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NFL Archive
Date	Match Up	Rating	Score	Result	Profit	Lead Time	Analysis
01-04-20	Titans v. Patriots -4.5	Top	20-13	Loss	-110	28 h 26 m	Show
So what did the Patriots' shocking home loss to the Dolphins in Week 17 mean besides hosting a wild-card game instead of getting a bye? It means line value on New England as I consider this number too short. Look for Tom Brady to step up as the weaknesses on Tennessee's defense - vulnerable to short passes and a banged-up secondary that ranks 24th in pass defense and 27th in quarterback hit rate - suit his strengths and that of the Patriots. Brady can still pick apart defenses that are vulnerable to short passes, which the Titans are. Sony Michel is running better and Julian Edelman is healthier than he has been giving Brady his security blanket. New England has much the superior defense. The Patriots surrendered the fewest points and yards in the NFL. Their run defense has looked good, too, holding opposing running backs to 3.5 yards per carry during the last five games. Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown are Ryan Tannehill's two major weapons. The Patriots can afford to bring their safeties into the box to help on Henry because cornerback Stephon Gilmore has the talent cover Brown one-on-one. Gilmore may have been the best defensive player in the NFL this season. Tannehill is unproven in big games such as this. He has a poor record, too, versus defensive guru Bill Belichk with a 4-7 mark, 11 interceptions and a 60.1 percent completion rate. The Titans also are bucking these monster numbers: The Patriots have covered 68 percent of their last 65 home games, are 7-2 ATS in their last nine playoff games and are 48-22-1 (69 percent) following a loss.
12-29-19	49ers v. Seahawks +3.5	Top	26-21	Loss	-110	50 h 49 m	Show
Seattle is far more experienced in big prime time game such as this and owns an eight-game win streak against the 49ers. The Seahawks are banged-up defensively, but are getting some of those players back, including Jadeveon Clowney. The 49ers also have key defensive injuries namely Kwon Alexander, Dee Ford and Jaquiski Tartt. The Seahawks have won a staggering 84 percent of their prime time games under Pete Carroll, including beating the 49ers, 27-24, on the road in a Week 10 Monday night game. The Seahawks have a monster edge at quarterback in a matchup of Russell Wilson versus Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks took care of their injury situation at running back by bringing back Marshawn Lynch. They also have an underrated running back in Travis Homer.
12-29-19	Raiders v. Broncos -3		15-16	Loss	-125	25 h 33 m	Show
Not that the Raiders have any realisticchance for the playoffs, which they will know for sure when the early start time games finish, but they also aren't winning this game even if their morale isn't destroyed by being eliminated. The Broncos have gotten better under first-year coach Vic Fangio and rookie QB Drew Lock, winning three of their last four. Denver has revenge for a 24-16 opening week loss to the Raiders that set a bad tone for the first half of the season. Oakland has been terrible since late November going 1-4 with losses to the Jets, Chiefs, Titans and Jaguars. They have been outscored by 80 points during this span. The weather is expected to be in the 30s, which is bad news for Derek Carr. He's 0-9 the past nine times when playing in temperatures below 50 degrees with a passer rating of 65.9 compared to 94.7 in other games. Running back Josh Jacobs, the Raiders' best skill position player, isn't expected to play either because of a shoulder injury.
12-29-19	Steelers v. Ravens +2		10-28	Win	100	25 h 32 m	Show
Baltimore is going to be resting starters, including Lamar Jackson. But the Ravens still are going to give a strong effort against their long-time hated division rival. Baltimore is riding an 11-game win streak on pace to become the first team in NFL history to average 200 yards both rushing and passing. The Steelers don't have the offense to beat this team on the road. Not with Duck Hodges behind center and missing James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey. Ravens backup QB, Robert Griffin III, is a much better player than the extremely limited Hodges. Pittsburgh has managed just eight touchdowns on offense during its last seven games. That won't get the job done against a well-coached prideful Ravens team that would rather not enter the playoffs with a loss especially at home where they haven't lost since September.
12-29-19	Packers v. Lions +13.5		23-20	Win	100	21 h 6 m	Show
Green Bay is traveling on a short week after a monster road win on Monday against the Vikings. The Packers simply need to win here not cover a margin. That's what happened in the first meeting when Green Bay was lucky to win at home. The Packers prevailed, 23-22, on a field goal at the gun. Green Bay was the recipient of several gift calls from the officials that aided them in that victory. The Lions will be motivated by revenge and a chance to close the season on a positive note. Having Kerryon Johnson back, their top runner, takes some of the load off David Blough. Green Bay isn't nearly as dominant as its 12-3 record may indicate ranking below average in both yards gained and yards allowed.
12-29-19	Bears v. Vikings OVER 35.5		21-19	Win	100	21 h 5 m	Show
This total is too low given the Bears want to boost up Mitch Trubisky for the off-season and the game is being played indoors on carpet. The Vikings will be playing second-stringers. That cuts both ways. The Vikings are going to be much weaker defensively without their star defensive players. Trubisky doesn't lack weapons with Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. There is no reason for the Bears to be conservative. They should do all they can to pump up Trubisky's confidence. The Vikings catch a break with Bears run-stuffing defensive tackle Akiem Hicks ruled out.
12-22-19	Cardinals +10.5 v. Seahawks		27-13	Win	100	66 h 0 m	Show
Should be a great game when the 11-3 49ers meet the 11-3 Seahawks to decide the NFC West Division. Oh wait, that's next week. Seattle can't help but be looking ahead to that crucial matchup. Problem is the Seahawks aren't good enough to cover this high of a number especially in a look-ahead spot. The Seahawks being eight games above .500 doesn't match their statistics and point differential. They have outscored their opponents by just 26 points on the season. Seattle only has 24 sacks, which ranks among the bottom-three. The Seahawks also have half a dozen injuries to key defenders, including underrated free safety Quandre Diggs. He carries a doubtful tag while Seattle's other banged-up defensive players are questionable. The Cardinals are adept offensively. They have scored 25 or more points in seven of their last 10 games. Kyler Murray is a poor man's Russell Wilson. His weapons match the Seahawks especially with Josh Gordon back on suspension and likely done in the NFL, which was a distraction for Seattle this week. The Seahawks have actually played better on the road. They have covered only twice during their last seven home games often overpriced like they are here. Arizona is 8-4-1 ATS as an underdog this season.
12-22-19	Cowboys v. Eagles UNDER 46.5	Top	9-17	Win	100	66 h 2 m	Show
My first look at late season division matchups such as this one is Under the total. This one fits. Statistically, Dallas is strong on both sides of the ball. But the Cowboys are far better coached on the defensive end. This isn't a rip so much on offensive coordinator Kellen Moore as it is head coach Jason Garrett. Dak Prescott has a shoulder injury to his throwing arm. The severity of the injury has come into question. If the injury is serious enough to limit Prescott - and I do believe it will impact him - then this should be a dead nuts Under game. Even if Prescott can throw downfield, I still like the Under. Amari Cooper isn't right either. Dallas is a running team moreso now that Prescott isn't 100 percent. The Cowboys are going to ride Ezekiel Elliott in this NFC East Division showdown. Philadelphia's strength is its run defense. Only two teams allow fewer rushing yards per game than the Eagles. The Cowboys rank seventh in total defense and eighth against the pass. They give up fewer than 21 points on the season. Because of multiple wide receiver injuries and no speed at the flanks, Carson Wentz is reduced to throwing short passes to his tight ends and dump off passes to his running backs. If Wentz hasn't regressed this year he sure hasn't shown improvement. Eagles home games have averaged just 39.4 combined points. This one should fall in that range, too.
12-22-19	Panthers v. Colts -6.5		6-38	Win	100	63 h 34 m	Show
Injuries and close decisions that didn't go their way ruined the Colts' season. But Indy is a well-coached solid team that almost always can be counted on to provide a strong effort under Frank Reich. The Colts are committed to finishing their year strong in an effort to reach .500. Not so with the rudderless Panthers. They are set adrift with Ron Rivera gone after nine seasons and playing the worst run defense in the league allowing an average of 6.3 yards per rush during their last three games. Carolina has surrendered at least three touchdowns in 10 consecutive games. That's the longest streak in the NFL. But what clinches this fade on the Panthers is Carolina's decision to start rookie Will Grier at QB. Grier was brutal during preseason with a 2-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and taking seven sacks. He couldn't beat out Kyle Allen to back up Cam Newton and then couldn't replace Allen as Allen kept getting worse and worse. Now the Panthers are in what-the-heck mode turning to Grier for this road start. I would be highly surprised if this turned out to be a positive experience for him and Carolina.
12-15-19	Browns v. Cardinals OVER 48.5		24-38	Win	100	52 h 14 m	Show
The Browns are not well coached. But they do have weapons and can be trusted to put up points when playing bad defenses. You won't find too many NFL defenses as bad as Arizona's. The Cardinals give up the most yards per game and also rank last in pass defense. They have surrendered 21 or more points in every game. Baker Mayfield should do well versus this low caliber of defense. So should Nick Chubb, who leads the NFL in rushing. Arizona should contribute its share of points. The Cardinals have three good running backs. The Browns rank 26th in run defense. As a side note, there is bad blood between Mayfield and Cardinals head man Kliff Kingsbury stemming from when Mayfield played for Kingsbury at Texas Tech before he transferred to Oklahoma. So both teams will be looking to run up a score with no letdowns.
12-15-19	Texans v. Titans OVER 51		24-21	Loss	-109	49 h 30 m	Show
Go to the head of the line if you knew Tennessee is the hottest Over team in the NFL. The Over has cashed in each of the Titans' last seven games. Look for another high-scoring matchup with the Titans hosting the Texans. DeShaun Watson is an elite quarterback spearheading a top-10 offense. Watson will be facing a Titans secondary that is dealing with a cluster injury problem. The Titans could be minus three of their top four cornerbacks along with safety Kenny Vaccaro, who is in concussion protocol. Sparked by Ryan Tannehill, who is playing his finest ball, the Titans are averaging 31.4 points during the last eight weeks. That's the second-highest point-per-game ranking in the NFL during this span. Houston has allowed opponents to score on 52.8 percent of their possessions during its last four games, which is the highest rate in the league. Tannehill's strong play has made Derrick Henry even more of a running threat. Henry has rushed for triple-digit yards each of the last four games The Texans' pass rush and rush defense has struggled since JJ Watt was lost for the season.
12-15-19	Patriots -9 v. Bengals	Top	34-13	Win	100	73 h 26 m	Show
Can the Patriots be beaten for a third straight game? Can the Bengals pull this off? You have to be kidding. Go back to 2002. That's the last time the Patriots lost three in a row. The Patriots have covered 71 percent of the time off a loss during the last 17 years under Bill Belichick going 41-17. The Patriots' last two losses have come to the Texans and Chiefs. The Bengals have the worst record in the NFL. New England has feasted on bottom-feeders posting seven victories by at least 14 points. Cincinnati is the second-lowest scoring team in the NFL averaging 15.2 points a game. Not once have the Bengals scored more than 23 points in a game. New England has the top defense in the NFL giving up the fewest yards, points and yards per play. Cincinnati also ranks second-to-last in total defense, last in rushing defense and gives up the most yards per play. Tom Brady is far more effective when his ground attack is working. New England isn't going to lack motivation either. Not only do the Patriots need to win to maintain a high playoff seeding, but there is bad blood after the the Bengals brought up a new "Spygate" mention to the attention of the NFL.
12-08-19	Seahawks v. Rams +1		12-28	Win	100	98 h 3 m	Show
Under the right circumstances, Jared Goff is a good quarterback. This is the right spot for Goff. He's home in California and the Seahawks don't generate a strong pass rush. Goff has the necessary weapons to light up the Seahawks' mediocre secondary with four quality wide receivers and Todd Gurley. The Seahawks are traveling on a short week after getting past the Vikings at home this past Monday. The Rams have covered five of the last seven times they've hosted Seattle.
12-08-19	Steelers v. Cardinals UNDER 43.5	Top	23-17	Win	100	94 h 19 m	Show
Pittsburgh has one of the best defenses in the NFL. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin realizes that. Because of skill position injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers have a below offense. So Tomlin just doesn't want his quarterback to muck things up for the defense. That's why he made the switch to game manager, third-stringer Delvin Hodges. The Steelers are not a good road team. They've scored the second-fewest points on the road in the league. The Under is a perfect 10-0 during the Steelers' last 10 road matchups. So expect a very conservative game from them. Kyler Murray could be hitting the rookie wall. He realies heavily on his mobility. That mobility is lessened, though, because he has a hamstring injury. The Cardinals haven't been helped by David Johnson's ineffectiveness either.
