Week 14 picks: I'm on a roll!

In about seven hours, BMC Sports will be celebrating its one-year anniversary. How cute is that? A year ago, this little dream began with a blog entry entitled "God's Team is NOT the Ravens," a semi-live blog as the refs screwed the Ravens out of ending the Pats' perfect season.

Little did we know the Pats' perfect season wouldn't be ruined until the Super Bowl.

Though our hits have declined, and our blog production has declined, too, we're still going strong. Here's to another year, and maybe even attracting a few more readers.

With that, here are my NFL picks against the spread this week:

Thursday

Oakland @ San Diego (-6)
Just as I swear off the Chargers for good this season, the draw the Raiders as an opponent. I've gotten Oakland game right the last two weeks, let's keep it rolling.


Sunday

Jacksonville @ Chicago (-3.5)
Taking the home team. Something's gotta give.

Minnesota (-5) @ Detroit
I won't take every favorite, will I? Should've played Frerotte last week in fantasy. He did better than Trent Edwards. Ouch.

Houston @ Green Bay (-4.5)
I suddenly hate what the Packers are doing this season. They've fallen off everyone's radar. You've gotta love them at home against the Texans though, right?

Cleveland @ Tennessee (-8.5)
Still haven't picked an underdog. Let's see how long I can keep it rolling. Who is going to start for the Browns?

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis (-12)
Peyton Manning's new commercial definitely is one of his best. Is Peyton Manning in a Patriots' uniform kind of like Derek Jeter in a Red Sox uni? I don't know what the weather is going to be like in Indy, but picking against the Colts is like (insert Dennis Miller analogy).

Atlanta (+1.5) @ New Orleans
DAMN! I really wanted to pick the favorite in every game. We should just pretend the Falcons are the favorite. Because they should be. Anybody see Matty Ice knock down the zebra last week? It'd be fitting if this is the one favorite who actually covers.

Philadelphia @ New York Football Giants (-8.5)
This is going against my better judgment here. With all the drama in the Giants' lockerroom, they could be a complete mess. Something tells me that's what Vegas WANTS you to think.

Kansas City @ Denver (-5)
Here's another trap game, but I'm too wise for this one. Denver loses to Oakland, then beats the Jets. This week should be a letdown from a huge win. I'm not going that way. Denver wins convincingly, but Larry Johnson rushes for 150 to rub it in my fantasy face. He is still playing, right?

Miami (PICK) @ Buffalo
I would say Ernie will kill me for this one, but he'll probably actually be grateful. Buffalo will win by three touchdowns now.

New York Football Jets (-8.5) @ San Francisco
Another tricky game considering the spread. It's December. Favre knows how to play in December. Do his teammates?

New England (-8) @ Seattle
The Seahawks should get the first pick in the NFL and NBA draft. They're that bad. I'm not being ironic, it's just a coincidence the city lost its basketball team. Come to think of it...they appreciate football a lot more in Oklahoma City than they do in Seattle...

St. Louis @ Arizona (-13.5)
The Rams are playing for the top pick. The spread should be 21.5.

Dallas (+1) @ Pittsburgh
This is gonna be a gritty game. Dallas will still be able to move the ball. I'm leaving Jason Witten out of my fantasy lineup again this week, though. Hopefully he doesn't go off for 17 points again. Not that it would have helped me last week anyway.

Washington @ Baltimore (-4.5)
This is going to be a fun game to watch. But I won't watch it.


Monday Night Football

Tampa Bay @ Carolina (PICK)
Original pick was Carolina, but I'm a game behind Clarkie going into MNF, so I'm changing it to Tampa Bay for the tie! Holla!

To be honest, this doesn't look like a 9-7 week. I'm not very confident with my picks, so I might duck under .500 this time around.

Action's on you, Clarkie.

If you want to read a little bit about my early-season thoughts on Duke basketball, my article from Bleacher Report can be found here.