NFL picks from The Bleachers – Week 12
NFL Week 11 results 14-2
Season to date 105-55

Pretty above decent weekend of NFL football last week, hopefully Turkey Day and this coming Sunday can live up to what came before.

Great to see the Sports Karma Gods have not lost their touch.

Two weeks ago Denver ran the score up on Kansas, passing out of max-protect formations with 50 points already on the board, late in the game. The revenge the Sports Karma Gods cooked up came in the form of a serious pasting for Denver at the hands of their bitter rivals the Chargers.

In other news, great to see Richard Seymour not getting suspended for the rubbish incident during the Raiders/Steelers game. Now, when are they finally going to hit Big Ben with his taunting penalty?

On to the picks.


Patriots @ Lions (Thursday)
Here Turkey, Turkey!! The Lions have had a brave and heartening season. They have run some teams close, and have shown they will be a force to reckon with over the coming years, with a very nice base foundation of Stafford/Johnson/Best/N'Suh. The thing is, they are running out of steam. Scorelines are starting to run away from them. The exact wrong team is coming to town today, and the inevitable outcome will be, Detroit playing hard, keeping it close, until the Patriots go on one of those 6 minute, game killing drives late in the fourth.
The pick: Patriots 35-24
A little something for the weekend, sir? – The 'over' is coming down, Detroit will score some points, and the Patriots can put up 35-40, easily. Over 50pts (10/11)

Saints @ Cowboys (Thursday)
The Cowboys have pulled out all the stops under their new coach, and their players look energized and focused. The problem is, the Saints have turned something of a corner lately too, and are playing with their own sense of renewed vigour. The Saints are particularly good (3-1) on the road. This has the potential to be a nice, open, high scoring game.
The pick: Saints 27-24
A little something for the weekend, sir? – The saints to win by 1-6 points (7/2)

Bengals @ Jets (Thursday)
Lord have mercy. Has a coach ever been sacked during a game? We’re about to find out. All the makings of a complete slaughter are present here. The Jets are due a big, easy home win, and are riding a tidal wave of momentum. The Bungles? Their absolutely shocking collapse last week stinks of a team giving up on its dead-man-walking coach.
The pick: Jets 30-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Jets -9 points (10/11) free money

Packers @ Falcons
One of the better games of the week, this could eventually be the potential NFC title showdown. How can you ignore the Falcons flawless 5-0 home record? They have played perfect football at home, and the Packers curious losses to Miami and Washington stick out like an infected sore thumb. The Falcons, in a hard fought close one.
The pick: Falcons 27-24
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Brandon Jackson to score a touchdown anytime (6/5) as a Brandon Jackson owner in fantasy football, I can assure you, he is due.



Steelers @ Bills
I wonder will Big Ben be okay to play in this one? I mean, he was so badly injured mid-taunt last week against the Raiders. What is wrong with this world, can’t an arrogant, pea-brained QB, with more sex-assault charges to his name than Pee Wee Herman, taunt a player without expecting retribution?! I'll be honest, probably best to ignore my advice on this one, as I am so anti-Big Ben right now it isn’t even funny. Spanish league soccer players would have been suitably embarrassed by his pathetic dive, flop or whatever you want to call it last week. All that aside, the Bills are feisty lately, and that’s an understatement, their comeback win over The Bungles was stunning. They are playing without fear, and scoring absolutely stacks of points. The Steelers are good at home, but can be taken on the road. More with hope than anything, the Bills to get into a big lead and pick off Big Ben a few times to seal it. And then taunt him.
The pick: Bills 29-27
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Buffalo to score over 19 pts (10/11)

Panthers @ Browns
The Browns are very, very good at home. Just ask the Patriots and indeed the Jets. Carolina are bad everywhere.
The pick: Browns 34-13
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Browns minus a million (no betting currently available, as the Panthers try to make their mind up about which awful QB to start)

Jaguars @ Giants
A few weeks ago the Jaguars were an after-thought. Then David Gerard came back, started playing up to his potential and hey-presto, the Jaguars are the real deal. Meanwhile, a few weeks ago the Giants were beating bad teams up and down the land, and everyone was busy polishing their crown. Then a few good teams smacked them right in the mouth, and hey-presto, we are on Tom Coughlin watch again. I have been riding the Jags for a few weeks now, and enjoying the experience. There is actually a chance they are actually a better coached and more well-rounded team than the Giants. The Jags have won three on the trot, including beating Dallas, the Giants have lost two in a row, including to Dallas. This game will tell us all we need to know about both teams.
The pick: Jags 33-30
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Jags to score over 18 pts (5/6)

