Week 13 Review/Week 14 Preview:

For the Week/Season:
v. W/L: (11-5)/(117-79)
v. ATS: (6-8-1)/(89-97-5)
v. Aggregate:(7-9)/(108-84)

ATS v. The Loyal Opposition:
FOXSports Peter Schrager 110-83
CHFF: 105-83
ESPN Bill Simmons 103-84-5
CBS-Brinson 102-88-3
CBS-Judge 101-89-3
Walter Football 97-90-6
CSNNE Rich Levine: 95-90-4
CBS-Katzowitz 93-97-3
USA Pete O’Brien 92-94-6
CBS-Richard 90-100-3
Postcards From Nowhere: 89-97-5
CBS-Prisco 85-105-3

W/L v. PFT, ESPN NFL Experts & USA Today Analysts:
PFT-Rosenthal 125-67
PFT-Florio 125-67
Nate Davis (USAT) 124-68
Accuscore (ESPN) 124-68
Gary Mihoces (USAT) 123-69
CHFF: 122-69
Mortensen (ESPN) 120-72
Golic (ESPN) 122-70
Pick 'em (ESPN) 121-71
Schlereth (ESPN) 120-72
Pete O'Brien (USAT) 120-72
Jon Saraceno (USAT) 119-73
Sean Leahy (USAT) 119-73
Jim Corbett (USAT) 119-73
Hoge (ESPN) 117-75
Wickersham (ESPN) 113-79
Jarrett Bell (USAT) 111-81
Tom Pedulla (USAT) 110-82
Allen (ESPN) 110-82
Postcards From Nowhere: 108-84
Schefter (ESPN) 104-88

Week 14 Preview:

Week 13’s results simply reinforce the fact that anyone who wagers cash money on the outcome of football games as a pastime is a chump, that’s why at the beginning of each year we counsel against doing so. Sportsbooks simply clean up on “Joe Fan” who think they can compete against professionals. Yet untold millions will flow right into the hands of casino owners and “Don Vito” from suckers out there who believe they can beat the house.

At Jacksonville -4.5 Oakland 43

With a win here, the Jags set themselves up in great shape moving forward in the AFC South, but there are always nagging doubts about David Garrard and his team’s ability to perform consistently well from one week to the next. The Raiders are coming off a humungous upset win in San Diego, but can they travel across the country and repeat the feat this week? Both teams run the ball well, so it would be a surprise to see a high-scoring affair. The Raiders have played above expectations with the exception of the beatings they took in Weeks 11 and 12 but their playoff hopes are pretty much a longshot. The Jags are in serious contention to win the AFC South and need to keep their one-game lead over Indy (who defeated Tennessee on Thursday night). You’d think that they’d be highly motivated coming into this game and determined to run the ball consistently and well. Again, one never knows about this team with any degree of certainty. Add some rain and thunder to the mix and you can pretty much figure what sort of afternoon it’s going to be in North Florida.

Projected Final Score: Jacksonville 23, Oakland 21

At Pittsburgh -9 Cincinnati 39.5

The Steelers earned major “tough points” for their late-game victory at the Ravens on Sunday night after Big Ben had his nose re-arranged and returned (with cotton stuffed in his nostrils) to lead his team to victory. The win was set up by Polamalu’s stripping Flacco of the ball late in the fourth quarter. Week in and week out, Polamalu gives the Steelers a tremendous advantage that makes them tough for most offenses to beat. But the poor 2-10 Bungles come to Heinz Field, fresh off of snatching another defeat from the jaws of victory. The Saints use a trick play that calls for Brees to bark out cadences without the ball being snapped in an attempt to draw the defense off sides. The Bengals knew about the play and practiced defending it, but when Brees & Co. were at Cincy’s goal line trailing at the end of the game, Brees called the play and the Bungles (being bungles) were drawn off sides. One play later, the Saints scored the winning touchdown. Despite last week’s fatal gaffe, the Bengals did play a pretty good game against the Super Bowl champs and perhaps they haven’t given up on trying to finish the year on a high note. It’ll be a mix of rain and snow in Pittsburgh on Sunday, so look for Mendenhall to be getting a ton of carries.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 27, Cincinnati 17

At Buffalo -1 Cleveland 40

The weather forecast is for a “winter wonderland” around the Lake this weekend, and that’ll be a far cry from the conditions in Miami, where the Browns scored a late touchdown to prevail last week, thanks to Chad Henne’s arm. Delhomme played a relatively mistake-free game last week while Henne’s inaccuracy cost his team a chance to win in a defensive struggle. This week, Colt McCoy should be ready to return, so it’s not known exactly who the Mangenius will throw out there on Sunday. The Bills were blown out of their game in Minnesota last week and are probably hoping for inclement weather to keep Peyton Hillis from trampling them all afternoon long. The Browns are no strangers to playing in cold, miserable weather in December, so whatever Ol’ Man Winter brings on Sunday, it’ll have no bearing on either team’s performance.

