The rhythm of Football Friday becomes highly internalized by this point in the football season; so, it feels very strange to do a Football Friday on a Wednesday. All the data are not in; I have not made up my mind on what to do or say about football matters; I want more time. But time is not going to be available this week so mark this down as Football Friday on a Wednesday.
[Aside: With just a quick glance at the calendar, I note that both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will fall on Thursdays this year and that means there will be more Wednesday offerings of this type. C’est la vie …]
Starting off on a positive note, last week’s “Betting Bundle” turned out well:
- Spreads and Totals: 4-1-0 Good!
- Season to Date: 21-35-2 Not Good!
And …
- Money Line Parlays: 2-1 Profit = $258 Good
- Season to Date: 12-17 Profit = $227 Okay
The Linfield University Wildcats did not receive an at-large invitation to the Division III college football playoffs this year; they finished second in the Northwest Conference and only the conference winner is guaranteed a playoff slot. Nonetheless, the Wildcats finished the season with a record of 7-2 which keep alive the school’s streak of winning seasons in football that began in 1956. Congratulations, Wildcats!
My college football “sleeper team” did not do well last week; Georgia Tech took on Pitt in an important ACC game; Here is the result:
Pitt 42 Ga Tech 28: Early in the second quarter of this one, Pitt led 28-0; there are no moral victories in top-shelf college football, but at least the Yellowjackets did not curl up in a ball and take a beating. This was the second conference loss for Tech this year and it leaves them behind Virginia, Pitt and SMU all of which only have 1 conference loss in 2025. It looks as if Tech will not be part of the ACC Championship Game and/or the CFP, but their record so far in 2025 is 9-2 and they should get an upscale bowl invitation.
College Football Commentary:
The TV show, Cops, had a theme song that ran:
“Bad boys, bad boys…
Whatcha want, whatcha want”
Whatcha gonna do
When Sheriff John Brown come for you?
Well, “Sheriff John Brown” was busy with the college football world over the past several days. Let me start with the Georgia Bulldogs where offensive lineman Nyier Daniels was dismissed from the team after he was arrested last Sunday on “multiple felony and misdemeanor charges” related to an incident where he fled from the authorities. Adding to the excitement here, Daniels’ mother was also arrested, and she was charged with one felony and five misdemeanors related to the same incident. According to the police report on this “incident” obtained by ESPN:
“… an officer stopped [Daniels’ mother] for running a stop sign and that Daniels then passed the officer at more than 100 mph in a 25-mph zone. The officer left [Daniels’ mother] to pursue Daniels, and [Daniels’ mother] allegedly used her vehicle to block the officer’s supervisor from joining in the chase.”
And that “incident” is the mild one from last weekend … UAB was to take on USF last weekend; it would be a game for UAB in a frustrating season that had them with a record of 3-7 with no hope of bowl eligibility. Not to worry, the Blazers found themselves a way to inject excitement into the certainty of a down season of football. From a report at The Athletic:
“UAB defensive lineman Daniel Mincey faces two criminal complaints after being arrested Saturday on suspicion of stabbing two teammates, according to court records.
“Mincey, 20, is accused of stabbing fellow defensive linemen JaSire Peterson and Joshua Underwood with a knife, according to complaints filed Sunday in the district court of Jefferson County, Ala. He faces one complaint of attempted murder and another of first-degree assault. His bond was set at $90,000.”
The school had no comment on the matter except to say that the two victims were in stable condition in a hospital. Most of the UAB players voted to play the game which was to honor the graduating seniors in the program; as expected, UAB was not of the same caliber of USF and lost the game 48-18.
- Bad boys, bad boys,
- Whatcha gonna do
- When they come for you?
There was another college football incident over the weekend that did not involve the police in any way but sure seems to indicate that frustration with a losing season can certainly manifest itself in despicable behaviors. Here is a headline from CBSSports.com over the weekend:
“Colorado State suspends quarterback, lineman for spitting on Boise State players”
Colorado St. is 2-9 this year and has been on my radar screen for the SHOE Tournament. The Rams played Boise St. last Saturday and lost 49-21. Their freshman QB and a senior offensive guard have been removed from the team after both spit on opposing players during that shellacking. Colorado St. has one game left to play this season this weekend against Air Force; it is a rivalry game with the schools about an hour’s drive from each other on I-25.
On a much more positive/optimistic note, I went through the conference standings looking for notable college football teams that have 5 wins on the books for the season and 1 game left to play. Those teams have a chance to make it to a minor bowl game with a win and there is only one straw left to grasp. If I have counted correctly there are 11 teams that fit my description:
- Auburn
- Baylor
- Florida St.
