Hurley's Picks: Pats May Stumble At Jets, While Packers-Cardinals The Only Worthwhile Game
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- The more and more I watch football every week, the more I believe that the human body is not designed to endure 16 games in the modern-day NFL.
Now, I don't think there was ever a time when making it through a full NFL season was easy -- not back when it was 14 games, and not in the years following the switch to 16 games in 1978.
But the speed of the game has never been faster. Equipment has never been lighter. Athletes have never paid more attention to their diet and health. And they've never been stronger.
Add it all up, and if you sit down from 1 p.m. until 11 p.m. on any given Sunday, you'll see at least a dozen bodies just drop. Just flat-out run out of gas. A quad may pop or a hip might tear or a knee might buckle and never go back. It happens to the big-bodied dudes on the interior as well as the skinny guys on the outside. Bodies just keep dropping.
This is obviously nothing new in a sport as violent as football. In 2010, the NFLPA said that injuries went up from the previous year. In 2013, the MMQB wondered if it was The Year of the Injury. The more attention on the sport, the more we notice the injuries.
Yet any way you look at it, it appears to be an issue that's getting worse instead of improving. It's such a routine part of games that commercial breaks due to injury are factored into broadcast plans. Fox has its own little injury jingle when going to break while a player is down. We're about one step away from every injury being sponsored by some insurance company. "And Jimmy McMuffin is down on the ground, looks like an ankle injury. Well, fans, this injury is brought to you by Opportunistic Insurance Company, which reminds you, when it comes to your health, it's better safe than sorry. And I'll tell you what, McMuffin is hoping he's got insurance right about now because that bone is poking through the skin! Let's watch 500 slow-motion replays of it."
While there may be no simple solution in a sport like football, it should be clear that if the NFL were to ever adopt an 18-game schedule, the players would suffer. The owners (and commissioner) would make some more dollars, but it would come at a rather hefty price.
On that cheery note on Christmas week, let's turn it around with some positivity and some picks.
(Home team in caps; Tuesday lines)
OAKLAND (-5) over San Diego
The Chargers had their little (perhaps) farewell show last week. I think they're about ready to pack it up for the winter now. It might be hard to get motivated to play in Oakland on Christmas Eve after that emotional Sunday.
Washington (+3) over PHILADELPHIA
I still worry about Kirk Cousins on the road, but with the division on the line, I think the better team can win.
Carolina (-7) over ATLANTA
The Panthers beat the Falcons 38-0 like, 10 minutes ago.
BUFFALO (-6) over Dallas
These teams really stink. I mean, stink out loud.
P. U.
Gross.
But when you stink, it's hard to really put together your best effort in a meaningless game on a cold, rainy December day in Buffalo.
San Francisco (+10) over DETROIT
Why?
KANSAS CITY (-12.5) over Cleveland
No.
MIAMI (no line) over Indianapolis
Game is so bad we don't even have a point spread.
Houston (-3.5) over TENNESSEE
The AFC South ... is .... bad.
NEW YORK JETS (+3.5) over New England
It's a potentially dumb pick, but the Jets are playing for a playoff spot, and the Patriots seem to be running on fumes.
TAMPA BAY (-3) over Chicago
Still waiting for a game worth watching to pop up ... stilllll waiting.
Pittsburgh (-10.5) over BALTIMORE
Jacksonville (+3.5) over NEW ORLEANS
Still waiting.
Green Bay (+4.5) over ARIZONA
Hey, there's one! The Packers haven't lost by five points since early November. While I think the Cardinals win, I foresee the Packers, down by 10, scoring a late touchdown for the backdoor cover. Either that, or Mason Crosby is going to kick a 97-yard field goal to force the game into overtime.
SEATTLE (-13.5) over St. Louis
I don't think there's any team in the NFL flying higher than the Seahawks right now. ... Though, playing all these bum teams certainly would help any team look better. Assuming they win this one, their eight wins in nine weeks will have come against teams with a combined record of 43-70.
That's no knock on the Seahawks; you can only play the teams on your schedule. But it's something to keep in mind when making that Seattle pick on wild-card weekend.
MINNESOTA (-6) over New York Giants
My Super Bowl pick came so close to turning that corner last week, but by letting it slip away, the Giants are now set to enter full Slip'N Slide mode. It's over. They're cooked. See you in 2016.
DENVER (-3.5) over Cincinnati
This game pits the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the AFC against each other, and it could theoretically feature a quarterbacking duo of A.J. McCarron and Trevor Siemian. That would really be something.
The Peyton Manning fiasco does kind of concern me, but the Denver defense should be licking its chops to face McCarron after having to deal with Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger last week.
Last week: 11-5
Season: 103-118-3
You can email him or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.