wunderdog
Game: New Orleans at Detroit (Sunday 12/21 1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Game Total UNDER 50.5 -110
The Lions are running out of time as they enter this one with a 0-14 record. They stand to become the only team that will forever be entrenched in the NFL record books for absolute futility. It certainly won't be easy to avoid this fate. They have not been able to find stability all season on offense. How can you when you have had three different QBs starting games? None of them ever had a chance to stay long behind center to get in any kind of rhythm. Orlovsky had five starts, Kitna four starts, and Culpepper five starts. Consequently, the Lions have not produced more than 23 points in a game all season long. They have had their QBs sacked 49 times, and have converted just 28% of their third-down attempts. The Saints, without Reggie Bush, carry one surprise into this game. They are considered to be a soft defense, but no running back has gotten 100 yards on them all season! They are the top-ranked offense in the NFL overall, but the numbers on the road haven't been as glossy. Over their last five road games, the Saints have produced just 20.2 points per game. They are dead at 7-7 in terms of finding the playoffs. There are five teams ahead of them in the wildcard standings, and another tied with them, so how much energy will they bring to a game against an 0-14 team? The offense hasn't produced, and attention and motivation here should be low. The Lions haven't produced all season. I like this one to go UNDER the total.
Game: Pittsburgh at Tennessee (Sunday 12/21 1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Tennessee +2 (-110) (risk 4 to win 3.6)
This may be a first. The Tennessee Titans, who sport the best record in the NFL at 12-2, are a slight dog at home. While I haven't been a big proponent of the Tiants this season, feeling they have been the beneficiary of a soft schedule and a great turnover ratio, they continue to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL, not getting any respect. Their loss at Houston last week plays into this. And, Pittsburgh's five-game winning streak, capped by a win over Baltimore last week also plays a factor. But, should the Titans really be a home dog? I think not! The fact that their opponent is off a win and they are off a loss makes me like them even more. Most got a chance to see Pittsburgh's big defense and win last week, while all that stands out from the Titans game is that they lost. Here is why there is value here. The end of the Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore game last week ended with a controversial Pittsburgh TD. If it was ruled the other way and the Steelers lost, what would this line be? The Titans out-gained the Texans last week by 100 yards and lost by a point. If those two games switched, what would change? The teams wouldn't, but the perception would and that is what drives the line. There is value here because if those changes occurred, Tennessee would be a -3 in this game instead of a +1. The Steelers have now had to bring it three consecutive weeks. First they played the Patriots, then the Cowboys and finally the Ravens. Their most emotional and physical game was last week. They now have to bring it a fourth-straight week, this time against the Titans who will be loaded for bear at home with the playoff-like atmosphere and drive after laying low for a couple weeks. I see a lot of value on the Titans who are 6-1 at home and will be ready to bring it in this one.
Game: San Francisco at St. Louis (Sunday 12/21 1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 3 units on San Francisco -5 (-110) (risk 3 to win 2.7)
Pick: 4 units on Game Total UNDER 43.5 -110
The Rams have had a dreadful season and have played themselves to a 2-12 record. The actuality is that their season has been even worse than that. They have managed to lose nine of the twelve games by 19 points or more, so even if this team was given 17 points a game in every contest, their record would be 5-9! That is pretty eye-opening, so to back this terrible team hoping for a close game certainly is questionable. The Niners have played with renewed vigor under Mike Singletary. He has this team playing with intensity and purpose. This is a team that isn't playing out the string, but rather playing inspired football, giving it their all week after week. The results have them at 5-1 ATS over the past six weeks. The defense has really picked it up as they have allowed just 31 points in their last three games, or 10.3 ppg, to teams that have averaged 23 ppg. So how do the Rams find the end zone here? They have managed just 93 points in their last eight games, or 11.6 ppg. What is more amazing is 48 of those 93 have come on FGs - or more than half! One of those 19+ point losses came at the hands of the Niners, which are playing at a much higher level now every week. I like San Francisco and the UNDER in this one.
