UTTQ Predictions: Week 16

MINNESOTA 14, WASHINGTON 24
In one of the more shocking upsets of the season, the Redskins not only beat - but embarrassed the Giants. With the struggling Vikings coming into town as a follow up, Washington's confidence should be high against a Minnesota team that suddenly has a realistic shot at the top overall pick for the 2012 Draft. Hail to the Redskins.

TAMPA BAY 21, CAROLINA 30
The Panthers finally held a lead last week in their surprising victory over the Texans. With a disappointing Bucs team on tap, things look good for Cam Newton and company to continue the win streak.

CLEVELAND 13, BALTIMORE 27
This game poses a serious threat to a Ravens team that took one on the chin against the Chargers. On multiple occasions this season, Baltimore has struggled mightily against lesser opponents and the Browns certainly qualify as one. However, Cleveland is a fairly poor team that doesn't seem to have the firepower to score big against the Ravens D like San Diego did.

SAN DIEGO 33, DETROIT 3o
If you want lots of offense and subpar defense, this is the game for you. A win here coupled with a Denver loss make the AFC West incredibly interesting going into Week 17.

PHILADELPHIA 27 , DALLAS 24
In a similar fashion, this game means everything to the Eagles who somehow still have an outside shot of the postseason. Earlier in the season, Philly absolutely carved up Dallas. I see this happening again though with much more resistance from the explosive Cowboys offense.

SAN FRANCISCO 35, SEATTLE 14
With a late season resurgence, the Seahawks sit at .500 and have grown fairly explosive. With the No. 2 seed in the NFC still very much up in the air, don't expect the 49ers to falter in this game.

CHICAGO 14, GREEN BAY 35
With the Josh McCown era beginning on the North Side of Chicago, things look great for a Packers team that suffered it's first loss of the season last week. The Bears just don't have the weapons to keep up with Green Bay.

ATLANTA 28, NEW ORLEANS 30
The last time these two teams met, Mike Smith made a very controversial decision to have his team go for it on fourth down on their own side of the 50. This game should be just as entertaining as that one and could very well come down to a crucial coaching decision to decide the outcome.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 16

Only two more weeks in the NFL season? How can it be so? In any case, these last few weeks is do-or-die time for multiple teams in the league, including those that are playoff bound, and those that are preparing for next year. What sorts of exciting action will Week 16 bring? Without further adieu, here's UTTQ's 100th post (with hundreds more hopefully on the way):

HOUSTON 23, INDIANAPOLIS 17

Indy finally got off the schnide and will avoid an infamous 0-16 season. Much to the delight of Colts fans, they still possess the first pick in the draft. It's hard to force a team to intentionally lose games, but if the Colts manage to upset the Texans, it could possibly throw a major wrench in their draft positioning. The Texans looked week against the Panthers last weak, but they have managed to keep a consistent gameplan against opponents. If Andre Johnson is brought back into the fold, a Texans win is certainly a must here.

OAKLAND 24, KANSAS CITY 17
So Kansas City just beat the undefeated Green Bay Packers, who were riding a 19 game winning streak. Talk about luck huh? Actually, Kansas City played good enough football to keep the Packers' high-flying offense from getting off the ground. Oakland plays a different type of ball game, and will be looking to try keep their playoff hopes (and respectable start to the season) alive.

JACKSONVILLE 20, TENNESSEE 27
Tennessee fell flat on its face last week against the winless Colts, and now get to face another disappointing AFC South team in the Jaguars. The Jags have relied on rattled rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, and the strong legs of Maurice Jones-Drew. But even that may not be enough to beat Tennessee.

MIAMI 20, NEW ENGLAND 34
The Patriots wrote another chapter in their rivalry with Denver by thoroughly demolishing the Broncos. Miami has quietly been doing some good things this season, despite their record. However, the talent level between the Dolphins and Patriots is still a gap as wide as the distance between Boston and Miami.

ARIZONA 20, CINCINNATI 23
Arizona has been effective this season, but only found their late season success behind quarterback John Skelton. The Bengals have certainly performed well in many games this season, and although they'll end up on the outside looking in, they could certainly be a formidable AFC North for years to come (sounds like people talking about the '07 Browns). In any case, this game is certainly a toss-up, so I'll take Cincy just for kicks.

