Category: sports betting

NFL Week 2: Thursday Night Football Prediction

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium, 8:20 PM, NFLN (Panthers -7, O/U: 48.5)
Jameis Winston couldn’t seem to get out of his own way last week against the 49ers. He accounted for all 4 of the Buccs turnovers including 3 interceptions, which two were brought back for touchdowns. Bruce Arians seems to have a short memory with Winston so far, keeping him as a starter for tonight. Ronny Jones III had a solid opening game to his sophomore campaign as he tries to solidify the back who will get the biggest workload. Jones went 75 yards on 13 carries while also catching a pass for 18 yards. Cam Newton had a solid outing to start the season against the Rams. He had a hard time moving the ball through the air, averaging less than 10 yards per completion. Panthers fans however, got to enjoy watching another stellar performance from Christian McCaffrey who had over 200 yards from scrimmage, leading the team in rushing and receiving, and had 2 rushing scores. Tonight’s game will mark Gerald McCoy’s first game against his old team since he had spent his first 9 years in the league with Tampa Bay. The thing that hurt the Panthers last week was giving the Rams short field drives early in the game. They will not drop 2 home games in back to back weeks. Take the Panthers to cover in the win, in the under, Panthers 27-17.

NFL Week 1 Recap with Splits

It was a crazy first week with some fairly predictable outcomes and some shockers.  To make it clear, these are based on my predictions.  We’ll quickly run through them both.

Predictable:

  1. A healthy Aaron Rodgers beats the Bears and the so-so Trubisky.
  2. Vikings defense tough at home.
  3. Bills going into MetLife and stealing one with Singletary looking good!
  4. Chiefs blowing out the Jags on only being a -3.5 favorite.  How this wasn’t everyone’s “lock of the week” I’ll never understand.
  5. Andrew Luck-less Colts covering on a big spread for a Chargers team that barely has a home fan base.  Always feels like a neutral field.
  6. Texans covering but the Saints breaking a 5 year opening game winless draught, however, I was sweating bullets with less than 3 to go, what an ending to that game!
  7. Finally, “The Raiders” (in my Boomer Raiders voice), wining outright at home.  The AB drama left, the fans made that known with “F*** AB” chants throughout the game.  Josh Jacobs looked awesome in his debut.  Watch out for the Raiders this year.

Shocking:

  1. The low scoring affair between the Packers and Bears.
  2. The Dolphins looking like they got caught in a Whalers net.  DOA to the stadium.
  3. Foles breaking his clavicle in his first half of football with the Jags (on a TD pass of course).
  4.  Browns disappointing home opener after all the preseason hype.
  5. Eagles allowing a TD in the last minute of the game to ruin this bet……thanks….
  6. Bengals kept the pace with the Seahawks in Seattle.
  7. Arizona clawing back into that game in the 4th.  The first 3 quarters was how I saw that whole game going when writing my prediction.  This game also robbed me of a win on the predictions…..grrr….Could’ve been a stellar week at 11-5 if not for the last minute of this and the Eagles game…but that is NFL betting for you.
  8. Steelers flopping in New England & New England coming out guns blazing after their last few season openers being fairly close games.
  9. Texans rushing game with Hyde and Johnson combining for 19 carries for 140 yards (7.4 yards per carry).
  10. The ending to that Texans/Saints game….I haven’t picked my jaw up yet, wow!  Fun game!

Week 1 is now in the books, hit your waiver wire to get rid of the scrubs that looked like garbage for your fantasy team.  9-7 (56%) is a pretty good start for week one.  56% is where we want the baseline but always are looking to finish as high above that mark as possible.  Look for my NFL Week 2: Thursday Night Football prediction Thursday afternoon/early evening.  Check out week 1’s results and the splits on my picks below to see where you might take my advise or not going forward.

NFL Week 1 Results.png

NFL Week 1 Results Splits.jpg

NFL Week 1: Monday Night Football

Houston Texans @ New Orleans Saints, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, 7:10 PM, ESPN (Saints -6.5, O/U: 52.5)

The Texans made some moves this offseason to help Lamar Miller and the rushing game and it proved necessary as Miller is lost this season before the preseason ended to a knee injury. They traded for Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde, who are a good enough tandum to be effective enough. They also valued Watson’s blindside (Tunsil) more than a second elite pass rusher (Clowney). The Saints had back to back disappointing losses in the playoffs to end their season, last year on a brutal non call PI. Not a bunch changed on their roster but with Murray replacing Ingram and Cook coming in for a hole at TE coming off of a great year with Oakland should keep their offense on track. Saints end a 5 year opening week winless drought by winning but take the Texans to cover in the over, Saints 31-27.

