NFLFan's Journal: NFL Week 11

The Fan's Six Pack:
1.) That was some crazy wind in Chicago. It was foolish of the 49ers to try such a long field goal.

2.) What is the quarterback non-sense going on in Buffalo? They start the year with Losman but he proves to be inadequate so they switch to Holcomb but refuse to name a starter. Now before last weeks game, the rumblings coming out of the Bills' camp was that Losman was going to get some spot duty. I know that Holcomb got injured but everyone knows the saying, "When you have two quarterbacks you have none."

3.) What is up with teams going for it with one yard to go on the goal line? The Chiefs and Buccaneers might look smart now but wait until it costs a team a game. It should have cost the Buccaneers.

4.) With their problems at wide receiver, the Eagles rediscovered the run but with the game on the line they went with what they know best and lost. The Cowboys were gifted a win.

5.) The Patriots may have come away from Miami with a win but it may have been their worst effort to date. They will probably make the playoffs because they are in the weakest division in the AFC but I would be surprised if they won even one playoff game. If I was a Patriots fan, I would be troubled that injuries are starting to pile up on offense. Forget the defense because things cannot get much worst there. It should be interesting to see what happens now since their wheelman, Koppen, is on injured reserve.

6.) Congratulations to Hines Ward for becoming the Steelers all-time leader in receptions. There are plenty of receivers who are bigger, stronger, faster, and just more talented but I think Ward might be the best receiver in football.

The Picks:
Last week I was 10-4. Overall, I am 91-55 (.6233).

Arizona at St. Louis 1:00 p.m.
I like the Rams. Here is the secret to picking Cardinal games, one wins more if they pick against the Cardinals.

Carolina at Chicago 1:00 p.m.
I like the Panthers. Both these teams are flying high but I think the Panthers are higher up there. Chicago still needs an offense.

Detroit at Dallas 1:00 p.m.
I like the Cowboys. I know the Cowboys stole a win last week but how can I pick against them?

Jacksonville at Tennessee 1:00 p.m.
I like the Jaguars. I might think the Jaguars are pretenders but the Titans are not even that this year.

Miami at Cleveland 1:00 p.m.
I like the Dolphins. If you caught any of the Sunday night Browns-Steelers game then you know the Browns are not very good.

New Orleans at New England 1:00 p.m.
I like the Patriots. This is the week they finally win two in a row.

Oakland at Washington 1:00 p.m.
I like the Redskins.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants 1:00 p.m.
I like the Giants. The Eagles are playing like a bad team-- they are finding ways to lose.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore 1:00 p.m.
I like the Steelers. This is going to be a tough game for the Steelers. The Ravens might not be any good this year but they seem to always give an extra effort against the Steelers. No one knows who will be starting for the Steelers at quarterback now either-- a position that seemed like a strength for them going into the season now does not look so deep.

Tampa Bay at Atlanta 1:00 p.m.
I like the Falcons. The Buccaneers find a way to win late last week and the Falcons had a disappointing lost at home against the Packers but I like the Falcons for this one.

Seattle at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
I like the Seahawks. Seahawks are finally playing the way they have been expected to for so long. The word on Shaun Alexander is that he is soft but each of the past 4 years he has had at least 15 touchdowns and this year he has a chance for a 2000 yard season. He might not be the toughest guy but he seems to get the job done real well.

Buffalo at San Diego 4:15 p.m.
I like the Chargers. It is my opinion that the Bills play a lot better when they are at home but this game is in San Diego so the Chargers find a way to hang on and win.

Indianapolis at Cincinnati 4:15 p.m.
I like the Colts. This should be a good game-- which means it will be a 45-0 blowout. The Bengals are weak against the run and Colts are more dedicated to the run this year.

N.Y. Jets at Denver 4:15 p.m.
I like the Broncos. The injuries on offense have crippled the Jets and their defense is not as good as it was last year. People like to point out that it has been the Broncos M.O. to falter in the second half the past few years but it won't happen this week.

Kansas City at Houston 8:30 p.m.
I like the Chiefs. What do I need to say, it's the Texans.

Monday, Nov. 21
Minnesota at Green Bay 9:00 p.m.
I like the Packers. The Vikings have been playing better lately but so have the Packers. I like the Packers because they are at home and the Vikings took the first game.

#3

[RailGunner]

3.) What is up with teams going for it with one yard to go on the goal line? The Chiefs and Buccaneers might look smart now but wait until it costs a team a game. It should have cost the Buccaneers.

In the case of the Chiefs, why kick the field goal and play for overtime? Especially when there's a chance you'll lose the toss and not touch the ball.

I say go for it: Play for the win. If you can't punch the ball into the endzone from the 1 yard line you don't deserve to win anyway.

Now... if the NFL had th

Re:#3

[NFLFan]

I understand why both teams did it. I even liked when the Chiefs did it. Larry Johnson and the Chiefs' offensive line should be unstoppable in such situations and the Raiders do not exactly have a good defense.

Seeing the Buccaneers do it just left a bad taste in my mouth though. The Redskins have a good defense, there was still ~50 seconds on the clock, and in my opinion Alstott did not get in.

As for overtime, sudden death is an unfair mechanism for determining a winner but I do not like the college foot

Think Cincy will win

[FortKnox]

Cincinnati's defense is ultra turnover happy. They spent the past two weeks (coming off a bye) working on their run defense, I guarantee. If they force Peyton to throw, I think we'll see at least one pic. The defense may win this one for Cincy...

Re:Think Cincy will win

[NFLFan]

I would not be surprised if you were right. I do not think the Colts will go undefeated the whole season and they have yet to play a team as good as the Bengals. The Bengals are very similar to the Colts and the game is in Cincy so there are plenty of reasons to like the Bengals. I picked the Colts because it is said to be good practice to ride out long winning streaks and I did not like the way the Bengals played against the Steelers- what has been the Bengals biggest game to date this year.