Little bit of a late release for the picks, but be assured the Thursday night game was picked before the Eagles took down the Texans. We have our guest topic from the Sports Desk of The Aggie, Jason Alpert, along with Steve Vote and Kartar Singh.
Jason Alpert - Jaguars. Minus a poor second half last week against the Giants, the Jaguars had a successful week 12. David Gerrard was smart, MJD was MJD and the defense was making stops, in the first half. There is still way to much offensive uncertainty and inconsistency in Tennessee. If the season ended today, the Jaguars would win the AFC South. Yeah, let that stew around for a while.
Kartar Singh - Jaguars. As Jack Dale said before, "The man, the myth, the legend: David Garrard" I've never found this statement to be more true when the jags won on a last minute touchdown two weeks ago. Jags beat a reeling titans team. So much for Superbowl contenders.
Steve Vote: Jacksonville. How awesome would it be to see Gerrard walk over and rip off Finnegan’s helmet this week? Either way, Jacksonville wins.
Bears @ Lions
Jason Alpert - Bears. This game has the stench of a monumental upset, but the Chicago defense has been performing all season. Don't expect to see a regression from Jay Cutler against the weak Detroit defense either.
Kartar Singh - Bears. Stand up Cutler and Martz haters! Now sit down in shame please. Lions are still the most unlucky team in the league, wait I forgot about the Bills. Cutler and Martz keep the offense rolling, Sorry Ndamukong.
Steve Vote- Chicago. Cutler’s looking very solid and the Bears’ defense has been nasty in recent weeks.
Browns @ Dolphins
Jason Alpert - Dolphins. Cleveland has been over-performing and Miami has been under-performing. PS, Ronnie Brown, I could use the fantasy points. Ok thanks.
Kartar Singh - Two words. Peyton Hillis. The former Third String college running back. (Played behind McFadden and Felix Jones for Arkansas) was a Bronco. Then he was traded to the Browns for a third string quarterback. All he's done in Cleveland is be 9th in the NFL in rushing yards and 2nd in Touchdowns. Talk about unappreciated. Browns win.
Steve Vote: Cleveland. Interesting that Cleveland goes to Miami the same week that LeBron returns for the first time. I’m rooting for a Cleveland sweep this week.
Redskins @ Giants
Jason Alpert - Giants. New York is in a division race and the Redskins are trying to play spoiler against there rival. This has the making to be a very entertaining game. It all depends on which Giants team shows up. I expect the good Giants to play a full game here.
Kartar Singh - The team of horrible contracts vs the team that always chokes in December. First Albert Haynesworth and now Donovan McNabb, the Skins just never learn. The Giants on the other hand, can never seem to win in December as of late. Hopefully the Giants pull it off, for Manning's sake. But for now, I'll take the upset. Skins baby!
Broncos @ Chiefs
Jason Alpert - Chiefs. Can Kansas City please stop winning? They can't actually be good, right? Right? The only way Denver can stop the speedy Dwayne Bowe and Jamal Charles (fantasy steal, by the way) is to cheat. Since the Broncos are 0-1 in games they cheat, I expect the Chiefs to win.
Kartar Singh - Dwayne Bowe = BEAST Matt cassel = BEAST.....okay the second one was a lie. But still, there's no way the Chiefs get stomped on again right? I sure hope so. Chiefs at home.
Steve Vote- Kansas City. I’ve really never experienced the Broncos being out of contention 10 games in. It’s kind of fun to root for more losses though. Go ahead and call me a traitor, but I don’t consider a 5-11 or 6-10 season a moral victory. I consider it missing out on a high draft pick.
Niners @ Packers
Jason Alpert - Packers. Do I really need to explain why?
Kartar Singh - Troy Smith had an okay game monday night. What people didn't see in the game, was all the wide open passes he overthrew or led too far. If he can improve on that for sunday, his team might just have a chance. I know they will most likely lose, but I gotta pick my team. Niners win.
Steve Vote- Packers. At first glance, Singletary won’t need his stunners in the Wisconsin snow, but then again, he might when Aaron Rodgers starts lighting up his defense.
Bills @ Vikings
Jason Alpert - Vikings. According to Bills receiver Steve Johnson, God isn't on Buffalo's side. Gotta go with God on this one.
Kartar Singh - Ryan Fitzpatrick is a beast. Since week 3 I've been saying that. Brett Favre WAS a beast. I'll the present over the past. Bills win.
Steve Vote: Buffalo. The Bills are playing with some passion and brand new confidence. Minnesota’s got none of the above.
