Out on a Limb
Fantasy Football Predictions

What ever happened to Oxy?

The predictions made here each week do not represent the views of everyone on FIC and should not be used for gambling purposes.

Some try blind guesses by having their pets pick the games each week based on which treat they decide to choose. Others make themselves out to have bizarre psychic nicknames. Still more throw darts at a board and pick whoever it lands on. And, yes... there are a few actual experts, but I'm not one of them. Kick off every weekend with "The Mutt" as he tests his skills all season long against a few of our correspondents in the race for the FIC Cup.

Official FIC Cup Standings (Last Week in Parentheses)

Tim Noakes 130-102-8 (10-6)
Jeff Brown 108-108-8 (0-0)
Chris Wang 110-106-7 (7-9)
The Mutt 111-121-8 (8-8)
Jay Schell 96-120-8 (8-8)
Zach McCann 86-119-7 (4-12) * Missed Weeks Nine and Ten

What ever happened to Oxy?

As we head into the final week of the season, the AFC playoff picture is as cluttered and jumbled as the face of a teenager who eats nothing but (much like Ron Dayne) cheeseburgers. The NFL playoff picture, which is almost never clear, typically doesn't have quite as many zits that could be popped with one team's loss to another as it does this season. It is for this reason that (blasphemy!!!!), in the final week of the season, we will have no official Game of the Week, but will lead off with each and every game that has playoff implications. The games are listed in no particular manner of importance for either of the teams involved, outside of the fact that one or both teams could be in the playoffs with a victory and (in most cases) some help.

At the same time, the FIC Cup has been anything but a muddled playoff picture. The Mutt would like to extend his congratulations on our (basically) wire-to-wire winner and Cowboys Correspondent, Tim Noakes. Great job all year Tim. Maybe we'll have to try this without the spreads next year and see if the rest of the crew can catch up.... hehe

For our loyal readers, I'd like to let you know that this column will continue to run throughout the playoffs, concluding with the Super Bowl. I may do a year-end run looking back at how The Mutt's preseason predictions panned out against the final standings and playoff outcomes, depending upon whether or not anyone would like that edition to run. But now, let's get to the important stuff.

Saturday Specials

Lock of the Week: Eagles (-1.5) at Giants - The miracle that Fassel has pulled out of the ground this time far exceeds anything that any archaeologist has ever done. That said, the Eagles are playing the best football of any team in the league right now (even without McNabb), and a chance to lock up homefield advantage throughout the playoffs (not to mention an extra week for McNabb to rest before possibly coming back in the playoffs) leave them with plenty to play for themselves. When all's said and done, the Giants recent Smoke and Mirrors approach to winning ball games will fail to sneak out a victory against the NFC's best. Philly will make sure everyone has to come through Veterans Stadium, and the Giants will be pulling for the Panthers to sneak one out in the Bayou. Eagles 27, Giants 20

Chiefs at Raiders (-7) - The Chiefs miracle run should end here, but they can sleep well knowing that they ruined the season for the Chargers last weekend. Not only do they have to hope that both New England (against Miami.... realistic) and Denver (against Arizona... not realistic) lose at home this weekend to get in; they also have to take their show on the road to Oaktown and beat a hard-charging Raiders team that can clinch homefield with a victory here. What sundae would be complete without the cherry on top, though? The Chiefs have to do this without Priest Holmes, who would certainly have had a great chance to pad his MVP campaign if it wasn't for that dodgy hip of his. In short, the Silver and Black should have little trouble making sure that the road to the Super Bowl goes through the Bay Area. Raiders 34, Chiefs 23

Sunday Fun

Dolphins at Patriots (Pick'em) - For the Mammals, it's win and they're in. The Champs won't go down without a fight, though, and they can't let the letdown against the Jets stick with them through this one... if they do, they're dogmeat. Expect Belichik to come at Jay Fiedler with a lot more blitzes than the first time these two teams met, and expect the Champs to show that they won't go down without a fight. After that, they'll leave it all in the Packers' hands in the Swamp. Patriots 24, Dolphins 20

Packers at Jets (-1.5) - Astoundingly, the Jets have come back from a 1-4 start to put themselves in strong playoff position. A win here, as well as a Falcons win (over Cleveland) and a Broncos win (over Arizona) would put them in as a wildcard, and a win coupled with a Patriots victory in Foxboro would put them in as the AFC East champs. The Jets are probably wishing that they had their disappointing trip to Champaign back, but are playing better against over .500 teams right now, and are as hot as anybody down the stretch. The Packers will already know whether or not they have a shot at homefield in this one (if Philly loses, they could pull it off), but can clinch a first-round bye either way. The Jets just have this strange way of pulling off "must-win" games (Does anyone else remember last year's 54-yard playoff clinching field goal by John Hall against the Raiders in week 17?), and the Pack will be left to root for their intradivision rival Bears against the Bucs in the Sunday night game. J-E-T-S 27, Packers 26

Falcons (-2.5) at Browns - Ahhhh... the battle of the Cardiac Kids. The Browns have had 18 of 31 games decided in the last two minutes in the past two seasons, while the Falcons have seen four of their games go into overtime this season (2-1-1). The Falcons may clinch a playoff spot on Saturday if the Giants lose, but they'll still have to worry about holding off the Saints either way. The only lock here is that it will come down to the end, but Michael Vick will be the difference. Falcons 31, Browns 27

