MIKE
CIN
(-3) vs. MIA
CIN
23-14 (CIN covers spread)
QB Andy Dalton is making it known
that he is not messing around this year. He has thrown for an impressive 1,034
yards, 11 TD’s and only 2 INT’s in the Bengals past three wins, and has his
team in firm control of the AFC North. On the other hand, Miami has dropped
four straight decisions to land themselves at 3-4. A win this week at home on
Thursday night would put them back in the hunt for both the division and wild
card. QB Ryan Tannehill has had an up-and-down season and the running game
really hasn’t picked up steam. The ‘Fins will fight hard in this one, but will
ultimately be outclassed by a better all-around football team.
ATL
vs. CAR (-8)
CAR
31-19 (CAR covers spread)
The Falcons are done. That
performance last week at Arizona was disappointing to say the least for a team
that desperately needed a win. QB Matt Ryan is starting to feel the pressure of
having to overplay on a poor football team, evidenced by his 4 INT’s last week.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are playing at a very high level on both sides of the
ball. A win this week will move them to 5-3 and help them keep pace with the
division-leading New Orleans Saints. QB Cam Newton is doing it through the air
and on the ground this season, piling up 1,552 yards, 12 TD’s and 5 INT’s along
with 229 yards and 3 TD’s rushing. Their defense has only surrendered 38 points
in the past three weeks, and they are getting enough help from RB DeAngelo
Williams (477 yards, 1 TD) to have them very much in the conversation in the
NFC.
MIN
vs. DAL (-10.5)
DAL
45-27 (DAL covers spread)
A struggling Minnesota group is
the perfect medicine for QB Tony Romo and the Cowboys to rebound at home this
Sunday. That last-second loss vs. the Lions last week was devastating, and gave
hope to a few other NFC East teams. Romo has once again been lighting it up
during the regular season, with 2,216 yards, 18 TD’s and 5 INT’s. The Vikings
really haven’t had a quarterback all season, and the only way they can remain
competitive in games is through RB Adrian Peterson. Peterson will have a big day
against a Dallas defense that has created turnovers but given up significant
yardage this season (422.5 YPG- 32nd in NFL). Expect another Texas
shootout, with the home team moving to 5-4.
NO
(-6.5) vs. NYJ
NO
26-21 (NYJ beats spread)
The Dr. Jekyll of the Jets’ will
show up this week in challenging the Saints. The Jets have maintained their
consistent inconsistency throughout the season, in losing a game then winning a
game for the eight game stretch. Rookie QB Geno Smith has been impressive in
some games, and dreadful in others. He will play well at home this week and
give the Saints defense major headaches in both the running and passing games.
It’s hard for me to pick against one of the premier quarterbacks in the game in
Drew Brees, who has tossed 19 TD’s this season with 8 of them going to
perennial TE Jimmy Graham. The Saints average 310.7 yards passing per game,
which ranks them at 3rd in the NFL. Even though the Jets defense has
been impressive for the most part this season, expect Brees and co. to have a
solid all-around day and come up with a win at MetLife Stadium.
TEN
(-3) vs. STL
TEN
24-16 (TEN covers spread)
This will be one of the games
with the lowest television ratings in Week 9. Tennessee is a boring,
conventional football team that does nothing too impressive or flashy. St.
Louis fought hard in Monday night’s loss and nearly won the game at the end,
but not too many people are excited about watching QB Kellen Clemens
quarterback an offense. The fact that QB Sam Bradford is out for the year makes
me lean towards the Titans in this one. The Rams showed up big time in the
trenches vs. the Seahawks, and mandhandled them on the defensive and offensive
lines for the entire night. The Titans will look for a mistake-free game from QB
Jake Locker and a solid day from their 13th ranked defense to pull
one out on the road.
KC
(-3.5) vs. BUF
KC
19-16 (BUF beats spread)
Buffalo is always a tough place
to play in, especially once the weather starts to get colder. I like what I’ve
seen from fill-in QB Thad Lewis, as he has shown the ability to compete hard
and play with intensity. The Bills will utilize that two-headed monster they
possess in the backfield with RB’s C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson to create
problems for the Chiefs. The Chiefs defense has not allowed a team to score 20+
points on them this season, and don’t expect that to change this week. The
Bills will beat the spread and keep this one close, but a late defensive stand
from Kansas City will preserve this one.
