NFL Pick 'em 2011: Week 8

[Dragon]

Happy Halloween!

:wings

Sun Oct 30
NO @ STL
MIN @ CAR
JAX @ HOU
ARI @ BAL
IND @ TEN
MIA @ NYG

DET @ DEN
WAS @ BUF
CIN @ SEA
NE @ PIT
CLE @ SF
DAL @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD @ KC


Survivor Pool

Dragon: ARI, DET, SD, ATL, NO, PIT, DAL
Liam Jinn: SF, DAL, PIT, GB, BUF, NYJ, CAR

jjwr: HOU, BAL, CHI, NO, PIT, DAL
Kyran O'Hurn: BUF, TEN, NO, SD, NYJ, DAL

Ryan Pode: GB, TEN, TB, NYG, NYJ, NO
Rutabaga: GB, SD, NO, NYG, DAL
Yog: DEN, PIT, SD, GB, NYG, DET, DAL
Jedi Master Carr: GB, PIT, TB, NYG
Lykaios: PIT, SD, TB, NYG, BAL
Mu Satach: DET, SD, GB, ARI, BUF, BAL

Park Kraken: TB, PHI, HOU, JAX, CAR, STL, ARI

[Morgan Evanar]

Sun Oct 30
NO @ STL - hahahahahahahhahahaha
MIN @ CAR - AP is gonna have a big game but the Vikings have no answer for Newton2Smith
JAX @ HOU - Foster should have another big game. Division games are weird though.
ARI @ BAL - Baltimore stunk against Jax, but Arizona is a weaker team.
IND @ TEN - Indy is Real Bad.
MIA @ NYG - Miami's gonna take this all the way to the hahahahhaha oh god who am I kidding we are the worst

DET @ DEN - Detroit play angry! Smash stupid horse! Denver has no real offense to speak of. Miami sacked Tebow 7 times. Miami.
WAS @ BUF - Buffalo's D should have a good game against a banged up Washington
CIN @ SEA - or so I say.
NE @ PIT - uhhh ummmmm hmmmm. Toss up?
CLE @ SF - SF looks nasty.
DAL @ PHI - Philly is perfect coming back from Bye weeks historically. Also, home field.

Mon Oct 31
SD @ KC - They really should be able to flex games after week 6. SD bumbles into a win.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think the Chiefs are a much better team now and can beat the Chargers. Rivers looks terrible this year. I am wondering if something is wrong with him. He is going to have his worse INT year of his career. Regardless the game should be great. The last time the Chargers played the Chiefs it came down to the very end.

Sun Oct 30
W NO @ STL
MIN @ CAR W
JAX @ HOU W
ARI @ BAL W
IND @ TEN W
MIA @ NYG W

W DET @ DEN
WAS @ BUF W
W CIN @ SEA
W NE @ PIT
CLE @ SF W
DAL @ PHI W

Mon Oct 31
SD @ KC W

[Morgan Evanar]

Rivers hasn't had Gates all year. I think that's the biggest difference.

Just because the game comes down to the wire doesn't mean it will be any good to watch: see Miami or Cleveland.

[Park Kraken]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA (W) @ NYG

DET (W) @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
CIN @ SEA (W)
NE (W) @ PIT
CLE @ SF (W)
DAL (W) @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD @ KC (W)

Seppuku Pool: CLE

[Jedi Master Carr]

Rivers hasn't had Gates all year. I think that's the biggest difference.

Just because the game comes down to the wire doesn't mean it will be any good to watch: see Miami or Cleveland.

It didn't have Gates for half of last year and he looked much better. I have heard reports that Rivers is playing hurt. Don't know if that is true. I also think the game will be better than Miami or Cleveland. The Chiefs aren't that bad. They have a great defense and a solid running game. Cassel is there only problem.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Sun Oct 30
(W) NO @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA @ NYG (W)

(W) DET @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
(W) CIN @ SEA
(W) NE @ PIT
CLE @ SF (W)
DAL @ PHI (W)

Mon Oct 31
(W) SD @ KC

[Dragon]

Stat of the week: the AFC North is home to the top four defenses in the league after week 7. The Ravens are #1, the Bengals are #2, the Steelers are #3, and the Browns are #4. All four teams are allowing fewer than 300 yard a game.

Of course, it might have something to do with having the Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Jaguars, and Colts on their schedule this year, but that's still pretty darned impressive.

