Vegas Hags Pigskin Picks - Week 16

This week features several great games that will determine who’s in and who’s out of the playoffs. The highlight of the schedule is the Eagles – Giants brawl that will take place at the Vet at 4:15 on Sunday. Can the Birds dump the Giants twice in a row after getting beat up for the last four years? How rowdy will the fans be after tailgating in the lot for 8 hours?

Baltimore (plus 1) at Tampa Bay
What a great game this should be! Both teams are fighting for a playoff berth and both like to play smash mouth football. The Bucs play great at home down the stretch, so I give them the nod.
Bucs 17 – Ravens 13

Indianapolis (plus 13½) at St. Louis
This will be a fireworks display. Indy is playing for pride, but that won’t be enough in St. Louis.
Rams 41 – Colts 27

Minnesota (plus 10½) at Green Bay
The Vikes are 0-6 on the road this year. Do you think that will change on the frozen tundra?
Packers 28 – Vikings 13

Arizona (plus 1) at Carolina
Who cares?
Cardinals 24 – Panthers 21

Buffalo (plus 7) at New York Jets
The Bills would love to play spoiler, but the Jets should hang on.
Jets 20 – Bills 17

San Francisco (plus 6) at Dallas
The Niners are tough, but the Cowpokes remember Terrell Owens rubbing it in last year. They will keep it close for awhile before fading in the second half.
49ers 24 – Cowboys 16

Pittsburgh (minus 8) at Cincinnati
The Steelers keep on rolling.
Steelers 23 – Bungles 6

Cleveland (plus 6½) at Tennessee
The Titans are hot, but it may be too little too late. The Browns are playing like they want another top draft pick.
Titans 20 – Browns 13

Chicago (plus 3½) at Detroit
All you need to know is that Ty Detmer is starting for Detroit.
Bears 27 – Lions 10

Atlanta (plus 7) at Miami
The Dolphins chance to put up or shut up. The playoffs ride on this one.
Dolphins 27 – Falcons 13

Oakland (plus 1) at Denver
Denver usually owns the Raiders, especially at home. Unfortunately, the Broncos have no healthy players.
Raiders 28 – Broncos 24

Kansas City (plus 4½) at Jacksonville
Actually, this should be a decent game. Both teams have come on (too late, of course) and are playing with some momentum. Take the home team.
Jaguars 26 – Chiefs 23

New York (plus 4½) at Philadelphia
The game of the week will be right in our back yard. The Giants are confident and have the momentum. They are trying desperately to salvage their season and validate their Super Bowl appearance of a year ago. The Eagles finally got the monkey off their back by beating the Giants in NJ earlier this year. Can Andy Reid get enough offense going to squeek out a W? This will be the Eagles defining moment of 2001. A win here makes them a scary opponent in the playoffs, as they will gain much needed confidence. If the Giants take it, the Eagles could realistically be home for the playoffs. I say the changing of the guard takes place Sunday at 4:15 PM.
Eagles 17 – Giants 13

Seattle (plus 1½) at San Diego
Trent Dilfer starts for the Hawks and the Chargers go down again. Their early run was nice while it lasted.
Seahawks 24 – Chargers 20

Washington (plus 5) at New Orleans
The Saints blew it big time last week. The Redskins are improving, but not there yet.
Saints 19 – Redskins 16

Happy New Year!

Record:
Last week – straight up: 10-5, Against the spread: 9-6
Year to Date - straight up: 139-76, Against the spread: 118-97

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Author: G.Haggerty