We kick things off on Thursday night. I’ve got the visiting 49ers going into Tennessee and taking down the Titans. San Francisco has kind of snuck up on the league a little – this is a deceptively good team. With all-around weapon Deebo Samuel on the field and tight end George Kittle having a late-season breakout, the Niners offense looks good. Plus, I think San Francisco can stifle the depleted Tennessee attack. Stella likes the Titans to hold serve at home. She’s a little worried about that 49ers offense, but she’s also cautiously optimistic about Tennessee – particularly if wideout A.J. Brown is back in action, as is rumored. She also expects a mistake or two from Jimmy G and for the Titans to take advantage.
Next, we head to Arizona, where I have the Cardinals winning at home against the Indianapolis Colts. I know that the Cards are reeling a bit, but I have to think that Kyler Murray and company will find a way to bounce back offensively. The absence of DeAndre Hopkins hurts, but I think James Conner will help make up the difference there. I also think that Indy is due for some regression. Stella thinks I’m nuts for picking against the surging Colts. She’s no fan of QB Carson Wentz, but it hardly matters – she’s betting on a LOT of Jonathan Taylor, eating up the clock and minimizing the possibility of explosive plays from the Cardinals. She just doesn’t think that the Arizona D has an answer for this Indy running game.
In one of a couple “no one cares” games this week, I’ve got the Lions winning on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. A bit of a reach for me, but I don’t care – I’m pulling for this Detroit team. Stella thinks a Lions win is more fun, but she’s a pragmatist, and so is sticking with the favored Falcons.
I’m picking the Patriots to win at home against Buffalo, of course. Sure, we’ve seen some struggles from this New England squad in recent weeks and the Bills have a lot going for them at the moment. Still, I have to think that home field will help the Pats pull it out – I’m expecting to see a good game out of Mac Jones and a few turnovers forced by the New England defense. If both those things happen, it’s an easy Pats win. Stella just doesn’t think that the Pats are ready to stop this Josh Allen-led passing attack again. She also thinks that Buffalo will be able to do a decent job holding back the Patriots run game this time around; if they can force Mac Jones to try to win the game, she likes Buffalo’s chances to win what will likely be a hard-fought contest.
Our next “no one cares” tilt is Jaguars/Jets. I picked the road Jaguars. Stella picked the Jets at home. Neither one of us will watch this game … and you shouldn’t either.
From there, it’s off to Sin City, where I have the visiting Broncos taking out the Raiders. Now, this isn’t a pick I feel particularly strongly about and a lot will depend on who winds up under center for Denver, but there’s something about this Las Vegas team that makes me think that their luck may have run out. They’ve pulled off some close wins, but I think they’re going to struggle against the Broncos defensive front. Stella is going with the Raiders at home, though she’s not all that confident about her pick either. Basically, she’s expecting Vegas to do just enough to eke out a win, though she can’t really articulate why. It’s essentially a coin flip as far as we’re concerned.
Last but not least, we’ve got Miami at New Orleans on Monday night. I’m going with the Saints, mostly because they’ve got home field. With Alvin Kamara in the backfield, the Saints should be able to control the clock and dictate the tempo. If they do that, they should win with little problem. Stella’s got a hunch about the Dolphins this week; she’s liked what she’s seen from this Miami squad in recent weeks. Now, she’s not expecting them to put up a ton of points, but she does think that their defense is sneaky good. Good enough to slow down the Saints rushing attack and put Tua Tagovailoa in position to pull out a close win.
And there we have it. Seven games. Can I cut into the lead? We’ll have to see. Of course, it should be noted that with COVID infections on the rise, we could be wrong for reasons we don’t even anticipate. Chaos reigns in the NFL … and here at Kibbles and Picks.
(winners in caps)
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ALLEN’S PICKS
Thursday, Dec. 23
SAN FRANCISCO at Tennessee
Saturday, Dec. 25
Cleveland at GREEN BAY
Indianapolis at ARIZONA
Sunday, Dec. 26
DETROIT at Atlanta
Baltimore at CINCINNATI
LA RAMS at Minnesota
Buffalo at NEW ENGLAND
Jacksonville at NY JETS
NY Giants at PHILADELPHIA
TAMPA BAY at Carolina
LA CHARGERS at Houston
Chicago at SEATTLE
Pittsburgh at KANSAS CITY
DENVER at Las Vegas
Washington at DALLAS
Monday, Dec. 27
Miami at NEW ORLEANS
Week 15 record: 10-6
Season record: 133-90-1
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STELLA’S PICKS
Thursday, Dec. 23
San Francisco at TENNESSEE
Saturday, Dec. 25
Cleveland at GREEN BAY
INDIANAPOLIS at Arizona
Sunday, Dec. 26
Detroit at ATLANTA
Baltimore at CINCINNATI
LA RAMS at Minnesota
BUFFALO at New England
Jacksonville at NY JETS
NY Giants at PHILADELPHIA
TAMPA BAY at Carolina
LA CHARGERS at Houston
Chicago at SEATTLE
Pittsburgh at KANSAS CITY
Denver at LAS VEGAS
Washington at DALLAS
Monday, Dec. 27
MIAMI at New Orleans
Week 15 record: 11-5
Season record: 142-81-1
