in NFL Free Picks

Happy Thanx Gives to all you football fancats out there. I hope you all are stuffing your faces with serious turduckens… or at least a bit of turkey if the chickens and the ducks ain’t around. Talking about ducks… we need to get the Detroit Lions off of these contests. There comes a point in time where you, as a football fan, deserve better when you are sitting in front of your television with a plate emitting sweet smells of meats, stuffing and cranberry, you understand what I’m saying. I’m at 21-21-2 entering Week 12.
Enjoy the holidays; let’s go!

HOUSTON TEXANS +4.5 AT NEW YORK JETS -4.5

You have got to give Jets coach Eric Mangini some serious kudos. This cat has this team playing .500 ball after 10 games with pretty much no one on the team having an outstanding season. Except for LB Jonathan Vilma, as usual… and Justin Miller. Who? Oh… he’s the best kick returner in the league. When you have a returner who consistently puts your offense on the turf in excellent field position, you have a weapon, straight up. Perhaps he’s the reason why the stat numbers for the Jets’ offense are so mediocre…they never have a long field to fatten the stats.

PREDICTION: Jets to cover

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers +5 AT ST. LOUIS RAMS -5

When I watched the 49ers last year, I was wondering two things. Firstly, I was wondering why they maintained confidence in QB Alex Smith for so damn long. Secondly, I was wondering why they weren’t giving the ball to RB Frank Gore a lot more. Every time he got the rock, he showed impressive running. Smith cleared up his act, and someone decided to make Gore the starter. Balance has been returned to the Bay.

PREDICTION: 49ers to cover

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS +3 AT ATLANTA FALCONS -3

To all you Michael Vick haters out there… remember this real fact, Jack. He has 13 touchdown passes after his 10 games this season… and in all of his six years, the most he had in a season was 16. He’ll wipe that out unless he gets hurt. That is improvement. But I left the best for last. Nobody knows that Chicago Bears QB Bobby Douglass set in 1972 the present record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback. He rushed for 968 yards, and Vick came very close in 2004 with 902. This season Vick is only on pace to have over 1100 yards rushing. That would obliterate a 34-year old record. So Vick haters… stop your noise. Thank you.

PREDICTION: Saints to cover

CHICAGO BEARS +3.5 AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS -3.5

The unquestionable game of the week. The Bears have played ten games and their only loss is courtesy of a 31-13 tailwipe by a visiting Miami Dolphins squad. That surprised me, but what surprised me even more was how soft their schedule has been up to this point. I won’t even mention the softness of it here so that you can get surprised yourself when you look at it. But what I will mention is the fact that at least they are smoking, not just beating, some of the teams they should beat. I look at the 7-3 Pats… who are undefeated on the road just like the Bears. Then Tom Brady's Boys shocked the hell out of me when I did the resultant math to realize they have lost more than they have won at home. I would’ve bet my house on the reverse. The kitchen sink and all.

PREDICTION: Patriots to cover

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