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Our FREE NFL picks versus the spread are purely for entertainment purposes only. But, let's face it, being right (winning) is more fun than being wrong (losing).
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DAILY WEEK 14 LINES FROM SPORTSBOOK.COM
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SUMMARY OF PICKS BY CONTRIBUTORS
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Week: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
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Picks are for entertainment purposes only.
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Picks and spreads are as of Saturday, December 10th at 1:17 p.m. ET
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Lines used are always as of the time the pick was made.
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Date/Time (ET)
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Favorite
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Spread
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Underdog
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Kevin
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Dan
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Sean
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Thu, Dec 8 at 8:20 p.m.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 14, Cleveland Browns 3
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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RAVENS
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16.5
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Colts
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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BENGALS
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3.0
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Texans
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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JETS
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10.5
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Chiefs
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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LIONS
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10.0
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Vikings
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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Saints
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3.5
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TITANS
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NO -3.5
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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DOLPHINS
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3.0
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Eagles
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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Patriots
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8.0
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REDSKINS
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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Falcons
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3.0
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PANTHERS
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ATL -3
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Sun, Dec 11 at 1:00 p.m.
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Buccaneers
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3.0
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JAGUARS
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Sun, Dec 11 at 4:05 p.m.
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49ers
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4.0
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CARDINALS
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SF -4
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SF -4
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Sun, Dec 11 at 4:05 p.m.
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BRONCOS
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3.5
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Bears
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CHI +3.5
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Sun, Dec 11 at 4:15 p.m.
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PACKERS
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12.0
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Raiders
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OAK +12
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Sun, Dec 11 at 4:15 p.m.
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CHARGERS
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7.0
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Bills
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SD -7
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Sun, Dec 11 at 8:30 p.m.
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COWBOYS
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4.0
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Giants
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NYG +4
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NYG +4
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Mon, Dec 12 at 8:35 p.m.
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SEAHAWKS
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10.0
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Rams
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CONTRIBUTOR
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GAME 1
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GAME 2
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GAME 3
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Kevin 2011 Record: 33-14-4 (70.2%)
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Bills at Chargers (-7)
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Giants at Cowboys (-4)
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49ers (-4) at Cardinals
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Chargers -7
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Giants +4
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49ers -4
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The recent success of the San Diego Chargers in the month of December has been widely publicized. With quarterback Philip Rivers under center, San Diego is 21-3 in December (and 3-0 in January during the regular season). Against a depleted Jaguars secondary, Rivers threw for 294 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions on Monday Night Football. He now has back-to-back games with no interceptions and a full complement of offensive skill players healthy and back in the lineup. While the Chargers have been inconsistent and bad this season, the Bills have struggled recently as well. After getting off to a 4-1 start, the Bills have lost six of seven games including their past five games. During their five-game losing streak, they have scored more than 20 points only once. While the Chargers have struggled with the health of their offensive line, the Bills have recorded a league-low 17 sacks this season. Earlier in the season, the Bills were creating plenty of turnovers, but they have only four takeaways in their past five games. Only the Colts have less. Perhaps I'm making too many assumptions, but I like Rivers to pick apart the Bills secondary and continue his December dominance.
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Coming into this week's key divisional matchup, the Giants are losers of four straight games (to quality opponents). While there may not be any moral victories in the NFL, the Giants have to feel as good as one could expect after a close loss to the unbeaten and reigning champion Packers. On the other hand, the Cowboys are coming off an inexplicable loss to the Cardinals in overtime. While the Cowboys may technically be in control of the NFC East with a one-game lead over the Giants, you can almost sense the division slipping out of their hands. After all, December hasn't exactly been their month (unlike the Chargers). The Giants have won four of their past six matchups over the past three years. Even if the Cowboys win this game, however, it wouldn't surprise me if it's decided by a field goal or less. More than anything, this game is a hunch, but I would take the points and the mentally tougher team here.
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The Cardinals have two things going for them: (1) they have won four of their past five games and (2) they likely won't face 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. However, the Cardinals only loss during that stretch was to San Francisco, 23-7. That said, the 49ers have the league's top-ranked scoring defense and run defense. No running back has gained more than 64 yards against them and no running back has rushed for a touchdown against them. Considering Beanie Wells is dealing with an assortment of injuries himself, I don't expect the Cards to buck the trend even if Willis does not play. While running back Frank Gore has not run the ball as well as he did during his five-game streak of games with 100-plus yards, only four players have more receiving yards than Michael Crabtree (270) in his team's past three games. In his last matchup against them, Crabtree, who is a start in our Start'em, Sit'em this week, had a season-high 120 receiving yards. The great thing about the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh is you know he's not going to let up at any point. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers had a big lead and Harbaugh called timeout with 10 seconds to go to call a flea flicker.
