Week 15 presents a tough slate of games as Tony and I attempt to stay on a roll with our game picks.
I hit three of four Best Bets last week as well, really making me wish I had one more crack at Vegas during the football season.
But alas, it appears as though pride at a job done decently will have to suffice until sometime next fall.
Best Bets
Last week: 3-1
Overall: 15-11
1. Tennessee (-2.5) at Houston
I was shocked when this line opened up between 3 and 3.5 points. I figured it would correct itself toward a higher number for the Titans to cover throughout the week. But it’s actually gone in the opposite direction, by some accounts. Our friends at vegas.com still list the game at Tennessee -3, which I think is really low – but the local newspaper this morning ran it at 2.5. Houston is playing better, no question. And the Texans have won three straight. But those games were against Cleveland, Jacksonville and Green Bay, three teams staggering to the finish line. Their three losses before that were to potential playoff teams in Indianapolis, Minnesota and Baltimore and the Texans gave up 102 points in those contests. The Titans are motivated as they still need to win to lock up home-field advantage for the playoffs and they finish with two tough games against Pittsburgh and Indianapolis, so they won’t take this game lightly.
2. Washington (-7) at Cincinnati
Washington hasn’t played well lately and there appears to be something brewing between Clinton Portis and Jim Zorn. But Cincinnati is a train wreck – in fact if the Bengals were to play winless Detroit I think I’d bet on the Lions. Since a two-game stretch where Cincy beat Jacksonville and tied Philadelphia, they have been outscored 96-16 in losses to Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Indianapolis. The Redskins aren’t as good as any of those three teams. But despite losing four of five, they are still in the playoff race and will win comfortably on the road.
3. Pittsburgh at Baltimore: Under 34
My brother has a theory that when the statistics obviously point you in one direction you should bet against that trend. Sometimes he’s right. But I’m sticking with the under in this dogfight. Baltimore has given up 10, 3, 7, 10 and 13 in the last five games – a total of 43 points or less than nine per game. The Steelers have given up 13, 10, 10, 10 in the last four – or an average of 11. Pittsburgh won the early-season matchup between these teams 23-20 in overtime. My guess is that this time around neither team reaches the 20 point mark.
4. Indianapolis (-13) vs Detroit
The Colts are on a roll. They put a whoopin’ on Cincinnati last week and they’ll look to get off to a quick start against a Detroit team that still showed some fight last week but that just can’t match Indianapolis’ multi-faceted attack. Joseph Addai isn’t expected to play but Dominick Rhodes is a solid backup and Peyton Manning will pass at will.
Recent Comments