Here come Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Despite a 1-5 start and the loss of their franchise running back, the Chiefs are back in the Wildcard hunt. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)
I got lost in the Holiday chaos and forget about the rest of my (mostly horrible) Week 12 Picks. Here’s the abbreviated version. Please note, I put 12 minutes of thought into these picks.
Last Week: 6 – 8 – 0
Season: 100 – 60 – 0
Thursday Recap
If you missed it, you can find my Thanksgiving Recap here.
Early Games (1:00PM ET)
Raiders at Titans
The Raiders are either really fun to watch or hard on the eyes. The last two weeks have been dreadful. The Titans have a pretty decent defense, so I’m not sure this week will be much better. TITANS If I were Charles Barkley; Titans +1
Bills at Chiefs
Tyrod Taylor was awful Monday night against New England. Awful. Sammy Watkins is the NFL’s most wasted talent, and it’s not his fault. Buffalo can’t find a quarterback to throw him the ball. CHIEFS If I were Charles Barkley; Bills +4
Buccaneers at Colts
Lovie Smith appears to have finally turned things around in Tampa. Winners of three of their last four, the Buccaneers are surprisingly in the thick of the NFC Wildcard race. COLTS If I were Charles Barkley; Colts -3
Giants at Redskins
The NFC East has been an intense “who can suck more” battle all season long. The Eagles hit it out of the park with their performance on Thanksgiving and the Cowboys came darn close to matching. Let’s see if either of these teams can live up to the challenge. GIANTS If I were Charles Barkley; Giants -2.5
Saints at Texans
If Arian Foster didn’t go down to injury again, the Texans would be a fun playoff team now that their defense is finally playing well. TEXANS If I were Charles Barkley; Texans -3
Vikings at Falcons
Can’t wait to see the innovative ways Matt Ryan and the Falcons ignore Julio Jones in the red zone this week. It’s my favorite NFL tradition this season. I keep picking the Falcons, why stop now. FALCONS If I were Charles Barkley; Falcons -1.5
Rams at Bengals
The Rams are kaput with a loss and the Bengals need a win to stop a two game losing streak. I’m thinking the Bengals get a win and the Rams fire Jeff Fisher a month from now. BENGALS If I were Charles Barkley; Bengals -9
Chargers at Jaguars
Three years ago I wanted the Eagles to hire Gus Bradley. Though he’s done a lot of losing in Jacksonville, Bradley’s offensive roster is more appealing than the garbage platter Chip Kelly has assembled in Philadelphia. JAGUARS If I were Charles Barkley; Jaguars -4.5
Dolphins at Jets
I can’t find a reason to watch this one. Sorry. JETS If I were Charles Barkley; Dolphins +4
Afternoon Games (4:05PM ET)
Cardinals at 49ers
The fall of Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III needs a 30 for 30 pronto. Though I hate to admit it, the NFL was more fun when those guys were torturing defenses. CARDINALS If I were Charles Barkley; Cardinals -10
Steelers at Seahawks
This is a redemption opportunity for Seattle’s Legion of Boom. They’ve been really bad this season. In fact, the whole team’s been a hot mess, especially against better teams. Seattle is 0-4 against playoff teams this season. I feel foolish for trusting them here, but I’m not ready to believe the 2015 Seahawks are done. SEAHAWKS If I were Charles Barkley; Steelers +4
Sunday Night (8:30PM ET)
Patriots at Broncos
I think it’ll be hard for the Patriots to move the football against Denver. Outside of Gronkowski, Tom Brady is down to his 5th receiver now that Danny Amendola is out. Let’s face it, the Broncos are going to win simply because ESPN wants to shove “Should Peyton Manning start when healthy” nonsense down our throat from now until Christmas. BRONCOS If I were Charles Barkley; Broncos +3
Monday Night (8:30PM ET)
Ravens at Browns
I was somewhat excited to watch Johnny Manziel again and I’m sure a national audience had some interest, too. I guess Matt Schaub will have to do. What a depressing matchup. BROWNS If I were Charles Barkley; Browns -3
*****
If I were Charles Barkley;
Last Week: 7 – 7 – 0
Season: 81 – 75 – 4