12-08-19	Colts +3 v. Bucs		35-38	Push	0	91 h 52 m	Show
Better team getting points. That's it in a nutshell. The Colts also are getting back their best running back, Marlon Mack, and perhaps their top wide receiver, T.Y. Hilton. The Buccaneers are error-prone offensively with Jameis Winston remaining a model of inconsistency.The Bucs also rank 30th in scoring defense giving up 28.8 points a game. The Colts are much more solid in the trenches, too. Indy is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine road games. Tampa Bay is 2-5-1 ATS the past eight times as a favorite, including 1-3 ATS this season
12-08-19	Dolphins v. Jets -5		21-22	Loss	-105	91 h 49 m	Show
The warm-weather Dolphins enter New York's December weather fat and happy having just upset the Eagles at home. This is a huge revenge game for Adam Gase against his former team. The Jets got caught peeking ahead to this matchup losing to the previously winless Bengals last Sunday. Expect a much more focused effort by the Jets in this game. Before getting upset by the Bengals, the Jets had reeled off three consecutive victories scoring 34 points in each of those games. If they hadn't lost to the Bengals, the line would be much higher. Now it's less than a touchdown. The Jets have the top run defense in the league. Their offense has much been better skill position people than Miami and their offensive line has showed improvement during the second half of the season.
12-08-19	Bengals +10 v. Browns		19-27	Win	100	91 h 46 m	Show
Cincinnati is bad. Cleveland is dysfunctional. Bottom line is this is too many points in a division rivalry game, especially considering the Browns are without their top defensive player, elite pass rusher Myles Garrett, and Baker Mayfield may not be 100 percent due to a sore throwing hand. The Bengals are consistently undervalued on the road. They are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 away contests. Cincinnati's confidence gained a huge boost with a victory against the Jets last Sunday. The Bengals can be counted on to give a full effort and their offense is upgraded with Andy Dalton back under center and speedster John Ross off the injured list.
12-05-19	Cowboys -2.5 v. Bears	Top	24-31	Loss	-130	26 h 17 m	Show
The Cowboys are the more well-rounded team with far better skill position talent than the Bears. Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot rate major edges on Mitch Trubisky and David Montgomery. The Bears haven't recovered from their London loss to the Raiders. They are 3-5 in their last eight games with their lone victories during this span coming against the Giants and Lions twice. Those teams have a combined record of 5-18. Trubisky has only played well against the Lions. He's been a stiff against every other opponent. Chicago's defense is down from last season and its offense has been hijacked by Trubisky's lack of progress. Chicago's run defense is prey to Elliott likley missing run-stuffing Akiem Hicks and linebacker Danny Trevathan. The Cowboys are the more motivated team. Dallas is that rare team that rates high in both offensive and defensive yards. The Cowboys average the most yards per game in the NFL and they surrender the eighth-fewest yards.
12-01-19	Patriots -3 v. Texans	Top	22-28	Loss	-110	127 h 56 m	Show
The Patriots' defense is putting up numbers not seen since the 2000 Ravens. I don't see the Texans, with their weak offensive line, lack of a ground attack and poor coaching, being able to solve New England's defense. New England is getting better offensively as more offensive linemen and wide receivers get healthy. The Texans have a slow, banged-up secondary and their pass rush took a massive hit with J.J. Watt sidelined for the season. Bill Belichick has had Bill O'Brien's number. The Patriots are 5-0 SU, 4-1 ATS versus the Texans since 2015. Belichick won't be adverse to running up a score, too. There is bad blood between these two teams after the Patriots filed tampering charges after the Texans tried to lure New England's director of player personnel, Nick Caserio, to be their general manager.
12-01-19	Chargers -145 v. Broncos		20-23	Loss	-145	122 h 12 m	Show
The Chargers are not at the level they were last season. But they still are a level higher than Denver. The Chargers' record shows 4-7, but they have outscored their opponents on the season. The Broncos, by comparison, have a minus 42 scoring differential. LA has surrounded Philip Rivers with an excellent cast of skill position weapons. The Broncos can't match that firepower. They have serious QB problems. The Chargers' defense gets back star safety Derwin James this week. He had been out the entire season. In their last game, the Chargers held Patrick Mahomes under six yards a throw, the lowest of his career. The Chargers are off their bye facing a must-win spot here. The Broncos are a demoralized bunch with chemistry issues surrounding first-year head man Vic Fangio.
12-01-19	Jets v. Bengals +4		6-22	Win	100	120 h 7 m	Show
The Dolphins scored their first win against the Jets. The winless Bengals can do the same. Cincinnati is much better at QB with Andy Dalton back in the starting role. Left tackle Cordy Glenn is back, too, for Cincinnati to shore up the offensive line. It's an added bonus if A.J. Green finally is ready to make his season debut. The Bengals haven't shown any quit holding the Steelers and Raiders to a combined 33 points the past two weeks, covering both games. Their morale should be up, too, with Dalton back under center. The Jets are in a flat spot traveling after beating up Oakland at home last Sunday. The Jets have won three straight - all against weak opponents in the Giants, Redskins and Raiders with two of those victories coming at home. New York is 1-4 on the road with its lone victory being against the Redskins. The Jets have been outscored by 63 points in their away defeats.
12-01-19	Titans v. Colts -135		31-17	Loss	-135	118 h 10 m	Show
I like the Colts on extra rest off a loss. They catch the Titans fat and happy. Tennessee just posted home victories against the Jaguars and Chiefs. Now the Titans go on the road for the first time in four weeks. They lost their past two road games - 30-20 to the Panthers and 16-0 to the Broncos. The Colts are better than both of those teams. Indy has dominated the Titans at home going 10-1 SU, 9-1-1 ATS the past 11 times. The Colts also have covered 11 of the last 12 times when meeting an above .500 foe. Tennessee has a key below-the-radar injury with cornerback Malcolm Butler out. LeShaun Sims is Butler's replacement and that's a huge downgrade. T.Y. Hilton can exploit that.
12-01-19	Packers v. Giants OVER 45	Top	31-13	Loss	-111	118 h 22 m	Show
Look for a big bounce back from the Packers offense after they played terrible against the 49ers on national television this past Sunday night. The 49ers have an upper level defense. The Giants have a porous stop unit surrendering the fourth-most points in the NFL and ranking 27th in yards given up. Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams and Aaron Jones are all elite talents. The Giants have an elite running back, Saquan Barkley. He can hurt a weak Packers run defense. Green Bay's defense has been exposed when it hasn't been getting takeaways like early in the season. There shouldn't be any weather problems as the forecast is for temperatures in the high 30's with little wind.
11-28-19	Saints -6.5 v. Falcons	Top	26-18	Win	100	23 h 32 m	Show
The Saints have a legitimate claim to being the best team in the NFC. The Falcons are one of the worst. New Orleans has been great against the spread, too, covering seven of its last nine. One of those non-covers was an embarrassing straight-up home loss to Atlanta from three weeks ago. The Saints were two-touchdown favorites in that game. Now they are just a touchdown favorite. Is the Falcons' home field advantage worth that much? Of course not. The Saints won't have the starting left side of their offensive line with Terron Armstead and Andrus Peat out. But that didn't matter last week when Brees was sacked just twice in 41 dropbacks against the Panthers, who have a stronger pass rush than the Falcons. Brees has a very quick release and tremendous weapons. The Falcons have no answer for Michael Thomas, who is on a record-setting receiving pace. Matt Ryan is dealing with a worse offensive line and is down weapons with Mohamed Sanu traded, Austin Hooper out and backup running back Ito Smith also sidelined. The Falcons probably get back Devonta Freeman, but he's had a disappointing season. Ryan still could be dealing with a sore ankle. He's completed just 57.6 percent of his throws for 6.6 yards per attempt with a three-to-five touchdown-to-turnover ratio during his last four games.
11-28-19	Bills v. Cowboys -6.5		26-15	Loss	-109	51 h 23 m	Show
The visiting team has a huge disadvantage playing on Thursday night especially this late in the season. The Cowboys are the better team and given the situational circumstances, I see Dallas winning by more than a touchdown. Don't be fooled by Buffalo's 8-3 record. It's bogus. The Bills have played opponents whose combined record is 19-53. They haven't faced an offense the caliber of Dallas. The Bills rank third versus the pass, but are just average versus the run. That makes them vulnerable to Ezekiel Elliott. He should be in line for a big game, which in turn would make Dak Prescott very effective picking his spots. Prescott has three quality wideouts plus Elliott out of the backfield catching passes. Buffalo lacks explosiveness on offense to keep up. The Cowboys rank in the top-seven in total defense and scoring defense. They are extremely well-coached on the defensive side of the ball. I wouldn't be surprised to see Josh Allen make a lot of mistakes in this matchup.
11-28-19	Bears -2.5 v. Lions	Top	24-20	Win	100	57 h 14 m	Show
The Bears have been a major disappointment this season. But the Lions are in worse shape. Detroit has dropped four in a row. The teams just met three weeks ago and Chicago won, 20-13. The Lions didn't have Matthew Stafford in that game and they won't have him Thursday. The Lions also aren't going to have second-stringer Jeff Driskel either. Driskel hurt his hamstring in the Lions' loss to the Redskins this past Sunday. So the Lions are forced to turn to rookie David Blough. He's never taken an NFL snap. Hopefully, you locked into this game early in the week like I did in anticipation of upward line movement. Even if you didn't, though, this is a kill spot for the Bears. Their defense should overwhelm the overmatched Blough. Chicago's defense ranks fourth in fewest points allowed and in fewest yards allowed. The Lions' defense, by contrast, ranks 29th in total yards and 26th in scoring defense. The Bears surrender 81 fewer yards per game than the Lions and nine fewer points a game. The Bears' biggest problem is Mitchell Trubisky. He plays well, though, against the Lions. Trubisky completed 16 of 23 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the earlier victory against the Lions. Trubisky faced the Lions once last season and passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-22 win.
11-25-19	Ravens v. Rams +4	Top	45-6	Loss	-115	10 h 14 m	Show
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are a hot commodity. The Rams are struggling to make the playoffs at 6-4. The combination makes the Rams a good value play. LA has the defense, coaching smarts and offense to win this game straight-up. Oh, yes, the situation is perfect for them, too. Jared Goff is a quarterback you don't want to touch on the road especially in cold weather. But he and the Rams offense are a different animal at home especially against a defense that doesn't apply that much quarterback heat. Goff has all his receiving weapons back, too, with deep threat Brandin Cooks expected to play. The Rams have four quality wideouts plus Todd Gurley in the backfield. The Rams defense is strong with Jalen Ramsey shoring up the secondary and Aaron Donald having another dominating season in the trenches. Wade Phillips is in the argument for being the top defensive coordinator in the NFL. This is a unit that can control Jackson.
11-24-19	Dolphins v. Browns OVER 44.5		24-41	Win	100	92 h 8 m	Show
The Browns have much to prove after last week's scrum against the Steelers. Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Those are very good weapons and the Browns will turn them loose against a very bad Miami defense that just surrendered 37 points at home to the punchless Bills. Cleveland could very well run up a huge score in an effort to prop up their disappointed home fan base. I see the Dolphins contributing to this total going Over, too. The Browns almost have a JV defense minus suspended Myles Garrett and Larry Ogunjobi along with injured Morgan Burnett. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a good QB for an Over because he isn't afraid to throw downfield and is far more live than most QB's to throw a pick-six.
11-24-19	Steelers v. Bengals +7		16-10	Win	100	92 h 7 m	Show
No, I don't like being on the Bengals. But laying this many points on the road with the punchless Steelers is much worse. Pittsburgh has a strong defense, playoff-caliber. But the Steelers aren't going to reach the postseason because Mason Rudolph is a stiff. Rudolph needs weapons and he's not going to have them here. Center Maurkice Pouncey is suspended. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt's No. 1 wideout by far, is injured and won't play. I doubt James Conner, the Steelers' No. 1 runner, plays either. He missed last week and remains banged-up. Even when they had Ben Roethlisberger healthy, the Steelers still were bad on the road. They are 1-6 in their last seven road games, including 1-3 this season. The Steelers have the lowest road scoring percentage of possessions in the NFL. The Bengals should play hard trying to get their first win, being home and facing a much hated division opponent. So taking this many points looms large especially given the low total in this matchup.