- Kansas
- Kansas St.
- Kentucky
- Mississippi St.
- Penn St.
- Rutgers
- UCF
- Washington St.
And just to add some spice to the schedule, Penn St. visits Rutgers for the final game of this season for both teams. The winner will be bowl eligible; the loser will not; that is the finality of the regular season schedule for those two Big-10 teams.
Here are comments on some of last week’s games starting in the Big-10:
Northwestern 38 Minnesota 35: Northwestern is bowl eligible.
Oregon 42 USC 27: The Ducks are 10-1 and should be guaranteed a CFP slot; USC had an outside shot at the CFP had they won this game, but this is the Trojans’ third loss of the year…
Penn St. 37 Nebraska 10: As noted above, the Nittany Lions are now 5-6 and could get a bowl invite with one more win.
Here are some ACC contests:
NC St. 21 Florida St. 11: The Seminoles need to win this week to get a bowl invitation. The Wolfpack is now bowl eligible with this win. For those of you who are into numerology, this final score – – 21-11 – – happened on 11/21.
Stanford 31 Cal 10: At least the Cardinal won “The Game” …
Duke 32 UNC 25: No bowl game this year for the Tar Heels; however, this win made the Blue Devils bowl eligible. The margin of victory came about on a trick play. With Duke trailing 25-24, Duke lined up a 45-yard field goal to take the lead – except the holder took the snap and flipped it to the kicker who ran the ball all the way to the UNC 1 yardline. That led to the deciding TD and a 2-point conversion for the Blue Devils in the game.
Notre Dame 70 Syracuse 7: The score was 49-0 at halftime …
Now for the SEC …
Oklahoma 17 Mizzou 6: Mizzou outgained the Sooners slightly here, but this was a defensive game from the start. Oklahoma punted 9 times in the game; Mizzou punted 7 times and ended two other drives by throwing an INT. Oh yeah, Oklahoma blocked a field goal try too.
Texas 52 Arkansas 37: The good news for Arkansas here is they didn’t lose a heartbreaker of a game; Texas dominated this one from start to finish.
Tennessee 31 Florida 11: Florida is 3-8 this year and is hoping to find a savior as its new head football coach. This was the first win for Tennessee in Gainesville since 2003; that was in the first term of George W. Bush.
Vandy 45 Kentucky 17: Vandy is now 9-2 for the season. The last time Vandy won 9 games in a season was in … wait for it … 1915. Woodrow Wilson was in his first term as US President in 1915.
Moving to the Big-12:
Utah 51 K-State 47: The Utes are lurking in the conference standings with 2 conference losses; BYU and Texas Tech lead the conference with one conference loss each. K-State rushed for 472 yards in the game and still lost. The two teams combined for 764 yards rushing in the game.
UCF 17 Oklahoma St. 14: The Cowboys led 14-0 at halftime; it looked as if they would actually get a win over a Division 1-A team for the first time since 2023. Not happening …
Arizona St. 42 Colorado 17: The Sun Devils gained 588 yards on offense in this game. Coach Prime needs to focus on getting some defenders from the portal next season.
BYU 26 Cincy 14: This win keeps BYU in contention for the Big-12 Championship Game and this loss by Cincy takes them out of consideration for that game.
And in random games that interested me:
Old Dominion 45 Georgia Southern 10: ODU is now 8-3 and has a big win over VA Tech this season. They should get a nice bowl invitation.
James Madison 24 Washington St.: JMU is now 9-1 and I think they should get more attention from the CFP Selectors.
San Diego St. 25 San Jose St. 3: The Aztecs are the only Mountain West team with only 1 conference loss
Boise St. 49 Colorado St. 21: Over and above the “spitting incidents” here (see above), this win keeps Boise St with only 2 conference losses in MWC play.
UNLV 38 Hawaii 10: UNLV is also a team with only 2 conference losses in the MWC – – and this loss dropped Hawaii from championship possibilities since it was their third conference loss.
UConn 48 FAU 45: The Huskies led 24-3 at the end of the first quarter and held on to win their 9th game of the year.
Nevada 13 Wyoming 7: With this win, Nevada avoids the SHOE Tournament.
New Mexico St. 34 UTEP 31: This was a strange game. UTEP led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. At halftime the score was tied 21-21. UTEP led 31-27 with less than a minute to play – – and lost the game. The two teams combined for almost 900 yards on offense.
