Week 14 NFL Picks-Can Tebow do It Again

My choice for the Browns verses Pittsburgh game on Thursday night was a no brainer, and not surprising, the Browns lost. They couldn't even take advantage of a hobbled Roethlisberger. No further comment needed. The wildcard picture is still wide open in the National Conference and in the American Conference one slot most likely will be filled either by Pittsburgh or Baltimore. Baltimore plays Indianapolis Sunday and I am expecting no surprises there either. Wouldn't it be something to see all three teams from the AFC North in the playoffs, excluding you know who of course. Cincinnati faces off with Houston in what should be a good game. Two surprises, the Buffalo Bills at the start of the season were hopefuls, but have fallen from grace, and the Detroit Lions are still hanging on with their pinky. San Diego can still make it if Denver and Oakland have a meltdown.

The Bengals need to show they can win against teams with a plus record and Houston would be a good place to start, and it isn't optional. Andy Dalton and A. J. Green face a tough defense in the Texans. A decent showing from Benson will help the cause. Houston, on the other hand, has continued to win despite their quarterback loss. They will be facing a decent defense in the Bengals as well. Stop the run, win the game.

San Diego is back on track, although it was the offensiveless Jaguars they took advantage of last Monday. Their chances are slim at best on making it to the playoffs. The Chargers need to win and keep on winning, and that still leaves their chances very slim. Philip Rivers may have finally got his head on straight, maybe. We will see. Buffalo lost Fred Jackson, but even though that was a huge blow to their offensive attack, it is not the sole reason they have been losing. The Bills have been giving up two many points, which leaves their offense hard pressed to match. When an offense is forced to press than mistakes often follow, just ask Rivers.

Tim Tebow showed alittle more quarterback than running back his last outing, which is a good thing. However the Broncos are doing it, the fans have at least something to cheer about. They went from being a punching bag to being the boxer. Chicago's defense is built to take on the offense Denver has been putting out with Urlacher as its foundation and if the Bears are to win, it will have to be with defense. Chicago will seek to box Tebow in, so outside passes and screens will be the way to go for Tebow and let McGahee take on the middle.

One of the most animated coaches in football is the Giant's Tom Coughlin. The more unstable the Giant's offense is, the more entertaining Coughlin is, and the cameras know this. I'll watch the Giants just to see the antics of Coughlin. It's entertaining. They're winning, then they're losing, and then they're winning and losing. Dallas has been surging, but I think the Giant's pass rush is going to give Tony Romo fits and Eli Manning is going to give the Dallas secondary fits. Both Romo and Manning are proned to making knuckleheaded mistakes at times, but Romo will win in this category.

Both Cam Not-Win and Tim Tebow score more with their legs, but between the two of them, Tebow wins more. Everyone makes a big deal about Cam Not-Win, but he has not proven himself as a pocket quarterback. Until he does that, Panthers will not be a true contender and he will not be considered a true quarterback, unless they redefine what a quarterback is. Running quarterbacks do not go to the Super Bowl. However, Tebow is supported by a good defense that keeps the opposing points low and the offense in the game to make the winning score. The other rookie, Andy Dalton, has proved himself the way a quarterback does, with his arm.

One final note. The hit on Colt McCoy was an obvious cheap shot by Harrison. When you watch the replay, Harrison had enough time to calculate his hit on McCoy. It is true McCoy exposed himself more to a frontal hit when he changed his posture from a run to a throw, but Harrison was head hunting from the get go, going in high with the top of his helmet all the way.

THU, DEC 8                            TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Cleveland at Pittsburgh                8:30            NFL      Heinz Field
SUN, DEC 11                          TIME (ET)   TV       LOCATION
Kansas City at NY Jets                1:00 PM     CBS      MetLife Stadium
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville          1:00 PM     FOX      EverBank Field
New England at Washington       1:00 PM     CBS      FedEx Field
Atlanta at Carolina                      1:00 PM     FOX      Bank of America Stadium
Indianapolis at Baltimore            1:00 PM     CBS      M&T Bank Stadium
Philadelphia at Miami                 1:00 PM     FOX      Sun Life Stadium
Minnesota at Detroit                   1:00 PM     FOX      Ford Field
New Orleans at Tennessee         1:00 PM     FOX      LP Field
Houston at Cincinnati                1:00 PM     CBS      Paul Brown Stadium
Chicago at Denver                     4:05 PM     FOX      Sports Authority Field at Mile High
San Francisco at Arizona           4:05 PM     FOX      U of Phoenix Stadium
Buffalo at San Diego                 4:15 PM     CBS      Qualcomm Stadium
Oakland at Green Bay               4:15 PM     CBS      Lambeau Field
NY Giants at Dallas                  8:20 PM     NBC      Cowboys Stadium
MON, DEC 12                        TIME (ET)    TV       LOCATION
St. Louis at Seattle                     8:30 PM     ESPN     CenturyLink Field