2013 NFL Week 11 Predictions

Here are my Week 11 picks for the 2013 NFL Regular Season.

Winners are indicated in BOLD lettering

Thursday Game
Indianapolis @ Tennessee

Sunday Early Games
NY Jets @ Buffalo
Baltimore @ Chicago
Cleveland @ Cincinnati
Oakland @ Houston
Arizona @ Jacksonville
Washington @ Philadelphia
Detroit @ Pittsburgh
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

Sunday Afternoon Games
San Diego @ Miami
San Francisco @ New Orleans
Green Bay @ NY Giants
Minnesota @ Seattle

Sunday Night Game
Kansas City @ Denver

Monday Night Game
New England @ Carolina

2013 NFL Week 10 Predictions

After a solid week of picks in Week 9, I'm back at it for my Week 10 Predictions of the 2013 NFL season. This past week had some drama, which is nice after what has been a lackluster season thus far. Hopefully the quality of play picks up even moreso than it did last week, so here's my picks for this week.

Winners are indicated in BOLD lettering

Thursday Night Game
Washington @ Minnesota

Sunday Early Games
Cincinnati @ Baltimore
Seattle @ Atlanta
Detroit @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
St. Louis @ Indianapolis
Oakland @ NY Giants
Buffalo @ Pittsburgh

Sunday Afternoon Games
Carolina @ San Francisco
Houston @ Arizona
Denver @ San Diego

Sunday Night Game
Dallas @ New Orleans

Monday Night Game
Miami @ Tampa Bay

2013 NFL Week 9 Predictions

Another week, another set of predictions.

Predictions are indicated in BOLD

Thursday Game
Cincinnati at Miami

Sunday Early Games
Atlanta at Carolina
Kansas City at Buffalo
Minnesota at Dallas
Tennessee at St. Louis
New Orleans at NY Jets
San Diego at Washington

Sunday Afternoon Games
Philadelphia at Oakland
Tampa Bay at Seattle
Baltimore at Cleveland
Pittsburgh at New England

Sunday Night Game
Indianapolis at Houston

Monday Night Game
Chicago at Green Bay

2013 NFL Week 8 Predictions

Another week has come and gone, and yet the NFL keeps on ticking. So do I, apparently. Here are my picks for this week in the NFL.

Thursday Night Game
Carolina @ Tampa Bay

Sunday Early Games
Dallas @ Detroit
Cleveland @ Kansas City
Miami @ New England
Buffalo @ New Orleans
NY Giants @ Philadelphia
San Francisco @ Jacksonville

Sunday Afternoon Games
Washington @ Denver
NY Jets @ Cincinnati
Pittsburgh @ Oakland
Atlanta @ Arizona

Sunday Night Game
Green Bay @ Minnesota

Monday Night Football
Seattle @ St. Louis

2013 NFL Week 7 Predictions

Another week, another set of predictions made early. This week has 1 great game, a few okay games, but the rest are games I wouldn't want to watch if I were blind, and since I'm obviously typing this, I'm not. It's not a pretty week for the NFL, and it's not a good season in general so far.

Thursday Night Game
Seattle @ Arizona

Sunday Early Games
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
Chicago @ Washington
Dallas @ Philadelphia
New England @ NY Jets
Buffalo @ Miami
San Diego @ Jacksonville
St. Louis @ Carolina
Cincinnati @ Detroit

Sunday Afternoon Games
San Francisco @ Tennessee
Houston @ Kansas City
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh
Cleveland @ Green Bay

Sunday Night Game
Denver @ Indianapolis

Monday Night Game
Minnesota @ NY Giants

2013 NFL Week 6 Predictions

Hello again. Due to me being busy, I've decided to make my predictions earlier in the week so I can provide a more consistent schedule. While I may dislike making predictions on Tuesday and Wednesday, I feel it must be done going forward to maintain updates. With that in mind, here we go.

