Love to get off to that great start to the week by winning ATS on Thursday night. Unfortunately, that was the last Thursday game of the season. Now on to this wild and wacky Saturday slate of games in the NFL.
| Thu. Nite |
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| Hou (10-4) | 7 | IND (1-13) | Ind 19-16 |
| Ind | Ind |
| Saturday |
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| NE (11-3) | 9½ | Mia (5-9) |
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| NE | NE |
| BAL (10-4) | 12½ | Cle (4-10) |
|
| Cle | Bal |
| CIN (8-6) | 4½ | Ariz (7-7) |
|
| Ariz | Ariz |
| WASH (5-9) | 7 | Min (2-12) |
|
| Wash | Min |
| Den (8-6) | 2½ | BUF (5-9) |
|
| Buf | Den |
| PIT (10-4) | 12 | StL (2-12) |
|
| StL | Pit |
| NYJ (8-6) | 3 | NYG (7-7) |
|
| NYJ | NYG |
| CAR (5-9) | 9 | TB (4-10) |
|
| Car | Car |
| TENN (7-7) | 7½ | Jack (4-10) |
|
| Tenn | Jack |
| KC (6-8) | 1 | Oak (7-7) |
|
| KC | KC |
| DET (9-5) | 1 | SD (7-7) |
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| SD | Det |
| DAL (8-6) | 1 | Phi (6-8) |
|
| Phi | Phi |
| SF (11-3) | 1 | SEA (7-7) |
|
| Sea | Sea |
| Sun. Nite |
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|
|
|
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| GB (13-1) | 11½ | Chi (7-7) |
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| GB | GB |
| Mon. Nite |
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| NO (11-3) | 7 | Atl (9-5) |
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| NO | Atl |
Some of our thoughts and observations included:
- I still want to figure out our record when we pick the same team, because I don't think it's ever been very good. We're going against each other on eight of the 15 remaining games, so it will be one of the more interesting weeks. Here's one Jason and I agree on, those plucky Dolphins visiting those powerful Patriots. The question with every Pats opponent is, can the offense fly high enough to keep up with New England? We don't believe in Miami's ability to slow down Tom Brady and the boys. And we can't pick Miami to keep up when they're still only 24th in the league passing.
- Baltimore is giving big points to Cleveland, and I will take the points because Seneca Wallace is playing better than Colt McCoy was at QB for the Browns (Jason tried to catch me and gave me a toss-up of McCoy vs. Sam Bradford, and because I'm not stupid, I said that I'd rather have Sam) and because Baltimore lost their most consistent receiving threat, Anquan Boldin, for the rest of the regular season. Jason likes the Ravens because they should be nice and steamed after being embarrassed on NBC by San Diego, and Jason always leans towards the Ravens when they're coming off a thrashing.
- We're both going out of our minds and trying to nail a spread where we like the favorite to win but the underdog to cover. And the spread is only 4½! It's understandable to try that when the number's 10 or something, but 4½ means that we're basically expecting Cincinnati to beat Arizona by a FG only. It's fucked up how we both liked the exact same scene to play out, but after making so many picks throughout the years, maybe we're starting to think alike. That should frighten the fuck out of our respective wives. Jason asked me to strike through this pick early, because we never get it right when we try to be cute like that.
- Back to our disagreements. I can't take Minnesota to hang in there with Washington for one simple reason: The thing the Redskins can do when the Vikings and Jared Allen start pressuring Rex Grossman in the pocket is throw it deep and beat the rush, and the Vikings have proven that the one thing they don't want to do this season is cover somebody. I still have nightmares about the number of wide open receivers Tim Tebow had when he led the Broncos from behind over Minnesota. Rex should have those same open guys, and he can actually throw. Jason calls it "Ninja Defense," because the Vikings secondary looks at a guy, who then throws up the smoke bomb and vanishes, then reappears behind them running toward the end zone with the football. Yet he wants the Vikes to cover, because it feels like a sluggish, 13-9 type game between two non-contenders.
