Chris Jordan has 3 plays for today
Sunday's winners ...
300♦ DENVER BRONCOS - I'm worried about one person - Ray Lewis. But one person does not a team make! And I counter Baltimore's Lewis with argubaly one of the best motivating defensive players in the game - Brian Dawkins! Now you take two of the most electrifying players out of the mix, and you have to ask yourself who's getting it done more impressively ... Baltimore or Denver?
The Ravens are 3-3 after losing three straight, including one to the Patriots, who the Broncos defeated. Including one to the surprising Bengals, who lost to the Broncos in Week 1. Who has Baltimore beaten? Kansas City (1-6), San Diego (3-3) and Cleveland (1-6). That's a combined 5-15 record amongst three teams that will be lucky to make the playoffs. Yes, that includes the Chargers, because I don't believe a team out of the AFC West will get a wildcard berth, and right now, Denver is running away with the division.
Now, as for the Broncos, who have they beaten? The Bengals, who are tied for first in the AFC North at 5-2; the Cowboys, who are 1/2-game out in the NFC East; the Patriots, who are in sole possession of first place in the AFC East with a 5-2 mark; and, the aforementioned Chargers, who are the closest competitor to the Broncos in the AFC West.
The competition has simply been that much better and having a week off to prepare and study game film is going to allow that stifling defense to bother Joe Flacco and company, while stuffing the run and leaving the Ravens with no options offensively.
These are two of my favorite teams to watch this season, and I must tell you it is imperative to get +3-1/2 points with the Broncos in this one, cause it wouldn't surprise me to see this being a tight game either. And in the event the Ravens eke this one out, it's going to be by a field goal. Otherwise, it's the Broncos winning. Take the dog and again, get +3-1/2 points in this contest, and buy the 1/2 point if necessary.
300♦ DETROIT LIONS - Two crappy teams is never the way to go in any professional sport; but something about the aforementioned theory - schedule strength and performance - has me intrigued about the Lions. I won't get too long-winded on this, I'll just hit the main points.
Aside from the fact the Lions finally snapped their extended losing streak this season, I like the way they put up 27 points in the opener against the Saints. That's stuck in my head each week, given the fact only one other team the Saints have played have scored more than that. Miami put up 34 last week, and the week prior the Giants equally scored 27 as well. But the Eagles, Bills and Jets - all teams I'd guess would be favored over Detroit - averaged a mere 13 points against New Orleans.
Detroit was competitive in Chicago before the Bears pulled away for a 48-24 win and the Lions put a 20-spot on the Steelers on Oct. 11.
As for the Rams, they're now the laughingstock of the NFL with the extended losing skid. They've hit the 20-point mark ONCE this season, and are averaging less than 10 points per game after seven contests. Other than Green Bay and Minnesota, I'm not necessarily impressed with the Rams' schedule, as they've also played the Seahawks, Redskins, Niners and Jaguars - a quartet with a combined record of 10-15.
Say what you will about the Lions, they're not as bad as St. Louis. I'm laying the points.
300♦ DALLAS COWBOYS - Forget the Seahawks' two shutout wins - they're jaded and don't characterize how they really play. One win was against the hapless Rams and the other was against a travel-weary Jaguars team that had no shot. Instead, focus on the four losses that saw Seattle fail to score more than 19 points and that it lost by an average final of 27-12.
Though Seattle has had two weeks to prepare for this one, it doesn't scare me against a Dallas team that seems to have found its offense after taking its own bye week. Last week they pasted Atlanta, 37-21, and before hitting the road for Philly and Green Bay the next two weeks, I believe this is a team that needs another blowout to build that confidence and get the engine well greased for two tough contests on the highway.
Besides, the Seahawks buck the league trend of being successfule after resting for week, as they're sporting an abysmal 2-8 mark after byes.
Dallas got key personnel back last week, thanks to its bye, and with the rushing game once again healthy, you're going to see this offense come together nicely. Between Felix Jones' openfield antics, Marion Barber's power game and Tony Romo going vertical with Miles Austin, the question won't be if the Cowboys cover or not, but how much they're going to cover by?