11-24-19	Giants v. Bears OVER 40		14-19	Loss	-109	92 h 6 m	Show
The Giants have strong weapons surrounding Daniel Jones headed by Saquon Barkley and Golden Tate. The Bears' defense is way down from last season. Khalil Mack is having a horrendous season. The Bears' offense has been terrible. But now Chicago is home to a Giants defense that allows the third-most points in the NFL and ranks 27th in total yards and 25th in pass defense. New York is surrendering an average of 32 points in its last six games. The Giants defense is so bad it can make Mitchell Trubisky look good. This is the lowest Giants' total of the season by far. Only twice have there been fewer than 40 points scored in a Giants game. The forecast is for a clear day with little wind and temperatures in the high 30's.
11-24-19	Seahawks v. Eagles -110		17-9	Loss	-110	47 h 41 m	Show
The records show Seattle to be 8-2 and Philadelphia 5-5. The oddsmaker isn't buying that opening the Eagles as a favorite. I don't buy it either. I don't believe the Seahawks are that good. Russell Wilson is carrying an average offense. The Seahawks defense isn't dominant like before particularly with their revamped secondary that ranks 29th in pass defense. This is a circle-the-wagons game for the Eagles and they are home. Carson Wentz should start to look better getting some of his injured weapons back, including his top wideout, Alshon Jeffery. The Eagles have the top tight end tandem in the league with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Philadelphia has the fourth-best run defense in the NFL and its defensive backfield is much better with the return of injured cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills. The Eagles have given up just 14.6 points during their last three games.
11-24-19	Raiders v. Jets +3	Top	3-34	Win	100	92 h 6 m	Show
Jon Gruden has improved the Raiders this season. But he hasn't improved Oakland enough where it can cover as a road favorite in a flat spot like this. The Raiders are traveling cross-country for an early West Coast start time. Up next for Oakland is an AFC West showdown against the Chiefs. Under Gruden, the Raiders have failed to cover in eight of 12 away matchups. The Raiders need to establish a balanced attack. The Jets do one thing extremely well - stop the run ranking No. 1 in the NFL giving up fewer than 80 yards per game. Saquan Barkley managed just one yard on 13 carries against the Jets. That does not bode well for Josh Jacobs. Oakland is vulnerable through the air ranking 27th in pass defense. Sam Darnold has started to play better and has good receiving targets to take advantage. The Jets' strengths match up well to Oakland and New York also is in the superior situational spot.
11-17-19	Bengals +11.5 v. Raiders		10-17	Win	100	117 h 50 m	Show
I get that the Bengals remain the only winless team in the NFL and that their new QB, Ryan Finley, isn't even as good as Andy Dalton. But the Raiders aren't a team to lay this high of a number. Only once during the Jon Gruden era have the Raiders won a game by more than eight points. Oakland is in a flat spot, too, having narrowly won a huge home division game against the Chargers last week. This is the Raiders' third home game in a row. Finley could prove better now that he's had a start. He's going against the league's 30th-ranked pass defense. The Raiders are down their three best players in the secondary with safety Karl Joseph out with a foot injury. Earlier they lost safety Jonathan Abram to injury and traded cornerback Gareon Conley. It's a huge added bonus if the Bengals finally get the services of star wide receiver A.J. Green and offensive left tackle Cordy Glenn for the first time this season. The Bengals have been money-makers on the road covering in seven of their last nine road contests.
11-17-19	Jets +1.5 v. Redskins		34-17	Win	100	114 h 31 m	Show
The Jets do one thing exceptionally well and that's stop the run. They rank No. 2 in rush defense. The Redskins have become totally reliant on a ground-and-pound approach under interim coach Bill Callahan. That means heavy duty work for 34-year-old Adrian Peterson. This might be a sound approach - if it were 2012. Washington is force-feeding not-ready QB Dwayne Haskins. This reminds me of what the Browns experienced during their winless 2017 season when they kept trotting out overmatched DeShone Kizer at QB. The Jets have the superior skill position players. Sam Darnold is off to a slow start in this his second season. However, he still rates a strong edge on Haskins.
11-17-19	Saints v. Bucs OVER 50	Top	34-17	Win	100	114 h 37 m	Show
New Orleans finally is at full strength on offense with Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook playing last week. That's bad news for a Tampa Bay defense that surrenders the most points and passing yards per game. The Buccaneers, though, are the No. 3 scoring team in the league because they have a dynamic passing attack. There may not be a better wide receiver tandem than Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The Saints are without Marshon Lattimore. He's their No. 1 cornerback and he's out with a hamstring injury. It's not a fluke the Buccaneers have gone Over in seven straight games.
11-14-19	Steelers v. Browns OVER 40	Top	7-21	Loss	-105	49 h 14 m	Show
This is too low of a total given how the NFL is played today with nearly all of their rules skewed toward helping the offense. The buy sign finally could be on for the Browns offense after Baker Mayfield threw two TD passes against the Bills last week. It was his first multiple TD pass performance of the season. Buffalo gives up the third-fewest points in the NFL and also ranks No. 3 in pass defense. Pittsburgh's defense isn't that good and far less intimidating on the road. This marks the Steelers' first road game in five weeks. Mayfield has a new weapon with Kareem Hunt returning from suspension. Odell Beckham Jr. is way overdue for a big game. The Browns shouldn't be holding anything back with their season on the line. Pittsburgh's offense should be better with bell-cow running back James Conner expected to play after being out with a shoulder injury. The Steelers failed to adequately replace Conner when he was out the last two weeks. Mason Rudolph is getting more comfortable each week running Pittsburgh's offense. He should be better set up for favorable pass plays with Conner back in the lineup. The Browns defense is below average especially their run defense, which ranks 27th. Weather shouldn't be a hindrance either with temperatures in the 30's, clear skies and a 10 mph wind.
11-11-19	Seahawks +6 v. 49ers	Top	27-24	Win	100	174 h 14 m	Show
Russell Wilson is the best QB in the NFL right now. I want Wilson going for me with this many points on the Monday Night Football center stage. Seattle has covered the last eight times it has been an underdog, including both times this season. The 49ers are the most improved team in the league. But now they have the bullseye and pressure on them to only win, but cover margins, too. They lack Seattle's prime time big-game experience and record. The Seahawks are well-balanced with a respectable ground attack and now three dangerous wide receiving targets for Wilson with Josh Gordon joining Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. San Francisco suffered an unsung defensive injury with linebacker Kwon Alexander out for the year with a torn pec muscle. Alexander was the 49ers' second-leading tackler. The 49ers also have been missing their starting offensive tackles and star tight end George Kittle is doubtful. Seattle has dominated this series winning 10 of the past 11 meetings going 7-3-1 ATS.
11-10-19	Vikings v. Cowboys UNDER 48.5	Top	28-24	Loss	-109	27 h 14 m	Show
Both teams have skill position stars. But it's defense that carries the Vikings and Cowboys, both of whom rank in the top-five in fewest points allowed per game. Bad offensive lines don't travel well. That could be the case here for the Vikings. I don't trust Kirk Cousins on the road against an elite defense either. Minneota could be without its most consistent wide receiver, too, with Adam Thielen reinjuring his hamstring last Sunday and not practicing this week. The Cowboys have faced just one elite defense - the Saints. They were held to a season-low 10 points by New Orleans.The Vikings' defense is just as good if not better. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is familiar with the Cowboys. He was a defensive assistant there for many years. Zimmer is conservative coach. He's going to pound the ball and play for field position. The Vikings have gone below the total in nine of their last 11 NFC matchups. The Cowboys are going to look to feed Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas' two best wide receivers, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, are both banged-up and at less than 100 percent. There should be a lot of running with Elliott and Dalvin Cook. So the clock will keep moving at a brisk pace with few stoppages.
11-10-19	Chiefs v. Titans +6.5		32-35	Win	100	20 h 40 m	Show
I'm taking the underdog Titans fully expecting Patrick Mahomes to play. If Mahomes doesn't, or is limited from his knee injury after being out just two weeks, so much for the better but I'm not counting on that. Instead I'm backing the Titans based on their merit, style of play and situation. The Titans are solid defensively. They've given up the sixth-fewest points per game in the NFL. Kansas City doesn't have an outstanding offensive line. Andy Reid is going to have to be more conservative in Mahomes' first game back from injury. This is a huge game for the Titans. They are two games behind in the AFC South Division and have a bye next week. Ryan Tannehill has been an upgrade on Marcus Mariota. The key, though, is the running of Derrick Henry. He's a powerful inside runner, who has a history of playing his best during November and December. The Chiefs rank 29th versus the run, surrendering 180 or more rushing yards four times this year. The Titans can maintain ball-control because of Henry keeping the Chiefs' high-octane offense off the field.
11-10-19	Falcons +14.5 v. Saints		26-9	Win	100	20 h 31 m	Show
The Saints are 7-1 fat and happy. The Falcons are 1-7 despondent and desperate. It's a division rivalry. The Falcons are off a bye and have Matt Ryan back. That's enough to get me involved taking two touchdowns. Atlanta actually averages more yards per game than New Orleans. Thanks to Ryan, who is having an excellent season, the Falcons lead the NFL in passing. Ryan has dangerous weapons with Julio Jones - who is in the argument for best wideout in the league - Calvin Ridley, Devonta Freeman and tight end Austin Hopper. Only once this season have the Saints won by more than 11 points. This should be a shooout and the Falcons have backdoor capabilities.
11-07-19	Chargers -119 v. Raiders	Top	24-26	Loss	-119	24 h 1 m	Show
The Chargers are a level higher than the Raiders. Injuries and Melvin Gordon's holdout held the Chargers back earlier in the season. But now they have gotten healthier and just played their most complete game in rolling over the then 7-1 Packers by 15 points this past Sunday. Look for that strong play to carry into this game. Gordon looked great against the Packers. Hunter Henry is back giving Philip Rivers a top-notch tight end receiving target. The Chargers' play-calling and tempo was much crisper, too, in Shane Steichen's first game as offensive coordinator. Rivers has averaged 304.2 yards with an 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his last four games against the Raiders. Oakland ranks last in pass defense and just lost one of its few decent pass rushers in Arden Key. Joey Bosa is the best defensive plater on the field. He could cause a lot of havoc for Derek Carr, who could be missing starting offensive right tackle Trent Brown and center Rodney Hudson. Carr isn't nearly as effective under a heavy pass rush as other quarterbacks. The Chargers have won the covered the past four in the series, including winning by an average of 15 points in the two games last season.
11-03-19	Patriots -3 v. Ravens		20-37	Loss	-103	54 h 28 m	Show
Don't overthink this. Just ride New England until proven otherwise. The Patriots have covered 71 percent of their last 65 games! Bill Belichick should enter the Hall of Fame just on that number alone. A lot is being made of the Patriots going up against the most dangerous dual-threat QB in the NFL in second-year man Lamar Jackson. Turn it around, though. Jackson is going up against a Patriots defense that could be Belichick's all-time best. The Patriots are surrendering an NFL-low 7.6 points per game. They rank No. 2 in totals yards and passing yards. New England has intercepted at least one pass in each game and rank first in interceptions and sacks. Oh, yes, the Patriots have won the last 21 times they've gone against a first or second-year QB. John Harbaugh has been tough following a bye. The Ravens, however, haven't been a strong home team failing to cover in their past six home contests.
11-03-19	Lions v. Raiders OVER 50.5		24-31	Win	100	50 h 23 m	Show
No Kerryon Johnson means no more emphasis from the Lions on a ground attack. Detroit doesn't need one thanks to a strong bounce back season from Matthew Stafford, who has a 16-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and three solid wide receivers in Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola. The Raider rank 28th in scoring defense and 31st in pass defense. They are without their two best guys in the secondary with Jonathan Abram injured and Gareon Conley traded. The Lions should have a great deal of success throwing here. Oakland, though, is playing well offensively ranking sixth in yards per play. The Raiders haven't allowed a sack in the last three weeks. Derek Carr has thrown just one interception in the last five games and Josh Jacobs has come through at running back. The Lions are banged-up in the secondary, too, with cornerbacks Darius Slay and Rashaan Melvin each injured. Detroit traded safety and team leader Quandre Diggs. Carr should have time to throw as the Lions have had zero or one sack in three of their last four games.
