Week 6 NFL picks (part 2)

Time now to finish off my picks for the weekend with the final seven games: Seattle Seahawks @ Chicago Bears: Jesus, what a way to start. I hate both teams in this game. I hope it ends in a scoreless tie and both teams are deducted a win for their poor play. The trouble with both teams is that they are both largely an unknown quantity, even now. The Seahawks play ok at home, usually with a healthy dose of special teams, but away from home they seem to self destruct. The Bears just seem to somehow stumble through games, doing everything in their power to lose them, but still coming away with a W. If it wasn't for the sheer ineptness of the Panthers, the Bears would have been rolled into the turf last week. But this week I'm going to back the Bears, on the principle that they'll be too embarrassed to play in front of the their home fans like they did against Carolina. Bears win. New Orleans Saints @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Quite an interesting battle in the NFC South. It's kind of the tale of two opposite seasons; the Saints won it all last year and are now struggling to reach those heady heights again, while the Buccaneers bottomed out but are now fighting their way back into contention. The Saints threw away a game last week against Cardinals that they really should have won; the Buccaneers some how found their way back into a game they should have lost. The two teams seem to be converging somewhere in the middle of the good/bad spectrum. But who wins? Hmm. I'm still inclined to believe that the Saints are the better team, but the Bucs' have been quite prolific at forcing turnovers in the passing game (they tie with the Panthers for second in most interceptions; 9). Tough pick, but I'm going to have to back New Orleans this time. Saints win. New York Jets @ Denver Broncos: I still maintain that the Broncos are a good team. But I will concede that they don't exactly help themselves. Guessing what the Broncos will do offensively on the next down is pretty simple. When Kyle Orton leads your team in rushing for a game, then you have issues. I just think that one dimensional attack wont cut it with Rex Ryan and a very good New York Jets defense. On Offense, Mark Sanchez struggled last week against the Vikings, but may have a better day against a Broncos defense that I think is feeling the strain already this year. Jets win. Oakland Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers: Nasty game. Local rivalry between two bad teams. The 49ers (much to my dismay) have been the epitome of a team that kills itself. They just seem to lack that killer edge. On both offense and defense they have the players, but just cant seem to bring it all together. The Raiders aren't up to that level yet, but they've improved from last year. Their problem seems to be that while one piece of their team has a great game, two or three other pieces routinely fall apart. Last week their special teams were enough to do the job. I really badly want to take the 49ers in a game they should win handily, but I just don't trust them. Raiders win. Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings: Again, do I really have to pick a winner? Really? Damn it. The Cowboys are like a mirror image of the 49ers (or vice versa.... chortle, chortle). Both teams are pretty well off when it comes to good players, but both seem to be part of a deep conspiracy to defraud their fans of anything to cheer for. Not that the Vikings are any better in this regard. Last years NFC Championship game runners up have delivered very little in what was otherwise an optimistic season. And I think they continue to disappoint. The Cowboys have the pass rush to get to and beat up Brett Favre. I'm not sure if the Vikings pass rush is up to the same level yet. Cowboys win. Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins: I'm very sceptical still of the Redskins. I have no idea how they've won as many games as they have so far. And I have no idea why the Colts are struggling as much as they are. But for some reason people seem to be writing off the Colts now. Maybe I missed something, but I'm pretty sure the Colts beat the only undefeated team in the league last week? The Chiefs defense has played very well, so it was understandable that the Colts found the going a little rougher than usual. But I still have faith. I think Manning might be ready to unleash some frustration on Washington this week. Colts win. Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Ah, a battle of inconsistents to finish off. So which Titans team will we see? The Chris Johnson heavy Titans, or the "we think Vince Young can do it Titans"? And which Jacksonville will we see? The balanced, good play calling Jaguars with a good David Garrard? Or the "50 throws a game" bad David Garrard? It almost makes picking the game futile as I have no idea which teams will arrive at the party. That said, I know the Titans D will bring pressure and I'm taking that as the balance tipper. Titans win. So there we have it. Fourteen picks, all waiting to be decimated by uncooperative teams. The inconsiderate gits. Have a great day everyone.