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 10:20 PM, ESPN (Raiders +3, O/U: 42.5)

The Broncos have been waiting for years and finally, they have someone to lead their offense in Flacco. Philip Lindsay is back 100% from his broken wrist in the last game of last year, building off an amazing performance as an undrafted rookie. Flacco will have two great young receivers in Sutton and Hamilton to throw to as well as veteran Sanders. The defense pretty much stayed the same, should continue to dominate. The Raiders were mired by the AB drama between the frostbitten feet, helmet issues and GM/fines/contract issues, they still showed on HBO’S “Hard Knocks” that they had still worked hard despite all of that and played fairly well fitting their pre season games. Impressive undrafted rookie Kellan Doss comes back from his week on the Jaguars practice squad to sign a decent deal to be on the 52 man roster to fill in for AB’s spot. He will see plenty of targets after his impressive pre season. Josh Jacobs was drafted to be the feature back for the offense and from what he showed in his limited carries in the pre season, we’re in for a treat. I may be a bit high on them but take the Raiders to cover in the upset win in the under, Raiders 21-20.

2019 NFL Week 1: Sunday Games

The first full Sunday of games is upon us! We opened off with a sweet but nail biting cover with the Packers, lets continue that momentum in probably the hardest weeks to bet on NFL football.

Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings, U.S. Bank Stadium, 1:00 PM, FOX (Vikings -3.5, O/U: 47)

Devonta Freeman is not as strong of a feature back as he once was years ago. Hampered by injuries, the Falcons had to go out and get him some insurance/backup to help with the load, in Ito Smith. They are stocked full at receiver power though with Jones, Ridley and Sanu. It’ll be tough to cover all 3 guys effectively. For the Vikings, Thielen had the NFL’s 4th most receptions last year with 113 while Diggs had a career high 102 catches. With Cook back 100%, the offense is at full capacity with weapons at Cousin’s disposal to match their strong defense. Take the Vikings to cover in the under, Vikings 24-20.

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, 1:00 PM, CBS (Dolphins +7, O/U: 40)

The Ravens are all in on revamping their offense and signed Ingram to lead their backfield as they’ve been searching to rediscover a talented back. With Jackson and Ingram’s running abilities, look for many RPO’s and read options to counter Jackson arm but don’t expect to see 300+ through the air as they lack heavily at receiver and don’t really have a true #1 guy there. The Dolphins saw how their Florida counterparts (Buccs) had successes with Fitzmagic however, they too are without a decent receiving corps and lack a true #1 guy on the outside. Having Drake carry the ball mixed with Balage helps but this one will probably be a snoozer. Take the Ravens to win but the Dolphins to cover in the under, Ravens 20-14.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets, MetLife Stadium, 1:00 PM, CBS (Jets -2.5, O/U: 41)

Allen showed flashes of his potential all season last year and it was shocking given his supporting cast being below average. Don’t believe me? Don’t watch many Bills games? Watchin his game against the Viking last year. After offloading Shady McCoy, they’re looking to the impressive in camp and preseason rookie, Singletary, to take most of the workload along with Gore mentoring him up. Allen still doesn’t have anything to write home about in the receiving corps but he’ll make it work. The Jets went out and snatched up Bell after his drama with the Steelers last year where he sat out the whole year seeking a new contract. He will take some pressure off of young Darnold as there wasn’t much of a running game for him to rely on last year in his rookie season. They have some ok receivers but are thin on talent there. Take the Bills to cover in the over, Bills 27-18.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Jacksonville Jaguars, TIAA Bank Field, 1:00 PM, CBS (Jags +3.5, O/U: 50.5)

