PA Pigskin Picks: Week 14 Published Dec. 9, 2009 By "The Football Czar" Public Affairs DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga. -- Congratulations to Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Bradley, 80th Aerial Port Squadron, the Pigskin Expert of Week 13. Jeffrey was the lone winner with only three missed games. It was a week full of surprises, and the average number of games missed was seven. Great job! Yes, the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are still undefeated. The Colts had no problems cooling off the Tennessee Titans who were on a five-game winning streak with Vince Young back as the starting quarterback. However, the Saints beat the Washington Redskins by pure luck. A missed chip-shot field goal and a stripped interception in overtime led to the Saints escaping with a 33-30 win to remain perfect - it must be in the cards. Week 13 also saw a few teams gain ground in the race to the Superbowl and left a couple teams that have won Superbowls this decade reeling in defeat. The Arizona Cardinals improved to 8-4 by handling the Minnesota Vikings at home, serving Brett Favre his second loss of the season. The San Diego Chargers have quietly been making their mark with a 9-3 record and a seven-game winning streak after beating the Cleveland Browns. They currently lead the AFC West by one game over the Denver Broncos, who have won their last two games and hope to hand the Colts their first loss on Sunday. One team that hasn't been on a winning streak at all this season is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who gave up three touchdowns to the Oakland Raiders late in the fourth quarter to lose 24-27. The Steelers fell to 6-6 and are now in danger of missing the playoffs the year after winning the Superbowl. The New England Patriots have lost three of their last four games and have yet to win a true road game - the win at Tampa Bay doesn't really count. It's not looking good for the two most dominant teams this decade. It's also not looking good for the Atlanta Falcons, who fell to 6-6 after a 34-7 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a homecoming for former Falcon Michael Vick who saw considerable playing time despite being a backup quarterback to Donovan McNabb. Vick both ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown in the second half of the game. The Falcons could do little to match with starting quarterback Matt Ryan and runningback Michael Turner out with injuries. The Falcons face the Saints this Sunday and will need Ryan and Turner back in the lineups if they want to win. Week 14 picks are due by Friday at 4:30 p.m. Good luck!
