Peakplayers Super Bowl Pick

NY Giants vs. New England Patriots
Pick: New England -12 (4.5 Stars)

Most of the obvious signs point to a close game. Giants barely lost in the regular season finale. The Patriots are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games. The Patriots haven't dominated anyone in weeks. The Giants are streaking. Eli is finally controlling the ball. Brandon Jacobs looks like a workhorse back.

All of the those points are fine and dandy. Except for this....the 2007-08 New England Patriots are the best team in the history of the NFL. Statistically speaking these Patriots are hands down the greatest team ever. And now is the time for them to prove it. There are a number of factors that lead us to believe in a Patriots blow out. Here are some of the conclusions we drew up:

- The AFC is clearly the better conference and deserves the championship, they've also won 6 of the last 7 super bowls.
- Experience. The Patriots have a roster chock full of guys that have played and performed in the big game.
- Don't be fooled by the Giants performance in the season finale. While it was a competitive game, the Patriots didn't even attempt to pass rush Eli until the end of the 3rd quarter. The Patriots scored with ease, and their defense is much better than they played that evening. Especially, when they apply pressure to the quarterback.
- Weather. The warm weather favors the Patriots passing game. Think about the games where the Patriots offense struggled to score points. Cold weather every time. The Ravens, the Jets, the Jaguars, the Chargers. All of those games were played in cold, tough weather conditions. The warm weather will be a relief to these guys and their offense is going to explode.
-Eli Manning. We simply don't see this guy as a big game quarterback. The Patriots are going to throw defensive looks at him that he has never even dreamed about. He's going to get sacked a lot, be under pressure a lot, and will throw at least 2 interceptions. Look for Asante Samuel to have a big impact.
- The Giants secondary. They are vulnerable, and who better than the greatest passing offense ever to take advantage of that?

Lastly, this Patriots team is a team of destiny. 19-0 is an incredible accomplishment, and no matter who your favorite team is, you should take a moment to realize, as a football fan, that you are witnessing history.

Patriots win big, 48-22.

Championship Weekend

San Diego at New England
Pick: San Diego -14 (3 Stars)

Here's a scenario where the bad weather should actually benefit the visiting team. Similar to the Patriots struggle against the Jets with bad weather at home, we forsee the Patriots passing game slowed down due to high winds and extreme cold. If both teams are running, that evens up this matchup, so we'll take the 14. Patriots win by 10.

NY Giants at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay -7 (3 Stars)

We're not sold on the Giants as a team that can compete with the Packers. The Pack is looking strong and should put the Giants away by the end of the 3rd quarter. Green Bay 28-10.

Divisional Playoff Weekend

It's tough to pick against the four favorites this week, with their home field advantage and 2 weeks rest. On the other hand, history says that 1 will probably fall, maybe 2. Still, the 4 favorites are clearly heads and shoulders better teams than the rest of the league, hence their dominate seasons. We think they go 4-0 this week, 3-1 ATS, as follows:

Seattle at Green Bay
Pick: Green Bay -8 (3.5 Stars)

Forget about all the Hasselbeck and Holmgren return hype and look at the reality of these two teams. Green Bay outclasses the Seahawks accross the board. Seattle is awful on the road, Green Bay's defense is healthy and will make several big plays. We see a lot of turnovers from Seattle, and Green Bay in a blow out. Green Bay 35-17.

Jacksonville at New England
Pick: New England -13.5 (3 Stars)

This game isn't so clear cut, simply because 14 points is a big number against a team as good as Jacksonville. On the other hand, we don't see the Jags offense scoring much in this game, and their defense will struggle to stop Brady and co through 4 quarters. New England will put 8 men in the box and force Garrard to throw. When that happens, the opportunistic Patriots defense will take advantage. Jacksonville keeps it close through most of 3 quarters, but the Patriots break the game open late. New England 27-10.

NY Giants at Dallas
Pick: NY Giants +7.5 (4 Stars)

It is extremely difficult to beat a team 3 times in one season, which is exactly what Dallas will need to do to get to the next round. While we see Dallas finding a way to win this game, we think it'll be a dog fight. This will be the game of the week, take the points. Cowboys 30-27.

San Diego at Indianapolis
Pick: Indianapolis -8.5 (4 Stars)

The Colts are the champs, don't forget that and their defense is stingy. We think they take their game to the next level here and handle the Chargers with ease. Don't be fooled by the Chargers regular season win over the Colts, the Colts are as good as anyone and are still the team to beat. Colts 38-10.