11-03-19	Bucs +6 v. Seahawks		34-40	Push	0	50 h 15 m	Show
Tampa Bay can pass the ball effectively and stop the run. Those are two key components when taking on the Seahawks. Seattle is heavily run-oriented. The Buccaneers give up just 68.6 yards rushing, best in the NFL. Tampa Bay's pass rush is upgraded, too, with the return of Jason Pierre-Paul. He'll team up with NFC sacks leader Shaq Barrett. Jameis Winston has strong receiving weapons. Seattle ranks 27th in pass defense and has injuries with safeties Tedric Thompson and newly acquired Quandre Diggs out. The Seahawks have only three sacks in their past four games. The Buccaneers have proven dangerous as road 'dogs already knocking off the Panthers and Rams. Seattle has failed to cover the past four times it has been a home favorite, including nearly losing to the Bengals and falling by 14 points to the Ravens two games ago.
11-03-19	Jets -3 v. Dolphins		18-26	Loss	-119	48 h 34 m	Show
The Jets have looked bad lately facing two strong defenses, New England and Jacksonville. Now, though, the Jets are stepping all the way down in class. The Dolphins have the worst personnel in the NFL and they just lost one of their few good players in Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. The Jets have far more talent than the Dolphins. If there is one team Jets coach Adam Gase does not want to lose to it's his former team the Dolphins. Gase should know the Dolphins - or what is left of them - well having been Miami's head coach the previous three seasons. Miami is home, but on a short week having exerted a mental and physical effort in a Monday night road loss to the Steelers. All of Miami's losses, except the one to the Redskins, have been by double-digits.
11-03-19	Redskins v. Bills -9	Top	9-24	Win	100	48 h 4 m	Show
The Redskins are averaging 8.5 points in their last six games. They may get shut out by a strong and angry Bills defense that is coming off an embarrassing, 31-13, home loss to the Eagles last Sunday. Before that game, the Bills had held five of their first six foes to 17 points or fewer. I see Buffalo's defense rebounding in big fashion against rookie QB Dwayne Haskins, who is in line to make his first NFL start. Jay Gruden was right about Haskins in that the first-year QB isn't nearly ready. Haskins has a 34.5 passer rating with four interceptions in two cameo appearances. The Bills should stack the line to stop ancient Adrian Peterson forcing Haskins to make plays, which I don't see him doing. The Bills are very alive to come up with a pick-six or two. The Bills don't have a good offense. But Josh Allen can make plays with his feet and Buffalo should be operating from outstanding field position. The Bills do own two double-digit victories this season.
10-27-19	Packers v. Chiefs +4.5	Top	31-24	Loss	-110	45 h 14 m	Show
OK, Patrick Mahomes isn't going to play. But the Chiefs are far from dead without Mahomes especially as a home 'dog in this price range. We can all agree Arrowhead Stadium is one of the tougher road venues. There should be unanimous agreement, too, that Andy Reid is an elite coach dangerous with extra prep time, which the Chiefs have from playing last Thursday. Veteran Matt Moore is one of the better backups in the league. I respect Moore because he throws downfield where many backups don't have the skill set to do anything except game manage and checkdown. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill provide Moore with a top-two tight end and perhaps the premier deep threat in the league. This is just Green Bay's second road game in seven weeks. Aaron Rodgers has a career losing road record and isn't expected to have his top wide receiver, injured Davonte Adams.
10-27-19	Eagles +2.5 v. Bills		31-13	Win	100	37 h 45 m	Show
The records show 5-1 and 3-4. But it's the Bills who are the 5-1 team. Buffalo has a very solid defense. The Bills' offense scares no one, though. Buffalo has built its record by beating the Jets, Giants, Bengals, Titans and Dolphins. Combined record of those teams is 6-27. None of those foes is above .500. The Eagles opened 3-2 before losing consecutive road games to the Vikings and Cowboys. Philly was outmatched in those games. The Eagles won't be here. They also won't lack motivation after a humiliating national TV loss to the Cowboys unlike the Bills, who are fat and happy. Buffalo is heavily run-oriented. Bills second-year QB Josh Allen is turnover-prone. The Eagles have gotten healthier in the secondary and rank seventh in rush defense. They've been tough on every running back except superstar Ezekiel Elliott.
10-27-19	Jets +7.5 v. Jaguars		15-29	Loss	-140	37 h 38 m	Show
The Jets aren't as good as they looked in beating the Cowboys two weeks ago. But they also aren't as befuddled as they looked this past Monday against the Patriots. New York's season stats are skewed because of the three games Luke Falk started. The Jets are much better with Sam Darnold behind center. The only ghost Darnold is going to see is the ghost of departed Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Jacksonville's defense isn't as good without Ramsey, their top defensive back, and injured lineman Marcell Dareus. Jacksonville also is banged up at linebacker. Darnold has gone against the Bills, in a game the Jets lost by one point, Cowboys and Patriots. The Jaguars aren't as good as those teams. I fail to see the publicity match the skill set with Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew. He's thrown one TD pass in his last two games while failing to complete even half of his passes in those two games.
10-27-19	Giants +7 v. Lions		26-31	Win	100	37 h 32 m	Show
It seemed for a brief moment that the Lions might be better than mediocre this season. That moment has flickered away. The Lions are who they always have been - poorly coached, bad on defense, unable to run and adept at blowing leads. The Giants need to protect Daniel Jones better, but they don't lack for skill position weapons headed by the electrifying Saquan Barkley. He's in line for a huge game going against a beat-up Lions defense line that has injuries to Damon Harrison, Da'Shawn Hand and Mike Daniels. The Lions also are without their top cornerback, injured Darius Slay, and traded away safety Quandre Diggs. The Lions lack the pass rush to protect their now undermanned secondary. Detroit has yielded 430 or more yards in each of its last three games, the first time the Lions have done that in 11 years. The Lions' largest victory margin this season is three points. The Giants have covered eight of the last 10 times as a road 'dog. New York's defense can key on the pass as the Lions also lost their top running back, Kerryon Johnson.
10-27-19	Broncos v. Colts -4	Top	13-15	Loss	-115	38 h 25 m	Show
If the Broncos thought they could make a successful run with Joe Flacco at quarterback they were sadly delusional. It took a 30-6 home loss to the Chiefs last Thursday to figure that out. Now, at 2-5, the Broncos know they are dead. Only seven teams during the last 40 years have made the postseason after opening 2-5. Emmmanuel Sanders, Denver's best wideout, got traded. Others are likely to follow before Tuesday's trade deadline concludes. Unless Dwayne Haskins becomes the Redskins new first-stringer, Flacco is the worst starting QB in the NFL. And Garett Bolles may be the worst offensive left tackle in the league. It's a lethal combination that sinks the Broncos' popgun offense that has failed to break 16 points in five of their seven games. The Broncos' defense is good, but not great. Certainly it's not nearly strong enough to carry such a putrid offense. The Colts have proven time after time under Frank Reich that they are legitimate. Indy's defense has back it's best playmaker, linebacker Darius Leonard, and top defensive back in free safety Malik Hooker. The Colts are balanced on offense with Jacoby Brissett coming off a confidence-building four-touchdown performance in a 30-23 home win against Houston last Sunday. When you factor in home field advantage and the Colts being without a major weakness, this line comes up short.
10-21-19	Patriots v. Jets +10.5	Top	33-0	Loss	-130	121 h 7 m	Show
The Jets are a much different - and better - team with Sam Darnold at QB. They should be mentally ready to take on the Patriots off a confidence-building home victory against the Cowboys last week. Statistically speaking, the Patriots have the best defense in the NFL. Darnold has weapons, though, with Le'Veon Bell, deep threat Robbie Anderson and much underrated slot man Jamison Crowder. The Patriots' offense hasn't been that sharp. This has largely gone unnoticed because their defense has been so good and because of an easy schedule. New England, however, is banged up at wide receiver, deficient at tight end and weak at the offensive tackle spots. The Jets should be up for this game more than any other matchup all season being against their most hated division rival and at home on Monday night.
10-20-19	Eagles +3 v. Cowboys		10-37	Loss	-114	97 h 9 m	Show
Why the Eagles? Better team getting points especially with Dallas not playing well losing to the Jets and Packers, who scored the first 24 points in that game. The Cowboys are dealing with key injuries. Both of Dallas' starting offensive tackles have been out the last couple of weeks. The Cowboys rely on Ezekiel Elliott to produce yardage on the ground, but the Eagles rank second in run defense. Dak Prescott isn't that effective in the air without his top wideout, Amari Cooper, who isn't expected to play. The Cowboys also could be minus their top cornerback, Byron Jones. He's dealing with a hamstring injury. The Eagles, on the other hand, are getting healthier as several of their cornerbacks could play after being out. This has been a road series with the visitor covering 11 of the last 15 times.
10-20-19	Saints v. Bears -3		36-25	Loss	-120	93 h 15 m	Show
I want the Bears going for me at home having had two weeks to stew about their embarrassing loss to the Raiders in London. The Saints are overdue for a loss. They are 5-1 with an average winning margin of 4.8 points. They have outscored their opponents by just six points in six games. Teddy Bridgewater is a game manager. He needs weapons. Unfortunately for New Orleans, Alvin Kamara is dealing with an ankle injury that may cause him to miss this game if not limit his effectiveness. The Bears are in the argument for having the best defense in football. This also is an off-surface for the Saints, who play on turf indoors not outdoors on grass.
10-20-19	Raiders v. Packers -5		24-42	Win	100	90 h 47 m	Show
Kudos to the Raiders for maybe putting forth their best effort ever under Jon Gruden in upsetting the Bears two weeks ago in London. But I'm not sold on Oakland especially when playing away from home, which they will be doing for the fourth straight time. The Raiders are 3-8 SU, 4-7 ATS when not playing in Oakland under Gruden. It's easy to remember the Raiders' stirring performance across the pond. But earlier they were smashed, 34-14, by the Vikings on the road. Green Bay defeated the Vikings at home earlier this season. This is an early start time, too, for the Raiders. They are 1-6 SU and ATS the past seven times when playing at 10 a.m. PDT. All of those losses have been by at least seven points. Aaron Rodgers doesn't need Davante Adams to beat Oakland. Obviously it's a nice plus if Adams is over his toe injury that has caused him to miss the last two games. Rodgers, though, is an elite QB with a monster edge on Derek Carr, who is far more of a dink-and-dunker than gunslinger and lacks receiving weapons. Green Bay's defense is one of the most improved units in football ranking ninth in fewest points allowed. The Raiders average less than two sacks per game, are penalty prone and give up nearly 25 points a game.
10-20-19	Jaguars -4 v. Bengals		27-17	Win	100	9 h 18 m	Show
If the NFL draft were to take place today it would not be the Miami Dolphins picking first. Instead it would be the Bengals because they have the worst record in the NFL at 0-6. The Bengals aren't tanking, but they are as bad as Miami. Cincinnati ranks last in rushing and last in stopping the run. On top of this, the Bengals have cluster injury situations in their offensive line and secondary with both starting cornerbacks out. A.J. Green, their best wideout, remains sidelined. Some regard the Saints as the best team in the NFC. Yet the Jaguars were nearly a field goal favorite against New Orleans last week. The Jaguars are slightly more than a field goal favorite against the Bengals. Doesn't make sense. Yes, the Jaguars were home against the Saints. Cincinnati, though, has a minimal home field edge. The Jaguars have an above average defense. That's without star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who missed the past three games. Ramsey getting traded could help the Jaguars' morale. He certainly won't be a distraction anymore. Jacksonville needs this game being two games out of first in the wide open AFC South Division. In their last five games, the Jaguars have defeated the Broncos and Titans while losing on the road to the Texans by one point and by seven to the Panthers. Jacksonville fell to the Saints by seven points at home last Sunday. The Jaguars are at their best when Leonard Fournette is gashing defenses. Fournette is having his best season averaging 5.1 yards a carry and ranking No. 2 in the AFC in rushing. The Bengals have allowed half of their opponents to rush for at least 250 yards. An effective Fournette sets up Gardner Minshew's play action passes. On top of all their injuries, the Bengals' defense carries a high fatigue rating. They were on the field for nearly 40 minutes and more than 80 snaps against the Ravens last week.