Projected Final Score: Cleveland 24, Buffalo 21

NY Giants -2 At Minnesota 44

The Vikes look to keep rolling under new Coach Frazier, as they flattened Buffalo last week. But the G-Men are also coming off a dominant win over Washington and remain in the thick of the NFC East hunt despite the fact that they’re banged up on the O-Line and at wide receiver. This week will be a much tougher test for the Giants, as they’re on the road in a loud venue and they’re not at 100% health, especially on offense. Steve Smith is expected back this week and that can only help the Giants going forward. They were humbled by the Vikes last year and may be searching for a little payback, as they’re going somewhere and the Vikings aren’t. For the Vikings, yes, Favre is expected to play (but Harvin won’t), but with the Giants’ pass rush, it’s a 50/50 proposition that he’ll survive four quarters.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 24, Minnesota 23

Green Bay -6.5 At Detroit 47

Except for Thanksgiving, the Lions have fought tough for 60 minutes nearly every week. They put a big scare into the Pack earlier this year at Lambeau, so there will be no rout in the offing. The Lions gave Chicago everything the Bears could handle, losing by only four. Meanwhile, the Pack blew the doors off of the ‘Niners and may have found a new rusher in James Starks to compliment the passing attack. There will be cold and snow flurries in Green Bay this week which ought to make for a lot of fun. Last week, Donald Driver made a spectacular run after catching a pass from Rodgers, dragging three defenders with him into the end zone. As with any divisional game, this one will be hard fought; but this is a game Green Bay desperately needs to win coming down the stretch.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 24, Detroit 17

Atlanta -7 At Carolina 42

The Bucs gave Atlanta a real rough time last week, but the Falcons showed they can win games out of doors. This week, they stay within the division for a date in Charlotte with the 1-11 Panthers. Carolina? Ugh. They stink in every phase of the game, except they do have a somewhat decent running game, provided the opponent’s run D is as bad as Carolina’s O-Line. Since the line can’t protect Clausen and the Falcons run D is effective, things just don’t quite add up for the Panthers.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 24, Carolina 13

Tampa Bay -2 At Washington 41

It seems as if the pointlessness of the whole Haynesworth-Shanahan feud was discussed at length supra. Some egos are so big that they have to burn down the house to prove a point. We get it, Mike. It’s simply too bad that you had to lose your team to show everyone who’s the boss. Waiting until Week 14 to suspend a player is simply ridiculous. Now the Redskins are a mess. McNabb is also playing like he’s a senior citizen instead of an elder statesman. Barring a miraculous revival, that phantom extension he received earlier this year will be worth less than Monopoly money. It’s not that the ‘Skins were pummeled last week as much as they manner in which they lost. They simply rolled over for the G-Men and that was a sign that this team quit. While the Bucs lost in a close game to Atlanta last week, they did not dissuade anyone that they’re not a team on the rise. The problem with Tampa Bay is that they play to the level of their competition. This game represents a chance to prove the pundits wrong. While they may not get to the tournament this year, at least they’re pointed in the right direction (unlike the Redskins).

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 23, Washington 20

At New Orleans -9 St. Louis 47

The Rams had a nice road win last week, even though it was against Arizona, it’s still forward progress for a young team. This week, it’ll be a much tougher test for Sam Bradford as the Rams travel to the Big Easy, where the Saints return after yet another underwhelming win against the Bungles. The Saints remain a game behind Atlanta in the NFC South and this is the time of year where legitimate contenders don’t stumble.