- I'm trying to keep an open mind when picking Denver games because it's easy to let the Tebow Thing cloud your judgment. And I am going with Buffalo at home to knock them off. The Bills haven't stopped anyone all year, but they showed a little offensive spark last week. I'm betting on them showing up for their last home game and engaging in a shootout, and maybe Stevie Johnson goes off, tired of hearing all of the Tebow crap. As for Jay, he would like to unveil the JTG Unsponsored Stat of the Week! Jason only wants to reveal one statistic that he feels relevant every week, while I pore over a lot of stuff. This week, the number is 203. What's 203? Why, that's only Reggie Bush's rushing total last week in a Buffalo wintry mix. What may Tebow and the other running backs do to the poor Bills? Stay tuned.
- More big points for me! I'll take the Rams to cover over Pittsburgh because the Steelers QB this week, Charlie Batch, is so old that he's not more mobile than Big Ben Roethlisberger. This could be the lowest scoring game of the season among all games. Pittsburgh's success is predicated on scoring strikes downfield in the passing game, and if Big Ben can't do that, they struggle to score. Jason will go with the favorites because a 13-0 score counts.
- And in maybe the most shocking pick we've ever had, I, the big New York Giants fan, the Eli Manning fantasy league owner, I am looking at the war of words in Gotham and I am weighing the factors carefully, and I am picking...Gang Green! I just feel that Eli is crumbling under pressure again, and this feels like he will cough up a lead by throwing a bad pick and the Jets will somehow cover the number. And Jason, the bestower of the moniker Total Fraud upon Mark Sanchez, hater of Rex Ryan's mouth, Jason's taking...the G-Men! Actually, Jason wanted to invent the Push Pick, where he predicts a game to be a push ATS, but we don't do that here at IMLD. You gotta pick one way or the other. So he went with the Giants because they're underdogs and they can cover without winning. See, I think this game, for all the yap between coaches and other players and each other, is all about Eli. He plays well, the Giants win, and he's the toast of the town. He doesn't, the Jets win, and he's laughed at for thinking he was "elite." I gotta go with the latter. I've seen Eli and coach Tom Coughlin gag too many times.
- We agree to take the Panthers to trounce the Bucs. Moving on...
- Back to disagreeing. Jason will back the Jaguars to cover a big spread with a hook at Tennessee. I will back the Titans. It's their last stand as they try to make a playoff push, and Jacksonville's QB continues to be terrible. And Tennessee's QB, Matt Hasselbeck, was feeling better this week healthwise.
- We will back Kyle Orton and Kansas City as they try to cripple Oakland's postseason hopes. KC can still make the playoffs, if you can believe that. Jason welcomes back to the main stage Interception Santa, a.k.a. Carson Palmer, who throws balls to everyone who wants one, even if you're being naughty and playing for the other team. (Wait, that sounded dirty...) It's the giving season, and we expect Palmer to be very giving to the Chiefs secondary.
- The only game we disagree on in that four-game 1-point spread clusterfuck is San Diego visiting Detroit. Whichever team is trailing at the 2:00 warning in the 4th quarter has the opposition right where they want them. The Chargers can explode and score on anybody, and of course, the Lions come roaring back at a moment's notice. Jason will take the Lions to hold on and get another needed win, while I will pick Philip Rivers and San Diego to pull off a big road win and stay alive for a division title.
- I don't think Jason is being totally honest with his Philly pick, but it's his pick, so I have to honor it. He's putting an end to the newfound Eagles love, and he's picking them to win right now. "End this shit right now!" he said. He can't believe that Philadelphia can still somehow win that division. So he figures, if he takes them, they will lose and be eliminated. He doesn't actually believe in the Eagles surge, but he's taking them as a way to snuff them out. I do believe in the Eagles, actually, and I may pick them the rest of the way, so long as Michael Vick can still go.
- And we believe in Seattle to keep up their hot streak, although this may have as much to do with how San Francisco is playing their guys than anything else. If SF was at full strength, I don't believe we would back the Seahawks here, but the loud Seattle home advantage and the Niners being in a little bit of disarray lead us to go with the Skittles gang.
- Christmas night features a 15-1 team going against a squad of 3rd-stringers, guys who have never seen the field as starters, some who have and were bad, a team that has "QUIT" written all over it. Guess which team we're picking?
- And Monday night sees Jason and me going in opposite directions. Jason thinks the Falcons will put up a fight for New Orleans because they're in the same division and they know what to expect, so they will give the Saints a run. I'm taking the Saints squoosh. Hell, I'm taking the Saints the rest of the season if they're playing on turf indoors, and that includes the playoffs. New Orleans is just that hot, and QB Drew Brees is just that good lately.
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