Picks of the Week

Been watching the Ryder Cup, so I don't have it in me to do any real analysis.  Just the picks this week.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  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 to make the math that much simpler.  On to the picks.

Minnesota Vikings +7 at Los Angeles Rams

Chicago Bears -3 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cincinnati Bengals + 3 1/2 at Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions + 2 1/2 at Dallas Cowboys

Buffalo Bills +9 at Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans pick 'em at Indianapolis

Jacksonville Jaguars -7 1/2 v. New York Jets

Miami Dolphins + 6 1/2 at New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles -3 at Tennessee Titans

Arizona Cardinals +3 1/2 v. Seattle Seahawks

Cleveland Browns +2 1/2 at Oakland Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers -10 v. San Francisco 49ers

New Orleans Saints -3 1/2 at New York Giants

Baltimore Ravens +3 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos +3 1/2 v. Kansas City Chiefs

Big Bet
Miami Dolphins +6 1/2 at New England Patriots
Miami usually plays New England tough, even in their heyday.  New England does not seem to tbe as dominating, so I will take the 6 1/2 points.

Last Week's Record: 6-10

Last Week's Big Bet: 1-0
Year-to-Date Record: 23-24-1
Big Bet Year-to-Date: 2-1
Last Week's Winnings (Losses): ($350)
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date: ($205)

Picks of the Week

So, it only took until week 2 for me to have a really bad week.  If it wasn't for the ups-and-downs, sports betting wouldn't be so exciting.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  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 to make the math that much simpler.  On to the picks.

Cleveland Browns +3 v. New York Jets
Home underdog on a short week, while the Jets are playing their third game in 11 days with a rookie starting quarterback. Didn't play out the way I thought, but the pick was still solid.

New Orleans Saints +2 at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is out two key defenders, and gave up a ton or yards and touchdowns to Cam Newton.  What do we think Drew Brees will do.  Plus, Christian McCaffrey had 14 receptions last week, how many will Alvin Kamara have this week.  

Denver Broncos +6 at Baltimore Ravens
We have Denver, which is 4th in Total Offense, against Baltimore, which is second in Total Defense.  I take Denver because Baltimore's stats are skewed due to the fact they played Buffalo in the first game.

Cincinnati Bengals +2 1/2 at Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati is 4th in total points scored at 34 per game.  Yes it's early, but Carolina just gave up 31 to Atlanta.  Win or lose, Cincinnati puts up enough points to keep this close and cover, although I honestly I feel they win outright.

Houston Texans -6 v. New York Giants
You k now the season is rapidly deteriorating for you when everyone is cheering the demotion of the starting right tackle, as the Giants' fans are with Erik Flowers.  The Giants defense has actually performed very well this year, but the Texans pass rush is going to be too much for New York.

Tennessee Titans +10 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert couldn't win in Jacksonville the first time around, and I don't think he will this time, either.  However, I am just not ready to starting betting on Jacksonville giving up double digit spreads.  Leonard Fournette is out again, and the Jaguars are 4-0 in games he does not play. That doesn't mean they will win by 10, though.

San Francisco 49ers +6 at Kansas City Chiefs 
Kansas City has looked great in putting up the most points in the NFL this year (even with only the 6th best Total Offense), but their defense is last overall, last against the pass and 29th in points given up.    Kansas City may win, but San Francisco will put up some points against the Chiefs.  Likewise, San Franscisco is 25th against the pass so expect big numbers from Patrick Mahomes again.

Miami Dolphins -3 v. Oakland Raiders
Oakland is in further disarray, as this week Gruden said "it is hard to find an elite pass rusher", despite just having traded away Khalil Mack.  Now we here that Gruden has his own personal circle of advisers outside of the management of the team.  Who does he think he is, Donald Trump?

Minnesota Vikings -16 1/2 v. Buffalo Bills
This is such an asinine spread that nobody in their right mind should even think about picking it.  But, sometimes there is a line that just seems a little too easy to pick, and there is a reason for that.  I am not taking the easy way on this one.  I hesitantly take the Vikings and give up three scores.

Philadelphia Eagles -6 1/2 v. Indianapolis Colts
The Eagles should get a big boost from Carson Wentz, and should coast to an easy victory in this game.  SHOULD.

Washington Racists +2 1/2 v. Green Bay Packers
A home underdog with the number 1 total defense - and number 1 passing defense - in the NFL in what should be a close game.  Give me the points.  Plus, apparently Aaron Rodgers has a little bit of a knee injury.

Chicago Bears -6 at Arizona Cardinals
To date Chicago has been one of the pleasant surprises of the league and Arizona has been the second worst team in the league.  I'll gladly give these points on the road, although if if was 7 1/2, I would likely select Arizona.

Los Angeles Chargers +7 at Los Angeles Rams
Yes the Rams have looked spectacular.  But, this could be a Super Bowl preview, and I expect Phillip Rivers to keep this game relatively close.

Dallas Cowboys +1 at Seattle Seahawks
I am not sure that I am excited about this matchup at all.  Dallas does have a pretty good pass rush, and Seattle's offensive line looks better than only Florida State's.

New England Patriots -6 1/2 at Detroit Lions
As we all know, I am not a fan or road favorites, but hasn't shown any real life this season, and we know that Belichick is pissed at his team's performance last week against Jacksonville.  So much so that they traded for Josh Gordon.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1 v. Pittsburgh Steelers
Ryan Fitzpatrick against a Steelers secondary that is abysmal. The only reason they aren't ranked worse (15th in pass defense) is because game one was against the Cleveland.  Unleash the FitzMagic!!!

