NFL Week 3 - Pats Prediction

Pats Prediction:

Last week: Pats favored by 6.5 points. I said 24 - 20 Pats over the Jets. The actual score was 24 - 17 New England.

Season record: 2-0 Straight Up, 0-2 Against the Spread

Week 2 Favorite: New England (-7)

Prediction: 31 - 27 New England over Denver


Mike Shannahan has had success against the Patriots in the past so I expect this game to be a high scoring affair. Jake Plummer has really struggled this year and has had difficulty against Bill Belichick in the past. I think the net result is another Patriots victory. I'm glad that Pats get to face Denver at home and I'm glad it's early in the season before Denver has put everything together. This was a game I indentified on the schedule that could be a loss.

NFL Week 2 - Pats Prediction

Pats Prediction:

Last Week: Pats favored by 10 points. I said 27 - 13 New England over Buffalo. The actual score was 19 - 17 New England.

Season Record: 1-0 Straight Up, 0-1 Against the Spread

Week 2 Favorite: New England (-6.5)

Prediction: 24 - 20 Pats over Jets

A Close Shave, A Pruned Branch

The Buffalo Bills defense came to play yesterday. So much for my predicted score this week. I'm now officially 1-0 straight up and 0-1 against the spread. The more predicitions I make the happier I am that I'm not a gambler.

Both teams played a sloppy game yesterday. Losman looked rattled and confused. Brady looked just plain bad at times. I don't know how much of Brady's trouble stemmed from poor offensive line play, but his fourth quarter interception was a poorly thrown ball no matter what Phil Simms says. Watson beat the safety and should have made a huge gain on the play. The ball simply didn't travel far enough; it was short and to the inside and the safety made the easy play.

Deion Branch was traded to Seattle today for a 1st round draft pick. It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do with two first round picks next year. I'm actually surprised they managed to get a first round pick. I think the Seahawks made a knee-jerk reaction to their poor play yesterday. Start rooting for the Seahawks opponents this year. There is a streak of Super Bowl losers (the last six or so) failing to make the playoffs the following year. I hope it continues.

I still think Branch's agent, Jason Chayut, is a complete idiot. Branch and all parties involved would have been happier if he could have agreed to an extension with the Patriots. Now Branch stands to be exposed as a top 25 to top 35 receiver. It seems Chayut has convinced Branch that he's a top 10 receiver. In reality Branch is probably somewhere in the 15-25 range. He should have accepted one of the Patriots' offers.

NFL Week 1 - Pats Prediction

The NFL season shifts into high gear tomorrow at 1PM. I can't wait!

I'm also playing flag football tomorrow morning in an organized league. I can't wait to start the first game of the season. I don't know how I'll sleep tonight.

I decided to predict the Patriots results each week straight up and also to include the spread. This will give me two chances to be right (or wrong) each week. I'll use Bodog.com for the spread on Saturdays unless otherwise noted.

Pats Prediction:

Last Week: N/A

Week 1 Favorite: New England (-10)

Prediction: 27 - 13 New England over Buffalo

So, as you can see, I'm predicting New England straight up and I'm predicting they cover the spread. I'll keep track of the two results separately for the season.

I'm Ready For Some Football

Since I'm ultra-confident that I'll successfully defend my Fantasy Football crown this season, I figure I'm well qualified to predict the outcome of the NFL season. Here's my prediction by division. Wild card winners for each conference are in italics and have a * after the name.

AFC EAST
12-4 New England Patriots
10-6 Miami Dolphins *
5-11 Buffalo Bills
2-14 New York Jets

The Pats could go 14-2 this year. I don't buy into the Miami hype, but they do have a relatively favorable schedule. The Bills and Jets are awful.

AFC NORTH
11-5 Cincinnati Bengals
9-7 Baltimore Ravens
8-8 Pittsburgh Steelers
7-9 Cleveland Browns

The AFC North could have a dogfight at the top of the division as the Bengals, Steelers, and Steve McNair-led Ravens team all have a shot at the division. I think injuries to McNair and Roethlisberger will derail the Ravens and Steelers, though.

AFC SOUTH
12-4 Indianapolis Colts
8-8 Jacksonville Jaguars
6-10 Houston Texans
4-12 Tennessee Titans

The Colts run away with the division. The Texans make a baby step forward. The Vince Young era begins in Tennessee.

AFC WEST
10-6 San Diego Chargers
10-6 Kansas City Chiefs *
9-7 Denver Broncos
5-11 Oakland Raiders

The Chargers ride their defense and LT to the division title. Likewise, the Chiefs ride LJ and an improved defense to the playoffs. Broncos fans get to see Jay Cutler a little earlier than they had hoped.

NFC EAST
10-6 Philadelphia Eagles
9-7 Dallas Cowboys *
7-9 New York Giants
6-10 Washington Redskins

The Eagles got rid of clubhouse cancer Terrell Owens and can't possibly get hit with the injury bug as hard as they were last year. Meanwhile the afformentioned T.O. behaves enough during his first year in Dallas to earn a playoff berth. The overrated and overhyped Giants and Redskins fall by the wayside.

NFC NORTH
9-7 Chicago Bears
8-8 Minnesota Vikings
6-10 Detroit Lions
6-10 Green Bay Packers

The worst division in football allows the Bears defense to once again rise to the top of the division. Brett Favre will wish he had retired.

NFC SOUTH
11-5 Carolina Panthers
9-7 Tampa Bay Buccanears
8-8 Atlanta Falcons
6-10 New Orleans Saints

The Panthers are very good team but I don't think they will completely outdistance themselves from the pack. The Buccanears are the tough-luck team in the NFC. Michael Vick and Reggie Bush compete for highlight reel plays, but not for the playoffs.

NFC WEST
11-5 Seattle Seahawks
10-6 St. Louis Rams *
7-9 Arizona Cardinals
5-11 San Francisco 49's

The Seahawks lost guard Steve Hutchinson to the Vikes, but they still have a great offense led by Hasselbeck and Alexander to compliment a top-notch defense that added some key players this off-season. The Rams have the talent to be a very good team this year. The Cardinals don't have the offensive line or defense to get to the next level yet. Good luck, Alex Smith.


I like the Pats over the Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

I think the Panthers beat the Seahawks in an NFC Championship Game rematch.

I think the Pats will beat the Panthers in Miami in February in some really important game.

We're Not Dead Yet

I can't even count the number of times that I planned to write a column titled "R.I.P. 2006 Red Sox Season" in the last two weeks. I'm an optimist, I think it helps me get through life on a relatively even keel. So when I thought the season was over for the Sox, you know the team was in dire straights. After two great pitching performances in a row, first Freddy Kreuger and now Kason Gaba-gaba-hey, the team is not only clinging to their slim playoff chances, but is showing a glimmer of hope. The return of Varitek this week is huge. Getting Papi, Nixon, and Gonzalez back into the lineup doesn't hurt, either. Hopefully Papelbon and Schilling won't be on the mend for too long.

I'm planning to write my NFL season preview tomorrow, so stay tuned.