10-20-19	Cardinals v. Giants -3	Top	27-21	Loss	-100	90 h 46 m	Show
The Giants are home, have a huge scheduling advantage and get back Saquan Barkley and Evan Engram. Barkley is a top-three running back and I rate Engram as a top-five tight end. The Cardinals have a porous defense ranking among the bottom-four in several key statistical categories, including yards allowed, points and pass defense. The return of cornerback Patrick Peterson from suspension is a plus for the Cardinals, but doesn't move the needle nearly enough. The Cardinals are coming off a 34-33 home victory against the Falcons. The Cardinals achieved the victory when normally reliable veteran Matt Bryant missed an extra point after the Falcons scored a touchdown with less than two minutes left. The Cardinals nipped the Bengals at the gun on a field gun two weeks ago. The Falcons and Bengals are a combined 1-11. The spread would be much higher here if the Cardinals held a 0-5-1 mark instead of a far more respectable 2-3-1 record. This also is Arizona's longest trip of the season and it's at an early West Coast start time. The Cardinals are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 Eastern Standard Time games. The Giants are on extra rest having played last Thursday.
10-13-19	Titans v. Broncos OVER 39		0-16	Loss	-109	98 h 28 m	Show
Unless you have a pair of dominant defenses going, this is a short total in the NFL these days with the rules skewed toward offense. Denver's defense is overrated. The Broncos have yielded at least 23 points in five of their last seven games. Denver is down Bradley Chubb and ranks 22nd in run defense. The Titans should have scored far more than seven points against the Bills last week. They had a touchdown called back and missed four field goals. Tennessee mercifully has a new kicker this week. Derrick Henry should be able to run on Denver, which in turn will make Marcus Mariota far more effective off play-action. I'm not a fan of Joe Flacco. But Denver's offense has shown more the past two games averaging 22 points during this span.
10-13-19	Cowboys v. Jets UNDER 45		22-24	Loss	-117	48 h 13 m	Show
The Jets rank last in yards and second-to-last in scoring. Maybe the oddsmaker believes their scoring will pick up with Sam Darnold set to go behind center for the first time since opening week after being felled by mononucleosis because this total seems high to me. Darnold is a major improvement on Luke Falk, who had no business ever starting an NFL game. But Darnold figures to be rusty and may not be 100 percent. This is just his second year in the NFL. He was inconsistent as a rookie. The Cowboys could be without their two starting offensive tackles, six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith and right tackle La'el Collins. I forsee a lot of running in this game, which eats up clock. The Jets heavily rely on Le'Veon Bell, who isn't such a superstar behind a sub-par offensive line. Dallas is going to feed Ezekiel Elliott.
10-13-19	49ers v. Rams -3	Top	20-7	Loss	-120	54 h 28 m	Show
The Rams are feeling heat from the Seahawks and 49ers having lost two in a row. So this becomes a crucial game. Sean McVay is the best coach in the NFC. Jared Goff has a history of playing much better at home. The 49ers are not used to taking on opponents who are extremely motivated to play them - until now. San Francisco is much improved as its 4-0 record attests. But do note those victories have come against the Buccaneers, Bengals, Steelers and Browns. The combined record of those teams is 5-15. LA is on extra rest having played last Thursday. The Rams are 7-1 ATS when having a rest advantage under McVay. The 49ers, on the other hand, are on a short week coming off a great Monday night home win against the Browns. Lost in the glare of the 49ers' dismantling of the Browns, though, was two key injuries - fullback Kyle Juszcyk and offensive right tackle Mike McGlinchey. Both are out long-term. Juszcyk may be the best fullback in the league. Compounding McGlinchey's injury is San Francisco already is minus star offensive left tackle Joe Staley. Aaron Donald should be in for a monster game. The Rams' defense isn't as down as some may perceive. LA's offense has been turning the ball over, which has put its defense in difficult field position. Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't have that much starting QB experience. He's going to face a heavy pass rush without his starting tackles. I don't see him keeping up with a high caliber Rams offense that should be well-designed with nine days to prepare under QB guru McVay. Todd Gurley may not play, but the Rams have two other good running backs. One of the keys to McVay's success has been a 10-3 division record. The 49ers are 2-10 against NFC West foes under Kyle Shanahan.
10-13-19	Eagles v. Vikings -3		20-38	Win	100	95 h 23 m	Show
The Vikings are healthier and a better team than the Eagles right now. I also believe the Vikings' strong home field is worth more than the standard three points. So this line is short. Minnesota is 15-5 SU and ATS the last 20 times when laying five points or less at home. Kirk Cousins does his best work against bad teams and crippled secondaries. The Eagles have a cluster injury problem in their secondary. Cousins has a strong history versus Philadelphia, too, with a 101.2 career passer rating that includes 17 TD passes in eight games. The Eagles have to respect Dalvin Cook. So the Vikings are balanced and should have no problem moving the ball. Not so with the Eagles. Carson Wentz hasn't been sharp so far this season and he's squaring off on the road against an elite defense.
10-13-19	Bengals +12.5 v. Ravens	Top	17-23	Win	100	96 h 45 m	Show
As bad as the Bengals are, the Ravens aren't nearly good enough to lay this big of a number in a division matchup. The Ravens' defense has surrendered 96 points in its last three games. They rank 29th in pass defense and are down several key members in their secondary, including Jimmy Smith and Tony Jefferson. It's become obvious how much Baltimore misses former defensive stalwarts Terrell Suggs and C.J. Mosley, both of whom departed via free agency. The Bengals have proven to be a feisty underdog covering five of the past six times in that role. They nearly beat Seattle and Buffalo straight-up on the road this season. Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS during its last five visits to Baltimore. The Ravens have failed to cover in their last five games and are 1-6 ATS the past seven times they have been favored. Their heavy reliance on running the ball makes them an especially poor choice to lay double-digits.
10-07-19	Browns +4 v. 49ers	Top	3-31	Loss	-115	118 h 47 m	Show
Burying the Ravens on the road last Sunday was huge for the Browns. Both from a confidence standpoint and also to reinforce their high talent level. Cleveland achieved that victory despite missing its starting cornerbacks, Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams. Both could return here. The 49ers can't match the Browns' skill position talent of Bakery Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry and Nick Chubb. Cleveland's offensive line has been a weak spot. But the 49ers are minus their top offensive lineman with left tackle Joe Staley out with a leg injury. Myles Garrett, who is in the argument for being the best pass rusher in the AFC, could be in line for a huge game. The 49ers are just 7-17 ATS in their last 24 home games since making the move to Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. They haven't covered as home chalk in five years. I respect Kyle Shanahan. I think the 49ers are much improved. But they are not a playoff contender. Cleveland is. The Browns are the superior team catching points. The 49ers have a weak home field. So getting points is a nice bonus.
10-07-19	Browns v. 49ers OVER 47	Top	3-31	Loss	-109	21 h 13 m	Show
The Browns' offense has shown signs of getting in gear coming off a 40-point performance against the Ravens last week. Baker Mayfield has two of the best at their respective positions in wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Nick Chubb. It's a plus for the Browns and Over that Jarvis Landry should be able to play. The 49ers' defense is improved, but still striving to turn the corner. San Francisco has been fortunate so far to draw the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay's first game under new coach Bruce Arians, a weak Bengals offense and a Steelers offense that had Mason Rudolph behind center instead of Ben Roethlisberger. Cleveland's defense could be missing its starting cornerbacks as both Greedy Williams and Denzel Ward are injured. It's alarming that the Browns defense surrendered 43 points to Tennessee. The Titans have scored a combined 55 points in their four other games. San Francisco's offense is getting dangerous with Jimmy Garoppolo getting the rust off behind offensive guru Kyle Shanahan's well-designed plays. The 49ers have three solid running backs, underrated wide receivers and a top-two tight end in George Kittle. Shanahan has had two weeks to prepare for this matchup. Note, too, that this will be Jerome Boger's crew who will be doing the officiating. Boger is infamous for his frequent defensive holding calls. The Over has covered 59 percent of the time in Boger's 164 games.
10-06-19	Packers v. Cowboys UNDER 47		34-24	Loss	-109	90 h 5 m	Show
Aaron Rodgers produced a typical Rodgersesq game last Thursday against the Eagles. He was going against a battered Eagles secondary, though, and that game was an exception to how Green Bay's offense has performed this year. Matt LaFleuer has largely hijacked the Packers' offense with his commitment to run the ball more even though this isn't Green Bay's strength. Green Bay's offense has mostly struggled against the two elite defenses it has faced, Chicago and Minnesota, scoring an average of 15.5 points versus those two teams. Dallas' defense also is very good ranking third in fewest points given up. The Cowboys have four premier defenders in pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, cornerback Byron Jones and linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith. The Packers could be without their top playmaker Davante Adams and right tackle Byron Bulaga, who has been the Packers' best offensive lineman this season. The Packers have one of the most improved defenses in the NFL. Their secondary is above average now due to upgraded safety play. The additions of Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith have improved their pass rush. Their run defense should be better now that underrated defensive lineman Montravius Adams is expected to play after missing the past two games. Adams is the reason the Packers felt strong enough to cut Mike Daniels. The Cowboys aren't going to do anything fancy. They are going to pound away with Ezekiel Elliott and play ball control keeping Rodgers off the field as much as possible.
10-06-19	Vikings -4.5 v. Giants		28-10	Win	100	140 h 28 m	Show
Daniel Jones has provided a spark to the Giants. Since he replaced Eli Manning, the Giants have gone 2-0. Those victories, though, were against the Buccaneers and Redskins. Now Jones has to step way up in class and face an elite defense, the Vikings. Jones doesn't have much skill position support either with Saquan Barkley out. The Vikings are in an angry mood after losing to the Bears last week. Don't think for an instant the Giants defense is any good just because they held the impotent Redskins to three points this past Sunday. Kirk Cousins has a history of playing better versus weaker competition. Look for the Vikings to open things up more, too, against the Giants making better use of star wideouts Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs to go with the dangerous Dalvin Cook in the backfield. The Giants are 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 home games. The Vikings are at least two levels higher than the Giants and should win by double-digits.
10-06-19	Jets +14.5 v. Eagles		6-31	Loss	-135	87 h 5 m	Show
I'll take two touchdowns with the Jets figuring neither Sam Darnold nor C.J. Mosley, their best defensive player, are going to play. Mosley is surely out at least another week. It's a huge plus if Darnold can play. But I'm fine with Luke Falk under center at this high of a point spread. The Eagles have a cluster injury problem in their secondary. They could be down their three best cornerbacks. They also are missing two defensive linemen and star defensive end Fletcher Cox is dealing with a foot aliment. So he might be out, too, or extremely hobbled if he does play. The Jets do get back defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who is projected to be the best rookie defensive lineman in the NFL. Falk is who he is - a desperation third-stringer with limited talent. But at least now he's had time to work with the Jets' first-string offense. Adam Gase should be able to coach him up especially with the Jets coming off a bye. Falk has decent wide receivers and a workhorse running back, Le'Veon Bell, who also is one of the better pass-receiving running back. The Eagles go on the road for three straight away games following this matchup taking on the Vikings, Cowboys and Bills. They don't want to have to exert or show too much against this lowly non-division opponent. They will be happy just to get a win and get healthy.
10-06-19	Bills v. Titans -2		14-7	Loss	-110	87 h 52 m	Show
The Bills had great anticipation and hope before last Sunday's game against the Patriots. Those were dashed when the Bills' offense couldn't produce anything and Josh Allen got hurt. I respect the heck out of Buffalo's defense, but they are a deflated team this week and forced to go with journeyman backup QB Matt Barkley. Allen isn't accurate. Neither is Barkley. Allen was a running threat, however, and could make a big play. Barkley can't run, nor produce big plays. The Titans are a solid team that could be feared if Marcus Mariota is able to step up his game. Mariota showed signs of doing that last week. He has a 7-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio and his pass protection was the best it has been all season last Sunday against the Falcons. The Bills' defense is much more physical and superior to the Falcons. The Titans, though, get their best offensive lineman, left tackle Taylor Lewan, back from suspension. Tennessee has edges at all the skill positions as the Bills can't match Derrick Henry in the backfield, nor Corey Davis at wide receiver.