Big Bet
Miami Dolphins -3 v. Oakland Raiders
Oakland is in further disarray, as this week Gruden said "it is hard to find an elite pass rusher", despite just having traded away Khalil Mack.  Now we here that Gruden has his own personal circle of advisers outside of the management of the team.  Who does he think he is, Donald Trump?

I honestly considered a number of games here, but most of those picks were on the road, and giving up 3 points isn't that much to fret over.

Last Week's Record: 6-10-1

Last Week's Big Bet: 0-1
Year-to-Date Record: 17-14-1
Big Bet Year-to-Date: 1-1
Last Week's Winnings (Losses): ($665)
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date: $145

Professional Football Wrap-Up

Exciting Week 2; made even more so by my boy Ortega's birthday.  Lots of people, fun and games.  And my birthday present to him was that the Bears took Khalil Mack off of the  hands of his beloved Raiders.  You're Welcome!!!  Once again, none of the patrons stood for the anthem, Anyway, here are my thoughts from Week 1 of the NFL season.

Game of the Week

Minnesota 29 - Green Bay 29.  Two playoff-contending teams battling it out on the not yet frozen tundra.  Bad calls (the Clay Matthews roughing the passer call - although since he is Clay Matthews he deserved it) and bad kicking decided this sister-kisser.  Other contenders could have been Jacksonville over New England 31-20, but New England was never in this game, or Kansas City defeating Pittsburgh 42-37, but this was never really that close.

Best Team Performance

Jacksonville Jaguars.  Only an 11 point win in the AFC Championship game rematch, but the Jaguars thoroughly dominated New England.  The defense held New England to only 316 total yards, including only 82 yards rushing.  They sacked Tom Brady twice, including a sack, strip, fumble recovery by Dante Fowler, Jr., and Blake Bortles was 29-45 for 377 yards and 4 TDs - against only 1 interception, in Leonard Fournette's absence.  A dominating performance by your new favorites to win the AFC.

Least Impressive Team Performance

Arizona Cardinals.  Second week in a row, but much deserved.  Decimated by the Los Angeles Rams 34-0, and it wasn't even that close.  Sam Bradford threw for only 90 yards (17-27) with an interception, and the entire team only rushed for 54 yards.  They did sack Jared Goff twice and intercepted him once, , but they gave up over 40 yards rushing to Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown, and at least 6 receptions and 60 yards to Cooper Kupp (6/63), Robert Woods (6/81), and Brandin Cooks (7/159).  It is a fight between Arizona and Buffalo for the worst team in the NFL.  Is it time to see Josh Rosen?

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)

Patrick Mahomes, QB - Kansas City Chiefs.  He annihilated Pittsburgh's secondary so bad that you would have thought that Vontae Davis was not the only defensive back to retire at halftime.  He was 23-28 for 326 yards and 6 TDs - and no interceptions.  You read that correctly, Mahomes had more touchdown passes than incompletions!

Honorable Mention goes to Ryan FitzMagic of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who went 27-33 for 402 yards and 4 TDs in Tampa's 27-21 victory over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, his second consecutive game over 400 yards!

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)

Darius Leonard, LB - Indianapolis Colts.  Leonard finished his week 2 game with 18 tackles, 1 sack and a forced fumble in the Indianapolis Colts' unlikely 21-9 win at Washington.

Honorable Mention to Shaquill Griffin of Seattle, with his 2 interceptions in a losing effort against the Chicago Bears.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)

Brandon McManus, K - Denver Broncos.  McManus kicked 2 extra points and 2 field goals, the last from 36 yards with only :06 remaining as the Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 20-19.  If you want to know why we celebrate mundane kicking performances, go ask the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, both of which cut their kickers yesterday.

Least Impressive Individual Performance

Zane Gonzalez, K - Cleveland Browns.  Gonzalez missed both of his extra point attempts, and missed 2 field goals, any of which would have won the game as the Browns fell to the New Orleans Saints 21-18, as Will Lutz showed Browns fans what a kicker is by nailing a 44 yard field goal with :21 left to win the game.

Honorable Mention to Daniel Carlson of the Minnesota Vikings who missed all 3 of his field goal attempts, though he did hit all 3 of his extra points, in the Vikings tie with Packers.  Loses this honor to Gonzalez only because Gonzalez cost his team last week's win as well.

Both kickers were cut yesterday.

Most Surprising Team Performance

Indianapolis Colts.  After losing pretty handily at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Colts went into D.C. and defeated the Racists 21-9, holding Washington to only 65 yards rushing, with 43 of those yards to quarterback Alex Smith and wide receiver Jamison Crowder.  Andrew Luck was not sharp, but closed this game out with a fourth quarter TD pass to T.Y. Hilton for the final margin of victory.  Both teams are now 1-1.

Most Disappointing Team Performance

Pittsburgh Steelers.  Expecting a bounce-back performance after a week 1 tie with Cleveland, Pittsburgh laid an egg against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 42-37 in a game that was never that close.  Pittsburgh's secondary still has yet to make an appearance in the ball game.

Most Surprising Individual Performance
Matt Breida, RB - San Francisco 49ers.  Breida, who was slated to be the 49ers backup running back until Jerrick McKinnon went down, rushed 10 times for 138 yards a 1 TD in San Francisco's 30-27 defeat of the Detroit Lions.

Most Disappointing Individual Performance

Kickers.  See above regarding Zane Gonzalez and Daniel Carlson.

Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)

Chelsea 4-1 over Cardiff City.  Chelsea gave up an early goal in the 16th minute before running off 4 straight, including the winner just before halftime.  Chelsea parlayed 77% possession into 18 shots (7 on goal) in annihilating Cardiff City to remain a perfect 5-0 (along with Liverpool) at the top of the table.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)

Eden Hazard - Chelsea.  Hazard, the engine that makes the Chelsea offense drive scored a natural hat trick with goals in the 37th minute and 44th minute (both from Giroud) and a penalty kick in the 80th minute after Willian drew a foul in the area.

Goat of the Week

Zane Gonzalez, K - Cleveland Browns.  Not to beat a dead kicker, but he lost two games for the Browns now.  And, he is cut.

Goat of the Week (Premier League)

Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur.  The usually prolific scorer Kane managed just 2 measly shots as the Spurs fell 2-1 to Liverpool.  Now losing to Liverpool in and of itself is no shame as they do sit at the top of the table, but Kane has to be more involved in the offense if the Spurs are to challenge for a UCL spot next year (they currently sit in 6th place).

Breakthrough Performance

Brandin Cooks, WR - Los Angeles Rams.  Cooks caught 7 of his 9 targets for 159 yards.  Although Cooks' big play potential has been known, this week's performance shows that he has easily replaced the departed Sammy Watkins in the Rams offense, and is possibly an even better weapon for Jared Goff than even Watkins was.

Comeback Performance

Nathaniel Hackett, OC - Jacksonville Jaguars.  Having learned from the pathetic, stagnant second half in the AFC Championship game, Hackett opened up the offense and let Blake Bortles throw, and this caught the New England Patriots completely by surprise.  In turn, the Jaguars dominated the defending AFC Champions, with the offense playing just as well as the defense.

Finally

Allen Robinson, WR - Chicago Bears.  Robinson flashed lots of potential in his 4 years with the Jaguars.  He only "flashed" because he was often injured.  With 10 catches on Monday night (out of 14 targets), Robinson showed that he can be the big target needed by young Mitchell Trubisky.  Robinson was key on third down converting 4 third downs with his catches to keep drives alive, and the clock moving.

Impact Injury

Joe Mixon, RB - Cincinnati Bengals.  He is only have his knee cleaned, but his speed is incredibly important in the revival of the Bengals offense, and by making the safeties respect the running game, A.J. Green is finding himself more space in which to operate.  Giovanni Bernard is a true veteran backup, but he does not have Mixon's pure speed.

Team Rising

Miami Dolphins - All of a sudden they are 2-0 and in first place in the AFC East.  Yes it is early, but Tannehill has been efficient, and the running game is 6th in the NFL  behind a combination of Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore, who is now fourth on the All-Time rushing list.  With Oakland next at home, they have a good shot to enter New England 3-0.

Team Falling

Seattle Seahawks - They are nowhere near the presence of recent vintage, and it clearly showed as Russell Wilson was running for his life most of the game and the offense could barely muster any drives until the very end of the game..

Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be ranked in the top 5 until there are less than five teams, and then the rankings will consist of my true thoughts and not just records).

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Cincinnati Bengals

Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until there are less than five teams, and then the rankings will consist  of my true thoughts and not just records)

32. Buffalo Bills
31. Arizona Cardinals
30. Oakland Raiders
29. New York Giants
28. Detroit Lions

Middle Teams
(Middle teams based on records until the teams play a significant amount of games to gauge their true ability).

15.  Baltimore Ravens
16.  Chicago Bears
17.  Atlanta Falcons
18.  San Francisco 49ers

Statistic That May Interest Only Me

I mentioned it earlier, but Patrick Mahomes had more touchdown passes (6) than incompletions (5) in the Chiefs victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  For the year Mahomes has 12 incompletions and 10 touchdown passes.

Preview - Game(s) of the Week

4. Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Not because this is going to be a good game between great teams, but because this game is going to be fun.  The Steelers defense is 25th in yards against and they basically have no secondary, and Tampa Bay is 1st in total yards and passing, with 482.5 total yards (405 passing) per game.  Likewise, Tampa Bay is 31st in total defense and passing defense with Pittsburgh being second in both offensively.  Can somebody say "Shootout"?

3. Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens.  Denver is 2-0, and Baltimore is 1-1, with Joe Flacco carrying a 93.5 passer rating.  Denver is second in the NFL in rushing and first in third down defensive percentage.  Baltimore  counters with the 7th best passing offense (8th overall) and the second best total defense (third in passing defense).  This is a game between two teams that will likely be battling for playoff position late in the season.

2. Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers - Another game that could be very important come playoff time.  Cincinati is 4th in the NFL in scoring.and third in rushing defense.  Carolina is 5th in rushing offense and 7th in passing defense.  A big matchup for both teams; can largely determine which one is the most legitimate.

1. Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams - A potential Super Bowl preview.

Trivia

Ben Roethlisberger, with his 452 yards passing against Kansas City, moved into 7th place all time in passing yards with 51,852.  In fourth place in that list is Tom Brady.  Brady, drafted in 2000, is in his 18th season in the NFL.  Who is the only other player drafted in 2000 still active in the NFL?

Sports Bar Review of the Week

Today's review is of Duffy's Sports Grill, 225 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL

Part of a local chain that originated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Duffy's on Clematis was chosen as it is the local spot for my boy Ortega, who turned 53 on Sunday.  His birthday, his choice.  Lots of people, drinks, food and football.