SD
(-1.5) vs. WAS
WAS
28-24 (WAS beats spread)
QB Philip Rivers and the Chargers
are sitting at 4-3 in the toughest division in football. Rivers has played at
an elite level this season, compiling a 111.1 QB rating. However, I don’t like
the Chargers traveling across the country in a hostile environment against a
team, despite being 2-5, in their division race. San Diego has built the reputation
of being an inconsistent bunch, and I see a couple mistakes in crucial
situations hurting them here. Redskins QB RGIII and RB Alfred Morris will be
able to exploit the 23rd ranked San Diego defense and come out of
Landover with a big win.
PHI
vs. OAK (-3)
OAK
27-24 (OAK covers spread)
Philadelphia will once again be
hard-pressed to generate a semblance of a running game on the road against the
6th ranked Oakland rushing defense. QB Terrelle Pryor showed some
serious play-making ability by setting the record for longest quarterback
touchdown rush in NFL history last week vs. the Steelers with a 93-yard
scamper. He is proving himself capable of being a starting quarterback in this
league, and will notch another win to get the Raiders to .500 this week. QB
Nick Foles will get the start for the Eagles, and being that he’s been their
best option this season, I see this one going down to wire with the “Polish
Cannon” K Sebastien Janikowski ending it with seconds remaining.
TB
vs. SEA (-16)
SEA
24-7 (SEA covers spread)
Seattle got outplayed for much of
Monday night’s game vs. division rival St. Louis, and was lucky to hold on in
the end. They will get it cleaned up against a weak opponent with the 12th
man behind them this Sunday. Although Bucs QB Mike Glennon has looked decent
since he replaced QB Josh Freeman, he has not indicated he can hurt a top tier
defense such as Seattle. QB Russell Wilson had a tough game last week and will
put together a solid performance against the visiting Bucs. The Seahawks
average 140.6 rushing yards per game, and will salt this one away with a ball
control, possession approach.
BAL
(-3) vs. CLE
BAL
24-20 (BAL covers spread)
Although these teams have comparable
records at this point in the season, I trust the Ravens experience and
quarterback situation much more than the Browns. Divisional games are always tough,
especially in the AFC North, and this one will be no different. RB Ray Rice has
underperformed this season, only averaging a measly 2.8 yards per carry, and he
will need to pick up his production in order for the Ravens to truly contend
this year. QB Joe Flacco has been average this season, and will also need to
return to the form he displayed in last season’s playoffs for the Ravens to
make a run for the division title. Ultimately, Flacco will outplay QB Jason
Campbell and the Ravens defense will limit the Browns enough to preserve the
victory.
PIT
vs. NE (-7)
NE
21-20 (PIT beats spread)
At 6-2, the Patriots are doing
things the ugly way. I know that doesn’t sound right, but they, including QB
Tom Brady, have looked anything but a Super Bowl contender thus far. The
Steelers took a step back last week by losing to the Raiders, and face a
must-win this week in Foxboro. You would have to think at 2-6, Pittsburgh would
be unable to rebound in order to make a push. That’s why I see this game being
tightly contested throughout. You have two multiple Super Bowl winners going
head to head in what will be a street-fight. QB Ben Roethlisberger will have an
efficient day through the air with a couple of big strikes to WR Antonio Brown.
Let’s face it, even though the Steelers have picked up their running game in recent
weeks, they will win and lose on the right arm of Roethlisberger. Expect a
highly-physical, playoff-type game where the home Patriots will squeak out
another win to move to a shaky 7-2.
IND
(-3) vs. HOU
IND
30-20 (IND covers spread)
The Colts come off their bye to
play a struggling Houston team who may be without star running back Arian
Foster. Indianapolis will have lean more on their other receivers, notably T.Y.
Hilton, Colby Fleener and Darius Heyward-Bay, to cope with the season-ending
injury WR Reggie Wayne suffered vs. Denver. Texans QB Case Keenum is the guy
for the remainder of the season, and will be forced to make more plays if
Foster is unable to go. Lucky for him, he’s got WR Andre Johnson to throw the
ball to as his primary target. The Indianapolis defense has forced 16 turnovers
this season, and will force another 2 big ones along with a couple of sacks
from DE Robert Mathis. QB Andrew Luck continues his big-time play and leads the
Colts to 6-2.
CHI
vs. GB (-11.5)
GB
37-24 (GB covers spread)
I was a little skeptical about
the 11.5 point spread in this game between old-time division rivals. But then I
remembered that Josh McCown is playing quarterback for the Bears, and Aaron
Rodgers is playing quarterback for the Packers. Rodgers showed a great deal of
chemistry with WR Jordy Nelson last Sunday night vs. Minnesota, hitting him on
a couple of big strikes. I know the Bears are sliding and this seems like a
perfect game for them to bounce back, but I don’t see it here with Green Bay starting
to hit its stride. This is a big game in the NFC North, as Chicago is only one
game behind the Packers for first place, but their quarterback situation
prevents me from having strong belief in them being able to make enough plays
in order to keep A-Rod and that explosive offense off of the field.
