Buyer's Remorse - Week 10
November 13, 2017
Sorting Through The Shrapnel of Week 10
One week after enduring a truly boring and predictable Sunday last weekend, the NFL gave us some much deserved entertainment in Week 10.
Out of the 12 Sunday games, five included dastardly underdog covers, six were utter blowouts that were still fun to watch and the other was the Bucs-Jets horror show.
Let’s dig through some of the unexpected outcomes and try and unravel what the hell just happened.
Indianapolis Colts +10.5 over Pittsburgh Steelers
(PIT wins 20-17)
Let’s just get it right out of the way – the Pittsburgh Steelers are not the explosive, high-scoring team that was advertised. Even with everyone on board, the Steelers struggled to connect frequently on big plays and looked awfully sluggish. Maybe it just wasn’t their day, or perhaps they took Indy too lightly. No matter what the excuse, the Pittsburgh Steelers play to the beat of their opponents rather than banging the drum.
Defensively, Pittsburgh took a hit when they lost star cornerback Joe Haden to a broken leg. But they were also ramsacked by the Colts for big plays. Their scoring defence is ranked second in the league but you wouldn’t be able to tell the way Jacoby Brisett was slinging it on Sunday.
This is now the third cover in a row for the Colts, who get a bye before facing a slew of what I expect to be some monster lines. Don’t fall asleep on the Colts. The Steelers sure did on Sunday and paid for it, along with their backers.
Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 over Tennessee Titans
(TEN wins 24-20)
In tight games, one big play can be a complete disaster and that’s what happened when Andy Dalton miraculously connected with A.J. Green for a 70 yard touchdown that spoiled this game for Titans backers. Outside of that, this was a garbage game for the downtrodden Bengals.
As for the Titans, they just don’t seem to have a clear identity on offence. They seem to love running these stupid option plays that historically don’t work in the NFL over the long haul. Plus, Mariota can’t take a hit in the slightest, which makes most of these plays even more risky.
This was a bet on the Titans simply being more competent than the Bengals, and they were, except for one play. That half-point will eat your lunch sometimes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1 over New York Jets
(TB Wins 15-10)
The Bucs are now 2-0 SU and ATS when playing their former quarterbacks. That’s the good news. The bad news is that are still unwatchable. A lot of that had to do with the lack of Mike Evans, but the play calling was completely inept. The Bucs ran the ball on almost every first down and pretty much lost yardage or got stuffed every time.
We advertised this game as a good bet for the Jets overall considering how bad the Bucs had been. Statistically and by the numbers, the Jets were a good bet. But this matchup had “letdown game” stamped right across its forehead in retrospect.
Green Bay Packers +5 over Chicago Bears
(GB wins 23-16)
In no uncertain terms, the Chicago Bears were absolutely screwed in this one. This whole rule with the turnover-fumble-touchdown thing is a complete mockery. It’s like officials are just looking for an excuse to throw the flag on these plays. For the entire existence of the NFL, Benny Cunningham’s score has been a touchdown. It would’ve absolutely changed the tone of an otherwise close game.
Defensively, the Packers played better overall and limited Jordan Howard’s impact on the game. Mitchell Trubisky was his typical, average self. The bright spot was Dontrelle Inman getting involved with 6-of-8 catches for 88 yards, which led the Bears. I’m not down on the Bears at all. They should have and could have won this game if not for the refs. In the end, the result is what it is. But if you feel like you got screwed here by the zebras, you did.
Los Angeles Charges +5 over Jacksonville Jaguars
(JAX wins 20-17)
This was an absolute frenzy of a game, with turnover after turnover after turnover giving everyone headaches. Blake Bortles was literally trying to give this game to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the visiting team returned the favor when it mattered. Josh Lambo booted the last two scores of the game to put his former team away as Jacksonville continued to defy the odds, while Los Anglees covered in their fourth loss of the season by a field goal or less.
Atlanta Falcons -3.5 over Dallas Cowboys
(ATL wins 27-7)
The Cowboys defence imploded at the same time that Dak Prescott was sophomore-slumped over a barrel. It was simply a horrible performance by the Cowboys, and the turnaround needed that the Falcons were looking for. If anything both teams were due. The Cowboys regressed, and the Falcons finally caught a break at home.
San Francisco 49ers +3 over New York Giants
(SF wins 31-21)
They did it! The Niners won a game! They only had to beat the only other team worse than them to do it!