DENVER 27, BUFFALO 23
Tebowmania rolls into Buffalo this week, and after a disappointing loss to the mighty patriots, the Bills could be just what Denver needs to get back on track. The Bills have fallen hard in recent weeks, and will try to play spoiler to the AFC West leading Broncos. It will be interesting to see whether Tebow and company can rebound from last week, or if their season too was nothing more than a fluke.

ST. LOUIS 14, PITTSBURGH 31
The Steelers were humbled in San Francisco, and their bid to make the top seed in the AFC was seriously threatened. Fortunately, with a few games against cupcake teams on the immediate horizon, the Steelers can ease back players like Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey back into the fold slowly.

NEW YORK GIANTS 23, NEW YORK JETS 30
Quite possibly the game of the week, each team is fighting for a spot in the playoffs. Both teams were embarrassed by weaker opponents last week (You think the Eagles are a strong team? Then why aren't they a lock for the playoffs yet?), and the pressure is certainly on, as both coaches can attest. A loss would certainly hurt Ryan's ego, but a loss for the G-Men could result in Coughlin's job. The Giants cannot afford another late season collapse...unfortunately, it seems all-to-expected.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 15

CAROLINA 24, HOUSTON 17
The Texans could be in trouble soon. The loss of many versatile players and personnel that could very much influence Houston's chances in the playoffs. The Texans, having just clinched the AFC South, could take cruise control on this one in order to avoid further injury. The Panthers won't be taking this one easy either, and look for them to steal this one.

WASHINGTON 23, NEW YORK GIANTS 31
The Giants are rolling, while the Redskins are reeling. Washington has shown glimmers of hope this season, but this game will be all about the Giants exacting their Week 1 revenge on their hopeless foes.

DETROIT 38, OAKLAND 20
Two of the most penalized teams in the NFL get together for a good old fashioned scrap. Both of these teams will try to finish strong after slumping in recent weeks. The return of Ndamukong Suh should allow Detroit more flexibility in their defensive schemes.

NEW ENGLAND 35, DENVER 24
The Brady Bunch rolls into Tebowland in a much-anticipated matchup. New England's offense may be able to handle the Broncos' D, but the Pats' D is another story. They tend to slack off in the later quarters while Tim Tebow starts to work his magic. By then, New England should be ahead by enough points to make any possible Tebow comeback improbable.

NEW YORK JETS 23, PHILADELPHIA 17
Philly may have beaten the Dolphins last week, but if not for a key injury to Matt Moore, the game may have been different. The Jets are looking for a postseason berth and need to take advantage of every opportunity.

CLEVELAND 17, ARIZONA 28
A couple of weeks ago, this would have been a matchup of too hopeless franchises. But as the Browns have continued to falter, the Cardinals have actually found a footing. And that's with both Kevin Kolb and John Skelton at quarterback. The emergence of young players like Patrick Peterson makes this team hopeful for the future.

BALTIMORE 30, SAN DIEGO 27
San Diego is slowly starting to regain their previous forms, but they are too late in trying to retake the AFC West. Baltimore tends to play incredibly inconsistently, but the fight for the top spot in the AFC North is too hard to ignore.

PITTSBURGH 20, SAN FRANCISCO 30
With some key injuries on offense, the Steelers may not be all that they can be against the Niners. The Niners may have slept against the Cards, but one late season loss will surely force Jim Harbaugh to remind his players of the bigger picture. If Roethlisberger can't play, don't expect Charlie Batch to match up well against a tough Niners D.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 15

With only about a month of games left in the season, Saturday night games start this week.

JACKSONVILLE 14, ATLANTA 30
Despite a surprising blowout victory over the Bucs, the Jaguars are still a terrible team. The Falcons on the other hand have long since forgotten their rocky start to the season. Matt Ryan has effectively utilized all the offensive toys at his disposal and is turning in perhaps his best season yet. Little to no chance the Falcons lose.

DALLAS 28, TAMPA BAY 20
With back to back heartbreaking losses in the final seconds, the Cowboys desperately need a win this week to regain confidence. Tampa Bay may be the perfect opponent as the Bucs have struggled mightily culminating in a blowout loss to the Jags. Yes those Jags.

MIAMI 14, BUFFALO 21
Remember the Bills 5-2 start? Yeah I don't either. Six straight losses leave the Bills at 5-8 and strongly regretting the huge contract given to Ryan Fitzpatrick. And for Miami, just when things were looking up with Matt Moore at the helm, he goes down. The stars are aligned for Buffalo to finally get back on the winning ways.

