Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
NFL Lineman Week 12 picks
Now that Thanksgiving is over, after the turkey we get to the meat of Week 12.
Not bad last week as the Lineman continued to undo some of the damage done by fill in Wichita Lineman in Week 10.
So keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, no turkeys among this week’s picks.
Record: 33-33. Last week 3-3; Pick of the Week: 9-2
PICK OF THE WEEK
Minnesota Vikings (2-8) at Atlanta Falcons (5-5) (Line Falcons minus-9.5)
Let’s make this simple; no Adrian Peterson equals no chance for the Vikes.
Without All Pro running back Peterson, who is doubtful with a high ankle sprain, Minnesota’s rookie quarterback Christian Ponder has little to work with and could be in for a long afternoon against an improving Atlanta defence looking to boost its sack stats.
After a sputtering start, Falcons QB Matt Ryan has finally found some rhythm tossing for 300-yards the last two weeks and should have another productive day against a leaky Vikings 28th ranked pass defence.
Carolina Hurricanes storm towards playoffs
The hottest team in the National Hockey League rests atop neither the Eastern nor the Western conference these days.
Like their name implies, the Carolina Hurricanes are the ones blowing away the opposition.