10-06-19	Bears -4 v. Raiders	Top	21-24	Loss	-110	141 h 45 m	Show
The Raiders are 2-8 in their road games under Jon Gruden. They have been outscored by 130 points in those games. Statistically, the Patriots have the best defense in the NFL. But considering the caliber of opponents the Patriots have played compared to the Bears, I would go with the Bears being the No. 1 defensive team. I can't see the Raiders putting up many points here even if the Bears are minus Roquan Smith and Akiem Hicks. Khalil Mack is sure to be fired-up playing against his former team. I actually like the Bears' offense more with Chase Daniel at QB instead of Mitch Trubisky. Daniel is the more polished, experienced and accurate passer. He doesn't have to do anything fancy just play with in his means for the Bears to roll past the Raiders. Minnesota buried the Raiders, 34-14, at home two weeks ago. The Bears just got done defeating the Vikings. This marks Oakland's third straight away contest. The game is being played in London, but time-wise it comes out to be a morning game for the Raiders. The Raiders are 1-6 SU and ATS the past seven times on the road during an early start time.
09-30-19	Bengals v. Steelers -3	Top	3-27	Win	100	18 h 49 m	Show
This matchup has lost much of its star power with no Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and A.J. Green. It's going to be decided in the trenches - and that's where the Steelers hold a monster edge to go with home field and the mental confidence of having defeated Cincinnati eight straight times. The Bengals can't run the ball, nor stop the run. That's a very bad combination especially when playing Pittsburgh on the road. The Bengals are last in the NFL in rushing and second from the bottom in run defense. The Steelers aren't going to be fancy here. They don't need to be. Mason Rudolph should play better in his second NFL start and first at home. He doesn't need to play great, just steady behind a very good offensive line. Pittsburgh defense will be fired up. It played very well at San Francisco last week. Rookie Devin Bush gives the Steelers' needed linebacker speed that they haven't had since Ryan Shazier was injured. Andy Dalton needs weapons to succeed. Instead he's saddled with a bottom-five offensive line. Bad offensive lines don't travel well. Cincinnati has lost its last seven away matchups.
09-29-19	Cowboys -134 v. Saints		10-12	Loss	-134	96 h 55 m	Show
The Cowboys held the Saints to 10 points last season - when New Orleans had Drew Brees at QB. Teddy Bridgewater is a massive downgrade. Dallas is giving up fewer than 15 points per game this season. Bridgewater is not a downfield threat and doesn't have the mobility he once possessed. The Cowboys have the athletic and quick linebackers needed to contain Alvin Kamara and Bridgewater's short passing game. Dallas is well balanced and the healthier team. Dak Prescott is playing the best of his NFL career. The Cowboys rank fourth in scoring averaging 32.3 points. If the Saints load the box to stop Ezekiel Elliott, Prescott can beat them through the air. Dallas is much more dangerous offensively with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore calling the shots. The Saints are overrated at home where they have failed to cover in their past five games at the Superdome. They also are just 1-7 ATS in their last eight overall games. Dallas is the superior team right now on both sides of the ball. It shouldn't be too much to ask the Cowboys to beat the Brees-less Saints.
09-29-19	Jaguars v. Broncos -3		26-24	Loss	-115	92 h 18 m	Show
At 0-3 the Broncos are in desperation mode. The Jaguars are sure to get the Broncos' top effort. Denver is especially tough at home early in the season when opponents aren't in shape to deal with high altitude. The Broncos are 13-1 during their last 14 September home games. The Broncos' defense is better than it has showed. I'm not buying any Minshew Mania. Gardner Minshew is far more game manager than gunslinger. He needs to heavily lean on Leonard Fournette, who is having a disappointing season so far. Forget, too, about Jacksonville returning to its playoff ways of two seasons ago. The Jaguars are more like last season's 5-11 team. Their offense lacks a downfield attack, Fournette may be in the wrong system and the defense isn't as dominant as last year missing some key players, including linebacker Telvin Smith. It's not a fluke the Jaguars have dropped 12 of their past 15 games while going 4-9-2 ATS during this span. They just aren't very good.
09-29-19	Seahawks v. Cardinals OVER 47.5		27-10	Loss	-110	14 h 2 m	Show
Russell Wilson is a magician and he's having another magical season with the third-highest passer rating and a 7-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Wilson squares off against an equal opportunity Cardinals defense that can't stop the run nor the pass. Arizona ranks among the bottom-four in yards allowed and points per game surrendering nearly 30 a game. The Seahawks are down defensively from previous years particularly in the secondary where the Legion of Boom no longer exists. Kyler Murray has transformed Arizona's offense. He's the perfect QB for the Cardinals because of his quickness and nimbleness, which masks his team's offensive line weaknesses. I expect Kliff Kingsbury to begin opening the playbook more for Murray especially being at home. David Johnson is an elite runner due for a bust out performance and Larry Fitzgerald is relevant again thanks to Murray and the Cardinals' much improved offense.
09-29-19	Browns +7.5 v. Ravens		40-25	Win	100	11 h 58 m	Show
Yes, the Browns were the most overhyped team entering the season. Now, though, the pendulum has swung too far the other way. The Browns aren't as bad as they've looked. This is a step down for the Browns after they played the Rams last week. Baltimore nipped Cleveland, 26-24, at home last season. The Browns are far more talented this season. It's taken a while, but I see Baker Mayfield and his talented skill position players putting the pieces together in this matchup. The Ravens' defense down is from a year ago and they have multiple injuries in their secondary. Mayfield will be able to spot open receivers. The Ravens are at their worst in the role of home favorite, too, where they are 1-7 ATS the past eight times, including failing to cover the last four times as home chalk. Baltimore is the most run-oriented team in the league. They are not built to cover margins like this especially in a huge division game.
09-29-19	Panthers v. Texans OVER 47	Top	16-10	Loss	-109	91 h 4 m	Show
Take away his legs and Cam Newton isn't a very good quarterback. I would agrue Carolina's offense is set up better with Kyle Allen at quarterback. Allen gets the start again this week after lighting up the Cardinals defense for four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 38-20 road win last Sunday. Allen is surrounded by playmakers. Christian McCaffrey is the best all-purpose back in the league. DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are underrated speed weapons and Greg Olsen still is an effective pass-catching tight end. He had excellent rapport with Allen against the Cardinals catching six passes and scoring two touchdowns. This will be Allen's third NFL start. He led the Panthers to 33 points in his starting debut during Week 17 last season. Houston's pass defense ranks 23rd. The Texans have slow cornerbacks making them vulnerable to Moore and Samuel. The Panthers' defense hasn't improved as some were expecting. Defensive linemen Gerald McCoy looks old and Kawann Short missed last week with a shoulder injury. He's questionable this week. The Texans are averaging 30.1 in their last six regular season games discouting matchups against the Jaguars. Deshaun Watson is an upper level QB and DeAndre Hopkins could be the top wideout in the NFL. Both of these teams rank in the top-10, too, in pace. So this should be a fast tempo game, a strong plus for the Over.
09-26-19	Eagles v. Packers OVER 45	Top	34-27	Win	100	52 h 11 m	Show
The Eagles' defensive weaknesses are clear: Vulnerable secondary, just two sacks and down two defensive tackles. Aaron Rodgers should be in line for his biggest game of the season after facing three strong defenses - Bears, Vikings and Broncos. Rodgers hasn't been looking downfield as much as he has in previous seasons. That's partially the design of first-year head coach Matt LaFleur, who is trying to establish more of a run presence. But LaFleur can't be stupid enough not to encourage Rodgers to take advantage of the Eagles' 29th-ranked pass defense that has yielded seven TD passes in three games, including three TD passes and 380 yards to Case Keenum. Green Bay's defense is improved. No doubt there. It's quicker, faster and more athletic. But it's not as good as the early numbers may indicate. The Packers have been fortunate to open against these three QB's - Mitchchell Trubisky, Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco. An above average quarterback can show that the Packers' defense is far from elite. The Eagles have that in Carson Wentz, who should get back his top wide receiver, Alshon Jeffery, from injury. The Packers' defense also carries a high fatigue rating even though it's early in the season. That's because Green Bay's defense was on the field for 73 plays against Denver this past Sunday as the Broncos won the time of possession battle, 35:34-24:26. So this being the Thursday game isn't doing the Packers' defense any favors.
09-22-19	Texans v. Chargers OVER 47.5		27-20	Loss	-110	133 h 16 m	Show
Expect a bounce back performance from Philip Rivers returning to LA after a tough game last week at Detroit. Austin Ekeler has proven he is more than capable of replacing Melvin Gordon even being a better pass-catcher out of the backfield. Deshaun Watson is due for a better game, too. The Texans are facing an easier defense than the Jaguars. Watson has all of his main receiving targets healthy. Both teams are vulnerable in the secondary. The Chargers are missing their starting safeties. They draw Watson after facing Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew during their first two games. That's a monster step up.
09-22-19	Saints +5.5 v. Seahawks		33-27	Win	100	133 h 13 m	Show
The Saints are getting a generous amont of points against a mediocre Seahawks squad because Drew Brees is out. Teddy Bridgewater, though, is one of the better backups in the league. Bridgewater gives the Saints a running dimension from the quarterback spot they lacked from Brees. He has excellent weapons with Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas being among the best at their respective positions. Offensive mastermind Seay Payton can also coach Bridgewater up with a full week to prepare. The Seahawks were outgained by nearly 200 yards at home by the winless Bengals in Week 1, lucky to escape with a victory. Seattle then caught a break this past Sunday against the Steelers when Ben Roethilsberger couldn't go in the second due to an elbow injury. Seattle's home field isn't as dominant as before and the Legion of Boom is no more. Instead the Seahawks have an inexperienced and vulnerable secondary.
09-22-19	Steelers +8 v. 49ers		20-24	Win	100	133 h 12 m	Show
The Steelers are in must-win mode win at 0-2. The 49ers are in a letdown spot returning home after opening 2-0 with a pair of road victories. Those wins came against the Buccaneers and Bengals, though. Now the 49ers face their toughest opponent. The line is inflated because Ben Roethlisberger is out. He's replaced by Mason Rudolph. The Steelers have had bad backup quarterbacks before. Rudolph is a step above their previous second-string QB's. He was a star at Oklahoma State and looked good during preseason. The Steelers still have a good defense, an elite offensive line and solid weapons for Rudolph to succeed. San Francisco is much improved. But the 49ers still are not better than the Steelers even with the change from Roethlisberger to Rudolph. Their offense is a work-in-progress and they just lost offensive left tackle Joe Staley, who suffered a broken leng. The 49ers have holes on defense especially in the secondary. The Steelrs upgraded their secondary and showed to their fans they haven't given up on the season by trading a first-round pick for versatile defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.
09-22-19	Ravens +7.5 v. Chiefs		28-33	Win	100	130 h 52 m	Show
The Ravens lost 27-24 in overtime to the Chiefs in Kansas City last season. That is their only loss during their past nine regular season games. The Ravens are itching for revenge and are better than they were last December when they met the Chiefs. The main reason for this is the emergence of Lamar Jackson as a legitimate dual threat quarterback. He has thrown the same number of touchdown passes as Patrick Mahomes this season. Jackson has upgraded weapons supporting hin and a better group of running backs. Baltimore also has the superior defense. The Chiefs are dealing with two key offensive injuries - wide receiver Tyreek Hill and left tackle Eric Fisher.
09-22-19	Raiders v. Vikings -7.5	Top	14-34	Win	100	130 h 54 m	Show
Jon Gruden doesn't fool me. The Raiders are bad on both sides of the ball. Just like last season. They lack skill position talent and their defense is bottom tier. The Raiders don't travel well either losing 15 of their last 17 road/neutral sites matchups going 3-13-1 ATS in those games. The Vikings have one of the best home fields in football covering 70 percent of their last 54 home games. Note this is an early start time, too. Bad news for the West Coast Raiders. Dalvin Cook is a premier running back. If the Raiders load the box to stop him they become vulnerable to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The Vikings are hungry for a win after losing to the Packers last week.
