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Showing posts with label Oakland Raiders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oakland Raiders. Show all posts

Friday, November 1, 2013

NFL Week 9 Pick'em

Finally off the schneid!  After three straight losing weeks we managed to go 8-5.  We lost the pick, but I have to start by talking about the amazing performance by the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson.  In an instant classic with the Dallas Cowboys, the Lions went 80 yards in 50 seconds with no timeouts to edge the Cowboys 31-30.  Johnson was the big story finishing with 329 yards, seven yards shy of an NFL record, and one touchdown.  But let's not forget about the job Matthew Stafford did all game either.  He was especially great on the final drive hitting Kris Durham with pinpoint precision down the left sideline for 40 yards and faking out everyone as he sneaked the ball over the goal line instead spiking it to stop the clock.  But enough about last week, let's go for two in a row and start a new winning streak.

SuperContest Picks (Home team in CAPS)

Titans -2.5 over RAMS

Tennessee has three straight losses but all came against teams currently in the top six of most power rankings.  Jake Locker had his first game back from injury last time out against the 49ers and also threw his first interception of the year.  Lucky for him he gets the Rams this week after coming off a bye.  Don't get me wrong, St. Louis' defense is good but nothing like 49ers.  Also the Rams are ripe for a big let down on a short week and squandering a chance to take down Seattle at home last Monday night.  Kellen Clemens looked very shaky throwing for two INT's and only 158 yards on 31 attempts.  The Rams had their chance of pulling the upset on the big stage of MNF but won't put up much of a fight on a regular 1:00pm kickoff.

RAIDERS -2.5 over Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have had the worst quarterback struggles in league because of injuries.  Last week they were down to their third stringer, Matt Barkley, after Michael Vick and Nick Foles were both out.  This week it looks like Foles will be back from his concussion and he has been Philly's best QB so far with 6 TD's and 0 INT's.  But Oakland's defense has actually played pretty well and QB Terrelle Pryor is 3-0 in the black hole.  Both teams have losing records so I'll take the home team, especially when the road team travels across the country.

BROWNS +2.5 over Ravens

This is a difficult game to choose but I just have a feeling this will be a hard fought close game between two bitter rivals.  They played in Week 2, a game Baltimore won 14-6, but that could have gone either way.  The Ravens are coming off a bye which is a little scary but this team has struggled to be consistent all year.  Their star running back Ray Rice has been a key contributor to those struggles as he's averaging a dismal 2.8 YPC.  As for Cleveland, Jason Campbell started his first game for the Browns last time out and actually played pretty good at Kansas City.  I don't expect much scoring and I think Cleveland will get enough out of Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron to cover.

Chargers PK over REDSKINS

RG3 continues to be hampered by his knee and this team looks nothing like the playoff team from a year ago.  Philip Rivers on the other hand has spectacular throwing for his highest completion percentage ever at 74% and has 15 touchdowns with five interceptions.  San Diego has also found their running game lately with Ryan Mathews rushing for over 100 yards for two straight games.  Danny Woodhead has also been great out of the backfield looking like Darren Sproles from the Chargers past.  The Chargers are coming off a bye so travel should not affect them.  Look for San Diego to take this PICK game.

Colts -2.5 over TEXANS

The last time we saw the Indianapolis Colts they were knocking off Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.  Then they got to enjoy their bye week and are now on the road in Houston.  This will also be the first game Andrew Luck doesn't have his safety net of Reggie Wayne as he was lost with an ACL tear against Denver.  Houston is also coming off a bye has been the most disappointing team this year.  They will be starting second year man Case Keenum again in place of a healthy Matt Schaub.  The Texans might also be starting Ben Tate at running back as Arian Foster will be a game-time decision with a hamstring injury.  Houston is only 1-6 ATS and the Colts have already beat the 49ers on the road 27-7 so playing away from home is nothing to be afraid of.  This will be a tight one but take the rested Colts.


