Indy -6.5 vs Houston
I like the under in this game. The Texans are going to try to play a ball control type of game in effort to keep the Colts offense on the sideline. The Texans will be lucky if they score 20 pts on offense today. The Colts will have matchup problems w/ the improved play of the Texans Defensive line. I can't see them running up the score seeing how they are on the road vs a division opponent for the 2nd wk in a row. They will still manage a couple of TD's and 3 FG's to win by a score of something like 23-10.
Under - 46.5
San Diego-6 at Green Bay
The straight up winnner of this game will cover as well. The Packers are still a middle of the road NFC team as far as I am concerned. All the talk of the Pack's improvement is hogwash. They should have lost to Philly and there is no reason to be impressed by a win over the hapless Giants. The Pack was 0-5 as home dogs last season. They have a terrible track record vs AFC teams of late.
This game is a tough call due to the question marks surrounding the Bolts heading into this game. The Bolts are locks if they can get Tomlinson untracked and he runs for over 130 yards. That is a big if at this point. I wish I knew what the Chargers coaches are thinking. Will they try to establish the run and make the Pack beat their defense or will they open up the playbook in order to protect their defense on the road? The Chargers scare me b/c they are probably a little deflated after losing badly to the Pats last Sun nite. I'm guessing they won't really wake up until the 2nd half of the game. Even if that happens they still might cover. The Bolts are still capable of scoring 30 pts in one half. I'm not wild about them but I am a firm believer that a top tier team from the AFC can regroup and give the Pack a reality check at Lambeau today.
Watch this one for the fun of it . what you just read was pure speculation on a very scary game that could go either way
Philly -6.5 vs Detroit
Can McNabb get his rythm back? His bum knee is the cause of this errant throws. You can't trust a passing team like the Eagles to cover when its going this bad no matter how much it seems logical that the Eagles will bounce back and win big. Don't go thinking the Lions are locks either. They have already won 2 games in a row. All the trends that I have read on these teams for this game favor the Eagles. The one bright spot I can think of for Detroit is that their WR's might have a field day vs the man coverage that Philly loves to play. The bottom line is you don't wager on ifs, ands, or buts.
For fun, I am calling the Eagles and the over on this game.
Tampa Bay -3.5 vs St Louis
Finally, we have a team I like today. Some faces have changed but the Buccs still have M. Kiffin to thank for their good defense. The Rams won't be able to protect M. Bulger long enough to throw the deep ball. I doubt they will run the ball w/ success either. The Buccs offense should keep rolling on at home vs a soft Rams defense. If the Ram's offense can't stay on the field, their defense is sure to melt in the 2nd half. There's a good chance of that happening.
Tampa Bay -3.5 the Buccs are my pick of the day
New England -16.5 vs Buffalo
The Pats will be pressed to get "up" for this game. It will be a very work like performance of 27-10 or something close to it. I see them running the ball a lot. The Bills won't score a pt until the 4th Q but 2 garbage TD's may be enough to cover the 27-31 methodical pts the Pats are good for.
I like the under in a boring game for everyone except Patriots fans.
Under 41
Pittsburgh -9.5 vs San Fran
The Steelers are at home for the 2nd game in a row. The Niners are coming off a big effort at St Louis last week. This is a huge advantage for the Steelers. I hate laying 9.5pts but I don't see the Niners being ready to go into Pitt and starting buzzing up and down the field. The Steelers are one of my top 3 teams in the AFC. The Niners are up and comers that aren't ready to challenge the Steeler Defense.
Steelers -9.5
Ravens -7.5 vs Cardinals
Another NFC/NFC match up where I like the home team. The Ravens should have success running the ball and the Cards won't score 14 pts at Baltimore. Matt Leinart is not very mobile and the Cards offensive line gets their first real test.
Ravens they win big and cover the over of 35 by themselves. I like the over more than the Ravens at -7.5 just in case the Cards surprise me and somehow keep it close
over 35.5.
Denver -3.5 vs Jacksonville
The logical thing to think here is the Jags are too inept on offense to keep pace w/ the Broncos. The Jags have been fading of late. Their run defense is suddenly suspect. All signs point to the Broncos winning handily. The drawback on Denver has been their redzone offense. Who cares about yardage, we need pts and the Broncos are still lacking in that dept. It would suck to watch the Broncos sit on a lead and win the game by 3 pts even though the score won't show they had the game in total control. They play at Indy next wk and will keep their offense as vanilla as possible so they can save some surprises for next week.
No bet - the Broncs have been money burners as home favs and the Jags aren't an option.
Seattle -3.5 vs Cincinnati
I see the Seahawks winning by 10 pts. The difference in this game will be the Seahawks ability to control the clock and sustain drives w/ their rushing attack. The Bengals fall apart when they are trying to make a comeback and it looks like the Seahawks will have a lead at some point. The Bengals Offensive line might struggle w/ pass protection. They might have to stick w/ quick timing patterns to combat the situation. What I'm trying to say is the Bengals may not have the quick strike ability they did last week. If the Seahawks can take away the deep ball and make the Bengals sustain long drives, the Bengals are in trouble. That's a big if. Regardless, it is hard not to imagine one of these teams scoring 30 something pts by themselves. The only way this game doesn't go over is if the Bengals completely fall apart and score less than 17 pts. That's a big if too.
Seahawks -3.5
over 49
Oakland -3 vs Cleveland
Are we supposed to be impressed by the Raiders big effort at Denver last week? Da Raiders new coach is good and has them looking respectable but they are still a team trying to snap an 11 game losing streak. Sure, the Browns gave up 46 pts last week you can say. Last time I checked, Josh McCown wasn't being compared to C. Palmer and the Raiders don't have anyone close to Chad Johnson at WR. The Browns Defense can keep it close enough to cover at the very least. The Browns were incredibley fluid on offense last wk and I can't see them completely drying up after last week's performance.
My pick on this game comes down to the team's mental state heading into this game. The Raiders put a huge effort in last week's game only to get their heart's ripped out at the end. They were in shock until Tuesday at least. They won't be able to bounce back in just one week. They are losers, the Browns are brimming w/ confidence and swagger after a big win and the taste of winning in Cleveland isn't going to get old just yet.
Browns + 3
Kansas City -3 vs Minnesota
Kelly Volcum is making the start for the Vikings today, he is a much better option than option QB Tavaris Jackson. He should be able to manage the game enough to keep the Vikings in the game.
Vikings +3
Comments