Upon Further Review, Part Dos

Brilliant frickin idea, too bad we didn't start this earlier in the season.. Or during a week where we didn't suck as much... In any case..

St. Ides -
This week: 7-9
Overall: 72-87

Samichlaus -
This week: 5-11
Overall: 80-79

RAMS -9.5 over Cardinals
Rams are actually playing better without Martz. Cardinals still stink. Rams 31, Cardinals 19.

Actual Score: Cardinals 38, Rams 28
Well, whattaya know! Kurt Warner was revitalized in his return to St. Louis, Bulger went out early with an injury, and they were back to Martz style football, totally abandoning the run despite Arizona having one of the worst run defenses in the league. (Steven Jackson - 12 carries for 6 yards. No other RB carried the ball all game. 12 rushing plays. Ouch.)

Panthers -3.5 over BEARS
If the Panthers are the NFC Super Bowl contender people are making them out to be, they blow away the Bears in Chicago. The Bears have a nice record, but have had a joke schedule. Panthers 27, Bears 10.

Actual Score: Bears 13, Panthers 3
Okay, so either Carolina is hyped more than they should be or the Chicago defense IS good enough to take them to the playoffs.

Lions +8.5 over COWBOYS
The two traditional Thanksgiving teams play one another the week before! I don't know, I'm still not sold on the Cowboys. They should have lost last week, if not for that gift McNabb interception. Meanwhile, Joey Harrington had his best game as a pro. Could that give him the confidence he needs? Probably not, but I'll take the points. Cowboys 27, Lions 20

Actual Score: Cowboys 20, Lions 7
So much for Harrington's confidense. Although he didn't play poorly, they just couldn't punch it into the end zone enough. I'm still not sold on Dallas though.

BENGALS +5.5 over Colts
The Bengals fell short during their first real "test" this season when they lost to the Steelers. Here's their second chance. The Colts are flying high, and the Bengals probably don't have the defense to stop them. But the Bengals offense should be able to move on the Colts and keep it somewhat close. Colts 29, Bengals 26.

Actual Score: Colts 45, Bengals 37
Well, the Bengals did keep it close most of the game, and their offense did hang with the Colts for the most part. Sadly, they were a field goal short of covering the spread. I think I'm taking the Colts for the rest of the year.

Dolphins +2.5 over BROWNS
The Dolphins stuck around against the Patriots last week. The Browns don't seem to be getting any better. Dolphins 24, Browns 13.

Actual Score: Browns 22, Dolphins 0
Obviously, I wasn't aware that Sage Rosenfals would be the QB for Miami. Maybe the "new coach" magic has run out for the Dolphins this year?

Seahawks -12.5 over NINERS
The Niners have either Ken Dorsey or Cody Pickett starting at QB for them. They are last in the NFL in both offense and defense. Seattle has taken care of business so far, even against the crappy teams. They need to keep doing it. I don't see the Niners stopping their offense at all. Seahawks 36, Niners 16.

Actual Score: Seahawks 27, Niners 25
Well, Ken Dorsey actually looked pretty good (who woulda thunk) and the Seattle defense allowed the Niners to claw their way back into this game. I said no way the Niners put up more than 21 unless there was a "garbage time" score. Well, it wasn't quite garbage time since the game was still within reach, but it did take a final minute TD to break 21. :P But a win is a win, so I'll take it. PS - The Niners aren't as bad as people think. They have some decent players on defense. Their two wins this year are against the Rams and Bucanneers, not exactly the complete bottom of the barrel. They'll win another game or two this season.

Bills +10.5 over CHARGERS
Put these teams down as two more that are tough to figure out this season. The conventional wisdom is that Tomlinson is going to go nuts on the worst rushing defense in the NFL. The Bills coaching staff reads these "experts", right? Won't they put like 10 in the box and force Brees to beat them? That's what I would do. Chargers should win, but not in a blowout. Chargers 26, Bills 23.

Actual Score: Chargers 48, Bills 10
Well, the Bills did what I expected them to do, forced Brees to beat them. And he did. He lit them up - 28/33, 339 yards, 4 TDs. He also may have sealed the fate of Phillip Rivers with this performance.

TEXANS +6.5 over Chiefs
Just one of those games that you can't figure out how it happened, but the Texans stick around. In fact, they might even win. Nahhhh... Chiefs 23, Texans 20.

Actual Score: Chiefs 45, Texans 17
Ummmmm, yeah, not much I can say about this besides I gave the Texans way too much credit.
PACKERS -4.5 over Vikings
I'll leave the in-depth stuff on the Packers to the expert, and I never woulda guessed who that guy in the photo was. But I think beating the Falcons might jump-start them just a little bit, especially if they realize they still have an outside shot of actually winning the NFC North. Packers 30, Vikings 23

Actual Score: Vikings 20, Packers 17
Packers lose another close game. The sad thing is, despite all the injuries, they've been competitive in almost every game this year. They could pretty easily still be in the playoff hunt right now. Instead, now the focus will switch to "Is Favre done?" (yet again) and "Should they get Rogers some playing time?" My opinion: No (he ain't going out like that), and Yes (might as well).