Other NFL in 10 or less

DOLPHINS +3 over Bengals     Cincy struggles on the road, Miami gets its mojo back.

PANTHERS -7.5 over Falcons     Two teams going in opposite directions.

COWBOYS -10 over Vikings     Romo has field day against porous Minnesota D.

Saints -6.5 over JETS     Saints offense on fire and defense forces plenty turnovers.

BILLS +3.5 over Chiefs     Bills keep home games close, if Thad Lewis plays.

SEAHAWKS -16 over Bucs     Seattle bounces back at home, I just can't take Bucs.

Steelers +7 over PATRIOTS     Steelers D should keep this one close.

Bears +11 over PACKERS     Even without Cutler, Bears stay within two scores.


SuperContest
Last Week:  3-2
Season Total:  21-18-1

Overall
Last Week:  8-5
Season Total:  62-54-3

Thursday, October 24, 2013

NFL Week 8 Pick'em

Well, it looks like we're going the wrong way.  Even the SuperContest numbers took a big hit going 1-4.  All I can say is I'm glad I'm not using real money.  The Bears, Lions and Chiefs all were games that didn't go our way at the end and could have made our final numbers look a little different if they did.  Not only did our picks go down last week, but so did many key players (Doug Martin and Reggie Wayne to name a few).  Nonetheless, on to Week 8!  A lot of big numbers this week as 10 of the 13 games are hovering around a touchdown or more.  We have another game being played in London, this time it's San Francisco and Jacksonville.  The NFL really gave them some gems to watch this year.  And other than the Cowboys-Lions, there isn't one game I will make a point to watch this weekend.  But, we still have to watch our fantasy players and make some picks.  So, here we go.

SuperContest Picks (Home team in CAPS)

Falcons +2.5 over CARDINALS

No Julio Jones and no Roddy White apparently was no problem for Matt Ryan and the Falcons last week against Tampa Bay.  I think the Bucs horrible defense had something to do with it though.  But, without two of the best receivers in the league, Atlanta wideout Harry Douglas had a breakout performance.  He finished with 149 yards, one TD and caught all seven of the passes thrown his way.  Now he gets to face off against emerging shut down corner Patrick Peterson.  Arizona has a decent defense but Carson Palmer has been a turnover machine.  Coming into the season I thought he would have this offense back to the Kurt Warner days but he's looked terrible and Larry Fitzgerald fighting injuries doesn't help.  In the end, the Falcons put up points and Arizona doesn't score enough.

RAIDERS +3 over Steelers

Pittsburgh has gotten two straight wins after losing its first four games of the year, the last coming against rival Baltimore.  Ben Roethlisberger has been average throwing seven touchdowns and five interceptions, but their defense is starting to come around giving up only 22 points in their last two games.  The Oakland Raiders will be coming off their bye week and Terrell Pryor has been very comfortable at home as the Raiders have won the two games he's started in the Black Hole.  Wide receiver Denarius Moore has also been a pleasant surprise with 399 yards and four TD's.  These teams played last season in Oakland, a game they won 34-31 on the leg of Sebastian Janikowski as time expired.  I see this game being low scoring this time around but Oakland keeping it close and possibly even winning again.

Panthers -6 over BUCS

Cam Newton has this offense on fire right now scoring 65 points in the last two games and has completed 35 of 43 passes in those game.  The defense has played all year as well, giving up only 13.8 points per game.  Carolina was one of those bang or bust teams coming into the year and after a slow start might have found their rhythm.  The Bucs on the other had keep adding to their troubles.  Last week their standout running back Doug Martin tore his labrum and will be out indefinitely.  Now they must turn to rookie RB Mike James and will join fellow rookie QB Mike Glennon in the backfield.  Glennon has developed good chemistry with veteran WR Vincent Jackson their last two games connecting for 252 yards and 4 TD's.  But they've still lost those games by more than a touchdown.  Carolina is playing great on both sides of the ball and should cover this road Thursday night game.