Middle Tennessee 31 Sam Houston 17: Might this be a SHOE Tournament preview?
Ohio 42 UMass 14: UMass is still winless at 0-11 for the 2025 season. The Minutemen were outgained in this game 391 yards to 215 yards. Of Ohio’s 391 yards on offense, 363 of those yards came running the football 57 times for an average of 6.4 yards per carry. In addition, three UMass turnovers did not help at all…
Here is the penultimate listing of teams in danger of being named to the SHOE Tournament:
- Air Force 3-8
- Boston College 1-10
- Colorado St. 2-9
- Georgia St. 1-10
- La-Monroe 3-8
- Middle Tennessee 2-9
- Oklahoma St. 1-10
- Oregon St. 2-9
- Sam Houston 2-9
- San Jose St. 3-8
- UNC Charlotte 1-10
- UMass 0-11
- UTEP 2-9
Note: Air Force and Colorado St. play each other this weekend. Could it be a “Lose-in Game” for the SHOE Tournament?
The race to avoid winning the Brothel Defense Award is in the deep stretch:
- UMass gives up 38.0 points per game
- Georgia St. gives up 38.8 points per game
- UAB gives up 39.5 points per game.
Games of Interest this Week:
(Fri) Ole Miss – 7 at Mississippi St. (62): This rivalry game is known as the Egg Bowl and presumably after the game we will learn where Lane Kiffin will coach next year. Will he stay at Ole Miss or will he go – – wherever? I think there will be points aplenty in this one, so I’ll take the game to go OVER; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.
(Fri) Iowa – 6 at Nebraska (38.5): I suspect that this game will have all the artistry of the Visigoths sieging a castle fortress into starvation. Points will be at a premium here …
(Fri) Utah – 12 at Kansas (60): The Utes need a win here to maintain lurking status in the Big-12 standings; the Jayhawks need a win here to become bowl-eligible.
(Fri) Arizona – 1.5 at Arizona St. (48): Both teams are 8-3 but Arizona St, has only 2 conference losses in the Big-12 while Arizona has 3 conference losses. On top of that, this is a big rivalry game…
(Fri) Georgia – 13.5 at Georgia Tech (60): Another big rivalry game here and the Bulldogs want to be sure that the CFP Selectors continue to view them favorably. My “sleeper team” may be up against it this week.
(Fri) San Diego St. – 1.5 at New Mexico (41): San Diego St. is 6-1 in conference and New Mexico is 5-2. Lots at stake here …
(Fri) Texas A&M – 2 at Texas (51.5): The Aggies are still undefeated in 2025; the Longhorns have lost 3 times this season after being ranked #1 in the pre-season polls.
Florida St. at Florida – 1 (50.5): The Seminoles need to win to “go bowling”; that will not be happening for the Gators this year.
Texas Tech – 24 at West Virginia (54): Tech is tied with BYU atop the Big-12 standings. They need to take care of business on the road here to assure themselves of a chance to be the Big-12 champions for 2025.
Vandy at Tennessee – 3 (63.5): It wasn’t all that long ago when Tennessee would have been a 33-point favorite in this season-ending rivalry game… I see both offenses dominating here so give me the OVER in the game; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.
Ohio St. – 10 at Michigan (44): The Wolverines have won 5 in a row and would leapfrog Ohio St. in the Big-10 standings with a win here. The Ohio St. defense is as good as any I have seen this year, and they only allow 7.6 points per game. I think that line is too fat; I’ll take Michigan plus the points at home; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.
Miami – 7 at Pitt (50.5): They do not have Miami eliminated from the ACC Championship Game, but I don’t see how the Hurricanes get there. Pitt is still in the running but will be knocked out of that running with a loss here.
Penn St. – 12.5 at Rutgers (56): The winner goes to a bowl game and the loser goes home…
BC – 3 at Syracuse (52): BC has won only once this season and that win was a blowout over Division 1-AA Fordham. As a reference, Fordham’s record in second-tier football this year is 1-11. Nonetheless, in this game, BC is a road favorite. Wow …
Va Tech at Virginia – 10 (53): Big rivalry game here and an important one in ACC football since Virginia is one of the teams with only 1 conference loss in 2025.
Alabama – 5.5 at Auburn (46.5): This is the annual Iron Bowl and Auburn needs a win to be bowl-eligible. Auburn is only 1-6 in SEC games but will consider this a “good season” if they pull off a win here.
Oregon – 6.5 at Washington (51): This is another huge rivalry game, and it could have meaning in the Big-10 standings should Ohio St. or Indiana stumble this week.