09-16-19	Browns -140 v. Jets	Top	23-3	Win	100	129 h 1 m	Show
I played this game early in the week before Sam Darnold was ruled out so was able to take a great money line price. I still like the Browns at the changed number, but not enough to recommend a max wager. The Browns are far from a complete team. But they have less warts than the Jets and should enter this nationally televised matchup humble, motivated and ready to prove the preseason hype about them is justified after they were embarrassed by the Titans at home this past Sunday. Baker Mayfield gives the Browns a monster talent edge at QB. The Jets defense fell apart against the Bills after losing linebacker C.J. Mosley. The Browns' offense is far superior to Buffalo's. Mosley, the Jets' defensive leader, and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams are both out. The Jets already are down injured linebacker Avery Williamson. Those are three significant defensive injuries for the Jets. Both team's have protection problems. But the Jets also have a weak secondary and lack a pass rush. Cleveland's Myles Garrett is one of the pass rushers in the NFL. He is my choice to lead the NFL in sacks this season.
09-15-19	Chiefs -6.5 v. Raiders	Top	28-10	Win	100	44 h 45 m	Show
Credit to the Raiders for beating Denver in Week 1. Jon Gruden had a good game plan and his defense played hard. But now the Raiders go from Joe Flacco, who I rank with Eli Manning as the worst starting QB in the NFL, to the best, Patrick Mahomes. The Raiders defense is porous and they are now without injured safety Johnathan Abram. The Chiefs should have no problem moving the ball up and down on the Raiders. They don't need Tyreek Hill against such a weak caliber defense. Kansas City averaged 37.5 points against the Raider last season with Mahomes throwing for six touchdowns and averaging 9.3 yards per attempt. Oakland isn't going to be able to keep up with Kansas City. Derek Carr is just a glorified dink-and-dunker. I'm not impressed with his skill position weapons either with Antonio Brown having left. Carr has been picked off nine times in his career by the Chiefs. The Raiders are missing their starting guards. They are one of the few teams that could make the Chiefs defense look good.
09-15-19	Patriots v. Dolphins UNDER 49		43-0	Win	100	44 h 29 m	Show
New England has its best defense in years. The Dolphins have the lowest paid and probably worst offensive line in the league. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a better backup than starting QB and Miami is below average at running back and at the receiver spots. So the Dolphins don't figure to put up many points. The Patriots aren't going to show much. There's no need for them to tip their hand against such a weak foe. The Patriots have been double-digit road favorites six times since 2015. The Under has won each team. The weather is going to be brutally hot with temperatures reaching the low 100's and high humidity. This is a game the Patriots should be satisfied to sit on a lead and get their reserves in early so as not to risk an injury to a frontline player especially since they already are missing two offensive line starters.
09-15-19	Patriots v. Dolphins +19.5		43-0	Loss	-110	44 h 26 m	Show
I understand the Dolphins are the worst team in the NFL. But this number is an overreaction to what happened in Week 1 when the Dolphins were blown out by the Ravens and the Patriots crushed the Steelers in the Sunday Night nationally televised game. The early number on this game, according to the oddsmakers at the Westgate, was Patriots minus 11. Until that battering by the Ravens, the Dolphins had not lost a September home game since 2015. This is the weakest Miami team in a long time, but motivation, home field and New England offensive line injuries and state of mind counter the Patriots' huge talent and coaching edge. The Patriots have had trouble at this venue losing five of the past six times they have played at Miami. The Dolphins are 6-1 ATS the past seven times hosting New England. The Patriots are without two of their best offensive linemen with center David Andrews and right tackle Marcus Cannon out. The Patriots aren't going to put Tom Brady at risk with some wide open attack when they don't need to do that to win this game. There also is no reason for the Patriots to show anything in this game. A simple, vanilla game plan featuring lots of running is what the Patriots are likely to do. The heat is going to be brutal with temperatures reaching triple digits and high humidity. Bill Belichick isn't likely to run up a score against the Dolphins, who are coached by Brian Flores. Flores was a defensive assistant to Belichick before taking the Dolphins job. The Dolphins will be taking this matchup far more serious than the Patriots because of Flores' former close association with the Patriots and also to get some redemption from last week's horror show. This is going to be Miami's Super Bowl.
09-15-19	Jaguars +9.5 v. Texans		12-13	Win	100	40 h 25 m	Show
This is more than just a division game, but a real rivalry. It remains to be seen just how much of a dropoff there is between Nick Foles and rookie Gardner Minshew. Foles has mostly been a backup in his career, although a top-notch one. Minshew demonstrated tremendous poise in replacing Foles against the Chiefs last Sunday completing 22 of 25 passes for 275 with two touchdowns and one interception. The Jaguars are run-oriented. Leonard Fournette is their featured player not the quarterback. Minshew has underrated wide receivers. He just has to manage this game, though, for the Jaguars to hang in. The Jaguars have an upper level defense. They were sixth in defensive efficiency last season. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the few who can hang against DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans are playing on a short week after an exhausting road game against the Saints this past Monday night. The Texans have not shored up their porous pass protection particularly at right tackle. Deshaun Watson was sacked six times by New Orleans and endured 11 hits. The Jaguars have held Watson to two touchdown passes in three games and just 5.8 yards per pass attempt. The Jaguars also have recorded 21 sacks in their last four games against the Texans.
09-15-19	Seahawks v. Steelers -3.5	Top	28-26	Loss	-110	116 h 25 m	Show
I want the Steelers at home going for me in this spot. Pittsburgh laid an egg at New England on national television this past Sunday night. Ben Roethlisberger has a strong history of playing much better at home. The Steelers' offensive line is elite. James Connor and JuJu Smith-Schuster are more than adequate replacements from the departed Le'Veon Bell and prima donna Antonio Brown. Seattle is down this season. The Seahawks were life and death to beat a bad Bengals team at home opening week. Seattle is 3-6 SU and 0-8-1 ATS in the first two weeks of the season during the past four plus years. The Seahawks are down because they no longer have their fabled Legion of Boom secondary. All of those guys are gone. Their best defensive lineman, Jarran Reed, is suspended. Seattle is a ground-and-pound team. That style isn't going to work on the road against the Steelers, who won't lack motivation after last Sunday's humiliation to the Patriots. Pittsburgh ranked sixth in run defense and were tied for first in sacks last season. Russell Wilson lost his top wide receiver with Doug Baldwin retiring.
09-09-19	Broncos +1 v. Raiders	Top	16-24	Loss	-110	148 h 12 m	Show
Von Miller and Bradley Chubb may be the best pass rushing tandem in the NFL. They are in line for big games against a depleted Raiders offensive line that won't have their starting guards and likely going with untested Kolton Miller at left tackle. It's hard to imagine the Raiders getting a ground attack going against Denver minus guards Richie Incognito, who is suspended, and Gabe Jackson, out with a knee injury. I'm not high on Raiders rookie running back, Josh Jacobs. Vic Fangio is an upper level defensive coach and he's had plenty of time to game plan. The Raiders have a bottom-five defense. Indications are that the Broncos' two best playmakers, running back Philip Lindsay and Emmanuel Sanders, are back to health. That's all Joe Flacco needs to game manage a victory here for Denver.
09-08-19	Steelers v. Patriots UNDER 51	Top	3-33	Win	100	125 h 44 m	Show
It's easy to think offense with these two teams. But doing that can get you in trouble with this matchup. The Patriots have their deepest defense since the early Bill Belichick days. They are especially strong at linebacker and cornerback. The Steelers' firepower isn't quite as potent without Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a worthy No. 1 wideout. The problem for the Steelers is Donte Montcrief is a weak No. 2 wide receiver and James Washington is unproven. Rookie linebacker Devin Bush should have a huge impact on Pittsburgh's defense. The Patriots have become more run-oriented. They are down at tight end with Rob Gronkowski retired and Benjamin Watson suspended. Losing center David Andrews for the season was a tough blow, too, for New England. The two teams met in Week 15 last season at Pittsburgh and the Steelers won, 17-10.
09-08-19	Lions -140 v. Cardinals		27-27	Push	0	119 h 31 m	Show
Arizona can't be worse than what it was last season. The Cardinals' offense certainly should be more deadly with Kliff Kingsburgy and Kyler Murray operating things. However, the Lions are a level higher than the Cardinals right now. Detroit has the running back, Kerryon Johnson, to exploit the Cardinals' weak run defense and the veteran quarterback, Matthew Stafford, to take advantage of the Cardinals minus their top two cornerbacks, suspended Patrick Peterson and injured Robert Alfrod. Stafford has reliable wide receiving weapons with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola along with No. 1 draft pick tight end T.J. Hockenson. Detroit also has an edge in place-kickers. The Lions upgraded their defensive line. It's too much to expect Murray not to make mistakes and go turnover-free. The Lions played the Cardinals on the road in last year's season-opener and won, 17-3. It was the sixth time in the last eight years the Lions have won their Week 1 game.
09-08-19	Giants v. Cowboys UNDER 46	Top	17-35	Loss	-109	533 h 14 m	Show
I see this as the high point of this over/under number with the total only dropping before kickoff. So I am recommending locking into this number now. Neither team is explosive. The Giants have a dink-and-dunk passing attack that wasn't very good even when they had Odell Beckham Jr. Eli Manning's numbers are far worse when Beckham hasn't been in the lineup. New York is down suspended Golden Tate and may not have Sterling Shephard, who has a thumb injury. Those are the Giants' two best wide receivers. Dallas has a very strong defense that is well-coached. The strength of the Cowboys' defense are their mobile linebackers. They can prevent Saquan Barkley from breaking big plays. The Cowboys are ground-oriented. Dak Prescott is more game-manager than gunslinger. The Cowboys aren't going to take wild chances in a game they should have no problem winning if they stick to their grind-out style. Ezekiel Elliott probably is 50-50 to end his holdout by game time. Obviously it's a huge plus for the Under if the rushing champion sits out. If you discount last season's meaningless Week 17 matchup, the average combined total during the past five Giants-Cowboys games is 30.2 points.
09-08-19	Colts +7 v. Chargers		24-30	Win	100	118 h 21 m	Show
This game has moved up to a touchdown now that Andrew Luck isn't going to play. The Colts, though, are solid everywhere. They are still a very respectable football team and offensive guru Frank Reich can coach up Jacoby Brissett, who brings a mobility to the QB position that Luck didn't have. The Colts have shown unity since Luck announced his retirement. They will be playing with a chip on their shoulders ready to prove to the world they are more than just Andrew Luck. The Chargers are missing key players, too, with safety Derwin James and offensive left tackle Russell Okung both injured and out. LA isn't likely to have its top running back, Melvin Gordon, either as he remains a holdout. The Chargers have lost each of their past three season-openers. They were 2-5 ATS in their home games last season covering only against the Raiders and Cardinals.
09-08-19	Chiefs v. Jaguars +4		40-26	Loss	-110	116 h 19 m	Show
The Jaguars should be closer to their AFC South Division-winning form of two seasons ago than last year's 5-11 disaster with Nick Foles taking over at quarterback from Blake Bortles. Jacksonville retains much of its elite defense that gave up the fifth-fewest points and yards last season. The Chiefs are breaking in a new defensive scheme. Their defense surrendered the second-most yards last season and is without a number of key performers, including pass rushers Justin Houston, Dee Ford and safety Eric Berry. I don't see the Chiefs' defense being any better, probably even worse, than 2018 especially early in the season. The Jaguars have revenge for a 30-14 road loss to the Chiefs last season. Jacksonville's defense played well against Patrick Mahomes, but were done in by Bortles' four interceptions, including a pick-six. The Jaguars were missing their star running back, Leonard Fournett, in that game. Foles represents a huge improvement on turnover-prone Bortles. The weather is likely to be extremely hot this time of year in Jacksonville, which would add to the Jaguars' home field advantage.