Losing Hunt didn’t seem to slow this offense as other guys stepped up and filled the roll nicely. Don’t get me wrong, he’s dynamic and offered you a lot of options when using him, but Williams is capable to doing similar things. Mahomes stunned in his first year starting (2nd year in the league) with 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns. The Chiefs led the NFL in scoring with 35.3 points per game (7 touchdowns) which is unbelievable! Reid had Shady McCoy signed to give another weapon to use in the backfield as he can be very shifty and elusive. Adding the Honey Badger for their secondary was a nice upgrade to their air defense. The Jags moved on from Bortles and signed Foles who had been great for the Eagles and even led them to a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots a few seasons ago. The last time he left the Eagles, he didn’t fair to well so we’ll see if he can keep his play up still having a decent supporting cast around him. They also added Conley from the Chiefs to help the receiving corps with the loss of Robinson to the Bears. Fournette still hasa bunch to prove since he hasn’t played to his potential and is reported to have worked hard this off season to improve his game and personal life. I can’t believe this game is only at 3.5 points. Take the Chiefs to win in the over, Chiefs 35-20.

Los Angeles Rams @ Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium, 1:00 PM, FOX (Panthers +1.5, O/U: 49.5)

Goff resigned quietly to match the output he’s had the last few seasons under McVay (last year: 4,688 yards with 32 TD’s). Gurley, Woods, Cooks and Kupp are all healthy and they are all explosive. The offense especially suffered without Kupp. They added some veteran defensive pieces in Clay Matthews and Eric Weddle. Cam had shoulder surgery in the offseason, then had a scare with an ankle injury in the pre season but his supporting cast stays the same (CMC, Moore, Samuel, Olsen). Defense moves to a 3-4 so there could be a learning curve yet with that going into the season. Take the Rams to cover in the under, Rams 24-20.

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns, FirstEnergy Stadium, 1:00 PM, CBS (Browns -5.5, O/U: 45)

Mariotta still hasn’t started 16 games in a season which is problematic when talking about your franchise guy.  After a strong 2016, he’s had a rough go with a TD/INT ratio of 1/1 and barely cracks 3,000 when he does play most of the season. The Titans defense proved tough under new head coach Vrabel and will continue that trend this year.  The Browns added OBJ to the opposite side of the offense alongside former LSU teammate Landry.  They also will be led by Nick Chubb in the backfield with newly signed Hunt sitting 8 weeks on suspension from his time with the Chiefs.  Baker had a solid rookie season with a 2/1 TD/INT ratio, led the Browns to a handful of unforeseen wins given their 1-31 record the previous 2 seasons and even had the pull to get his OC and coach fired early in the season.  Take the Browns to cover in the under, Browns 27-13.

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles, Lincoln Financial Field, 1:00 PM, FOX (Eagles -10, O/U: 44.5)

The Redskins will have Guice back after being lost all of last year with a knee injury.  AP was figured to be shuffled in with Guice and Thompson but as of Sunday morning, AP may be deactivated and the Skins will only suit 2 backs.  They are very young at receiver and have a very average quarterback in Keenam.  The Eagles will have Wentz back 100% and doubled down on his health by allowing Foles to fly the coup to the Jags to start there.  Desean Jackson is back in town and looking to continue what he does best in a high powered offense, take the tops off defenses.  Eagles also added depth in their backfield by signing Howard from the Bears and drafting Sanders from PSU with Sproles coming back for what seems to be his last season.  We have our first HUGE line on the young season.  Take the Eagles to cover in the under, Eagles 28-10.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks, CenturyLink Field, 4:05 PM, CBS (Seahawks -9.5, O/U: 44.5)

The Bengals are without star receiver Green for at least this week and maybe the next 2 which leaves them shorthanded in their air attack.  Mixon looked great in his rookie season with 1,100 yards and 8 TD’s even with injuries to their top offensive guys like Dalton and Eifert who were out for large chunks of the season.  Dalton and Eifert are back at 100% however.  The Seahawks were in desperate need of a turnaround seeing their defense slip from Legion of Boom to middle of the road.  They went out and traded for Clowney to add to the front/pass rush as Wagner still leads them.  Wilson has been consistent over his career and is finding himself with a running game that he can rely on again.  Take the Seahawks to cover in the under, Seahawks 24-14.

Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Chargers, StubHub Center, 4:05 PM, CBS (Chargers -6.5, O/U: 44.5)

Luck’s retirement caught everyone off guard.  Luckily they had traded for Brissett a few years ago when Luck had nagging, reoccurring injuries that made him miss a bunch of games.  When Brissett played, he played fairly well.  In 2017, he played most of the year in Luck’s absence and piled up over 3,000 yards and had a 2/1 TD/INT ratio.  With Mack in his second season in the backfield, the addition of Funchess to the receiving corps and Ebron building on a career year last year (750 yards and 13 TD’s), look for the Colts to not miss much of a beat over Luck’s departure.  The Chargers however are missing key players in key roles.  No Gordon due to a holdout, no Williams who singed with the Raiders and no James on the defensive side of the ball with an injury.  Mix that with no Gates for the first time in 15 years and Rivers has an uphill climb to start the season.  Take the Colts to win in the over, Colts 24-21.

Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals, University of Phoenix Stadium, 4:25 PM, FOX (Cards +3, O/U: 46.5)

The Lions had a rough first year under Patricia during his rookie campaign as head coach.  New additions will help the Lions get back on track with Flowers on the defensive side and Amendola on the offensive side.  Johnson will once again lead the backfield as he was one of the few bright spots on this offense last year during his rookie season as he averaged a massive 5.4 yards per carry.  Stafford will still have Golladay and Jones after Kearse went down with a potential career ending leg injury in the pre season.  The Cardinals drafted quarterbacks in back to back years in the first round.  As they selected the 5’10” Murray, they eventually then traded Rosen to the Dolphins.  Murray didn’t look fantastic in the pre season but with a great offensive mind like rookie head coach Kingsbury, he could flourish.  Johnson needs to get back to his 2016 self soon as he’s been ineffective the last few seasons though not all his fault as the offensive line hasn’t done it’s job either.  Adding Terrell Suggs on the defensive side of the ball is a great pass rushing pairing with Chandler Jones.  Take the Lions to win in the under, Lions 24-17.

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium, 4:25 PM, FOX (Cowboys -7, O/U: 45.5)

The Giants are trying to fool everyone here.  Trading away start receiver OBJ to solely put the offense on Barkley given his 2,000+ yards from scrimmage in his spectacular rookie season.  The Giants are thin at receiver and now are relying on Sheppard as their #1 guy with Engram continuing to build on his successes at TE.  Question is, how long does Manning last before the impressive rookie Jones comes in?  The Cowboys spent the entire offseason talking about money.  With Zeke holding out and feuding with Owner Jerry Jones up until late last week, Zeke hasn’t been with the team all pre season.  Cowboys are assuring us that he is game ready.  Dak stayed quiet and poised that they will have a great year and it is promising with Cooper having a tremendous impact on the offense last year and Gallop looking great his rookie year along with the surprising emergence of Vander Esche in the middle of their defense, 2019 is looking up for the Boys.  Take the Cowboys to win in the over, Cowboys 31-20.

San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium, 4:25 PM, FOX (Buccs -1, O/U: 51)

Jimmy G is back 100% from his season ending knee injury and really nothing much has changed on his offense to improve the squad he left.  He looked good for the 9ers in 2017 ending the season going 5-0 after being traded but only lasted 3 games last year.  Receiving corps is still thin, there’s not really a #1 feature back behind Jimmy G and the defense struggled at times.  The Buccs ring Arians out of retirement as this could be Winston’s last chance to prove himself before his out as starter.  He loses Desean Jackson on the outside but still has Evans, Godwin and OJ Howard to throw to.  Barber and Jones will split the backfield but neither have looked like the feature back the team needs.  Take the Buccs to win in the under, Buccs 24-20.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots, Gillette Stadium, 8:20 PM, NBC (Patriots -5.5, O/U: 49.5)

Brown and Bell both gone, 2 explosive players.  Enter in Conner (973yards and 12 TD’s rushing) who proved he could give the Steelers just as good a chance to win games as Bell with less gruff and the emergence of JuJu (111 catches and 7 TD’s in 2018) and James Washington on the outside and it’s as if the Steelers really won’t seem to miss a beat and just offloaded a bunch of drama.  Steelers also have been rebuilding their defense through the draft with TJ Watt a few years ago and now Devin Bush Jr just this season.  Brady loses Gronk and will be without rookie standout Harry to kickoff the season against the Steelers in which he is a perfect 8-0 at Gillette against them.  Brady will always be a quarterback that makes hero’s out of guys you’ve never heard of but this year will be different with Josh Gordon being back, Edelman, Dorsett, Demaryius Thomas and now Antonio Brown in the receiving corps.  A major bright spot last year was Michel becoming the feature back as a rookie and looks to have that locked up for as long as he plays well.  The only thing against the Patriots at home is that they’re known to start seasons a little slow, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Take the Steelers to cover in the loss, in the over, Patriots 31-27.

