2010 NFL Pickery -- Week #8

Last Week:

Aaron: 10-4
Joe: 9-5
Tom: 9-5



Overall:

Joe: 71-33
Tom: 63-41
Aaron: 57-47


Washington at Detroit

Aaron: It's going to take more than a week off for me to buy into the Lions as favorites over ANYone at this point – even at home. And, that's after watching JaMarcus McNabb set back the black quarterback movement 10 years with his performance last week. Doesn't he realize the media has been very desirous that a black QB do well? Pick: Washington

Joe: Detroit is home, healthy, and ready to step into its role as late-season spoiler for the NFC's playoff hopefuls. By all rights, Washington shouldn't be a playoff hopeful. Maybe this game goes a ways to correcting that. Pick: Detroit


Buffalo at Kansas City

Aaron: Seven years ago this week, the 7-0 Chiefs faced the 4-3 Bills in Kansas City. I was still writing my weekly music news column at the time and I included a "lock of the week" prognostication from a young Joe Reid. He guaranteed his Bills would end the Chiefs undefeated season. Final score: Chiefs 38, Bills 5. Good times, Joe. Pick: Kansas City

Joe: You know, it's really creepy that you still remember that. Pick: Kansas City


Denver at San Francisco

Aaron: These London games always seem to be played in lousy conditions as the field becomes quicksand by halftime. I'm taking the only team with a running game here and hope the British don't hold this unwatchable annual event against us. As The Simpsons foretold, they're gonna save our ass in World War III. Just watch. Pick: San Francisco

Joe: There's nothing the 49ers have done this season that would lead me to believe they could win any game, much less a home-but-not-home game (my heart would bleed for you, Niners fans, but it's too busy looking up when the Bills play their Toronto game). Anyway, Cam's right -- this game will be played in soup, likely bringing Kyle Orton's improbable arm back down to earth. As far as difference-makers on the ground go, Frank Gore ain't bad. Pick: San Francisco


Miami at Cincinnati

Aaron: So, Cincinnati scored 22 points in the third quarter against Atlanta last week – turning a blowout into nail-biter – and we're expected to believe the Bengals are back? Y'all know they lost that game and fell to 2-4, right? Did this not happen? Did someone push "reset" on the Nintendo console just as Tim McGee or Eddie Brown was about to catch the winning pass from Boomer Esiason? Pick: Miami

Joe: Cincy's feistiness had me on their side, but Miami played Pittsburgh close last week, and I tend to underestimate teams that manage to win ugly. Not this time! Pick: Miami


Green Bay at N.Y. Jets

Aaron: The lazy media storyline asks how the Packers will respond one week after a physically and emotionally draining victory over their intra-division rivals from Minnesota. My lazy blog storyline is Jets defense SMASH! Pick: NY Jets

Joe: The Jets are due for a good back-down-to-earth upset loss, but I still don't think Green Bay is healthy enough to do it. Pick: NY Jets


Carolina at St. Louis

Aaron: Both teams' starting RBs could be limited this week, which means choosing between each team's aerial attack. The Panthers are led by disgruntled, whiny WR Steve Smith. The Rams rely on undersized, but dependable WR Danny Amendola. Think of Smith as evil Decepticon Starscream and Amendola as heroic Heroic Autobot. Yup…makes things MUCH clearer. Pick: St. Louis

Joe: While it's weird to me to realize that Autobots were apparently named after brands of lube, I'd rather not tarnish this rekindling of such a proud old-NFC West rivalry. Memories of Steve Buerlein and Tony Banks will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces. Pick: St. Louis


Jacksonville at Dallas

Aaron: There are actually some fantasy football "experts" recommending Cowboys QB Jon Kitna as a legitimate start this week based on the Jags' incompetence at pass defense. Did y'all watch Kitna shot-put passes all over the field last Monday? His arm looked so bad that even Ron Washington wouldn't call on him. Zing! Pick: Dallas

Joe: However bad he is, he's a better bet than whatever Punt, Pass, and Kick champion the Jags have called up to play. I know I've been riding the "Dallas can't be THIS bad, right?" card for a while, but ... they can't, right? Pick: Dallas


Tennessee at San Diego

Aaron: Watching my fellow San Diegans turn on this Chargers squad has been one of my favorite football moments since moving down here in 1995. It doesn't top all the playoff losses, the 1-15 season, LaDanian Tomlinson's renaissance with the Jets, Ryan Leaf or that this will be the third local blackout of the season, but it's in the class picture. Pick: San Diego

Joe: I haven't picked enough road teams this week. That's seriously my rationale. That's how little confidence I have in how good the Titans have looked and how bad the Chargers have looked. I ... guess that's how they are? Pick: Tennessee


Tampa Bay at Arizona

Aaron: Here's what we know – the Cardinals have the worst passing game in the league and their starting QB is coming back from a concussion suffered last week. Their offense will rely heavily on a running back who's still trying to find his legs after missing the first few weeks with an injury. Also, the Bucs beat bad teams. Pick: Tampa Bay

Joe: So wait, there's NO way that we can make this game interesting by putting some MLB Spring-Training-based stakes on it? Loser gets the Steinbrenners? Something? Pick: Tampa Bay


Minnesota at New England

Aaron: So, whose motivation makes the more compelling case? Erstwhile Pats WR Randy Moss was traded to Minnesota and might be tempted to give an all-out effort – all game – for the first time this season. The Patriots are at home and would like to show the world they can win without Moss. This could be…wait. New England has already won without Moss. Twice. Well, there you go. Pick: New England

Joe: The Patriots simply aren't getting enough credit for how permissive their defense has been all season. For as bad as the Vikes have looked this season, I wouldn't put it past them to produce one of those annoying Favre Ain't Dead Yet games. If this were only in Minnesota. Pick: New England


Seattle at Oakland

Aaron: 59 points the previous week and I still can't do it. Sorry, Aaron's favorite football team. Pick: Seattle

Joe: I'm sticking with picking against the Seahawks on the road, even if they do seem to have figured out a running game AND a passing game at the same time. Pick: Oakland


Pittsburgh at New Orleans

Aaron: Good of the NFL to schedule a Sunday night game opposite the World Series for the first time ever (I think). Really looking forward to another round of "NFL is the New National Pastime" headline revelations. It's been, what, two weeks since this was last in the news? Pick: New Orleans

Joe: I'm not going to say I'm reveling in baseball partisans getting all defensive about their sport's waning popularity getting rubbed in their faces, I'm just saying: it's nice that other fans finally know what hockey fans have gone through. Welcome to Your Marginalization! Down to business, though: New Orleans' struggles have been no joke, and that Steelers defense is not the worst I've seen. (It is the best I've seen.) Pick: Pittsburgh


Houston at Indianapolis

Aaron: The Colts opened as five to six point favorites against a Texans team that beat 'em in week one. Throw in Peyton Manning's recent run of unspectacular performances and the season-ending injury to TE Dallas Clark and I'd make Houston (+5) my as-yet-unsponsored pick of the week. Straight up? I wouldn't trust my picks for nothin'. Pick: Indianapolis

Joe: The Texans stopped being able to play defense about four weeks ago. I don't care if it's Peyton Manning, Pierre Garcon, and the senior class at Ball State suiting up for Indy, they're going to score a lot of points. Pick: Indianapolis