02-03-19	Patriots -129 v. Rams	Top	13-3	Win	100	287 h 51 m	Show
Monster quarterback edge. Far more biggest-stage experience. Intangibles. I want all those things going for me and that's why I am siding with the Patriots. Look I love Sean McVay. But if there's one coach - and there is only one coach - who can trump McVay it is Bill Belichick especially with two weeks of preparation. I don't trust Jared Goff. He didn't look good down the stretch once Cooper Kupp suffered a season-ending knee injury halfway through the season. Only once in his last seven games did Goff reached 300 yards passing. Goff had only a 10-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio when not playing at home. The Rams averaged just 22.6 points during their last six games if you discount their 48-point performance versus the 49ers. The Patriots have excellent cornerbacks. They can control Brandin Cooks, who they know well since Cooks was with New England last season, and Robert Woods. The Patriots had the 11th-best run defense, too. Tom Brady is the best big-game quarterback in NFL history. The only other names you can throw into that argument are Joe Montana, Bart Starr and Otto Graham. The Rams haven't been to the Super Bowl since 2001. That happened to be the first Super Bowl Belichick and Brady played in together. Since then the Patriots have played in seven other Super Bowls. This is their ninth Super, fourth one in five season and third straight. Cooks and defensive back Aqib Talib are the only Rams who have even played in a Super Bowl. The Patriots have covered nine of their last 12 playoff games. What is McVay's history? The Rams were one-and-done last season losing by 13 points at home to the Falcons as 6 1/2-point favorites. They barely managed to cover against the Cowboys at home this season in their first playoff game and then hung in to pull the upset against the Saints in the NFC title game benefitting from maybe the worst non-call in playoff history on an obvious pass interference call. I don't mean to demean, or sound harsh against the Rams. Again, I really like McVay. I do think he is at the genius level. He just doesn't have the quarterback, nor the dominant shutdown type of defense needed to beat the Patriots. New England may have the most underrated interior offensive line in football. The Patriots haven't allowed a sack in playoff victories against the Chargers and Chiefs. The Rams finished with 11 fewer sacks than the Chiefs and had just three more sacks than the Chargers during the regular season. Todd Gurley is the Rams' most dangerous weapon. And he's not 100 percent. He barely played against the Saints carrying only four times, which tells me he's far from 100 percent because of a lingering knee injury. If Gurley isn't in top form than Sony Michel is the best running back. Michel is stepping up with 242 rushing and five touchdowns in New England's two postseason victories. He has looked great. The Patriots are a combined 62-1 in the regular season and playoffs when having a runner rush for 100 yards. Aaron Donald is a monster in the Rams' defensive line. But LA doesn't have the quality linebackers to both stop Michel and cover the Patriots' various short receiving threats - running back James White, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, who looked better than he had in weeks during the win against the Chiefs. Brady is the master at knowing who and when to use his various weapons. I'm not betting against him and Belichick.
01-20-19	Patriots v. Chiefs UNDER 56	Top	37-31	Loss	-110	97 h 37 m	Show
I understand why the oddsmaker set a total this high. There were 83 points scored when the teams met in Week 6 with the Patriots winning, 43-40. The Patriots also looked great in steamrolling the Chargers this past Sunday, 41-28. But this matchup is going to be much different. It is going to be far more lower scoring than perceived. Let's start with a weather element. Kickoff is set for 6:40 p.m. Kansas City time. By that time, temperatures are forecast to be around 10 degrees, possibly lower. If the temperatures reach single digits it would make it the coldest playoff game in the history of Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs' offense is less explosive without Kareem Hunt, their best running back. The Patriots' defense is underrated. It has a bend-but-don't break nature. Only six teams gave up fewer points than the Patriots, although playing the Jets, Bills and Dolphins twice each padded those defensive statistics. However, part of Bill Belichick's genius is his ability to see things on film and learn from a previous matchup. Look for the Patriots to be in proper position to thwart Patrick Mahomes, playing in his first NFL title game, and the rest of the Chiefs. Kansas City isn't going to get any cheap points against such a well-coached defense. If Belichick has a hidden wrinkle that Mahomes hasn't seen, he will unleash it here. Another reason the total opened so high is because the Chiefs surrendered the second-most yards in the league and also the second-most passing yards. But Kansas City's defense is entirely different at home. The Chiefs gave up an average of 34.6 points on the road, but just 18 points per game at Arrowhead. And that's not including the Chiefs' playoff victory against the Colts last week. The Colts could manage just a single touchdown on offense against the Chiefs. The Patriots are not explosive like they have been in past seasons. Losing Josh Gordon to suspension and Rob Gronkowski becoming just a shell of his former self because of injuries have weakened New England's offense. Even with Gordon, the Patriots averaged only 21.6 points in their road games. That's the lowest total in Tom Brady's career. Brady did not have one of his better seasons. The Patriots rely on the running of Sony Michel and short passes now. The key to stopping Brady is having a strong pass rush without resorting to blitzes. The Chiefs can do that because they have three excellent pass rushers, Chris Jones, Dee Ford and Justin Houston. That trio combined to record 27 1/2 sacks.
01-20-19	Rams +3.5 v. Saints		26-23	Win	100	91 h 10 m	Show
The Saints hosted the Rams back in Week 9. The Rams were 1 1/2-point road favorites. Now look at the spread. There's a difference of four points, which I don't see between these two teams. These are the two best teams in the NFC deserving of meeting in the title game. But in my view the Rams are slightly better and that isn't negated by the Saints being home. It was huge for the Rams that they played earlier this season in the Superdome. They now have more of an idea of what to expect. Yes, the Saints beat the Rams, 45-35. But the score was tied 35-35 and the Rams had a chance to deliver a knockout blow to the Saints. They didn't do it - this time. The Saints are at their best inside their dome. But a fast-track, carpet field without weather conditions is helpful for the Rams, too. They are explosive with reliance on speed. Jared Goff is far better when not affected by bad weather. Take away their road loss to the Bears in cold weather and the Rams would be averaging 36.6 points a game. This is the first time LA is getting points all season. The Saints are going to have to score a ton of points to win and even more to cover the spread. Lost in the glare of the Saints' playoff victory against the Eagles was New Orleans losing defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. He suffered a torn Achilles. That's a huge defensive loss for New Orleans. Rankins finally was living up to his vast potential with eight sacks while playing the run well. Sean McValy is a coaching genius. I rank him as the best coach in the NFC. He had the vision to make the Rams more of a physical team instead of just a finesse passing team. He did this on a fly, too, implementing that late in the season. The move paid off against a Cowboys defense that is better than the Saints defense. The Rams ran for 273 yards against a Cowboys defense that ranked fifth versus the run. On the flip side, the Rams held NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott to 47 yards rushing on 20 carries. LA has a trump card on defense: Aaron Donald. He's the most dominant defensive lineman in football. He's be operating against Audrus Peat, who is playing with a broken hand. Donald can disrupt the Saints offense just by himself.
01-13-19	Eagles v. Saints -8	Top	14-20	Loss	-105	54 h 29 m	Show
No the Saints aren't blowing out the Eagles by 41 points like they did at home in Week 11. Philadelphia's secondary is in better physical shape and Nick Foles has replaced ailing Carson Wentz at quarterback. But this isn't enough to keep the Eagles within a touchdown of the Saints. New Orleans is a level higher this season than the Eagles and playing inside their dome stadium where Drew Brees threw 22 touchdown passes with just one interception. The Eagles struggled against Mitch Trubisky on grass last week surviving only because of Cody Parkey's bad luck on his final field goal attempt. Brees on a fast track with Alvin Karma, Michael Thomas and Mark Ingram is too much offense for the Eagles. Karma and Ingram both are far superior to any of the Eagles running backs. Thomas is the best wide receiver on the field. The Eagles carry a fatigue rating playing in their third straight road matchup while the Saints are rested. Offensive mastermind Sean Payton is dangerous with extra prep time. The Eagles have failed to cover nine the last 13 times they have played on carpet. Foles may be the top backup quarterback in the league. But if he were a starter he would rank among the bottom half. Foles has started the past four games. He has an eight-to-five TD-to-interception ratio during this time. The Saints are much improved defensively. During Weeks 10 through 15 - when they were competing hard for playoff seeding - the Saints gave up 12.3 points per game. No team scored more than 17 points on them during this time. You need a balanced offense and ball-control to beat the Saints inside the Louisiana Superdome. The Eagles rank 28th rushing. New Orleans has the No. 2 run defense. Credit to the Eagles for getting this far. But their journey to repeat as Super Bowl champions ends here.
01-12-19	Cowboys v. Rams -7		22-30	Win	100	46 h 39 m	Show
There are three major reasons why I like the Rams to beat the Cowboys by more than a touchdown: Situation, home/road data and coaching. Let's start with the situation. LA is rested. The Rams should be well prepared given two weeks to prepare with Sean McVay, who just might be the sharpest offensive-minded coach in football. The Rams won 11 games under McVay last season emerging as a force. However, the Rams suffered from playoff inexperience and lost in the first round to the Falcons. This year the Rams won 13 games and improved even more. Jared Goff and Co. now have playoff experience. A rested Todd Gurley trumps Ezekiel Elliott especially with a far better downfield passing attack on his side. The Cowboys entered this season having won one playoff game in Jason Garrett's previous seven years as head coach. McVay versus Garrett is a huge coaching mismatch in LA's favor. Home/road splits are huge for both teams. The Rams went 7-1 at home, averaging nine more points per game at home while giving up 8.2 points less per contest. Goff is a California quarterback. His quarterack rating was nearly 35 points higher when he played in LA. Dallas, by contrast, averaged 7.5 points fewer per game when on the road with Dak Prescott's quarterback rating being nearly 24 points lower away from Dallas. The Cowboys averaged a league-low 5.8 points in the first half when on the road. The Cowboys are heavily run-oriented. Prescott has severe limitations when throwing more than just short passes. The Cowboys also have a cluster injury problem at wide receiver. They are not built to come from behind if the Rams should jump out to a big lead against them.
01-12-19	Colts +5 v. Chiefs	Top	13-31	Loss	-105	121 h 48 m	Show
Andy Reid is a likely Hall of Fame coach. But when it comes to the playoffs he is a Hall of Fame chump. Reid's team have lost eight of their last nine playoff games. This includes a 1-4 postseason mark with the Chiefs. The Titans upset the Chiefs as 8 1/2-point road 'dogs last season in the Chiefs' first playoff game. These Colts are far better than that Tennessee team. The Chiefs went just 3-3 down the stretch going 1-4-1 ATS with their lone cover coming against the Raiders. Indianapolis is 10-1 in its last 11 games. The Colts' defense has been far better than perceived. So has their offensive line, which gave up the fewest sacks in the league. Marlon Mack has emerged as a running back threat. He's better than any of Kansas City's running backs with Kareem Hunt gone. Patrick Mahomes had a great season. But so did Andrew Luck, who threw the second-most TD passes on the season in back of only Mahomes. Luck has playoff experience, something Mahomes lacks. Kansas City's defense has played better at home. But the Colts hold a defensive edge. They've held five of their last six foes to 21 points or fewer. The Chiefs defense surrendered the second-most points per game and second most-yards per game. The Colts have become a physical unit that can play ball control. That's the way to beat the Chiefs.
01-06-19	Chargers +3 v. Ravens	Top	23-17	Win	100	39 h 22 m	Show
The Chargers are that rare team that plays better on the road than at home. The reason for this is they really don't have a home-field advantage playing at sparsely populated StubHub Center in Southern California. The Chargers are 8-0, though, in games outside of Southern California. They have won in five different time zones and won't be intimidated here. The forecast for Sunday in Baltimore is sunny with temperatures in the 40s with around a 10-12 mph wind. So it's not like the Chargers are going into frigid conditions. Baltimore dominated the Chargers, 22-10, on the road just two weeks ago. Until that loss, the Chargers were in the argument for best team in the league. So maybe they needed a loss like that to sharpen them up and energize their focus. There is no secret to the Ravens. They are going to pound the ball, play for field position and rely on their excellent defense. The Chargers won't be ambushed again by the Ravens. Baltimore beat the Chargers after LA had knocked off the Chiefs the previous week on the road. So it wasn't a great spot for the Chargers. I respect the Ravens. Their defense is better than the Chargers. John Harbaugh is an above average coach, while Anthony Lynn is untested in playoff games. But I believe the Chargers are the better all-around team. Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen give the Chargers the best skill position players. The Chargers also get back big-play tight end Hunter Henry for the first time this season. They also have change-of-pace Austin Ekeler back. He missed the first game against the Ravens. Ekeler is a key because he's good pass-catching back and can hurt the Ravens via screen passes, which would slow down the Ravens' pass rush. The Chargers know what's coming. They are going to be prepared for Baltimore's ground attack by loading up the box. Lamar Jackson is an outstanding running QB, but he's not a good downfield passer.

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