Week 7 Review

This has been a strange season. After just one week of a significant number of wins, I fell back into mediocrity last week, going 6-8. And this isn't even against the spread! There were about five games settled in the last couple minutes last week, and only one went my way.

Here's a quick look at my picks and the outcomes:

Friday, October 21
Kansas City @ Miami, 7 p.m.

Ricky Williams finds some holes in the K.C. defense, but the Chiefs have too much firepower. Home field isn't particularly relevant, especially with the late change of schedule. Nick Saban needs to pull a rabbit from a hat for Miami to even their record. Gus Frerotte just isn't the answer. Chiefs' special teams come through to keep pace with Denver.
Prediction:Chiefs, 33-20
Result: Chiefs, 30-20
Williams was completely stymied, losing 1 yard on 6 carries; but the Chiefs certainly had too much firepower with Larry Johnson picking up 93 on the ground and Priest Holmes adidng 90, that to go with Trent Green's 289 in the air. K.C.'s special teams came through too, but while I expected it to be Dante Hall returning a touchdown, it was Lawrence Tynes' 3 field goals and 3 extra points. And, no, home field didn't matter. Dolphin Stadium was empty. Sad.


Sunday, Oct. 23
Detroit (2-3) at Cleveland (2-3), 1 p.m.
Tough one. Both teams' QBs are struggling. Detroit coach Steve Mariucci tried to light a fire under starter Joey Harrington by having Cleveland castoff Jeff Garcia take half the snaps in practice. Neither offense is doing anything (Detriot ranked 30th, Cleveland 26th), and the defenses aren't much better. Detroit's starting RB Kevin Jones is nursing a shoulder and fullback Corey Schlesinger has a hurt leg. I'll give the edge to the team with -- at the very least -- a health running back in Reuben Droughns.
Prediction: Browns, 17-14.
Result: Lions, 13-10.
Droughns came through, posting 100 yards. Trent Dilfer, however, threw 3picks and was sacked 4 times, passing for a net 56 yards. Cleveland netted a total 174, which was 5 fewer than their return yards. You don't win a lot of games with numbers like that. Last year's Browns quarterback, Jeff Garcia, was wearing a Detroit jersey, and he ran for a touchdown against his former team.

Green Bay (1-4) at Minnesota (1-4), 1 p.m.
Remember that scene in Titanic when the ship is tipping up in the water and it cracks in half? That's about where the Vikings are.
Prediction: Packers, 24-13.
Result: Vikings, 23-20.
How Minnesota came back from a 17-0 deficit, I'll never know. I guess Green Bay really, really sucks. Really. I don't know how much futher against the ropes you can have a team. It looked like Balboa vs. Creed I. Mike Tice literally saved his job. You gotta believe the axe was poised over his neck, just waiting for the final gun. Zygi Wilf, a.k.a. Piggly Wiggly (or is it Chilly Willy?), must be disappointed. The game? Man, I've already written more about it than I did before, isn't that more than enough?

Indianapolis (6-0) at Houston (0-5), 1 p.m.
Are the people in the NFL front office serious when they make up these schedules? (Yeah, I know they're made up years in advance. Then again, that figures.)
Prediction: Colts, 38-7.
Result: Colts, 38-20. Hey, I'm doing pretty good on the scores, if I'm not necessarily picking the correct teams. Houston put up a good fight in the second quarter before getting decimated. Not much to say about this one, except that it wasn't all Peyton Manning. Edgerrin James had 2 touchdowns and the Colts returned a fumble for another. I'll bet everything Indy doesn't win this week. (Yes, they're on a bye.)

New Orleans (2-4) at St. Louis (2-4), 1 p.m.
St. Louis is against the ropes. QB Marc Bulger is out, WR Isaac Bruce is questionable, and WR Tory Holt is nursing a knee as well. They don't have a running game. New Orleans has a slew of players listed as questionable. Old friend Antowain Smith is filling in for the injured Deuce McAllister. New Orleans has proven pretty tough for all they've been through.
Prediction: Saints, 24-10.
Result: Rams, 28-17.
Screw job. That's just about all I'm going to say about this game. The NFL should be ashamed. And that's twice in two weeks for New Orleans. Like they haven't had enough bad luck this season.

Pittsburgh (3-2) at Cincinnati (5-1), 1 p.m.
Cincinnati? 5-1? Oh, the next easiest schedule (after Indianapolis). That explains it. Fortunately, they're catching Pittsburgh at the right time, and they're playing at home, which should help. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger (hyperextended knee) is expected to play after watching from the sideline last week. He's still undefeated by any team but New England. Counterpart Carson Palmer has been shredding mediocre defenses and should be at least somewhat tested (Pittsburgh passing defense ranked 17th). If Cincinnati wins, they'll have a significan't grip on the AFC North division, but their second half's not so easy. Too many injuries on Pittsburgh's defense, particularly in the secondary.
Prediction: Bengals, 21-20.
Result: Steelers, 27-13.
Pittsburgh's D held up pretty well, and Cincinnati showed that they just might be frauds with that weak early schedule. Roethlisberger threw for 2 TDs and the Steelers racked up 221 yards rushing. Chad Johnson is another Terrell Owens / Randy Moss loudmouth who will never win anything.

