The Cardinals continue to surprise us. The defense keeps stepping up, but how the hell are they winning games with this abortion of a quarterback situation? At least I told you to pound the under. Here’s what to pound the rest of the week.
Locks of the Week:
KANSAS CITY -10 over Oakland
There are a few things working in Kansas City’s favor this week. For starters they lost last week, so they’re even more desperate to win this week as they fight for the playoffs. Then factor in that they had an embarrassing loss to these same Raiders when they played a couple weeks ago. Finally Oakland won last week in a huge game with their Bay Area rivals, so there’s a possibility for a huge letdown.
Kyle’s pick: Oakland
Miami +9 over NEW ENGLAND
Maybe I should drop some F-bombs in honor of Tom Brady before I start the breakdown. The Dolphins already had to overcome bad coaching, but now they have to overcome an injury to their starting safety Louis Delmas after already losing left tackle Branden Albert. It’s not a great situation, but they’re a resilient group. They’ve fared well on the road this year, losing only one game by double-digits. And in case you haven’t seen the pictures of Gronk with the kittens yet…
Kyle’s pick: Miami with the backdoor
DETROIT -7 over Minnesota
The Lions are rolling right now as they’re offense finally gets up to speed with their defense. They’re abusing bad defenses like Chicago and Tampa Bay. Minnesota is next on the list.
Kyle’s pick: Detroit
Trap Games of the Week:
Pittsburgh -1 over ATLANTA
There are a lot of trap games this week and we’ll start in Atlanta. The Falcons may be missing Julio Jones for this one, but Matt Ryan should still see success because both defenses are terrible in this one. I love the over here and would rather take the team with fully healthy receivers since Roddy White is banged up for Atlanta too.
Kyle’s pick: Pittsburgh
Jacksonville +14 over BALTIMORE
How can you take Jacksonville when they have nothing on offense? I’m not sure, but Baltimore’s secondary is trash and Jacksonville can get the ball downfield. The Ravens also haven’t been successful covering large spreads at home recently, so I’m going against the grain here.
Kyle’s pick: Jacksonville
SEATTLE -10 over San Francisco
It’s hard to believe in the 49ers after what we’ve seen from them over the last couple weeks, but it’s also hard to believe Seattle can put up a lot of points to cover a double-digit spread. Maybe if Russell Wilson paid more attention to the playbook, they’d be OK. Then you look at the fact San Francisco has lost their last two games by 10+ points. The under is a nice play here too.
Kyle’s pick: San Francisco
Rest of the Picks:
Houston +7.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts are great at home, but Houston’s got enough to hang with them, especially if they run the ball. They just need to make sure they keep the game close in the first quarter and they should be able to ride this one out.
Kyle’s pick: Houston
Washington +7.5 over N.Y. GIANTS
Just when you think the Giants have turned the corner, they tend to fall flat on their face, especially at home. Colt McCoy can join the list of bad quarterbacks who have had good games against the Giants in the Meadowlands.
Kyle’s pick: Washington
CLEVELAND PK over Cincinnati
The Browns’ fans have been waiting for this all year. It’s time to move on from Brian Hoyer because the offense just hasn’t been getting things done recently. It doesn’t help that center Alex Mack is out for the season, but Cleveland had way too many three-and-outs last week in the second half. Their inability to move the ball against Indianapolis really let them down. Get ready for Johnny Fucking Football. And you know he’s going to show Marvin Lewis he’s not a midget!
Kyle’s pick: Cleveland. I can’t believe it, but Cleveland
Tampa Bay +3 over CAROLINA
This is less about Derek Anderson starting and more about the bad Panthers’ secondary. We know Carolina likes to run the ball and Tampa Bay’s rush defense is in the top half of the league. This is also a nice letdown spot after Carolina ran through New Orleans last week.
Kyle’s pick: Tampa Bay
BUFFALO +4 over Green Bay
This line went from Packers by 6.5 to Packers by 4. Think that’s weird? The Packers have only once won a road game by more than three points this year and their three losses have all come outside of Wisconsin.
Kyle’s pick: Green Bay
N.Y. Jets -2.5 over TENNESSEE
The Titans have given up on the season and it’s been pretty evident in recent weeks. The Jets have at least been playing hard and have the running game to beat up Tennessee’s awful rush defense.
Kyle’s pick: Jets
SAN DIEGO +4.5 over Denver
There’s a lot on the line for San Diego in this one. Something’s just off with Denver right now and it may boil down to Peyton Manning. This is the opposite of last week when New England came into town playing extremely hot. Denver’s temperature right now is lukewarm.
Kyle’s pick: Denver
Dallas +3.5 over PHILADELHPIA
I had Dallas the first time these teams played because I didn’t think Philadelphia’s pass rush to get through Dallas’ dominant offensive line. It did and Tony Romo didn’t have the legs to run around because he only had a short week to rest his back. Now with long rest and revenge on their minds, Dallas should come in ready to go here.
Kyle’s pick: Philadelphia
New Orleans -3 over CHICAGO
Who knows what’s really going on with either of these teams, but it seems as if Chicago’s going through more turmoil. It’s weird that the only games New Orleans has won in the last six are the two they’ve played on the road.
Kyle’s pick: New Orleans
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 8-8
Season: 105-103-1
Locks: 19-22-1
Kyle: 109-99-1