2010 NFL Pickery - That Game on Sunday

Two Weeks Ago Outright (Total):

Joe: 2-0 (7-3)
Tom: 0-2 (5-5)
Aaron: 1-1 (4-6)

Two Weeks Ago vs. Spread (Total):

Tom: 1-1 (6-4)
Joe: 1-1 (3-7)
Aaron: 1-1 (3-7)


The Spread Sez: COLTS (-4.5) v. Saints

Aaron: At their very best, the gap between Drew Brees and Peyton Manning isn't as pronounced as the media would have you believe, now that Manning is thought of as a cross between Johnny Unitas and Jesus. Everyone picking the Colts says the same thing: Indy hasn't lost a game all year when they gave a damn. My retort: Brees is the best QB the Colts have faced all year.

In Week #3, Kurt Warner threw for 332 yards vs. Indy. Tom Brady threw for 375 yards vs. Indy in Week #13. Brees WILL get his yards. And, while I'm hard-pressed to call the Saints the better team, if my life depended on it, I'd bet on the Saints' Sean Payton outcoaching Indy's Jim Caldwell with room to spare. I know how clichéd New Orleans' underdog story is, but...they've been through so much. Did you hear about that hurricane?

Final Score: New Orleans 28, Indianapolis 27


Joe: Here's how good this Indianapolis Colts team is: the running theme for people who hate them this week has been that they're boring. Boring! That's, like, the go-to insult when you have absolutely no other legs to stand on. It's what people said about those late-'90s Yankees teams, when they weren't whining about payrolls. (It's what people would be saying about Avatar if the film's story wasn't a laughable abomination.)

This Colts team isn't some plodding machine, grinding out 13-10 victories every week. They score. They like the long-ball. They're doing it with wide receivers who are both Haitian (!) and white (!!). Their QB went on SNL and did this. They're a fun team to watch. They're "boring" because they don't lose enough. Which I totally get. I love the underdog as much as anyone. I'll probably be rooting for the underdog on Sunday. I've been in Drew Brees's corner since he was at Purdue (beating Notre Dame) then San Diego (surviving the curse of Doug Flutie). And Cam's right, the Saints aren't at as big of a disadvantage as you've been told. But all things being equal (and they might be), I'm gonna go with the team who's been there before.

Final Score: Indianapolis 34, New Orleans 27