We always say that travelling on the road is tough for sports teams: the travel part stinks; your routine is irregular; the hotel isn’t home; you are not used to the climate; the stadiums’ visiting locker room doesn’t have the amenities you are accustomed to; and you’re stuck in a van with three other guys driving 5000 kilometres in 12 days. Do we really understand how it feels to work on the road? The scientist in me wanted to experiment, so I set sail with three other scientists, packed in a grand and luxurious spaceship, out to experience a foreign and unpredictable world, ready to test the visitors’ conundrum out. Road Trip! I hope my picks from the road turn out to be just fine. My back hurts.
Teams Already Used – Houston, New England, Chicago, Green Bay, San Francisco, Atlanta, Minnesota, San Diego, Seattle
Pittsburgh, My Week 10 Pick – It’s one thing to be bad on the road but it’s another to be bad at home as well. Kansas City is the worst team in the NFL. I don’t need to talk about them anymore. I’ll be at this game to make sure this pick comes through and to go on a steel structures tour.
Denver – You may find the Broncos in this space a lot over the remaining weeks of the season. This team is a force to be reckoned with. Peyton Manning in the fourth quarter is like the car/van on the interstate that takes the lead in the left lane and guides everyone 300 miles to the next gas station and Chick-fil-A. I will also be at this game to make sure this pick comes through and that the ‘beverage’ license at Bank of America Stadium is up to date.
Baltimore – So the Ravens get to play a team that let Doug Martin go off for a million yards and four touchdowns. Now the Raiders are privileged to play the very slippery Ray Rice. Is Doug Martin a poor man’s version of Ray Rice or is it the other way around? To be decided, I guess. Throw in an injury to the Raiders’ best player Darren McFadden and this is going to be a very long road trip across the country for Oakland. I will not be at this game but I can assure you that even a Raiders fan wouldn’t want to be seen there.
New York Giants, Potential Suicide – The Giants’ defense is quietly near the bottom of the league in total defense. They are giving up on average 380 yards per game. Doesn’t seem like a problem when they are facing a Bengals team on a four game losing streak. However, they did play tough against a dangerous Broncos team last week and had a chance to win that game as they were leading in the fourth quarter. Two weeks prior, against a tough Steelers team, they also had a lead and let the win fly by in the fourth quarter. With the Giants’ offense also falling out of sync due to injuries, they must be looking forward to a weeks rest. In the entire eight game history between these teams, the home team has won every game. I took that stat, and all the previous points, added it all up to equal a game to stay away from.
