Ahh, the Christmas hangover. The bills pile in, and we’re left saying “what was I thinking?” in regards to all of those purchases. It’s nice to have a tree that’s stuffed more than a Thanksgiving turkey, it just stinks to have to pay for it all.
So many gifts given and received, and not too many stand out. My son went crazy for all of his Skylanders stuff, but now I have to fight him more than ever to turn off the Wii and allow his old man access to the TV. My wife loves her buckwheat pillow, though I still can’t wrap my head around how it is actually comfortable.
The best reaction, the most “nailed it” moment, though came from my goddaughter, Sophia. She turned 16 two days before Christmas (the worst time for a birthday), but her “Uncle” Richie – we’re actually cousins, but I’m 23 years older than her – came through with a gift that she actually wanted, but probably no one else would have thought to buy it for her. We both love to watch WWE (I know, rare for a teenage girl, especially a cute one), and her favorite wrestler is Sheamus. I got her a “Brogue Kick Hooligans” hoodie. She didn’t expect it, but it caught her off guard like a boot to the face by her favorite ginger brawler. Her reaction was genuine, and made me feel like a million bucks.
Matt also had a great Christmas present, he made up a little more ground on me with his best week ever. He went 14-2 in week 16. He killed it. Me, just another solid week, posting an 11-5 mark. Old Eagle One is pumped up, but I think he’s running out of time to make the supreme comeback. We have this week, and the playoffs remaining.
Rich: 164-74-1 (.688)
Matt: 158-80-1 (.663)
This week will be a tough one to guess. We don’t know who’s going to rest their starters, and who’s going to play like it matters.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta: Here is one case where you have to believe that the Falcons will not put out a full effort. They’ve got the No. 1 seed locked up, and no reason to put Matty Ice and company at risk. The Bucs are out of it, but they’ll go with their starters and get after it. I’m going with the Bucs.
- Rich’s Pick: Bucs
Matt’s Pick: Falcons
NY Jets at Buffalo: He’s in, he’s out, and now Mark Sanchez is back in at quarterback for the Jets. Both of these teams stink, and they’re both playing out the string. New York has had way too much strife of late, give me the Bills.
- Rich’s Pick: Bills
Matt’s Pick: Bills
Ravens at Bengals: Again, two teams with nothing to play for. The Bengals are in, the Ravens are in. Neither team can move, really. The game’s in Cincy, and I loved the defensive effort of the Bengals last week. I’m going with the tigers.
- Rich’s Pick: Bengals
Matt’s Pick: Bengals
Browns at Steelers: Pittsburgh’s hopes of the postseason were dashed by Cincy last week. They’re playing at home against a team that they should beat, and 8-8 seems a whole lot more palatable than 7-9, so let’s say Steelers win at home.
- Rich’s Pick: Steelers
Matt’s Pick: Steelers
Lions at Bears: Chicago has to win. The Lions are horrid, except for Calvin Johnson, who led me to my first championship in the modern era of the Cape Cod Oblong League, something I’ll be forever grateful for. Bears get it done, and hope for help.
- Rich’s Pick: Bears
Matt’s Pick: Bears
Jaguars at Titans: Tennessee has been a difficult team to figure all year long. When you think that they’re the worst thing ever, they have a big day. They’ve been okay at home, and the Jags aren’t. I could definitely see Jacksonville winning, but I’m going with Team Jeckyl and Hyde. They have to have some pride, don’t they.
- Rich’s Pick: Titans
Matt’s Pick: Titans
Eagles at Giants: The Giants still have a little hope (8.5 percent) of making the playoffs. They certainly haven’t played like a team that wants to get there, but I think they’ll go for broke against Philly. I still think they’re staying home, but let’s go with the Giants one more time, shall we.
- Rich’s Pick: Giants
Matt’s Pick: Giants
Panthers at Saints: With all New Orleans has been through this year, you have to give them a ton of credit. They simply haven’t given up, and with a win they’ll finish at .500 for the year. They’ll do that.
- Rich’s Pick: Saints
Matt’s Pick: Saints
Texans at Colts: By now we should know better than to bet against #Chuckstrong. The Colts don’t have anything on the line, and the Texans need to win to keep the top seed, but there’s something about the way that the Colts have played with Chuck Pagano in the building that is special. Put it this way, why would they bring the coach back for a game in which they intended on laying down in? The Colts are going to go all-out, and they’re going to beat the Texans, who may not have Arian Foster this week.
- Rich’s Pick: Colts
Matt’s Pick: Colts
Packers at Vikings: If ever there were a home field advantage to be taken advantage of, this is the week. The Minnesota fans are going to be crazy, and the Vikings are going to put themselves into the playoffs. Adrian Peterson isn’t going to get the record (he’ll be about 60 yards short), but the Vikes are going to beat the Packers this weekend, and even without the record it’s been a special year for AP.
- Rich’s Pick: Vikings
Matt’s Pick: Packers
Rams at Seahawks: The Seahawks have put up nearly 150 points in the last three weeks. They’re crazy hot right now, and I don’t see them taking a week off, especially with an outside chance at moving up on the 49ers and grabbing the two spot.
- Rich’s Pick: Seahawks
Matt’s Pick: Seahawks
Dolphins at Patriots: First off, Miami does horrible in the cold. Secondly, the Patriots have a chance to earn a bye with a win and some help. They’re going to go for the win and try to earn that bye.
- Rich’s Pick: Patriots
Matt’s Pick: Patriots
Chiefs at Broncos: The Broncos can’t afford to lose. If they do, they lose their bye. If they win, they keep it, and could move into the top spot. They’re not going to take the week off either.
- Rich’s Pick: Broncos
Matt’s Pick: Broncos
Raiders at Chargers: Could we finally see the end of the Norv Turner era? I think the pockfaced one goes out with a win, mostly because the Raiders are horrible and the Chargers have been showing signs of life.
- Rich’s Pick: Chargers
Matt’s Pick: Chargers
Cardinals at 49ers: Poor Arizona, the 49ers have something to play for and were embarrassed last weekend. This is not going to end well for the birds, and somewhere out west Elias says “finally, Maclone, you’re back on the bandwagon.” My response, “you don’t pick against Seattle or New England at home, regardless of the competition.”
- Rich’s Pick: 49ers
Matt’s Pick: 49ers
Cowboys at Redskins: Our game of the week has all the makings for a classic, and in my eyes another Dallas heartbreak. Washington is playing very well, and with another week of therapy I think RG3 might even do some RG3 things this week. It’s going to be a fun game, but in the end I like the Redskins to find a way.
- Rich’s Pick: Redskins
Matt’s Pick: Redskins
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
