Week 9 Review/Week 10 Preview

For the Week/Season:
vs. W/L: (7-7)/90-40
vs. ATS: (9-5)/70-60
vs. Aggregate: (7-7)/74-56

vs. ATS:
CBS Brinson 71-59-0
Postcards 70-60-0
CBS Judge 70-60-0
USAT Saraceno 64-62-4
ESPN Simmons 64-60-6
CBS Richard 63-67-0
CBS Prisco 62-68-0
CBS Freeman 61-69-0
Walter Football 56-67-7


vs. W/L:
ESPN Accuscore 91-39
ESPN Golic 90-40
Postcards 90-40
ESPN Pick 'em 89-41
PFT Rosenthal 88-42
USAT Nate Davis 87-43
USAT Pete O'Brien 87-43
USAT Jarrett Bell 86-44
USAT Jim Corbett 86-44
ESPN Schlereth 86-44
ESPN Allen 86-44
ESPN Hoge 86-44
USAT Gary Mihoces 86-44
USAT Tom Pedulla 85-45
USAT Jon Saraceno 85-45
ESPN Wickersham 84-46
USAT Robert Klemko 83-47
ESPN Schefter 82-48
PFT Florio 79-51
ESPN Mortensen 77-53

Everybody’s back in the pool for Week 10, as there will be only one more week of byes in Week 11.

Week 10 kicked off on a sour note for us as one more the Chokin’ Chargers laid an egg at home against the Raiders. The AFC West is now a wide open matter…The Patriots pulled the plug on Albert Haynesworth this week after he had a confrontation with Assistant Coach Pepper Johnson during the Giants’ game last Sunday. Why is this not a surprise? Haynesworth provided slightly less than zero contributions to the beleaguered Patriots’ defense this year and will definitely not be missed. Haynesworth wasn’t out if work long as Tampa Bay decided to roll the dice with him; good luck with that.

The Sunday Games:

Pittsburgh -3.5 At Cincinnati 42

How many among you would’ve argued that the Bengals would have a better record than the Steelers after nine weeks? This is a big test for Cincinnati. The Steelers suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds to the Ravens and ought to be furious heading into this game.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 17

At Kansas City -3.5 Denver 41.5

The Chiefs were absolutely smoked by Miami last week and will be looking to atone against a Broncos’ team that shocked Oakland 38-24 on Sunday. Can Tebow, McGahee and the offense duplicate their feat? Probably not; but as is the case with old AFL West rivals, the game will be hard-fought and nothing can be taken for granted.

Projected Final Score: Kansas City 24, Denver 20

Jacksonville -3.5 At Indianapolis 37.5

Coming off of a bye, the Jags travel to Indy where they look to add to Indy’s woeful misery. Has any team fallen so far so fast? Indy was pushed around and steamrolled last week in their ninth consecutive loss to Atlanta and it doesn’t look as if anything will change soon.

Projected Final Score: Jacksonville 20, Indianapolis 13

At Dallas -5.5 Buffalo 47.5

The Bills laid a big, fat egg against the Jets last week in what was billed as a “statement game”. Now they have to travel to Big D, where the Cowboys are coming off a decent but not great win over Seattle. The Cowboys would like to start rolling at this point of the year and face a good challenge this week with Buffalo. The Bills, on the other hand, can see that their time atop the AFC East may be slipping away and would like to get back to playing that brand of competitive football that had them as early division leaders.

Projected Final Score: Dallas 27, Buffalo 20

Houston -3.5 At Tampa Bay 45.5

The Bucs were bowled over in the Superdome on Sunday while the Texans are looking for the most direct route to the top of the AFC South. The Texans had a relatively easy time of things with the Browns, but this game presents a much tougher test.

Projected Final Score: Houston 24, Tampa Bay 20

At Carolina -3.5 Tennessee 45.5

Once again, the Titans spit the bit in a key matchup against the Bengals. They’re simply too inconsistent week-to-week to get any sort of comfort level. The Panthers are coming off a bye and had an extra week for Cam Newton to familiarize himself with the offense and to prepare for an eminently winnable game.