Ambiance is simply generic-themed sports bar.  Lots of televisions, but they are arranged so that you can really only watch one or two at a time.  There does seem to be a constant neck stretch as you turn from one set of cheers to another to see what is going on.  Enough coverage for all the games, but something just isn't great in the setup.

The sports feel/vibe is good.  A ton of Buffalo Bills fans, New York Jets fans and Miami Dolphins fans congregate at this location.  A smattering of almost every other team as well.  All football on Sundays.  This is good.

I ate before I went to Duffys's, but have eaten the food here many, many times.  Very good for a sports bar.  Known for their wings, I find them OK, at best, but the burgers, salads, ribs, and flatbreads are first rate for bar fare.  They serve a fantastic Caribbean chicken with beans and rice, as well.

The beer selection is OK.  Some craft beers, but caters to your bud light/miller lite bucket crowd.  Very few crafts on tap.  More in bottles, but they don't qualify for the two for one special, or at least that is what I was told (even though every other time I have been to any Duffy's they did - so this was weird).  Started with  Bud Light to hydrate, but when I tried to move to the Terrapin Hopsecutioner, I was told that they were not allowed to serve that to me in the 22oz draft because they didn't have enough glasses, and that the small drafts didn't count for two for ones (also weird).  I didn't want the large beer because I am a drunkard, but because we had a party of about 30, and our server had a number of other tables keeping him busy; I didn't want to have to refill as much.  This was a problem.

The server - Nick - himself was awesome.  He hustled the entire time, working up a sweat for sure.  Due to the large size of our party, timing of things wasn't perfect, but that was mostly because of us.  Nick earned his tips for sure!

The bathrooms are tiny, and often the women's room would develop a line in the small hallway leading to the bathrooms.  Rooms are clean though.

Service - Aaron Rodgers (Awesome)
Drinks - Ryan Tannehill (Perfectly adequate)
Food - DeShaun Watson (historically good to date, but unknown on this week)
Cleanliness - Matt Ryan (good, steady, nothing bad)
Sports Accommodations - Matt Stafford (initially looks pretty good, but something is just a little off)
Overall - Joe Flacco (Good, better than most, not quite as great as others)

Rating System Based Upon Career of QBs chosen:  Meaning, even the rating system is subjective.

Trivia Answer

Last Week's Question was:  Chicago Bears LB Khalil Mack had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recover, interception, and touchdown in the first half of Sunday nights' game against the rival Green Bay Packers.  As widely reported, Mack was the first player since Lawrence Taylor in 1982 to record all of those statistics in one half.  Who was the last player in the NFL to accomplish this in a full game?

Khalil Mack - 2016!

Check back in next week.

Picks of the Week

Not only is the NFL back, but so am I.  A great 11-4-1 week, which means this week will probably tank.  We did start off well by winning Thursday.  Let's see if we can keep this going.Cin

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  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 to make the math that much simpler.  On to the picks.

Cincinnati Bengals +1 v. Baltimore Ravens
The classic overreact game, where the Ravens are coming off their shellacking of the Buffalo Bills, to the point where they are road favorites in an intra-divisional game.  This was an easy pick for that reason.

Carolina Panthers +6 at Atlanta Falcons
So the Falcons played really tough against the Eagles on the road last week, but they lost a lot of really good players to injuries, including Safety Keanu Neal, Linebacker Deion Jones and Running Back Devante Freemen.  Julio Jones is still phenomenal, but he doesn't play defense.

Buffalo Bills + 7 1/2 v. Los Angeles Chargers
Yes the Bills are awful, but no they are not starting Nathan Peterman.  That, and given the fact that the Chargers are a west coast team travelling east to play in the early game, which historically - and significantly - favors the east coast team against-the-spread.   Boy is it hard to make this pick, though.  Really, really hard.

Green Bay Packers + 2 1/2 v. Minnesota Vikings
Another pick that it is really hard to make given we don't know Aaron Rodgers's full status.  We do know that he will play, so I will take the points at home.

New Orleans Saints -9 1/2 v. Cleveland Browns
I almost selected the Browns here getting almost 10 points.  But, there is no way this Browns offense is as potent as the Buccaneers offense was last week  (Go FitzMagic!), and to top things off, this Josh Gordon situation has become as problematic as it ever could be for Cleveland and its offense.  When he is on the field he is dynamic.  When he is not, he is a dynamic pain-in-the-ass for the Browns.  New Orleans in a cakewalk.

Miami Dolphins +3 at New York Jets
Another overreacttive line based upon a surprise showing from last week.  Sam Darnold looked pretty good at times, but this should be a lot closer line that 3.  Miami 24-23, once again causing all of the Ryan Tannehill haters to have to be quiet for at least another week.

Kansas City Chiefs +4 at Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner did have a great opening week replacing Le'Veon Bell, but this Steelers team just did not look right last week.  And, if Josh Gordon is going to torch your secondary, guess what Kareem Hunt and Tyreek Hill are going to do.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3 v. Philadelphia Eagles
I promise that this is not an overreaction to Tampa Bay's defeat of New Orleans last week, but more of a reaction to the play, or lack thereof, of Nick Foles.  The Eagles may very well win this game, but it will be close, so I will take the points.

Houston Texans -4 at Tennessee Titans
I hate road favorites, especially in intradivisional games, and doubly especially in games after the favorite looked pedestrian at best.  But then I hear that Blaine Gabbert is going to be making an appearance for the home underdog, and I feel much better.

Washington Racists +6 v. Indianapolis Colts
At some point in time I need to stop underestimate the Racists, especially when playing against mediocre and worst teams, which the Colts certainly are.