Panthers at Saints (-7) - The Saints turned in their most disappointing effort of the year last week in Cincinnati, and now have their playoff backs against the wall as they head home to host the overachieving Panthers. The Saints should hold serve at home in this one, and coupled with a Giants loss, should find out that they've backed into the playoffs. Saints 27, Panthers 24

Jaguars at Colts (NL) - Hey! The Mutt doesn't make the rules, he just plays by them. This game, as well as a couple of others, is off the board. The Jags fought the good fight for almost half the season this year, but it wasn't good enough. The Colts are in with a win, and should capitalize easily. Colts 27, Jags 13

Cardinals at Broncos (-11) - The Cards have played it tight the past couple of weeks against the two teams that should be the NFC West's best. The problem? The Broncos beat both the Rams and Niners easily, and they have too much to play for to blow this one to an undermanned foe. Despite losing four of their last five, The Mutt's predictions so far would have the Broncos backing into the playoffs at 9-7. All they need is to win at home, hope for a Cleveland loss, and hope that they don't get stuck head to head with the Dolphins in a tiebreaker. The game will be closer than expected, though. Broncos 27, Cardinals 20

Seahawks at Chargers (-3) - The NFC West better be taking note. That's right... The Mutt's Seahawks are playing like a team that could seriously contend for the division title next season, particularly if the Rams don't improve and the 49ers look like they have in the past eight weeks. The Bolts looked like a sure-fire lock for the playoffs if they'd held on... or held onto the ball... at the end of their game in Kansas City last weekend, but look for them to be another victim of Matt Hasselbeck, as Hasselbeck plays well when it doesn't really matter. Seahawks 31, Chargers 23

Upset Special: Ravens at Steelers (-7.5) - This game lost a lot of its luster when the Browns drove 92 yards in the closing minutes last week. Even though Pittsburgh pulled the upset against the Bucs, the Ravens would be clinging to more than a thread of hope. With little to play for (after the Titans and Raiders both cruise), the Steelers will think of this game as more of a tune-up for the playoffs than a game that could make or break their season. Look for the Ravens to take advantage of that on the road and finish 8-8 in one of the most phenomenal rebuilding campaigns The Mutt's seen in recent years. Ravens 23, Steelers 20

Titans (-8.5) at Texans - The Texans will have a chance to play the role of spoiler in the last week of their admirable inaugural season, though all that they can do is ruin the Titans shot at homefield or a bye. With the latter locked up with a win in this one, the Titans should be able to stay focused on the task at hand, and should close out the year at 11-5, and the #2 seed in the AFC. Titans 27, Texans 17

Bucs (NL) at Bears - Another one that's off the board, but is a no-brainer (hey... maybe next year will be easier without the spreads). While the Bears have won their last two home games, they're impotent offense is unlikely to be able to move the ball on the Bucs tremendous defense. While the Bucs don't sport the most extravagant offense in the league themselves, they'll have little trouble in this one. Bucs 23, Bears 9

49ers at Lambs (NL) - With Jamie Martin likely to start on Monday night, expect the Lambs to close out their dismal season with a second consecutive loss to their most heated rivals. While the Niners can do nothing to change their fourth seed in the playoffs, they can at least go into the postseason on a high note, and should do so easily. Niners 30, Lambs 17

Cowboys at Redskins (-6.5) - Will this be it? Will Spurrier's 'Skins achieve what he promised owner Daniel Snyder they'd do in his tenure? More importantly, however, one of the league's best Cornerbacks ever will be playing his final game, all with the Redskins, as 42-year-old Darrell Green will call it quits after this one, still as possibly the fastest man in the game. While the hatred between the two teams runs deep, look for a lot of respect for Green from both teams as he leads his team to victory in this one, sealing it with a late interception of first-year starter Chad Hutchinson. Redskins 27, Cowboys 17

Bengals at Bills (-7) - The Bungles proved last week that they don't want this season to end as badly as most people think they do, but will tumble back to earth this week as they travel to Orchard Park. Look for Drew Bledsoe to snap out of the funk that led to his team being shutout by one of the better defenses in the league last week as he shreds one of the worst. Bills 31, Bungles 20

Vikings (-3.5) at Lions - You heard it here first? Well... probably not, but the Vikes have continued to play extremely well down the stretch, going 3-3 in their last six, all against possible playoff teams. They may be ready to make a serious run at the the NFC North crown as soon as next season. The Lions may be ready to contend by 2010. Vikings 30, Lions 17

Soooooooooo..... looking over the playoff scenarios, this is what The Mutt's looking at:

In:
Raiders (AFC West/Homefield)
Titans (AFC South/First Round Bye)
Steelers (AFC North)
Jets (AFC East) Win + Miami Loss
Colts (Wildcard) Win and they're in
Broncos (Wildcard) Win + Cleveland Loss + Miami Loss + Jets Win

Eagles (NFC East/Homefield)
Bucs (NFC South/First Round Bye)
Packers (NFC North)
49ers (NFC West)
Falcons (Wildcard) Win and they're in
Saints (Wildcard) Win + Giants loss

Time will tell.... and have fun watching the games this weekend.

On the Year
Lock of the Week: 5-8-2
Upset Special: 7-9
Game of the Week: 7-9

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