Week 14 picks

To put it bluntly, picking games this season has been a disaster. Losing close games is common, but it seems to be even more of a weekly occurrence this season. Twenty games under .500 is pretty terrible, especially since I finished 15 games above .500 last year in my first year actually writing out/documenting my NFL picks. Maybe things are just evening out, or maybe I'm just not that good at it to begin with (likely). But with four weeks of games left to go (and then playoff picks), my goal is to get to .500. It's improbable, and there's a better chance that my record steadily deteriorates instead, but hey, there's nothing wrong with looking for moral victories at a time like this. I'm not above that.

To the picks:

Colts (-3.5) over TITANS

Picked this one, incorrectly, on Thursday morning. Special thanks to the Titans for ruining this pick with a touchdown on the last play of the game. That was awesome.

Raiders (+4) over JAGUARS

The Colts' win really puts pressure on the Jaguars, who would like to stay a game ahead heading into next week's Jaguars-Colts showdown in Indianapolis. But the Raiders may actually be better than the Jaguars, regardless of what the Jags need to do.

Bengals (+9) over STEELERS

The Steelers will win, but nine points just seems like a lot for as many field goals as Pittsburgh has kicked the last two weeks.

Browns (PK) over BILLS

In Peyton Hillis we trust -- as long as Jake Delhomme doesn't blow it.

Giants (-3) over VIKINGS

With how gimpy Brett Favre is these days, the Giants may actually prefer that the turnover-prone quarterback played. Still, they're going to load up the box with defenders to stop Adrian Peterson, meaning that either Favre or Tarvaris Jackson is going to have to beat them. And with Percy Harvin likely to miss another game, that won't be such an easy task.

Packers (-7) over LIONS

Drew Stanton actually wasn't too bad last week against a solid Bears defense. Can he do that against one of the NFL's best defenses for the second straight week? I doubt it.

Falcons (-7.5) over PANTHERS

Isn't picking against the Panthers a given at this point?

Buccaneers (-3) over REDSKINS

Ditto for the Redskins (oh, plus injuries, no blocking, etc.).

SAINTS (-9) over Rams

The Rams get a wake-up call after a rather easy win over the Cardinals last week.

Seahawks (+5.5) over 49ERS

Alex Smith gets the start at quarterback this week for San Francisco. I don't really have anything else to add.

Patriots (-3) over BEARS

If there was a time for a let-down game for the Patriots, this game -- on the road, against a tough defense and a team that's won five straight games -- might be it. But the Patriots have won four straight of their own and have dominated teams the last few weeks. I'll side with Tom Brady over Jay Cutler.

JETS (-6) over Dolphins

The Jets were flat-out embarrassed last week against the Patriots. Rex Ryan will make sure that that kind of lackadaisical effort doesn't happen again.

Broncos (-4) over CARDINALS

It would be pretty simple to make a John Skelton joke, but the Cardinals are bad no matter who starts at quarterback. It's not your fault, Mr. Skelton.

CHARGERS (-7) over Chiefs

With Matt Cassel (23 TD, 4 INT) out this week, Brodie Croyle (career: 8 TD, 8 INT) gets the start under center for the Chiefs. Kansas City loves to run the ball, but not THAT much.

COWBOYS (+3.5) over Eagles

I don't know how it's possible, but it's Week 14 and the Cowboys and Eagles haven't played each other yet. What's that all about? Anyway, the Eagles will have their hands full against, ahem, a resurgent Cowboys team that has won three of its last four -- and could have won four straight if not for a Roy Williams fumble against the Saints. The Eagles appear to have the edge, but losing Asante Samuel and Winston Justice definitely hurts.

Ravens (-3) over TEXANS

It's a home game, but I'd be shocked if the Texans won this game -- especially since they aren't exactly adept at taking down very good teams this season. How's that for insight?

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Wow, that's a lot of road picks. That can't possibly work, right?

Last week: 7-9
Season: 83-103-6

Week 14 NFL picks and a quick note

Big week in the NFL this week. A few playoff spots are still up for grabs, and the Saints and Colts are both looking to go 13-0 on the season.

Here are my picks for the games this week:

(Home team is in caps.)

Steelers (-10.5) over BROWNS

Already picked this game here. Whoops. The worst thing about this game for the Steelers isn't so much that they lost, but that they were outplayed in every facet of the game by the Browns. If you thought that was going to happen in a must-win game, well, congrats to you. Seriously though, Steelers' offensive line, eight sacks? Come on.

Saints (-10.5) over FALCONS

Packers (-4) over BEARS

COLTS (-7) over Broncos

CHIEFS (+1.5) over Bills

Bengals (+7) over VIKINGS

Panthers (+13) over PATRIOTS

BUCCANEERS (+4) over Jets

Dolphins (+3) over JAGUARS

RAVENS (-14) over Lions

TEXANS (-7) over Seahawks

TITANS (-13) over Rams

Redskins (-1) over RAIDERS

Chargers (+3) over COWBOYS

Eagles (-1) over GIANTS

Cardinals (-4) over 49ERS

Last week: 8-8
Season: 105-83-4

Enjoy the games.

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Not sure if you've seen this yet, but Buck Martinez is leaving MASN to work for the Blue Jays' TV crew. This move came as a surprise to me, but Martinez played and coached in Toronto, so it's not a huge shock that he'd want to go back and call Blue Jay games. And while I don't mind Jim Palmer that much during the 80 or so games that he announces, Martinez is probably the better analyst of the two in the booth. As of right now MASN hasn't named a replacement. But there is one obvious thing to be thankful for no matter who takes over for Martinez: There's no way that any combination of Orioles' announcers will be as bad as Bob Carpenter and Rob Dibble.