Arizona Cardinals +13 at Los Angeles Rams
For those that follow this blog, you know that I thing the Rams were the second best team in the league last week, and the Cardinals were the second worst.  You can see that here.  But, 13 points is a huge number.  Just huge.  I cannot pull the trigger on that big of a spread this early in the season.

San Francisco 49ers -6 v. Detroit Lions
This is another hard pick for me, as there is no way that the Lions play that bad this week.  Also, there is no way Garappolo plays that bad either.  I would feel more comfortable if this was 3 1/2-4 points.  I will still give them.

Denver -6 1/2 v. Oakland Raiders
I have a strong feeling that this Raiders season is going to be a dumpster-fire.  That is all.

New England Patriots +1 1/2 at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have a great defense.  GREAT.  But, they also have Blake Bortles against Tom Brady.  Yes the AFC Championship game was phenomenal and Jacksonville was on Myles Jack fumble recovery for touchdown away from being in the Super Bowl, but they were also one coaching staff afraid to put the ball in the hands of their starting quarterback away as well.  And ... they have the same quarterback.  Plus no -or very limited - Leonard Fournette.

New York Giants +3 at Dallas Cowboys
I don't think either of these teams is very good, thus, I will take the points.

Chicago Bears -3 1/2 v. Seattle Seahawks
Both teams looked lively in losses last week.  I am picking the Bears only because of more Khalil Mack!

Big Bet
Carolina Panthers +6 at Atlanta Falcons
So the Falcons played really tough against the Eagles on the road last week, but they lost a lot of really good players to injuries, including Safety Keanu Neal, Linebacker Deion Jones and Running Back Devante Freemen.  Julio Jones is still phenomenal, but he doesn't play defense.  Too many injuries to the Falcons.

Last Week's Record: 11-4-1

Last Week's Big Bet: 1-0
Year-to-Date Record: 11-4-1
Big Bet Year-to-Date: 1-0
Last Week's Winnings (Losses): $810
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date: $810

Professional Football Wrap-Up

Boy is it good to have the NFL back!!! Despite any of the boycotts, the bar in which I watched the games was PACKED!!!  None of the patrons stood for the anthem, though.  I wonder what that means.  Anyway, here are my thoughts from Week 1 of the NFL season.

Game of the Week

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48 New Orleans Saints 40.   A few games could have taken this honor; Kansas City Chiefs 38 - Los Angeles Chargers 28, Cleveland Browns 21 - Pittsburgh Steelers 21 for example, but by far the most exciting game was Tampa Bay and New Orleans where Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 211 yards in the first half, and Drew Brees threw for even more!  Fitzpatrick - nay FitzMAGIC, finished 21-28 for 417 yards and 4 TDs, while rushing for an additional 36 yards and another score.  Who is this Jameis Winston again?  Drew Brees more than held his own against FitzMagic going 37-45 for 439 yards and 3 TDs.  The quarterbacks combined for ZERO interceptions.  For New Orleans Michael Thomas (180 yards 1 TD) and Alvin Kamara (112 yards, 1 TD receiving, 2 TDs rushing) both finished with over 100 yards receiving, but cold not keep up with the Buccaneers led by DeSean Jackson (146 yards, 2TDs) and Mike Evans (147 yards (1 TD).

Best Team Performance

Baltimore Ravens - Soundly defeated the Buffalo Bills 47-3 at home, and it wasn't even that close.  People around me were taking bets in the first quarter at how soon we would see Josh Allen replace Nathan Peterman.  Crazy thing is, I still don't know if this Baltimore team is any good.

Least Impressive Team Performance

Arizona Cardinals - OK, ok, the actual answer is Buffalo Bills, but I wanted to write about a different game, so this write-up goes to the Cardinals.  Defeated soundly 24-6 at home by the Washington Racists, the Cardinals could only manage 153 passing yards and 68 rushing yards, and only managed to score on a David Johnson touchdown run with 5:47 left in the game and down 24-0.  Although Sam Bradford only threw 1 interception, 20-34 for only 153 will leave fans clamoring for Josh Rosen sooner rather than later.  Only Larry Fitzgerald, with 7 catches for 76 yards, had a decent game offensively for Arizona.  Arizona did sack Alex Smith 3 times, which is something.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)

Ryan FitzMagic, QB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  See above.

For variety, I would like to honorably mention Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Hill caught 7 passes for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also taking a punt return 91 yards for a touchdonwn.  In a league full of fast players, Hill might be the fastest.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)

T.J. Watt - DE, Pittsburgh Steelers - In a game dominated by defensive players (4 total interceptions and 11 total sacks), Watt stood out like no other player.  He finished with 11 total tackles (8 solo, 3 assists) and 4 sacks.  Perhaps most importantly, however, is that Watt blocked the Browns potential game-winning field goal with :06 left in overtime.  The performance of Anthony Hitchens of Kansas City with his 15 tackles also deserves some note.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)

Greg Zeurlein, K - Lost Angeles Rams - Zeurlein kicked 4 field goals, including one from 55 yards, and 3 extra points as the Rams defeated the Oakland Raiders 33-13.

Least Impressive Individual Performance

Nathan Peterman - QB, Buffalo Bills - Peterman finished 5-18 for 24 yards, with 2 interceptions and the Ravens sacked him 3 times in the aforementioned 47-3 shellacking.  At least he didn't throw 5 interceptions in the half.

