Carolina (+3.5):
Firstly, Cam Newton seems to be a robot sent from an another galaxy to
steal goal-line carries and cover spreads.
Secondly, Atlanta is one fluke impact between Michael Vick and Todd
Herremans away from a 1-4 record.
Thirdly, to wager against Cam is to presume that the game will be so out
of hand as to render his garbage-time, “screw it, I’m getting this ball down
the field myself” irrelevant.
Atlanta 24, Carolina 23
Indianapolis (+6.5):
The Colts are dreadful. The
Bengals are, well, still the Bengals.
Andy Dalton has convinced me that he is not incompetent. Unfortunately, this seems like a low-scoring,
ugly ball-game. That does not, to me,
seem like an opportunity to lay significant points.
Cincinnati 19, Indianapolis 14
San Francisco (+4):
Do I believe in San Francisco?
Well, their quarterback is still Alex Smith, who did not awaken this
season to discover he is secretly incubating legitimate talent. That said, their defense is absolutely
legitimate, and the Lions still strike me as a team that while capable of
thrilling wins and providing causes for home, is not dominant.
Detroit 20, San Francisco 17
GREEN BAY (-14):
Once again, I believe the Packers can name their score in this one. The Rams cannot stop the run and no one can
stop Rodgers and company. My biggest
question in this game is whether James Starks and Jermichael Finley are viable
fantasy starters. The Packers can score
on anyone with any number of weapons. If
I could wager on Packers (16-0) at, say +1200, I’d probably take it.
Green Bay 38, St. Louis 17
Buffalo (+3):
I don’t think either team can stop the other in this one. There are plenty of reasons to pick the G-Men
and forget, but I just don’t see this game as anything other than a shootout
coin-flip. I’ll take the points and
cross my fingers.
Buffalo 31, NY Giants 28
PITTSBURGH (-12.5): “In Jones-Drew's career he has faced the Steelers three times in the
regular season and once in the postseason. The combined rushing total of his
four games is 27 attempts for 109 yards and two rushing touchdowns.” If MJD
can’t generate offense for the Jags, who will?
Pittsburgh 27, Jacksonville 10
Philadelphia (-3):
Given the Eagles predilection for coughing up games that are absolutely
winnable, the spread is almost irrelevant.
One of two things is going to occur.
Either the Eagles actually show up and dominate the Redskins, who are a
soft 3-1 theoretically, lacking the weapons to score with the birds, and thus,
win this game by a couple touchdowns, or once again, they piss away every
opportunity to actually score points after moving the ball up and down the
field…and lose in the end. I think they
get it done here.
Philadelphia 34, Washington 20
OAKLAND (-6.5):
Firstly, read Rick Reilly’s piece on Al Davis – his less than
reverential tone was refreshing after the echoing praise of a deceased man
whose life’s accomplishments are a decidedly mixed bag. Secondly, his disembodied soul probably is
worth a couple points here anyway in dramatic motivation. Thirdly, I think my second comment is B.S. That said, I’m not taking Colt McCoy on the
road here (though I am starting him in fantasy over Matt Schaub on a hunch…)
Oakland 24, Cleveland 17
BALTIMORE (-7):
The best pass defense in the NFL…Andre Johnson on the sidelines…the
Texans being, well, the Texans who can never be trusted. I would not be surprised if the Texans make a
run in this game, but I could also see this getting out of hand, especially
without Mario Williams to generate a pass rush.
Baltimore 31, Houston 16
NEW ENGLAND (-6):
Until proven otherwise, I assume the Patriots can score on anyone at
anytime. In fact, without a fluky
interception off a dropped pass, the Pats win against the Jets by an even more
jarring margin. I expect very few punts
in this game, but a couple turnovers from Romo and a couple Cowboys drives
ending in 3, not 7 will suffice.
New England 38, Dallas 27
New Orleans (-6):
The Bucs can’t score enough in this one.
The Saints are going to score 30+ points in essentially every game they
play. Are you willing to wager that the
Bucs, with a less effective Josh Freeman, and Earnest Graham in the backfield,
can score 27? I am not.
New Orleans 31, Tampa Bay 17
Minnesota (+1):
Good grief. This is going to be a
very difficult game to watch. The
Vikings will struggle to move the ball with McNabb, especially if the Bears do
a legitimate job corralling Adrian Peterson.
That said, most games are won and lost in the trenches, and I believe
the Vikings front seven will overwhelm the Bears’ offensive line. That’ll be enough.
Minnesota 19, Chicago 17
NY JETS (-6.5):
Matt Moore on the road against an excellent defense. Re-read the previous sentence. If your financial life was on the line, and
Matt Moore were about to stare down a Ryan defense, how many pairs of underwear
would you require?
NY Jets 24, Miami 13
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