Week 11 Review/Week 12 Preview:

For the Week/Season:
v. W/L: (12-4)/(92-68)
v. ATS: (8-8)/(77-79-4)
v. Aggregate:(6-10)/(92-68)

ATS v. The Loyal Opposition:
FOXSports Peter Schrager 91-69
ESPN Bill Simmons 88-69-5
CHFF: 87-69
CBS-Brinson 85-75-3
CBS-Judge 85-75-3
CSNNE Rich Levine 84-72-5
Walter Football 79-76-6
USA Pete O’Brien 78-76-5
Postcards From Nowhere: 77-79-4
CBS-Katzowitz 75-85-3
CBS-Richard 75-85-3
CBS-Prisco 71-89-3

W/L v. PFT, ESPN NFL Experts & USA Today Analysts:
PFT-Rosenthal 103-57
PFT-Florio 102-58
Gary Mihoces (USAT) 101-59
Accuscore (ESPN) 101-59
Nate Davis (USAT) 100-60
Mortensen (ESPN) 99-61
Jon Saraceno (USAT) 98-62
Schlereth (ESPN) 98-62
CHFF: 98-61
Pete O'Brien (USAT) 98-62
Pick 'em (ESPN) 98-62
Golic (ESPN) 98-62
Sean Leahy (USAT) 98-62
Jim Corbett (USAT) 95-65
Postcards From Nowhere: 92-68
Hoge (ESPN) 91-69
Wickersham (ESPN) 89-71
Jarrett Bell (USAT) 88-72
Tom Pedulla (USAT) 87-73
Schefter (ESPN) 86-74
Allen (ESPN) 86-74

Week 12 Sunday Preview:

In honor of four of our all-time favorite #12’s, here’s a look at Sunday’s games:

At Washington -2.5 Minnesota 43.5

Well, we won’t have “Chilly” to kick around anymore as the owner finally had enough and canned his ass. We should all be so lucky as to get a $6MM kiss on the way out the door. Sorry, but there’s no sympathy around here for a career assistant who was in way over his head as the top dog. The Vikings are now a shell of the great franchise they once were. Maybe Coach Frazier has what it takes to restore the Vikings to the powerhouse of old. Brett Favre remains the quarterback for the next six games or until he shuts it down, whichever comes sooner. Now that “Chilly” has left the building, the Vikes may respond with 60 minutes of inspired football, yet they’ll have to do so without Berrian, who’s out for Sunday. The Redskins, humiliated two weeks ago, rebounded with an OT win in Nashville but remain on the outside looking in at a playoff shot. They’d probably have to run the table from here and that’s highly unlikely. But Coach Shanahan’s crew ought to be sufficiently inspired to play a consistent 60 minutes against a team that hasn’t won on the road all year.

Projected Final Score: Washington 23, Minnesota 21

Pittsburgh -6.5 At Buffalo 43

The Steelers rebounded from their embarrassing loss to New England by crushing Oakland at home last week. A trip to Buffalo is practically a home game for the Steelers, but they ought not to feel too comfortable as the Bills have won two straight and are gunning for a three-peat. Unfortunately for the Bills, those wins came against Detroit and the Bungles. This week, a real football team comes to town looking to play a consistent 60 minutes heading into the stretch drive. The Bills are a lot better than their 2-8 record would indicate but pulling the upset here may be too much to ask. Though one smelleth a trap game here--beware!

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 27, Buffalo 20

At Houston -6.5 Tennessee 45.5

Either Coach Fisher or Vince Young has worn out his welcome in Nashville following last week’s debacle. Vince Young is yet another in a long line of “million dollar arm/ten cent heads” that have come and gone in the NFL in recent years (Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, et. al). The owner wants Fisher and Young to kiss and make up but right now it’s Young who’s persona non grata at the team’s facility. Heading into their old hometown, Young is done for the year with a thumb injury, Kerry Collins is out with a calf injury and Whatshisname (Rusty Smith) will be starting at quarterback this week. Meanwhile, the Texans showed a lot of grit against the Jets last week, coming back from a big deficit and nearly stealing away with a win before their defensive woes caught up with them at the end. It’s too much of a stretch to suggest that a relatively untested quarterback would have the same degree of success against even against a secondary as bad as the Texans’.

Projected Final Score: Houston 24, Tennessee 20

Note: Best wishes to Titans’ OC Mike Heimerdinger as he undergoes chemo treatments starting next week. Incredibly, Mike prepared the Titans’ plan for this week’s game while seriously ill. That takes tremendous courage and determination.

