in NFL Free Picks

Gentlemen and ladies, perfect weeks are indeed hard to come by. So you know that I must brag and boast about my perfect weekend last week. Times were looking bleak, so I had to make a nice turnaround. Now that we are on the topic of turnarounds, let’s talk about a bad turnaround: the Pittsburgh Steelers. What in the world has happened to them? Prior to last weekend, they are sitting at 4-6 with their season on the balance, and they come into Baltimore and get shut out. Shut. Out. If it wasn’t obvious before that something is wrong in Steeltown, it is clearly evident now. They close out the season by going to Carolina, then they host Baltimore, and then they visit Cincy. Ouch. Bring on Week 13.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS – 6 AT CLEVELAND BROWNS +6

Maybe I’m the only one out there who feels this, but I’m kind of tired of seeing the Browns have losing season after losing season year after year after year. This is getting ridiculous. Is there another team in the NFL that has been as crap as these cats for so long? Oh yeah, the Detroit Lions. So, they’re not alone. But holy mackerel, you would think that this franchise would get tired of the huge numbers in the loss column and start spending some money or something. And now they are fighting each other after getting tailwiped last week. The Browns have no chance here, unless KC beats themselves. This game could get really ugly on the scoreboard.

PREDICTION: Chiefs to cover.

DALLAS COWBOYS -4 AT NEW YORK GIANTS +4

I was quite surprised to hear DE Michael Strahan rip WR Plaxico Burress in his radio interview earlier this week. To me, Strahan has never been one to step out of line like that, but what do I know, huh? I’m not religious on the Giants like I am with my crappy Raiders, but I’ve never seen Stray do this before. He is an incredible player, but he should have reversed his ways and publicly apologized for publicly ripping him. It was wrong, and he should know that. He may not play in this one, but if he does, he better come up with a 3-sack effort in leading his team to a nice victory.

PREDICTION: Giants to cover

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS +4 AT DENVER BRONCOS -4

I think Mike Shanahan is one of the best coaches of all time. He is one of only five in the history of the NFL to have back-to-back Super Bowl championships, and I just found out that he’s the only coach to win seven consecutive postseason games over a two-year span. The guy has a 130-79 career record. Simply phenomenal. And now he’s making a mistake. I know that QB Jake Plummer is not a great quarterback, but he did enough to get the team to a 7-4 record. The offense rarely lit it up, but they won. And with that record, they put in a rookie quarterback in a prime-time game who has never taken a regular season snap. This Jay Cutler cat must be the second coming of Marino; just spectacular up there, in practice or something. I think this is a dumb move that will cost the Broncos a game... and a crucial game at that.

PREDICTION: Seahawks to cover

CAROLINA PANTHERS -3.5 AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES +3.5

I love watching giant, freak-of-nature players who can terrorize teams. They come into the league once in a blue moon, and wreak nothing but pure havoc. And Carolina DE Julius Peppers is just that type of player. This cat is a 6’7”, 285-pound 26-year-old beast, who just simply cannot be handled. It truly is up to him whether or not he wants a sack, or four of them. There is no surprise here that he has 51.5 sacks in his five years, and he’s going to have his best year in terms of sacks this season. He is the definition of a creature, and I love watching creatures play football.

PREDICTION: Panthers to cover

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Anthony Oxley is a freelance columnist and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker room.