ADAM
Bengals (-3) vs Dolphins
24-16 Bengals
The Bengals are riding a huge
high coming off a 40 point win against the Jets last week while the Dolphins
come into this Thursday Night matchup losing two games in a row they feel they
should’ve won. Andy Dalton has been on fire lately and will continue his hot
play and will lead the Bengals to a victory over Miami and cover the spread.
Chiefs (-3.5) vs Bills
23-10 Chiefs
I’m surprised the Chiefs are
only 3.5 point favorites going into this matchup. Even though the Bills are at
home and the Chiefs may be looking ahead to their matchup with Denver a little
bit, I see Andy Reid being able to get his team to focus on the game at hand.
Chiefs will ride their strong pass rush that will cause problems for Thad Lewis
and the Bills offense. Chiefs win by 13.
Falcons vs Panthers (-8)
24-17 Panthers
The Panthers have been
rolling as of late. Cam Newton’s confidence is extremely high and the Panthers
defense has been smothering its opponents. The Falcons have been struggling
lately with their many injuries and Matt Ryan’s poor play last week doesn’t
bode well for this week. Panthers will come out on top against the struggling
Falcons but they won’t cover the spread.
Vikings vs Cowboys (-11)
33-16 Cowboys
The Cowboys offense has been
firing on all cylinders as of late. Despite their last second loss last week,
the Cowboys will bounce back and Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will have a field day
against the Vikings secondary en route to a big Dallas victory.
Saints (-6.5) vs Jets
23-17 Saints
Last week was a performance
the Jets will want to forget. No better way to forget about a 40 point loss
than to beat the Saints at home. Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening. I
think the Jets D and Geno will give a better performance than last Sunday but
ultimately Drew Brees and the Saints offense will be too much for the Jets who
will beat the spread but lose the game.
Chargers (-1.5) vs Redskins
20-17 Chargers
Neither of these defenses
have been playing well so far this season. The Redskins offense looked improved
last weekend against Denver but I’m going to go with a rested Phillip Rivers in
this one. Chargers will hit a late field goal to win this one.
Titans (-3) vs Rams
17-13 Titans
The Rams shocked everyone
with their Monday Night performance last week against the Seahawks. Their
defense looked great while their offense left much to be desired. A rested Jake
Locker should be all the Titans need to cover the spread and win this matchup
with the Rams inability to get into the endzone.
Eagles vs Raiders(-3)
14-13 Raiders
In a matchup of Nick Foles vs
Terrell Pryor, I’m going to have to go with Pryor. Pryor was very impressive
last week with his arm and his feet. I don’t think the Eagles defense will be
able to keep up with him for 4 quarters. With the added factor of the Raiders
being at home I am going with the Raiders to squeak by the Eagles.
Buccaneers vs Seahawks (-16)
31-9 Seahawks
Even though the Seahawks beat
the Rams last week it was clearly not their best performance. With this game at
home the Seahawks will easily beat the Buccaneers this week and will keep the
Bucs winless. Fire Schiano anyone?
Ravens (-3) vs Browns
17-14 Browns
The Browns were close to
dethroning the undefeated Chiefs last week and I see them being able to handle
the Ravens at home. There won’t be too much scoring in
this one but the Browns will do enough to come away with a divisional victory.
Steelers vs Patriots (-6.5)
26-14 Patriots
The Steelers can be very bad
at times and this will be one of those times. Tom Brady should be able to have
a good showing on Sunday against this Steelers secondary. Patriots will easily
win this one at home and will cover the spread.
Colts (-3) vs Texans
24-14 Colts
I like the Colts coming off a
bye week here despite the loss of Reggie Wayne. Andrew Luck will be in control
against the Texans defense and I like the matchup of the Colts D against Case
Keenum. Colts won’t be the same without Wayne but will come away with the win
on Sunday night.
Bears vs Packers (-11.5)
26-10 Packers
Aaron Rodgers has been
playing like the bad bad man Stephen A. Smith describes him as. An already
struggling Bears defense without Lance Briggs doesn’t look to be much of a
match for Rodgers and his offense. Packers will cover the spread and win big on
Monday night at Lambeau.
