Week 12 Results

Was it just me or was pretty much every game that anyone paid attention to (read: not any game involving Cleveland) a major blowout? Ok, I guess the Colts/Chargers and Redskins/Seahawks were close, but they shouldn't have been... anyways, this was a rough week.

Cincinnati 10, Pittsburgh 27 (predicted: Cincinnati 17, Pittsburgh 30) - No surprises here. The Bengals are still terrible and the only interesting note was that Chad Johnson was inactive due to a violation of team rules (or something similarily meaningless). I guess it's a team rule that you can't talk big and then waste a starting spot for 90% of the season.

Philadelphia 7, Baltimore 36 (predicted: Philadelphia 31, Baltimore 29) - Ouch. Whoever thought the Eagles were playoff contenders, this game should change your mind. I had the unfortunate experience of watching part of this game and it was just ugly. I can understand benching McNabb, but why throw Kyle Kolb in against the Ravens' starters? That's just mean...

Chicago 27, St. Louis 3 (predicted: Chicago 27, St. Louis 10) - So in the last 5 games, the Rams have averaged 3 points per game when not in garbage time. 2 of those games they couldn't even score against the opponent's second-stringers. Sorry Jim Haslett, you're not making a very strong case for keeping your job. The Rams are clearly going to have to go into rebuilding mode next year. Too bad it'll be a year too late.

NYJ 34, Tennessee 13 (predicted: NYJ 20, Tennessee 24) - Well on the bright side we don't have to listen to Mercury Morris for another year. Ugly loss for the Titans, who couldn't get anything going against the Jets until they showed some life midway through the fourth quarter. Brett Favre and the Jets receivers ran short patterns over the middle of the field the entire game and wound up getting long gains after the catch when the Titans overcommitted. With the pressure off, the Titans can now focus on locking up the division which is theirs unless this is the start of an epic collapse.

New England 48, Miami 28 (predicted: New England 27, Miami 24) - Apparently Joey Porter and the Dolphins haven't been watching Matt Cassel's performances lately. He's totally different than he was in his first start against the Dolphins, and Randy Moss returned to dominance with 3 touchdowns and 125 yards. Matt Cassel becomes the first Patriot to throw for 400 yards in consecutive games, and there is a quarterback controversy in the making!!!!

Houston 16, Cleveland 6 (predicted: Houston 28, Cleveland 33) - Kevin Walter scored the only touchdown in this game about halfway through the first quarter and then there was nothing but field goals. I'd rather watch paint dry, but that's a pretty good indicator of how these two teams' seasons are going.

Tampa Bay 38, Detroit 20 (predicted: Tampa Bay 27, Detroit 16) - The Lions jumped out to an early 17-0 lead before the Bucs started playing lights-out. Big plays on special teams by Clifton Smith and Ronde Barber put the game away, as the Lions drop to 0-11. 5 games left for the perfect season!

Minnesota 30, Jacksonville 12 (predicted: Minnesota 24, Jacksonville 20) - The Jaguars just aren't that good, and it's probably for the best that they aren't in the playoff race at this point. It's hard to pin their season's lack of success on one particular thing... oh wait, no it's not. Granted, Minnesota is a tough defense to run on until the Williams brothers get suspended, but 35 total yards????? For one of the "best rushing tandems in the league" that's pretty pathetic.

Buffalo 54, Kansas City 31 (predicted: Buffalo 20, Kansas City 21) - 54 points? Where did that come from? Tyler Thigpen had himself a decent game despite throwing two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. The Kansas City defense let Trent Edwards- hardly the second coming of Michael Vick- rush 6 times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. Turnovers were definitely the problem, as Kansas City lost 3 out of 4 fumbles while not recovering any. The Chiefs also were unable to get a sack, which keeps them ahead of the record pace for fewest sacks in a season. They still seem to be playing hard, and are the best 1-10 team in recent memory. Like a third party in the national election, they could still throw the playoff seedings into chaos as they have three division games remaining as well as a game against the Dolphins.

San Francisco 22, Dallas 35 (predicted: San Francisco 19, Dallas 24) - I guess the 49ers weren't dumb enough to fall for the old, "TO needs the ball more" speech by TO himself. Oops. Owens dominated the 49ers secondary all over the field, catching a season-high for wide receivers 213 yards including a 75-yard touchdown. Tony Romo looked like himself again throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns, while Marion Barber got most of the leftovers with 59 yards rushing and 50 yards passing. Poor Mike Singletary...

Oakland 31, Denver 10 (predicted: Oakland 21, Denver 30) - Denver's god-awful defense came back to bite them as Oakland embarrassed the Broncos at Mile High with a surprisingly balanced offense. 158 yards rushing and 160 yards passing with no turnovers isn't flashy, but it works against bad teams. Jay Cutler, after dissecting the Raiders in Week 1, managed only 204 yards, no TDs, an interception, and a fumble. Second coming of John Elway? Not quite.

Carolina 28, Atlanta 45 (predicted: Carolina 23, Atlanta 28) - Michael Turner continues his dominance in the Georgia Dome, averaging almost 5 yards a carry and scoring 4 touchdowns against what everyone thought was a strong rush defense. The Falcons wisely chose not to take many chances via the pass, as Matt Ryan completed 17 for 259 yards with no TDs or interceptions. The Panthers are now in a tie for the division lead with the Bucs, with the Bucs currently ahead due to their 2-1 division record to the Panthers' 2-2.

NYG 37, Arizona 29 (predicted: NYG 34, Arizona 24) - The Giants proved against the Ravens that they can get the better of any team with Brandon Jacobs and the running game. Against the Cardinals without Jacobs and losing Plaxico Burress early in the game to injury, Eli Manning answered the call and went 26/33 (that's 79% completions) for 240 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Predictably the Cardinals stuck to their aerial fireworks and rushed 15 times to Warner's 52 attempts, but the Giants did a good job of playing the "bend but don't break" game and played well enough to let the offense get ahead. While I don't think this is an NFC Championship preview, both of these teams are looking at first-round playoff byes.

Washington 20, Seattle 17 (predicted: Washington 23, Seattle 27) - Clinton Portis, why do you tease us with your injuries and then rush for 143 yards? Interestingly both teams on big slides (Buffalo and Washington) got to play crappy teams this week and ended their losing streaks. It remains to be seen whether they can climb back to the top of their respective divisions, which remain among the league's most competitive.

Indianapolis 23, San Diego 20 (predicted: Indianapolis 30, San Diego 27) - Even though the Chargers seemed to have the Colts' number in recent matchups, this is a big win for Indianapolis. Improving to 7-4, they remain the default for the wildcard tie-breaker and the fifth playoff seed due to head-to-head wins over the Patriots and the Ravens. Indy should be able to win the next three (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit) handily, and could even manage to win the division if the Titans fall apart. Interestingly, the week 17 matchup against the Titans could have huge implications if everything lines up right.

Green Bay 29, New Orleans 51 (predicted: Green Bay 35, New Orleans 27) - Remember when Green Bay traded Brett Favre and then everyone thought Aaron Rodgers was doing great when he managed the game against the Vikings and then slaughtered the hapless Lions? It was a brilliant move by Ted Thompson, right? I wonder where those people are now.

A brutal 9/16 this week, 109/175 for the season.