Seahawks -11 over RAMS

Seattle continues to show they are one of the best teams in the league with one of the top defenses that should feast on a depleted St. Louis Rams team.  Franchise quarterback Sam Bradford was lost for the season last week for the Rams with a torn ACL.  They will now give the ball to Kellen Clemens who hasn't started a game since 2011.  This is a horrible spot to put in Clemens and will turn out very badly for the eight year pro.  The Seahawks have forced a NFC leading 11 interceptions and will be ball hawking all game especially with the Rams lack of running game.  Seattle's Marshawn Lynch will also most likely be in beastmode as St. Louis is one of the league's worst run stoppers.  Two scores is a lot on the road but the Rams have nothing good to offer.

PATRIOTS -7 over Dolphins

I will honestly say it was tough for me to find another game I was overly confident in.  But Tom Brady at home is hard to overlook.  I don't take too much out of their 30-27 OT loss to the Jets last week because the Jets always play them tough.  But one thing I do take into consideration is the return of tight end Rob Gronkowski.  Gronk finished his first game back with eight receptions and 114 yards.  Brady only has one touchdown in his last three games but the Dolphins pass defense nothing special and could be what he needs to put up big numbers.  Miami has been on a downward spiral losing three straight after winning three straight to begin the year.  Tannehill has five INT's in those losses and they still have no running game to speak of.  Take New England at home as Brady will connect with Gronk for two touchdowns.


Other NFL in 10 or less

49ers -16.5 over Jaguars     Not taking the Jags again until they cover.

LIONS -3 over Cowboys     No Murray will hurt the Cowboys.

Giants +6 over EAGLES     First win inspires Giants to keep it close.

CHIEFS -7.5 over Browns     Browns will be lucky to score 10 points.

Bills +12 over SAINTS     Graham's status in question, Bill's slow game down.

BENGALS -6.5 over Jets     Jets come down after emotional win against Pats.

BRONCOS -13 over Redskins     Skins travel west for a beating, Peyton's angry.

Packers -9.5 over VIKINGS     Vikings in complete disarray, Rodgers rolling.


SuperContest
Last Week:  1-4
Season Total:  18-16-1

Overall
Last Week:  6-9
Season Total:  54-49-3

Friday, October 11, 2013

NFL Week 6 Pick'em

After our best week, we follow that up with our worst.  But, our SuperContest picks were great going 4-1.  There were some big story lines as well as Peyton Manning and Tony Romo had a shootout for the ages, the Jets had a two-minute comeback, while Julio Jones is lost for the year, and two unbeaten teams went down.  This week everybody is talking about the largest spread in NFL history.  The Denver Broncos opened as a 28-point favorite at home over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  I was shocked in Week 3 when the Seahawks were almost a 20-point favorite against the Jags, but this is crazy.  College football has bigger numbers than this all the time (every Oregon game), but we just don't see spreads like this in the NFL.  Other than that there aren't too many good games outside of New Orleans-New England and Washington-Dallas.  So, let's improve on last week's poor performance.

SuperContest Picks (Home team in CAPS)

Eagles -1.5 over BUCS

Tampa Bay has lost three of its four games by a field goal or less and are coming off a bye.  All of this would matter for any other team that wasn't in shambles.  Ever since this whole Josh Freeman thing started the Bucs have not been right.  Freeman is now in Minnesota so that means rookie Mike Glennon must take over.  He looked less than good in his first start against Arizona and I expect more of the same this week.  Yes, Mike Vick is out for Philly, but his backup, Nick Foles, is more than capable of leading this high powered offense.  He came in last week against the Giants and threw for 197 yards and two TD's in little over half the game.  Tampa Bay's offense will be lucky to score more than 14 points and LeSean McCoy will score twice himself.

