“We finally get into the double digits, and if you know my game, this is where I start making up for any early season blunders.” How’s 7-0 for a start to the double digit weeks? Check in next week as I try to continue my run to the fortune 100… Here’s my review.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+4.5) @ Tennessee Titans: win
(Line: Wednesday, 10:00pm EST: Belmont)
The Jaguars just imposed their will on the Titans, and some of it probably had to do with Albert Haynesworth being out of the game. However, the Jags just wanted this one more, and it came down to losing the season opener on their own home-field against these very Titans. These teams are so even that the little things, like redemption, are so important going into a game like this. The Jags won, and I won big.
Denver Broncos (+4) @ Kansas City Chiefs: win
(Line: Wednesday, 10:00pm EST: SBG Global)
“From the sound of it, the Broncos are ready to play up to their potential. Denver has been down for most of the year, despite one game against the Steelers, and they very well could have lost that game. Anyhow, Denver has the talent to compete with the best, and I think they’ll put the Chiefs away with relative ease at Sunday’s game in Kansas City.” This was definitely a pretty easy win for the Broncos. Selvin Young filled in nicely for Travis (THC) Henry and Jay Cutler did enough of his thing for the Broncos to get the W. However, the key in this game was the Broncos defense, a unit that finally stepped up when they needed to.
St. Louis Rams (+13.5) @ New Orleans Saints: win
(Line: Tuesday, 2:00pm EST: 5Dimes)
“Honestly, I don’t think the Rams will need half this many points, but I’ll take all 13 and a half of them from 5Dimes. I think the Rams could pull the biggest upset of the week by finally notching their first win against a Saints’ team that comes in with way too much hype for what they’ve accomplished thus far. What have they done? After 4 straight losses, they have a good 1st half against one of the more schizophrenic teams in the NFL (Seattle) and hold on to beat them by 11. Then they sneak by Atlanta (22-16) and probably would have lost if Leftwich hadn’t been hurt (he was torching the Saints’ secondary, believe it or not) and then they beat a terrible San Francisco team in Alex Smith’s first game since his injury, and the game was very close in Jacksonville last week (despite the 41-24 score), and Quinn Gray was calling plays for the Jaguars. Honestly, I think a lot of people are going to lose their survivor pools by taking the Saints in this one.” Yes sir! You have to admit, when I call ’em, I definitely call ’em… The Saints took a lot of survivor hopefuls out when they came in playing like sour piss on their home field. They didn’t knock me out of my survivor pool – but the Colts did – suckers. Well, a win for me here, and a perfect analysis, has me feeling pretty smart.
Philadelphia Eagles (+3) @ Washington Redskins: win
(Line: Monday, 7:00pm EST: Bookmaker)
“Now that everyone thinks the Eagles are completely lost without a chance of every returning or becoming part of any sort of playoff picture, I think they’ll play a lot better. Regardless of what Andy Reid thinks, his problems have effected the team, and questions surrounding Donovan McNabb have also been swirling. All those things are pretty meaningless now that everyone and their mother thinks the Eagles are done.” I’m telling you, watch out for the Eagles, until people start talking about them making the playoffs, then they could struggle. I still think the Eagles are good enough to compete with the best in the East, and they’ll have a couple games to prove themselves moving forward. This was a huge win for the Eagles, McNabb, and Andy Reid.
Cincinnati Bengals (+4.5) @ Baltimore Ravens: win
(Line: Tuesday, 2:00pm EST: Bookmaker)
The Bengals kicked a bunch of field goals and never scored one single touchdown, but they still easily beat the Ravens 21-7. Seven field goals… Gnarly. Cincinnati took advantage of the Ravens’ offense absolutely sucking. Yeah, that could be the worst unit in football. Chris Henry did play for the Bengals, as he came right in and led the team in receiving with 99 yards. Do I think the Bengals can fight their way back into the playoff picture? No chance – but they are definitely good enough to outscore the Ravens – that we’ve learned.
Chicago Bears (-3) @ Oakland Raiders: win
(Line: Monday, 3:00am EST: Bookmaker)
I hope you didn’t fade the public in this one. The Raiders couldn’t do much in any facet of their offense, and the Bears, behind Rex Grossman (yes, you heard that correctly) no tched a road win in Oakland. Benson didn’t impress me much, rushing for only 76 yards on 29 carries (that’s a gross average, just trust me) but he did enough, and Rex Grossman completed a deep pass to Bernard Berrien for a big score to put a fat stainless steel nail in the coffin. Justin Fargas had another solid game for the Raiders, but Josh McCown was pretty much useless, completing just over half his passes for 108 measly yards and an interception. The Bears went to 4-5 with a 17-6 win, making me 6-0 on Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks (-10): win
(Line: Monday, 3:00am EST: Bookmaker)
The Hawks looked good in their initial phasing out of Shaunna Alexander, shutting down the 49ers to the tune of 24-0. The game wasn’t close, and the Hawks didn’t have to score much in the 2nd half to put this game out of reach, so the over wasn’t reached. The Hawks dominated this game from the moment Alex Smith missed a wide open Darrell Jackson streaking down the right side of the field for a sure touchdown. After that, it looked like the 49ers were lost. Frank Gore, who many have said had a bad game, rushed only 13 times for 73 yards – which doesn’t seem to bad to me. What I do know is that the 49ers are always behind, which limits their ability to use Frank.