Bet the Mortgage: Week 8, 2016

Hey!!! Tony won enough bets this week to make sure he didn’t have to tap into the mythical bank for a hypothetical loan this week.

And while Andy only got one of his bets right, it was the big one, and it allowed him to stay in the black for the week.

Here are the standings:

And here are this week’s bets:

Tony:

Figures that the week that I pretty much tell everybody to explicitly do everything opposite of what I do that I go 3-1 for the first time all year—that’s the kind of season it’s been. So now, if you’re actually reading this, you need to think—do I think he knows what he’s talking about (bet along side), or does he think I think he knows I think what he’s talking about (bet against)…or do I think he thinks I know he thinks…you know what, just do whatever.

$1,000 – New England Patriots (-7, +115) at Buffalo Bills – Rex Ryan knows this is a big game for his team—a chance to take down the division king. Bill Belichick knows it’s a big game too—because it’s the next one on the schedule. Ryan also was quoted recently saying he figured if he lasted long enough in the AFC East that Tom Brady would eventually retire. Something tells me that Brady will probably outlast Ryan.

$1,000 – New Orleans Saints (+2.5, -105) vs Seattle Seahawks – If this game was in Seattle, I’d not even consider the Saints—but Drew Brees at home keeps the Saints in every game, even against a tough defense and even with a terrible defense. And one big thing will help that terrible Saints defense this week—the arrival of a terrible Seahawks offense. I still think by the end of the year the Seahawks will have figured some stuff out—but in the meantime, I’ll take this shot.

$1,000 – Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys: Over 43 (-110) – The math is pretty simple for this one…the Cowboys defense still isn’t that good—they’re back to looking a little better because they control the ball (which is what they did two years ago with DeMarco Murray. The Eagles offense (and special teams/defense) should be able to find enough room to put up 20 points. The Cowboys are 4.5 point favorites, so if the Eagles put up 20, the Cowboys put up 25—hence the over.

$500 – San Diego Chargers (+190 money line) at Denver Broncos – Money lines have been tough this year, so I’ll take a real long shot here—the Chargers have actually shown signs of a little bit of life the last couple of weeks (including a win against the Broncos on October 13th), while the Broncos are still relying more on the defense (and weak opponents) to win. In Denver, the Broncos should win—but they’re also without CJ Anderson, which may give the Chargers the opening they need.

Andy: I have yet to figure out much about how the NFL is going to go this season, but one thing that has gone right is picking New England. The Angry Brady syndrome was predictable. Last week’s win wasn’t pretty, but it did also prove that the Pats could win on the ground rather than through the air. So I’ll ride that train until it falls off the tracks.

$2,000 – New England (-6.5, -110) at Buffalo – The Bills are unpredictable. And when I started to believe, they lost to Miami. The Patriots are the only team in the league that has not let me down this year. The Bradies by a mile.

$750 – Seattle (-2.5, -115) at New Orleans – The Saints are great at home, but the Seahawks defense has figured it out. And New Orleans still has a historically bad defense. Expect some fireworks and a Seattle win.

$750 – Kansas City (-2.5) at Indianapolis – The Chiefs are sneaky good this year. The Colts are sneaky bad. Spencer Ware has a field day this week.

$500 – Green Bay (+130 money line) at Atlanta – Should probably also take the over in this game, but … I think the Packers’ offense can score enough to just simply outscore the Falcons, who are starting to enter another slide.