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The Harmon Football Forecast is one of the most highly regarded and widely read sports features in the country, published in over 200 newspapers.
| Harmon Stat Pack | |
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Wk 4: 15 picks
Right: 11 Wrong: 4 Pct: .733 |
YTD: 58 picks
Right: 32 Wrong: 26 Pct: .552 |
| Harmon's archive | |
It all began when Bob Harmon began predicting college and NFL games in 1957. He devised a mathematical formula that picked winners correctly between 72 and 78 percent of the time; most seasons getting almost 75 percent of his picks right.
Today, Jim Harmon and his staff are the only forecasters who predict exact scores and chart every college and pro team.
Sunday's games (10/14/2001):
| *Atlanta 19, San Francisco 14 |
| Five weeks ago in S.F. the 49ers were behind 13-3 to the Falcons in the fourth quarter before QB Jeff Garcia led them to a 16-13 OT win. Like we said then, these team beat each other at home. |
| *Chicago 12, Arizona 10 |
| In the early going these clubs reverted to last season's tendencies, the Bears' unproductive offense matched by the Cardinals' anemic defense. Arizona won their last matchup, in 1998, 20-7. |
| *Cincinnati 21, Cleveland 19 |
| This is the AFC Central tangle of the week, between teams that are trying to upend the division hierarchy. In '00 the Browns dominated in Cincy, 24-7, and the Bengals won in Cleveland, 12-3. |
| Denver 32, *Seattle 16 |
| The last three games in this series, part of a nine-for-10 Denver run over the Seahawks, have gone the Broncos' way, though their defense hasn't been much help: scores of 36-30, 38-31 and 31-24. |
| *Green Bay 20, Baltimore 13 |
| In this intriguing pairing we'll discover that yes, the Packers' offense can hold its own against the Ravens' formidable D. G.B. was a 28-10 winner three years ago, the only time they've met. |
| *Indianapolis 35, Oakland 27 |
| There should be no shortage of offense here, in what may be a postseason preview. We hope the game's as good as last year, when the Raiders scored 31 unanswered points to beat the Colts 38-31. |
| Miami 28, *N.Y. Jets 14 |
| Going with the favorite in this rivalry has been a losing choice the past two seasons, when the Dolphins were the better team but lost four in a row to the Jets. That streak simply has to end. |
| *Minnesota 24, Detroit 16 |
| Going with the favorite in this rivalry has been the right choice the past three seasons, when the Vikings were the better team and won six of seven. We think they're still better this year. |
| New Orleans 21, *Carolina 14 |
| While Carolina has faced two NFC West rivals, N.O. hasn't faced any until now. In '00 the Saints dominated the Panthers with defense and defeated them twice for the first time, 24-6 and 20-10. |
| Pittsburgh 22, *Kansas City 21 |
| It's hard to tell which direction these two down-one-week-and-up-the-next clubs are headed. The last six games in the series have been played in K.C., and the Steelers have won three of them. |
| *St. Louis 34, N.Y. Giants 19 |
| There'll be no stopping the Rams by the Giants, especially not by N.Y.'s secondary when St. Louis puts the ball in the air. Last year the Rams won their fourth straight over the Giants, 38-24. |
| San Diego 23, *New England 20 |
| This looked like a no-sweat pick until two weeks ago, when the Patriots shocked Indianapolis. And since '73 N.E. has had the Chargers' number, winning nine in a row, most recently 41-7 in '97. |
| Tampa Bay 16, *Tennessee 9 |
| Surely the defensive faceoff of the week, magnified by the mediocrity of the offenses. The Buccaneers dropped five of six to teams named Oilers; they'll reintroduce themselves to the Titans. |
Monday Night (10/15/2001):
| *Dallas 27, Washington 7 |
| Here's one the league schedulers probably would like to rethink, but hey, nostalgia can be fun, too. The Cowboys have won their last seven games against the Redskins, 27-21 and 32-13 in '00. |
Open date: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Philadelphia
* Denotes Home Team
Broadway Joe