11 Picks For NFL 2010 Week 9, Kansas City at Oakland
Published Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM
This is why I don't pick the games before the season starts. Because back in August, looking at the schedule, would anyone have thought THIS game would be relevant?
Yet it is. The Chiefs are a surprising 5-2, the Raiders are 4-4 and streaking, and this actually looks like a showdown between the two teams that might win the AFC West. NFL action is fan-tastic.
The opening line was Oakland -2, but each of the 11 methods will just pick the game straight up.
This list was published on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM under the category NFL Picks.
It currently has View Comments.
Published Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM
This is why I don't pick the games before the season starts. Because back in August, looking at the schedule, would anyone have thought THIS game would be relevant?
Yet it is. The Chiefs are a surprising 5-2, the Raiders are 4-4 and streaking, and this actually looks like a showdown between the two teams that might win the AFC West. NFL action is fan-tastic.
The opening line was Oakland -2, but each of the 11 methods will just pick the game straight up.
Tecmo Super Bowl simulation. (4-4) The Los Angeles Raiders should never lose in 1991's Tecmo Super Bowl. Unless, of course, they inexplicably play directly against their strengths. For instance, in this game, as you can see from the graphic, they only handed off to Bo Jackson five times. Five. The best player in video game history and he only got five of 11 carries. That's why they managed to just barely hang on to win -- needing a goal line stand in the 4th quarter -- rather than blowing a fairly feisty Kansas City team right out of the Memorial Coliseum. The Raiders are the pick in a close one that shouldn't have been.
Madden 11 simulation. (3-5) This was a classic "who's going to screw up less" game. Oakland missed three field goals. Matt Cassel had two first half interceptions. Oakland pounded the ball on the ground until the red zone when they decided to make the ill-advised switch to passing. Kansas City punted from the Oakland 39. And so on and so on.
Finally, KC made a 4th quarter scoring drive (after Oakland missed a 58-yard FG) and easily converted the two-point conversion. Oakland drove down the field but had an interception on the KC goal line. KC took a safety then kicked the free kick out of bounds. Oakland had three shots at Hail Marys but missed two and took a sack to end the game. So the Chiefs hung on to win a weird, weird game, 14-9.- Laska, my parents' dog. (4-4) This week, Laska picked the Raiders. She's putting her entire turnaround and momentum on the shoulders of the Oakland Raiders.
Accuscore. (6-2) In its thousands of computer simulations, Accuscore sees the Raiders winning 53 percent of the time, the Chiefs winning 46 percent, and one percent of the time JaMarcus Russell gets all jacked up on purple drank and makes the game get called off when he crashes a car into the stadium.
- ESPN's Sports Guy. (4-4) ESPN's The Sports Guy is picking the Raiders at home over the Chiefs. He's also taking the Patriots -4.5 over the Browns. How big of a line would that have to be before he didn't pick the Patriots? 27? 33? 80?
- 11 Points Reader Battle. (4-4) This week we have two readers who correctly picked the Dolphins last week, and one newcomer.
@jnbernstein: "tough game, since I do not like either that much, I will go with the hot home team so Oakland is my pick"
@metsu35: "I'm going with KC in a high scoring affair. Seems they have more offensive weapons than the Raiders."
@ogilin21 : "Think the Chiefs will take this one, no one really believes the Raiders are for real"
So with two votes, the Chiefs are the reader pick for the week.
Internet psychic. (5-3) Each week, I spend $1.99/min to chat online with this psychic. He won't pick sports games, he told me, so every week I disguise the pick in the form of a seemingly innocuous question. This week...
Our spiritual guide for the season.
"I am deciding between two reality shows to audition for. Where would I perform better... Top Chief or Room Raiders?"
He didn't even blink at my "Top Chief" poetic license and went that way. I'm guessing he's a Padma fan. He'd better raise his rate if he wants to land her. The pick: Chiefs.- Randier cheerleaders. (4-4) I figured this would be a bloodbath. You expect the Raiderettes to attract a certain type, and the cover of their calendar lets me know that guess was right on point...
Could Kansas City pull out an upset and scrounge up naughtier cheerleaders than the Raiders? No. Not only do they list every woman's real occupation on their cheerleading roster page, but when I went to watch a video of the Kansas City Cheerleader's Halloween party, they eschewed skanked-out costumes for wearing regular uniforms and hanging out with little kids and families...
The Raiders win the randy cheerleader battle in a massacre. - Turnover margin. (4-4) Oakland has a respectable turnover margin at this point in the season with 10 giveaways and 12 takeaways for a +2. I think they'll take that. The Chiefs haven't played many turnover-heavy games... they have only four giveaways and nine takeaways for a solid +5 turnover margin. So the pick is the Chiefs.
- Higher team salary. (4-4) Oakland has a team salary of $136,714,893, with the largest chunk going to -- cue wah-wah trombone -- JaMarcus Russell. $17.93 million this year. That's Ryan Leaf money right there!
Meanwhile, Kansas City has one of the lowest payrolls in the league at only $83,391,188. Matt Cassel gets the biggest piece at $12.2 million.
So the Raiders are the pick -- they have a higher team salary even if you subtract JaMarcus Russel's nonsense. - The opposite of my pick. (6-2) I've watched the Chiefs a few times and while I don't think they're a legitimate Super Bowl contender, I don't think their season is going to start its inevitable downward spiral here. The Raiders have looked flashy for a few weeks but this is going to be a real challenge from a motivated team. I think the Chiefs will take this one. Therefore, my pick is the Raiders.
This list was published on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at 11:00:00 AM under the category NFL Picks.
It currently has View Comments.
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Read more about 11 Points and Sam here.
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