Thursday Game
NY Giants @ Chicago

Sunday Early Games
Carolina @ Minnesota
Green Bay @ Baltimore
Cincinnati @ Buffalo
Detroit @ Cleveland
Oakland @ Kansas City
Pittsburgh @ NY Jets
Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay
St. Louis @ Houston

Sunday Late Games
Jacksonville @ Denver
Tennessee @ Seattle
Arizona @ San Francisco
New Orleans @ New England

Sunday Night Game
Washington @ Dallas

Monday Night Game
Indianapolis @ San Diego

2013 NFL Week 4 Predictions

After a 2 week hiatus, I'm back with my weekly NFL picks. I'm sorry about missing the last two weeks, but I've been fighting medical issues as well as some personal issues. But nothing is stopping me this week, so here are my picks. I hope that I can return to my regular prediction schedule this time. And don't worry about last night's game, I'm writing this a couple of hours beforehand.

Thursday Game
San Francisco at St. Louis

Sunday Early Games
Baltimore at Buffalo
Arizona at Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Minnesota
NY Giants at Kansas City
Indianapolis at Jacksonville
Seattle at Houston
Cincinnati at Cleveland
Chicago at Detroit

Sunday Late Games
NY Jets at Tennessee
Washington at Oakland
Philadelphia at Denver
Dallas at San Diego

Sunday Night Game
New England at Atlanta

Monday Night Football
Miami at New Orleans

2013 NFL Season Week 1 Predictions

Welcome back everyone! I know it's been a while, but it was a bad summer for me. Some people, while I didn't know them, that have had an effect on my life, passed away this summer. It's hard to forget someone you remember so fondly. I hope we all try to interact with many people as we can before all of us pass on, so no one will ever truly be forgotten, and live on in peoples' hearts. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here for one reason, FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS!

The NFL returns tomorrow (okay, it technically returned Thursday, but no one counts that as the true opening of the season now, do they?), so it'd be a good time for me to make my NFL predictions this week for every game on the calendar. While I did miss Thursday's game, I will take it as a loss for sportsmanship purposes. Now, let's get to it.

*- Winners Denoted in BOLD
*- From Week 2 onward, I will only refer to teams by their City name with the exception of the Jets and Giants

Thursday, September 5
Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos - No Pick

Sunday, September 8 - Early Games
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Seattle Seahawks @ Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins @ Cleveland Browns
Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions
Oakland Raiders @ Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New York Jets
Tennessee Titans @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, September 8 - Afternoon Games
Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers
Arizona Cardinals @ St. Louis Rams

Sunday, September 8 - Sunday Night Football
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys

Monday, September 9 - Monday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins
Houston Texans @ San Diego Chargers

Enjoy the return of Football everyone!

The Embarrassment that is the Canadians

Last night the Montreal Canadians were handily defeated in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at the hands of the Ottawa Senators by a score of 6 to 1. While that is in and of itself a complete joke of a score, the true embarrassment from this game comes from the fact that the game featured 236 penalty minutes, 129 for Montreal and 107 for Ottawa. By the end of the game, both teams had around 5 players left on their benches, so 10-11 players total. All in all, this was a complete embarrassment for the stories Montreal Canadians franchise and its' fans.

After the game, Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said 'they did that to themselves' in response to a question of whether or not the timeout he called with 17 seconds left was to embarrass the Canadians or not. At 7:04 of the third period, 5 fights broke out at once, resulting in 20 penalties, 8 of which were game misconducts and 10 were 5-minute majors for fighting. What's so embarrassing about this? The fact that Montreal did not win one of these fights. You'd think by the law of averages that they'd win at least one, but no, they didn't. A smaller, more agile team taking on a tougher team is never a good formula for winning fights in the NHL, and Montreal reiterated that with their pathetic attempt at machismo last night.

The Canadians players embarrassed themselves last night, as well as their fans, who probably aren't waking up to put on their traditional colors this morning. The Ottawa Senators proved a point last night, and that's that the Canadians can't beat the Senators at their own game, and if they try it, they'll get embarrassed yet again, and probably worse next time as well.

