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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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Every week, the three "handicappers" at The Weekly Blitz will pick their three best NFL games against the spread (ATS).
Final results: Through Week 17, we have a combined record of 84-56-13 (60.0 percent) ATS.
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See also:
- Weekly Fantasy Football Rankings: QB - RB - WR - TE
- NFL Schedule - Tickets - CFB Schedule - Tickets
- 2012 Mock Draft Databases: NFL - NBA
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DAILY WEEK 4 LINES FROM SPORTSBOOK.COM (as of Saturday morning)
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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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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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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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COWBOYS
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2.0
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Lions
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DET +2
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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Saints
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7.0
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JAGUARS
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NO -7
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NO -7
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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EAGLES
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9.0
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49ers
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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Redskins
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2.5
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RAMS
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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BROWNS
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Pick
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Titans
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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Bills
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3.5
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BENGALS
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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Vikings
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2.5
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CHIEFS
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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BEARS
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6.5
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Panthers
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Sun, Oct 2 at 1:05 p.m.
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TEXANS
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3.5
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Steelers
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Sun, Oct 2 at 4:10 p.m.
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Falcons
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4.5
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SEAHAWKS
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ATL -4.5
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ATL -4.5
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ATL -4.5
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Sun, Oct 2 at 4:10 p.m.
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Giants
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1.0
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CARDINALS
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Sun, Oct 2 at 4:20 p.m.
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CHARGERS
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7.0
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Dolphins
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Sun, Oct 2 at 4:20 p.m.
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PACKERS
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12.5
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Broncos
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Sun, Oct 2 at 4:20 p.m.
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Patriots
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5.5
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RAIDERS
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NE -5.5
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Sun, Oct 2 at 8:30 p.m.
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RAVENS
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3.5
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Jets
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Mon, Oct 3 at 8:40 p.m.
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BUCCANEERS
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10.0
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Colts
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IND +10
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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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Falcons (-4.5) at Seahawks
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Patriots (-5.5) at Raiders
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Saints (-7) at Jaguars
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Falcons -4.5
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Patriots -5.5
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Saints -7
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In their first win of the season last week, the
Seahawks offense got a boost from receiver
Sidney Rice, who had eight receptions for 109
yards in his season debut. That said, neither
the win nor Rice's performance change what
this team is, one of the league's worst teams
(see our power rankings). It also does not
change the fact that Tarvaris Jackson, who
was booed at home, is one of the league's
worst starting quarterbacks. Seattle, one of
three NFL teams to average 10 points or less
per game, ranks second-to-last in total
offense (214.7 yards per game). For both of
these teams, one of the keys will be keeping
their quarterback upright. Jackson is tied with
Chicago's Jay Cutler for most times being
sacked (14) and Atlanta's Matt Ryan (13) is
right behind them. That said, neither team
has yet to get their pass rush going this
season. Although they have had a
disappointing start, there is no doubt that the
Falcons, who lost only three games in 2010,
are a much more talented team the
Seahawks. With their backs against the
proverbial wall, I expect them to come out
swinging and take care of business in the
Emerald City and win this game big. When
these two teams met last December, the
Falcons won the game by a score of 34-18.
That sounds about right.
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Raiders running back Darren McFadden has
become one of the NFL's elite running
backs. Over his past 16 games played,
McFadden has 2,141 yards from scrimmage
and 14 total touchdowns. While the
Patriots pass (and overall) defense has not
done much to inspire confidence, they have
been much better at stopping the run.
Certainly, they will be keying on slowing
down Run DMC as much as possible this
week. Despite last week's four
interceptions, Patriots quarterback Tom
Brady has been airing it out in
record-setting fashion. No quarterback has
thrown for more yards than Brady (1,327)
during a three-game span in NFL history.
Since 2003, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady
has lost back-to-back regular-season
games only twice: Weeks 8 and 9 in 2006
and Weeks 11 and 12 in 2009. It was the
sixth time in Brady's career that he threw
four interceptions, his total for all of 2010,
in a regular-season game. In the
immediate game after the previous five
times he has thrown that many picks,
however, Brady has thrown a total of nine
touchdowns and only one interception. I
expect the Patriots to bounce back big as
they typically do after a defeat.
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Through three games, only the Chiefs have
scored fewer points than the Jaguars, who
are averaging less than 10 points per
game. Rookie Blaine Gabbert replaced
Luke McCown, who replaced David Garrard,
as the starting quarterback last week. While
Gabbert will have a solid career, look for
the Gregg Williams-coached defense to
throw the kitchen sink at Gabbert.
Meanwhile, the Saints, who are averaging
nearly 35 points per game, have one of the
league's most high-powered offenses and
they get one of their best playmakers,
Marques Colston, back from a broken
collarbone this week. While I don't expect
Colston to be a huge factor in his first
game back from the injury, he has said he
could play the full game, if necessary.
Drew Brees, who has thrown for three
touchdowns in three straight games, simply
finds the open man, whether that's Colston,
Lance Moore, Jimmy Graham, Darren
Sproles, etc. If there is one thing that
scares me about this pick, it's that I'm
taking three road favorites.
