My NFL Picks Stunk
January 15, 2006 – 11:39 pmWhat a surprise, I know. I “placed” eight bets and lost five of them. And no, I didn’t actually put any money on these games, and I think my 3-5 record is plenty of reason why I don’t bet on NFL games. At least not yet.
I was shocked by no less than three events, NFL-wise, that took pace this weekend. Here they are in order of shocking-ness:
1. New England lost.
2. Indianapolis lost.
3. Carolina scored 29 on the Bears.
And I mean I was shocked. The Patriots were on a roll. They had the feel of a champion, and Tom Brady and Bill Belichick hadn’t lost a playoff game with the Patriots. Their defense was healing and coming together at the right time. Everything seemed to be in place for them to knock off a couple of teams on the road and take another really good shot at a Super Bowl trophy. That all went kaput in Denver.
The Colts loss was a little less shocking than the Patriots loss, but only because the Colts hadn’t played a meaningful game in a month or so. Add that to the tragic loss of Coach Dungy’s son, and there were at least a couple of reasons why it would be difficult for the Colts to regain the magic they had for most of the season. I still totally expected them to win and really hadn’t put much thought into the scenario of what would happen if they lost. I expected both teams that ending up qualifying for the AFC championship game next weekend to have been officially eliminated from the playoffs by now.
And how did Carolina put 29 up on the Bears? The Bears won their regular season meeting with the Panthers 13-3. Yes, that’s right: 16 combined points. The Panthers nearly doubled that output themselves today. I always knew the Bears were pretenders; that’s why I picked Carolina to win the game. But I had no idea the Panthers would get nearly 30 points. But how much better does Rex Grossman look compared to Kyle Orton? Orton is certainly a serviceable backup, but I think it’s clear Rex should be the man in Chicago.
If you’re looking for a nice laugh, come back and read the picks I make for the conference championship games coming up this weekend. I’ll wait until the lines come out and make sure there aren’t any freak injuries in practice this week, but it’s not like having that information will matter. I’ll be luck to break .500.
2 Responses to “My NFL Picks Stunk”
Well, I was hoping to see a ‘Skins vs. Colts Super Bowl, but that dream is over. However, I’ve got to say that I’m thrilled that the ‘Skins ended up with a winning record. The fact that they made it past the Wild Card game was an added bonus. Next year, next year…
But the Colts let me down. Like you said, there are reasons why it isn’t *too* surprising. You forgot to mention that their last few games of the season were a little more shaky than earlier on in the season. I only caught the last few minutes of the game and they were heartbreaking. I joined the game right before the Steelers fumble on the one yard line. I saw the situation, prayed for a miracle, *got* the miracle (the fumble), and then watched the Colts fail to convert. So sad.
These aren’t predictions, but I sincerely hope that we end up with Denver v Carolina in the Super Bowl. I *HATE* Pittsburgh (and not just because they beat the Colts). I have always hated Pittsburgh, and I always will. And while it would be fun to see them lose the Super Bowl, I’d rather get rid of them now and have a close game between Denver and Carolina, with Carolina winning on a last-second field goal or miracle kickoff returned for a touchdown. Seattle I neither like nor dislike. They’ve always been a blah team for me. Although, the fact that they beat the Skins (despite it being an expected result) is against them.
By Adam on Jan 16, 2006 at 3:07 am
I was pretty disappointed the Colts lost, too. Peyton Manning gets ton of flak from all over the place, and I’m really not sure why. Usually that happens to players who have won a bunch and have pissed off a lot of people in the process, but Manning has lost almost every big game he’s ever played in. How has he pissed so many people off? He is almost universally considered the inferior quarterback to Tom Brady. I guess I just don’t get it.
I am almost completely ambivalent about who makes it to the Super Bowl. I think all four teams have good stories.
I like the Broncos. I like the idea of Jake Plummer shaking his image as an interception machine that will give the game away at a moment’s notice. To come from that image to a Super Bowl victory would really be something.
I like the Steelers. I like Bill Cowher, particularly. It crushed me when they lost to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl, and they have been a consistently good team for ten years or more. It seems like they’ve been good long enough that they deserve to break through this one time and win the Super Bowl.
I like the Panthers. I was rooting for them hard to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago. I like Jake Delhomme’s story. By no means has this guy been handed anything as a result of name recognition or physical talent. He just plays a really nice game. He can make big throws, and he can also get out of the way of his running game. But with DeShaun Foster out with a broken ankle, I think they might finally go down in Seattle. But that also depends on the health of Shaun Alexander.
I like the Seahawks. I always rooted for them to beat the Rams when they never could. I was tired of the Rams. Mike Holmgren doesn’t bother me, but I’m not a huge fan of his. Matt Hasselbeck seems like a pretty good guy.
Basically, there is not a team I am clearly rooting for or against. If the AFC championship game was Colts versus Patriots, I would be rooting so hard for Indianapolis to win that game. Alas, I won’t have to worry about that. Hopefully this will help clear my head of any emotional involvement, and as a result I can make a little bit better picks. We’ll see.
By jjk on Jan 16, 2006 at 9:58 am