New Orleans Saints +3½
The bottom line this afternoon is that we have BOTH the Saints and Chiefs checking it with the SAME overall record, yet one of the sides is a home underdog. Rarely do we get a set-up like this in the NFL, especially when you consider that the star player on the road favorite is HURT. Kansas City RB Priest Holmes is offcially listed as "very doubtful" to play due to a strained knee. Late this week, most of his teammates admitted that they do NOT expect him to play. That means the rushing responsibilty falls to back-up Derrick Blaylock who himself did NOT play in last week's loss at Tampa due to a deep thigh bruise. That means Kansas City has a pair of running backs that are NOT 100-percent. I do not care how many points Kansas City has been scoring on offense in recent weeks. There is simply going to be too much pressure put on Trent Green and the passing game to perform. KC actually has a third rushing option as highly touted rookie Larry Johnson has been lobbying for playing time. The problem is Johnson got an opportunity last week and pretty much blew it by gaining ONLY 21 total yards on 10 carries. I am fully aware that the New Orleans defense has been giving up points in droves, which is why they are 3-5 overall. However, the Saints most likely will not have to concentrate on slowing down the KC rushing attack today. That means the Saints can tee-off on Trent Green in an effort to limit the passing game. Make no mistake about it: New Orleans DOES have an effective pass rush led by DE Charles Grant who has been on the the NFL's best at getting to the opposing quarterback. Darren Howard also has tremendous speed and agility on the Saints defensive line. Don't forget that the KC defense continues to be awful, despite having a new defensive coordinator. That unit will have to face Aaron Brooks who is only 307 yards away from becoming the SECOND BEST passer in Saints history! Star RB Deuce McAllister has been bothered by a high ankle sprain since week two. He is "due" to bust out one of these weeks as he has only ONE 100+yard rushing effort this campaign. Here is an 78-PERCENT SYSTEM from the database which has COVERED at a 22-6 clip the past TEN seasons. You go AGAINST a road favorite of 3'-to-10 points like Kansas City if they have a good offense that averages 335+ yards per game. This system kicks in if that visiting squad is coming off a stellar offensive effort where they generated at least 400 total yards. Bingo! By the way, both of these 3-5 teams are coming off devastating losses. With the loser of this clash all but out of the playoff picture, I will gladly TAKE whatever points I can get with a home underdog that has COVERED SEVEN IN A ROW following a game with a MINUS-TWO turnover ratio!
GOOD LUCK
The bottom line this afternoon is that we have BOTH the Saints and Chiefs checking it with the SAME overall record, yet one of the sides is a home underdog. Rarely do we get a set-up like this in the NFL, especially when you consider that the star player on the road favorite is HURT. Kansas City RB Priest Holmes is offcially listed as "very doubtful" to play due to a strained knee. Late this week, most of his teammates admitted that they do NOT expect him to play. That means the rushing responsibilty falls to back-up Derrick Blaylock who himself did NOT play in last week's loss at Tampa due to a deep thigh bruise. That means Kansas City has a pair of running backs that are NOT 100-percent. I do not care how many points Kansas City has been scoring on offense in recent weeks. There is simply going to be too much pressure put on Trent Green and the passing game to perform. KC actually has a third rushing option as highly touted rookie Larry Johnson has been lobbying for playing time. The problem is Johnson got an opportunity last week and pretty much blew it by gaining ONLY 21 total yards on 10 carries. I am fully aware that the New Orleans defense has been giving up points in droves, which is why they are 3-5 overall. However, the Saints most likely will not have to concentrate on slowing down the KC rushing attack today. That means the Saints can tee-off on Trent Green in an effort to limit the passing game. Make no mistake about it: New Orleans DOES have an effective pass rush led by DE Charles Grant who has been on the the NFL's best at getting to the opposing quarterback. Darren Howard also has tremendous speed and agility on the Saints defensive line. Don't forget that the KC defense continues to be awful, despite having a new defensive coordinator. That unit will have to face Aaron Brooks who is only 307 yards away from becoming the SECOND BEST passer in Saints history! Star RB Deuce McAllister has been bothered by a high ankle sprain since week two. He is "due" to bust out one of these weeks as he has only ONE 100+yard rushing effort this campaign. Here is an 78-PERCENT SYSTEM from the database which has COVERED at a 22-6 clip the past TEN seasons. You go AGAINST a road favorite of 3'-to-10 points like Kansas City if they have a good offense that averages 335+ yards per game. This system kicks in if that visiting squad is coming off a stellar offensive effort where they generated at least 400 total yards. Bingo! By the way, both of these 3-5 teams are coming off devastating losses. With the loser of this clash all but out of the playoff picture, I will gladly TAKE whatever points I can get with a home underdog that has COVERED SEVEN IN A ROW following a game with a MINUS-TWO turnover ratio!
GOOD LUCK
