Pro v Schmo Week 9

Not the week I was hoping for. I’m now swinging for the fences and may begin to make some crazy picks just to make up ground.

SCOREBOARD

Week 8
Blake: 270
Jon: 160

Overall
Blake: 2850 (79-37 overall, 50-66 with points, 5 direct hits)
Jon: 2130 (68-47 overall, 37-78 with points, 3 direct hits)

WAS@ATL

Blake: FALCONS BY 10

Jon: FALCONS BY 14

ARI@CHI

Blake: CARDS BY 8
The Cards are actually playing well on the road this year, and I think that is taking most people by surprise. It should come as no surprise when Kurt Warner and his receivers get their act together after an awful game last week and beat down hard on a Bears secondary that is but a shell of its former vaunted self.

Jon: Bears by 3
Just when you think you get the Cardinals, they surprise you. That’s why the Bears pull this one out.

BAL@CIN

Blake: BENGALS BY 4
Who really knows which of these teams is for real, if either? Whatever the case, the team that wins here will be a huge step ahead in the race to prove they belong in the playoff hunt. I have to go with the experience of Carson Palmer in this one, but Cincy’s defense needs to uphold their end of the bargain. This one comes down to the final minutes.

Jon: Ravens by 13
Revenge is one of the most motivation factors in the NFL. The Ravens are not pleased with how they lost to Cincy last time, so they’ll dial it up.

HOU@IND

Blake: COLTS BY 3

Jon: Colts by 10

KC@JAX

Blake: CHIEFS BY 6

Jon: Jags by 7

GB@TB

Blake: PACKERS BY 14

Jon: Packers by 10

MIA@NE

Blake: PATS BY 7
New England is favored by ten and a half points at home against the Miami Wildcats, but I can’t see them covering that spread. The last two Pats games have been more like scrimmages and the Dolphins have shown that they won’t lie down, unless they get up by three touchdowns against the Saints. They won’t be up by anything in this game, and that will keep them playing hard, but New England is just too good to lose this one at home.

Jon: Pats by 13
Honestly, this one could go either way. I just feel like the Pats will be tuned up and have a great gameplan.

CAR@NO

Blake: SAINTS BY 21

Jon: Saints by 9

DET@SEA

Blake: SEAHAWKS BY 24

Jon: Lions by 4

SD@NYG

Blake: CHARGERS BY 8

Jon: Giants by 3

TEN@SF

Blake: 49ERS BY 10
My game of the week: A loss for either team here and the season slides too far back to carry into the postseason. Obviously, Tennessee is the more desperate team as far as number of wins goes, but the Niners are on a slide they know only too well from recent years, and they’ll be giving everything to stop the bleeding at home and get back in the race. Besides, they should be the better team in this one, at least defensively. I see a late pick-six by Vince Young as the deciding factor.

Jon: Titans by 7
This feels like a Vince Young renaissance. I think his presence will give the Titans some much needed energy and allow them to earn back some respect. He has something to play for and his teammates will appreciate that. And Alex Smith will be back to being Alex Smith.

DAL@PHI

Blake: EAGLES BY 13
Dallas easily handled a terrible road team last week, but this trip to the Lincoln Center will bring them back to earth. Is it just me, or is the supposed brouhaha between Romo and Williams really a non-issue, considering Williams might as well be on the bench? What a wasted trade that was. Those lost picks are going to hurt the Cowboys for a long time to come.

Jon: Dallas by 3
This just feels like a close game. The ‘Boys can run the ball and keep McNabb and his band of big plays waiting to happen on the sidelines. But ultimately, I the Cowboys D will matchup well against a relatively one-dimensional Eagles team, who will struggle running the ball.

PIT@DEN

Blake: BRONCOS BY 3
Monday night at home against a very good team is something the Broncos must overcome in order to get back on track. No one has a letdown game against the defending champs.

Jon: Steelers by 7
I know everyone had a brief bout of Broncos fever, but Pittsburgh has been getting better every week. They have a RB and the defense is starting to round into Winter shape. Don’t think the Broncos have enough to win this one on Monday night.