I pick four “best bets” and make one of those a “lock” each week. Those are listed at the end. Let’s get to it!
New England (-9.5) vs. New York Jets
Swimming with the sharks on this one in my survivor pool, but I just can’t actually see the Geno’s hanging with the Brady’s and matching them point for point. That being said, the Pats are pretty banged-up and it IS a Thursday night so anything is possible. Throw out the records when these two get together!
Pick: Jets
Buffalo (-3.5) vs. Minnesota
Is it me, or is Jerick McKinnon’s trade value awfully high right now? Methinks the Bills cruise in this one, and if we see a 12-49-0 performance outta him, the time to sell will have passed us in a hurry.
Pick: Bills
Baltimore (-6.5) vs. Atlanta
I realize Atlanta hasn’t played a complete game in about 3 years, but this line feels a couple points high to me.
Pick: Falcons
Chicago (-3.5) vs. Miami
Got a text from a friend earlier that said Chicago hasn’t won yet at home this year. Not sure if that’s true. I could look it up, but who needs analysis when you can just look at the matchup and realize Brandon Marshall is gonna have one of those “F you” games and beat Miami by himself?
Pick: Bears
Green Bay (-7.5) vs. Carolina
I like Green Bay a lot, but I can’t really trust them yet. Giving more than a touchdown to a solid team is usually reserved for the elites. I’m not placing the Packers amongst the elites just yet.
Pick: Panthers
Cleveland (-5.5) at Jacksonville
Look, the Jaguars are going to beat somebody right? Why wouldn’t it be the Browns this week? Cleveland is on a high coming off a huge blowout win over Pittsburgh…Manziell is wasting away on the bench and an excuse is needed to get him in there…Jacksonville has played fairly well recently and coming closer and closer to a win…and they’re a big underdog here at home.
Pick: Jaguars
Seattle (-6.5) at Saint Louis
Tougher call than it should be. On the one hand, the Rams have been competitive at times when we didn’t really expect them to be. On the other hand, Seattle is coming off a bad loss, probably their worst in a couple of seasons, at home no less. And on the third hand which I guess is kind of a reacharound, you’ve got the fact that Seattle is on the road here and still nearly a touchdown favorite. But lastly, there’s a fourth hand. That’s your wife’s hand, and she’s smacking the third hand away because Seattle is the defending champs and you should know better.
Pick: Seahawks
Indianapolis (-3.5) vs. Cincinnati
Toughest game of the week for me. My gut told me to roll with the Bengals, but not having A.J. Green has to affect them one of these games. That being said, I’ve been of the belief for much of the season that the Colts are one of the worst good teams in recent history. It’s a toss-up, so I’ll go with the guy on his way to a possible MVP to pull one out in the end. Like always.
Pick: Colts
Detroit (-3.5) vs. New Orleans
The Lions are Calvin-less. The Saints are on the road. I wish there was a way for this game to end 30 - 26.5 and call it a day. Alas, someone has to cover here. I still can’t trust either team, but I trust Stafford less than Brees.
Pick: Saints
Washington (-4.5) vs. Tennessee
On a neutral setting, I’m not sure the Redskins are better than anyone let alone 1.5 against Tennessee. Both of these teams pretty much stink, so I’ll take the points in what should be a low-scoring affair (commence 35-31 final in 3…2…1…)
Pick: Titans
San Diego (-4.5) vs. Kansas City
Could you blame the Chargers for looking ahead to next week’s huge Denver game a little bit? The Chiefs are like the fluffer and the Broncos are the girl you’re gonna film your scene with. You might not even pay much attention to the fluffer because you just wanna get on set and get to it. But if you’re not paying attention and you lose your focus, the fluffer could get you so good that you could end up blowing your– ya know what? This is a family site. You get the idea.
Pick: Chiefs
Arizona (-3.5) at Oakland
Arizona got a bit of a scare last week while Oakland got their “oh we almost beat the Chargers but then we realized we’re the Raiders” game outta the way. The tides turn mightily in this week’s tilt.
Pick: Cardinals
Dallas (-5.5) vs. New York Giants
When you’ve got a divisional rivalry game featuring two teams with a history like these, the game could really go in any direction. And that’s reflected in this line, because after their respective performances last week and throughout the season, if this were any two other teams this would be a double digit line.
Pick: Cowboys
Denver (-6.5) vs. San Francisco
The difference between San Francisco and Seattle last year was microscopic. Seattle thrashed the Broncos, then took care of them this year too. San Francisco won’t take care of them like Seattle did because San Fran will likely lose, but no way should this game be this big of a line.
Pick: Niners
Pittsburgh (-3.5) vs. Houston
I know, Pittsburgh is in a transition period. Their defense isn’t very good. The offense is a bit inconsistent. And the Texans have enough offensive weapons to wreak some havoc. Then again, it’s still the Steelers on Monday night.
Pick: Steelers
BEST BETS:Jets, Bears, Jaguars, Cowboys
LOCK: Chicago Bears (I typed out and deleted each team above at least once apiece)
LAST WEEK
Overall:9-6
Best Bets: 3-1
Lock of the Week: 1-0
YEAR TO DATE
Overall: 54-41 (56%)
Best Bets: 15-9 (62%)
Lock of the Week: 4-2 (66%)
POWER RANKINGS
Team Name W/L (Prv)
1. Broncos 4-1 (2)
2. Chargers 5-1 (3)
3. Eagles 5-1 (4)
4. Cowboys 5-1 (10)
5. Cardinals 4-1 (5)
6. Seahawks 3-2 (1)
7. 49ers 4-2 (7)
8. Packers 4-2 (8)
9. Patriots 4-2 (9)
10. Bengals 3-1-1 (6)
11. Colts 4-2 (11)
12. Ravens 4-2 (12)
13. Panthers 3-2-1 (14)
14. Lions 4-2 (17)
15. Chiefs 2-3 (15)
16. Bears 3-3 (18)
17. Browns 3-2 (21)
18. Steelers 3-3 (13)
19. Saints 2-3 (19)
20. Bills 3-3 (16)
21. Texans 3-3 (20)
22. Giants 3-3 (22)
23. Dolphins 2-3 (23)
24. Falcons 2-4 (24)
25. Vikings 2-4 (25)
26. Titans 2-4 (26)
27. Redskins 1-5 (27)
28. Jets 1-5 (28)
29. Rams 1-4 (29)
30. Bucs 1-5 (30)
31. Jaguars 0-6 (31)
32. Raiders 0-5 (32)
