I’ll have to update scores later, it’s been a long day after a long week.
Sunday 1:00
Patriots vs. Buccaneers(+15) in London
Yes, Tampa is awful, but they’re not as bad as Tennessee. Of course, the Pats beat Tennessee by a lot more than 15. I expect the Pats to run it up again.
Packers @ Cleveland(+9)
Nine seems like about the right number, so that leaves me in a quandary. I think the week off for the Packers helped. (OK, technically they didn’t have the week off, but they had the Lions at home). I like the Packers to cover the big number.
Vikings @ Pittsburgh(-5.5)
Uhh, what? The Vikings are undefeated, and the Steelers, well, they’re still trying to get it to gel. Maybe the Steelers steal it by a field goal at home, but they won’t win by this much.
Colts @ St. Louis(+14)
Doesn’t Indy get Bob Sanders back this week? Yeah, they win by three, maybe four TDs.
Chargers @ Kansas City(+5)
Hmph. I was thinking the spread would be more like three. I think the Chefs have life. They probably won’t win, but they’ll stay in it, I’ll take the points.
Niners @ Houston(-3)
Wrong team favored. The Texans don’t put together back-to-back surprises.
Sunday ~4:10
Bills @ Panthers(-7)
A touchdown? A full touchdown? Look, I agree that the Bills aren’t good, but come on—the Panthers barely squeaked by the Redskins! Just too many points not to take them.
Jest @ Oakland(+6)
I was thinking Jets by 4, not by 6. I do think the Jets will get back to a win here, but I don’t like the spread, so I’m (yikes) taking the Raiders!
Falcons @ Cowboys(-4)
WTF? The Cowboys aren’t good, the Falcons are good. Wrong team favored, I’m going Atlanta all the way here.
Saints @ Miami(+6.5)
My thought was Saints by a TD. The spread is only 6.5, so on the notion that they’ll cover by a half a point, I’ll take New Orleans.
Bears @ Cincinnati, pick
I don’t have any idea, either. Two teams who need to decide if they’re good or mediocre; I think we’ll learn something in the game. As for picking it, I have no idea. Since Al went with Chicago, I’ll riverside and go with the Bengals on the “Cedric Benson revenge theory.” <shrug>
SNF
Cardinals @ New Jersey(-7)
Arizona’s only getting a touchdown because they blew up the Seabags last week, but Seattle really isn’t good. I’ll give these points.
MNF
Eagles @ Washington(+7)
Philly will be hungry to redeem themselves after last week’s horrible performance, and the Redskins will soon be part of the dictionary definition of “dysfunctional.” Iggles big.
Ah, I see Al’s picks are up under last week’s game. I’ll copy those over here soon as well.
Had a terrible week. I went 5-9, which puts me at 56-34. I think you went 6-8, which puts you at an even .500, 45-45.
1pm
Forty-Niners at Houston -3
Ok, Houston is favored, and when they’re favored, they tend to do poorly. They’ve just come off a heroic win after holding Benson to very little yards. Not sure how they did that since their run defense is pretty poor. I expect the Niners to run Gore over and over again. It will be close, but i like the Niners and the points.
Chargers at Chiefs +4.5
Crazy low line, which makes me very nervous, but I’m going to give the points. The Chiefs have no pass rush and the Chargers like to pass.
Colts at Rams +14
All signs point to another blowout. The Colts are on a huge roll. Yes, I know the Rams covered last week. Good for them. Give the points.
Patriots at Buccaneers +15
This game is in London, so not really a home game for the Bucs. I don’t know if the Pats will go crazy like last week, but the Bucs are no better than the Titans and their pass defense may be worse. Give the points.
Vikings at Steelers -6
The Vikings don’t need this game, but the Steelers do. The Vikes have a big lead in their division while Pittsburgh is tied for their lead. Plus the Steelers are headed into a bye. They will go all out in this game. Give the points.
Packers at Browns +9
The Browns are 3-0 against the spread since Anderson has started, and the Packers O-Line is in shambles. I’ll take the 9 points in Cleveland.
4pm
Bills at Panthers -7
Carolina should not be favored by more than a field goal over anybody. I see what they’re thinking. The Panthers ran all over Tampa Bay and the Bills let Thomas Jones run for over 200 yards. But the Bills won that game because Sanchez threw picks. Hello Jake the Snake! I’ll take the points.
Jets at Raiders +6
The Jets are in a tailspin. Sanchez is totally unravelled and their stud on the O-Line, Jenkins, is gone for the year. Sphincters are tight. Meanwhile, the Raiders look like they’ve figured things out and Seymour is guaranteeing the playoffs. (PLAYOFFS?!) So yeah, I’ll take the 6 and hope the Jets eke out a slim victory.
Bears at Bengals Straight-up
Yeah, I dunno. The line is moving over towards the Bears. When it opened, the Bengals were favored. I guess maybe it’s the realization that Cinci’s best pass rusher is out. The Bengals are at home, so I suspect Mike will take them for that reason, so I’ll take the Bears.
Falcons at Dallas -4
Dallas favored? Buh..wha? Big names and bright lights at home? Whatever. Jones came out and said this game is a barometer for the Cowboy’s season. How weird the world is when the Cowboys are judging their merit against the mighty Falcons. I like Atlanta and the points.
Saints at Dolphins +6.5
The Saints are on a huge roll, but here come the Dolphins with a ball-control offense and studly defense. Just like..er…the Giants. Still, look at the situation. The Saints don’t care about this game. They need to beat the Falcons next week. Coming off that emotional and huge win last week, expecting to win by over a touchdown over a solid team may be too much to ask. I’ll take the points.
8pm
Cardinals at Giants -7
I keep picking against the Cards and keep losing. If I was smart, I’d learn from this, but I am not. I’m still not sold that Warner is healthy. Somehow they rolled Seattle, but he never had to throw downfield. Against the Giants defense, he’s going to have to figure a way to stretch the field and I just don’t think he will be able to. I expect the Giants to bounce back after being thoroughly thrashed by the Saints in front of everyone. Give the points.
Monday, 8pm
Eagles at Redskins +7
The Eagles looked so bad against the Raiders. Will they learn anything and stop passing so much? The Redskins have quite a few sacks and their pass D isn’t the worst. Plus they play the Eagles tough. They beat them twice last year. No, the Eagles will continue to play stupid and overconfidently. I’ll take the points.
hah! I can’t believe Miami blew that lead, and then gave up that late touchdown. I was a genius for 3.5 quarters! This is why we don’t gamble real money.