San Diego (3-3) at Philadelphia (3-2), 1 p.m.
Both teams need a win to keep pace in their respective divisions. Philadelphia is 6-0 with Andy Reid coming off their bye. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson had the game of his life last week. Philly can't run and can't stop the run, but they lead the league in passing and San Diego has had trouble defending. It's almost that simple. Philly needs to stop LaDainian. San Diego needs to stop Donovan. Philadelphia's kicker David Akers is still out; backup Todd France is 4 of 5 on field goals.
Prediction: Chargers, 24-21.
Result: Eagles, 20-17.
Couldn't have picked this one much closer either. One play changes the game. Hard enough to pick the general outcome, never mind the score. Can you imagine trying to predict the key plays? Well, this was a pretty good game from opening whistle to final gun. Philly had Tomlinson completely stymied (7 yards on 17 carries). San Diego had a couple picks off McNabb, but he got the job done early. Both teams did what I said they needed to do. Then came the fateful field goal attempt.

San Francisco (1-4) at Washington (3-2), 1 p.m.
Earlier in the season, I really wouldn't have cared about this game. Come to think of it, I don't now either. Joe Gibbs could be atop the NFC East by Sunday night. Weird stuff.
Prediction: Redskins, 31-6.
Result: Redskins, 52-17. I was a little off on the score, but at least I got the right team (and the margin of victory was relative). Gibbs is technically on top, but tied with Philly and the Giants. Two plays go the other way, and he'd be all alone (with 53 players and their coaches). The game? C'mon, it's just not worth it, and you know it.

Dallas (4-2) at Seattle (4-2), 4:05 p.m.
Dallas RB Julius Jones is questionable with a bad ankle. No running game for Drew Bledsoe equals 4-3 for Dallas. Dallas rookie WR Patrick Clayton is also out, replaced by Peerless Price. Dallas has the No. 7 defense in the league, though. They'll need it, because Seattle has the top-ranked offense (didn't see that coming, did you?). Seattle RB Shawn Alexander is coming of a 141-yard performance, but Dallas is tough against the run. Bledsoe gets sacked.
Prediction: Seahawks, 26-17.
Result: Seahawks, 13-10. Bledsoe was sacked 5 times and had 2 interceptions. His defense did the job, allowing only 72 yards on the ground. Doesn't look like Price is going to have a year like he did with Bledsoe in Buffalo. Once again, he needs someone to throw him the ball. I'm guessing Bledsoe is close to being an all-time leader in single-handedly losing games in clutch situations. He's the absolute worst clutch QB in NFL history, and some people still think he's a HoFer.

Baltimore (2-3) at Chicago (2-3), 4:15 p.m.
Here's one of those instances when win-loss records mean nothing. Baltimore is in last in the AFC North. Chicago is first in the NFC North. Baltimore might end up close to .500. Chicago might not win another game. Safety Ed Reed is out, and LB Ray Lewis is probable. To win, Baltimore will have to score. Games like this are pretty good to watch, but not fun at all to write about. Or predict.
Prediction: Ravens, 13-10.
Result: Bears, 10-6.
It's wicked sick how I'm picking these scores. It's putrid sick how I'm picking these losers. "Jailbird Jamal" Lewis had a big 34 yards rushing. I wonder what he was taking when he led the league a couple years back? This was funny. The two quarterbacks barely combined for 300 yards passing (Anthony Wright, 164; Kyle Orton, 145). Must have been a real defensive struggle.

Buffalo (3-3) at Oakland (1-4), 4:15 p.m.
Randy Moss is questionable. That means things on many levels, but really it's because he bruised his ribs last week against San Diego. Buffalo could be all alone in first in the AFC East with a win. Oakland's only chance is to get the benefit of every judgment call in the game at their home field. All the stats add up to Buffalo claiming first place.
Prediction: Bills, 23-10.
Result: Raiders, 38-17.
I thought Bledsoe left Buffalo. Oh, he did? I guess your defense can't save you every weekend. Oakland's LaMont Jordan accumulated 162 total yards (122 rushing, 40 receiving), and Kerry Collins didn't throw an interception. Buffalo didn't play horribly, but they couldn't mount a consistent offensive attack. Randy Moss did nothing, and the Raiders won. Think about it.

Denver (5-1) at N.Y. Giants (3-2), 4:15 p.m.
Two fairly evenly matched teams, but Denver's defense -- or New York's lack thereof, will be the difference. Denver QB Jake Plummer has been playing well, and New York is 31st against the pass. Plummer's success is partially due to Denver's No. 3 rushing offense. New York WR Plaxico Buress is questionable with back spasms.
Prediction: Broncos, 27-24.
Result: Giants, 24-23.
I was coiling the noose after this one. Everything was going along to plan until -- the prevent defense reared its ugly head. I don't even want to think about it. I'm getting queasy.

Tennessee (2-4) at Arizona (1-4), 4:15 p.m.
Someone has to win this game.
Prediction: Cardinals, 10-9.
Result: Cardinals, 20-10.
Someone did.

Monday, Oct. 24
N.Y. Jets (2-4) at Atlanta (4-2), 9 p.m.
Significant injuries keep piling up for New York, but RB Curtis Martin broke out for 148 yards last week. Meanwhile, Atlanta gave up a zillion yards to New Orleans before stealing a game last week, and Michael Vick is almost back to "normal." Atlanta shouldn't need the officials' help this week.
Prediction: Falcons, 28-13.
Result: Falcons, 27-14.
Not many surprises here. Vick was horrible, but Testaverde may have been even worse. Atlanta converted turnovers into points, while the Jets didn't. Simple as that.

Bye week: Carolina, Jacksonville, New England, Tampa Bay
Hey, at least none of these teams handed me a loss last week.

Last week: 6-8. Yuck. Man, maybe I should pick scores and leave picking the actual winners to someone else.
Season: 57-45. Once again, I'm not -- repeat, not -- picking against the spread. Wouldn't that be something?