Anyone following has no doubt noticed that I actually posted an article in between my Week 8 and Week 9 Picks articles. Sure, it was a post in which I essentially recycled some e-mail threads with buddies that are fans of crappy NFL teams that had a little bit of hope heading into the season (i.e., NOT Oakland, Kansas City, St. Louis or Detroit). I wish I had some buddies that were Tennessee fans – I would be very interested to hear their take on Jeff Fisher and what has happened this year.
Anyway – here are the picks. As always, home team in CAPS. I am feeling a little punchy this morning, so I am going to include a sentence or two about each game.
Last Week: 5-8
Season: 54-61-1
ATLANTA (-10) over Washington – Washington is just dreadful, Atlanta is due to reestablish themselves as a playoff contender after 2 solid defeats on the road, and Matt Ryan is nails at home. This line really cannot be high enough.
Arizona (+3) over CHICAGO – The Reverend should look a little more settled against the depleted Chicago defense than he did against Carolina last week.
CINCINNATI (+3) over Baltimore – Cincinnati is still not getting any respect. The fact the Baltimore is favored in this spot is kind of ridiculous.
Houston (+9) over INDIANAPOLIS – I don’t think the Colts defense will be able to hold Houston’s running attack under 250 yards. They still might cover with the quick-strike offense, and it is a month ending in B-E-R, so betting against Manning is still a dicey proposition.
Miami (+11) over NEW ENGLAND – I heard on the radio today that the Dolphins coaching staff is working with Ronnie Brown on his throwing motion and squaring up and throwing from a stationary position, instead of always throwing on the move. Whatever Brown does, and however he does it, the Patriots still don’t have the athletes to shut down the Dolphins offense enough to cover this spread.
Green Bay (-10) over TAMPA BAY – Aaron Rodgers is making quite a name for himself feasting on horrible teams, and the Packers defense, which is better than they have sometimes shown this season, should get healthy against first-time starter Josh Freeman.
Kansas City (+7) over JACKSONVILLE – can we just call this game “The Toilet Bowl” and move on? I don’t think anyone but all 12,000 Jacksonville fans in attendance will care.
Carolina (+13) over NEW ORLEANS – The Saints seem to be falling into a somewhat disturbing rhythm of playing just well enough to win…and Vegas has not caught on yet. Plus, Carolina might actually have a tiny bit of momentum after upsetting Arizona last week. I don’t like the Panthers to win outright or anything, but they can cover this line…or lose by 30…any bet on this game really is a guess.
SEATTLE (-11) over Detroit – All of the adversity Seattle has faced this season will be forgotten for 3 hours this week.
San Diego (+6) over NY GIANTS – The Chargers have a crummy run defense and the Giants like to run. The Giants have a crummy pass defense and the Chargers like to pass. I like the Chargers to actually win this one outright.
SAN FRANCISCO (-5) over Tennessee – Chris Johnson (and the Niners run defense) is the only reason why this line isn’t 14+…which is good because I would be very scared of a big number here, on either side. I am not scared of San Fran being able to cover 5 points, though.
Dallas (+3) over PHILADELPHIA – Yes, I am picking another road dog. That’s 7 if you are counting. I am kind of scared of this game as a Cowboys fan. Dallas is better at every single position on the field, but Wade Phillips and Tony Romo can never seem to beat the Eagles when it matters. I think Witten is the difference and has a monster game here.
DENVER (+3) over Pittsburgh – This game should be quite close and potentially come down to coaching. I’ll take the guy who can coach over the guy who’s idea of coaching is to just call passing plays with a crappy offensive line and hope Ben can make a play and rely on the defense to handle the rest. Three years from now, when Ben starts getting that Troy Aikman circa 1998 look in his eyes after a hit, you can blame Mike Tomlin’s coaching, Steelers fans.
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