2013 NHL Playoffs: A Primer

The 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin tonight, and as always, I thought I'd do a pre-show discussion of what the first round matchups entail, and maybe some predictions as well. I haven't been completely vested in this year's playoffs due to the strike as well as concentrating on other things, but the Playoffs is really what Hockey season is all about. It's the shining city on the hill for any hockey fan, regardless if you're team is in it or not...unless you're a Panthers fan.

Eastern Conference
#1 - Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #8 - New York Islanders
While the Penguins handily won the season series, these two haven't played each other in a month, which includes the time when the Islanders didn't lose in regulation for 11 straight games. The Islanders are playing good hockey at the right time, and I think given the heated nature between these two teams, surprisingly, I think this will go deep. It may not go 7 games, but I expect the Islanders to give the Penguins trouble before bowing out.
Pittsburgh wins 4-2

#2 - Montreal Canadians vs. #7 - Ottawa Senators
This is a match-up that I'm not too familiar with, so when I say that Montreal will have home ice in all games played in this series, don't take it to heart. Anderson for the Senators has played great all season, including the last week of the regular season. Montreal has struggled of late, but they might have turned it around during their final two regular season games against Winnipeg and Toronto. Time will tell, but Montreal does have the advantage here.
Montreal wins 4-1

#3 - Washington Capitals vs. #6 - New York Rangers
While this match-up seems to happen every year, it doesn't. It's only happened four of the past five years, with the Rangers taking last year's contest in 7 games. Both teams, particularly the Rangers were better last year. The difference here is that the Capitals are playing much better this year than last year, and instead of playing overwhelmingly defense, the Capitals are playing a more aggressive style of hockey of late, losing only twice in April, both to the Ottawa Senators. That's what I think is the key difference in this series from last year.
Washington wins 4-2

#4 - Boston Bruins vs. #5 - Toronto Maple Leafs
Both Boston and Toronto are entering the Playoffs at a tough stretch, struggling to gain footing. A week ago, the Bruins were poised to take the 2 seed, but couldn't get enough points down the stretch by blowing lead after lead. The Maple Leafs haven't looked good since clinching a playoff birth, and even before looked to be a bit jittery with their current position. If the Bruins were playing good hockey, I'd say they'd win this one in a walk, but since both are struggling, both will probably try to use this series to rebound, but I think Boston's experience prevails here.
Boston wins 4-3


Western Conference
#1 - Chicago Blackhawks vs. #8 - Minnesota Wild
This is the only series that I look at and say 'chalk.' The Blackhawks are playing well, and the Wild barely got in, and probably only in part because they played the Colorado Avalanche in their final game.
Chicago wins 4-0

#2 - Anaheim Ducks vs. #7 - Detroit Red Wings
The Ducks have flown under the radar all season. While they have a great offense, none of their players have more than 15 goals, showing the depth and teamwork they have. However, they now face a team that's bested them all year long, the Red Wings, who are playing at the heights that are expected of them. With that in mind, I expect this one to go their way, in a not-so-surprising upset.
Detroit wins 4-2

#3 - Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 - San Jose Sharks
This is another series that I'm not really inclined to against the season series on. Both have loads of playoff experience, and both have profound disappointment in their playoff results. It seems like the perfect time that both of these teams face one another.
San Jose wins 4-2

#4 - St. Louis Blues vs. #5 - Los Angeles Kings
These two faced each other during last year's playoffs, but the difference here is that Los Angeles isn't on a massive spree of wins as the lowly 8 seed. Both of these teams are built to win in the Playoffs, but only one will win, and I like the reigning Champions here.
Los Angeles wins 4-3

Super Bowl XLVII Analysis

Hello for the final time during this NFL season. Today I will be looking at Super Bowl XLVII (47), featuring a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. It's been a long year, and I'm sort of sad to see it end; but at the same time, thank goodness it's finally ending. Let's cut to the chase, shall we?

AFC Champions: Baltimore Ravens
- AFC North Champions
- 10-6 record (13-6 including the Playoffs)

vs.