NFL Commentary:
The New York Football Giants achieved something last week in losing. They are the first – – and currently the only – – team in the NFL that has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs in 2025. The Giants’ record is 2-10-0; they cannot possibly go better than 7-10-0 for the season. Already in the NFC, there are 5 teams with 8 wins on the books and two teams with 7 wins will play each other this weekend.
Over in the AFC, the Titans’ record is even worse at 1-10-0. However, in the AFC, there are only 3 teams with 8 wins or more meaning that there is still the mathematical possibility of a fairy-tale ending to the 2025 regular season for the Titans. Don’t hold your breath …
The Giants seem to evade the scorn that some other bad NFL teams attract – – specifically the Giants’ crosstown rival Jets. The Browns and the Raiders also get dismissive comments from many commentators on the league, but the Giants … not so much. In fact, the Giants have had double-digit losses in eight of the last nine seasons; I had not realized that until I went looking to find the Giant’s recent draft picks looking for busts there that might explain some of this. In fact, the Giants first round picks have generally been good players and have stayed with the team over the past decade. In any event, the Giants should be thankful that the Jets give them cover for ineptitude because the Giants have not been a successful franchise for quite a while now.
I ran across this statement relative to the Giants’ recent firing of their Defensive Coordinator, Shane Bowen:
“The 2025 Giants are the first team in NFL history to allow over 4,000 total yards and 300 points with six or fewer takeaways through the first 11 games of the season.”
In case those numbers – – which I have not and will not pretend that I have verified – – are confusing, let me do some math for you:
- 4000 yards in 11 games is 363.6 yards per game. The Giants are over that number.
- 300 points in 11 games is 27.3 points per game. The Giants are over that number.
- 6 takeaways in 11 games are one every 1.83 games. The Giants are under that number.
That is quite the defensive trifecta …
Here is another historical fact about the NFL that is relative to this time of the year. William Clay Ford Sr. bought a minority interest in the Detroit Lions in 1956; and he became the team president in 1961. In 1963, Ford purchased the other outstanding shares in the team to become the sole owner and the closing date for that purchase was November 22, 1963 – – the date that President Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas. He retained control of the Lions until his death in 2014.
Normally when discussing NFL owners and their loyalty to coaches or GMs, the first name to come up are the Rooneys – – the guys who have only had three head coaches in more than 50 years of NFL football. Well, Ford Sr. deserves a seat at that “table of patience and loyalty” too. In 1967, Ford hired Russ Thomas as the Lions’ GM and Thomas served in that role until 1989. What emphasizes the degree of Ford’s patience and loyalty there is that during Thomas’ tenure in the job, the Lions only made it to the playoffs 3 times and won 0 playoff games. In 15 of those 21 seasons, the Lions posted records of .500 or lower.
Here are comments on games from last week:
Chiefs 23 Colts 20 (OT): The Colts led 20-9 as that fourth quarter began. Here is a telling stat from the game; in the 4th quarter plus overtime, the Chiefs created 236 yards of offense, and the Colts managed only 18 yards. That is why the Chiefs came from behind to win a one-score game for the first time this year.
Pats 26 Bengals 20: The Pats are the first team to “double-digit wins” in 2025. The Bengals are now assured of a losing season in 2025.
Packers 23 Vikings 6: Yes, the Packers’ defense played very well; and also yes, JJ McCarthy played very poorly. McCarthy was 12-of-19 for 87 yards and two interceptions while also losing 35 yards on five sacks. The Vikes had only 52 yards in net passing offense; hence, the measly 6 points for the Vikes.
Lions 34 Giants 27 (OT): The Giants lost yet another game where they led in the 4th quarter. The winning score on the first play of OT was 65-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs where he was untouched by any defender. After the game, the Giants fired their Defensive Coordinator, Shane Bowen. If you think that will fix everything, please see stats cited above.
Bears 31 Steelers 28: Caleb Williams led the way here with these stats for the day:
- 19 of 35 for 239 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
- 4 rushes for 21 yards
Ravens 23 Jets 10: The Jets led at the half – – so, there’s that… Remember, when the Ravens were 3-5-0, I said they would win the AFC North. I think they are on track to do exactly that. The Jets managed to keep their “streak” alive; this will be a 10th year in a row with a losing record for the Jets.
Seahawks 30 Titans 24: This game was surprisingly close on the stat sheet too. The Titans possessed the ball for 37:25 in the game and ran 21 more offensive plays than the Seahawks – – and lost the game.