Colin Cowherd’s Blazin 5:

  • LA Rams at Carolina – LA Rams (-1.5)
  • Atlanta at Minnesota – Atlanta (+4)
  • Indianapolis at LA Chargers – Indianapolis (+6.5)
  • Pittsburgh at New England – Pittsburgh (+6)
  • Houston at New Orleans – Houston (+7)

2019 NFL Kickoff Week 1: Thursday Night Football Spread Pick/Prediction

Welcome to week one of the NFL’s 100th season!  These off-seasons seem to get longer and longer as the years go on but that’s only thanks to the 24/7 NFL news cycle.  It also gave me a long time to think about the very average follow up I had in 2018 (51%) to the successes of my 2017 season (56%).  Don’t worry, I’m refreshed, recharged and packing a big ol’ punch for this season.  There have been many dramatic stories around the league to keep us all busy during the summer that any normal fan would feel worn out before even a minute is played this year already, but there’s always something special about opening day.

From Le’Veon Bell signing with the Jets for less money than he sat out for/demanding from the Steelers, to Antonio Brown’s freezer burnt feet and helmet issues, Ezekiel Elliot and Melvin Gordon pulling the holdout card Bell made so famous, then Zeke signing a huge deal given the very thin market for dynamic backs and the Chargers telling Gordon to forget about signing a massive deal in LA and that he should seek a trade, to the sad retirement of one of the games top quarterbacks, Andrew Luck, just a few weeks before the season starts.  It has been a whirlwind with many changes and new names and faces in new places but we’ve made it.  The time is now and kickoff is here, let’s get after it!

Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears, Soldier Field, 8:20 PM, NBC (Bears -3, O/U: 46.5):

We go into the opening day of the 100th year with the most storied rivalry in the league’s history. We got a glimpse of how great it is nearly a year ago when the then newly acquired Khalil Mack dominated the first half of the game and gave the Packers and their fans a scare when he hobbled Rodgers with a few hits and injured his knee.  Rodgers goes into the half, doses up on some major pain killers and comes out and blows up the Bears secondary and their 20 point lead to win 24-23 and then gave a hilarious post game interview, clearly high on pain meds mixed with the high of beating their fiercest division rival.  We will get much of the same tonight but hopefully with less knee torqueing on Rodgers since that plagued him most of last season (I know, I’m a Packers homer).

High Rodgers

This year the Bears are trying to build off of their 12-4, NFC North division champs season last year that catapulted them from a bottom 8 team to a playoff caliber team that ended in the playoffs with the ill fated Cody Parkey “double doink”. Most of the significant changes were the addition of Mack but also the offensive efficiency due to a coaching change.  The Bears would game-plan the scripts of their first few drives of each game pretty well in order to get games off to good starts and for Trubisky to build confidence.  Out of their 43 offensive touchdowns, 24 of them were in the first half (56%).  Their running game has something to prove and will have a challenge with having a younger/unproven backfield in which will more than likely split the workload between 3 different backs, at least at first.

The Packers will come to the season opener with a new coach Matt LaFleur, coaching staff, offense and have a young receiving corps lead by Davante Adams given the deductions over the last two seasons of mainstays Randall Cobb (Dallas Cowboys) and Jordy Nelson (retiring after spending last year in Oakland).  The Packers also discovered a running game in Aaron Jones last year before he was lost to the season with injury.  He is poised to bounce back this year, hopefully giving the Packers a 1,000 yard back again and continue on the TD tear he was on last year where he scored 8 TD’s in 7 games before his injury.  The Packers last 1,000 yard rusher was way back in 2013 and 2014 when Eddie Lacy squeaked over the mark in back to back years (1,178/1,139).  In Rodger’s 11 years as a starter, he’s only had 4 years with a 1,000 yard back.  Lastly, the Packers have invested in their defense through the draft and even picked up former Bear safety, Adrian Amos, in free agency.  It could be the Packers best defense since their Super Bowl win in 2010.

