Mikey's Crystal Ball: Week 11

Last Week: 8-7
Season Record: 94-52 (.644)

Atlanta at NY Giants--You can't really say the Giants need this game more than the Falcons, because both teams are 5-4 and vying for a wild card spot at this point. But with four straight losses and two weeks to rest and think about it, you have to believe the G-men will come out smoking. Giants 27, Falcons 20

NY Jets at New England--That Week 2 game is a distant memory for the Jets. They really are playing like crap, aren't they? Meanwhile, the hoodie has been deflecting questions about his on-field gambling all week. He's pissed and so is his team. Patriots 30, Jets 17

Cleveland at Detroit--This week we'll get to see just how bad the Browns are. Worse than the Lions, that is for sure. Lions 23, Browns 16

Buffalo at Jacksonville--The Bills have a new coach but are pretty much the same old Bills, while Jack Del Rio has lit a fire under his team's collective ass. Jaguars 22, Bills 16

Pittsburgh at Kansas City--One of the big mismatches of the week. The Steelers do need this gimme though, to keep pace with Cincinnati in the division. Steelers 28, Chiefs 13

San Francisco at Green Bay--This one has a '90's feel to it....but these two teams are shells of those former Super Bowl contenders. The Pack played out of their minds last Sunday against Dallas, but they can't possibly keep that up. Still, they win here. Packers 20, Niners 17

Washington at Dallas--At what point do the Redskins decide that they need an upgrade at QB? Maybe punter Hunter Smith is their guy! Cowboys 24, Redskins 10

New Orleans at Tampa Bay--The Saints keep playing close games against lesser opponents. If they do that again this week, it might bite them in the butt. Saints 33, Bucs 17

Arizona at St. Louis--Kurt Warner returns to his old stomping grounds, and stomps all over his former team. Cardinals 34, Rams 17

Cincinnati at Oakland--The Raiders sure are a hard team to figure out, and while I don't think they can beat the Bengals, they will keep this one closer than everyone expects. Bengals 23, Raiders 20

Indianapolis at Baltimore--Just how in the world are the Ravens favored over a 9-0 team? And I bet the Ravens will look across the field longingly at Matt Stover. Colts 24, Ravens 23

San Diego at Denver--A fierce divisional battle has new meaning now, with these teams tied for first at 6-3. But Philip Rivers is just too hot right now. Chargers 26, Broncos 23

Seattle at Minnesota--The Seahawks can't run the ball to alleviate pressure on Matt Hasselbeck, and they really can't against this defense. Vikings 35, Seahawks 10

Philadelphia at Chicago--Can anyone figure the Eagles out? Jay Cutler might be able to carve up their secondary, but their defense won't be able to stop Donovan McNabb and his speedy receivers. Eagles 21, Bears 17

Tennessee at Houston--Watch the fireworks in this one, it's gonna be a beauty. Texans 37, Titans 34

Mikey's Crystal Ball: Thursday Night Edition

Last week: 8-7
Season record: 94-51 (.648)

Miami at Carolina--These are two teams that made the playoffs in 2008 but were quickly eliminated. This season, both are sort of underachieving, but then again, no one expected either to be Super Bowl contenders. Still, here we are in Week 11 with both the Dolphins and Panthers fighting to stay alive in the postseason race. When in doubt, go with the home team. Panthers 20, Dolphins 16

Jauron first coaching casualty

So Bills coach Dick Jauron was the first coach to be fired this season, as his team stumbled to a 3-6 start. I'm not really sure what the team's ownership and fan base expected, but you don't just add T.O. and expect miracles. Sure, they have arguably the rookie of the year in S Jairus Byrd, but otherwise they are still the same old Bills. Still, I wouldn't have picked this guy to be on the chopping block before, say, Tom Cable in Oakland, or Jim Zorn in Washington. And when the season began, I put the watch on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville and John Fox in Carolina, but both of those guys have breathed new life into their teams somehow. Most of the other coaches leading hapless teams are first year guys--Eric Mangini in Cleveland, Raheem Morris in Tampa, Jim Schwartz in Detroit, Todd Haley in Kansas City, Steve Spagnuolo in St. Louis. You could argue that Mangini's days are already numbered, because his team is so bad and he's been dealing with a lot of pressure from players who flat out don't like him. But still, I can't see the Browns not giving him at least one more year to make improvements.

Random Notes From Week 10

Just why are the Jets so bad after starting out so strong, including that Week 2 trouncing of New England? I just don't get that, especially on defense....I guess the honeymoon is over for Josh McDaniels and Kyle Orton in Denver, unless they can find a way to stop the rolling Chargers this weekend....it appears the Titans have flicked a switch, and whether or not Vince Young had anything to do with that, they are playing better on defense too, and Chris Johnson is just sick....speaking of Johnson, the talk now is that he's looking better than Adrian Peterson. I don't know if I'd go that far, but still.....the Saints look more and more vulnerable each week, and we'll see what they've really got against New England in two weeks....did someone tell the Panthers they needed to come to life to save John Fox's job or something?....Jay Cutler sure doesn't look the elite QB the Bears thought they were getting....did anyone see Todd Haley fuming at QB Matt Cassel when Cassel called an ill-advised time out late in the game Sunday? I thought Haley was going to beat his QB's ass right there on the field....good thing the Cardinals figured out how to win at home, but they looked shaky at best doing it in the first half against Seattle...we can now anoint the Bengals as being for real, but there are two things I can't get out of my head. The loss to Houston that I attended, where they were totally beat down, and that game at Cleveland that by all counts they should have lost or tied. I mean, I'm sorry, Shayne Graham's field goal to win was wide right and was called good.....just like last year, the Eagles are one of the hardest teams to figure out....so are their division rival Cowboys....meanwhile, Green Bay is alive again thanks to some stellar defense Sunday....what a game Sunday night with New England/Indy, but a great Colts win is now tainted by Belichick going for it on fourth down from his own 28 late in the game with a 6-point lead. I admire guts, but that was just stupid....I watched part of that game last night, and all I can say is that this Browns team may be one of the worst teams in NFL history. Should be interesting to see how they do against the hapless Lions on Sunday in Detroit.

