NFL Picks: Packers and Pats

NFL Picks: Packers and Pats

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

Erickson and DDD went 3-1 to tie for a 5-3 lead. I'm at 4-4, in striking distance, especially as I differ with Erickson on one and DDD on both picks.

Another full house on bets bets: three Packers, two Patriots. I'm the only one on the Falcons, and DDD is the only one on the Steelers.

EricksonPianowskiLissStopaDel Don
Packers +4.5 at FalconsPackersPackersFalconsPackersPackers
Steelers +6 at PatriotsPatriotsPatriotsPatriotsPatriotsSteelers
Best BetPatriotsPackersPatriotsPackersPackers
Last week's Record3-11-32-22-23-1
Best Bet Record13-612-710-98-1112-7
2016 Playoff Record5-33-54-42-65-3
2016 Unanimous Pick Record27-22-2
2016 Majority Pick Record136-123-5
2015 Playoff Record5-62-93-82-91-10
2014 Playoff Record10-15-69-24-79-2
2013 Playoff Record5-4-23-6-24-5-24-5-24-5-2
2012 Playoff Record4-6-15-5-16-4-14-6-18-2-1
2011 Playoff Record8-35-69-26-57-4
2010 Playoff Record6-55-65-67-48-3
2009 Playoff Record5-64-71-106-55-6
2008 Playoff Record6-55-65-68-34-7
2007 Playoff Record8-33-86-5N/A2-9
2006 Playoff Record7-4N/A4-7N/AN/A
2005 Playoff Record5-6N/A3-8N/AN/A
2004 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2003 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2002 Playoff Record6-57-45-6N/AN/A
2001 Playoff Record6-4-17-3-14-6-1N/AN/A
2016 Record140-111-5130-121-5123-128-5115-136-5132-119-5
2015 Record
Erickson and DDD went 3-1 to tie for a 5-3 lead. I'm at 4-4, in striking distance, especially as I differ with Erickson on one and DDD on both picks.

Another full house on bets bets: three Packers, two Patriots. I'm the only one on the Falcons, and DDD is the only one on the Steelers.

EricksonPianowskiLissStopaDel Don
Packers +4.5 at FalconsPackersPackersFalconsPackersPackers
Steelers +6 at PatriotsPatriotsPatriotsPatriotsPatriotsSteelers
Best BetPatriotsPackersPatriotsPackersPackers
Last week's Record3-11-32-22-23-1
Best Bet Record13-612-710-98-1112-7
2016 Playoff Record5-33-54-42-65-3
2016 Unanimous Pick Record27-22-2
2016 Majority Pick Record136-123-5
2015 Playoff Record5-62-93-82-91-10
2014 Playoff Record10-15-69-24-79-2
2013 Playoff Record5-4-23-6-24-5-24-5-24-5-2
2012 Playoff Record4-6-15-5-16-4-14-6-18-2-1
2011 Playoff Record8-35-69-26-57-4
2010 Playoff Record6-55-65-67-48-3
2009 Playoff Record5-64-71-106-55-6
2008 Playoff Record6-55-65-68-34-7
2007 Playoff Record8-33-86-5N/A2-9
2006 Playoff Record7-4N/A4-7N/AN/A
2005 Playoff Record5-6N/A3-8N/AN/A
2004 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2003 Playoff Record6-5N/A4-7N/AN/A
2002 Playoff Record6-57-45-6N/AN/A
2001 Playoff Record6-4-17-3-14-6-1N/AN/A
2016 Record140-111-5130-121-5123-128-5115-136-5132-119-5
2015 Record134-114-8120-128-8114-134-8127-121-8121-127-8
2014 Record123-128-5140-111-5135-116-5124-127-5128-123-5
2013 Record132-114-10118-128-10123-123-10111-135-10128-118-10
2012 Record110-140-6125-125-6121-129-6143-107-6123-127-6
2011 Record121-128-7134-115-7124-125-7123-126-7127-122-7
2010 Record129-122-5134-117-5126-125-5136-115-5134-117-5
2009 Record123-130-3132-121-3131-122-3130-123-3126-127-3
2008 Record132-114-10128-118-10124-122-10125-121-10130-116-10
2007 Record127-120118-129127-120N/A130-117
2006 Record118-129N/A139-108N/AN/A
2005 Record121-126N/A127-120N/AN/A
2004 Record124-124N/A130-118N/AN/A
2003 Record121-126118-129124-123N/AN/A
2002 Record113-136123-126141-108N/AN/A
2001 Record124-113117-120118-119N/AN/A
2000 Record123-117134-106141-99N/AN/A

