RICKENBACH SUNDAY NFL (4 plays)
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Game #272 - 8* Washington Redskins (-) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 1 PM ET Sunday - The Redskins won't be popular with the betting markets this week as everyone watched them get obliterated by the Steelers on Monday Night and Washington is now on a short week. The key here though is that this is a huge rivalry game and it is a key road test for the Cowboys rookie QB. Though Prescott didn't make key mistakes last week sometimes playing too cautious can cost a team too. Note that star WR Bryant only caught one pass and "managing a game" but still losing is a fruitless endeavor. Now Prescott faces a much tougher test on the road and the Redskins are fired up after losing by 22 points last week versus Pittsburgh. Lets not forget that the Skins are the defending NFC East champs and Dallas continues to have a putrid record without Tony Romo at QB. Washington is on a 4-1 ATS run in divisional battles while Dallas is on an overall 3-11 ATS run. The Redskins have lost their home game with the Cowboys each of the last three seasons and that means it is time for a little payback today as they have the defense capable of giving a rookie QB a lot of trouble. Look for their defensive line to get a lot of pressure on Prescott and also look for a myriad of blitzes and stunts from the Skins defense in this one. 8* WASHINGTON early Sunday afternoon
#1 O/U Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Game #279/280 - 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:05 PM ET Sunday - Being a contrarian, of course, certainly does not always work. However, it definitely qualifies as a key tool in the arsenal of a quality handicapper and "going against the masses" has played a key role in much of my success in the NFL through the years. This Sunday I go for it again with a situation I feel is offering tremendous value. This total opened up at a 40.5 and has dropped all the way down to a 37.5 as of Saturday. Of course I completely understand the move. The Rams offense was one of the worst in the league last year and then got shutout on Monday night at San Francisco. Seattle has one of the top defenses in the league and the Seahawks are coming off of a 12-10 win versus Miami last Sunday. Why the over here? The Seahawks are seeking revenge as they were surprisingly swept by the Rams last year. That said, Seattle won't take their foot off of the gas if they get up big in this game. Los Angeles has the reputation of being strong defensively but they slipped last year and the yards per game they allowed was much more indicative of this defense than the points allowed. The Rams also lost some key defensive players coming into this season. Look for Los Angeles to struggle to stop a very determined Seahawks offense here but the "surprise factor" here is that I expect Los Angeles to enjoy some surprising success on offense. Yes, the Rams totally laid an egg last week but this is their first home game after the move from St Louis and let's not forget that Jeff Fisher's Rams have scored at least 23 points in 3 of their last 4 meetings with the Seahawks. The last two times the Rams hosted the Seahawks they have averaged 31 points per game. After last week's embarrassment the Rams will play much better on offense this week and head coach Fisher has managed to surprise the Seahawks before. However, I don't see the Rams getting the upset this time but I do expect Seattle to put up a ton of points against this over-rated defense. 10* OVER in Los Angeles Rams in the later games Sunday afternoon
Shocker of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Game #281 - 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (+) @ Denver Broncos @ 4:25 ET Sunday - The Broncos survived their season opener but it truly was a "choppy" debut for new QB Siemian as turnovers certainly were an issue. Overall the Broncos were outgained and narrowly held on for the 1 point victory. I look for Denver to be exposed here as the Colts offense is so dangerous with QB Luck at the controls and Indianapolis put up 450 yards of offense in last week's loss to the Lions. Of course the issue for the Colts, as it was last week against the Lions, is their defense. However, this Broncos offense is going to have some "growing pains" with Siemian at the helm. Denver is on an 0-9 ATS run in games against the Colts and with this spread working all the way up from an opener of 4.5 to a 7 as of Saturday, it is "go time" for me. Indianapolis, the last 10 times they are off of a loss and then are a dog of at least a point or more (basically out of the pick'em price range) they have gone 10-0 ATS! Fired up after a missed opportunity win at home against Detroit last week, the Colts will bring their "A game" this week. The Broncos, by virtue of sneaking out that 1 point win over Carolina, continue to be over-rated and that is evident by the line move here as the Denver backers are out in full force. The Colts are very hungry off of their disappointing 8-8 campaign and the super bowl champ Broncos certainly have a target on their backs this season. Denver is on a 2-5 ATS run as a home fave of 3.5 to 7 points and the Colts are on a 6-2 ATS run as a dog of 3.5 to 9.5 points . 10* INDIANAPOLIS in the later games Sunday afternoon
