‘Skins try to buck ‘Bucs
Published 12:00 am Monday, November 14, 2005
Washington 24, Tampa Bay 13. Cadillac Williams hasn’t been getting it done, but neither has the rest of the Buc offense. The Redskins have a defense that’s getting better every week, and their offense is decent as well. If Washington can learn to win on the road (they’re 1-3 this year), they might just put the whole package together.
New England 26, Miami 13. The Patriots have to get back on track fast, and Tom Brady’s still ticked at Miami for coming back to beat New England last year.
Kansas City 20, Buffalo 10. The Chiefs need a win to stay close to Denver in the AFC West, and a Buffalo defense that handed a game to New England two weeks ago might be good for a team still trying to get used to losing Priest Holmes. Willis McGahee has been a bright spot for the Bill offense, but Kansas City’s eighth in the league against the run.
Chicago 30, San Francisco 7. The Bear defense has been rabid this year, and a San Fran offense that hasn’t won a road game yet shouldn’t give them too much trouble. Kyle Orton hasn’t been much as Chicago’s quarterback, but a good showing today will build his confidence.
Detroit 7, Arizona 3. Next.
N.Y. Giants 35, Minnesota 24. Some would argue that the Vikings haven’t been the same since the Giants destroyed them 41-0 in the 2000 NFC title game. The Giants also haven’t lost at home this year, so the little like that the Vikings have shown over the past few weeks should die today.
Jacksonville 17, Baltimore 3. The Jaguars aren’t as good as their 5-3 record says – they had to come back to beat Houston last week – but the Ravens have the worst offense in the league, and their defense isn’t worth much either.
Denver 30, Oakland 12. Denver would win this anyway, but there’s some personal issues here. First, Mike Shanahan has always enjoyed showing up the team that fired him 16 years ago. Second, the Broncos gave away a 25-24 loss to Oakland last season.
Carolina 24, N.Y. Jets 16. The Panthers have the top squad in the NFC, and the injury bug is feasting on the Jets. If Curtis Martin doesn’t get white-hot from the start, this could be a mismatch.
Atlanta 30, Green Bay 7. These aren’t the same teams that met in the 2002 playoffs.
Pittsburgh 42, Cleveland 10. The good news for Charlie Batch is the same as last week – battling a low-level team will give him time to adjust to the Pittsburgh offense. He’s also got Duce Staley back for another weapon.
Indianapolis 35, Houston 10. Wouldn’t it be great if Houston managed to win this one? They’d be next to Buster Douglas and the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team.
St. Louis 27, Seattle 23. This will be an upset, but St. Louis has shown an admirable ability to play shorthanded, and needs this one to stay alive for the playoff hunt. Seattle’s done great, but they had to struggle in a 37-31 win over the Rams in October.
Philadelphia 100, Dallas 3. This is my personal applause to Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagle organization for standing up to Terrell Owens, and I hope they go undefeated the rest of the season just to prove how little he meant. I’ll probably get this one wrong, but the Eagles got this one right – big time. And after all, Owens didn’t do squat when Philly got waxed 33-10 by Dallas earlier this season, so why should we believe he would have done anything now?
Last week: 9-3
Overall: 71-55