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Dan
2011 Record: 24-21-6 (53.3%)
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Saints (-7) at Jaguars
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Lions at Cowboys (-2)
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Falcons (-4.5) at Seahawks
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Saints -7
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Lions +2
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Falcons -4.5
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Since losing a close one on opening night to
Green Bay the Saints have looked strong at
home with 2 straight wins, and now will take
on Jacksonville on the road. The Jags after
looking impressive in limiting Tennessee on
opening day have dropped back to earth in
losing two straight. The Jaguars have been a
mess lately, and the numbers certainly back it
up as they are 2-9 against the spread in their
last 11 games, and 1-2 overall so far this
year. The Saints have historically owned the
Jags as they have covered in 3 of their 4
historical meetings. Too much Saints offense
as they have been averaging 35 points a
game, and the Jags have only averaged a
measly 10 points per game. I look for the
Saints to come in and drop a beating to a non
sold out crowd, as Drew Brees has the offense
firing on all cylinders.
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Detroit, who is 3-0, certainly has a different
look this year, while Dallas has been
making every game interesting. The
Cowboys are also two bad plays away from
being 3-0, so this will be a great test for
the young Lions on the road. Detroit has
had quite a bit of success against the NFC
lately as they have posted a 12-3-2 record
in their last 17 against the NFC conference.
The Cowboys have been an injury-plagued
team to start the year as both their starting
running back and both wide receivers have
missed significant time. Dallas also has
done just enough to either win or lose each
game they have played this year, and I like
the Lions in a close game. I think that
Stafford just has too much with MegaTron,
Burleson, and Pettigrew for the banged-up
secondary to cover. This game will be close,
but I like the Lions to win by a field goal.
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OK so the surprise pick last week was me
taking the Seahawks at home, as I stated
they have the best home field advantage in
Qwest Field. However, the Seahawks
offense has been anemic as of all year,
and they now have to play a wounded team
in the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams come
into this game with a 1-2 record, but if the
Falcons want to keep pace in the NFC race
they have to win this crucial game on the
road. Atlanta has great recent history with
Seattle as they have gone 3-1 against the
number in their last 4. Seattle has had
trouble finding the endzone, as they have
only posted 30 points overall which is 3rd
worst in the league. I look for the Falcons
to right the ship with this road trip out
West, so lay the 4.5 and take the Falcons.
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Sean
2011 Record: 27-21-3 (56.3%)
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Panthers at Bears (-6.5)
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Colts at Bucs (-10)
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Falcons (-4.5) at Seahawks
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Bears -6.5
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Colts +10
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Falcons -4.5
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Welcome to the NFL, Cam Newton. This is
Cam Newton's first real road test. I am not a
Chicago fan at all. I predicted them to miss
the playoffs this year and finish 3rd in their
division, but this is the Carolina Panthers. I
realize Cam played great in Week 1, and a
monster statistical game in Week 2 vs the
Packers, but he also threw 3 picks in that
game. Soldier Field is not an easy place to
play, and I think Cam Newton and the
Panthers offense will struggle here in this
spot. Chicago offensively has the same
problems as they have had in the past and
that is keeping Jay Cutler upright. Good news
this week facing a Carolina defense who only
has 5 sacks through three games this season.
With Green Bay & Detroit potentially being 4-0
after this week this is a game the Bears must
win to have any kind of shot at contending for
the division. I think the Bears get it done
30-13
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Ten points in the NFL is a lot of points. As
bad as the Colts have played so far this
year they actually had a pretty respectable
showing versus a legit playoff contender
last Sunday night against the Steelers.
There is no replacing Peyton Manning I get
that, but this team still has talent. I
watched the Atlanta game last week and
the Bucs had no business winning that
game. Atlanta had numerous opportunities
but they shot themselves in the foot with
bad penalties & stupid mistakes like a few
dropped passes by Roddy White & Julio
Jones. Tampa Bay was a great story last
year, and many thought they were ready to
take it to the next step and make the
playoffs, but I am not one of those
believers. I think Tampa Bay will win this
game, but I also wouldn't be shocked to
see the Colts win outright. I think this
game will be closer then some people
think. Tampa 21-17
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When teams saw at Seattle on their
schedule they knew they were going to be
in for a dog fight, unfortunately that was in
the past. Seattle still has one of the best
"12th man" advantage in the NFL, but this
team is far from being fearsome. As I
noted above Atlanta blew it last week
versus Tampa Bay, and I think this spread
is a tad bit lower then it should be. After a
loss, Atlanta is 17-4 ATS the spread the
following week. I think Atlanta rebounds
again here. Seattle has only scored 30
points through three weeks this season.
Atlanta is 0-2 on the road this year, but this
is the Tavaris Jackson led Seahawks.
Atlanta is too talented for a let down here
especially in the NFC South. Atlanta has
Green Bay next week, so this game is a
must win. I think Matt Ryan & Roddy White
have a big day and Falcons roll 27-12
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