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Joe’s NFL Picks, Week 14: Chiefs over Redskins, Bears over Cowboys

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Picking the winners and losers of week 14 in the NFL.

Last Week: 8-8.  Season: 65-49-1 (57.01%).NFL weekly picks: 2013, week 14

Welcome to REAL football. December football in the NFL – where teams pull out all the stops as the race for playoff spots heats up. What to look forward to? Intense competition and (my favorite) SNOW GAMES!

It is one-liner week. Buckle up, here we go:

Thursday Game:

Houston Texans (-4.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Jaguars are hot, Texans are not.
Jaguars 28, Texans 24

Sunday Games:

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5)
Bengals defense > Colts offense + Game is in Cincy =
Bengals 27, Colts 21

Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)
The Bills will come into Tampa and take home a win.
Bills 21, Buccaneers 20

Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins (-4.5)
Redskins are lost. Chiefs are looking to make a statement.
Chiefs 36, Redskins 20

Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5)
Ravens always play well at home. Minnesota is inconsistent.
Ravens 28, Vikings 20

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (-8.5)
Patriots are looking like a Super Bowl team, Cleveland is looking like Cleveland.
Patriots 34, Browns 28

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5)
The Saints at home? That is all I need to know about this one.
Saints 41, Panthers 31

Oakland Raiders at New York Jets (-6)
Raiders: a team on the rise. Jets: a team stuck in the mud.
Raiders 27, Jets 13

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles (-1)
Eagles are on the right path. The Lions lack focus.
Eagles 30, Lions 28

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)
Steelers are back in form AND at home.
Steelers 27, Dolphins 24

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (-10)
Broncos are a Championship-caliber team. The Titans are mediocre.
Broncos 42, Titans 17

New York Giants at San Diego Chargers (PK)
The Chargers are just a few plays away from being a dominant team. They keep scratching the surface – look for a breakthrough on the road this week.
Chargers 34, Giants 27

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-2.5)
I figured these teams to split the series, which means:
49ers 24, Seahawks 21

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals (PK)
Cardinals are the better team and are tough in the desert.
Cardinals 20, Rams 17

Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (-3)
With or without Rodgers, the Pack beats the Falcons in GreenBay in December.
Packers 23, Falcons 16

Monday Night Game:

Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears (-3)
The Cowboys don’t have the mettle to go into Chicago in December and get a win.
Bears 33, Cowboys 21

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Joe’s NFL Picks, Week 11: Chiefs over Broncos and other Upsets

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Picking the winners and losers of week 11 in the NFL.NFL 2013 week 11 predictions

Last Week: 9-5.  Season: 44-26 (62.85%).

HUGE week in the NFL! The Chiefs finally square off against the Denver Mannings. The Eagles get a chance to show what they know, and many other noteworthy games.

On to the notes.

Thursday Game:

Indianapolis Colts (-1) at Tennessee Titans
Straight off you have a Titans team that got beat by the lowly Jaguars in week 10. Think it might have been a tough and emotional week for these guys? On the flipside, the Colts aren’t the same with Reggie Wayne. T-Rich isn’t explosive for the offense. A suddenly hot Rams team exposed the Colts as inconsistent at best last week in a 38-8 drubbing, In Indy! Look for the home team to exercise some demons this week.
Titans 30, Colts 20

Sunday Games:

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-1.5)
The coin flip of the week. A case can be made for the Jets to win this one, but I don’t trust them. Too many recent snafus, headaches, heartaches, erratic decisions and butt fumbles for me to pick the Jets this week. The Bills team is on the rise, Manuel’s back and they are playing in Buffalo.
Bills 16, Jets 10

Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears (PK)
Ravens are too erratic on the road. I’ll take Trestman’s Bears at Soldier Field in a November game.
Bears 28, Ravens 21

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-6)
Bounce-back week for Cincy in the battle of Ohio. Cleveland is nasty on D and pulls its wins out this year like a magic trick, but Cincy is nasty on D, explosive on O and playing at home.
Bengals 34, Browns 23

Atlanta Falcons (-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs finally put a scratch in the ‘W’ column last week against the Miami Black Eyes. It was only a matter of time (see their game in Seattle two weeks ago). Glennon, Revis, Schiano and the rest of the Buccaneers will get it together this week at home against a Falcons team that has gone adrift.
Buccaneers 34, Falcons 30

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars (PK)
Well, at least this isn’t on Monday Night Football this week.
Cardinals 14, Panthers 13

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-7.5)
Welcome Back, Kubiak. Case Keenum, J.J. Watt and the boys have missed you. I sense a very close one over a tough-minded Raiders team. RIP Todd Christensen.
Texans 34, Raiders 31 (OT)

San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins (-3)
I know that west coast teams often have trouble flying back east for a game, but this Dolphins team is in turmoil and minus the left side of their offensive line. I expect a huge game from Philip Rivers. Gimme the Charge on the road.
Chargers 38, Dolphins 21

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles (PK)
Has Chip Kelly re-adjusted to the adjustments made by the NFL? This game we figure out what Chip Kelly has figured out. Gimme the home team in a moment of truth.
Philadelphia 42, Redskins 21

Detroit Lions at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)
The Lions are roaring. Matt Stafford grew up against Dallas, and showed that in the victory last week at Chicago. Pittsburgh is tough at home, but are a shadow of their contender teams. I wonder what amazing thing Megatron will do this week?
Lions 35, Steelers 24

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-7.5)
I agonized over this one for two weeks. It finally comes down to what I believe. I know this Chiefs team has been through the hottest of fires last year. The strongest steel of a team has been forged in Kansas City. It is passion, belief, mojo. It is winning nine weeks in a row. It is belief. I believe the Chiefs have some of the most amazing win-ugly luck ever simply because of the fact that they make their own luck through belief, preparation and effort. There is no fear. They already saw the worst that could happen last year. Manning is beat up, less mobile and is already hearing footsteps. Keep telling the Kansas City Chiefs that they can’t. They know better.
Chiefs 31, Broncos 28