Sun Oct 30
NO WIN @ STL - The Rams front office has recently announced their intention to join the Big Twelve football conference.
MIN @ CAR WIN - If Christian Ponder can play like he did last week, this could be a fun game to watch.
JAX @ HOU WIN - Texans gonna tex... er... darn it, that doesn't work at all.
ARI @ BAL WIN - The Orioles beat the Diamondbacks 4-2.
IND @ TEN WIN - Contender #1 for the Andrew Luck sweepstakes...
MIA @ NYG WIN - Followed closely by contender #2.

DET WIN @ DEN - Detroit's D-line is too much for that Denver O-line.
WAS @ BUF WIN - I'm really intrigued to see how far Buffalo can go this year.
CIN WIN @ SEA - The Seahawks are terrible on the road. At home, they're merely bad.
NE @ PIT WIN - If this is part one of two, I'd much rather the Steelers win the other one.
CLE @ SF WIN - The Browns couldn't score more than 6 against the Seahawks at home.
DAL WIN @ PHI - The Eagles defense is still really suspect for me.

Mon Oct 31
SD WIN @ KC - I don't think the Chargers will throw six balls to the Chiefs this week.

Survivor pick: Titans

[Miranda Tarkin]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA @ NYG (W)

DET (W) @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
CIN (W) @ SEA
NE (W) @ PIT
CLE @ SF (W)
DAL (W) @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD (W) @ KC

[Mu Satach]

Sun Oct 30
w NO @ STL
MIN @ w CAR
JAX @ w HOU
ARI @ w BAL
IND w @ TEN
MIA @ w NYG

DET w @ DEN
WAS w @ BUF
CIN @ w SEA
NE @ w PIT
CLE @ w SF
DAL @ w PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD w @ KC

survivor - SF

[Rutabaga]

Sun Oct 30
NO WIN @ STL
MIN @ CAR WIN
JAX @ HOU WIN
ARI @ BAL WIN
IND @ TEN WIN
MIA @ NYG WIN

DET WIN @ DEN
WAS @ BUF WIN
CIN WIN @ SEA
NE WIN @ PIT
CLE @ SF WIN
DAL @ PHI WIN

Mon Oct 31
SD WIN @ KC

Survivor Pick: Niners

[Kyran O'Hurn]

Sun Oct 30
W NO @ STL
MIN @ CAR W
JAX @ HOU W
ARI @ BAL W
IND @ TEN W
MIA @ NYG W

W DET @ DEN
WAS @ BUF W
W CIN @ SEA
W NE @ PIT
CLE @ SF W
DAL @ PHI W

Mon Oct 31
SD W @ KC

Survivor: SF

[Figrin D'an]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL - Drew Brees has thrown too many INTs the last season and a half. He could throw 4 in this game and it wouldn't matter.
MIN (W) @ CAR - I actually like what I saw out of Christian Ponder last week. Carolina has a porous run defense. Minnesota can stop the run decently well and can rush the passer.
JAX @ HOU (W) - I still don't trust the Texans to not lay eggs, but they're clearly the best team in the AFC South.
ARI @ BAL (W) - Something tells me the Rays (Lewis and Rice) are going to be pissed off going into this game, and will take it out on the hapless Cardinals.
IND @ TEN (W) - The Colts will win at some point. I'm just not bold enough to predict when.
MIA @ NYG (W) - It would be so like the Giants to blow this game, just to keep the NFC East in complete disarray.

DET (W) @ DEN - Detroit has issues, and if Stafford isn't effective they could be in for power outage on offense. But, playoff caliber teams must win games like this against over-matched competition. We'll learn a bit about Detroit this weekend.
WAS @ BUF (W) - I'm not sold on Ryan Fitzpatrick being a franchise QB, but he and the Bills are miles ahead of the Redskins (really.. Rex Grossman or John Beck? Then again, Mike Shannahan is the one who thought that Denver would be fine post-John Elway with Bubby Brister taking snaps.)
CIN (W) @ SEA - Seattle plays much better at home than on the road, but the Bengals seem to be building something nice with Dalton and Green.
NE @ PIT (W) - Tom Brady owns the Steelers. However, unlike past meetings, the Steelers can actually get vertical and take advantage of a still suspect Patriot secondary. Expect a shootout, but Big Ben wins this time.
CLE @ SF (W) - Gotta give props to Jim Harbaugh. The Niners are the most physically tough team in the league.
DAL @ PHI (W) - The Eagles are finally getting a bit more healthy. Close game, should feature good running games for both teams.

