That was some weekend, huh? Three games that could’ve gone either way, with thrilling endings…and the fourth proving that the Bengals remain the Bengals, much in the way you could count on an Imperial Stormtrooper to consistently miss his target.
The weekend also proved that, despite a pretty good regular season record, my NFL picks remain highly fallible. If you were foolish enough to place any credence in these, well…my 1-3 record serves you right. I’m an author, not a bookie, Jim. (Though, really, my faith in the Bengals getting over the hump was the only true whiff last week.)
So what do we have now? Another great weekend of football with good teams and excellent matchups. This means, of course, that like a Stormtrooper, I’ll miss more than I hit. But then, it’s not like I’m putting money down on these.
On with the picks!
New Orleans at Seattle: Arguing which is the better team is like the old Star Wars vs. Star Trek argument. Seattle has the better defense, New Orleans the better offense — but they’re not bad on the other side of the ball, either. I don’t see this being a huge scoring game, and it’ll come down to who’s better prepared and cagey. Pick: Seahawks.
Indianapolis at New England: New Englanders are gonna hate, but the reason that the Pats are in this year is partially due to the overall mediocrity of the AFC East. Yes, the Pats managed some quality wins, but they’re still using castoffs and rookies at wide receiver, and the defense has questions. The Colts, meanwhile, are playing great ball, though they barely squeaked out a win last week. Tough call. Pick: Colts.
San Francisco at Carolina: Aaron Rodgers wants someone to discount double-check that last game to be sure he actually lost, but the fact remains that the Niners were really darn good. Carolina is a great team and they’re riding a huge win streak, and both teams are versatile on offense, stout on defense. But experience wins out, and SF has it. Pick: Niners.
San Diego at Denver: Peyton Manning will seriously Hulk-out if anybody on the Broncos gives an inch to the Chargers. He’ll throw them right over the nosebleed seats, I promise you. The man wants his second ring, and barring something strange happening, the Chargers will not stand in his way. Pick: Broncos.
Last week’s record: 1-3
Regular season record: 164-91
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Michael J. Martinez 