Happy New Year!

Week 16 Review/Week 17 Preview:

For The Week/Season:
vs W/L: (11-5)/(166-74)
vs. ATS: (9-7)/(126-114)
vs. Aggregate: (9-7)/(116-124)

ATS vs. "CBS Sportsline Experts"

Richard 131-109-0
PFN: 126-114-0
Judge 125-115-0
Harmon 117-123-0
Prisco 115-125-0
Urbano 112-128-0
Madden 109-131-0

W/L vs. “USA Today Experts”
PFN: 166-74
Sean Leahy 164-76
Pete O'Brien 163-77
Nate Davis 161-79
Gary Mihoces 158-82
Jarrett Bell 157-83
Tom Pedulla 157-83
Jim Corbett 151-89
Skip Wood 147-93

Week 17 Preview

For most of the teams this week, it’s 60 minutes until the offseason. For some of the teams, their playoff seeds are already set and there’s really not much to play for. So Week 17 will seem more like the fourth preseason game than the final week of the “championship schedule”, which makes forecasting these games as predictable as a New England winter. Let’s see what we have to work with…

…by the by, why did the CBS Sportsline “experts” decide to lay off the Indy and New Orleans games? In the world of “fun and amusement only” forecasting, it really makes no difference whether one wins or loses. What’s the worst that could happen? Your pick loses. So what? By lacking the (testicular fortitude) to forecast even the most meaningless of games, their journalistic credibility has taken a big hit. As the great Jimmy Reed once sang, “shame, shame, shame.”

At Buffalo -7 Indianapolis 38

Indy fans are rightly livid after Coach Caldwell called off the dogs in the third quarter last week and basically handed the Jets a victory. Anytime a team has the chance to run the table (which has only happened twice in the last 37 seasons), they owe it to themselves and their fans to give it their best effort. Once Manning was relieved from further duty on the field, the air in the stadium popped like a balloon. This week, they might just as well put the JV scrubs out there for the whole game. The Bills, however, do have something to play for—their jobs for next season. They’ll come out and play 60 for the hometown faithful because that’s what they’ve always done. Besides, it’s January by the lake and what better way to wrap up another tough year than by knocking off Polian’s team.

Projected Final Score: Buffalo 24, Indianapolis 16

At Carolina -7 New Orleans 41

The Panthers are coming off of shellacking the Giants in the Meadowlands and are looking to close things out on a high note for their beleaguered coach. Meanwhile, the Saints are sputtering heading into the playoffs after having lost to the lowly Bucs in overtime last week. Sure, they want to be rested and ready for the tournament but consistent play isn’t something that can be turned on like a light switch. Brees will be sitting out the finale and Pierre Thomas is injured, so it appears as if the Saints are only looking at this game as a necessary evil before moving on to the playoffs.

Projected Final Score: Carolina 23, New Orleans 16

At Cleveland -1.5 Jacksonville 38.5

There’s a new sheriff in Cleveland and everyone is fighting for their jobs, including the coach. They will be powerfully motivated on Sunday. The Jags are now playing out the string after last week’s debacle in Foxboro, and maybe they’ll show up for this game or maybe they won’t. The Browns may be riding high after beating three lousy teams while the Jags are coming off three straight defeats to quality opponents. Any time Coach Del Rio’s gang feels disrespected (as shown by this week’s line), they generally respond favorably.

Projected Final Score: Jacksonville 17, Cleveland 13

At Dallas -2.5 Philadelphia 47.5

At least there’s one game on the schedule that actually means something for the playoffs. Tony Romo has played well in December for the first time in his career, which may portend big things for the Cowboys in January. If they knock off Philly on Sunday, they’ll have a home playoff game and the Eagles will have to settle for a Wild Card scenario. The Eagles have to reshuffle the O-Line after key injuries at probably the worst possible time of the year and the Cowboys’ blitzers may have a greater likelihood of harassing McNabb into passing mistakes. This is Romo’s (last?) chance to prove his doubters wrong…

Projected Final Score: Dallas 27, Philadelphia 24

Chicago -2.5 At Detroit 45

The Bears should be flying high after Monday night’s overtime win over the Vikings and would certainly like to put a nice punctuation on the season by demolishing their old rivals from Motown. At least the Lions can boast of a better year than last, but a massive rebuilding job still lies ahead.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 27, Detroit 13

At Houston -7.5 New England 46

This is an absolutely no-win situation the Patriots are walking into on Sunday. They’ve clinched the AFC East and the Texans are still in contention for a Wild Card spot. The Patriots are playing their best football of the year right now and probably want to give Brady and the first-stringers a decent amount of reps before turning things over to the JV squad. The Texans have every reason to bring it all day and have a number of terrific players on the defensive side of the ball.