RICKENBACH SUNDAY NFL
Blowout Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Game #287 - 8* Green Bay Packers (-) @ Minnesota Vikings @ 8:30 PM ET Sunday - The Vikings are expected to start Sam Bradford who was acquired from the Eagles right before the season. Minnesota snuck by the Titans at Tennessee last week but the QB situation is a concern with all the issues due to Teddy Bridgewater's injury happening so late in training camp. The Vikes beat the Titans by 9 points last week but Minnesota was outgained in that game as the win was certainly helped by a +3 turnover margin. Keep in mind though that this was a Tennessee team that is a combined 5-27 the past two seasons. Now Vikings, still trying to adjust at QB, face a fierce division rival with revenge on their minds. The Packers lost the season finale to Minnesota last year and that resulted in Minny winning the division and Green Bay entered the playoffs on the road as a wild card. It is now time for a little payback and we're getting line value here because the line has gone from as a high as a -3 on Green Bay to very nearly a pick'em. Of course the Vikes are a popular choice this week since they're opening up their new stadium and have done so well at home ATS in recent seasons. What many are not realizing is that the Vikings just are not the same team without Bridgewater and bringing in Bradford now could be a disaster. He has had very little time to adjust to the Vikings playbook and now faces a fierce division rival in primetime action. The Vikings defense led the way in last week's win but QB Aaron Rodgers and company...present a much tougher challenge than the Titans did last week. The Packers, prior to the loss to the Vikes at the end of the regular season last year, had won 5 games and tied once with the Vikings in their last 6 meetings. Minnesota hadn't beaten Green Bay since the 2012 season. Look for the Packers to give Bradford and a weak Vikings offense all sorts of trouble here. 8* GREEN BAY Sunday night
Earliest Cash - Rickenbach NFL Game #272 - 8* Washington Redskins (-) vs Dallas Cowboys @ 1 PM ET Sunday - The Redskins won't be popular with the betting markets this week as everyone watched them get obliterated by the Steelers on Monday Night and Washington is now on a short week. The key here though is that this is a huge rivalry game and it is a key road test for the Cowboys rookie QB. Though Prescott didn't make key mistakes last week sometimes playing too cautious can cost a team too. Note that star WR Bryant only caught one pass and "managing a game" but still losing is a fruitless endeavor. Now Prescott faces a much tougher test on the road and the Redskins are fired up after losing by 22 points last week versus Pittsburgh. Lets not forget that the Skins are the defending NFC East champs and Dallas continues to have a putrid record without Tony Romo at QB. Washington is on a 4-1 ATS run in divisional battles while Dallas is on an overall 3-11 ATS run. The Redskins have lost their home game with the Cowboys each of the last three seasons and that means it is time for a little payback today as they have the defense capable of giving a rookie QB a lot of trouble. Look for their defensive line to get a lot of pressure on Prescott and also look for a myriad of blitzes and stunts from the Skins defense in this one. 8* WASHINGTON early Sunday afternoon
#1 O/U Crusher - Rickenbach NFL Game #279/280 - 10* Top Play OVER the total in Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks @ 4:05 PM ET Sunday - Being a contrarian, of course, certainly does not always work. However, it definitely qualifies as a key tool in the arsenal of a quality handicapper and "going against the masses" has played a key role in much of my success in the NFL through the years. This Sunday I go for it again with a situation I feel is offering tremendous value. This total opened up at a 40.5 and has dropped all the way down to a 37.5 as of Saturday. Of course I completely understand the move. The Rams offense was one of the worst in the league last year and then got shutout on Monday night at San Francisco. Seattle has one of the top defenses in the league and the Seahawks are coming off of a 12-10 win versus Miami last Sunday. Why the over here? The Seahawks are seeking revenge as they were surprisingly swept by the Rams last year. That said, Seattle won't take their foot off of the gas if they get up big in this game. Los Angeles has the reputation of being strong defensively but they slipped