The Packers will catch the Bears off guard with the full playbook of the Packers offense being unveiled in a special rivalry meeting.  I may be a homer here but you also have to look at it as a matchup of QB’s as in, who would you take? Take the Packers to beat the Bears and cover in the over, Packers 27-20.

Week 17: Sunday Games

This week is always tough to figure out given all of the top teams sitting starters, dare I say harder than trying to figure out week 1.  I’ll give it my best shot as usual.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay, 1:00p, FOX (Buccs +2, O/U: 52)

A meaningless divisional battle but not a totally meaningless game as for some, it’s an audition for a roster spot next year and bragging rights over the other team. The spread records for these two aren’t great but Tamp has covered more games surprisingly. Take the hotter team (as of late) the Falcons to cover in the under, Falcons 28-24.

Carolina at New Orleans, 1:00p, FOX (Saints -7, O/U: 42.5)
The Panthers are down to their 3rd starting quarterback as Cam has been shutdown for the year. McCaffrey hauled in most of the workload last week and it still wasn’t enough. The Saints are starting Teddy Bridgewater as they rest some guys for the playoffs. The Saints have been fortunate enough all year to not have to deal with many injuries to key players and they have good depth. Take the Saints in the over, Saints 27-17.
Dallas at N.Y. Giants, 1:00p, FOX (Giants -6, O/U: 41)

Take the Cowboys to cover in the loss, in the over, Giants 24-20.

Detroit at Green Bay, 1:00p, FOX (Packers -7.5, O/U: 44.5)

Take the Packers to cover in the over, Packers 31-23.

Jacksonville at Houston , 1:00p, CBS (Texans -7, O/U: 39.5)

Take the Texans in the over, Texans 27-17.

Miami at Buffalo, 1:00p, CBS (Bills -5.5, O/U: 39.5)

Take the Bills to cover in the over, Bills 27-21.

N.Y. Jets at New England, 1:00p, CBS (Patriots -14, O/U: 46)

Take the Jets to cover in the loss, in the over, Patriots 28-21.

Oakland at Kansas City, 4:25p, CBS (Chiefs -14, O/U: 52.5)

Take the Chiefs to cover in the over, Chiefs 36-20.

Cleveland at Baltimore, 4:25p, CBS (Ravens -6.5, O/U: 41)

Take the Browns to cover in the loss, in the under, Ravens 21-17.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh , 4:25p, CBS (Steelers -14, O/U: 45)

Take the Steelers to cover in the under, Steelers 28-13.

Chicago at Minnesota, 4:25p, FOX (Vikings -6, O/U: 40)

Take the Vikings to cover in the over, Vikings 28-20.

Philadelphia at Washington, 4:25p, FOX (Redskins +6.5, O/U: 42.5)

Take the Eagles to cover in the under, Eagles 24-17.

Arizona at Seattle, 4:25p, FOX (Seahawks -14, O/U: 39.5)

Take the Seahawks to cover in the over, Seahawks 31-10.

L.A. Chargers at Denver , 4:25p, CBS (Broncos +7, O/U: 43)

Take the Chargers in the over, Chargers 31-20.

San Francisco at L.A. Rams, 4:25p, FOX (Rams -10.5, O/U: 49.5)

Take the 49ers to cover in the loss, in the over, Rams 31-20.

Indianapolis at Tennessee, 8:20p, NBC (Titans +5, O/U: 43.5)

Take the Colts to cover in the over, Colts 28-20.

Colin Cowherd’s Blazin 5:

Cleveland at Baltimore – Cleveland (+6)

Week 16: Monday Night Football

Denver vs. Oakland, 8:20p, ESPN (Raiders +3, O/U: 42.5)

Talk about losing track of what day it is not to mention a meaningless game to the majority of football fans right before Christmas. I totally forgot about this one. Take the Broncos in the over, Broncos 24-20.

