Week 9 Picks Revisited

8 green, 10 total winners out of 13 games. Got the Bengals and Patriots points correct (but didn't pick the Bengals to win).

Prediction: Falcons 27 Washington 13
Actual: Falcons 31 Washington 17
Four points off on each side. Another Todd Collins sighting this week. I'll be interested to see who signs Jason Campbell next season. It is hard to imagine Washington wanting him, and even harder to imagine him wanting to stay. Likely he will go sit on the bench for a year or two before he gets another shot, but I think there is still some hope for him. As Kyle Orton has shown, guys who have played a lot of games can be pretty valuable, even if they aren't the future of the franchise.

Prediction: Cardinals 24 Bears 17
Actual: Cardinals 41 Bears 21
Another 'bounce back' game for Kurt Warner. The Bears suddenly can't stay with decent teams. Meanwhile, the NFC West has let the Cards build a two-game lead. The Cards are 4-0 on the road.

Prediction: Ravens 27 Bengals 17
Actual: Bengals 17 Ravens 7
I can't hide it: I like teams that play and win like the Bengals. Low scoring, stingy defense, really good cornerbacks... Even if they don't go far in the playoffs, I like what they are doing this season.

Prediction: Colts 30 Texans 24
Actual: Colts 20 Texans 17
The Texans have been a play away from winning a few games this season, and Sunday they once again blew a chance to assert themselves as an AFC threat. Credit is due to Kris Brown for his 56-yarder as time expired in the first half...too bad he missed a 42-yarder as time expired in the game.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Dolphins 23
Actual: Patriots 27 Dolphins 17
So is the Wildcat for real or not? It seems too inconsistent; it is great that they beat the Jets with it, but bad when they lose because they can't do anything other than the Wildcat. Chad Henne has started to look more like a first-year starter of late, but still looks pretty dern good.

Prediction: Packers 31 Bucs 13
Actual: Buccaneers 38 Packers 28
The Packers have a terrible offensive line. Their defense doesn't give up much yardage, but plenty of points. See you next September.

Prediction: Jaguars 20 Chiefs 13
Actual: Jaguars 24 Chiefs 21
Furious comeback by the Cheifs (and Chris Chambers), but the Jags pull out another win, keeping them at .500.

Prediction: Saints 28 Panthers 14
Actual: Saints 30 Panthers 20
This was actually a game until the Panthers fumbled inside their own five yard line. The Saints still can't stop the run, but with Drew Brees throwing like this, they will be OK.

Prediction: Seahawks 27 Lions 19
Actual: Seahawks 32 Lions 20
The Lions blew a 17-0 first quarter lead. Ouch.

Prediction: 49ers 17 Titans 9
Actual: Titans 34 49ers 27
It is becoming pretty clear that the 49ers were not ready to be a playoff team this year.

Prediction: Chargers 27 Giants 26
Actual: Chargers 21 Giants 20
Margin of victory correct! Phillip Rivers led the charge when they really needed it. The Giants make a lot of boneheaded plays, and fall apart at really strange times.

Prediction: Cowboys 28 Eagles 21
Actual: Cowboys 20 Eagles 16
There was a little less offense than I expected. But in the end, the Eagles couldn't convert 3rd downs, and the Cowboys were steady enough on offense to put it away in the 4th quarter.

Prediction: Steelers 23 Broncos 20, OT
Actual: Steelers 28 Broncos 10
The Steelers basically dominated this game, but subtly. The Broncos stayed close for most of the game, but only ran for 27 yards, and scored their lone touchdown on defense.