At NY Giants -7.5 Jacksonville 44.5

The Jags are actually 6-4 (if you can believe that) and have a fighting chance for the playoffs as they travel to the Meadowlands for an important date with the G-Men on Sunday. They were able to get by last week against Cleveland, sacking Colt McCoy a bunch of times along the way. The Giants lost in Philly last week, in a game they woulda-coulda-shoulda won but for a fourth down rush by LeSean McCoy that went for a long touchdown. Hakeem Nicks is out (along with Steve Smith and Ramses Barden) for the next few weeks and his absence will really hurt Young Eli’s ability to move the ball through the air. Brandon Jacobs has temporarily regained the starter’s job at RB while Bradshaw recovers from fumble-it is and will pound the rock with success. Both teams are at a critical juncture and have to determine this week whether they want to contend or fall back with the also-rans.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 21, Jacksonville 17

At Cleveland -10.5 Carolina 37.5

OK, we have a clear idea as to the worst team in the NFL, and they’ll be the one that’s playing the Browns in Cleveland this week. Jimmy Clausen returns at quarterback this week after having gotten his brains scrambled a couple of weeks ago. Colt McCoy is out with an ankle sprain, and the Browns were really bad with Seneca Wallace and Delhomme at quarterback earlier in the year. But Delhomme will get the start and may savor the opportunity to exact some revenge against the team that left him on the scrap heap. Maybe he won’t throw five interceptions this time. If the Panthers weren't downright awful, they'd have a legitimate shot at besting their former teammate, but they checked out six weeks ago...

Projected Final Score: Cleveland 24, Carolina 10

At Baltimore -7.5 Tampa Bay 41

The Ravens demolished Carolina last week but now face a tougher test in the young Bucs, who have stunned the football world by winning seven games so far, including last week’s shutout of San Francisco. The Ravens are unbeaten at home and are the more talented football team. This game will probably serve as an invaluable lesson for Josh Freeman, as he takes his lumps against a top-notch defensive unit.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 23, Tampa Bay 13

Philadelphia -3.5 At Chicago 42

This may be the pick of the litter of Sunday’s games as Vick and the 7-3 Eagles travel to Chicago for a big showdown with Da Bears, who are also 7-3. Chicago played a great defensive game, shutting out Miami on Thursday night and making enough plays on offense to come away with a dominating win. The Eagles didn’t have a dominating win against the Giants last week, but came up big late in the game to win by 10.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Chicago 20

At Atlanta -2.5 Green Bay 47.5

Both of these teams are coming off of big road wins against inferior opponents, as the Pack put the Vikings out of their misery while the Falcons proved their mettle on the road dusting off a pesky Rams squad. Matt Ryan is nearly invincible at home and, despite the Packers’ stellar defensive showings in the past two outings, it’s hard to pick against a team that plays out of its mind in the Dome.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 27, Green Bay 24

At Oakland -3.5 Miami 38.5

About the only worthwhile thing about Oakland’s thrashing in Pittsburgh last week was seeing Big Sey put the smackdown on Big Ben. That was it. For a team that had pretensions of glory, such fanciful ideas imploded in a hurry. While an improved eam, last Sunday’s result made it painfully clear that the Raiders are not yet ready for prime-time. Enter the Dolphins. Miami is another outfit that looked as if they might have a shot early on, but that was before last week’s shutout loss (at home, no less) to Chicago. Brandon Marshall is out for this one and Chad Henne is starting again. Whoever thought that Taylor Thigpen was NFL-ready has rocks in their heads. The Dolphins’ O-Line is a mess right now, so look for the Raiders to get back on the right track at home.

Projected Final Score: Oakland 23, Miami 17

Kansas City -1.5 At Seattle 44.5

Safe to say, this dubious pairing won’t be garnering a lot of national attention. Both teams have won and lost by lopsided margins, so anything could happen on Sunday. The Chiefs smoked the Cardinals last week and are looking to continue their NFC West post-Thanksgiving feast at Qwest Field on Sunday. Problem is they're 0-4 on the road. The Seahawks took a whippin’ down in the Big Easy, which was no surprise, though they are a much better team at home.

Projected Final Score: Seattle 24, Kansas City 21

At Denver -4.5 St. Louis 44.5

This is yet another contest to be played for the benefit of close friends and family. The Donkeys were steamrolled in San Diego on Monday night and had a short week to prepare for the Rams, who lost 34-17 to Atlanta last week. The Rams are winless on the road this year, so that tips the scales in the Broncos’ favor.

Projected Final Score: Denver 27, St. Louis 20

At Indianapolis -3.5 San Diego 51.5

At least the suits have provided America one good game for Sunday night. Last week, Peyton Manning nearly pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback in New England before a poorly thrown ball ended up in James Sanders’ hands. Why didn’t they just kick a game-tying field goal and send the game to overtime? That’s water under the bridge now. This week, Indy faces yet another tough challenge as Philip Rivers and the Chargers come to town looking to continue their impressive run. The Chargers have generally played well against Indy in their previous matchups, but Manning is simply too tough for San Diego to handle.

Projected Final Score: Indianapolis 27, San Diego 24