SEATTLE 21, CHICAGO 23
Bad QB match up? Check. Bad weather? check. Bad looking game? Check check check. Somehow the Bears lost to Denver last weekend and they're probably still trying to comprehend what the heck happened. My gut tells me Chicago is going to be angry and inspired to do some damage in this game. Look for a dominating effort on D by the Bears to deliver a W.

TENNESSEE 15, INDIANAPOLIS 18
Indianapolis has to win eventually right? Dan Orlovsky has shown a spark in recent weeks that just wasn't there with Curtis Painter under center. Chris Johnson seemed to lose his spark last week after two straight stellar performances. With Jake Locker possibly getting his first NFL start, things look pretty good for the Colts though I won't be the least bit surprised if they manage to lose this one.

GREEN BAY 40, KANSAS CITY 10
The Pack have continued to flaunt their high octane offense which was dominant even with the injury to Greg Jennings. KC just fired their head coach and have shown such an ineptitude on offense since Matt Cassel went down. I'll be shocked if this game isn't decided by at least twenty points.

CINCINNATI 24, ST LOUIS 13
Cincy has been on a major skid lately emphasized by a last second lost to TJ Yates and the Houston's. Luckily for Andy Dalton and crew, a trip to the Edward Jones Dome is on tap and its just what the doctor ordered for a reeling team.

NEW ORLEANS 35, MINNESOTA 18
The Vikings made it scary close for the Lions last week once Joe Webb took over. Don't expect the same to happen on Sunday. Drew Brees won't let it.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 14

HOUSTON 24 , CINCINNATI 14
In a showdown of rookie QBs, TJ Yates gets his second career start, after playing well last week. The Bengals on the other hand were beat up by the Steelers. The Texans D has been and should be dominate in this match up while it looks like the Bengals will be without top pass rusher Carlos Dunlap. Look for a lot of Arian Foster and Ben Tate to bring this one home for Houston.

NEW ORLEANS 30, TENNESSEE 21
It's very easy to forget the Titans at 7-5 have a very real shot at one of the AFC wild card spots and with the apparent return to form of Chris Johnson, Tennessee is a dangerous team. However, the Saints are playing at a very high level behind Drew Brees who should lead his team to victory.

CHICAGO 10, DENVER 17
It's hard to believe that only two weeks ago the Bears were flying high and looked to be one of the dominant teams in the NFC. Now fast forward to present day and Chicago heads into Denver without Jay Cutler AND Matt Forte. Uh-oh. While the Bears still have a good shot at the playoffs, Caleb Hanie has got to get something going soon. As for the Broncos, Tim Tebow just keeps on winning and seems to be getting more comfortable with the passing game each week. Look for Denver to continue its strong playoff push with a W.

SAN FRANCISCO 27, ARIZONA 14
Coming off a shutout of St. Louis, the 49ers D showed it could still perform at a high level even without Patrick Willis who's status for Sunday looks doubtful. The Cardinals have seemingly found a spark as they're 4-1 in their past five games. However that one loss was to San Francisco who should come out on top again in this rematch.

OAKLAND 17, GREEN BAY 35
After a scare last week for the Packers against the Giants, the suddenly hapless Raiders come into town following a blowout loss to the Dolphins. Oakland has had quite the up and down season, looking dominant at times and horrendous at others. Regardless Green Bay looks destined for 16-0 and should improve their record here.

BUFFALO 20, SAN DIEGO 24
The wheels have completely fallen off for the Bills while the Chargers seemed to find some of the dominant play they're capable of against the Jags. San Diego still has an outside shot at the AFC West crown though they need to continue their hot play. Against a Buffalo team that just can't seem to win these days, I say they get it done.

NEW YORK GIANTS 33, DALLAS 35
In what looks to be the best match up of the weekend, the Giants come into Dallas with the NFC East title seemingly on the line. It's hard to gauge who has the advantage after both teams lost last weekend, though the Cowboys lost a game they should have won against Arizona and New York almost upset the Packers. The 'Boys are 5-1 at home and should get Miles Austin back which should add even more to a high powered offense. Dallas has been known to letdown in big games though I think Tony Romo finally puts together a great game when the Cowboys need it.

ST LOUIS 10, SEATTLE 13
In a MNF football match up for the ages (which your UTTQ editors will be in attendance) two really bad teams square off in a completely meaningless game. Sam Bradford's status is in doubt which may lead to Tom Brandstater getting his first career start (yay?). On the other side, the Seahawks have played better with Tavaris Jackson being pretty good as of late. However you slice it though, this does not look to be the makings of a high powered affair. Well hey, at least we get to see Josh Brown's eagerly awaited return to Seattle!