NFC Champions: San Francisco 49ers
- NFC West Champions
- 11-4-1 record (13-4-1 including the Playoffs)


Scheduled Kickoff: 6:15pm Eastern Standard Time, Sunday, February 3rd


Baltimore Offense vs. San Francisco Defense
Baltimore's strength during the regular season predominantly lied on their running back, Ray Rice. Rice ran for over 1,100 yards and 9 touchdowns, and had over 475 receiving yards and 1 touchdown this season as well. In the postseason however, it has been Joe Flacco, a quarterback of seemingly questionable talent, that has led the Ravens to victory over the past couple of games, notably in Denver where his late game touchdown pass saved their season. They will match themselves up against a San Francisco defense that hasn't played great over the past month of the season, but stepped up big against Atlanta in the NFC Championship game, allowing 0 points in the second half, allowing them to make a comeback. Over the last few years, a hot defense with solid offensive play has determined who would win the Super Bowl. Last year, it was the Giants, the year before it was the Packers. Considering Baltimore has the hot hand this year, I give the advantage to the Ravens here. Joe Flacco has been a big game quarterback for a long time, having played well in almost every playoff game he's been in. It should be no surprise to anyone that he's played well this off-season and yet, his play has been surprising to most. In reality, he's the most clutch quarterback remaining in the playoffs and has been since it started. He's won a playoff game every year he's been in the league, he's won on the road, against Pittsburgh, Denver and now New England. So why is his play when it counts the most surprising when he's always done it? It's not.


San Francisco Offense vs. Baltimore Defense
The battle here is a tale of age. A young, hot offense with an athletic quarterback versus an aging defense with its' leader riding off into the sunset afterwards. This, if you find it hard to understand, is the same battle that the Baltimore Ravens faced 4 weeks ago against the Indianapolis Colts, although the challenge here is a bit harder. San Francisco is primarily a run first offense that can throw well. Stopping the run for the Ravens has been a problem for the last few seasons due to an aging front seven. This should play into San Francisco's hands if the game is close for most of the first half. However, if the game gets into a battle of offense fisticuffs like I think it will, San Francisco has to deal with Baltimore's corners which are some of the best in the league, including Ed Reed, who is notorious for interceptions in big situations. While he may not make his presence known, he's there. While the Ravens were lit up by Peyton Manning's arm, needless to say, Colin Kapernick is no Peyton Manning. This is where I give the Ravens the advantage. While the 49ers are a great running team and can dominate the Ravens defensive front, if it gets into a battle where they need to play from behind they won't be able to throw on Baltimore's defense.


Conclusion and Prediction
Given my analysis, along with how the two have played in the playoffs, I believe this year's Super Bowl Champions will be the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens have the hot hand right now, as well as having the experience of playing in the big game, along with the leadership to guide the young players to a Championship. While San Francisco is a young team, they have very little Championship experience to lead them through the hype and glitter that comes with it. The Ravens have wanted another Super Bowl for the last few years, and now that they have another chance, I can't see them leaving New Orleans without the Vince Lombardi Trophy.


Final Score: Baltimore - 24, San Francisco - 13

Enjoy the Super Bowl everyone!

NFL 2012 Championship Predictions

The Conference Championships are here, and with that, comes predictions.


San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons
3:00pm EST - Fox
I expect this game to a be low scoring affair that is in line with last year's NFC Championship Game. But unlike last year, San Francisco will come out on top in this one due to their defense. While Atlanta is known for winning close games, eventually, they will have to lose one, and today is that game.

San Francisco - 17, Atlanta - 10


Baltimore Ravens @ New England Patriots
6:30pm EST - CBS
While this one is a rematch from last year's Championship Game, expect no less drama and excitement. These two teams know how to play each other and it's almost always great. While Baltimore is a considerable underdog, Ray Lewis is a great motivator, and I think he's saved his greatest motivation for this final drive. While the Patriots have a great offense and good defense, the Ravens are this year's magic team, like the Giants and Packers before them.

