Final NFL regular season picks: New year, same bad luck?

FROM KEITH GROLLER

I've struggled with my NFL picks this season. No, a correction. I've been bad, awful, pathetic with my picks. I have been Michigan State vs. Alabama bad this year.

The trend continued last week when I was just 3-11 against the spread, 5-9 outright. Sometimes I get lucky with the over/under numbers and I was 10-4 with that last week.

Still the seasonal totals are something only Rico could love -- 123-109 outright, 98-127-7 against the spread and 117-112-3 on the over/under numbers.

Today, my focus is on one game and one game only. My Rams are on national TV for the first time since Marshall, Kurt, Torry and Isaac had the greatest show on turf still going strong.

I know the Rams, basically, still stink in the grand scheme of things. If they win tonight and get in the playoffs, the Saints will likely swoop into St. Louis next weekend and win by three touchdowns.

But just to have them playing a significant game on the final weekend -- on NBC no less -- is a step forward for a franchise that was 1-15 last year and has won just six games over the previous three years.

I will pick against them against tonight as I have done all year because picking them to win would definitely be the kiss of death. I want to give them all of the good karma I can and picking Seattle tonight is my way of saying "Good luck guys."

All of the other games are sort of irrelevant to me, although I am curious to see who will be heading to Philly next week for the first round. My guess is Packers, but we'll see.

Hope you have a have a good final Sunday of the NFL regular season because we all have to go back to the post-holiday grind come Monday.

HOME TEAMS IN CAPS

KANSAS CITY (-3) 30, Oakland 20 -- over the 43.5

NEW ENGLAND (-5.5) 24, Miami 20 -- over the 43.5

INDY COLTS (-9.5) 34, Tennessee 13 -- under the 48.

HOUSTON (-3) 24, Jacksonville 17 -- under the 45.5

Pittsburgh (-5.5) 23, CLEVELAND 20 -- over the 37.5

BALTIMORE (-9.5) 28, Cincinnati 21 -- over the 43.

DETROIT (-3.5) 26, Minnesota 14 -- under the 43.

WASHINGTON (+4) 24, New York Giants 21 -- over the 44.5

GREEN BAY (-10) 34, Chicago 14 -- over the 42.5

PHILADELPHIA (-3) 31, Dallas 21 -- over the 43.

NEW YORK JETS (-2.5) 30, Buffalo 20 -- over the 38.

ATLANTA (-14) 24, Carolina 14 -- under the 41.

NEW ORLEANS (-7) 23, Tampa Bay 13 -- under the 46.5

SEATTLE (+3) 21, St. Louis 20 -- under the 41.5

SAN FRANCISCO (-6) 23, Arizona 20 -- over the 38.5

DENVER (+3.5) 28, San Diego 24 -- over the 47.

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/