Unanimous/Majority Picks

This week we have no unanimous picks. We had none last week, so our season record stands at 27-22-2. We went 3-1 on majority (three or more writers) picks to bring our season record to 136-123-5.

Comments:

WriterComment
EricksonDon't really feel that strongly about either pick, but I'll go with the chalk on the Pats for my lean. We all know that Pittsburgh's offense is much worse on the road - but they moved the ball pretty easily against the Chiefs. Still, I think the Pats might have been holding back some of their offense against the Texans, and we'll see that come out on Sunday.
PianowskiThe lack of upsets has given us a loaded Championship Week.
LissHard not to take the Pats at home, especially given Ben Roethlisberger's road struggles which continued last week despite the win. More of a coin flip in ATL-GB, but ATL has the better defense at this point, and Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams are banged up.
StopaThe NFC tilt strikes me as a 50/50 affair, with both teams having MVP QBs, unstoppable offenses, and no defense. Atlanta's home crowd and running game are offset by Green Bay's better run D and an offensive line that is so good at pass-blocking. 34-31 Packers, and the Over. In the AFC, Belichick's two extra days of prep time gives New England such an advantage. 24-16 Patriots, and the Under.
Del Don I'm shocked the Falcons are giving more than a field goal, as I expected this line to be closer to a pick 'em than a touchdown. The total (around 60 points) is the highest ever for a Conference Championship or Super Bowl game (and the highest of this season as well), but it makes perfect sense, as this certainly looks like it should be a shootout. I'd be far less surprised if Green Bay wins outright than I would Atlanta covers this number... The Patriots played their "C" game last week and still covered a 16.5-point spread. They now essentially get two extra days to prepare compared to the road-weary Steelers, who are in a tough spot, and I'm sure I'll feel dumb betting against Brady/Belichick come Sunday, but I'm taking the points.

The players:

• Jeff Erickson: RotoWire Senior editor, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 Staff Picks Champ. Writes the Weekly Rankings. Covers and roots for the Bengals.

• Scott Pianowski: Fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports, and also contributes to Rotowire.com. 2009, 2011 and 2014 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the Patriots.

• Chris Liss: RotoWire Managing Editor, 2000, 2002, 2006 Staff Picks Champ, 2003, 2004 co-champ. Writes East Coast Offense, Beating the Book and the Survivor column in addition to Staff Picks. Covers and roots for the Giants.

• Mark Stopa: Staff Writer, 2010, 2012 Staff Picks Champ, Writes Run 'N' Shoot. Roots for the Bills.

• Dalton Del Don: Fantasy Expert for Yahoo! Sports, 2007 Staff Picks Champ. Roots for the 49ers.

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only NFL Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire NFL fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Liss
Chris Liss was RotoWire's Managing Editor and Host of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today on Sirius XM radio from 2001-2022.
Streaming Defenses: Week 13 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses
Streaming Defenses: Week 13 Fantasy Options for Team Defenses
Box Score Breakdown: Week 12 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage
Box Score Breakdown: Week 12 Snaps, Routes, Personnel and Usage
NFL Expert Picks: Monday Night Football Ravens at Chargers
NFL Expert Picks: Monday Night Football Ravens at Chargers
NFL Picks and Player Props for Week 12 Monday Night Football
NFL Picks and Player Props for Week 12 Monday Night Football