Mon Oct 31
SD (W) @ KC - I don't think either of these two are particularly good right now, but the Chargers have more weapons healthy than the Chiefs and I'd take a struggling Phillip Rivers over Matt Cassel any day.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Only two people taking the Chiefs, well I will keep the faith as a fan. I think they will win and surprise people.

[Liam Jinn]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA @ NYG (W)

DET (W) @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
CIN (W) @ SEA
NE (W) @ PIT
CLE (W) @ SF
DAL (W) @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD (W) @ KC

Survivor: NO

[Aurelias Kazaar]

Sun Oct 30
NO W @ STL
MIN @ CAR W
JAX @ HOU W
ARI @ BAL W
IND @ TEN W
MIA @ NYG W

DET @ DEN W
WAS @ BUF W
CIN W @ SEA
NE W @ PIT
CLE @ SF W
DAL @ PHI W

Mon Oct 31
SD W @ KC

[Yog]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA @ NYG (W)

DET (W) @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
CIN (W) @ SEA
NE @ PIT (W)
CLE @ SF (W)
DAL (W) @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD (W) @ KC

Survivor: SF 49ers

[Ryan Pode]

Sun Oct 30
NO Win @ STL
MIN @ CAR Win
JAX @ HOU Win
ARI @ BAL Win
IND @ TEN Win
MIA @ NYG Win

DET Win @ DEN
WAS Win @ BUF
CIN Win @ SEA
NE Win @ PIT
CLE @ SF Win
DAL Win @ PHI

Mon Oct 31
SD @ KC Win

Survivor: Carolina

[Lykaios]

Saints
Vikes
Texans
Tavens
Titans
Giants
Lions
Bills
Bengals
Pats
Browns
Boys
Bolts

Survivor: Lions

[jjwr]

Sun Oct 30
NO (W) @ STL
MIN @ CAR (W)
JAX @ HOU (W)
ARI @ BAL (W)
IND @ TEN (W)
MIA @ NYG (W)

DET (W) @ DEN
WAS @ BUF (W)
CIN @ SEA (W)
NE (W) @ PIT
CLE @ SF (W)
DAL @ PHI (W)

Mon Oct 31
SD (W) @ KC

Survivor: San Francisco

[Dragon]

MIA @ NYG (W) - It would be so like the Giants to blow this game, just to keep the NFC East in complete disarray.

I narrowed down my survivor pick this week to the Titans and the Giants, and this is why I went with the Titans. Early 14-3 lead for the Dolphins, and it looks like both our misgivings were well-founded.

The Cardinals just had a coup with a strip-sack of Flacco and a recovery at the Ravens 2. Two plays later, Beanie Wells went over the top to give the Cardinals a 10-3 lead. Flacco still looks really off-balance.

Good grief, and now the Cardinals returned a punt for a TD following the worst tackling I have ever seen out of a Ravens team. This could be a disaster for Baltimore.

[Kyran O'Hurn]

What the hell is going on today... ARI, MIA, and STL!?!?!?

If Indy was winning I'd call it a sure sign of the apocalypse.

[Dragon]

It looks like the Ravens have remembered how to play football, while the Cardinals are a bit slow on the uptake. Unless the Cardinals defense can force a few more big mistakes, I think this one's over.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

So, no one picked the Rams to win? :mneh I hope Arizona chokes at the last minute!

[Morgan Evanar]

And in this week's episode of bizarro NFL the Saints lay a giant egg in St. Louis. What?

[Kyran O'Hurn]

I think someone must have forgotten to tell the Saints that they needed to save some points last week.

[Liam Jinn]

Suuuuure. Take the sure pick with the Saints... Hell, pick them as your survivor pick... Rams? No way they could lose that. Damn. It.

[Dragon]

Sorry, man, that would have been me too if I hadn't already picked the Saints this season...

Aside from a bad interception, the Steelers are looking good so far and doing a great job of keeping Brady on the sideline. Lamar Woodley is on fire and has added two more sacks to his season total. Let's keep it up!

Meanwhile the Bills are massacring the Redskins in Toronto, and Tim Tebow looks like a college freshman against the Lions.

