RESULTS (Week SIXTEEN) Weekly NFL Related Humiliation

It's past time that I take my lumps and recount how I did picking these nine contests week sixteen.

Minnesota 7 Green Bay 9 (DOH!) Green Bay -3.5
The Packers won and kept their slim playoff hopes alive, but they didn't cover the spread. All the 7-8 teams in the NFC will be rooting against the NYGiants on Saturday. If the Giants lose (and they have been looking like big time losers of late), then it's pretty wide open. If Green Bay makes the playoffs, you never know, the NFC is week, and they're capable of winning on the road.

Carolina 10 Atlanta 3 (Woohoo!) Carolina +6.0
Atlanta has given up on their coach. They've worked very hard to get Jim Mora fired. Both these 7-8 teams still have playoff dreams given the sad state of the NFC. Whichever team ends up being the six seed has a chance to upset either Dallas or Philadelphia though, cause neither of those teams is really solid, either.

Tennessee 30 Buffalo 29 (DOH!) Buffalo -4.5
Maybe Vince Young is for real, afterall. Great 4th quarter comeback by Tennessee, if they manage to get in the playoffs, the Titans could be dangerous. They still seem a cut below the top two of San Diego and Baltimore, but they could cause fits to all the other teams in the AFC.

New Orleans 30 NY Giants 7 (Woohoo!) New Orleans +3.0
New Orleans dominated this game and earned themselves the number 2 seed in the NFC. I expect to see them at least in the NFC Championship Game, and possibly even the Superbowl. Their road to the Superbowl will be comprised of one home game against either a hot Philly team, or a crappy team that stumbled into the playoffs, and then a showdown in Chicago for the trip to the Superbowl. They look capable of winning both those games, but a lot can happen between now and late January, so don't book those reservations in Miami just yet if you're a Saints fan.

Baltimore 31 Pittsburgh 7 (Woohoo) Baltimore +3.0
The Ravens embarrassed the champs in Pittsburgh and ended their dreams of a repeat. An impressive effort by a team that I've touted as one of the best in the league since the start of the season (no fair going back and double checking (ignore the part about Tampa being good this season) to make sure I actually said that). Barring a freak monster game by one of the other teams in the playoffs, the Baltimore versus San Diego showdown in San Diego seems inevitable. Also, that should be the 'real' Superbowl, as the AFC Champion should be a heavy favorite over any NFC team.

New England 24 Jacksonville 21 (DOH!) Jacksonville -2.5
I've DOH!ed many times picking against the Pats, and I'll DOH! again. They were beatable in this game, and Jacksonville looked like they were going to get it done, but somehow the Pats always get that one or two key plays on both offense and defense to secure a victory where other teams would lose. Jacksonville played well and lost. The Pats looked good in victory, but there still isn't any sort of air of invincibility, and they still don't match up well against SD or Baltimore, but they certainly look capable of beating every other team they are likely to face in the playoffs (but I'll probably still pick against them, anyway).

Cincinnati 23 Denver 24 (Woohoo!) Cincinnati +3.0
The Bengals probably won't be consoled by the fact that they covered the spread on the road, but they certainly helped my stats. A bad long snap on an extra point cost them the tying point late in the game. A freak way to lose a game crucial to their playoff hopes. Denver is now in the enviable position of only having to beat San Francisco to get into the playoffs. If they lose that game they deserve to get an early off season.

San Diego 20 Seattle 17 (DOH!) San Diego -4.5
San Diego won, but didn't cover the spread. The Chargers had a tough game on the road against the defending NFC Champions. Luckily for the Seahawks, the rest of the NFC is awful and even with a loss they've backed into a NFC Lousy division championship as SF couldn't beat the lowly Cardinals when they needed to. Given the nature of the NFC, they will be a team to watch in the playoffs, they're just as good as any of the other six who will be in the playoffs and since they are division winners, they will host a first round game against either Philly or Dallas even if they finish 8-8. San Diego didn't look as impressive as in past weeks, but they did find a way to win, and they still look like one of the two teams that are most likely to win it all this year. All they need to do is beat the Cardinals at home to clinch home field throughout the AFC Playoffs, don't expect a let down, they'll get it done.

Philadelphia 23 Dallas 7 (DOH!) Dallas -7.0
Jeff Garcia MVP! Ok, maybe not, but close. I'm still waiting for Jeff Garcia to be the recent Jeff Garcia and not the Pro Bowl Jeff Garcia, but maybe the Pro Bowl Jeff Garcia really is the real Jeff Garcia. Dallas looked awful at home, and the usual TO whine was just as disgusting as always. Catch the ball first, then you can run your mouth off, till then, be humble (I know that's impossible). Neither team looks really playoff ready, and could lose in the first round. Also, if TO wants to be more 'involved' in the offense, make him hold the clipboard for the offensive coordinator and bench him for the week, that ought to make him happy (at least he'll be less likely to drop balls).

4-5 for the week. If I were a team, I'd be in the NFC West. DOH!

Next week, I'll pick every game with any sort of playoff implication, even if both teams aren't looking like playoff teams. That should include almost every game given the state of the NFC.