Week 11 ATS Recap: Valhalla

In Scandinavian mythology, Valhalla is a place where the honored who died in combat are sent to be with the gods. We saw a metaphor for that play out on the fields of Minneapolis this last Sunday. Brett Favre: legend, savior, sexter, gunslinger, diva....welcome to Valhalla.

Valhalla is also as close as you can get in a pagan religion to a symbol of heaven. A euphoric, heavenly feeling descended upon yours truly this week, in a "I shoulda gone to Vegas" 13-3 week against the spread. I, too, should take my place in IMLD Valhalla, because the only thing that happens after a week like this is disaster.

• Bears 16, Dolphins 0 (Thursday Nights) - Both winners - We got the weekend started (NFL network tagline) with a pretty easy one here. The theme of the week was unprepared, sacrificial lamb quarterbacks. Up first: Tyler Thigpen. Tyler had about as much chance as Bobby Thigpen or Yancey Thigpen out there at QB. Those are all the Thigpens I know in sports. The talk after a single prime time game, as it was with Atlanta the week before, centered around the legitimacy of the Bears as contenders. I'm not sold, but with a matchup coming up against the Eagles, the Bears will have a chance to show their mettle.
• Bills 49, Bengals 31 - Both winners - This pick looked dreadful early on, as Cincy ran out to a 28-7 lead. Not knowing what to do with a lead, the Bungles coughed it up Houston Playoff Style to of course, the Buffalo Bills. Was that Frank Reich back there leading the furious comeback? This one didn't end up being close, as the Bills put the lead foot on the accelerator and never took it off.
• Cowboys 35, Lions 19 - Both winners - I'm still on my Jason Garrett worked hard to get Wade Phillips fired mantra.
• Chiefs 31, Cardinals 13 - Jason winner, Dre loser - We had a bet on this pick, Shaq/Kobe style. This one's for you Dre! There's a special message at the end of this posting for Dre, who plays the part of Kobe.
• Jets 30, Texans 27 - Both losers - Ah, Houston. If you're going to grind out a gutty win on the road, you have to finish it. The Texans once again suffered a bitter road defeat, and I'll be damned but the same guy who played volleyball with Mike Thomas gave up the game winner to Santonio Holmes. Where's Gus Johnson when we need him? Jaguars 24, Browns 20 - Jason winner, Dre loser - The difference in this one came on the ground. Maurice Jones-Drew is pretty much keeping the Jags in postseason discussions all by himself. This team doesn't pass the eye test, though, the AFC may prove just a little too tough for Jacksonville. Credit too the Browns, Dre's favorite new QB (Colt McCoy) looked pretty good for yet another week.
• Steelers 35, Raiders 3 - Both winners - If the rest of the Raiders had shown as much fight as Richard Seymour, this might have been a game. Sure, what Seymour did was cheap, but really...who doesn't want to punch Bathroom Ben in the face?
• Ravens 37, Panthers 13 - Jason winner, Dre loser - This game was pretty close until very late. Dre thought the Ravens offense couldn't cover the spread on its own, and he was right. Fortunately for me, the Ravens defense did. Brian St. Pierre is indeed French for "it's not enough."
• Packers 31, Vikings 3 - Both winners - Looks like Dre might not have to put up with the Brett Favre Rule for too much longer. In other news: Have a coach you want canned? Bring in the Green Bay Packers. They'll make your team look so awful you'll have no choice but to fire the coach. Upcoming bookings: San Francisco, NY Giants, and the Chicago Bears.
• Redskins 19, Titans 16 - Both winners - In the wake of another Vince Young injury, some guy named Rusty Smith is starting at QB for the Titans this upcoming week. I've never heard of the guy, and I'd heard of Tony freakin Pike, so that can't be good for poor Rusty. Rusty lived up to his name in the waning moments of the game, and the Redskins capitalized again. The Skins might not be a good team, but the can smell the blood when it's in the water. I thus dub them the Washington Sharks.
• Falcons 34, Rams 17 - Both winners - This one went down pretty much how I expected it to. The Rams showed a lot of fight early on their home turf, but the Falcon offense that just seems to look better every week ground them down and wore out the Ram defense. Solid road win for the 8-2 Falcons who get a big test this week hosting the Packers. If a team can exploit the Falcons, it's through the air, and all the Packers can do is throw. Fortunately, Mike Smiths job is safe, or is it? (dunnn dunnnn DUNNNNNNN)
• Bucs 21, Niners 0 - Both winners - Pretty much what we expected here, too. We got fancy, picking the Niners to win but not cover 3½. Fortunately, the Niners getting their doors blown off by the Team Formerly Known as the Best in the NFC counts as win.
• Saints 34, Seahawks 19 - Jason winner, Dre loser - Dre believes in Matt Hasselbeck. That's good enough for me.
• Patriots 31, Colts 28 - Both losers - Peyton Manning channeled his inner Brett Favre, throwing a pick in field goal range when a field goal could have sent the game to overtime. Dre nailed this one, even though we lost the pick with the points, the Pats exposed the Colts defense all game on the ground with a nice balance. That won't work every week for the Pats since they don't get to play Indy every week, though. New England is the AFCs answer to the Packers. Wouldn't a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI be a ton of fun to watch?
• Eagles 27, Giants 17 - Jason winner, Dre loser - Say what you want about Mike Vick: he wins games. Plain and simple. No highlight package plays this week, just the threat of a healthy Vick on the field is enough to open things up for the offense and keep the defense on it's heels. The Former Best Team in the NFC succumbed to the Chic Pick Best Team in the NFC, and now the Giants look to be reeling. The NFC East isn't an automatic for two playoff berths this year, and the Eagles look like the team ready to grab the division crown.
• Chargers 35, Broncos 14 - Dre winner, Jason loser - The Chargers are the anti-Giants. While the Giants progressively get worse as the season goes on, the Chargers just get stronger and stronger. They now look like the best team in the AFC West, especially after the showing the first place Raiders put up. You can almost pencil the Chargers in for a playoff berth now, and a comfy first round exit.

Week 11:

Dre 9-7 (normally very impressive - just kidding, any week over .500 is a victory)

Jason 13-3 (words can't describe - 4-12 week upcoming)

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