The herd is thinning
Jazz: I am now convinced that Ed Morrissey actually has all of the results of the games this season, probably through the use of a time machine portal or something, and he’s just biding his time to zoom ahead of me in the final hour. For yet another week we have tied, so I’m writing the NFL thread again. We both went 4-3, bringing me to 32-24 on the season. Better than a losing week, but also nothing to brag about. I would give you a Jets update from last week but I threw a martini glass through my TV screen in the third quarter and missed the ending. Also, I’m looking for suggestions on cheap martini glass distributors.
Ed: Actually, I thought for sure I’d lose ground to Jazz this week after a bad start on Sunday. Instead, I’m 29-27 on the season, remaining above water mainly by dog-paddling frantically. The season has brightened noticeably for me after the bad start by the Steelers, but we’re heading into the teeth of our biggest rivalry this week. Better batten down the hatches and hope Pittsburgh has bulked up on both tricks and treats this week.
Jazz: The Jets visit the Dolphins this week, a team that has not looked good but still has a marginally better record than New York (1:00 pm, CBS). That’s kind of amazing since the Jets put up, on average, more points than the Phins and allow fewer by opponents. New York is a 2.5 point underdog, but we just got two of our wide receivers back from injury so I’ll stay true to form and pick the Jets 27-21. The Steelers travel to play the Ravens (1:00 pm, CBS) in a divisional rivalry with playoff implications. On paper, the Steelers should be the better team, but the Ravens come up as a three-point favorite. I’m going with the brainiacs in Vegas and picking Baltimore 19-16 in a close one. In the Lions at Vikings game (1:00 pm, FOX), this one shouldn’t even be as close as the oddsmakers have it. Despite looking good in the early going, the Lions aren’t in the same class with Minnesota, so I’ll take the Vikings in a bit of a blowout, 31-16.
Ed: Both Miami and the Jets are having struggles this season, but both of them have shown flashes of near-brilliance at times, too. Still, they’re ranking near the bottom of the league on both sides of the ball. I’ll stick with home-field advantage and pick the Dolphins to win, 27-23. Pittsburgh goes to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, hoping to split the season with them. Here’s a fun fact in this rivalry — both teams have losing records at home against the other. Put that together with the Ravens having to start two new OTs, and I’ll predict a really long day for Joe Flacco. Steelers 28-20 over the Ravens. The Vikings are usually tough at home but are only 2-2 so far this year. The Lions are a bit of a mess, and just dealt away Golden Tate. I’ll stick with the Vikes, 34-17.
Jazz:
Ed:
