I loved George Blanda! One of my favorite players on the "old" Al Davis Raiders. Also one of the last of the old-style, straight ahead kickers. Remember how everyone laughed at the Detroit Lions in 1966 for using soccer-kicker Garo Yepremian?
Every once in a great while coach John Madden would throw in a trick play where Blanda would come out to kick a FG but then pass to try for the first down. Worked sometimes, too!
Anyway, back to current business:
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NFL Week 14 Predictions
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman, Dec. 6, 2019. Annotated by Lethe200, in italics.
Thursday’s Matchup: Chicago beat the Cowboys, 31-24
Everyone picked Dallas to rebound – and everyone was wrong. They fell behind by 24-7 in the third quarter and ultimately lost 31-24. Mitchell Trubisky of the Bears continued his resurgence, throwing three touchdown passes and running one ball in. The TV shot of Dallas owner Jerry Jones sinking his head into his hands said it all.
Chiefs at Patriots, 4:25 p.m., CBS (note: all TV times EST)
Pick: Patriots
KC’s Patrick Mahomes is 0-2 in his career against the Patriots. NE (10-2) and KC (8-4) are in far different positions this season, regardless of the standings. Their records cover up fatal flaws: the Patriots’ offensive shortcomings and the Chiefs’ inconsistency. But KC is trending upward, while the Patriots seem to be unraveling at an inopportune time.
Life is never easy for an opposing QB in Foxborough, Mass., and NE’s defense is certainly up for a big challenge. But after Mahomes came close twice last year, it may finally be his time.
Disagree. Maybe NE’s O will rise to the occasion – KC’s D is vulnerable to good passing. But they have not looked like the precision offense Belichick likes to run over the past four games. Can they get back on track? The Pats lost to DeShaun Watson and Lamar Jackson – and Mahomes is playing smarter now, if not so showily as his 2018 MVP year.
49ers at Saints, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Niners
To say the 49ers (10-2) have had a strong pass defense this season is an understatement. They have allowed one QB (Andy Dalton, Wk 2) to throw for more than 300 yards, two others (Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray) to throw for 200 or more, and held every other QB including Lamar Jackson, to fewer than 200. SF’s average of just 134.2 passing yards allowed a game would be the lowest mark since the 1976 Bucs held opponents to 129.8.
That pass defense will be tested vs the Saints (10-2). The 49ers will plan to force NO into a run-heavy approach that is not ideal for the Saints. If SF’s offense can score against a Saints defense (yielding 20.7 pts/game), SF can rebound after last week’s loss to Baltimore.
Agree. Niners know this is a must-win for them, to keep pace with Seattle’s easier schedule. Concerns about the Niners’ D’s front four health is real; Fred Warner won Defensive Player of the Month for November, but with the season loss of Armstead, SF needs Dee Ford (hamstring) in there to give Nick Bosa a chance to rush Brees. Richard Sherman’s (knee strain) leadership has enabled the SF young secondary to improve tremendously from 2018, but he’ll be needed under the noise pressure in NO. None of the other secondaries have experience in critical, noisy games, giving Saints QB Brees a mental advantage he will use.
Ravens at Bills, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Ravens Agree
The Ravens (10-2) beat SF last week in a messy rain, lending credence to an offense once written off as a gimmick. The Bills (9-3) have a strong secondary, and rushes the QB well, but the D is weak at linebacker. That leaves the team prone to plays in which Raven’s potential MVP Jackson finds yardage even when everything seems to have collapsed.
Seahawks at Rams, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Pick: Seahawks Agree
The Rams got WRs Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks back last week and smashed AZ. The Seahawks (10-2) are tied with the 49ers, Patriots, Ravens and Saints for best record. Bettors think the Rams are equal to the Seahawks, but I don’t see it.
Lions at Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Vikings Agree.