Week 16: Saturday Night Football

Washington vs. Tennessee, 4:30p, NFLN (Titans -11, O/U:38)

Derrick Henry has 408 yards and 6 touchdowns in the last 2 weeks. It’s kept defenses honest and allowed Mariota to keep completions up. The Redskins defensive front is still strong and may force the Titans to even out their play calls. For starting a quarterback who hasn’t started and played a full game since 2011, Josh Johnson looked good. He showed he could still play and use his legs to get the yards they need. Peterson is so close to 1,000 yards and he’ll get it but not by much as this defense is too good.

Last week both teams had impressive wins (Redskins over the Jags and Titans blanking the Giants). The better defense will control and win this game. Expect this one to be close. Take the Redskins to cover in the loss, in the over, Titans 18-16.

Baltimore vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20p, NFLN (Chargers -4, O/U: 42.5)

In just 5 starts, Lamar Jackson has the Ravens at 4-1 with an OT loss against the Chiefs. He hasn’t been terrible when he’s thrown the ball but offers something the Ravens struggled with all season, having a run game. He leads the team on rush yards with 566. Ravens defense has also been on point allowing a league best 18.1 points allowed, total yards and third in pass yards allowed.

The Chargers have been virtually unstoppable even with Allen, Gordon and Eckler out the last few weeks. They’ve been able to rely on a few rookie running backs as well as their receiver depth to step up. Beating the Steelers and Chiefs on the road has pumped a ton of energy into this team. Gordon is said to be dressing tonight.

Take the Chargers to cover in the over, Chargers 27-21.

Week 15: Monday Night Football

New Orleans vs Carolina, 8:15p, ESPN (Panthers +6, O/U: 50.5)

The Saints ran into a scare last week against the Buccs until they had to rattle off 25 unanswered points to pull out a win. While they barely covered the spread, questions remain as to if they can keep up their play on the road, such has been much better than in years past? Michael Thomas has 298 catches in his first 3 years with its an NFL record (102 so far this year) and he’ll continue to be the main target tonight. The defense wo have their hands full with Cam and McCaffrey even as the top team against the run (mostly due to jumping on teams early, forcing more passing).

Cam comes into this game with a sore shoulder. Whether that affects him trying to find DJ Moore down the field or not will be seen early on. As for McCaffrey, he’s got nearly 1,700 yards from scrimmage and 13 TDs. It’ll be intersting to see how the linebackers trying to matchup up with the speedy backs.

Saints on the road: 6-1 (31 pts for/game & 20 pts allowed/game)

Saints ATS on the road: 6-1

Panthers at home: 5-1 (31 pts for/game & 23 pts allowed/game)

Panthers ATS on the road: 4-2

Take the Panthers to cover in the loss in the over, Saints 34-30.

#beatyourbookie

Week 15: Sunday Games

Dallas at Indianapolis, 1:00p, FOX (Colts -3, O/U: 47)

The Cowboys have had big wins recently but they were close. The Colts might be without T.Y. due to an ankle injury. Luck has also had career lows in the amount of times he’s got and sacked. Take the Colts to cover in the over, Colts 27-21.

Miami at Minnesota, 1:00p, CBS (Vikings -7.5, O/U: 45)

The Dolphins shocked the league with a huge conversion on a hook and ladder play to beat the Pats by 1. The Vikings have been struggling the last couple of weeks and their offense hasn’t been as potent. Questions have risen about whether Cousins was the right signing. When it comes to big games, he looks mediocre. Take the Dolphins to cover in the loss, in the under, Vikings 24-20.

Oakland at Cincinnati, 1:00p, CBS (Bengals -3, O/U: 46)

The Bengals are a mess and tons of people, especially Browns fans, have been blaming the hiring of Hue Jackson. Since losing Dalton, the Bengals have been an unpredictable mess. Keeping it close against the Chargers last week. Derek Carr has been quietly efficient since his early season struggles. Even, after trading Cooper, he’s completing nearly 70% of his passes and has improved to a 2:1 td/int ratio. Take the Raiders to cover in the under, Raiders 24-16.