Most Surprising Team Performance

Washington Racists.  Went into Arizona and annihilated the Cardinals 24-6.  Sure the score is not that impressive, but the Racists held the ball behind the rushing attack of Adrian Peterson ("Burgundy Jesus"?) (96 yards) and Chris Thompson (65 yards) and an efficient Alex Smith (21-30 for 255, 2 TDs, 0 Ints).  The defensive held its own with 2 sacks, and interception and a fumble recovery.

Most Disappointing Team Performance

Atlanta Falcons - Sure the defense played great against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the offense was non-existent with Matt Ryan going 21-143 for 251 yards and the team rushing for only 74 yards total.  At least Julio Jones caught 10 balls for 169 yards.

Most Surprising Individual Performance
Jared Cook - TE, Oakland Raiders.  Cook, who has never had more than the 759 yards receiving he amassed in 2011, his third season in the league, had 9 catches for 180 yards last night, in the 33-13 loss against to the Los Angeles Rams.

Most Disappointing Individual Performance

Ben Roethlisberger - QB, Pittsburgh Steelers.  Although the rushing game did not look like it suffered without Le'Veon Bell (James Conner 135 yards rushing, 2 TDs), Big Ben was only 23-41 (albeit for 335 yards) with 3 interceptions and was sacked 4 times.  Granted two of those sacks were at the hands of Myles Garrett, who looks All-Pro.  Big Ben single-handedly kept the Cleveland Browns in the game as both teams tied 21-21.

Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)

Off weekend for national team play.

Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)

Off weekend for national team play.

Goat of the Week

Dan Quinn, HC - Atlanta Falcons. Why is a coach the goat of the week when his team lost to the defending Super Bowl champions by 6 on the road where they had a legitimate chance to win on the last play of the game?  Because of a decision he made on the very first drive.  On fourth-and-two from the Eagles 2 yard line, Quinn decides to forego a sure 3 points and go for the touchdown, where the Eagles stopped the Falcons and retained the ball on downs.  Although we can never predict the outcome of a game based upon one changed play as the teams would likely have played the game differently - those 3 points would have allowed Atlanta to kick an easy field goal to the tie the game in the 4th quarter and potentially win (or tie) in overtime instead of suffering a loss.

Goat of the Week (Premier League)

Off week for national team play.

Breakthrough Performance

Saquon Barkley - RB, New York Giants.  Barkley, the Giants number 1 draft pick out of Penn State, rushed for 106 yards on 18 carries, and caught 2 passes for 22 yards, living up to the hype of a first round draft pick.  This Giants team, which lost 20-15 at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, has a long way to go, but Barkley is the right person to lead them.

Comeback Performance

Adrian Peterson - RB, Washington Racists.  Yes Peterson briefly and sparingly played at the end of last season, but he truly came back this weekend gaining 96 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving in the 24-6 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals.  Welcome back Burgundy Jesus!!!

Comeback Performance II

Aaron Rodgers - QB, Green Bay Packers.  After being injured in the first half, leading to a DeShone Kizer appearance, Rodgers, clearly hobbled by a left knee injury, returned to throw 3 fourth quarter touchdowns (39 yards to Geronimo Allison, 12 yards to Davante Adamns, and 75 yards to Randall Cobb), leading the Packers back from a 20-0 deficit to defeat the Chicago Bears.

Finally

Myles Garrett - DE, Cleveland Browns.  Although he showed flashes of talent last season, he did not look like a number 1 overall pick should.  Well, now he does.  Garrett had 6 overall tackles, with 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in a performance against a very good Alejandro Villanueva of Pittsburgh.

Impact Injury

Leonard Fournette, RB - Jacksonville Jaguars.  If Aaron Rodgers has to miss significant time, his is the most impactful injury, but since he returned to the game and we don't know Rodgers' long-term prognosis, Leonard Fournette's hamstring is the most important injury primarily because the Jaguars rely so much on defense and running the football, and secondarily because of the tremendous drop-off from Fournette to his backup T.J. Yeldon.

Team Rising

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Dismantled what is supposed to be the best Saints defense in a number of years.  Looking like a potential playoff team from the NFC South, with or without Jameis Winston.

Team Falling

Dallas Cowboys - Managed only 8 points on next-to-no offense in a 16-8 loss to the Carolina Panthers.  Looks like this could be another year outside of the playoffs for Jerry's boys.

Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be ranked in the top 5 until there are less than five teams, and then the rankings will consist of my true thoughts and not just records).

1. Baltimore Ravens
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Washington Racists
5. New York Jets

Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until there are less than five teams, and then the rankings will consist  of my true thoughts and not just records)

32. Buffalo Bills
31. Arizona Cardinals
30. Oakland Raiders
29. New York Giants
28. Dallas Cowboys

Middle Teams
(Middle teams based on records until the teams play a significant amount of games to gauge their true ability).

15.  Carolina Panthers
16.  Pittsburgh Steelers
17.  Cleveland Browns
18.  Chicago Bears

Statistic That May Interest Only Me

All seven new coaches in the NFL, meaning coaches coaching their first game with their current team, lost this weekend, going 0-7.

Statistic that May Interest Only Me, Part 2

Frank Gore of the Miami Dolphins needs only 14 more yards to pass Curtis Martin for 4th place on the all-time rushing chart.  He has 14,087 yards to Martin's 14,101.  Depending upon how the season unfolds, Gore has a shot to pass Barry Sanders, with 15,269 yards, for 3rd place.

Statistic that May Interest Only Me (and Sinickal and Hopps), Part 3

The Cleveland Browns tied Pittsburgh 21-21.  This is the Browns best start to a season since 2004.

