Saturday Picks:
HOUSTON (-4):
The Bill Simmons playoff gambling manifesto asserts as an immutable law
that one should never back a rookie quarterback on the road in a playoff
game. I presume he did not concoct such
an adage for the circumstances this afternoon in which a rookie quarterback
will travel to face another rookie quarterback who was a third stringer a
couple months ago and when injured recently, gave way to the shell-shocked Jake
Delhomme. As I remember this same
quarterback defeating my Eagles in the conference championship in January of
2004, I actually feel nauseated (cue Chris Berman chanting “daylight come and
you’ve gotta Delhomme!”)…but I digress.
With Andre Johnson and two
solid NFL running backs, I think the Texans can manage to put together a few
drives. I think Andy Dalton, for all his
accomplishments this season, will not be enough here. Either way, this is a game for the right to
be humiliated by the Pats or Ravens…
Houston 20, Cincinnati 13
NEW ORLEANS (-10.5):
Bill Simmons playoff gambling manifesto rules also stipulate that one
should never back a road underdog without believing they can win the game
outright. Frankly, I needn’t deploy that
“rule” in this case to arrive at the same conclusion. The Saints have failed to win a home game by
11+ points only once this season (40-33 over the Texans in week 3). Of those eight home games, four of them were
against current playoff teams, and one was against the Bears while Cutler &
Forte were still healthy. Bottom-line,
the Saints light people up in that dome and I cannot see the Lions, who allowed
Matt Flynn to perform an admirable impression of, well, Drew Brees, actually stopping
Drew Brees.
New Orleans 38, Detroit 24
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