Vikings @ Redskins
New coach syndrome! New coach syndrome! Teams across all sports react well to a new coach. The Vikings should react really, really well to being freed of the shackles that were Brad Chilldress. Washington, meanwhile, has gone without controversy for about fifteen minutes, and are well overdue.
The pick: Vikings 27-21
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Vikings/Vikings ht/ft (5/2)

Titans @ Texans
Has Titan’s coach Jeff Fisher done the lottery yet this week? If not, he should get the job done, as this is, apparently, his lucky week. With all the hubbub surrounding the latest Vince Young breakdown, the Titans can consider themselves wildly lucky at having to face the Texans. It would appear Texas have entirely raised the white flag and given up. A healthy dose of Chris Johnson all day long will not be appealing to the brutal Texans defence.
The pick: Titans 26-23
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Nothing available yet, Tennessee trying to figure out what drug Vince Young is on.



Dolphins @ Raiders
Richard Seymour will get ejected for not pronouncing ‘Roethlisberger’ correctly, despite the fact they are playing Oakland. Has anyone checked in on Big Ben? Is he okay? The poor fella, I mean, all he wanted to do was taunt an opponent, and, the big, bad opponent stood up to him! How dare he!! Big Ben is not used to this kind of shabby treatment. He normally prefers his prey to be female, alone, and intimidated by his bouncers. Hey, one very interesting thing to note, not one Steelers player went to Roethlisberger’s aid last week. Watch the tape. Not one. What does that tell you? Meanwhile, Oakland has enough going for it at home to take advantage of the cluster-fudge that is Miami’s season right now.
The pick: Raiders 24-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – No betting available yet, but keep an eye on the under. This game looks decidedly undery.

Chiefs @ Seahawks
Who do you pick? The feisty team that struggles on the road, or the bad team that does really well at home? In the NFL, you pick the latter. Seattle are not unbeatable at home, as the Giants showed a few weeks ago, but, they are 3-1 and love playing in front of their crazy fans. Kansas, 1-4 away? No thanks.
The pick: Seahawks 31-30
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Seattle to win by 1-6 pts (7/2)

Eagles @ Bears
There is something brewing in Philadelphia. Perhaps more surprisingly, there is something brewing in Chicago too. Let’s call this the ‘upset’ special. Don’t things seem to be going too smoothly for the Eagles? We haven’t had that Andy Reid, ‘blank 1,000 yard stare’ for a while, its well over due. Michael Vick is taking more hits than most running backs. That can’t continue. If he tries to scramble too much against a powerful, angry Bears D, we could see the Eagles season unravel faster than you can say ‘Completely cold Kevin Kolb’. Did you see him in his last relief appearance? He almost ran onto the field without his helmet. Sarah Palin looked more prepared to run a constructive, logical debate than Kolb to run the Eagles offence. Upset alert!! Bears to lay the smack down early and come out with a ‘shock’, low scoring win.
The pick: Bears 19-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Bears 'D' to score a TD any time (4/1)



''what''s happening?!''

Rams @ Broncos
Now this doesn’t look like any fun at all, does it? The take away that odd-ball Kansas win and the Broncos are having a forgettable season. Meanwhile, the Rams hate going on the road, like, really hate it. They are currently 0-4 on their travels, and will be 0-5 after this ugly mess of a game is over.
The pick: Broncos 27-24
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Denver to score over 24 pts (5/6)

Buccaneers @ Ravens
A 4-0 home record (Ravens) meets a 4-1 road record (Buccaneers). Slight bump in the fairytale journey for Tampa, but there will be no shame losing a close one to the Ravens in their home.
The pick: Ravens 24-20
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Tampa +7.5 (5/6) that .5 might be huge

Chargers @ Colts


Now this is a football game. Fantastic.The big problem for the Chargers has been going on the road this season, and they are possibly facing the Colts at the exact worst time. The Colts have to be hurting, angry and ready to play to redeem themselves after the loss in New England. Philip Rivers will undoubtedly pass all over the Colts banged up ‘D’, but there is no evidence to suggest Manning won’t return the favour. The Colts, at home, will end up wanting it more.
The pick: 37-34
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Colts/Colts HT/FT (6/5)



49ers @ Cardinals
Wait a second, they are actually going to play this one? This isn't some kind of an elaborate joke? Is this the worst Monday night football game, ever? The 49ers will do just enough to beat a really, really bad Cardinals team, and everyone will say 'Oh my God, the 49ers are still in it!' when really, they aren't.
The pick: 49ers 23-16
A little something for the weekend, sir? – ESPN to pull the game at half time. Just kidding, go for the Under, under 40 pts (10/11)


Other weeks to date:
Week 11 (14-2)
Week 10 (8-6)
Week 9 (10-3)
Week 8 (10-4)
Week 7 (10-4)
Week 6 (8-6)
Week 5 (8-6)
Week 4 (9-5)
Week 3 (8-8)


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