PA Pigskin Picks: Week 14 Published Dec. 16, 2009 By "The Football Czar" Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Congratulations to Tech. Sgt. Blane Lopez, 94th Aerial Delivery Flight, the Pigskin Expert of Week 14. After several weeks of proclaiming to have the winning picks, he finally emerged victorious. He was tied for first place with Master Sgt. Carlton Mayo, the Pigskin Expert of Week 11. Blane broke the tie by being closer to the Chargers vs. Cowboys score. Really great showing both you guys! Highs and lows High The Saints remain undefeated going into Week 15. Drew Brees threw three touchdowns, two of which were caught by Reggie Bush. The Saints offense completed 8 of 12 third downs, while the defense caught one interception and stopped Atlanta just short of a critical first down with 1:18 left to play. If the Saints can beat the Cowboys at the Superdome this Saturday, 16-0 should be a reality for this dominating offensive team. Low The Falcons lost yet another game with starters Matt Ryan and Michael Turner on the sidelines. The other offensive stars on the team, Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, failed to score or put up any respectable numbers. While the defense held Drew Brees just shy of his usual 300+ yard average, they failed to get any sacks or interceptions and gave up three thrown touchdowns. High The Chargers won their 8th straight game over the Cowboys and are nipping at the heels of the Colts, Saints and Vikings as one of the top teams in the NFL. LaDainian Tomlinson only had 50 rushing yards, but still managed to find his way into the endzone for a touchdown. Vincent Jackson got his swagger back and caught seven passes for 120 yards. But no good football team is complete without a good kicker, and Nate Kaeding continued to do his job well -- completing two field goals and two extra points. Low If the Saints used some magical spell to remain undefeated, maybe there's a magical spell to prevent the Cowboys from winning games in December too. The Cowboys began the month at 8-3, but fell to 8-5 after two straight losses in December, a reputation they wanted to avoid. The Cowboys' rushing game was nonexistent against the Chargers and their passing game was average. Nick Folk continued his reputation for missing field goals, even with Tony Romo as the new holder. The Cowboys still face the Eagles and Saints, so it looks like the curse might continue. Low The Steelers lost to the Browns. Josh Cribbs ran all over them. 'Nuff said. High The Ravens ran all over the Lions. Well that's not really out of the ordinary, but they did score the most points for the week (48). High The Redskins have been playing relatively well the past few games. Even though their chance at the playoffs is equivalent to the chances of a blizzard in Miami, let me point some facts out to you. They upset the Broncos in Week 10. In Week 11, they prevented the Cowboys from scoring until the very end of the game and only lost by one point. In Week 12, they put up 24 points to Philadelphia's 27. In Week 13, they should have beat the Saints, but the Saints used their magical tricks to win. This past week they stomped out Oakland (who beat Philadelphia and Cincinnati) 34-13. The Redskins are still a sorry team, but I'm just saying ... There's always a silver lining in every cloud. Don't forget to turn in your Week 15 picks by Friday, Dec. 18 at 4:30 p.m. Only a few more weeks to go!