Baltimore - 24, New England - 20

NFL 2012 Divisional Round Predictions

I have been busy/sick again this week and I forgot to put this up. Here's a quick version of it:

Baltimore over Denver

San Francisco over Green Bay

Atlanta over Seattle

New England over Houston


I'll do a more in-depth analysis next week, I promise.

NFL 2012 AFC Wild-Card Round Analysis

Happy New Year! While it may be a new year, it is not a new season for the NFL. The 2012 Playoffs are set to begin. Today, I'll be looking at and breaking down the AFC Wild Card matchups. On Thursday I'll be looking at the NFC Wild Card matchups. It's been an interesting year in the NFL this year, and week 17 proved that on both the AFC and NFC side of things, shifting many playoff positions, changing many fates of teams that continue on this season. For now, let's take a look at the first matchup of the AFC playoffs:


#6 - Cincinnati Bengals @ #3 - Houston Texans
Saturday, January 5th, 4:30pm EST
A few weeks ago, the Houston Texans were the best team in football. They looked unstoppable and were only a single win from clinching not only the AFC south, but homefield advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs. And then New England happened. After a 42-14 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots, the Texans clinched the AFC south with a victory over Indianapolis at home. After that, their offense failed to show up against Minnesota and Indianapolis, which allowed Denver and New England to leapfrog them in the standings. Instead of resting up for a Divisional Playoff game at home in two weeks, they're in a rematch of last year's wild card home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals are back in the playoffs to many surprised people. After a rough patch in the middle of the season, the Bengals stabilized themselves and finished with a 10-6 record, beating the likes of Washington, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and San Diego, the Bengals look to go through the playoffs with a tough defense and serviceable offense. While the Bengals don't look fragile right now, their schedule reveals a weak schedule, along with mediocre wins at poor times. 6 of their 10 wins came against sub .500 teams, while only two came against playoff teams. Their resume is just not impressive, and while Houston is playing sloppy right now, they should be able to pull it together for another first round playoff win, and earn a rematch with New England.

Prediction: Houston - 24, Cincinnati - 13


#5 - Indianapolis Colts @ #4 - Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, January 6th, 1:00pm EST
Until the last month of the season, the Baltimore Ravens were among the short list of Super Bowl favorites. After losing four times in December, and firing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, the Ravens look shaky, confused and old. Their defense is thin because of injuries, their offense is weak because of lackluster quarterback play. Yet still, they're the Ravens. They have Playoff experience, and have been to two of the last three AFC Championship games. They're also desperate for one more Super Bowl run, because for their leaders Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, this is most likely it. If the Ravens don't win one here, they may not have another chance for a long time.

The Indianapolis Colts on the other hand will have many chances in the future. This year has been tough for them, as coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia around Week 3, forcing him off the field until Week 17. The Colts season has surprisingly been stable. They've had streaks of 3 and 4 wins along with a couple of wins early on and are currently on a two-game streak. They're led by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck has thrown a lot of interceptions this year, but his defense has picked up the slack surprisingly when his team has needed it. Since Pagano has recently returned the questions are when the emotions will get the better of them and if the coaching change from interim to regular head coach will have an impact or not? If it doesn't happen this, it most certainly will in the second round, in what may be a showdown between the Colts and Broncos.

Prediction: Indianapolis - 31, Baltimore - 13


That's it for my AFC wild card predictions. On Thursday I'll look at the NFC wild card games as well as make my predictions for them.

NFL 2012 Week 17 Predictions

Here are my Week 17 Predictions for the 2012 NFL Regular Season.

Winners are indicated in BOLD letters


Sunday Early Games
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
NY Jets @ Buffalo
Baltimore @ Cincinnati
Chicago @ Detroit
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
Houston @ Indianapolis
Carolina @ New Orleans
Philadelphia @ NY Giants
Cleveland @ Pittsburgh


Sunday Afternoon Games
Kansas City @ Denver
Green Bay @ Minnesota
Miami @ New England
Oakland @ San Diego
Arizona @ San Francisco
St. Louis @ Seattle


Sunday Night Game
Dallas @ Washington


Last Week's Record: 11-5

Overall Record: 153-86

NFL 2012 Week 16 Predictions

Here are my week 16 NFL predictions for the 2012 season. Sorry about not posting them last week. I was busy with work and I've recently fallen ill.