EDIT: Steelers win!!! :crack :crack :crack

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I'm sure there's a tasteless and terrible Christian thrown to the lions joke in there somewhere.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Nice win by the Chiefs. It was ugly, but nice.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Great win by the Chiefs. It was fitting this crazy game would be on Halloween. The biggest story was the fumble by Rivers. I have never seen that happen in a game. The Chiefs are in great shape with Miami and Denver coming into Arrowhead. They are now tied for first.

[Dragon]

Any win is nice, but I'm staggered by how many mistakes the Chargers made. I thought their early turnovers were bad, but that last one was an utter farce. The Chargers had the ball deep in Chiefs territory, well within field goal range, with the clock under a minute and the Chiefs with no timeouts, and they fumble it away on the center exchange? What the heck is going on with San Diego? This is self-destruction of the highest order.

Granted, I think the Chiefs got raw deals on two replay challenges that ended with them losing possession. Kansas City has some playmakers in Bowe, Breaston, Hali, and Berry, but they also have a lot of holes. Thing is, this AFC West division is so up for grabs even the Broncos aren't out of it yet. The playoff spot will go to the first team that gets its act together. Right now, though, the Chiefs are the only team to take steps forward over the past two weeks while the Raiders, Chargers, and Broncos have all taken huge steps back.

[Jedi Master Carr]

The Chiefs big problem is the running game. Battle is not bad and he should get the ball more. I think Cassel is a good QB and he looked great when it counted tonight. They have 3 great WR in Bowe, Baldwin and Beaston and have three great players on defense with Hali, Johnson, and Flowers. Too bad Charles and Berry are hurt. The Chiefs are looking good, although their schedule worries me especially a five game straight. However, they have 4 winable games and just need to win two others and 10-6 will win the division.

Not sure what the heck is wrong with SD. First, Rivers is not an elite QB, right now I wouldn't put him in the top 5. He has lost many games like this (the Jets game comes to mind a few years ago). I am not sure what the problem is, I am not a big Turner fan, but I am not sure if he is the cause. I do think if they miss the playoffs again he will be fired.

[Dragon]

And the tally... let me know if I messed up!

Week 8 Tally

Figrin D'an: 11-2
Jedi Master Carr: 10-3
Dragon: 9-4
Kyran O'Hurn: 9-4
Morgan Evanar: 9-4
Nathanial K'cansce: 9-4
Rutabaga: 9-4
Yog: 9-4
Aurelias Kazaar: 8-5
jjwr: 8-5
Lykaios: 8-5
Miranda Tarkin: 8-5
Ryan Pode: 8-5
Liam Jinn: 7-6
Mu Satach: 7-6
Park Kraken: 7-6


Total Tally

1. Kyran O'Hurn: 83-33
1. Rutabaga: 83-33

3. jjwr: 82-34
4. Morgan Evanar: 81-35
5. Yog: 78-38
5. Dragon: 78-38
7. Figrin D'an: 77-39
8. Nathanial K'cansce: 75-41
8. Ryan Pode: 75-41
10. Park Kraken: 73-43
10. Liam Jinn: 73-43
10. Jedi Master Carr: 73-43
13. Miranda Tarkin: 72-44
14. Mu Satach: 67-49
15. Lykaios: 67-49
16. Aurelias Kazaar: 65-51


Survivor Pool

8
Dragon: ARI, DET, SD, ATL, NO, PIT, DAL, TEN

7
Liam Jinn: SF, DAL, PIT, GB, BUF, NYJ, CAR, NO
jjwr: HOU, BAL, CHI, NO, PIT, DAL, SF
Kyran O'Hurn: BUF, TEN, NO, SD, NYJ, DAL, SF

3
Ryan Pode: GB, TEN, TB, NYG, NYJ, NO, CAR
Rutabaga: GB, SD, NO, NYG, DAL, SF
Yog: DEN, PIT, SD, GB, NYG, DET, DAL, SF
Jedi Master Carr: GB, PIT, TB, NYG
Lykaios: PIT, SD, TB, NYG, BAL, DET
Mu Satach: DET, SD, GB, ARI, BUF, BAL, SF

Seppuku x8 combo!
Park Kraken: TB, PHI, HOU, JAX, CAR, STL, ARI, CLE

[Mu Satach]

The Chargers had the ball deep in Chiefs territory, well within field goal range, with the clock under a minute and the Chiefs with no timeouts, and they fumble it away on the center exchange? What the heck is going on with San Diego? This is self-destruction of the highest order.



That amazing blunder allowed my buddy to win a $75 dollar gift card last night at the wings sports bar where we watch MNF. :D