Pigskin Prognostications, Week Eleven

Quick one today--Thursday night game, and I've got to drive forty-minutes away to give blood so my son can get a boomerang he'll use to bop his sister upside the head and cause her to bleed. Figures.


Patriots 20, Jets 13 - Patriots looking solid, and the Jets are sporadic (but they've got a heckuva run D).

Falcons 24, Broncos 21- Fierce running against fierce passing (and a porous D) - remember last week, Atlanta vs. New Orleans? Same thing. Remember the result? I do.

Panthers 27, Lions 21 - Lions are falling fast apart, and I don't think they start to mend themselves this weekend, not against Carolina's running game.


Eagles 35, Bengals 12 - Though this could be a trap game for a very good Philly team, but after their close loss to the Gints last week, I see them squashing Cincinnatti nine ways to Sunday.

Saints 31, Chiefs 17 - I'd like to see Tyler Thigpen and the battlin' Chiefs win one, but, the Saints'll be too much for their defense.

Giants 28, Ravens 14- Ooh, another week, another great Giants game. Though both have sporadic QB play and both play fantastic defense, New York runs the ball better and they've better receivers.


Buccaneers 17, Vikings 14 - I believe the Bucs will play a tougher run D than the Pack did last week, and--like Robert Frost said--that will make all the difference (Frost was a Lombardi fan, and most of his poems are in fact metaphors for football; in fact, the original title of "The Road Not Taken" was "Two Roads and a Cloud of Dust").

Dolphins 10, Raiders 6 - Al Davis stripped his team's offensive coordinator of his playcalling duties last week, and Russell's still not starting, and the team's falling further and further apart, despite the play from their defense.

Packers 14, Bears 10 - It could swing the other way, but Grossman's starting.

Colts 27, Texans 13 - Colts almost look now like the championship-caliber Colts of the past few season, and that'll be enough for them to plow over the hapless Texans.

49ers 22, Rams 13 - The 49ers could be down after their heartbreaking loss this past Monday night, and it's a short week, but the Rams...just don't look solid at all. Their lines need overhauling.


Cardinals 20, Seahawks 14 - Seattle's improving, and Seneca Wallace is, too, but they're not doing the small things well, and the Cardinals are. Finally.


Titans 24, Jaguars 10 - No way Jacksonville runs on Tennessee like it did on Detroit last week, and the Jaguars passing game's too close-quartered to stretch the tough Tennessee D enough to provide any running lanes.

Steelers 27, Chargers 24 - Big Ben's playing hurt, but as long as San Diego's defense plays in sieve-like fashion (like it has all season long), it won't matter much--unless Roethlisberger turns the ball over too early and/or too often, because San Diego can give almost as much as they receive.

Redskins 20, Cowboys 17 - Romo's back, but will he be able to throw the tight spiral and the fifteen-yard out with that broke pinky? Dunno. I think what matters more is whether or not Clinton Portis plays. If he does, this one should go to Washington (at home), but if not, then Dallas should win.


Bills 19, Browns 17 - The game's at Buffalo, where Brady Quinn--in only his second start--will face those stiff, swirling autumn winds for the first time. Sure, most of his passes will be of the ten/fifteen yard variety, but the coaches have stated that they're opening up the playbook for him, which means that they're going to ask him to throw deep a few times, which should mean a couple of turnovers through the air