Playoff Picks: Wildcard Round

Washington at Seattle
Pick: Redskins +3.5 (4.5 Stars)

We love that hook. We're convinced that this game is coming down to a field goal, so you should take the points. The Redskins are hot, and in the wild card round, hot teams win. We don't believe that teams can just turn things on and off, and those 44 points against the Hawks last week scare us for a team matching up with the red-hot Todd Collins and Clinton Portis.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
Pick: Steelers +2.5 (3 Stars)

Can you say home dog? Home playoff dog? It's time for the Steelers to man up, and we think they will, with the crowd behind them, a sloppy field, and revenge on their minds. The Steelers get a little swagger back this week. We'll take the experienced Steelers and Big Ben in this one.

NY Giants at Tampa Bay
Pick: NY Giants +3 (2 Stars)

We were tempted to go the other way here.....we just don't like how everyone is so confident about the Giants after their performance last week. But, they are 7-1 on the road this year, and should find enough offense to put some points up against the stingy Bucs defense. The Tampa offense doesn't scare anyone, and the Giants will find it easier to cover Galloway and Co. than Moss, Welker, and Stallworth. There is something different about this Giants team than years past, and that should get them a win this week.

Tennessee at San Diego
Pick: Tennessee +9 (3.5 Stars)

While the Chargers have the superior talent, we think the Titans have the heart, and the better coaching. Jeff Fisher will find a way to make his team compete in this one, and they'll make a game out of it.

Orange Bowl: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech

Thursday’s Orange Bowl will be a battle between one of the best offenses and one of the top defenses in the nation. Kansas has produced the second most points per game this season (44.3), while Virginia Tech is allowing the second fewest (15.5).

In the regular season, getting the job done was not a problem for either team. The Jayhawks finished 11-1, while the Hokies were 11-2. One thing that could separate the sides is experience. Virginia Tech has made as many bowl trips in the last ten years as Kansas has made in all 117 seasons of its football program. This is the Hokies’ fifth BCS bowl matchup in 12 years.

We'll take the ACC champ over the #3 Big 12 any day....with their experience and superiority on defense and special teams, peakplayers loves Virginia Tech -3.5.

Play: Virginia Tech -3.5 (5 Stars)

Note: Peakplayers opted not to bet on the unpredictable Week 17 NFL games. Keep an eye out for our playoff picks on Friday afternoon, though.

Emerald Bowl: Maryland vs. Oregon St (8:30 PM EST)

Play: Maryland +5 (4 Stars)
Play: Maryland SU +175 (3 Stars)

- Maryland has won its last 3 bowl games. The Terps have outscored opponents by a 95-17 margin during the winning streak, which includes a 24-7 victory over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl last December 29th.

- Maryland is one of only four teams in the country with two running backs to each compile at least 750 rushing yards this season. Keon Lattimore totaled 789 with 13 touchdowns and Lance Ball had 763 with 12 TDs to help the Terps rank third in the ACC with 147 rushing yards per game.

-As an underdog against the Pac-10, ACC Bowl teams have not only covered the spread but have won each game outright in a limited number of contests over the past 16+ seasons. Not only have they covered the spread and won the game outright as underdogs they have averaged covering the spread by 16.8 points per game. All these numbers tell us to Play ON an ACC Bowl underdog vs. a Pac-10 opponent, 6-0 SU/ATS since 1991.

Week 16 Picks

Dallas at Carolina
Pick: Carolina +10.5 (3 Stars)

Home dog action. The Boys have been struggling of late and are minus some key performers. They'll pull out the win, but not by more than 10.

Cleveland at Cincinnati
Pick: Cincinnati +2.5 (2 Stars)

Another home dog, but for different reasons. We like the Bengals to play spoiler and with their success against the Browns earlier this year we think they are a good candidate to cover.

Houston at Indianapolis
Pick: Colts -7 (3.5 Stars)

Houston isn't in the same league as the Colts just yet. We'll take Manning and the points.


Miami at New England
Pick: Patriots -22 (4 Stars)

This offense won't struggle two weeks in a row at home. Patriots win big in this one.

Washington at Minnesota
Pick: Washington +6.5 (3.5 Stars)

While the Vikes are deserved favorites....we think this will be a playoff type of matchup and that the Redskins and Vikes will go to battle until the end. Tight game means we like the 6 points.