Projected Final Score: Carolina 26, Tennessee 21

At Miami -3.5 Washington 37.5

Finally, Dolphins’ fans can rejoice. Coach Sparano’s crew came out and played a full 60-minute consistent effort of football as they flattened the Chiefs 31-3 on the road. The Redskins gave the ‘Niners a tough fight on defense but John Beck and the offense had another miserable outing. They may now have the worst offense in the NFL, even worse than Indy’s.

Projected Final Score: Miami 24, Washington 20

New Orleans -1.5 At Atlanta 51

Both teams are coming off of dominating wins but now Atlanta returns to the Georgia Dome, where they’re darn near unbeatable. The Falcons crushed Indy on the road last week and Julio Jones looks like he was worth trading up for. The Saints had a nice, efficient win over Tampa Bay at home but fully understand that they need to bring their best game to Atlanta.

Projected Final Score: Atlanta 27, New Orleans 23

At Chicago -3.5 Detroit 45.5

While the Packers have run away with the NFC North, there is an interesting race for the runners up. The Lions are coming off of a bye and will look at this game as a real test as to who’s who. While the rise of the Lions has been a great story to follow, they’ve yet to prove themselves on the road against a really tough defense. The Bears put forth a tremendous effort on Monday night, shutting down Vick and the Eagles. Cutler had great pass protection against Philly, but can that O-Line hold up against the Lions aggressive front?

Projected Final Score: Chicago 24, Detroit 17

At Cleveland -3.5 St. Louis 37

How many people (beyond the principals and their following) actually care about the outcome of this game? These are two really bad football teams, though the Rams showed a lot of spunk last week, losing in overtime in Arizona. The Browns’ punchless offense took a beating last week in Houston without Hillis and Hardesty. It looks like Colt McCoy is simply not a big league quarterback.

Projected Final Score: St. Louis 23, Cleveland 17

At Philadelphia -14.5 Arizona 46.5

The Cardinals won in overtime last week for only the second time this year. The Eagles were rolling, but that was before Monday night’s very disappointing loss to the Bears. This week, Vick ought to get the Eagles’ wheels turning once more but is that spread too heavy to bear?

Projected Final Score: Philadelphia 33, Arizona 17

Ravens -7.5 At Seattle 40.5

The Ravens are coming off a thrilling last-second win in Pittsburgh on Sunday night, and may have expended a lot of emotional capital in the process. Lucky for them that they travel to Seattle, where the woefully inept Seahawks’ offense will be waiting. The Seahawks could only muster 13 points in Dallas last week and perhaps that’s the best they’re capable of.

Projected Final Score: Ravens 24, Seattle 13

At San Francisco -3.5 NY Giants 42.5

Was that Patriots-Giants re-match déjà vu or what? Ballard’s spectacular catch over the middle was eerily reminiscent of David Tyree’s catch in the Super Bowl. Eli Manning simply picked apart the Patriots woeful secondary. Coach Coughlin’s crew played a great game and deserve congratulations. This week will be a much tough test as the ‘Niners defense is rock tough. The ‘Niners offense depends on Frank Gore pounding the rock and will be looking to play a ball-control game.

Projected Final Score: San Francisco 24, NY Giants 20

At NY Jets -1.5 New England 47

The Jets return home after a dominating win in Buffalo and now took to step on the Patriots to the top of the AFC East. There’s so much to say about the Patriots’ loss to the Giants. On defense, there was no (zero) pass rush on Manning and he easily picked apart the secondary. On offense, Brady was relatively contained and was intercepted twice (and fumbled once). This week, they travel to the Meadowlands, which has been a house of horrors. If the Patriots fail to generate any sort of pass rush, look for Sanchez to throw early and often against the League’s worst secondary.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 24, New England 21

Monday Night Preview:

At Green Bay -13.5 Minnesota 51

The Pack returns home to Lambeau, fresh of another big win in San Diego. While the offense was typically dominant, the defense surrendered 38 points. The Vikings’ offense in no way resembles San Diego’s. Still, they are divisional rivals and the Vikes (fresh of a bye) will come out and play hard.

Projected Final Score: Green Bay 31, Minnesota 13