Liver's NFL Picks of the Week: Cowboys over Giants

is having one of the most prolific passing years in NFL history with five straight 300-yard games and quite possibly the highlight of 2006: his Hail Mary before halftime against the Falcons that landed in the hands of former Cowboys “great” Terrance Copper. The Saints are on top of the NFC South and need to win this one before an emotional Sunday night game against the Cowboys next week. Pick: San Francisco

Tampa Bay (+7) at Pittsburgh

I must admit that even though I hate any Brian Billick team, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Ben Roethlisberger get the living shit kicked out of him last week by the Ravens. Tampa Bay has a big bag of nothing right now as their defense is aged and injured and QB Bruce Gradkowski is making too many mistakes, even for a rookie. Pick: Pittsburgh

Dallas at New York Giants (+3 ½)

The game of the week. It’s good to see my beloved Cowboys back on the NFL must-watch list on a regular basis. Where to start with this one? How 'bout a month ago, when these teams were headed in polar opposite directions? The Cowboys were struggling and had just inserted Tony Romo under center. The Giants were on a five-game win streak and led the NFC East. Now the Cowboys are riding high with a three-game win streak, the hottest and highest-rated QB in football, and the division lead in the most crucial part of the season. The Giants, on the other hand? They've lost three in a row, Eli Manning is playing like dog shit (he's the LOWEST-RATED QB in the NFL since 2004), they're quitting on plays (Hi Plaxico), and the entire team—from Tom Coughlin on down—is taking shots at each other in the press. If the Cowboys win on Sunday, they're locked in for the division crown and the Giants are slated for a painful death. If the Giants win, they're back on top of the East, own all the tiebreakers with the Cowboys, and can play the "It was us against the world and nobody believed in us" card. If you look at who needs the game more, it's clearly the Giants—one more loss could flush that whole organization into the Hudson River. Still, I’m going with my heart (although I'm certainly not putting money on it): Look for Dallas to POUND THE SHIT out of a dysfunctional, divided Giants team and have the Meadowlands faithful booing the home team from halftime on. Pick: Dallas

Houston at Oakland (+3)

This is a game that the great coach Bobby Finstock would have forfeited so his players could get home and beat the traffic. Art Shell thinks there’s a mole in the Raiders organization who spoke negatively to the press about his now-former offensive coordinator Tom Walsh. This would be the same Tom Walsh who has the Raiders offense DEAD LAST in the league in total offense. This is also the same Tom Walsh who as Raiders fans can proudly tell you was running a bed-and-breakfast this time last year. Strange thing is the Oakland defense has been playing exceptionally well. As for the Texans, they're not playing Jacksonville, so expect them to have problems. Pick: Houston

Seattle (+3) at Denver

The Sunday night extravaganza. Look out NFC: Shaun Alexander is back. Yes, his 201 rushing yards came against a Green Bay team that you and I could run on—but the fact is he’s healthy and he’s the reigning MVP. Hasselbeck looked like shit in the first half but got his legs back as the game wore on. As long as they both stay healthy, Seattle is still a threat in the NFC. Little Jay Cutler makes his first start at QB for the Broncos tonight. When you’re 7-4 and you bench your QB (Jake the Fake), you must have LESS THAN ZERO confidence in him. Personally, I don’t agree with the move, but then again I didn’t agree with Romo for Bledsoe, so what the hell do I know? The difference is that Romo isn’t a dictionary-definition rookie; he had sat and learned for four seasons. Cutler was playing at Vanderbilt this time last year. Mike Shanahan is presuming that any mistakes he makes will be minimal and that the Broncos can still contend in the AFC. That’s a dangerous presumption, but many say Cutler had the best arm coming out of the draft. Should be fun to watch as I bask in the afterglow of a Cowboys victory. Pick: Seattle

Monday, December 4th

Carolina at Philadelphia (+3)

Has anyone noticed that the MNF favorite has covered five weeks running? I know this because I’ve lost the last five MNF games. Carolina is one of those flighty teams that can’t put together back-to-back games. If they consider themselves any kind of playoff contender, they need to pound a wounded Filthy squad early and often. If Filthy covers this game, Carolina is a fraud. Pick: Carolina

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