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 27, St. Louis 14

At San Francisco -4.5 Seattle 41

In this week’s installment of the “Hold Your Nose Bowl”, Coach Singletary has decided to sink or swim with Alex Smith after determining that Troy Smith cannot throw an NFL-caliber pass. “Theoretically” the ‘Niners are in contention to win the NFC Worst, but pigs can theoretically fly as well. Seattle had a nice win over Carolina last week, but so what? There are some high school teams that could beat the Panthers. The ‘Niners lost a great deal of offense after Frank gore went down with a broken hip and they were badly exposed by Green Bay last week. Seattle (bad as they may be) is in the hunt for a playoff berth in the NFC Worst and actually have some added motivation to play well.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 23, Seattle 20

At NY Jets -5.5 Miami 41

OK, so we were dead wrong about the Jets on Monday night, but no one in their wildest dreams projected a blowout by the Patriots. Rex Ryan’s bullies had their pants pulled down before a national audience on Monday night and to see the loudmouth and his band of braggarts get stomped was entertaining, to say the least. But that was last week. There’s no way the Jets lay an egg like that at the Meadowlands against a struggling Miami team. The Jets (and Mr. Big Mouth) will be highly motivated to atone for last week’s “Disastah” and Miami will be the unlucky victims. The Dolphins are trying to figure out whether Chad Henne is a legitimate starting quarterback, but he has been consistently inconsistent in recent weeks. Last week, he threw an interception late that delivered a victory to the Browns. This week, the Jets will simply add to Henne’s confused state. It’ll be warm and rainy in Jersey on Sunday, so look for Greene and LDT to get a lot of carries.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 24, Miami 16

Denver -4.5 At Arizona 42.5

We may not be right about much, but (as was discussed last week) the firing of Josh McDaniels came as no shock around here. He may be a wiz when it comes to X’s and O’s but was far too immature when it came to be a leader of men. There’s no doubt that he’ll be a coordinator again soon and will probably get a shot to be a head coach somewhere down the line. Hopefully, he’ll be much wiser when that next chance comes. Eric Studesville will now run the show from here on out, and he couldn’t have dreamed of a better opponent to face than the woeful Cardinals, who managed only two field goals in a listless defeat to the Rams. Anderson and Hall are both hurt, so it may come down to Fordham’s John Skelton to run the show this week. He’s been getting all the reps with the first team at practice this week, but running an offense bereft of talent is a tough way to break into the big time. Kyle Orton ought to have a field day with Arizona’s terrible pass defense.

Projected Final Score: Denver 27, Arizona 14

At San Diego -7 Kansas City 46.5

The Chargers’ express hit a pot hole last week as the Raiders capitalized on a couple of early turnovers and never looked back. It was the first December loss by San Diego in years, and a troubling development considering Kansas City now has a two game lead with four to play. Matt Cassel had an appendectomy on Wednesday, so it’d take a medical miracle for him to travel to San Diego and be ready to play. With Brodie (“0-9”) Croyle at the helm, the Chiefs don’t have much of a shot here. This is a game that the Chiefs would like to win but the Chargers absolutely have to win. If the Chargers lose, they’ll be playing out the string. There’s simply way too much talent for that to happen.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 31, Kansas City 17

New England -3 At Chicago 41

That was an awesome effort put forth by the Patriots on Monday night, but there’s virtually no chance that Belichick will allow the boys to rest on their laurels as they face another tough opponent on a short week. The Pats travel to Chicago and a date with the Monsters of the Midway, who are looking to preserve their precarious lead in the NFC North. This is a tough spot for the Patriots. The weather forecast is for snow, wind and bitter cold. The conditions will dictate a reliance on the running game and that works to the Bears’ strength. New England knows that the Bears will be ready for whatever Brady throws at them on Sunday, so don’t expect any sort of blowout here. The Bears had a hard-fought win over the Lions, but that sort of result was expected anytime old rivals renew acquaintances. This week they should feel disrespected being installed as home ‘dogs and will bring their “A” game.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 13, New England 10

Philadelphia -3.5 At Dallas 50.5

On SNF, the Eagles travel to Dallas after running away from the Texans late on Thursday night. Vick took an absolute pounding out there and later complained that he never gets the “roughing the passer” calls that guys like Brady and Manning receive anytime a lineman breathes the wrong way near them. None of those quarterbacks use their legs to the extent that Vick does, either. If he’s going to run, he’s going to get hit like a runner carrying the ball. Anytime he meanders out of the pocket, he loses that cloak of protection afforded the other quarterbacks who are not threats to run the ball. The Cowboys had a great game in Indy last week, capitalizing on several turnovers to win 38-35 in overtime. Under Coach Garrett, they’re playing a lot like the team that was predicted to do big things this year, and that’s with Kitna out there in place of Romo. Just imagine what the Cowboys could’ve done if Romo didn’t get hurt and Garrett coached this team from the start. Unfortunately, the Cowboys are playing now for pride while the Eagles are still gunning for a playoff spot.

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 24, Dallas 20