Thursday, October 8
Indianapolis at Houston (-1): Interesting...on Tuesday this didn't even have a line with it, and on Wednesday it's a pick em, then -1 for Houston. Vegas has no idea what to do with this game, and I have no idea what to do with the AFC South. The Colts & Texans both look worse than advertised so far, and the Titans & Jaguars look as bad as we thought they would be. I think we've found our new NFC South, not that the AFC South has been anything resembling a good division in years. The Colts have won the division nine out of thirteen years since it was founded in 2002.
I still don't like the Colts but I feel like they're the pick here. If the Texans had shown me anything at all in the previous four weeks I might go with them, but they didn't.
Sunday, October 11
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay (-3): Anybody gonna bother watching this game?
Seriously, if you're betting on the Jags or the Bucs you have serious problems & need to seek help. But since Dustin James expects me to help him fund his daughter's education, I guess take the Jaguars and the points. I dunno.
Buffalo (-2.5) at Tennessee : Dustin James suggested I use this picture for games like these:
Can't really get excited about either of these teams. Tennessee stinks, and Buffalo gets penalized in a game more often than I go to the bathroom in a week. I think the Titans getting points at home is the right choice.
Cleveland at Baltimore (-6.5): This seems like the part of the season where the Ravens go on a run. Sure, they lost three straight & things were looking dire after the Cincinnati loss, but what better way to get right than play against Michael Vick & then the Browns? Just what the doctor ordered.
Washington at Atlanta (-7.5): Are the Falcons legit? We might not know for awhile. After this they get the Saints, Titans, Bucs, 49ers & Colts, none of whom strike fear in peoples' hearts this season. My favorite offtheteam.com comedian & NBC star David Tveite says that they might not get tested until Week 13 against Carolina. He might be right. Talk about a turnaround from last season.
Of course, they could lose this week and render that last paragraph meaningless.
Chicago at Kansas City (-9.5): Man, Chicago stinks, but doesn't that look like a lot of points for a team that beat one bad team by 7 & lost to everybody else they've played? I think KC wins, but the Bears are the team to bet on here. I'd like to have good things to say about the Chiefs since they put the Bengals over...but...yeah, I've got nothing. Their field goal kicker was pretty solid, so there's that.
New Orleans at Philadelphia (-4.5): The Saints & Eagles are two teams that we're supposed to buy into but haven't been given any reason to. The Eagles have burned me enough times...the Saints should at least keep it close.
St. Louis at Green Bay (-9): The Rams are really good in the NFC West. The Packers, last I checked, are not in the NFC West.
Seattle at Cincinnati (-3): People like to talk about how the New England Patriots get all the breaks from the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks get just as many breaks, if not more. How else to describe what happened on Monday night? An illegal bat that should have resulted in the Lions getting the ball inside the 1 yard line instead resulted in the Seahawks getting the ball & the game being over. But no, that would have been bad for the Seahawks so that couldn't happen. Typical NFL.
This should be a good game. The Seahawks are the Seahawks, and the Bengals have been very impressive in their 4-0 start. Getting to 5-0 against a team on Seattle's perceived level would be big, and it's certainly possible. The Seahawks haven't been as impressive as we'd expect. Marshawn Lynch is banged up, Jimmy Graham still isn't quite on the same page. The defense looks good, and we know who'll get the benefit of the doubt if there's a call to be made. That all being said, the Seahawks have never been a great road team, the Bengals have never been more confident, and while a win here wouldn't completely silence the critics, it sure would help.
Arizona (-2.5) at Detroit: Last week at this time I would have just said Cardinals and moved on. Then Arizona had to go and lose to the St. Louis Rams & the Lions had to go and almost beat the Seattle Seahawks. So now this is a lot more confusing than it needs to be. Maybe it isn't. Maybe getting beat by the Rams was what the Cardinals needed to realize that their asses haven't been crowned yet.
Meanwhile, people are wondering whether a sort of defeatism has sunk in with the Lions. We remember their protestations after they got jobbed in the playoffs last year (side note: How the hell was this team in the playoffs last year? Did half the NFC get wiped out by bubonic plague?), and their silence regarding Seattle Screwjob II has spoke volumes. Have they accepted their fate as one of the NFL franchises that just don't win things of importance? And if they have...can you blame them? The Lions last won an NFL Championship before twenty of the current NFL teams existed. TWENTY. That's like a lot more than half, man. Dan Patrick's grandfather Van Patrick called the 1957 NFL Championship Game on NBC. That's how long ago it was.
I'm gonna keep buying into the Cardinals for now. Teams that are PISSED OFF > Teams that are kinda there.
New England (-8.5) at Dallas: Usually, Patriots vs. Cowboys would create a good amount of excitement. The greatest team of the 2000s versus one of the greatest teams of the previous century. The two most popular franchises. The two most hated franchises. America's Teams. Oh, it still gets the 4:15 window & the Nantz/Simms treatment from CBS. But man...this is gonna be annihilation. The Cowboys played the Saints close in New Orleans but we still don't think the Saints are any good. Patriots are rested up and ready to go on to Dallas.
Denver (-4.5) at Oakland: I haven't bothered to look it up, but I think the last time the Raiders beat the Broncos, Jon Gruden was coaching the Raiders & Brian Griese was the Bronco quarterback. I mean, I could look it up, but it's more fun to assume that's what happened.
Oh fine, I'll look it up. It was September 12, 2011. Kyle Orton & Jason Campbell were the quarterbacks. Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 63 yard field goal. Darren McFadden ran for 150 yards. It was a good time, I'm sure. Raiders fans can find that game tape and enjoy it while the Broncos win by more than 5 points.
San Francisco at NY Giants (-7): It seems like every week I'm saying that this week features one of the worst Sunday Night Football matchups ever, and every week it ends up being at least kinda decent. It's like the reverse of last year, where every game was over before the half, and as much as I like Elise Jesse & her sports reports on WLWT I just couldn't justify staying awake for them. Unfortunately for Elise, I think this game will be a flashback to those days. If the Giants are to be taken seriously, they need to blow these guys & their farting coach out.
Yeah, I know they denied that he farted, but everybody's known since 4th grade that the denier is the supplier.
Monday, October 12
Pittsburgh at San Diego (-3): The Steelers have had some time to adjust to life with Michael Vick. Does it make enough of a difference here? I don't think so. Philip Rivers & company will knock Pittsburgh down a notch & make their bad sports week even worse. Chargers.
Last Week: 5-9
2015 Record: 33-28-1
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