Week 15 Recap:
Vs. W/L (11-5)
Vs. Spread (10-6)
Vs. O/U (11-5)

For the Season:
Vs W/L: 147-81-0
Vs Spread: 111-113-0
Vs. O/U: 124-100-0

Here’s where we’re at via the Spread relative to the “Sportsline Experts”:

Expert “P”: 127-96-0
Expert “J”: 122-101-0
Expert “S”: 122-101-0
PFN: 111-113-0
Expert “H”: 110-113-0
Expert “R”: 107-116-0
Expert “D”: 103-120-0

My, my, my, how things have changed over the past two weeks. After languishing in the basement all year, we’ve jumped into the middle of the pack. But it’s no time to gloat because the record indicates that we’re still under .500 and there are 32 games remaining on the schedule. We play to win around here, too. Not for the money but for the “love of the game.”

Week 15 Game Balls:

1. Miami Dolphins: They finally won a game, thanks in large part to some horrible coaching on the Ravens’ side and a missed field goal in overtime. But a win is a win and they’re not a 1-15 team. Congratulations!

2. Sean Taylor: For being voted as a starter to the NFC Pro Bowl Team. He was going to be elected as a player anyhow, but to be remembered this way by his peers and the fans is especially touching yet still terribly sad.

3. Browns-Bills: It was a tremendous effort by both teams in the Blizzard Bowl just hanging in there and playing 60 minutes in such conditions.

4. Jacksonville: They came north and took it to the Steelers in lousy weather and an intimidating atmosphere. Mr. Fred Taylor is the real item.

Duds:
Atlanta and Cincinnati: There may be a lot of flash, but there’s zero heart. One organization appears to be cleaning house while the other had better start making plans to do likewise.

Week 16 Thursday Night:

Pittsburgh -7.5 At St. Louis 44
Are the Steelers a touchdown+ better than St. Louis in the Dome? Yeah. The last time a Steelers-Rams match had any relevance was Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl in the last of Pittsburgh’s dynastic run of the ‘70’s. Back then, the Rams played in LA and the Cardinals were still in St. Louis (and the Colts were still in Baltimore and the real Browns were in Cleveland). It’s hard to keep up with all the musical chairs in franchise relocations but always follow the money trail…

Nevertheless, it was no surprise that the Rams lost convincingly to the Pack last week. It was a surprise that the Steelers were basically “punked out” at home. The Steelers generally don’t lose battles at the line of scrimmage and hardly ever lose at home. There are more than a couple of red flags popping up after consecutive defeats. Now they come down the stretch with the Browns breathing at their necks. A loss to a bad football team on the eve of the playoffs would be an unmitigated disaster. They not only need to win, but to do so emphatically.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 31, St. Louis 23