Arses Five Favorites: Week 14 NFL Picks

Well, I guess I was bound for a bad week – after thinking this stuff was much too easy, I went and got slammed last week, as the Bengals, Patriots, and Chargers all blew late covers and Houston just turned up the suck from the get go. Philly came through to keep me from being winless, but 1-4 wasn’t nearly as happy-go-lucky as my two weeks of 8-1-1… Here’s last week’s Review and this week’s picks:

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Week 13 NFL Picks REVIEW:

(W) – Philly -5 @ Atlanta: This one seemed too easy as the Falcons were without their main offensive stars and continue to play porous defense. It was my first (and only) win of the day.
(L) – Houston -1 @ Jacksonville: The Texans could have used Steve Slaton on Sunday – their offense had no punch, and while the Jaguars didn’t play awesome football, it was good enough to oust Houston.
(L) – Cincinnati (-13) @ home vs. Detroit: The Bengals had this spread covered up, but a couple 4th quarter touchdowns were as potent as a bloodsport punch to the face, and I went down hard.
(L) – Patriots (-3) @ Miami: I couldn’t believe this spread. Halfway through the game, I still couldn’t believe it. When the game ended, I couldn’t believe how bad the Pats offense had to play to lose. Damn.
(L) – Chargers (-13) @ Cleveland: The Chargers had this nice and covered up as well, but a late score got me where it counts, and just like that, 1-4 on the week. Ouch. So this is what losing feels like. I don’t like it.

WEEK 14 NFL Picks:

Saints (-10.5) @ Atlanta: The Falcons are down and out without Matt Ryan and Michael Turner – I don’t think Redman has it in him to keep the Falcons close, and I know that Atlanta defense can’t get it done against Drew Brees and his gaggle of awesome receiving options. The answer to that stupid Saints chant, not the damn Falcons.

Indianapolis Colts (-1) @ home vs. Denver: I just can’t go betting against Peyton. This team is looking for win #13, probably the last time they’ll care about winning before the playoffs start – and I think they do so easily.

Green Bay Packers (-3) @ Chicago: I can’t see the Bears ever beating anybody good ever again. This one seems too easy. I know the Bears are 4-2 at home, but the only teams Chicago has beaten all year have losing records, and the only team even close to .500 is Pittsburgh, and they’ve lost 5 in a row, 3 of which were to terrible teams. Give me the Packers with a smile.

Jets (-3) @ Tampa Bay: The Bucs aren’t good. The Jets defense is too aggressive for a rookie QB- this seems like free money to me.

Cardinals (-2.5) @ San Francisco: The Cardinals are playing lights out and can lock up the division with a win over the 49ers on Monday Night Football. The 49ers have absolutely no run game, and I think that might mean a painful night for Alex Smith. I’ll take the Cards, easy.

Seattle Seahawks vs Houston Texans Point Spread Pick

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Seattle Seahawks vs Houston Texans Point Spread Pick: I see something I like here, sure, but I have this eerie feeling I’m going to regret this one. Maybe it’s the Hawks on the road that scares me, or even the Hawks in general, yes, you might say I have pick-em dreams that end with me getting a million dollars if I can just pick a Hawks game correctly – that’s where I wake up in cold sweats.

No, but on a serious note, I don’t have the best record when it comes to Seattle. I’m not sure what it is, it’s just the way it has been. It doesn’t mean I never get them right, it just means that predicting them is tough for me. I know the Hawks are 1-5 away from Seattle, 4-2 at home – they don’t play a physical brand of football, and that hurts on the road. However, I’m thinking their upswing in health will finally help them and keep them winning football games. If you’ve noticed, they’ve won two straight (against the NFC West, sure, but you have to count them). One more win would be three in a row, and get them one game under .500 for the season. They are close.

The Texans have had a tough time of it lately. They’ve had their normal mid-season tumble, losing 4 straight, all against their own conference. Two of those games were home losses, and they’ve lost 3 straight against the spread as well. Houston isn’t a great home team, just 2-4 this season, and I like the Hawks odds of playing close. Seattle can think pass first, run second, when defending the Texans, and I think that certainty will help them. I’ll go with the Hawks.

Seattle Seahawks (+6.5) @ Houston Texans