Favresota’s got me burned out on football already. I gotta wrap this up quick and move on, or I’ll be wishing this season to be over before it’s even started.
Here’s my 2009 NFC North predictions. I shocked and dismayed myself:
Green Bay: 12-4
Chicago & Minnesota: 10-6
Detroit: 5-11
It’s all about the future in Detroit, and likely will be for a while. That’s why they pretty much aren’t included in the following accessible, ADD-friendly, loosely-organized bullet-points:
COMMON WINS/LOSSES:
• The NFC East will hand key home losses to Minnesota and Chicago. This won’t bode well for either teams’ chances for the postseason after losing potential tiebreakers to New York and Philadelphia.
• AFC North matchups should split evenly between losses to the Steelers and Ravens, and wins against the Bengals and Browns. Everyone beats up on Detroit and the NFC West this year, like usual.
DOUBTABLE PICKS:
• Bears winning at Seattle, Week 3. I picked ‘em because they’ll be 0-2 and will be pissed or desperate or both, and the Seahawks, while I really know nothing about them, seem iffy. Seattle is always tough at home, but the Bears play them well.
• Minnesota winning at Arizona, Week 13: The Vikes beat up the Cardinals late in the season in the desert last year. They’re not likely to do it two years in a row. I picked Minnesota because Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson threw a combined 10 touchdowns against the Cards in 2008.
• Green Bay winning at Arizona, Week 17: The Cardinals could be finished, could be breathing at this point. Green Bay may have it wrapped up in the North and lay down to an Arizona team trying to break the Super-Bowl-loser stigma of missing the playoffs. But if these two teams either both need it or both don’t, the Pack will win.
TURNING POINTS:
• The Packers will take control with a big win over Dallas at home in Week 10, coming off an important road win in Tampa the week before. The Vikings and Bears both have much more losable road games in the NFC South; Chicago will make it two straight seasons losing in Atlanta, and the Metrodomers will get roughed up in Carolina in Week 15.
• Both Green Bay and Minnesota should be red-hot early. The Vikings should win their first five games and I’ve got GB starting a ridiculous 11-1. I know how it sounds, but take a look for yourself. I see one loss, in Minnesota, through Week 12. There’s three losses somewhere in the last 5 games, but it won’t matter by then.
• The Bears’ hard start could derail Jay Cutler’s first season in Chicago if tempers flare. They open on Monday Night in Green Bay, then follow with their home opener against Pittsburgh. Then there’s the toss-up in Seattle. They could be starting 0-3 and wanting to lynch their new QB before catching a gimme with Detroit. But if the three losses are close, well-played games they will hang in there and make it three teams in the division with 10+ victories.
ODDS OF ME MAKING IT TO WEEK 1 WITHOUT HURTING MYSELF OR OTHERS BECAUSE OF BRETT FAVRE:
50-50 at the moment. Come on, the man isn’t John Lennon, he isn’t Jesus. He’s not running from the police, so what’s with the helicopters? He’s an old-ass quarterback who can’t let go with an ego that just sucks up all this exposure. Good luck getting rid of him now after obnoxiously lavishing him with attention. Sheesh.
