GAMES OF WEEK 10

Eagles -7 Eagles 33 Panthers 20 Computer Generated BEST BET HIT: Eags 45 Pants 21

The line is holding for now as Philly begins the Mark Sanchez era. We like to think that the Eags will not lose too much with their wonder kid out because the Eags success is tied more to that frantic system than QB play. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. We do know the Pants have struggled of late. There are only a couple of things the Pants do right. They defend the pass pretty well and they can post their share of FDs. The return of DeAngelo Williams will make that offense more productive. They don't score like they should. We've seen them turn a 1st and goal into a punt this year. We don't really know what to expect from the Eagles offense tonite. They were on a roll until the injury, hitting short passes to set up those traps and draws. Sanchez really needs to make the standard throws. On defense, they can be good or bad. They seem to sell out for the punt and end up giving up big plays in the process. We expect the Eags to find a lot of open field when they have the ball, gaining yardage in chunks, and scoring well when they hold onto the ball. Sanchez will have to nail a couple of long passes to get the Pants out of man-to-man coverage. There should be some good kick returns, too. The Eags are tops in the league returning kicks, while the Pants are dead last. We hope the Eagles don't spread themselves to thin on defense. The Pants pretty much stop themselves if you give them the chance. We can expect some crushing big plays from Cam Newton and Co. that may keep this game close. It was definitely 'Load Up' time until Foles went down. Now, we think it's just a good bet on a good organization at home. Let's make it a rare, 2-chip play on a Monday niter.

Years ago, when Favre was still playing for the Pack, we took the Bears and several points in Green Bay. The Bears were headed into half time with the lead and just a second left. Back then, having any lead with a dog at halftime was 'count it'. Anyway, Favre had one play from the Fifty. The Bears coach must've though it was impossible for Brett to score, but one three-man rush and a Farve scramble and reset later, the Pack hit a Hail Mary and went into the locker room leading. We eventually lost the bet. Tonite, the Bears show stats that should keep them in the ball game if they keep their heads in the game. Like that game years ago, the Bears can beat these guys if they choose to pressure the passer. They can do this, but we don't think they will. For whatever reason, the Bears don't score as much or they give up more points than they should. The forecast says it's a close call with the line blowing up so we can't bet more than the minimum with these numbers. Still, if history proves correct, the Pack will run away with it.

Packers -9 Packers 31 Bears 21 Computer Projection HIT: Pack 55 Bears 14

It's more than disturbing that we can't find anything solid to base this bet on. The Broncs give up a high percentage of completions? This is a computer Best Bet so we'll try to do one of our least favorite things and hook them with the points. Sacrificing one to the football gods.

Raiders +12 Broncos 27 Raiders 20 Computer Generated BEST BET MISS: Broncs 41 Raiders 17

The Rams have been making noise with their pass rush of late, ranking 9th leaguewide over the last month. That won't continue against the Cards, who are tops in protection over that span. Nor do we expect much of an offense for the Rams against that Cards defense. The Cards don't have much of an offense either, but they do grind out FDs as they play it close to the vest. That should be enough to win, but maybe not enough to beat the spread. For that to occur, we expect the Cards pass D to pick one off. All any team can do anyway against the Cards is pass, and the Cards steal an INT every 27 throws (NFL avg. 41). Lite play on the home team.

Cardinals -7 Cardinals 29 Rams 18 Computer Generated BEST BET HIT: Cards 31 Rams 14

This is the darndest game. The Chiefs are a 1 point favorite, our OFFICIAL forecast has it the Bills by a point and the RECENT forecast has it the Chiefs by a point. The Bills CAN slow down Andy Reid's rushing attack. They rank 8th vs. the run and they're playing at home. Trouble is, they don't figure to run the ball themselves. It amounts to a passing contest, which either team can win. The Money Line is EVEN, which means we bet a chip to win a chip if we want the Bills. It's 120 to win 100 the other way. We'll go with the home team to win for the minimum, screw the point.

Bills EVEN Money Line Bills 22 Chiefs 21 Computer Projection MISS: Chiefs 17 Bills 13

Dolphins +3 (buy) Lions 21 Dolphins 19 Computer Projection MISS: Lions 20 Fins 16

This should be a tense ball game. Two good defenses. Detroit is playing at home but Miami has the better offense. The Fins score the 9th most points in the league so they should be able to offset that advantage. Points are expected to be at a premium in this game so we want a full 3. The odds are such that we can buy up to 3 at 12/10 odds, so we're actually risking 2.4 chips on a lite play.

The system projects 156 rushing yards for the Ravens. They're 9th in that category while the Tits are 28th. That, and the fact that the game's in Baltimore, amounts to a big win. Baltimore also has the run D. - ranked 6th - so Tennessee will have to try to keep up with just the pass. Maybe a good passing attack could keep them in the game but the Tits are average at best. We've had some trouble betting the Ravens so we'll keep it lite, but on paper this looks good.

Ravens -10 Ravens 32 Titans 16 Computer Generated BEST BET HIT: Ravens 21 Titan 7

Browns +6 Bengals 26 Browns 20 Computer Projection HIT: Browns 24 Bengals 3

This should be a great game between two teams that aren't as good as people say they are. Both defenses are the same. Neither team can stop the run. They are a little better passing-wise but only because opponents are content to throw underneath. Maybe that explains the lack of sacks. Offensively, it's pretty close too. We have the teams rated as average, with the 13th ranked Bengals running a little better, and the 16th ranked Browns passing better. The only significant difference in the numbers is that the Browns give up the 6th fewest points, while the Bengals give up the 16th. It might rain a little but not enough to ground either team. Besides, it's always good to have points if the weather is a factor. Even at home we'd be surprised if the Bengals win this game by more than a FG, but we believe the Browns can win straight up. In fact, we considered the Money Line in this one but the projection didn't support that. We'll just play our minimum and slide into the week.

Good Luck Everyone!

Last Week's Games