Browns 24 Raiders 10: Geno Smith was sacked 10 times in this game – – three times by Myles Garrett who now has 18 sacks for the season. [Aside: The all-time record for sacks in a season – – since the stat was made official in 1982- – is 23 (co-held by Michael Strahan and TJ Watt).] The Raiders held the ball for 36:26 and ran 27 more offensive plays in the game – – and still lost by 2 TDs. Pete Carroll has now fired two of his coordinators – – people he hired within the last 12 months. This was the 9th loss of the year for the Raiders assuring them of a 4th consecutive losing season and the 18th losing season for the franchise since 2002 when they won the Super Bowl.
Jags 27 Cards 24 (OT): Jacoby Brisset had another really good game for the Cards despite losing both games. Here is his stat line for the day:
- 33 of 49 for 317 yards and 1 TD with 0 INTs.
Since Week 3 of this season the Cards have been in 6 one-score games and lost them all. I wonder if the Cards would start Kyler Murray if he came back from his injury given the way Brissett has played the last couple of weeks …
Cowboys 24 Eagles 21: The Eagles dominated the first half 21-0; the Cowboys dominated the second half 24-0. Simple as that …
Texans 23 Bills 19: The Bills are a mess right now. The defense is porous and the offensive line is not holding up. They need a reboot – – quickly. If the Texans’ defense can play that way in every game, they are going to be a handful for any and all opponents from here on out.
Rams 34 Bucs 7: With Baker Mayfield on the sideline in the second half with his left arm in a sling, this was no contest. The Rams are a complete team; the defense is very good; they passing game is surgical and they can run the ball well.
Falcons 24 Saints 10: Welcome back to the winners’ circle, Kirk Cousins. The Saints’ only TD for the day came on a Pick Six; let’s just say that the Saints’ offense was “less than efficient” managing only a field goal despite 293 yards on offense and running 23 more offensive plays than the Falcons. Once they made it to the Red Zone, the Saints’ ineptitude emerged:
- The Saints ran 13 plays inside the Red Zone and lost 10 yards net.
- The Saints did not run well in the Red Zone, amassing only 11 yards on 9 carries.
- The Saints did not pass well in the Red Zone either. In addition to an intentional grounding penalty, the Saints allowed two sacks on Red Zone pass attempts.
This Week’s Games:
None of the NFL teams have a BYE Week over this holiday weekend but there will be 4 BYEs next week to conclude that portion of the NFL schedule for 2025.
(Thurs 1:00 PM ET) Packers at Lions – 2 (48.5): Right out of the gate, we have the Game of the Week. Both teams are hot on the heels of the Bears for the top spot in the NFC North and both have their eyes on playoff games in January. Neither team has been consistently sharp this season but neither team has played poorly. Often, the early Thanksgiving Day game has been a yawner; not this year… The Packers’ defense came to life last week; was that an actual awakening or merely a game against JJ McCarthy? I think it was the opponent. On the other hand, the Lions’ secondary is banged up and questionable. I like this game to go OVER; put it in the “betting Bundle”.
(Thurs 4:30 PM ET) Chiefs – 3 at Cowboys (52): The Chiefs’ playoff aspirations should be focused on the wildcard slots because they trail the Broncos by 3 games with only 6 games still to play. The Cowboys can still make the playoffs this year, but a loss here will seriously damage those chances. Both teams won important and impressive games last week. It should be a great game…
(Thurs 8:20 PM ET) Bengals at Ravens – 7 (52): As the turkey’s tryptophan settles in and your eyelids get heavy, realize that the NFL understands. This is the least interesting game of the day; so, grab a few winks as your interest wanes. Joe Burrow is supposed to play in this game meaning the Bengals’ offense should be better than in recent weeks. The question here is really about the Ravens and their offense; even with Lamar Jackson back on the field, the Ravens’ offense has not been in sync.
(Fri 3:00 PM ET) Bears at Eagles – 7 (44): Yes, I know that this game pits two division leaders against each other. Yes, I thought about this as the Game of the Week for a couple of moments and decided not to go there. Given the way the Eagles’ offense has played for the last three weeks, I am not sure I would be confident laying 7 points against any team other than a complete bottom-feeder. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles’ defense can fluster Caleb Williams here.
Texans at Colts – 4 (44): This game also might be a Game of the Week candidate. In the AFC South, the Colts lead the Texans by 2 games, and the two teams will meet twice over the rest of the regular season. This is a must win for the Texans and an important win for the Colts. Here is a potential angle on the game:
- Colts are 6-0-0 at home in 2025
- Texans are 2-3-0 on the road in 2025.
