NFL Picks: 2011 Week 9

Fortunately I did NOT go back in and make last second changes to Indianapolis & Denver—I was still thinking they might pull off the upsets, but figured it wasn’t worth it to make the change.  Unfortunately, I didn’t think any more about Carolina or Philadelphia.  Of course, no changes meant we had the second week of the season where Andy and I matched all of our picks—so no change in the season race, Andy still leads by one game (75-41 vs. 74-42).

We finished the week 8-5, and this week’s picks show exactly why jumping out to an early season lead in a pool like this is so important—we have only one game different this week, with Andy going out on a limb with the San Diego Chargers against the currently undefeated Green Bay Packers.

Game of the Week: Baltimore @ Pittsburgh – A matchup of an opening week beat down, but these teams seem to have gone in different directions in recent weeks—Baltimore lost ugly to the Jaguars and nearly lost to the Cardinals, while the Steelers dismantled the Patriots last week, those same Cardinals the week before, and were able to beat those Jaguars in another ugly game the week before the Ravens loss.  The Steelers might be without Lamarr Woodley and James Farrior, but may get James Harrison back.  This should be another great matchup in this rivalry—a much better matchup than the opening week of the season.

Game of the Weak: St. Louis @ Arizona – This NFC West matchup is one that only the players mothers’ could watch—and I’m guessing most of them will flip over to another game too, if they can.  St. Louis, apparently riding on the high of their MLB Cardinal counterparts World Series win, beat up on the Saints last week for their first win of the season.  And then they promptly leave town to go take on the other Cardinals—the ones that used to play in St. Louis—another 1-6 team.  Together they have the worst two records in the NFC, playing in the worst division in football (which is saying a lot, when you look at the AFC West).