Previewing Week 6

Joint baseball/football edition!

MLB Playoffs

Giants vs Cardinals: Both teams seem to have nine lives. The Cardinals rallied from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Nationals in Game 5 and the Giants won three straight in Cincinnati after losing the first two games at home. The fact that both teams had to play five games in the Division Series has misaligned their starting rotations, but that might hurt the Giants more because they're more reliant on one guy, Matt Cain, than the Cardinals are. Plus, the righty-heavy St. Louis lineup will make life tough for lefty San Francisco starters Madison Bumgarner and Barry Zito (if he gets a start). Why pick against the Cardinals at this point?
Prediction: Cardinals in six games.

Yankees vs Tigers: Another evenly matched series. The Tigers might have the inferior bullpen but their hitters aren't in as deep of a funk as the Yankees'. Detroit also caught a break in the scheduling: even though both teams had to play five games in the Division Series, and the Yankees are the higher seed, the Tigers got an extra day off to set their rotation while New York must play five playoff games in five days. That means Hiroki Kuroda will be starting on short rest in Game 2. C.C. Sabathia will also need to pitch on short rest once if he wants to make two starts in the series, while his Tigers counterpart Justin Verlander will be fully rested for both Game 3 and a potential Game 7. The pitching matchups, and the different places these two offenses are in right now, favor Detroit.
Prediction: Tigers in six games.

NFL Week 6

Last week's predictions: 10/14
Season tally: 47/77, 61%

Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5) @ Cleveland Browns
The Browns are still winless despite what seems like steadily improving play from rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden and rookie running back Trent Richardson. It feels like they're due for a win already. The Bengals, meanwhile, looked pretty anemic in a loss at home (!!!) to the Dolphins. This is your shot, Cleveland!
The pick: Browns "improve" to 1-5.

Indianapolis Colts @ New York Jets (-3.5)
Really can't fathom why the Jets are favored in this game. Maybe just because they played the Texans tough on Monday night. Still, they're going up against a suddenly-dangerous Colts team that just beat the Packers. And Mark Sanchez is still Mark Sanchez.
The pick: Colts pull off the "upset."

Kansas City Chiefs @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4)
Easily the ugliest game of the week. Brady Quinn is starting in place of an injured Matt Cassel (which might not actually be a downgrade...) and both teams have been embarrassing. Watch if you enjoy punting.
The pick: Chiefs.

Oakland Raiders @ Atlanta Falcons (-9.5)
Mismatch of the week. There may not be a wider discrepancy in football between the Falcons dynamite passing game and the Raiders sad secondary. Enjoy the feast, Falcons.
The pick: Falcons.

Dallas Cowboys @ Baltimore Ravens (-3)
A nice test for the Cowboys, especially for their revamped pass defense. Contending with Joe Flacco is much more difficult when he's playing at home. The Cowboys desperately need a big win but they just might not be very good after all.
The pick: Ravens.

Detroit Lions @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5)
Apparently the Eagles' strategy for winning games is to give the football away for most of the game, take the lead on their final possession thanks to an ugly fourth-quarter drive, leave enough time on the clock for the other team to drive down the field, and pray that their kicker misses the uprights as time expires. It's worked for two straight weeks. But goshdarn if it just doesn't feel like a winning strategy.
The pick: Lions.

St. Louis Rams @ Miami Dolphins (-4.5)
A sneaky-interesting game between two bad teams that are actually less bad than we thought. Speaking of 'less bad than we thought': Dolphins rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. Lost in the Luck/RGIII frenzy, he's been quite decent.
The pick: Dolphins.

New England Patriots (-3.5) @ Seattle Seahawks
Oh, this has upset written all over it. The Seahawks defense has been brutal to opposing quarterbacks. But the Patriots offense is no longer one-dimensional. Their ability to lean on their new running game should prove to be the difference.
The pick: Patriots.

Buffalo Bills @ Arizona Cardinals (-4)
This could rival Chiefs-Bucs as the ugly game of the week. The Bills have been a complete mess. But the Cardinals have no offensive line. But the Bills can't stop anyone. But the Cardinals might have the worst running game in football. And so on.
The pick: Edge goes to, I suppose, the better defense. And the home team. Cardinals.

Minnesota Vikings @ Washington Redskins (-1.5)
This line makes even less sense than the Colts-Jets spread. The Redskins defense has been a joke while the Vikings have been one of the best all-around teams in football so far. And Robert Griffin III suffered a concussion last week. Minnesota obviously still isn't getting any respect.
The pick: Vikings.

New York Giants @ San Francisco 49ers (6.5)
This isn't the same 49ers team that the Giants beat in last year's NFC Championship Game. This team has a much more competent passing game and an even better rushing attack. The Giants can absolutely win this game because they're never out of it with Eli Manning under center. It'll just be very difficult.
The pick: 49ers.

Green Bay Packers @ Houston Texans (-3.5)
One of the more even matchups between a 2-3 team and a 5-0 team. The Texans have played a cupcake schedule so far and certainly aren't "best team in football" good. But are they good enough to beat a Packers team that just hasn't hit its stride yet? Certainly. Along with Giants-Niners, this is a must-watch: top quarterback against top defense.
The pick: Texans.

Denver Broncos (-1) @ San Diego Chargers
Peyton Manning is back on Monday Night Football and this game should end in a better result than his three-interception Falcons debacle. The Chargers just lost to the awful Saints (a winless team with an interim-interim-head coach); their 3-2 record is a nice little mirage.
The pick: Broncos.