Hunter edges Blanco, still in second

How ‘bout them Cowboys? Jimmy Johnson couldn’t have said it any better himself, but Will Hunter had plenty of fun uttering the former coach’s trademark phrase after Dallas eked out a 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs last week to earn a case of frosty goodness as Miller Lite’s Pigskin Picks’ top prognosticator for Week 14.

Hunter finished 13-3 to edge out overall leader John Blanco by a game as the duo selected identical teams all the way down the line with the exception of the zinger that put 24 cans in Will’s hands.

Blanco still has a firm grip on the season lead at 152-56, and with only three weeks to go, the recipient of the Commonwealth Football League championship’s game ball holds a six-pick advantage over Hunter (146-62).

Hunter needed to be good last week, and that had nothing to do with the impending arrival of Santa Claus, as Brooks and Cramer were hot on his heels at 11-5. Cramer had pulled to within one game of the big guy, but at 143-65, the VIP of PIC will have to come up big at the end of the season.

The product of Olathe, Kansas lost out when he went for his hometown Chiefs, but he also faltered by opting for the Jacksonville Jaguars in favor of the still undefeated Indianapolis Colts.

Going for the Jags was not an awful pick because Peyton Manning’s team of horses has not been completely convincing every time they left the field during its 13 game winning streak, but Cramer lost me when he opted for the Arizona Cardinals over the Washington Redskins.

Even the Lil’ Mahi didn’t pick the Cardinals—that has to tell you something! While the little fish was as good as they get in three out of the last four weeks, he was the bottom of the barrel this time around at 9-7.

At least he was over .500, and at 126-82, he is still better than the cellar dwelling Psycho Gnome. Brooks is coming off of his best week in a while, but he still resides in the basement at 112-96.

His only hope at climbing out of the last place dungeon is a cataclysmic collapse by the Lil’ Mahi. After receiving a boat load of Pepsi products, the Barry house may be a bit out of sorts, but the red, white, and blue cans are stacked against Brooks with only three weeks to go.

The same goes for Arizona, Baltimore, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, New Orleans, N.Y. Jets, Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, San Francisco and Tennessee, as they have all been eliminated from playoff contention.

I bet they’re missing Drew Bledsoe in Buffalo now, but I’ll wipe my tears and look forward to watching my Bills on ESPN this Sunday at 11:30am local time when they host Jake ‘the Snake” Plummer and the Denver Broncos at Ralph C. Wilson Stadium in balmy Orchard Park, New York.

Things might not look good for the home team, but Denver can clinch the AFC West with a win and a little help from their foes. If the Broncos get their 11th win of the season, they need the Chiefs to lose or tie the Giants and the Chargers to lose or tie the Colts. Both scenarios are possible, but the Colts run at history could be the more difficult of the two. Last year, Manning had to rally Indianapolis to tie the game after trailing by 15-points before kicker Mike Vanderjagt split the uprights to give the Colts a 34-31 victory in overtime.

The teams are evenly matched as each squad has a potent offense and a stingy defense. The Colts are averaging 373.5 yards per game, boast the league’s second leading rusher in Edgerrin James (1,440 yards), second leading passer in Manning (3,290 yards), and have scored an unmatched 392 points while San Diego has perhaps the most dangerous player in the league—LaDainian Tomlinson.

With 1,247 yards, Tomlinson is fifth among the leagues top rushers, and San Diego is sixth in the league overall, but they bolster that with consistent play from Drew Brees—who has put p 3,092 yards through the air to earn his place among the best today.

The showdown in the RCS Dome will definitely be one to watch, but so will the contest between the Cincinnati and Detroit. After recording another link in the chain of bad football songs that started with the 1985 Bears and the Super Bowl Shuffle, the Bengals can clinch their first playoff berth in 15 years by downing Detroit in Michigan.

Quarterback Carson Palmer has worked the Trojan magic in the Jungle this year to reach the 10-3 mark, but Cincy has won the majority of their games against teams with losing records. Be that as it may, it has oft been said by coaches that good teams win the games they are supposed to win—something that the Bengals have been doing all year.