by @Swampy_Swami (Gene Henke)
HO! HO! HOOOOOO! Merry Christmas from SwampaClaus everybody! It is such a great time of year isn’t it? Despite the fact that it sure does bring a tear to my eye as the season is almost over. We are currently full steam ahead on the Polar Express headed toward the Playoffs and things are indeed heating up! As we approach the second to last Holy Sunday of the year, teams are fighting for their playoff lives while others are getting their Grinch on and playing spoiler. How exciting! Last week was definitely the worst Muck of the year as the SwampMan went a brutal 1-3-1 in The Muck Five. No excuses, that is just terrible! However I vow to make it up to you with a little Holiday treat this week; five stocking stuffer picks for all the good little boys and girls! We sure do have some good ones on tap for us tomorrow and I can’t wait. It’s like Christmas Even in the Swamp today! Without further ado, I bring to you the week 16 edition of The Weekly Muck, enjoy everyone!
BUFFALO BILLS +3:
These Dolphins are really turning the corner as of late, no doubt about it. With their eye on the prize (an AFC wildcard spot), they have been able to string together some impressive wins lately. However none of these were more impressive than the one last week versus their divisional big brother, the New England Patriots. The Phins were able to hold off a late surge by the Pats that consisted of Mr. Brady in the red zone with a chance to win the game, and ended it with a HUGE interception in the end zone to seal the victory. This week they will head into cold Buffalo to take on another one of their divisional rivals whom are already eliminated from the tournament with a chance to ruin their rivals playoff hopes. With a feisty Ravens and Chargers team also battling for that last playoff spot, the Dolphins cannot afford to drop a game in these last two if they want to make the tournament. Therefore, all the pressure is on this young Miami team this weekend. Coming off of such a huge win it will be a tough spot for Miami to go into Buffalo and get a win against a team that literally has nothing to lose, and would love nothing more than to ruin the Dolphin’s chances. Bills’ rookie QB EJ Manuel will not be suiting up for this one, and that means other youngster QB Thaddeus Lewis will get the nod. Thad Lewis already served up the Dolphins a big “L” earlier this year in Miami so I am sure he will have no problem doing so again. This will be a true testament to this Miami team’s toughness. They took out the Steelers in snowy Pittsburgh, were able to hold off the Pats at home, now let’s see if they can handle the pressure and fight off a feisty Bills squad in freezing Buffalo. Either way, I like the points in this one. Bills +3.
WASHINGTON REDSKINS +3:
Man ohhh man! What to say about the Dallas Cowboys? Where does one begin? A team with all the talent in the world and just can’t seem to get out of their own way. It sounds just like another team I know...(coughLIONScough) Once again Cowboy’s QB Tony Romo is faced with his arch nemesis, DECEMBER. All the pressure is on Tony babes and this Cowboys team, coaching included. The seats are hott all around this weekend. If they don’t take out the lowly Redskins in Washington tomorrow with their playoff hopes on the line, then there truly needs to be some big changes all over the place. The only common denominator in all these terrible years is Mr. Jerry Jones. Maybe it is time he stepped down and let somebody else take over for a bit and see how that works? Eh, probably will never happen as long as that man lives. However, that is an argument for another day; now back to the game at hand. The Cowboys need to win tomorrow and then most likely play Philly for the division title in the last game of the season. Wow would that be a fun one to watch! However, I am not so sure that they even make it that far. This Redskin team has some new life into them with young QB Kirk Cousins at the helm. You could just see in the way they played in Atlanta last weekend that they have not yet given up this season despite having no chance at the playoffs. Cousins is playing for his future, and at this point, so is the rest of the team and coaches pretty much. What better way to do that than to win these last two games and not to mention knock one of your rivals out of the playoffs at the same time?! Oh how sweet it would be! I think the pressure will be too much for these Cowboys when they head into Washington and this one will be a battle to the end. Alfred Morris will run all over these guys just like Eddie Lacy did, and Cousins will have everyone saying RG3 who? Just like the previous analysis, field goal game either way. Skins +3.