last year and the yards per game they allowed was much more indicative of this defense than the points allowed. The Rams also lost some key defensive players coming into this season. Look for Los Angeles to struggle to stop a very determined Seahawks offense here but the "surprise factor" here is that I expect Los Angeles to enjoy some surprising success on offense. Yes, the Rams totally laid an egg last week but this is their first home game after the move from St Louis and let's not forget that Jeff Fisher's Rams have scored at least 23 points in 3 of their last 4 meetings with the Seahawks. The last two times the Rams hosted the Seahawks they have averaged 31 points per game. After last week's embarrassment the Rams will play much better on offense this week and head coach Fisher has managed to surprise the Seahawks before. However, I don't see the Rams getting the upset this time but I do expect Seattle to put up a ton of points against this over-rated defense. 10* OVER in Los Angeles Rams in the later games Sunday afternoon
Shocker of the Month - Rickenbach NFL Game #281 - 10* Top Play Indianapolis Colts (+) @ Denver Broncos @ 4:25 ET Sunday - The Broncos survived their season opener but it truly was a "choppy" debut for new QB Siemian as turnovers certainly were an issue. Overall the Broncos were outgained and narrowly held on for the 1 point victory. I look for Denver to be exposed here as the Colts offense is so dangerous with QB Luck at the controls and Indianapolis put up 450 yards of offense in last week's loss to the Lions. Of course the issue for the Colts, as it was last week against the Lions, is their defense. However, this Broncos offense is going to have some "growing pains" with Siemian at the helm. Denver is on an 0-9 ATS run in games against the Colts and with this spread working all the way up from an opener of 4.5 to a 7 as of Saturday, it is "go time" for me. Indianapolis, the last 10 times they are off of a loss and then are a dog of at least a point or more (basically out of the pick'em price range) they have gone 10-0 ATS! Fired up after a missed opportunity win at home against Detroit last week, the Colts will bring their "A game" this week. The Broncos, by virtue of sneaking out that 1 point win over Carolina, continue to be over-rated and that is evident by the line move here as the Denver backers are out in full force. The Colts are very hungry off of their disappointing 8-8 campaign and the super bowl champ Broncos certainly have a target on their backs this season. Denver is on a 2-5 ATS run as a home fave of 3.5 to 7 points and the Colts are on a 6-2 ATS run as a dog of 3.5 to 9.5 points . 10* INDIANAPOLIS in the later games Sunday afternoon
RICKENBACH SUNDAY NFL
Blowout Game of the Week - Rickenbach NFL Game #287 - 8* Green Bay Packers (-) @ Minnesota Vikings @ 8:30 PM ET Sunday - The Vikings are expected to start Sam Bradford who was acquired from the Eagles right before the season. Minnesota snuck by the Titans at Tennessee last week but the QB situation is a concern with all the issues due to Teddy Bridgewater's injury happening so late in training camp. The Vikes beat the Titans by 9 points last week but Minnesota was outgained in that game as the win was certainly helped by a +3 turnover margin. Keep in mind though that this was a Tennessee team that is a combined 5-27 the past two seasons. Now Vikings, still trying to adjust at QB, face a fierce division rival with revenge on their minds. The Packers lost the season finale to Minnesota last year and that resulted in Minny winning the division and Green Bay entered the playoffs on the road as a wild card. It is now time for a little payback and we're getting line value here because the line has gone from as a high as a -3 on Green Bay to very nearly a pick'em. Of course the Vikes are a popular choice this week since they're opening up their new stadium and have done so well at home ATS in recent seasons. What many are not realizing is that the Vikings just are not the same team without Bridgewater and bringing in Bradford now could be a disaster. He has had very little time to adjust to the Vikings playbook and now faces a fierce division rival in primetime action. The Vikings defense led the way in last week's win but QB Aaron Rodgers and company...present a much tougher challenge than the Titans did last week. The Packers, prior to the loss to the Vikes at the end of the regular season last year, had won 5 games and tied once with the Vikings in their last 6 meetings. Minnesota hadn't beaten Green Bay since the 2012 season. Look for the Packers to give Bradford and a weak Vikings offense all sorts of trouble here. 8* GREEN BAY Sunday night
GC: NFL System play
Big Sunday NFL card has a Rare 6* Side, the Early NFL Total of the Month and 5* sides. There is also the A Sunday night Triple perfect play and MLB. Football ranked #1 overall last 2 years. NFL play below.