UTTQ Predictions: Week 14

It's Week 14, and the NFL season is slowly winding down. With only a few more weeks left to the playoffs, the playoff push is on for several teams. Others simply look to the future (ie. the NFL Draft) as they try to play spoiler for several playoff bound franchises.

CLEVELAND 13, PITTSBURGH 38
These two teams are going in very different directions. The Browns have shown no competitiveness all year long, as opposed to the Steelers, who are coming off a demolishing of Cincinnati. Pittsburgh should easily shut down all facets of the Browns game.

KANSAS CITY 17, NEW YORK JETS 28
It's time for the Jets to make their traditional late season surge. But to do that, they must not take even the gimme games lightly. The Chiefs managed a surprising victory against the Bears in a low scoring affair. As long as the Jets don't let the Chiefs defense keep it close, this one should result in a win for New York.

TAMPA BAY 27, JACKSONVILLE 13
Every game for the Jaguars seems to start off with the Jags fighting valiantly, only to lose grasp of momentum and control of the game. The Jags have a tough matchup against a yungry Bucs team looking to reverse a losing trend. Jacksonville looked sloppy on Monday night, and the fact that they lost to a defenseless Chargers team is even more worrisome to the development of their supposed quarterback of the future.

NEW ENGLAND 37, WASHINGTON 16
The Patriots looked dominant against the Colts for the better part of the game, but did ease up in the second half a bit. They will have to baton down the hatches against a topsy-turvy Redskins squad who just barely beat Seattle two weeks ago, and managed to keep up with the Jets for 3 quarters last week. Unfortunately for the 'Skins, the Patriots are way better than both of those teams.

ATLANTA 28, CAROLINA 24
Cam Newton has shown brilliant promise all year, and has certainly been worthy of his number one overall selection. The Panthers have remained competitive throughout the season, but have been inconsistent as well. The Falcons have not looked like a playoff team in that they have not beaten a quality opponent yet. A win against the Panthers would be nice, but the Falcons need to improve fast if they want to make the playoffs.

INDIANAPOLIS 27, BALTIMORE 30
The old Baltimore team visits the new one once again, although this rivalry will be markedly un-trivial this year. The Colts have blown way too many chances to even be competitive in this one, but then again Baltimore has let their guard down before. I think this one will be close, but Baltimore will squeak out a win.

PHILADELPHIA 27, MIAMI 17
Miami has been rising while Philly has been following. These teams could not be going in more opposite directions. That said, I smell an upset alert coming. With Michael Vick coming back, perhaps he can provide a spark to an inept Eagles offense. If not, then how many more games must the Eagles lose before everyone concedes that they will not make the playoffs?

MINNESOTA 20, DETROIT 30
Detroit has been reeling, but Minnesota has been surprisingly feisty. Last week they put up an epic fight against the Denver Tebows, but unfortunately fell flat on the final drive. The Lions got killed in New Orleans, but mostly due to their own mistakes. If the Lions can get their act together and take advantage of playing on their home turf, then they should be able to pull this one out. It's almost certainly a do-or-die game for the Lions, with games against the Raiders, Chargers, and Packers coming up.

The First Pick: 1936-1940

Here's the first part of The First Pick series. Today we look at the first picks of the NFL Draft in the earliest years of the league.

1936: JAY BERWANGER (RB, Chicago)

The first pick in NFL Draft history was Jay Berwanger. The 1935 Heisman Trophy winner out of the University of Chicago ended up never playing a down of professional football. Originally drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, Berwanger ended up being traded from the Eagles to the Chicago Bears. An offer by Bears owner George Halas was refused by Berwanger, who aspired to instead compete in the 1936 Summer Olympics.


1937: SAM FRANCIS (FB, Nebraska)

The Philadelphia Eagles once again selected first in the 1937 NFL Draft, this time taking Francis, a runner-up Heisman candidate out of Nebraska. Francis' rights were traded to Chicago shortly thereafter, and he endured a short NFL career with the Bears, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1940, Francis left football for good to serve in World War II.


1938: CORBETT DAVIS (FB, Indiana)

Davis was drafted by the Cleveland Rams, and spent four years with the franchise before leaving football to serve in the war. A largely unremarkable career was magnified after his gruesome death in 1968, where he tripped while stepping out of a fishing boat and ruptured his spleen on a tree branch.