November 13, 2017
Sorting Through The Shrapnel of Week 10
One week after enduring a truly boring and predictable Sunday last weekend, the NFL gave us some much deserved entertainment in Week 10.
Out of the 12 Sunday games, five included dastardly underdog covers, six were utter blowouts that were still fun to watch and the other was the Bucs-Jets horror show.
Let’s dig through some of the unexpected outcomes and try and unravel what the hell just happened.
Indianapolis Colts +10.5 over Pittsburgh Steelers
(PIT wins 20-17)
Let’s just get it right out of the way – the Pittsburgh Steelers are not the explosive, high-scoring team that was advertised. Even with everyone on board, the Steelers struggled to connect frequently on big plays and looked awfully sluggish. Maybe it just wasn’t their day, or perhaps they took Indy too lightly. No matter what the excuse, the Pittsburgh Steelers play to the beat of their opponents rather than banging the drum.
Defensively, Pittsburgh took a hit when they lost star cornerback Joe Haden to a broken leg. But they were also ramsacked by the Colts for big plays. Their scoring defence is ranked second in the league but you wouldn’t be able to tell the way Jacoby Brisett was slinging it on Sunday.
This is now the third cover in a row for the Colts, who get a bye before facing a slew of what I expect to be some monster lines. Don’t fall asleep on the Colts. The Steelers sure did on Sunday and paid for it, along with their backers.
Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 over Tennessee Titans
(TEN wins 24-20)
In tight games, one big play can be a complete disaster and that’s what happened when Andy Dalton miraculously connected with A.J. Green for a 70 yard touchdown that spoiled this game for Titans backers. Outside of that, this was a garbage game for the downtrodden Bengals.
As for the Titans, they just don’t seem to have a clear identity on offence. They seem to love running these stupid option plays that historically don’t work in the NFL over the long haul. Plus, Mariota can’t take a hit in the slightest, which makes most of these plays even more risky.
This was a bet on the Titans simply being more competent than the Bengals, and they were, except for one play. That half-point will eat your lunch sometimes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1 over New York Jets
(TB Wins 15-10)
The Bucs are now 2-0 SU and ATS when playing their former quarterbacks. That’s the good news. The bad news is that are still unwatchable. A lot of that had to do with the lack of Mike Evans, but the play calling was completely inept. The Bucs ran the ball on almost every first down and pretty much lost yardage or got stuffed every time.
We advertised this game as a good bet for the Jets overall considering how bad the Bucs had been. Statistically and by the numbers, the Jets were a good bet. But this matchup had “letdown game” stamped right across its forehead in retrospect.
Green Bay Packers +5 over Chicago Bears
(GB wins 23-16)
In no uncertain terms, the Chicago Bears were absolutely screwed in this one. This whole rule with the turnover-fumble-touchdown thing is a complete mockery. It’s like officials are just looking for an excuse to throw the flag on these plays. For the entire existence of the NFL, Benny Cunningham’s score has been a touchdown. It would’ve absolutely changed the tone of an otherwise close game.
Defensively, the Packers played better overall and limited Jordan Howard’s impact on the game. Mitchell Trubisky was his typical, average self. The bright spot was Dontrelle Inman getting involved with 6-of-8 catches for 88 yards, which led the Bears. I’m not down on the Bears at all. They should have and could have won this game if not for the refs. In the end, the result is what it is. But if you feel like you got screwed here by the zebras, you did.
Los Angeles Charges +5 over Jacksonville Jaguars
(JAX wins 20-17)
This was an absolute frenzy of a game, with turnover after turnover after turnover giving everyone headaches. Blake Bortles was literally trying to give this game to the Los Angeles Chargers, but the visiting team returned the favor when it mattered. Josh Lambo booted the last two scores of the game to put his former team away as Jacksonville continued to defy the odds, while Los Anglees covered in their fourth loss of the season by a field goal or less.
Atlanta Falcons -3.5 over Dallas Cowboys
(ATL wins 27-7)
The Cowboys defence imploded at the same time that Dak Prescott was sophomore-slumped over a barrel. It was simply a horrible performance by the Cowboys, and the turnaround needed that the Falcons were looking for. If anything both teams were due. The Cowboys regressed, and the Falcons finally caught a break at home.
San Francisco 49ers +3 over New York Giants
(SF wins 31-21)
They did it! The Niners won a game! They only had to beat the only other team worse than them to do it!
