2014 Week 12 Review & Week 13 Picks

Week 11 Review (Week 1-4, Season 24-36, All Time 127-115-2)

The streak of 2-3 weeks is finally over...but not in the direction we would have hoped for, as our pick fell to 1-4 after the Monday Night games. Typically, this is the part of the season where we would be rolling with our picks as we gained a firmer grasp on what makes each team tick, but that just hasn't been the case. Our poor performance to date is from a combination of bad picking and bad luck. We have been wrong on match up calls, momentum calls, trap game calls, you name it.  Despite the way this season has unfolded, we will continue to pick games and hope to see some improvement and trend towards .500 by the end of the year

Week 12 Picks

Chicago +7 @ Detroit

We do like Detroit and think they have been on the receiving end of a very difficult schedule. At the same time however, their offense is suffering from some systemic problems that haven't been fixed from the return of Calvin Johnson. This team has struggled even against bad defenses and a blowout in this game will have to come from their defense. A defensive blowout is certainly a conceivable scenario against a turnover prone QB like Cutler, but we have liked the performance of the Chicago O-Line enough over the last two weeks to back them against this outstanding defense.

Seattle +1.5 @ San Francisco

We used to really like both of these teams, but their recent performances have made us question those takes. While they are winning, San Francisco has severely underperformed on offense and has recently struggled to stop the run on defense. We love Seattle's match up on the ground and think that San Francisco's pass protection struggles will help Seattle overcome its biggest weakness--rushing the passer. We like Seattle to win on the road in a close game.

Houston -6.5 vs Tennessee

Despite losing in our pick against them two weeks ago, we still think Tennessee has the worst offense in the NFL. Their offense should be further hindered this week as they are down three starters across the offensive line. Tennessee also struggles stopping the run, and we think Houston should have little difficulty moving it on the ground even if Arian Foster can't play. We like Houston to win comfortably.

Minnesota -3 vs Carolina

This is a very simple pick. Minnesota has shown an ability throughout the season to rush the passer, and Carolina is starting what is most likely the worst offensive line unit in the history of the NFL. Cam Newton is still playing well in our eyes, but he can only do so much. On the flip side, the Minnesota offense has played decently over the last few weeks, and we think they should definitely win this game.

New England +3 @ Green Bay

Both of these teams have been very impressive over recent weeks, but New England has been that much better. While Green Bay has been dominating bad teams, New England has been dominating good teams. They are firing on all cylinders and match up well against Green Bay, both offensively and defensively. We like New England as a live dog.