CAROLINA PANTHERS -3:
Long story short, this Saints team is a case of Jeckl and Hyde. I’ve never seen a team that were such “house cats” as this one is. At home they are unbelievable, one of the best in the league no questions asked. On the road, they are a mere shell of themselves and seem to get destroyed by way lesser foes, usually ones with physical defenses and strong running games. This is a situation where that seems to be the case, not to mention with some added revenge! The Panthers want nothing more than to win the division somehow and they can only do this by first beating the Saints this weekend. If they can prevent New Orleans from having home field advantage in the playoffs, than by all means they will want to do everything in their power to do so. Brees was under attack last weekend against a stellar pass rush in St. Louis. I think the Panthers take a page out of the Ram’s game plan and apply the same pressure to Brees this weekend. I think there is some rain forecasted as well which we know house cats do not like. This one will be a sloppy ‘ol division beat-down in favor of the Panthers to even the series at 1-1 and let the final week decide who the division champion is. Take Cam and that defense to show up big at home this weekend, that place will be rockin’! Panthers -3!
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS -10.5:
The Arizona Cardinals have been playing better as of late however I personally think they are extremely overrated and are doomed tomorrow while they head into Seattle to take on the mighty Seahawks. The Seahawks are rolling right now destroying any team in their path to the Super Bowl and unfortunately for the Cardinals, that team is them this weekend. The combination of turnover prone Arizona QB Carson Palmer and Seattle’s pass rush and Legion of Boom with the noise of the 12th man behind them doesn’t bode well for the offensively challenged Cards. They have zero run game, and their star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is banged up from last week. I think the spread says it all in this one. The Cards technically are in position and have a strong chance to make the playoffs with one of the wildcard spots, and yet the line is 10.5? Come on man! We will watch Carson’s version of the “Nightmare before Christmas” and Seattle rolls with ease. Lay the chalk! Seattle -10.5.
***BLACK LAGOON BONUS PICK – HOUSTON TEXANS +10.5:
I know, I know. Crazy right? Ya gotta be kidding me with this pick?! I can totally see where you’re coming from here, but please hear me out. This Texan team is a pure disgrace this season and there is definitely a problem in Houston. They haven’t won a game since week two, pitiful! However, being at home this weekend with the AFC first place Denver Broncos coming to town, I think the Texans give their fans something to watch tomorrow. This game will supplement as the Super Bowl of their dreadful season and I think they try to show the fans that is isn’t all bad and give them some hope for next season. Will they beat Denver outright? Hell no. Although, I do think they keep it close. Denver’s defense is not all that and a bag of potato chips by any means. They can be scored upon, fairly easily in fact. We have seen teams have success both through the air and the ground against them. With Case Keenum is injured and finally done with his attempt to take the reigns as the starting Texan QB, ‘ol faithful Matt Schaub will try to win the fans back over with a strong performance on Sunday. I think he really will play well and have a game for himself. Will he win the fans over? Hell no, they will most likely draft a QB, but he will probably earn himself a backup QB position somewhere else. I know the Texan defense is bad but without WeIker in the game, this Bronco offense goes from unstoppable to just really damn good. The Chargers were able to pressure the Manning the Sherriff and limit the big plays on offense. I got a feeling JJ Watt and Co. do the same in front of their home crowd. Look for Schaub and wide receivers Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins to be clicking on all cylinders tomorrow to put up some points to hang within the number. This one will be closer than one thinks. You will be checking scores tomorrow saying wait a minute…we have a game here!
Well folks, that about does it for this week’s edition of The Weekly Muck! I hope you all enjoyed it and as always feel free to tweet me @swampy_swami with whatever comments or questions you may have and I will be sure to answer as best as I can. Until next time everybody! Happy Holidays to you and yours! HOOO!! HOOOO!! HOOOOOO!!!!!!
Lots of Love,
SwampaClaus
No comments:
Post a Comment