Mikey's NFL picks

Last week: 11-4 Season record: 114-57-2 It's Week 13, everyone!  You know what that means right?  No more bye weeks.  We get a full 16 games each week now through Week 17.  Of course, the NFL still can't seem to schedule games to benefit viewers at home.  Hence the 3, 4 or even 2 late games shown on Sunday Ticket/Red Zone.  But hey, that's a whining session for another time.  We have a game tonight, and a good one, so let's do this thing..... New Orleans at Dallas --Consensus seems to be that the Saints are now the best team in the NFL.  They haven't really done anything to change that since they started 0-1, because they have rattled off 10 straight wins.  Dallas is a team I, and probably all of you, cannot figure out.  But their defense is playing well enough to the point that they may hold the Saints to under 30 points, and their team is playing well enough that I think they will pull off the upset.  Cowboys 27, Saints 26 ...

Last week: 4-9 Season record: 105-54-2 Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, we are left with twelve games for Week 12--with the final two byes of the season being KC and the Rams, who probably needed the extra rest after that 105 point barn burner on Monday night.  Next week we have 16 games, which hopefully means more than three kickoffs in the late Sunday window.  They really need to balance that out for the sake ofRed Zone alone.  But I digress and there are more picks to be made in between turkey sandwiches...... Oakland at Baltimore --I heard Rich Eisen interview John Harbaugh the other day, and wow.  That guy seems to be the complete opposite of his brother Jim.  Jim is something of a whirling dervish, a Tazmanian devil if you will, on the sideline.  John has a much calmer sideline demeanor, and in this interview did not put any pressure on himself or his team in talking about the Ravens' 5-5 record and chances at the wild card.  And that makes...

Last week: 4-9 Season record: 103-53-2 So I had a feeling last week would be as wacky as it turned out to be, and it was!  It's good when unexpected things happen, but there has been some weird shit this season.  Anyway, here are the picks for the three Thanksgiving games: Chicago at Detroit --I'm not sure what the Lions' record is on Thanksgiving.  But I remember watching football as a kid, back when the Lions were really terrible, and my dad saying that there were some strange forces at work that made them play well on Turkey Day.  He passed away four years ago, but every year on this day I think of that, and can't possibly pick against Detroit.  Lions 26, Bears 24 Washington at Dallas --Okay, that was some fucked up shit last Sunday.  Joe Theismann was in the building, 33 years TO THE DAY that Lawrence Taylor snapped the guy's leg in a way that should never be snapped.  And what do you know, Skins' QB Alex Smith has his leg broken in two plac...

Last week: 9-5 Season record: 99-45-2 I feel like whenever I don't go with my gut, I lose.  Case in point Thursday night.  I picked Aaron Rodgers beating Seattle in Seattle, but all the while feeling this nagging feeling that it was the wrong pick.  And there you go.  So with that, let's see how much we can screw up today...... Dallas at Atlanta --Dallas sucks on the road, the Falcons don't suck as much at home.  Atlanta 27, Dallas 24 Cincinnati at Baltimore --Who knows anymore what the balance of power is in the AFC North.  The Steelers might be the shittiest 6-2-1 team ever.  And then there is this mishmash of mediocrity which even includes the Browns right now.  Ravens 23, Bengals 20 Carolina at Detroit --Is there a prettier spiral thrown in the NFL than Cam Newton's?  He might be the most perennially underrated QB in the league.  Panthers 30, Lions 27 Tennessee at Indianapolis --So the Titans, Texans and Colts have combin...

Last week: 9-5 Season record: 99-44-2 Green Bay at Seattle --Boy, these are two teams that are hard to figure out.  But they are two teams having mediocre at best seasons, that still have potential game-changing QBs.  The Hawks still have a pretty good defense, but the Pack's has looked pretty good too in recent weeks.  I think Seattle should win but I have a funny feeling that Aaron Rodgers is going to pull out a last second win.  Packers 26, Seahawks 24

Last week: 8-5 Season record: 95-39-2 Dammit.  The season is getting good, but we're already over the season's hump and barreling toward the playoffs, and then seven months of darkness.  I know if the season was more like six months long it would be less enjoyable, but sometimes it'd be nice to feel like the football calendar has slowed down, just a bit.  Anyway, on to the picks, but first let me point out that my season record doesn't exactly suck..it's actually a 70.8% correct rate.  But I'm not getting cocky because what goes up tends to come down.  So with that, let's go..... Detroit at Chicago --I am probably among a few people who underestimated the Bears.  But they improved a lot just by shedding head coach John Fox.  I'll never forget when Fox was coaching the Broncos, and he had like 35 seconds left in the 4th quarter in a tie game and Peyton Manning calling signals, against the Ravens.  You have one of the greatest QBs ever and can q...

Last week: 8-5 Season record: 94-39-2 Carolina at Pittsburgh-- Wow, for once a decent Thursday night match up.  Monday Night Football could learn from this, as this coming Monday we have Giants/Niners and all of three combined wins.  Man, I like this Panthers team but I can't go against the Steelers at home in the cold.  Steelers 30, Panthers 27

Last week: 11-3 Season record: 86-34-2 We are literally at the hump day of the season now, as week 9 is basically the midpoint.  Some teams are already way, way out of it--Giants, Raiders, Niners, Bills.  And the Rams, Chiefs, Pats and Saints are well on their way to the postseason.  But aside from that, the field is wide fucking open.  That's good and bad.  Good that more teams have a shot, bad that there will likely be teams we don't give two shits about in January, like the Bengals or Titans.  And with that, here we go.... Pittsburgh at Baltimore --Yeah yeah, I know....these teams are hard hitting and bitter rivals.  I don't know why, but this matchup bores the shit out of me.  Steelers 23, Ravens 22 Chicago at Buffalo --Who is playing QB for Buffalo these days?  I mean, is it my turn to start yet because I feel like the phone's about to ring.  Bears 27, Bills 10 Tampa Bay at Carolina --I just read that Ryan Fitzpatrick's kid ...

Last week: 11-3 Season record: 85-34-2 Here is the pick for tonight's bay area rumble.... Oakland at San Francisco --Wow, you have to believe the NFL didn't plan on both of these teams having one win each at this point.  But the teams have combined for a record of 2-13.  Seriously, no Garoppolo, and the Niners are suddenly in the running for the top draft pick in 2019.  Meanwhile, Jon Gruden has taken a jackhammer to his roster, David Carr is crying in the huddle and the Raiders are also fighting for that top pick....along with (UGGG) the Giants.  Get your popcorn ready for this one, people.  Niners 23, Raiders 20