Tennessee at N.Y. Giants, 1:00p, CBS (Giants +1.5, O/U: 43)

You can never figure out the Titans. They are a gritty team that have big time wins with their defense under Mike Vrabel, has been tough, especially against the run. The Giants are coming into this contest with momentum but will be without OBJ. Given that Sheppard is considered to be trash (by a young fan as Sheppard was under cover at a Models), the Giants don’t stand a chance other than using Barkley every down. Let’s also not forget about Henry’s performance last week, HUGE! Take the Titans to cover in the under, Titans 24-13.

Washington at Jacksonville, 1:00p, FOX (Jags -7.5, O/U: 36.5)

The Redskins are in trouble here folks. They’re using quarterbacks of yesteryear to finish off their season and it just hasn’t been pretty. The Jaguars getting Fournette back is key. Yeldon can hold his own but having both makes the offense pop more since they can use both to catch the ball. Take the Jaguars to cover in the under, Jaguars 20-10.

Arizona at Atlanta, 1:00p, FOX (Falcons -9.5, O/U: 44)

The Cardinals have the league’s worst offense. Yes David Johnson has somewhat woke up and they have Fitz but their line has had major issues all year long and despite when they move the ball downfield, they can’t score. The Falcons were a big surprise this year. Inefficiency has hurt them as well as poor defensive play. It’ll be an interesting watch as the Cardinals still have a good pass rush and Ryan gets flustered easily when the pocket breaks down often. Take the Cardinals to cover in the loss, in the under, Falcons 24-17.

Detroit at Buffalo, 1:00p, FOX (Bills -3, O/U: 40)

The Lions haven’t blown anyone away but the Bulls have been impressive when they’ve had their rookie quarterback under center. Take the Bills to cover in the over, Bills 17-16.

Green Bay at Chicago, 1:00p, FOX (Bears -5, O/U: 46.5)

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers needed to have a game like they did last week. The Bears say this isn’t a revenge game but we all know it is. Packers thin playoff hopes are on the line and the weather makes this perfect for this rivalry game. Take the Packers to cover in the upset win, in the over, Packers 27-24.

Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 1:00p, FOX (Ravens -9, O/U: 46)

Tampa has been resilient in most of their games even with their turn overs and frequent quarterback changes. No D-Jax hurts them though. Rookie Lamar Jackson has been impressive, enough so that he gets the start over a healthy Joe Flacco. Take the Buccs to cover in the loss, in the over, Ravens 28-24.

Seattle at San Francisco, 4:05p, FOX (49ers +4, O/U: 44.5)

Russell Wilson has a remarkable 5:1 td/int ratio. The last meeting between the two, the Seahawks dominated the 49ers even though the undrafted Mullens scorched their secondary for over 400 yards with 5 different relievers having 50+ yards. The big question is can Kittle replicate last week’s 210 yard performance? This should be a good watch. Take the Seahawks to cover in the over, Seahawks 31-24.

New England at Pittsburgh, 4:25p, CBS (Steelers +3, O/U: 54)

The Patriots are chasing a first round bye and with the Chiefs losing on Thursday, they still have time to stay within a game of the Chiefs and Chargers with a win. Brady may have lost in Miami again but he still threw for 350+ yards with 3 scores. The Steelers are usually buttoned up and solid at home but there’s still a question mark in regards to James Conner, who will be a game time decision after not practicing all week. Take the Steelers to cover in the over, Steelers 31-28.

Philadelphia at L.A. Rams, 8:20p, NBC (Rams -13, O/U: 52)

The epitome of the Eagles season has been injuries. Who knows what this team could’ve done with a full, healthy squad. Defensive backs, running backs, offensive line and now quarterback. Wentz has been sat with a back injury that opens the door for Foles in his second round of starts this season. Perhaps Tate will get going with a new quarterback at the helm. The Rams had a shocking loss last week against the Bears who held the Rams to just 6 points, Goff to under 200 yards and picked him off 4 times. The Rams need to get his confidence built back up so expect them to turn it on early and often. Take the Rams to cover big in the over, Rams 42-17.

Colin Cowherd’s Blazin 5:
o Cleveland at Denver – Cleveland (+3)
o Oakland at Cincinnati – Oakland (+3)
o Dallas at Indianapolis – Indianapolis (-2.5)
o Tennessee at NY Giants – Tennessee (+2.5)
o Philadelphia at LA Rams – LA Rams (-11)

#beatyourbookie