If the Vikings (8-4) win, they’ll have an 83% playoffs chance. Lose and it drops to 53%. Vikes’ Stefon Diggs is averaging a whopping 18.1 yards per catch, ranking fourth in the NFL. The Lions (3-8-1) have already allowed 53 passing plays of 20 or more yards this season, which is the third most of any team.
Broncos at Texans, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Texans Agree
The Texans (8-4) have Deshaun Watson, one of the NFL’s best QBs, up against Denver’s Drew Lock, its least experienced QB for 2019. Unless Watson breaks a bone, nobody can see the Broncos pulling off an upset.
Titans at Raiders, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Pick: Titans
During the Titans’ current three-game win streak, the Titans (7-5) outscored opponents by 108-69, with RB Derrick Henry rushing for 496 yards and Tannehill throwing for six touchdowns. The surge has the Titans trailing Pittsburgh in the wild-card race by just a tiebreaker. A road game against the struggling Raiders (6-6), who have scored a total of 29 points over the last three weeks, does not seem likely to interrupt that forward momentum.
Agree. Sigh. Josh Jacobs, outstanding rookie RB, has an injured shoulder and missed practice this week. If he doesn’t play on Sunday, Raiders O has even more difficulty scoring. QB Derek Carr’s outstanding 2016 year is looking like an outlier, and fans are starting to call for a trade or outright cut next year.
Colts at Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Buccaneers
The 31-17 final score made it seem as if the Colts were manhandled by Tennessee last week, but 14 of the Titans’ points came in a span of three minutes of the fourth quarter, thanks to a pair of huge defensive plays. Beyond that, Indianapolis actually matched its division rival in everything but the run game, where Jonathan Williams’s ineffectiveness got him benched. If Indianapolis (6-6) thought running against Tennessee last week was hard, it will be worse against the Buccaneers (5-7), who allow just 76.2 yards a game on the ground. Only one RB (Chris Carson/Seahawks) has broken 100 yards against them in 2019.
Steelers at Cardinals, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Pick Steelers Agree
Pittsburgh (7-5) kept itself in the playoff picture with a win over Cleveland, but Tennessee is pushing hard for the AFC’s second wild-card spot. Pittsburgh has a defense that may be the third best in football in overall balance and production, but its offense is so weak that assuming a win on the road is dangerous. The Cardinals (3-8-1) were routed by the Rams, with a terrible OL performance (QB Kyler Murray was sacked six times).
Bengals at Browns, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Browns Agree
Bengals QB Andy Dalton’s return as starter helped end the team’s losing streak (which dated to last season) at 13 games. Beating the Browns (5-7) in Cleveland seems beyond Dalton’s reach, but keeping the game close is more realistic than it would have been if rookie QB Ryan Finley were starting (Bengals were 0-3 trying Finley out).
Redskins at Packers, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Packers Agree
It is not that Washington (3-9) hasn’t shown serious improvement while riding high on a two-game winning streak, but rather the Packers (9-3) are a more talented and experienced team. QB Aaron Rodgers is 16-3-1 in his previous 20 starts at home and figures to have strong numbers regardless of Washington’s recent strides.
Pride will be on the line, but little else will be in these three games, none of which have any playoff implications:
Panthers at Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Falcons no opinion
The Panthers (5-7) have the best record of the bunch, but fired Coach Ron Rivera on Tuesday to get ahead of the feeding frenzy for coaching candidates after the season.
Chargers at Jaguars, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Pick: Chargers no opinion - but I wonder what LAC QB Rivers' problem is? He's been ultra-reliable for years, but the last four games he's been awful.
Dolphins at Jets, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Jets no opinion
Monday’s Matchup
Giants at Eagles, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Eagles
Daniel Jones is in a walking boot to protect his sore ankle and is expected to sit this game out. Elisha Nelson Manning IV is expected to be back under center for the Giants (2-10). Beyond the chance to see a franchise icon in action, the switch to Manning shouldn’t make a huge difference for the Giants, who are enduring an eight-game losing streak. But with Philadelphia’s offense working through some issues, Manning might be able to make the Eagles (5-7) sweat just a little.