Saints @ Bengals
Jason Alpert - Saints. The TOcho show continues to be a flop and the Saints are stuggling to prevent a sophomore slump. Nonetheless, Drew Brees and the Saints should steam role the Bungals.
Kartar Singh - Two words: Drew Brees. Saints on the road.
Steve Vote: Saints. Weirder things have happened, but I just don’t see Cincinnati putting it together this late in the season.
Raiders @ Chargers
Jason Alpert - Chargers. The Chargers regular season path is like clockwork. Suck at the beginning, and never lose after Thanksgiving. Whatever gets the job done, right? Phillip Rivers is a pure man and he will demolish the Raider defense, healthy receivers or not.
Kartar Singh - The chargers just finished their annual great Norvember. Now time for D-cember. Expect the Charger defense to pick up their play this month. Chargers at home.
Steve Vote: Oakland has faded a bit recently, while San Diego is just heating up. Rivers is still a punk.
Panthers @ Seahawks
Jason Alpert -Seahawks. Good lord the NFC West is garbage. It might take seven wins to take this division. And even that might be asking too much from these teams. Carolina is really struggling and Seattle should scrap out a win.
Kartar Singh - Two bad teams. For the Niners sake I hope the Panthers win. So for that reason, I'll take young Jimmy Clausen and John Fox.
Steve Vote: Seattle. I want Carolina to win so the Broncos have a better shot at Luck. They’ve got no shot and neither do the Broncos.
Rams @ Cardinals
Jason Alpert -Rams. THIS ISN'T FUNNY. YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?! THE RAMS WILL WIN THE NFC WEST. THIS ISN'T A JOKE.
Kartar Singh - Better QB, better RB, better team morale. The rams are just a better team. Plain and simple. Cards have no chance this sunday, even with it being at home
Steve Vote: St. Louis. That’s fine. That’s fine. That’s fine. Anderson’s meltdown represents the mental state of that team. Bradford meanwhile looked like a seasoned veteran last weekend.
Falcons @ Bucs
Jason Alpert -Falcons. Atlanta is the most complete team in the NFL right now. They can kill you on both offense and defense.Tampa's seemingly magical season is running out of fairy dust as the weeks dwindle.
Kartar Singh - Is the Bucs defense and Josh Freeman enough to get past the Falcons? Probably not, but the Falcons are due for a loss. Bucs pull of the upset at home.
Steve Vote: Atlanta. The Falcons are clicking and Tampa’s only beaten bad teams. This is not the week either trend reverses itself.
Cowboys @ Colts
Jason Alpert -Colts. Peyton Manning is too good to play this poorly and he will roll through the lowly Cowboys. Even though Dallas is going through somewhat of a revival under Jason Garrett, the Colts should march away with the win.
Kartar Singh - The last time Peyton Manning lost three in a row was in 2002. I don't expect that to happen again, atleast not this year. Colts make a statement at home.
Steve Vote: Indianapolis. The Colts have been a little disappointing, but still are not in as much of a tailspin as the Cowboys.
Steelers @ Ravens
Jason Alpert -Steelers. Both of the primetime games are set to be great ones. This rivalry has been intense in the past, with each squad going all out every down. Expect a low-scoring affair in which field position will be as important as ever. The Steeler offense is slightly better, and they'll take control of the AFC North with this win.
Kartar Singh - Big Ben is hurt. Ravens D is as good as its been in a while. Joe Flacco is finally playing consistent football. What else can you ask for in Baltimore right now? A sweep of the Steelers this year? Well, your wish will be granted this weekend, Ravens fans.
Steve Vote: Baltimore. Don’t get me wrong, the Steelers are still a very good team. They’ve just been playing below expectations. That, and home-field advantage should push the Ravens over top.
Jets @ Patriots
Jason Alpert -Patriots. The NFL really lucked out with arguably the two best teams in the league going against each other on Monday Night in a battle for first place in the AFC West and probably the conferences top seed. That sure is a mouthful. The Jets have been getting incredibly lucky all year, but their magic will run out against New England. Hands down game of the week. And just because I said that, this game will be worse that last weeks Monday Night Showdown.
Kartar Singh - Jets already beat the Pats in week 2. However, this a much better Pats team now than it was in week 2. Either way, the Jets D is still better than the Pats D, Shonn Greene and LT are better than Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor, and most importantly, Rex Ryan isn't afraid of Bill Belhichick. Jets win and surprise the world on Monday Night.
Steve Vote: New England. I know this is sort of a copout, but the Jets haven’t been winning convincingly. This isn’t the BCS, so quality of wins doesn’t matter, but they will not be able to engineer a last-second comeback against a team like the Pats.
