Yet another "Picks of the Week"

[jedinite]

Lots of interesting action this week.

Colts (-4) at Jacksonville

I don't think Jacksonville is going to open the season 4-0. Payton is 4-1 against the Jags all time. Jags have the worst offense in the league and their 35 total points scored to date are the least for a team that has started a season 3-0 since the 1970 merger

Oakland (-2) at Houston.

Houston has never won consecutive games in the team's 35-game history. The Texans are expected to start three rookies on defense for the second consecutive game

Eagles (-9) at Chicago

Philly is a team that can open 4-0. Chicago has backup QB Jonathan Quinn starting for Grossman, and Urlacher is hurt (most sources report he's out, even if he does end up playing he certainly isn't 100%). Under 10, this game is a lock. Buy the 1/2 point down if it does creep up to 10.

Atlanta (+3) at Carolina.

Vick is 3-0 against Carolina, winning by an average of 25.7 points. Atlanta leads the series 12-6 and have won 10 of the last 12 meetings. Upset special of the week, take the points.

Chiefs (+6) at Baltimore

KC surely isn't going to open 0-4. Baltimore is a straightforward offense, highly dependant upon the ground game with little downfield threat from Kyle Boller. Chiefs will play both safeties up to stop the run and hopefully can get a turnover or two from the secondary. Ravens will likewise play the run and double-cover Gonzo, but I think the Chiefs will win if not cover. This will be a close, defensive game. Take the points.

Other games such as Denver over Tampa Bay, Jeta over Miami, Rams over SF all look attractive, but I tend to stay away from betting against 0-3 teams at this point in the season, especially 0-3 teams at home. They have a strong history of pulling the upsets in week four...


For the record, i'm up 2.5 units on the year, solid weeks in 1 and 2 with a dismal week 3.