1939: KI ALDRICH (C/LB, Texas Christian)

Perhaps the first worthy number one overall pick, Aldrich played seven seasons with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington Redskins, recording 8 interceptions and 2 touchdowns in his career. Selected to 2 Pro Bowls, Aldrich was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960.


1940: GEORGE CAFEGO (QB, Tennessee)

Cafego was the first quarterback selected number one overall in the draft. Although he was selected by the Chicago Cardinals, his first on-field action was with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His career was marred by particularly unremarkable play (5-16 touchdown-interception ratio), and he ended his career with one season in Washington and two more with the Boston Yanks.


Best pick of 1936-1940: KI ALDRICH (1939)

Without a doubt, Aldrich is the top pick of this era. With so many NFL players going off to enlist, Aldrich was one of the remarkable few that managed to have a substantial career in professional football. With the NFL Draft being relatively new and many teams taking the 1st overall pick for granted, Aldrich still managed to somewhat live up to his title.

UTTQ Predictions: Week 13

It's already Week 13 in the 2011 NFL season. With the playoff picture starting to clear up (and the chance for several teams to clinch playoff berths this weekend), here are my picks for this week's games:

ATLANTA 38, HOUSTON 24
Houston could be in for some big trouble. They have already lost the perennial Matt Schaub, and his backup Matt Leinart (who didn't look too bad in his brief action against the Jags). TJ Yates will presumably be the signal-caller for the rest of the season, with Kellen Clemens and/or Jake Delhomme providing assistance when needed. Unfortunately, Yates faces a tough playoff-caliber opponent in the Falcons as his first test. I still think that Houston will make the playoffs, but they will need Yates to develop first to beat tough teams like Atlanta.


NEW YORK JETS 28, WASHINGTON 23
Washington got a surprising win against Seattle last week, with Rex Grossman seemingly returning to his old ways. But the Redskins face a new challenge against the Jets, a team that has suffered many highs and lows this season. Although they may not be Super Bowl bound anymore, they should be able to beat a team like the Redskins.

BALTIMORE 20, CLEVELAND 27
The old Browns face the new Browns in a classic AFC North rivalry game. The Ravens have been incredibly inconsistent all year and may not have the fortitude to endure a playoff run. But a game against Cleveland should be an easy win. Of course, anyone who has followed the Ravens this year knows that they have followed up tough wins with disappointing losses on the road against teams they should be able to beat. I'll go with the upset in this one.

DALLAS 28, ARIZONA 17
The 'Boys are riding a 4 game winning streak, and are looking to get back into the groove of things after two close games against the 'Skins and the 'Phins. The Cards may have found a new superstar in return man Patrick Peterson, but overall this team has struggled to compete. Dallas should be able to win this game easily.

GREEN BAY 31, NEW YORK GIANTS 38
The Packers are without a doubt the number one team in football, and their long Thanksgiving rest should give way to an impressive win over the sweltering Giants. However, something tells me I should be on upset alert for this one. The Giants have certainly disappointed, but let's not forget that no one expected them to even make an attempt at the playoffs this year. The Packers may have eaten a little too much turkey before this one.

ST. LOUIS 10, SAN FRANCISCO 42
The best meets the worst in the tumultuous NFC Western division. The 49ers are coming off against a tough loss to the Ravens and are looking to keep a dominant lead in the NFC. Meanwhile, the hapless Rams are on the verge of losing their head coach and perhaps another starting player in a very disappointing season. This one should be no contest.

DETROIT 24, NEW ORLEANS 38
The Saints are absolute beasts at home. After their most recent shellacking of the New York Giants, the Saints will look to continue their winning ways against the spiraling Lions. The loss of Ndamukong Suh is big both on and off the field, in that it will surely hamper the Lions D-line rush while also causing a distraction in the locker room. Questions about Schwartz's competence as head coach are sure to arise after letting the great start to the season get out of control.

SAN DIEGO 23, JACKSONVILLE 21
The second Jaguars Monday Night Football appearance features a pair of downtrodden franchises. The Jags have looked inept as usual, while the Chargers have been surprisingly sputtering as of late. Of course, the main storylines will focus on the recent turn of events in Jacksonville, from the firing of coach Jack Del Rio to the notion that Wayne Weaver will be selling the team. With so many distractions, it's hard to see the Jags winning this one. But the Chargers have also found ways to lose close games this year, and I think this one may be closer than most people imagine.