Week 9 Is Over

NFL week 9 ended today in an anti-clamatic contest to follow up the huge Colts-Pats contest.

It lived up to the hype. The Colts played like the defending Super Bowl champs for 52 minutes, then decided to give the game away in the final eight. To the Patriots credit they earned the victory by coming back from 10 points down on the road and against the Colts.

Colts receivers made uncharacteristic mistakes by dropping passes. Two that were huge. One by Tony Gonzalez in the end zone, and another with Reggie Wayne beating two defenders and letting the ball slip through his hands in what would have been a touchdown.

They also settled for field goals early in the game when they reached the red zone. Not going to get the "W" against a team like the Patriots when you let your opportunities slip away. I knew the Colts had a chance to win this game before it started and I was proved right.

The Colts defense held the Pats receivers in check for 52 minutes before letting Tom Brady dissect the backfield.

Tony Dungy and the Colts had this game in hand, but let the Pats take it from them. Good thing they will not meet again until January in the AFC Championship game because I think I would flip too many people out by my screaming and antics.

I wore myself out watching this game and ended up passed out on my little cousin's bed snoring my head off.

The consolation that I can take from this loss is that I had $50 on the Colts (+5) and walked away a little richer.

Quick hits on the rest of the games:
Donovan McNabb got the ball to Brian Westbrook a lot in their loss to Dallas, screw Tony Romo. LaMont Jordan is killing my fantasy team and will be cut after rushing for 10 yards in the Raiders loss to the Texans. Browns are 5-3 after downing the Seahawks on a game-winning FG in overtime. The Bucs shot some Cardinals. Jets fans should stop watching this season after blowing another game in an OT loss to the Redskins. New Orleans made me look foolish by saying that the Jaguars could slow down their offense. Adrian Peterson set an NFL record for single-game rushing yards in a game in the Vikings win over the Chargers, ouch (he was seen walking on water after the game). Brett Favre continues to make me watch Packers games as he looked like a 21-year-old in their win over the Chiefs. The Titans continue to stay right behind the Colts after winning at home versus Carolina. Lions are 6-2, let me say that again, the Detroit Lions are 6-2 after dominating the Broncos. Bengals continue to underachieve after losing to the Bills. The Falcons won this week's suck fest by beating the 49ers.

And you may already know by now, but the Steelers tore up the Ravens tonight. Ben Roethlisburlaksjfaer threw 5 TDs in the first half in the 38-7 victory. Their defense was stellar tonight, with James Harrison shining bright in front of the 75th anniversary players who were in attendance.

Sunday cannot come quick enough for me, as I will be attending my first NFL game to see the Colts take on the Chargers.

This week's record: 7-7
Overall record since week 3: 58-40

NFL Week 9 Picks

The weekend is finally upon us, and the biggest regular season NFL game in a decade is going to take place on Sunday at 4:15 PM ET on CBS. The media is deeming this game "Super Bowl XLII 1/2," but it should be called something else if they had put any thought into it.

The Colts and Patriots are clearly the top two teams in the NFL and are a step above all of the teams in the AFC. They WILL be meeting in January in the AFC Championship game. The winner will then head to Arizona for the "real" Super Bowl. So in essence, there will be three Super Bowls this year. Sunday, the AFC Championship game, and Colts/Pats v. NFC whipping boy.

I reworked the arithmetic and found that this game should be deemed "Super Bowl XLII 1/3" (patent pending, First To Third).

As always I used the opportunity to showcase my photoshop skills.

The breakdowns on this week's game may seem a little short, and for good reason. I am a Colts fan and am geeked up about Sunday, and could care less about the other games. (But do care about my nerd alert fantasy football players)

Onto the picks:

San Francisco 49ers @ Atlanta Falcons - The Falcons are a mess off and on the field. And the 49ers are making the Patriots look like geniuses (the Pats own the 49ers first-round pick in next year's draft). This is a "flip-a-coin" pick. Dedicated to my buddies who like the Niners. San Francisco.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills - Bengals wake up for this one. JP Losman pissed me off in fantasy (why did I waste a draft pick on that bum?!?!). Cincinnati.

Denver Broncos @ Detroit Lions - Lions RB Kevin Jones is going to have another good day against the Broncos defense. Detroit is 3-0 at home this year, and Denver is on a short week. Detroit.

Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs - One of the top NFC teams is losing this week, but it is not the Packers this week. Green Bay.

San Diego Chargers @ Minnesota Vikings - The Chargers are gaining some momentum each week, and will need it looking ahead to their matchup with the Colts. San Diego.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New Orleans Saints - Yes, the Saints offense has looked good recently, but they are facing a tough Jaguars defense. Jacksonville.

Washington Redskins @ New York Jets - Kellen Clemens gets the start at QB over Pennington. Redskins looking to take out their frustrations from last week on the Jets. "You are a dick Bill Belichick" signs to be up all over the stadium. Washington.

Arizona Cardinals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Bucs QB Jeff Garcia is going to bounce back from last week's performance. Plus, a Pirate can kill a Cardinal. Tampa Bay.

Carolina Panthers @ Tennessee Titans - The Titans running game is better than the Panthers right now, and that will be the difference. Vince Young, why did I draft you in fantasy as well?!?! Tennessee.

Seattle Seahawks @ Cleveland Browns - The Dawg Pound is the difference in this one. Derek Anderson was available to pick up but I kept Vince Young. What an idiot. Cleveland.

Houston Texans @ Oakland Raiders - Raider Nation can sleep good Sunday night, their team is going to win. No word yet on whether my Mom is going to rock her Raiders jersey on Sunday (she lives in Texas). Oakland.

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles - The sad state of Eagles coach Andy Reid is going to motivate his players. They will rally around their coach and "win one for the Gipper." The Cowboys are the top-tier team that I said is going to lose this week. Philadelphia.

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers - The Steelers will be looking to create some space in the AFC North. Steelers offense is better. Pittsburgh.

New England Patriots @ Indianapolis Colts - This is it. Good vs. Evil. Man vs. Machine. November 4. I have had two dreams about this game in the last two days. In one, the Colts won by 3. Last night, I was actually at the game and Colts won by 1 with a game-winning field goal.

Offense - Sure, the Pats are putting up more points this year but they are lacking in one category that the Colts are striving in... the run game. Joseph Addai is a beast and can carry the Colts when opponents are shutting down the passing lanes. Also, the Colts are playing in a tougher division this year. Colts.

Defense - The Colts defensive has improved, and is a big reason why the Colts are on their current 11-game winning streak. The Pats, like always, have a strong defense, especially with Rodney Harrison lurking in the backfield. Patriots.

Coach - The evil mastermind vs. the lovable next door neighbor. Both men have kept their squad at the top of the AFC the last several years. One is running up the scoreboard, while the other used to run up the score. Draw.

The Colts have flown under the radar because of the Pats dominance this year. Every time you watch the Pats you have to ask yourself, "how do you stop these guys?". The Colts are going to use disrespect towards the defending champions as their fuel. The Pats are using "spygate" and last year's loss in the AFC Championship game to the Colts, as their fuel.

All the hype is well worth it.
Colts.

Last week's record: 10-3
Overall record (since week 3): 51-33