VIKINGS -2.5 over Panthers

A team that will get some help coming off the bye, and possibly from new addition Josh Freeman, are the Minnesota Vikings.  Last time we saw them they were getting their first win over the Steelers in London 34-27.  Matt Cassel got the start for an injured Christian Ponder and played well (248 yards, 2 TDs).  Carolina will be in its second straight road game after falling to the Cardinals 22-6 last week.  Cam Newton has been a big disappointment again this year.  Not only is his arm not producing but he can't get anything going on the ground either.  Freeman won't figure much in this game but will be in a competition for the starting job once he gets the playbook down.  Until then, Cassel will get the job done against the Panthers.

Raiders +8.5 over CHIEFS

Kansas City is a team I've been riding all year and they are 4-1 ATS, but this Oakland team has been really competitive with Terrelle Pryor at the helm.  He's taken a hold of the starting job and he also leads the Raiders in rushing.  Yes, the Chiefs are one of the top five teams in the league with arguably the best defense.  But, Oakland doesn't give up much on the ground and that's where the Chiefs bread and butter is with Jamaal Charles.  This game will go by fast with how much running will be by both teams and I think Oakland can score 17 to keep it close.

PATRIOTS -2.5 over Saints

Two of the best quarterbacks in the league will go at it in the best game of the week.  Drew Brees has outperformed Tom Brady so far this year and in head-to-head matchups as well, going 3-0 against the Pats QB.  The Saints have been close to unstoppable on offense and Jimmy Graham is not only the best tight end in the league but also turning into the best overall receiver.  On the other side, New England has been hampered by injures to their receiving corps all year.  Players are slowly starting to comeback as Danny Amendola returned last week and Rob Gronkowski will likely play against the Saints.  It's not often the betting public is not on the Patriots at home but this is one of those scenarios.  And that's why I think they will win.  The moment you count this team out is the moment the prove they are still a team to reckon with.

SEAHAWKS -13.5 over Titans

Tennessee was been a pleasant surprise to start the year 3-1 with Jake Locker at QB.  Then he went down with an injury and in stepped Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick started his first game for the Titans last week and looked rusty.  Seattle has struggled on the road but are a completely different beast at home.  This defense will be all over Fitzpatrick forcing bad throws and turnovers.  The Titans D is much improved but I just don't see their offense doing enough to keep it close in this one.


Other NFL in 10 or less

Giants +7.5 over BEARS     Eli has to cover sooner or later...right?

RAVENS +2.5 over Packers     Rut row Ray Rice, he's back as the focal point.

BROWNS +3 over Lions     Megatron is questionable and Browns defense is tough.

TEXANS -7.5 over Rams     Schaub comes through with his job on the line.

JETS -1.5 over Steelers     Jets coming home after emotional comeback in ATL.

BILLS +7 over Bengals     Bills rushing attack keeps them in it.

Jaguars +27.5 over BRONCOS     Gotta take the points, even against Peyton.

49ERS -10.5 over Cardinals     SF defense getting back to form, Palmer too erratic.

Redskins +5.5 over COWBOYS     Redskins coming off the bye in rivalry game.

Colts -2 over CHARGERS     Indy on a roll and Chargers have no defense.


SuperContest
Last Week:  4-1
Season Total:  15-9-1

Overall
Last Week:  6-8
Season Total:  41-32-3

Thursday, September 12, 2013

NFL Week 2 Pick'em

Week 1 looked fantastic going into the Monday night games, but finishing 0-2 turned it into just a good weekend.  Overall 9-5 isn't too bad to start with and neither is 4-1 for the SuperContest.  We saw a lot of players go off (Peyton Manning) and a few teams really disappoint (Pittsburgh Steelers).  The New England Patriots and Houston Texans had a hard time winning on the road and didn't cover.  Chip Kelly's offense in Philadelphia looked really scary in Washington with Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy, but Robert Griffin III seemed rusty coming off knee surgery.  Here's what Week 2 looks like.

