PIKER PICKS: WEEK 11 RESULTS

The flat out funniest response I ever got to the mundane question, "What's up?" was an expressionless "I can't call it." That's the way I feel about picking NFL games these days. After Week 9, the overall record for Piker Picks climbed to a season-high 14 games over .500. Factoring in Week 10 and Week 11, Piker Picks season totals currently stand at 71-66-7, only 5 measly games over the .500 mark. Actually, if you can believe it, last week's 6-10 result was an improvement over the previous two weeks. Truthfully, I don't think it's the Piker staff that has all of a sudden lost its ability to pick games, I think it's the NFL that's gone wacky. Last week wasn't so much about the staggering amount of upsets as much as it was about good teams not covering against bad teams (and the Piker staff's poor guesswork). Cincinnati beating KC was pretty shocking, although you kept wondering how long the Chiefs could go without a letdown. Most surprisingly, it was the Bengals' special teams that got the best of the Chiefs' and was the difference in the game. Also, former overall #1 draft pick Peter Warick broke out with what had to be his best game as a pro, and sent a message to the league that he can't quite be considered a bust yet. The Browns showed up last Sunday, tattooing the can't-compete-on-the-road Cardinals. I'm not exactly sure why, but Kelly Holcombe has become one of my favorite players. Last week's Piker Power Rankings had the Raiders dead last at #32. Maybe they had to hit rock bottom before they got well, because they snapped their losing streak by vanquishing the Vikings in Oakland. Minnesota is now going out of their way to prove to everyone that their 6-0 start was indeed inflated, as they've sprung a major leak and fallen back to Earth and landed with a heavy thud. Oh, and it now looks like the World Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not be able to make it to the playoff party after losing to the Green Bay Packers and dropping to 4-6 on the year. And finally, the Dolphins won ugly at home against the Ravens, but hey, at least they won.

WON: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Green Bay, New England, San Francisco

LOST: Buffalo, Carolina, St. Louis, Kansas City, Arizona, New Orleans, Tennessee, San Diego, Minnesota, Detroit

So, it was a 6-10 week that brought the overall record to 71-66-7. As of press time, it looks as though Piker will be picking alone this week for the first time all season. So, I don't know how quickly I would run to the bookie based on this week's Piker Picks. Then again, you may want to use it as a guide for what not to pick. If anyone decides to bet the opposite of Piker Picks, let me know the results, because we could be on to something here...