I like what I saw from the Texans last week particularly their defense; give me the Texans plus the points here; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.
Cards at Bucs – 3 (44.5): This should be a Battle of the Backup QBs – – Jacoby Brissett versus Teddy Bridgewater. Baker Mayfield’s injury status has him as “Questionable” today. Really? The Bucs need this game to stay ahead of the Panthers in the NFC South; the Cards’ season has been a tire fire since the beginning of October.
Jags – 6.5 at Titans (42): The Jags still can map out a route to a playoff game; the Titans will need Divine intervention to make the playoffs. This is a potential trap game for the Jags; they play the Colts next week in a game that could have significant AFC South importance and this week they draw the lowly Titans …
Rams – 10 at Panthers (45): I think the Rams are playing the best football at this point. If they stay healthy, I see them being favored in the NFC Championship Game. The Panthers see a door open in front of them if the Bucs have to play without Baker Mayfield at least for this week. Reports on his injury status are unclear as of this morning.
Saints at Dolphins – 6 (42): I actually flipped a coin to determine this week’s Dog-Breath Game of the Week, and this game lost the coin flip; so, it is merely going to be labeled as a game to avoid if possible. Neither team is good and neither team is interesting.
Falcons – 2.5 at Jets (37): Here we have the Dog-Breath Game of the Week. The teams bring a combined record of 6-16-0 to the kickoff and both will be using backup QBs limiting any anticipation of an artistic game. In fact, this game may not be nearly as entertaining as a rock fight. Will either team score 20 points?
Niners – 5 at Browns (36.5): The Browns have won only 3 games this year, but 2 of those wins are at home; the Niners have yet to win a game this season against an AFC opponent. The Browns are not going to make the playoffs; the Niners are seriously in contention there but a loss this week would be very damaging. Browns’ fans should be boisterous here because this is Shedeur Sanders’ first home start and the fans there have been clamoring for that over the last month or so.
Vikes at Seahawks – 11.5 (41): This spread is as high as 13.5 points at one sportsbook and as low as 10.5 points at another sportsbook. Look for those lines to converge somewhere between today and Sunday morning. Call this a “revenge game” for Sam Darnold if you want; I prefer to think of this QB pairing as a mistaken choice by the Vikes’ braintrust.
Bills – 3.5 at Steelers (47.5): Both teams need this game badly. The Bills have lost 3 of their last 5 games; they trail the Pats by 2.5 games today. The Steelers have lost 4 of their last 6 games and are tied with the Ravens atop the AFC North. Here are some key questions for this game:
- Can Aaron Rodgers play? Mason Rudolph is a decent backup, but he is not Aaron Rodgers even in Rodgers’ end-of-career state.
- Can the Bills’ defense stop the Steelers on the ground? The Bills give up 148.9 yards per game rushing ranking 30th in the NFL.
- Can the Steelers’ defense stop the Bills passing game? The Steelers give up 258.7 yards per game through the air ranking 31st in the NFL
Raiders at Chargers – 9.5 (41): The Chargers are injury-riddled resulting in very inconsistent endeavors from week to week. The Raiders are consistently bad because their roster is sub-standard even if completely healthy. The Chargers need the game to fend off the Chiefs in the AFC wildcard race.
(Sun Nite) Broncos – 6.5 at Commanders (43.5): The Broncos are in control of the AFC West; the Commanders are in command of nothing. Jayden Daniels is not supposed to play, and the Broncos’ defense should be suffocating for a mediocre Commanders’ offense.
(Mon Nite) Giants at Pats – 7 (46.5): This might be a real test for Mike Vrabel and his staff in terms of motivation for the Pats. They are comfortably in first place in the AFC East – – especially if the Bills lose to the Steelers on Sunday afternoon. The Giants are in disarray – – again. The game is at home in Foxboro. The next two opponents are the Bills and the Ravens. This is a classic letdown game…
So, let me review the “Betting Bundle” for this week:
- Michigan +10 against Ohio St.
- Ole Miss/Mississippi St. OVER 62
- Vandy/Tennessee OVER 63.5
- Lions/Packers OVER 48.5
- Texans +4 against Colts
And here are two Money Line Parlays for this week:
- Texans at +175
- Broncos @ minus-275 $100 wager to win $275
And …
- Penn St. @ minus-505
- SMU @ minus-500
- Texas A&M at minus-130 $100 wager to win $154
Finally, this from Red Blaik:
“The champion makes his own luck”.
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………