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (-6)
My upset of the week. The Seahawks are beatable at home (see the game versus the Bucs two weeks ago). The Vikings are looking to come to town and punch somebody in the mouth. Somewhere between a Jared Allen stamp and an Adrian Peterson cleat mark a Vikings victory will appear.
Vikings 27, Seattle 20

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (PK)
I like the 49ers team a lot. After a tough week 10 loss, they are playing for their playoff lives. I really have a hard time picking against the Saints in their ‘dome – but if the Jets can do it, the 49ers can do it better. Break out the paper bags.
49ers 38, Saints 34

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants (PK)
I don’t see a floundering and thin Packers team coming into NY and beating Eli Manning’s Giants. No way.
Giants 42, Packers 10

Monday Night Game:

New England Patriots (-3) at Carolina Panthers
The bright lights on Monday Night Football finally have something to highlight. This Panthers team is H-O-T. Solid defense, solid personnel, freak-of-nature QB and confidence. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have their hands full. I’ll take the Championship Quarterback on the Big Stage of MNF.
Patriots 27, Panthers 21

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Joe’s NFL Picks, Week 8: Chiefs Go 8-0, 3 Upsets: Raiders, Jets, Redskins

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NFL Week 8 Predictions

Welcome to the Chief's Kingdom

Picking the winners and losers of week 8 in the NFL.

Last Week: 11-4.  Season: 19-11 (63%).

Ah, week 8 in the NFL. Teams are finding their identity and establishing their playoff credentials. Let’s take a look:

Thursday Game:

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5)
I’ll take the Panthers on the road. Cam Newton is playing well. Also: The Bucs are hapless.
Panthers 28, Buccaneers 13

Sunday Games:

Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions (-1)
“Getcha Popcorn” for Megatron and Dez Bryant: The Showdown. This game has the makings of a potential classic. Dallas is on a roll and the Lions are desperate and dangerous. Nobody puts baby in a corner. Give me the Lions in a nail-biter.
Lions 31,  Cowboys 30


Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to Arrowhead Stadium for today’s game . . . First, In this Corner . . . The Snake-bit Challenger . . . Weighing in at over 12,000 lbs . . . Featuring a Nasty Defense and a Bumbling Offense run by yet another back-up Quarterback . . . in the Brown Trunks . . The Cleveland Browns!” (Spattering of Boos, Heckling). AND In this corner, weighing in at over 13,250 lbs . . . Sporting a Defense with over 35 sacks in only 7 games . . . In Front of the Loudest and Proudest Stadium of Fans in the World . . . Having been through Hell and Back in the Last Few Years . . . Coached by a rejuvenated Andy Reid . . . In the Red Trunks . . . The Kansas City Chiefs!!!” (THUNDER).
Chiefs 24, Browns 7

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-7)
Miami is a year or three away. Even though the Patriots are a shadow of their former selves, I don’t see the Tom Brady losing this one on Foxborough.
Patriots 31, Dolphins 17

Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints (-6.5)
I like how Buffalo has been playing lately, but it is too much to ask of them to go into New Orleans and get a ‘W’. Too much Brees, too much Payton . . . and possibly too much fun on Bourbon Street the night before the game for the visiting Bills players.
Saints 30, Bills 21

San Francisco 49ers (-10.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars [London, England]
One of these weeks the Jaguars are going to rise up and win a game. I don’t think that this is the week.
49s 28, Jaguars 9

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (PK)
“Dear Magic 8 Ball: Is this the game where the fraying around Chip Kelly’s security blanket takes a severe uptick? Could Eli Manning and the Giants be really, really tired of losing?” Giants 34, Eagles 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) at Oakland Raiders
Yes, the Steelers beat the Ravens last week and look much better. But that was last week. Welcome to Oakland, CA. Welcome to the Black Hole. Worse? The whipping boy of the AFC West is going to take you to the woodshed. Dig ya’ll lock your doors?
Raiders 24, Steelers 17

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals (-4.5)
Cincinnati’s defense is way too good to let them lose this game in front of the home crowd, right? I mean, Andy Dalton can just throw the ball to AJ Green for an 80 yard touchdown every time, right? This Jets team isn’t that scrappy, is it??!!??
Jets 27, Bengals 21

Washington Redskins at Denver Broncos (-6)
Every time my neck hurts, I think of how Peyton Manning’s neck must hurt – especially after 4 surgeries and a few vicious hits by Robert Mathis last week. Ankle my foot. Every time my knee hurts, I think about how much better RGIII’s knee must feel than mine does. Also, I remember being 37 recently. More vivid are my days as an invincible 23-year-old.
Redskins 34, Broncos 31

Atlanta Falcons (-4) at Arizona Cardinals
I look for the Falcons to further implode – while, simultaneous – the Cardinals do a wicked impression of a playoff team. Midnight in the desert. For the Falcons.
Cardinals 31, Falcons 20

Green Bay Packers (-1) at Minnesota Vikings
Any Given Sunday. I see pride coming into play here for Jared Allen, Adrian Peterson and the company. Look for a very tough, grind-it-out, punch-em-in-the-mouth game from the Vikings in front of a raucous home crowd.
Vikings 24, Packers 23

Monday Night Game:

Seattle Seahawks (-4) at St. Louis Rams
With a huge disparity in QB play and a margin of talent difference both being in favor of the Seahawks, I’m bailing on the Rams at home. It really is too bad Favre is too old. They actually should have called Tim Tebow. Say what you want, but the guy gets wins.
Seahawks 20, Rams 6

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