SuperContest Picks (Home team in CAPS)

Jets +12 over PATRIOTS

New England struggled mightily last week playing at Buffalo.  The receiving core looked out of place all game and they were even running into each other on routes.  That was until the last drive when Tom Brady went 6-6 with Danny Amendola and Shane Vereen that lead to the game winning field goal.  This week Amendola (groin) and Vereen (wrist) are both out.  The Jets barely squeaked by Tampa Bay at home 18-17 on a last second FG of their own.  They aren't a team I'm very fond of this year, but the Pats are vulnerable.  New England has a lot of injury problems as well as chemistry issues and I think 12 is too much to cover in this rivalry.

BEARS -6 over Vikings

The Vikings and Adrian Peterson started off great with a 78-yard touchdown on their first play from scrimmage against the Detroit Lions.  After that Peterson only managed 15 yards on the ground.  Chicago has a very solid defense as well and are coming off a big home win over Cincinnati.  The Bears will be able to slow down AP just enough and put enough points on the board that Christian Ponder will have to throw.  If that happens, the Bears secondary will be feasting on INTs all day.  Minnesota made the playoffs a year ago but will finish last in the NFC North this year.

Saints -3 over BUCS

One of the most disappointing losses went to Tampa Bay last week.  A late hit on Jets QB Geno Smith put New York in position for the game winning field goal.  I didn't expect much this year from TB outside of Doug Martin but he had a rough go as well with only 65 yards at 2.7 per carry.  New Orleans on the other hand played well taking down Atlanta in the return of Sean Payton.  The Saints had one of the worst defenses in the league last year but held the Falcons to only 17 points.  If that defense shows up again this week it will be a long day for Tampa Bay.

SEAHAWKS -3 over 49ers

The top two teams in many power rankings will go head to head in the Sunday night game.  San Francisco is coming off a huge win over the Packers 34-28 and Colin Kaepernick showed he's legit.  Seattle had a tough time on the east coast against Carolina but came out with a win 12-7.  The Seahawks were probably looking to the 49ers and their play suffered against the Panthers but that won't happen this week.  Seattle wants to prove they are not only the best team in the NFC West but also the best team in the league.  They have one of the best home field advantages in the NFL and their fans will be ready for the home opener.

RAIDERS -5.5 over Jaguars

From two of the best teams, to two of the worst teams in the league.  Terrelle Pryor almost led Oakland to one of the biggest upsets last week but fell short to the Colts 21-17.  As for Jacksonville, they only managed to score 2 points off a blocked punt that went out of the end zone against the Chiefs.  The Jaguars have no offense whatsoever as teams will load up the box to stop Maurice Jones-Drew because they have two of the worst starting quarterbacks in the league.  Blaine Gabbert is out with a cut on his throwing hand, which means Chad Henne will get the start.  The Raiders have a nice running game with Darren McFadden (when healthy) and now Pryor.  Their defense isn't great but the Jags offense will look just as bad this week and have a difficult time to score enough to cover.


Other NFL in 10 or less

EAGLES -7.5 over Chargers     West coast teams struggle in 1:00pm east coast games.

Browns +6.5 over RAVENS     Browns always keep close with Baltimore, 7 would be better.

TEXANS -9 over Titans     Houston will find its offensive legs at home.

Dolphins +3 over COLTS     Miami proved me wrong last week.  Take them this week.

BILLS +3 over Panthers     Hard to pass up home teams with points.

ATLANTA -6.5 over Rams     Too much firepower in the Georgia Dome.

Redskins +7.5 over PACKERS     RG3 came to life late last week.  Should be shootout.    

CHIEFS -3 over Cowboys     I'm high on the Chiefs this year.

CARDINALS +1.5 over Lions     Arizona won 38-10 last year and both teams have improved.

GIANTS +4.5 over Broncos     Eli always plays big in big games.

BENGALS -7 over Steelers     Steelers looked terrible and lost standouts Pouncey and Foote.


SuperContest
Last Week:  4-1
Season Total:  4-1

Overall
Last Week:  9-5-1
Season Total:  9-5-1