Projected Final Score: Houston 24, New England 20

Pittsburgh -PK At Miami 46.5

Coach Tomlin’s crew will never give up until they’re mathematically eliminated from things so they will bring their ‘A’ game to South Florida on Sunday. However, without the game-changing Troy Polamalu on defense, they are simply not that great of a team. It has been a lost year for the Dolphins, but the finale will give Henne another chance to impress the Big Tuna upstairs.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 27, Miami 24

At Minnesota -8.5 NY Giants 48

Rarely has a team fallen so fast as have the G-Men this year. They were the NFL’s darlings in the first few weeks, then a series of crippling injuries ran the ship aground. The Vikings have to be hurting after their sorry showing last Monday and it remains to be seen whether this team will stumble come January. They’re definitely not playing their best football right now and that has to change but soon. The motivation to win on Sunday should be strong enough as a first-round bye is in the offing. But after last week’s embarrassment, no one should assume that Coach Coughlin’s crew will simply roll over for 60 minutes.

Projected Final Score: Minnesota 27, NY Giants 23

At NY Jets -9.5 Cincinnati 35.5

The regular season ends on Sunday night as Meadowlands I closes its doors after this one. The remnants of a nasty winter storm that plagued the Northeast all weekend may wreak havoc on the field. The Jets were handed a victory on a silver platter last week in Indy after Coach Caldwell called off the dogs in the third quarter last week and now they have a decent shot for a Wild Card slot. The Bengals are already in and may wish to rest their starters so maybe another gift horse is coming Coach Ryan’s way.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 17, Cincinnati 14

San Francisco -6.5 At St. Louis 40.5

The Rams may stink, but Coach Spag’s guys always give their best effort. This is another case where players are fighting for next year’s jobs and don’t want to be seen going through the motions on film. Fans should know what to expect from the ‘Niners by now. The venue and the opponent mean nothing. They’ll be ready to bash heads anytime and anywhere.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, St. Louis 17

Atlanta -1.5 At Tampa Bay 41.5

The Bucs played their best game of the year last week and perhaps kept Coach Morris on the scene for another year (though there have been pernicious rumors floating about). They’ll come into this game looking to knock off a Falcon team that had an easy win over Buffalo and would like to squash another have-not to close out what was a rough season.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 23, Tampa Bay 21

At Arizona -2.5 Green Bay 43

Both teams are already in the tournament, so fans may be treated to the equivalent of a final preseason tune-up. If both teams retain their current position in the tournament, then the Pack will be back in Arizona next week, so neither team will tip their hand regarding strategy. Since each team had convincing wins last week there really isn’t a whole lot of incentive to keep the starters in the game beyond the first quarter. The only wild card in the scenario is if Minnesota loses in the 1:00 game. If so, then the Cardinals have a chance at the bye and will come out to play.

Projected Final Score: Arizona 24, Green Bay 20

At Denver -12.5 Kansas City 38

Do you remember the old Wild West shootouts of the AFL? All that remains are the great memories of Len Dawson connecting with Otis Taylor to win 42-37. The Chiefs are in the midst of a massive rebuild and have hitched their wagon to Matt Cassel (who quickly discovered that his supporting cast in KC was nowhere comparable than the one he had in New England last year). The Broncos had a nice year and found a number of players upon whom to build for the future. Whether Kyle Orton is one of those integral pieces is a debate for another time. 12 ½? With Orton? No can do…

Projected Final Score: Denver 24, Kansas City 17

Ravens -10.5 At Oakland 38

This is a case where the Ravens have to win or face an early ticket home. Now the Raiders had a number of upset wins this year, but basically remain the same dysfunctional lot that has been around for a number of years. As long as King Al continues to call the shots not much is going to change for the tarnished Silver & Black. They foolishly invested a fortune in a quarterback who appears to be clueless and unwilling to make the necessary commitment to succeed as a professional.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 23, Oakland 16

At San Diego -3.5 Washington 39

The Chargers could field a team of scrubs off the street and still whip Washington’s butt. There is no reason whatsoever for San Diego to put the first string out on the field on Sunday. They’ve already clinched a first-round bye and are heading into the tournament sharp and on a roll. Jim Zorn’s tenure as the Redskins’ coach will end on Sunday, which is regrettable because we never root for anyone to lose their job. Although he was a terrific coordinator (and probably will be one again in the future), maybe he never had the chops to be a HC. By hiring Bruce Allen (George’s son) as GM, perhaps Snyder is finally relinquishing a hands-on role that has been a disaster for the last decade-plus. The ‘Skins are one of the NFL’s flagship franchises and their insanely-loyal fans deserve better. Hopefully Shanahan comes in next year and turns around the fate of the Snyder Era.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 24, Washington 17

Tennessee -4.5 At Seattle 43.5

One of the big storylines of the year is how well the Titans rebounded after an 0-6 start. Vince Young resuscitated his career along the way and things are definitely on the upswing for Coach Fisher’s troops. The said cannot be said for the Seahawks. They are a team that was in the Super Bowl only a few seasons ago and have fallen to the status of also-rans. Hasselbeck is now on the back nine of a very good career and with the injuries sustained by Walter Jones, Seattle’s offense needs to completely rebuild. As far as this game goes, the Titans want to maintain their great second-half roll as an impetus for next year. It’s hard to see the ‘Hawks coming out on Sunday with that degree of passion.

Projected Final Score: Tennessee 27, Seattle 13