Randall the Handle
THE REST
Browns (0-5) at Texans (2-3)
LINE: HOUSTON by 9½
The Browns are plagued by bad coaching, bad drafting, bad management and bad players. Coach Hue Jackson has one win in 21 tries as Cleveland’s head man. But wait! There’s a quarterback change. Kevin Hogan will be featured in the latest instalment of ‘How the Quarterback Carousel Turns.’ Poor Kevin. He’ll have to go into Houston in his first NFL start and face an angry Texans bunch that allowed an uncharacteristic 42 points to be scored upon them last week. Perhaps the most interesting storyline of this game will have No. 1 draft pick Myles Garrett chasing after dynamic QB Deshaun Watson (chosen 12th), but that still won’t be enough to point us to the prohibitive dog here. It’s a tall order for rookie Watson, but after scoring 91 points over the past two games, Houston should get the job done.
TAKING: TEXANS –9½
Patriots (3-2) at Jets (3-2)
LINE: NEW ENGLAND by 9½
The unwritten rule is to never spot big road points, especially in a divisional game. But as the saying goes, rules are meant to be broken and we’re going to break one here. Miraculously, the Jets are on a three-game winning streak, placing them in a tie for first place in the AFC East along with the Bills and these Patriots. Unfortunately, the Jets may not win another game this season. This current streak has been accomplished with smoke and mirrors. Teams on such streaks do not rank 26th in the NFL on offence and 25th on defence. Jets had no right beating the inept Browns (194 passing yards, 34 rushing yards) last week but for Cleveland miscues. Patriots have had 10 days to continue fixing defensive issues. They swept Jets last year by a combined 63-20. Expect same sort of domination here.
TAKING: PATRIOTS –9½
Dolphins (2-2) at Falcons (3-1)
LINE: ATLANTA by 11½
The Falcons’ 3-1 mark looks better than they do. One-score wins at Chicago and Detroit ended inside Atlanta’s five-yard line and could easily have had different results. The one blemish saw the Falcons lose at home to Buffalo when Atlanta’s luck finally ran out two weeks ago. Point being, the team many feared heading into this season after Atlanta came so close to a Super Bowl win has been less than advertised and it hardly warrants a double-digit give here despite facing a struggling opponent. Miami has been horrendous offensively (averaging just 10 points per game) but such a ridiculous output can’t last forever. The host has been sloppy this season and it could open up some opportunities for much-maligned QB Jay Cutler to escape current funk. The Falcons are also wallet-drainers as hosts with just five covers in past 14 on home turf. Conversely, the Fish are 5-2 ATS in their past seven as guests.
TAKING: DOLPHINS +11½
Lions (3-2) at Saints (2-2)
LINE: NEW ORLEANS by 4½
Lions may have been living a charmed life after three wins against some questionable opponents. We didn’t know how bad the Cardinals were when Detroit thumped them in opener. Their other wins were against 0-5 Giants and Vikings with Case Keenum under centre. Such a resume lacks a little lustre. The Leos will head to New Orleans, where they’ve won games the past two season, making this three in a row for the Michigan team. But we think it’s time the tables turn. While we’re still cautious, the Saints appear to finally be playing some defence after holding previous two opponents to a combined 13 points including the suddenly high-flying Panthers. And it’s not as though Detroit’s offence is anything to fear. Somewhat unnoticed, the Lions own the fourth-lowest yards per game average. The Saints are home for only second time after hosting Patriots a month ago.
TAKING: SAINTS –4½
Packers (4-1) at Vikings (3-2)
LINE: GREEN BAY by 3
An arduous task awaits the Packers here as they are fresh off an exhausting road win in Dallas and now must spot some road points to a good defensive divisional opponent. Of course, the biggest disparity in this contest is at quarterback where all-world Aaron Rodgers simply lays over what will in all likelihood be Keenum. However, we have enough confidence in the Minny’s stop unit to keep this one close. Keenum may also have moderate success against Green Bay’s suspect defenders, a group that has allowed an average of 26 points against in past four. Vikes play some of their best ball against this rival, winning here last year while taking two of past three in series. It should be noted that the Packers are 0-3 on back end of a two-game trip after winning the opener with Rodgers throwing for just 194 yards per game on average
TAKING: VIKINGS +3
Bears (1-4) at Ravens (3-2)
LINE: BALTIMORE by 6½
This may seem like a lot of points to give away with offensively challenged Ravens, but the Bears have issues of their own, especially away from Soldier Field. Chicago has dropped two road games this year in as many tries, being outscored 64-21 combined in the pair of defeats. Bears have been road kill for most of their hosts as they have managed just two covers in past 10 away. Now they’ll have to contend with Baltimore’s stellar defensive unit while under the guidance of rookie QB Mitch Trubisky. The young pivot was featured in Monday clash for all the world to see, but while he brought enthusiasm to the position, he was less than impressive after throwing for just 128 yards, one interception and a fluke touchdown. Ravens back home, where they’ve covered five of the past seven, after a big win in Oakland. Host gets the nod.
TAKING: RAVENS –6½
49ers (0-5) at Redskins (2-2)
LINE: WASHINGTON by 10
Are the Redskins the best team that no one is really talking about? They very well could be and, if so, they should have little trouble disposing of the 49ers despite San Fran’s spirited efforts. We catch the Niners in a vulnerable spot as this will be their third consecutive road game and it’s in the dreaded early timeslot on the east coast. Washington had won two straight before a decent effort in loss at Kansas City. It has had two weeks to prepare for this one and we don’t expect Jay Gruden’s squad to take this one lightly. A 0-5 club playing a third straight away game against a host coming off a bye? Hardly seems fair. San Francisco is the likely landing spot for Washington QB Kirk Cousins next season. He will want to showcase his talents for his potential future employers and he’ll take no prisoners while running up the score.
TAKING: REDSKINS –10
Rams (3-2) at Jaguars (3-2)
LINE: JACKSONVILLE by 2½
It’s Week 6 and the Jaguars are at home for only the second time. Their first time as host they produced an uninspiring 37-16 loss to division foe Titans. But Jacksonville still finds itself atop the AFC South despite that loss and smelling some success for the first time in ages, we expect a big effort here. The Rams are travelling across the country after physical affair with Seahawks. That game saw L.A. with too many errors and giveaways. Now they’ll face another quality defence and it could be too challenging on back-to-back weeks. While the Rams have been able to score points this season (30.4 per game), Jacksonville’s pass defence is one of the more reliable groups in the league, ranking third overall by allowing just 177.8 yards per game through the air. Rams’ run defence also an issue, relinquishing 133.6 yards each game. Jags emerging star RB Leonard Fournette is capable of exploiting that weakness.
TAKING: JAGUARS –2½
Chargers (1-4) at Raiders (2-3)
LINE: No line as status of Oakland QB Derek Carr is undetermined.
Colts (2-3) at Titans (2-3)
Pittsburgh (+4.5)
Green Bay (-3)
Detroit (+5)
Denver (-11.5)
Los Angeles (+2.5)
