Picks of the Week

A really good recovery week for the picks.  I am selecting all of the games this week as this weekend is going to be a long, good weekend, and I may not have a better opportunity to enter my selections.

As  a reminder, each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will "pretend" that I bet $100 on each game, with one game each week going for $250. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig, which just makes the math that much simpler. Now, on to the picks.

Baltimore Ravens -2 1/2 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Yes, the dreaded road favorite, however this one makes sense.  The Ravens are 0-3, but are three plays away from being 3-0.  The last 8 minutes of last week's game against Cincinnati was an offensive orchestra.  The Steelers lost Ben Roethlisberger, so they turn to backup Michael Vick, but Vick only gets to prepare for a short week.  At least he has Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell.

Chicago Bears +3 v. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders are favored for the first time in 27 games.  The Bears offense was absolutely anemic, but their defense was really stout against Seattle last week.  At least I think they will keep it close.

New York Jets -1 1/2 at Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins just simply cannot run the ball.  Not at all.   Plus, Fitzpatrick will absolutely make his mistakes, but he is not afraid to air it out.  Brandon Marshall looking for a bit of revenge.

Atlanta Falcons -6 1/2 v. Houston Texans
Can anybody even try to slow down Julio Jones?  Will the Texans try to cover him with J.J. Watt?  Will the Texans get a top pick again?  Stay tuned to find out!

Buffalo Bills -5 1/2 v. New York Giants
It seems like the Bills learned their lesson from the Patriots game as they rebounded nicely against the Dolphins.  The Giants should have Victor Cruz back, but it would be interesting to see if he is in game shape.  UPDATE:  Cruz is now ruled out.  This does not change my pick at all.

Cincinnati Bengals -4 v. Kansas City Chiefs
The Bengals can score points in a hurry, and A.J. Green reminded us that he is absolutely an elite receiver in the NFL.  Kansas City has been disappointing, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Indianapolis Colts -9 v. Jacksonville Jaguars
I actually thought long and hard about this game, as it appears the Colts were drastically overrated at the beginning of the season.  However, there is a possibility that things started to click in the second half last week against Tennessee, and if that is the case, the Jaguars have no chance.  If the Colts did not find themselves and just happened to be playing a bad team, well, Jacksonville is also a bad team.

Carolina Panthers -3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Well, hell, I might as well pick a third road favorite.  The job that Cam Newton is doing so  far - along with Greg Olsen - is absolutely phenomenal.  He has earned the right to the Superman celebration this  year.

Philadelphia Eagles -3 at Washington Redskins
Might as well keep it going.  Washington is horrible and is in absolute trouble.  This team might actually be falling apart.  Philadelphia finally got its offense moving forward against the Jets last week, and should continue against Washington this week.  Like my college roommate Marcus said last week, "Even I don't bet the Redskins".  He is from Washington.

San Diego Chargers -7 1/2 v. Cleveland Browns
I really don't have that much trust in San Diego this year, and this is the exact situation in which I would normally take an underdog getting more than a touchdown. However, Cleveland is a mess, and the word out of town is that there is a mini-revolt among the offensive players over the McCown-Manziel quarterback controversy.

Arizona Cardinals -7 v. St. Louis Rams
Arizona has been one of the three best teams in the league at the start of the season, and it does not look like the Rams have the ability or capability to slow down the Cardinals.

Minnesota Vikings + 6 1/2 at Denver Broncos
It seems as if the old Adrian Peterson has returned.  That is bad new for the rest of the league.

Green Bay Packers -9 at San Francisco 49ers
I am just hoping that this week goes as well as Week 1, when I also selected 5 road favorites.  The Packers are in the conversation as the best team in the league right now, and the 49ers might be looking for a new quarterback soon.  Perhaps a Kaepernick for RGIII trade?

Dallas Cowboys +7 at New Orleans Saints
Brandon Weeden acquitted himself nicely in the shootout agianst Atlanta, leading me to believe that he can at least keep it close against the Saints.  We don't know what we will get from Drew Brees, if anything, but we do know that the Saints were not very good even with Brees.

Seattle Seahawks -9 1/2 v. Detroit Lions
Seattle is close to being Seattle again (although still missing that little something), while the Lions have been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this year.  The Seahawks pick up a little more momentum for their season with a blowout win.

BIG BET OF THE WEEK

Cincinnati Bengals -4 v. Kansas City Chiefs
The Bengals can score points in a hurry, and A.J. Green reminded us that he is absolutely an elite receiver in the NFL.  Kansas City has been disappointing, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  This is my pick of the week because the Chief's secondary has looked incredibly suspect this year, and I look for Andy Dalton to take advantage of them.


Last Week: 9-7
Year-to-Date: 28-19-1
Big Bet Last Week: 1-0
Big Bet Year to Date: 2-1
Winnings (Losses) Last Week: $280
Winnings (Losses) Year to Date: $845