Mikey's Monday Morning QB

Well, we have to start with the Belichick call last night to go for it on fourth down deep in his own territory with a six-point lead late in the game. The move backfired and the Colts scored the winning TD shortly after. Is there really a good excuse for this? I could see going for it if you are deep in the other team's territory, but not there. Not with a six point lead. It's really mind-boggling and shows more than ever how a coach's ego can get in the way of winning a football game. If I was a Patriots' fan today, I'd be mighty pissed. Now they are 6-3 while the Colts are 9-0 and have the upper hand in the conference, along with the 7-2 Bengals.

Speaking of the Bengals, they are now 7-2 and leading the AFC North, but even more importantly, they have two wins each over the Ravens and Steelers and are 5-0 in their division, with a home game against Cleveland the only thing standing in the way of 6-0. This might be the biggest story in the NFL this season...I mean, who saw this coming?

The Jets are pretty bad...but Giants fans are feeling good today--the three teams they are most closely chasing--Atlanta, Dallas and Philly--all lost. So now the G-men control their own playoff destiny since they have games remaining against all three, starting with Atlanta this coming Sunday, a team that is reeling and now might not have their best player, RB Michael Turner.

Mikey's Crystal Ball: Week 10

Last Week: 8-5
Season Record (including last night): 86-44 (.662)

Atlanta at Carolina--A hard hitting divisional matchup between a team that needs to regroup and a team that really needs to regroup. Falcons 27, Panthers 17

Tampa Bay at Miami--I'm guessing a few more people will show up for this than they would for a Marlins/Rays game. The Bucs have a pulse, but will be knocked down to earth again this Sunday. Dolphins 30, Bucs 17

Detroit at Minnesota--The Vikings have had a week off to rest and that's bad news for the Lions, and especially for Matthew Stafford having to look at a salivating Jared Allen, who just might register five or more sacks. Vikings 40, Lions 10

Jacksonville at NY Jets--Are the Jags really 4-4? Well, they're not as good a 4-4 as the Jets are. Jets 20, Jaguars 13

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh--Who would have thought this to be a marquee matchup? But it surely is, and could very well determine the AFC North title. I am picking the Steelers, but only because they are the home team. Steelers 23, Bengals 20

New Orleans at St. Louis--Even if the Saints spotted the Rams 20 points, it wouldn't matter. Saints 44, Rams 6

Buffalo at Tennessee--The Bills are somehow 3-5, and the Titans are 2-6 but suddenly rolling behind QB Vince Young. The x-factor here is RB Chris Johnson, however. Titans 27, Bills 17

Denver at Washington--Daniel Snyder should prepare another apology to fans. Broncos 20, Redskins 10

Kansas City at Oakland--These are two very bad teams, but one of them will win a game Sunday. Of course, there is always the possibility of a tie. Right, Donovan McNabb? Chiefs 22, Raiders 17

Seattle at Arizona--Why in the world are the Cards playing so much better on the road than they are at home? I was inclined to pick the Seahawks because of that, but then again the Cards just have so much more talent. Cardinals 35, Seahawks 20

Dallas at Green Bay--The Packers and their fans are reeling after letting Tampa Bay get their first win against them, and the Cowboys are on a serious roll and in first place in the tough NFC East. It might be close, but Aaron Rodgers will once again be running for his life all game long. Cowboys 31, Packers 28

Philadelphia at San Diego--This is going to be one heck of a game, and we could see a couple of long touchdowns for both teams. Eagles 33, Chargers 30

New England at Indianapolis--Another marquee matchup, a classic one in Brady vs. Manning. Can the Pats knock off the undefeated Colts in Indy? I think so. Patriots 27, Colts 24

Baltimore at Cleveland--You think Monday Night Football wants the choice of this game back? I mean, the whole country gets to see just how bad the hapless Browns are. Ravens 24, Browns 3

Mikey's Crystal Ball: Thursday Night Edition

Ah, one of the great things about the NFL season is when Thursday night football starts around the midpoint of it. That would be tonight, as the Bears take on the 49ers in San Francisco. Yeah, I know, it's not exactly a marquee matchup, but we could do worse....in fact, we'll do worse on Monday night when the Browns host the Ravens. Here is how we see it shaking out...

Chicago at San Francisco--The Bears are reeling after giving up 41 points to Kurt Warner and the Cardinals at home, but the Niners haven't exactly been setting the world on fire. Mike Singletary faces his former team, so that should be a fun side storyline. But then he will try and crush said former team. I guess I'm going with the home team here. Niners 23, Bears 17