Preview - Game(s) of the Week

4. Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers - The Chiefs are flying high behind Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, and will fly into Pittsburgh where they will find a Steelers team that desperately needs to find its way after its week 1 tie with Pittsburgh.

3. Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay will see if they can keep the FitzMagic going against the defending Super Bowl champions, which basically just shut down Atlanta's high flying (see what I did there) offense last week.

2. New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars - In an AFC championship game re-match, the Jaguars must hope to have Leonard Fournette at close to 100% to have a chance.  If they do, it will be interesting to see what adjustments the Jaguars make on offense from last year, and the adjustments Belichick will make as well.

1. Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers - The Packers second divisional rival to ope the season.  This game will match Green Bay's explosive offense with Minnesota's stout defense.

Trivia

Chicago Bears LB Khalil Mack had a sack, forced fumble, fumble recover, interception, and touchdown in the first half of Sunday nights' game against the rival Green Bay Packers.  As widely reported, Mack was the first player since Lawrence Taylor in 1982 to record all of those statistics in one half.  Who was the last player in the NFL to accomplish this in a full game?

Sports Bar Review of the Week

Today's review is of Twin Peaks, Grease Burger Bar, located at 2224 Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL

Although a chain, this place will likely be a staple of this column due to the fact that it has the best television arrangement/setup in my area.  Part of the ever-expanding "breastaurant concept", for those unfamiliar with Twin Peaks it has a hunting lodge theme with bartenders and waitresses in skimpy tied shirts and skirts.

Ambiance is simply generic-themed restaurant.  Large open space with a bar in the middle and an outdoor patio with its own bar.  Lots of large tables for groups that want to come watch games together. 

The sports feel/vibe is good.  As noted earlier, lots of televisions arranged where there is always easy access to at least four games.  Easy to watch for friends that may have different team allegiances, or for fantasy football players keeping eyes on different games.  On football Sundays, games are definitely the focus.

I ate before I went to Twin Peaks, so I cannot rate their menu at this time.

The beer selection is very good.  Lots of regular and craft beers, but Twin Peaks prides itself on the fact that it brews its own selections - Dirty Blonds, Naughty Brewnette and Drop Dead Read, to go with the misogynistic breastaurant theme.  Although noted by one in our party, they do not offer a Smooth Chocolate Stout, which might make some of the waitresses feel left out.  I partook in the Naughty Brewnette which is good, not spectacular.

Service was good, which in my experience is unusual with this establishment.  Waitress Soso (her name) deserves lots of credit for keeping us hydrated.

The bathrooms are spacious, and despite the size of the restaurant, there was never a wait, for the men or women.

Service - Philip Rivers
Drinks - Ben Roethlisberger
Food - Baker Mayfield (i.e. not yet known)
Cleanliness - Drew Brees
Sports Accommodations - Tom Brady
Overall - Russell Wilson

Rating System Based Upon Career of QBs chosen:  Meaning, even the rating system is subjective.

Trivia Answer

Check back in next week.

The Patron Saint Lives

The Patron Saint - Adam "Pacman" Jones lives!!!  He was signed late in the preseason by the Denver Broncos to a one year deal, where he will serve as the primary punt returner and third/fourth corner/defensive back mentor.  Yes, I said mentor.  Don't @me!!!

In Denver, Jones is reunited with head coach Vance Joseph, who served as Pacman's defensive coordinator in 2014 and 2014 when Jones was a Pro-Bowler, having also been named All-Pro in 2014.

PacMan, the 6th pick from West Virginia, is one of 5 remaining first round draft picks from the 2005 NFL draft that is still currently playing in the NFL - a list that includes LBs Thomas Davis (14th pick - Georgia) and Derrick Johnson (15th pick - Texas) and more importantly QBs Alex Smith (1st pick - Utah) and Aaron Rodgers (24th pick - California).  This list also includes standout ESPN/SEC Network analysts Marcus Spears and David Pollock.  Cornerbacks from this first round also included Antrel Rolle (8th pick - Miami), Carlos Rogers (9th pick - Auburn), Fabian Washington (23rd pick - Nebraska) and Marlin Jackson (28th pick - Michigan).

So, how did Jones fare in his initial game with the Broncos?  Jones returned 2 punts for 9 yards (4.5 average) and on defense he had 2 solo tackles - and AN INTERCEPTION!!!  All in a 27 - 24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Long live the Patron Saint!!!

Picks of the Week

Hooray, the NFL is back.  For those of you not boycotting, welcome back to WeMakeItRain's weekly picks.  I am hoping to do much better this year, as last year was really bad.  Honestly, the Super Bowl saved me, correctly picking the winner against the spread (Philly + 4 1/2 - Big Bet), the money line (Philly + 170) and the under on Pink's national anthem (2:00).  Only the final score 41-33 got me as I took the under (49).  Anyways, the Super Bowl got me an additional $410, leaving my losses for the year at $670.  Here's to a new year.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  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 to make the math that much simpler.  On to the picks.

Atlanta Falcons pick 'em over Philadelphia Eagles
Only because of the Super Bowl hangover.  These two teams are really close, and it would take a dumb coaching mistake like going for it on fourth down on the first drive to keep Atlanta from winning.  Oh ....

Buffalo Bills +7 1/2 at Baltimore Ravens
This is not last year's Buffalo playoff team, as Nathan Peterman takes the helm instead of Tyrod Taylor.  In addition, the Ravens defense should be really good.  But, I just don't know if the Ravens can score enough to be favored over a touchdown.

