NFL Picks

Season Record 26-22
Last Week 2-2
Mortal Lock Record 5-5-1

Well, the Stool got off to an unlucky start in Wildcard weekend. We were a disappointing 2-2. We did win our mortal lock which was obviously the Pats but I can’t take credit for that pick because it was so easy. Anybody who thought the Jags had any chance in that game simply doesn’t deserve to live. The real disappointment was the Bengals as that bet went down the drain on the 2nd offensive play of the game when Carson Palmer got his leg mutilated. Oh well, those are the breaks that make gambling the toughest business in America. If Palmer didn’t go down I think we would have been 3-1 on the weekend, but if if’s and but’s were candy everyday would be Christmas. So we’ll regroup and move on and shoot for a winning record this week.

Pats at Denver -3

Let’s start with the easiest game of the weekend. The Pats win this game by double digits. The Broncos won’t be able to run the ball and this will force Jake Plummer to try and win it on his own which always spells doom. As I’ve said a million times- it’s a freaking slap in the face that the Patriots are not favored in this game. The Pats are in the middle of the greatest stretch in the history of football. Bill Belichick has the best playoff winning percentage of any coach ever. Better than Lombardi. Tom Brady has never lost a playoff game. 10 straight playoff victories are the most in the history of football. The defense hasn’t given up more than 50 yards rushing in the last two months. It’s like a broken record. Belichick is like 500-0 against teams that beat the Pats the first time in the season. How can anybody say that the Broncos should be favored here? They haven’t won a playoff game since Elway retired. I don’t care if this game was played on Mars- the Pats should be favored.

Mortal Lock – Pats

Washington at Seattle -9

Now the games get a little bit tougher. To be honest, I hate this game. I don’t think Seattle is that good, but neither is Washington. The Skins were lucky as hell to beat Tampa Bay. You don’t win many games when you only have 150 yards of total offense. Still a win is a win is a win. Especially in the playoffs. The thing that worries me about this game is that the Washington vs. Tampa game was extremely physical. I feel like teams that have very hard Wildcard games seem to get crushed in the divisional games against the higher seed who is rested and been waiting to play for 2 weeks. Therefore, as much as I hate laying 9 points here I think I’m going to have to. This will be a very small play for me and it’s based all on my theory of how the NFL playoffs usually work and not on the actual teams in this game.

The Pick – Seattle

Pitt at Indy -9.5

This is another tough game for me. I don’t think Pittsburgh is nearly as good as they have been in years past. In fact, I think the Bengals would have beaten them had it not been for Carson Palmer getting injured. But as everybody knows by now, I also think the Colts are a bunch of frauds. And this will be the toughest team that the Colts have ever had to play in the first round. As much as it pains me I think I’m going to have to take the Colts here. I just don’t think Pittsburgh’s defense can hold up against Indy. They looked weak against the Bengals and I think they’re one of the more overrated units in the league. The good news is that after the Colts put 30 or 40 on the Steelers everybody will think that they’re going to do the same thing to the Pats- which of course won’t happen.

The Pick – Indy

Carolina at Bears -3

The more I look at these games the more I’ve become convinced that I need to bet WAY more on the Pats because it’s the only game I’m 100% positive about. This is another tough one. I haven’t been on the right side of Panthers’ game in ages. I took Carolina earlier this year when they got mauled by the Bears. And frankly Carolina has had me scratching my head the entire season. At one point I thought the Panthers should be the favorites (outside N.E) to win the Super Bowl. But they were woefully inconsistent the entire year all the way till the end. That’s why I picked the Giants last week. At some point you are what you are right? But then they go out and look every bit as good as I thought they were earlier in the season before I gave up on them. What I’m saying is that I’m totally confused. I have no idea what team is going to show up. If both teams play good football I think Carolina wins. So that means I’m taking the Panthers. But it certainly wouldn’t shock me if they stick it up my ass like they’ve done every time I’ve taken them this year.

The Pick - Carolina