Winners are indicated in BOLD text


Sunday Early Games
Atlanta @ Detroit
New Orleans @ Dallas
Tennessee @ Green Bay
Indianapolis @ Kansas City
Buffalo @ Miami
San Diego @ NY Jets
Washington @ Philadelphia
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Oakland @ Carolina
New England @ Jackonsville
Minnesota @ Houston


Sunday Afternoon Games
Cleveland @ Denver
Chicago @ Arizona
NY Giants @ Baltimore


Sunday Night Game
San Francisco @ Seattle


My Record: 142-81

Last Week: 11-5

2012 NFL Week 14 Predictions

Here are my Week 14 NFL Predictions for the 2012 Season.

Winners are indicated in BOLD


Thursday Game
Denver @ Oakland


Sunday Games
St. Louis @ Buffalo
Dallas @ Cincinnati
Kansas City @ Cleveland
Tennessee @ Indianapolis
Chicago @ Minnesota
San Diego @ Pittsburgh
Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay
Baltimore @ Washington
Atlanta @ Carolina
NY Jets @ Jacksonville

Miami @ San Francisco
New Orleans @ NY Giants
Arizona @ Seattle

Detroit @ Green Bay


Monday Game
Houston @ New England


Overall Record: 122-69

2012 NFL Week 13 Predictions

Sorry for the tardiness of this post, but I've been extremely busy the last couple of weeks. This won't be a full prediction update, but just a quick one to suffice my readership for now. So breathe a sigh of relief as I am very much alive.

Winners are indicated in BOLD


Thursday Game
New Orleans @ Atlanta

Sunday Games
Jacksonville @ Buffalo
Seattle @ Chicago
Indianapolis @ Detroit
Minnesota @ Green Bay
Houston @ Tennessee
Carolina @ Kansas City
San Francisco @ St. Louis
New England @ Miami
Arizona @ NY Jets

Tampa Bay @ Denver
Cleveland @ Oakland
Cincinnati @ San Diego
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Monday Game
NY Giants @ Washington


Last Week's Record: 11-5
Overall Record: 112-64 (.636)

NFL 2012 - Week 11 Predictions

Sorry for not posting my NFL weekly picks last week, as I was busy.

As always, my picks are noted in BOLD

Thursday Game
Miami @ Buffalo

Sunday Early Games
Arizona @ Atlanta
Cleveland @ Dallas
Green Bay @ Detroit
Cincinatti @ Kansas City
NY Jets @ St. Louis
Philadelphia @ Washington
Tampa Bay @ Carolina
Jacksonville @ Houston


Sunday Afternoon Games
New Orleans @ Oakland
San Diego @ Denver
Indianapolis @ New England


Sunday Night Game
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh


Monday Night Game
Chicago @ San Francisco


Overall Record: 89-56

NFL 2012 - Week 9 Predictions

Here are my NFL Predictions for Week 9 of the 2012 Regular Season.

Winners are in BOLD

Thursday Game
Kansas City at San Diego

Sunday Early Afternoon Games
Denver @ Cincinnati
Baltimore @ Cleveland
Arizona @ Green Bay
Chicago @ Tennessee
Miami @ Indianapolis
Carolina @ Washington
Detroit @ Jackonsville
Buffalo @ Houston

Sunday Later Afternoon Games
Tampa Bay @ Oakland
Minnesota @ Seattle
Pittsburgh @ NY Giants

Sunday Night Game
Atlanta @ Dallas

Monday Game
Philadelphia @ New Orleans


Overall Record:

Week 1: 11-5

Week 2: 6-10

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 11-4

Week 5: 10-4

Week 6: 4-10

Week 7: 9-4

Week 8: 8-6