debate. Brady is better. That game illustrates the difference between a Champion and a guy who puts up great numbers. There’s no comparison.

I’m grateful for Calvin Johnson’s superhuman performances, Tom Brady’s competitive fire, the passion of NFL fans, and for fantasy football that brings together old friends for fun each year from locations around the globe.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! Let’s look at this week’s buffet of games.

Thursday Games:

Green Bay Packers (-1.5) at Detroit Lions
A divisional road game without Aaron Rodgers? NO way Green Bay. I’ll be watching this one to see Calvin ‘The Human Highlight Reel’ Johnson pull down rainbows from Matt Stafford. I bet Megatron is on Stafford’s ‘Things to be grateful for’ list. Ya think?
Lions 38, Packers 17

Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys (-7) The Raiders on the Holiday Road, Thanksgiving Day 2013.
Toughness won’t be enough for this tough Raiders team on the Holiday Road. Dallas has too much talent and Romo has a paycheck to earn.
Cowboys 31, Raiders 13

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5)
A great AFC North matchup. Although Pittsburgh has turned the corner, look for Baltimore to defend their home turf in a close battle. Anybody seen the weather for Thurs in Baltimore?
Ravens 24, Steelers 21 (OT)

Sunday Games:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (-8)
How scary are the Buccaneers now?? Very. A young team playing with grit and growing confidence will give Carolina fits. Will the real Panthers team please stand up? I’ll take the home team.
Panthers 27, Buccaneers 24

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns (-7)
The Jaguars have made some progress, but not enough to come into Cleveland against a stout defense in front of the Dawg Pound in a December game. Start prepping for the draft – and sign Tebow to fill seats and sell merch.
Browns 28, Jaguars 14

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-4)
Underachiever team plays on the road against erratic team with a better quarterback. Not only that, but the Colts have to win this game to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Colts 23, Titans 13

Denver Broncos (-5.5) at Kansas City Chiefs
It isn’t like the Chiefs pass rush will suffer without either Hali, Houston or both. They didn’t get to Manning two weeks ago. In fact, I suspect an increase mix of zone defense will Kansas City Chiefs - Redemption in Week 13.play big dividends for Sutton’s recently stagnant unit. Then you look at a Kansas City offense that finally learned how to put points on the board prepping to play against a suddenly depleted Broncos secondary. Add in a hairline fracture of Peyton’s heel, no Julius Thomas and 137 decibels every time Manning tries to audible? I’ll take the underdog Chiefs at home. Good gravy I’m a homer.
Chiefs 41, Broncos 31

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings (Pick ‘Em)
Bounce-back week for the Bears. The Vikings played a depleted Packers team to a tie last week, which is pathetic. Look for the Bears to come out and steal a win on the road. Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jefferies and Martellus Bennett should have a feast this Sunday as well.
Bears 20, Vikings 17

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (-2)
Picking a winner here is like considering political candidates. You don’t like or trust either candidate. Miami is a conundrum. The Jets are an eyesore. I’ll take the tough defense of the Jets at home in a one-score game. Ugh.
Jets 16, Dolphins 14

Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles (-3)
An overlooked Cardinals team seems to be gelling at the right time. Even though the Eagles have impressed lately, I don’t trust them. It always seems like QB play is an issue with the danger that Chip Kelly’s offense places them in. Look for a statement game from a Cardinals team eyeballing a playoff berth. What was it Roseanne Rosanna-Danna used to say? “Ya know, it just goes to show you that no matter what – it’s always something!”.
Cardinals 34, Eagles 27

Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills (-3.5) [Toronto, Ontario]
Technically a home game for the Bills, but they would fare better in Ralph Wilson Stadium. That said, Matt Ryan and the old birds will continue to slide. Perhaps Jadevon Clowney is in their future?
Bills 30, Falcons 21

St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers (-8)
Hear that clicking sound? That is the 49ers offense gearing up for the playoffs. Combine that with a beast of a defense at home and the odds of the Rams stealing one in San Fran are very slim. Expect a biceps-kissing make-out session between Colin Kaepernick and his right arm.
49ers 38, Rams 28

New England Patriots (-9) at Houston Texans  Brady is better than Manning HANDS DOWN
Did you see Tom Brady’s mastery in the historic comeback against the Broncos on Sunday Night? How about Brady Screaming Celebration with Gronk? Have you noticed the myriad of issues facing this Texans team? The Pats are now looking fierce and I don’t see a chance of Houston winning at home.
Patriots 34, Texans 20

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers (-1)
One of the best games of the week. A solid Cincinnati squad visits a confident Chargers squad led by a fiery and resurrected Philip Rivers. Look for the Chargers to hold serve. Perhaps they’ll show the Jim Rome versus Jim Everett clip at halftime?
Chargers 23, Bengals 20

New York Giants (-1.5) at Washington Redskins
Tom Coughlin’s team now believes. After dropping a close one to the Cowboys, expect the Giants to steal one in D.C. against a tired and bewildered Redskins team facing a short week.
Giants 41, Redskins 38

Monday Night Game:

New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks (-5)
Monday Night Football gets its best match-up of the year. If not for Rob Ryan’s much-improved defense I would have to go with the Seabirds at home. But Sean Payton and Drew ‘Pinball Wizard’ Brees should shine under the bright lights.
Saints 35. Seahawks 24

Share Button