The NFL Comp play is on Miami +6.5 points at 1:00 eastern. Miami fits a solid database system today that plays on Road dogs that are off a road dog loss at +10 or more by 1-3 points as they have covered every time since 1989 vs an opponent like the Patriots that are off a road dog win. Division dogs in the first 3 weeks vs a team with revenge like the patriots have here today, are also a big play on historically. The Patriots are getting plenty of support off the big win in Arizona on sunday night. Here comes the let down. Take the points. Make it Miami. On Sunday end the week big with a Powerful football card that has a rare 6*, and early 5*, the NFL Total of the Month, and the Triple perfect Sunday night Side + MLB. Football is ranked #1 over the last 2 years and we are currently ranked #1 overall in all sports on several leader boards. Jump on now and end the week big. For the NFL Free Pick. Play on Miami plus the points. Golden Contender
Big Sunday NFL card has a Rare 6* Side, the Early NFL Total of the Month and 5* sides. There is also the A Sunday night Triple perfect play and MLB. Football ranked #1 overall last 2 years. NFL play below.
The NFL Comp play is on Miami +6.5 points at 1:00 eastern. Miami fits a solid database system today that plays on Road dogs that are off a road dog loss at +10 or more by 1-3 points as they have covered every time since 1989 vs an opponent like the Patriots that are off a road dog win. Division dogs in the first 3 weeks vs a team with revenge like the patriots have here today, are also a big play on historically. The Patriots are getting plenty of support off the big win in Arizona on sunday night. Here comes the let down. Take the points. Make it Miami. On Sunday end the week big with a Powerful football card that has a rare 6*, and early 5*, the NFL Total of the Month, and the Triple perfect Sunday night Side + MLB. Football is ranked #1 over the last 2 years and we are currently ranked #1 overall in all sports on several leader boards. Jump on now and end the week big. For the NFL Free Pick. Play on Miami plus the points. Golden Contender
SHARPEST EDGE SPORTS
NFL
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
A not-so-classic AFC North match-up. These are two teams with dynamic offenses with 2 of the best wide receivers in the league. It will still be hard hitting but this is just not your parents’ Steelers and Bengals. Both teams enter the early key divisional game in Pittsburgh, 1-0, each winning on the road. The Steelers blew away the Redskins on Monday Night while the Bengals escaped with a win against the Jets. A positive the Bengals can take away from Week 1 was the play of QB Andy Dalton down the stretch as he threw for 366 yards and a touchdown against a very dangerous Jets’ pass rush. The Steelers, who were missing some key pieces on offense, didn’t miss a beat. Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown were basically the only coming into the game with history, the rest of the unit was missing four starters and had backups and spot players step in throughout the lineup. RB DeAngelo Williams had already filled in last season for Le’Veon Bell, but WR Sammie Coates and WR Eli Rogers helped Williams fill in admirably. They didn’t play like fill-ins as they helped the Steelers gain 447 total yards and score 38 points. The play of the fill-ins will help determine the outcome against Cincinnati this week. People are pretty split on this game and with not much of a sample size, I like the team who calls Heinz Field home.
PICK: Pittsburgh Steelers -3 – 2 Units
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
So how do you deal with the loss of Peyton Manning? Keep playing the type of defense that won Super Bowl 50, run C.J. Andersen and let Trevor Siemian game-manage. The latter looks to keep developing as a QB and the Colts are a great team to help with the transition. Siemian threw a pair of interceptions but led the second-half rally past the Panthers where he threw a TD and also led the drive that the aforementioned Anderson ended with a touchdown run. The Colts showed extreme weaknesses on defense, where they are depleted by injuries, especially in the secondary. The Colts' secondary is missing CB Vontae Davis, S T.J. Green and CB Patrick Robinson who has been dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to miss the opener. In all Indianapolis has listed 13 players on the injury report. I don’t see Andrew Luck having the same success obtaining the back-door cover like they did against the Lions in Week 1. I am rolling with the Champs.
PICK: Denver Broncos -6.5 – 2 Units
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
These two teams met in the playoffs last year where the Chiefs laid a 30-0 thumping on the Texans. However, these are not those Texans. The Chiefs forced 5 turnovers in that game – all by way of then-QB Brian Hoyer. Newcomer Brock Osweiler now leads the new Texans attack, with other new faces; WR Will Fuller, WR Braxton Miller and RB Lamar Miller. That’s the past, but if you would like to talk about the present then there is no doubt the Texans looked better in Week 1 than they did in that playoff game, and the Chiefs were methodically outplayed by the Chargers before a second half rally. The Texans defense also should give Alex Smith and the Chiefs a harsher test than the Chargers' did. I like this new-look Houston squad.
