Critic Al’s Football Week 10 Pick ‘Em
Patriots vs. Colts
Game of the Week: Patriots at Colts
Thank goodness it’s finally here. I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for the annual Colts-Patriots showdown. We got robbed of a Peyton Manning-Tom Brady game last year, so I’m curious to see what these guys have in store. But for a second, let’s think back to the last time these two QBs faced off.
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It was back in November of 2007, Marvin Harrison was still around, so were Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi. Both teams were undefeated and neither Brady nor Manning showed any signs of slowing down.
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But since that game, Tony Dungy has left, Rodney Harrison and Marvin Harrison are both gone, and both Brady and Manning have underwent knee surgeries. This is a new type of Colts-Patriots game, and it kind of represents a new stage of Brady and Manning’s careers.
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They’re not the up and comers any more, nor are they part of the elite. Those two are the elite, to put it plainly. Drew Brees might put up better numbers, and Eli-Philip Rivers-Roethlisberger triangle might get much of the attention, but Manning and Brady are the cream of the crop.
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And wouldn’t you know it, but the Colts and Pats are 1-2 among the league’s top passing teams. Don’t be fooled though, they’re both excellent on defense as well. And since there’s a ton of new faces on these teams, there’s bound to be some rookie that makes a huge impact, even if none of America yet knows his name. It’s as even of a match up as you’re going to get, which makes it hard to pick.
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But that’s what they pay me the big bucks for, and when it comes down to it, I think Manning is closer to his old self than Brady. The game is in Peyton’s place too, so I’m going with the Colts here. We’ll see what happens if these two teams meet up again in the playoffs. I sure hope that happens, because I think we’re in for a good one.
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Now, on to the rest of the picks.
Chicago at San Francisco (-3)
Mediocrity reigns in this match up. The 49ers have lost four in a row, and the Bears are a steaming pile of underachievement. I know Mike Singletary will be jazzed to play his old team, but this one is pretty much a toss-up. And since the Bears are extremely hot and cold, I’ll pick them to win this week.
Atlanta (-1.5) at Carolina
Atlanta really fits the bill of a good but not great team. They can beat the Washingtons of the world, but Atlanta falls short against the likes of New Orleans and New England. I don’t feel like Matt Ryan has thrown his way out of a slump just yet, but he can be off his game and still beat the Panthers.
Tampa Bay at Miami (-10)
Kind of like Atlanta and Chicago, the Dolphins are up and down any given week. They’re never blown out, but their losses are still coming at a pretty steady clip. Luckily for Miami, they face one of the two teams in Florida that’s worse than them. Dolphins win this one, and I’m sure they’ll run the Wildcat 40 times.
Detroit at Minnesota (-16.5)
Vikings by 40. Next!
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-7)
I like this one. I keep picking against the Bengals in their division, and they’re burning me every time. But who can blame me? Would you have thought the Bengals would be 4-0 against the Browns, Ravens and Steelers by now? It’s unreal. So here’s the point where I’m supposed to change my ways and go with Cincinnati against the Steelers. But I’m an old man, I can’t just change that easily. Steelers win.
Buffalo at Tennessee (-6.5)
Well, Vince Young has gone 2-0 since being reinserted as a starter. Is that a sign of hope? Not so much. Mainly because the Titans haven’t played anyone good since Vince returned. That’s still the case this week, seeing how Buffalo is as big if not a bigger mess than Tennessee. I’ll go with the Titans to make it three in a row, but I won’t be so generous when Tennessee plays Houston next week.
Denver (-3.5) at Washington
The Broncos are seriously hurting right now. These last two losses have totally ruined the good feelings they earned by starting 6-0. Fortunately for them, they’re playing a disaster of a team. I’ll go with the Broncos here, because Washington certainly hasn’t proven anything this season.
New Orleans (-13.5) at St. Louis
The Saints have it easy. After the Rams, they still have two games against Tampa Bay, as well as contests against doormats like Washington and Carolina. I’ll go with New Orleans against St. Louis of course, but I’m already circling that November 30th date with New England as the game that will prove whether the Saints are serious this season or not.
Jacksonville at New York Jets (-7)
Not sure who to choose here. Jacksonville is showing signs of life, especially with their running game. New York has had a week to think over their latest loss, but I’m not sure what the Jets are doing well right now, if anything at all. I’ll go Jets here, seeing how they’re coming off a bye week and can run the ball just as well as Jacksonville.”
Kansas City at Oakland (-1.5)
This one will certainly be a candidate for worst game of the week. They’re both just so awful, though maybe their similar ineptitude will cause a competitive game. Who am I kidding, the Raiders can’t even muster a resistance against a bad opponent. I’ll go with the Chiefs here, taking their first win in the post-Larry Johnson era.
Seattle at Arizona (-8.5)
I like where Arizona is right now. Just like last year, they’re proving dangerous enough to beat anyone on any given week. The only problem is they’ve been terrible at home. Can you think of any other elite team that’s 1-3 in their own stadium? That said, the Cardinals aren’t even playing great offensive football, but they’re still winning, and I think that’ll be the case against Seattle. Cards win.
Dallas (-3) at Green Bay
Dallas is starting to heat up, but Cowboy fans know that a December collapse could easily be coming around the bend. Meanwhile, the Packers are already well into their own midseason swoon. So it only makes sense to go with Dallas here, seeing how Green Bay is allowing about seven sacks a game on poor Aaron Rodgers. I’ll be surprised if DeMarcus Ware doesn’t walk away with four sacks.
Philadelphia at San Diego (-2)
Now this is an interesting one. Both of these teams have big-play potential, and yet they’re simply lurking in their respective conferences. No one would put Philly ahead of New Orleans or Minnesota, and likewise very few would consider San Diego as potent as Indianapolis or New England. But in a showdown between two similar teams, I’ll go with Philly for the sheer fact that the Eagles have plenty of weapons outside of Brian Westbrook, while the Chargers weren’t great about surrounding LaDainian Tomlinson with young talent.
Baltimore (-10.5) at Cleveland
If Brady Quinn is going to give any hope to the fine people of Cleveland, it needs to be this game right here. The Ravens are vulnerable, beaten up and losers of four of their last five games. It’s the perfect opportunity to catch Baltimore off guard and steal a game. That said, I have minimal faith that Quinn will get it done, because Cleveland is quite simply an awful collection of talent. Ravens win.
Last week: 8-5
Season: 80-48 (.625)
Past Predictions: Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6 / Week 7 / Week 8 / Week 9
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