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Dan 2011 Record: 24-21-6 (53.3%)
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Falcons (-3) at Panthers
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49ers (-4) at Cardinals
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Giants at Cowboys (-4)
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Falcons -3
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49ers -4
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Giants +4
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We are down to the playoff stretch run, and it's always good to have divisional games to fall back on as I enjoy the past trends for forecasting purposes. The Falcons are coming into this game after a lackluster performance against the Texans and their third-string quarterback, while the Panthers had an impressive performance against Tampa Bay. Atlanta has been money against Carolina in recent history, as they have gone 5-1 against the spread in their last six when playing the Panthers. The Panthers also have had a very porous defense allowing 132 yards per game on the ground, and 27 points overall per game. I like the Falcons vaunted rush defense to shut down Jonathan Stewart, DeAngelo Williams, and Cam Newton, while the Falcons will use Michael Turner to batter Carolina into submission.
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San Francisco has certainly been the darling of the covering world this year, and after seeing this line, I foresee their streak continuing. The 49ers even under Mike Singletary have had ownership of the Cardinals, as San Francisco is an impressive 6-0 against the number when playing Arizona. When I look at the matchup, it has been the case of the 49ers defense getting the job done against the Cards, as Arizona has only managed a total of 29 points in their last 4 games head to head. The Cardinals also have been anemic on offense this year, averaging only 19 points per game, and they will face a team that only allows 13.4 points per game. I love the matchup of Frank Gore going against a rushing defense that allows 119 yards per game, and for even Alex Smith going against a pass defense that allows 250 yards per game. Lay the four points for the 49ers to continue their dominance in the desert.
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At first glance I really wanted to stay away from this game, but when looking deeper there was just so many interesting historical trends to ignore. The Giants have played the most brutal schedule in the NFL, as they have played New England, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Green Bay who are all in the top five of our weekly power rankings. The Giants have done well against the Cowboys recently, as they have posted a 5-2 mark against the spread in their last seven games. Dallas also has been weak against the number this year as they have gone 4-7-1 and they are on a three-game ATS losing streak. Dallas has been playing a weak schedule this year, and in their last three they lost to Arizona, and only beat Miami and Washington by a combined four-point margin. I love the Giants pass rush going up against a weak Dallas line, and the Cowboys will have trouble covering the physical Giants receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. The Giants are battle-tested, and will take this game to draw even in the NFC East.
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Sean 2011 Record: 27-21-3 (56.3%)
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Saints (-3.5) at Titans
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Raiders at Packers (-12)
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Bears at Broncos (-3.5)
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Saints -3.5
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Raiders +12
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Bears +3.5
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The way New Orleans has been playing lately, it is awfully tough to bet against them right now. New Orleans is definitely a different team on grass, but I think with their three-headed rushing attack, and the way Drew Brees has been playing lately they, will win this game and cover. I think the key for the Titans this week is Nate Washington (questionable), who did not practice on Friday. Damian Williams will be the Titans #1. This spells major trouble for the Titans as they will need to have a big game from Matt Hasselbeck and the passing attack to win this one. Tennessee will need either a HUGE game from Chris Johnson, and/or to get a defense or special teams touchdown to have any chance in winning this game. Saints are too much for them, 31-20.
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Call this one a hunch game. I have backed the Packers all season, but I think this game is going to be closer than people think. Oakland will get back to the football that got them to the top of the AFC West and that is with running back Michael Bush. I think Bush is actually going to have a pretty good game here. This game has major letdown factor written all over it especially after this past week's Giants game. I think the Packers are the best team in the NFL by far and will win the Super Bowl this year, but I think Oakland is going to be very tough here. I may even do a small moneyline wager just for fun. Packers, 28-24.
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Tebow-mania is officially over, or at least on hold for one more week. Caleb Hanie has looked awful as an NFL starter so far for the injured Jay Cutler, and the Broncos defense has been great in recent weeks. This may spell disaster for some, but I look at the other side of the ball as well and see an even better Bears defense. Tim Tebow is still Tim Tebow when it comes to throwing the ball, and the Bears are going to give him nightmares. This isn't the Minnesota Vikings, Broncos fans. The X factor in this one will be a big Devin Hester return. I think the Bears go into Mile High this weekend and beat the Broncos outright in a low-scoring contest, 17-13.
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