PICK: Houston Texans – 1 Unit
NFL Game Total of the Week
PICK: Saints/Giants Over 54 – 1 Unit
NFL
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
A not-so-classic AFC North match-up. These are two teams with dynamic offenses with 2 of the best wide receivers in the league. It will still be hard hitting but this is just not your parents’ Steelers and Bengals. Both teams enter the early key divisional game in Pittsburgh, 1-0, each winning on the road. The Steelers blew away the Redskins on Monday Night while the Bengals escaped with a win against the Jets. A positive the Bengals can take away from Week 1 was the play of QB Andy Dalton down the stretch as he threw for 366 yards and a touchdown against a very dangerous Jets’ pass rush. The Steelers, who were missing some key pieces on offense, didn’t miss a beat. Ben Roethlisberger and WR Antonio Brown were basically the only coming into the game with history, the rest of the unit was missing four starters and had backups and spot players step in throughout the lineup. RB DeAngelo Williams had already filled in last season for Le’Veon Bell, but WR Sammie Coates and WR Eli Rogers helped Williams fill in admirably. They didn’t play like fill-ins as they helped the Steelers gain 447 total yards and score 38 points. The play of the fill-ins will help determine the outcome against Cincinnati this week. People are pretty split on this game and with not much of a sample size, I like the team who calls Heinz Field home.
PICK: Pittsburgh Steelers -3 – 2 Units
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos
So how do you deal with the loss of Peyton Manning? Keep playing the type of defense that won Super Bowl 50, run C.J. Andersen and let Trevor Siemian game-manage. The latter looks to keep developing as a QB and the Colts are a great team to help with the transition. Siemian threw a pair of interceptions but led the second-half rally past the Panthers where he threw a TD and also led the drive that the aforementioned Anderson ended with a touchdown run. The Colts showed extreme weaknesses on defense, where they are depleted by injuries, especially in the secondary. The Colts' secondary is missing CB Vontae Davis, S T.J. Green and CB Patrick Robinson who has been dealing with an ankle injury that forced him to miss the opener. In all Indianapolis has listed 13 players on the injury report. I don’t see Andrew Luck having the same success obtaining the back-door cover like they did against the Lions in Week 1. I am rolling with the Champs.
PICK: Denver Broncos -6.5 – 2 Units
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans
These two teams met in the playoffs last year where the Chiefs laid a 30-0 thumping on the Texans. However, these are not those Texans. The Chiefs forced 5 turnovers in that game – all by way of then-QB Brian Hoyer. Newcomer Brock Osweiler now leads the new Texans attack, with other new faces; WR Will Fuller, WR Braxton Miller and RB Lamar Miller. That’s the past, but if you would like to talk about the present then there is no doubt the Texans looked better in Week 1 than they did in that playoff game, and the Chiefs were methodically outplayed by the Chargers before a second half rally. The Texans defense also should give Alex Smith and the Chiefs a harsher test than the Chargers' did. I like this new-look Houston squad.
PICK: Houston Texans – 1 Unit
NFL Game Total of the Week
PICK: Saints/Giants Over 54 – 1 Unit
River City Sharps
The Ravens will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns where they have a 7-1 ATS mark in their last 8. They are finally healthy as 2 key starters are back QB Flacco and OLB Suggs return from injuries. They didn’t dazzle last week but still managed a 13-7 win and held Buffalo to 160 yards total offense. That doesn’t bode well for a Cleveland team that struggles on offense and will be without QB RG3 who went down with a shoulder injury. They only had 168 yards passing and will now look to QB McCown to try and generate some offense. We think Flacco has shaken the rust off and we will see more offense from the Ravens in this game and they still sport a stellar defense. The Browns are on a 2-9 ATS run and we don’t see that getting any better here. We love the Ravens here under a touchdown. The Sharps say…
3 Units – Baltimore Ravens (-5.5)
The Ravens will travel to Cleveland to take on the Browns where they have a 7-1 ATS mark in their last 8. They are finally healthy as 2 key starters are back QB Flacco and OLB Suggs return from injuries. They didn’t dazzle last week but still managed a 13-7 win and held Buffalo to 160 yards total offense. That doesn’t bode well for a Cleveland team that struggles on offense and will be without QB RG3 who went down with a shoulder injury. They only had 168 yards passing and will now look to QB McCown to try and generate some offense. We think Flacco has shaken the rust off and we will see more offense from the Ravens in this game and they still sport a stellar defense. The Browns are on a 2-9 ATS run and we don’t see that getting any better here. We love the Ravens here under a touchdown. The Sharps say…
3 Units – Baltimore Ravens (-5.5)