Game: Arizona at New England (Sunday 12/21 1:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Arizona +8 (-110) (risk 4 to win 3.6)
Last week was Arizona's worst game of the year. They got down 14-0 early to the Vikings on a punt return and long TD pass and they never recovered. Combine that with the fact that the Pats are off their best game of the season against Oakland, and the oddsmakers have been fored to inflate this one to offer value on the Cards. These teams are just about a dead-heat statistically on defense and at the same time the Cards have an offensive advantage. Sure, New England has been the "hotter" team of late. But is not too often that you see a line posted at this lofty level when the team getting the points is, at the worst, the just as good on both sides of the ball. Arizona has the QB advantage as Kurt Warner has a rating 10 points higher than Cassel. The Cards get a pass last week as they are a premier team. They clinched the division and had no interest against the Vikings and it showed. They took the week off. They were blitzed by the media, and you can bet they have something to play for here. It is the Patriots and a measuring-stick game for this team, and their ability to go on the road and play a tough team. The weather could become a factor here with rain, snow, and wind in the forecast offering further value in the already inflated line. I'll back the Cards, and fade the Pats here in a buy-low, sell-high situation.
Game: Buffalo at Denver (Sunday 12/21 4:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on Buffalo +7 (-120) (risk 5 to win 4.2)
These teams started out the season getting a lot of ink and even Super Bowl talk. But that talk certainly faded from the Bills camp as a 5-1 start became a 1-7 disaster. The Bills have walked a fine line with a small margin of error. Early on, they found ways to win but lately they have found themselves in situations where they find ways to lose. The Bills have been in just about every game they play. During this 1-7 streak, they have lost six of the seven games by 10 points or less, and their largest loss has been 13 points. They are hanging around every game, so the points are enticing here. After a 38 ppg start in the first three games, the Denver offense has been greatly reduced and inconsistent. They have not even reached that 38 point mark once since then. And in eight of their eleven games, they have scored less than 20. The odds-makers have consistently made them a bigger favorite, especially at home, than they should be and it has resulted in them not covering a single game all season at home. They have not covered a game all season, home or away as a favorite of more than three points where they are 0-7 ATS. As I mentioned in my recent blog on lucky NFL teams, Denver could very well be 6-8 right now instead of 8-6. I like the Bills who have been in every game they have played, against a continually overrated Denver team.
Game: Houston at Oakland (Sunday 12/21 4:05 PM Eastern)
Pick: 5 units on Oakland +7 (-110) (risk 5 to win 4.6)
The Houston Texans are mirroring their 2007-08 performance where they recovered from a slow start to reach the .500 mark for the first time. They have now won four straight to lift them to the .500 mark for the first time this year. After their big upset win last week over the Titans, everyone seems to have taken notice. The question is, have the odds-makers now gotten too frisky with this team, placing them as a TD favorite on the road? The answer to that in my opinion is yes. This is an improved team for sure, but one that has been flexing their muscle at home, not on the road. Over the last four seasons the Texans are just 6-25 SU on the road. I don't recall ever seeing a team that has won just 19% of their road games over four seasons, with a similar mark this season at 22%, asked to cover a number this size. They have managed to cover this number in just three of their last 31 road games, and you can be sure they have played teams similar to Oakland in the process. The Raiders may be off their worst game of the year which certainly has something to do with this line. It's painful to back this Raiders team but it is the right side of this game. Let's not forget that the Raiders went to New Orleans and lost 34-3 to the Saints and then beat the playoff-bound division-leading Jets outright. They went to Miami and lost by just two to the Dolphins on a last minute FG. Then came back and beat another division leader, the Broncos, on the road 31-10. They have had their moments while the moments for the Texans on the road winning has not come easy. Winning by this large a number has been a rarity. I'll back the Raiders in this one.