Cleveland Browns +3 1/2 v. Pittsburgh Steelers
No, this isn't a bet because I am enamored with the Browns because of their appearance on some HBO show, like many of you who have them as the favorite bet on the board to win the AFC North.  This is because Cleveland usually plays Pittsburgh close, is at home, and the Steelers might be in a bit of disarray over Le'Veon Bell holding out.  Close game, either way.  I'll take the points.

Cincinnati Bengals +2 at Indianapolis Colts
Andy Dalton is Andy Dalton, which should be concerning for the Bengals.  But, we don't know what we have with Andrew Luck, and we certainly do not have an established rusher in Indianapolis either.  Cincinnati to win outright.

Miami Dolphins pick 'em over Tennessee Titans
I honestly don't know where to go here.  Young defense for the Dolphins, and losing their "best" receiver in Jarvis Landry.  Somehow I think this makes the offense more harmonious, and gives all the Ryan Tannehill haters another week to eat crow - at least until next week.  I still don't think we know what we have in Marcos Mariota, and he is going to have to find a receiver that he feels comfortable with.  So, Dolphins.

Minnesota Vikings -6 v. San Francisco 49ers
Only because we are not supposed to read a lot into preseason.  Kirk Cousins did not look particularly well, and that scares me, and it should the Vikings fans.  But, on the bright side, Dalvin Cook is back.  San Francisco travelling east and playing early (although not quite to the Eastern time zone) cannot help.  Without an establishes rusher yet to help Garappolo could hurt the 49ers offense.  But, look for Marquise Goodwin to have a big year at Wide Receiver.

Houston Texans +6 1/2 at New England Patriots
If DeShaun Watson is fully healthy, they could win this game outright.  If partly healthy, he is mobile enough to make life hell for the New England defense and keep this close.  Tom Brady is Tom Brady, so this very well could be the game of the day, but I remember that Blake Bortles ran on this New England defense in the playoffs - and Bortles is not DeShaun Watson.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +10 at New Orleans Saints
I am not ready to give up double digit points in any bet at this stage of the season.  New Orleans defense was much improved last year, and their offense is, well, their offense.  But 10 points in a divisional matchup is a lot. Let's say Ryan Fitzpatrick - starting for the suspended Jameis Winston - throws a late touchdown to lose by 9.

Jacksonville Jaguars -3 at New York Giants
I usually hate road favorites, but this Jaguars defense is LOADED.  Their offense is suspect, but the Giants were really bad last year.  Some improvement on the offensive line is expected with Nate Solder coming over in free agency and the drafting of Will Hernandez, but we will have to see about that.  I imagine Saquon Barkley is going to get a lot of touches, and see a lot of Telvin Smith.

Kansas City Chiefs + 3 1/2 at Los Angeles Chargers
Two teams with lots of expectations, but also lots of question marks.  Will Kansas City's offense be as dynamic behind Patrick Mahomes?  Has Los Angeles shaken the injury bug to key players?  Is Phillip Rivers going to play forever?  I'll take the points, since I think Kansas City can still score in bunches, and make it hard for the Chargers to run away with this one.

Arizona Cardinals -2 v. Washington Racists
Arizona's defense is stout, and David Johnson is back.  That alone should keep Arizona ahead of Washington.  Adrian Peterson has been  named the starting running back in Washington, and as great as he has been in his career (when healthy), we don't exactly know what he has left in the tank.  Alex Smith should be a steadying had for Washington for the year, but not today.

Carolina Panthers -3 v. Dallas Cowboys
Carolina is one of those teams that could be playoff bound, or go 6-10.  We really don't know.  Cam Newton has all the talent in the world, but doesn't always make the right decisions.  Dallas - a team that relies on its stellar offensive line play - is going to be hurt by Travis Frederick's absence due to Guillaume-Barre Syndrome, and we don't know who on the Cowboys will catch a pass.  I'll take Carolina at home.

Denver Broncos -3 v. Seattle Seahawks
Case Keenum better be the answer for this Broncos team, as their window could be closing.  Von Miller is one of the 4 or 5 best defensive players in the league, and rookie Royce Freeman could be the solidfying factor in the backfield.  Seattle might be in for a long season.  Look for Shaquem Griffin to make his first start, and Sebastian Janikowski to kick for a non-Raider team for the first time since 1999 (Florida State).

Chicago Bears +7 at Green Bay Packers
The Packers may still win this game, but with a revamped offense (scheme and players) and a potentially top-5 defense, the Bears are coming up in the NFC North.  Seven points just seems like a lot even for Aaron Rodgers.  I expect a big season from Jimmy Graham, as Rodgers has given lesser tight ends great seasons.

New York Jets +7 at Detroit Lions
The Jets are stating the rookie Sam Darnold in game 1, and that will probably lead to a few mistakes.  But, perhaps, could give the Jets some hope.  I would love nothing more than the Jets fans to have hope for a better future that never comes!  I suspect Detroit will win this game, but maybe by 6.

Los Angeles Rams -4 at Oakland Raiders
The Rams have loads of talent on both sides of the football, and the Raiders just traded their best player, and have a coach who has been out of the locker room for 10 years.

Big Bet
Los Angeles Rams -4 at Oakland Raiders
The Rams have loads of talent on both sides of the football, and the Raiders just traded their best player, and have a coach who has been out of the locker room for 10 years.  That is really all I have to say here.

Last Week's Record:

Last Week's Big Bet:
Year-to-Date Record:
Big Bet Year-to-Date:
Last Week's Winnings (Losses):
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date: