Can Connor Cover? It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of Year
October 13, 2022 at 1:07 a.m.
Can Connor Cover? It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of Year
By Connor McCann-
In just a few weeks, fans like you and me will be able to turn on their TVs and choose between football, playoff baseball, hockey and basketball. If that’s not enough for you, soccer and the UFC are in full swing as well, though the latter always is. My three living room TVs will be very busy over the next few months as we navigate perhaps the best time of the year.
I love March through May. The NCAA tournament combined with the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs make for a very exciting spring. But spring doesn’t have football, automatically disqualifying it from the best sports period.
Along with football heating up, the MLB Playoffs are probably the most exciting postseason we have. I saw someone on Twitter describe it as “watching someone you love try to defuse a bomb” and I couldn’t agree more. As the pressure and anxiety builds, the moments become all the more incredible. I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to shock the world.
Locally, our busy fall sports schedule is winding down. Volleyball sectionals begin today, football next week, so it’s possible that in just a few weeks’ time we’ll have transitioned fully into basketball and other winter sports. As always, wishing the best of luck to all of our local athletes. From younger players making their first playoff appearances to seniors potentially playing in their last games: Have fun and go kill it!
The column suffered its second heartbreaker on a Monday night this past week. Going into the game at 7-7-1, a big Chiefs victory would secure my first winning record. Kansas City would settle for a one-point win and send me back to the shadow realm. To make matters worse, I threw my hands up in the air after I realized the win was impossible. My phone flew out and hit my coffee table, making a loud noise. I was flagged for roughing the passer.
My show recommendation this week comes from the world of reality competition. LEGO Masters on FOX is hokey, but a blast. As an avid builder myself, seeing the creations that some people can make under pressure will never fail to blow my mind. I’ll even give a second recommendation as a treat. The Redeem Team documentary on Netflix chronicles the 2008 USA Men’s Basketball team’s journey to reclaim gold after failure in 2004 and is a much watch for any hoops fan. That’s about it from my end, let’s get into some winners. We’ve entered the first week of byes, so there’ll be two fewer games for me to get wrong.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Washington Commanders at Chicago Bears (-1)
We were treated to one of the worst Thursday night games of all time last week between Indy and Denver. What I didn’t enjoy were the people making jokes a week in advance about how bad the game this week is going to be. It’s no secret that neither of these teams are good, but them both being so bad could make for an entertaining one. Commanders’ Brian Robinson had perhaps the sports moment of the year last week, coming out of the tunnel to 50 Cent’s “Many Men” after being shot twice a little more than a month ago. That was about the extent of Washington highlights last week.
The Bears blinked and found themselves down 21-3 against Minnesota last weekend. The team showed fight and got back into it before ultimately falling short. With a spread this close and neither team playing for much right now, it’s hard not to make a biased pick. The Bears have looked like maybe the worst team in the league at points, but I’ve seen them flip the switch a lot more than Washington. Give me my boys in primetime.
The Pick: Bears -1
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)
Someone said that we were perhaps crowning the Jaguars a tad prematurely as they were 7.5 point favorites over Houston. That someone was me, and that someone was right. When you aren’t right often you have to take the wins where you can get them. Jacksonville accumulated over 400 yards of offense last weekend and turned it into six points. That’s really hard to do. Trevor Lawrence has come back down to Earth after a hot start.
The Colts snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat last Thursday, coming back to get an overtime win over Denver. The team may not have deserved the win, but neither team did and you don’t apologize for winning in the NFL. The Jags do have Indy’s number when the two teams play in Florida, but it’s the reverse when the two teams play at Lucas Oil. In fact, the home team has won the last 10 meetings of this series. I’m looking at the trend to change here. Jacksonville has had a rough couple of weeks, but their high points on offense so far this season blow Indy out of the water.
The Pick: Jaguars +1.5
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns (-3)
Cleveland’s defense has been so bad that the team traded for Atlanta’s Deion Jones before Sunday Night Football. Offensively, the Browns have had plenty of success running the ball. Nick Chubb has looked incredible once again, but Jacoby Brissett’s mistakes are becoming more frequent the longer he starts.
The Patriots have played some great ball under Bailey Zappe the last couple of weeks and the defensive unit is looking stout once again. Rhamondre Stevenson has been taking over the backfield the last couple of games and has looked like a very strong every-down back. One defense is a whole lot better than the other and it would be just like the Patriots to get back into the picture with everyone counting them out.
The Pick: Patriots +3
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers (-7)
How many weeks in a row are the Packers going to continue to be such heavy favorites? Both of the team’s most recent lopsided margins didn’t come close to covering, with the Packers losing outright to the Giants in London Sunday. The offense had trouble staying on the field at times last weekend, causing the defense to gas out and give up the winning score. Aaron Rodgers is still struggling to connect with his receivers and the team still has as many questions as answers.
The Jets have jumped on their last two opponents to get to 3-2. Breece Hall has looked incredible. Zach Wilson and the defense are playing well. New York’s confidence is growing by the week and while Rodgers will be a big step up from last week’s opponent Skylar Thompson, I think the team has the ability to keep it close. The fact that this is a discussion speaks volumes to the growth the team has already seen this season. I’ve picked the Pack big in each of the last two weeks, and they’ve fooled me twice. This could be a get-right game, but I’m not going to die on this hill.
The Pick: Jets +7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The bar is extremely high, but this might be the worst Steelers team of my lifetime. Without T.J. Watt, the team doesn’t do anything well. The defense is lackluster, the run game nonexistent. Kenny Pickett didn’t look much better than Mitch Trubisky, but the offense that was run was exactly the same. Perhaps time for a new OC in the Steel City? The team has more issues than even Mike Tomlin can solve. It’s a remarkable run that’s likely to come to an end, as I’m struggling to find a way the team finishes at .500 or better for the sixteenth straight year under the coach.
Tampa Bay isn’t without issues of its own, but the team has been able to win some games while treading water. Tom Brady has looked better, but the offense is still far from the peaks of the last couple of seasons. Last week seemed to be a get-right game against Atlanta, but a big lead was diminished into a single-score win. Buffalo’s defense is good, and it held Pittsburgh to practically nothing last week. Tampa’s is even better.
The Pick: Buccaneers -8.5
Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) at New Orleans Saints
This could be one of the better games of the early slate. Both teams have played better football than their 2-3 records indicate. New Orleans ran rampant on Seattle last weekend, with utility man Taysom Hill doing the bulk of the damage. The Saints have had some of the worst injury luck in the league so far this year and have managed to keep games close in the meantime.
Cincy has picked it up after an 0-2 start, coming a Justin Tucker field goal away from winning three straight. New Orleans playing this one at home does have me pondering back and forth quite a bit. I think the Bengal D will be a much tougher test, but the Saints defensive line will likely make life very difficult for Joe Burrow.
The Pick: Saints +1.5
Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) at Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins faithful could make the argument the team would still be undefeated if Tua Tagovailoa never went down to injury, but that’s just life in the NFL. The team has struggled the last two weeks, especially last week’s contest in which the Dolphins were blown out of the water (no pun intended) by the Jets. Skylar Thompson has been named the starter for this week, which worries me.
Minnesota has played two bad games this season, only losing one of them Week 2 to undefeated Philadelphia. The Vikes look like the best team in the NFC North by a wide margin in the early season. Kirk Cousins looks good, Justin Jefferson is still the best wideout in the league and Dalvin Cook finally got into the end zone a couple of times last week. The defense looks good and should have no problem with the rookie quarterback.
The Pick: Vikings -3.5
Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) at New York Giants
I went on this whole thing last week about how the Giants were going to come back to Earth soon. It didn’t happen in London, as New York didn’t just cover, it beat Green Bay straight up to improve to 4-1. The team doesn’t have any receivers but the running game has more than made up for it. Saquon Barkley has been fantastic and Daniel Jones has run the ball well out of the quarterback spot. Barkley did get hurt in the win over the Packers, but came back.
Baltimore has been tough to figure out. The Ravens have looked like one of the best teams in the league at times, but have struggled mightily at others, landing them at 3-2 coming into this match up. The Packers went up big on the Giants but allowed the team to get back into the game. I think if Baltimore is able to get up early, the offense will be able to keep them there.
The Pick: Ravens -5.5
San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is the only team in the NFL that is a perfect 5-0 against the spread this season. It doesn’t matter if the spread is close or lopsided, Atlanta has found a way to cover every week. The Falcons aren’t being thought of as a top team in the league, but has definitely been a tough test for each team it has faced.
The Niners have really turned it on the last couple of weeks, especially on the defensive end. San Fran looks like the best team in the NFC West at this point in the year and is finding ways to win everywhere. I would expect the 49ers to keep rolling and pick up another big win, but Atlanta’s commitment to covering has me second guessing. A lot of injury concerns with this one, as Cordarrelle Patterson is out and Kyle Pitts and Nick Bosa are questionable.
The Pick: 49ers -5.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams (-10.5)
The Panthers will be under the guide of interim head coach Steve Wilks after Matt Rhule was fired earlier this week. The team has the talent, but has looked atrocious so far this year, perhaps like the worst team in the league. Furthermore, P.J. Walker might be the starting quarterback after an ankle injury suffered by Baker Mayfield.
Meanwhile, the Rams are a mess. I don’t care if they’re playing the worst team in the league, they are not 10 points better than anyone right now. The offensive line is terrible, Matthew Stafford has forgotten he has receivers not named Cooper Kupp and the defense isn’t stopping much. Carolina is going to have a boost with a new head coach, and they’re going to hang in there.
The Pick: Panthers +10.5
Buffalo Bills (-2.5) at Kansas City Chiefs
Buckle up, everybody. What looks to be the game of the week across the board is a rematch of last year’s divisional round matchup, which could have been one of the greatest games ever played. The Bills are coming off a thrashing of the Steelers and have looked as good as advertised. Josh Allen had nearly 400 yards in the first half last week and the defense has battled through injuries to remain a top unit.
On the other side you have Patrick Mahomes, who is undefeated (7-0-1) as an underdog in his career. The Chiefs survived a scare by the Raiders on Monday night, coming back from 17 down to win the game. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, but I have to figure this game means just a little bit more to Buffalo after being on the losing side of last year’s playoff game. I love a good revenge game.
The Pick: Bills -2.5
Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) at Seattle Seahawks
The Cardinals have been very tough to figure out this year. The team hasn’t had a good first half yet, but has looked incredible in some second halves they’ve played. A slow start against Geno Smith and the Seahawks could do the team in, as Seattle has surprised a lot of people this year with the points they’ve been able to score.
They wrote Smith off, but he didn’t write back. Geno has performed as a top ten QB in the league by most metrics. The team lost Rashaad Penny to a season-ending injury last weekend, which is a brutal loss as Penny had been tearing it up. Games between the Cardinals and Seahawks always end in a weird way it seems, and I think this one will be no different. Also worth noting is that this game will be played at 5:30 instead of 4:05 if the Seattle Mariners-Houston Astros series goes to four games.
The Pick: Cardinals -2.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-6)
The Cowboys are definitely the surprise of the season so far, going 4-0 without Dak Prescott to put the team in a position to take over first place with a win over Philly on Sunday night. This will definitely be the toughest defense that Cooper Rush will have had to face in his tenure, but the Cowboys’ defense has been remarkable itself.
Philadelphia has been the NFL’s last remaining undefeated for the last two weeks. It won’t be easy for the Eagles to remain that way as this game is going to be a slugfest. If Dallas’ defense is able to keep this high-octane offense at bay, I’m expecting a close one. With both teams facing off against their bitter rivals with so much on the line, this one could really go either way.
The Pick: Cowboys +6
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-5.5)
Denver has easily been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. The Broncos had some of the highest expectations in the league and have failed to come even close to living up to them so far. Russell Wilson has been bad and so has Nathanial Hackett. The team has struggled to run the ball on most occasions and is lucky to have two wins.
The Chargers have also disappointed, though not nearly as much. The team has struggled in games it’s been expected to win handily. Los Angeles has been hit pretty bad by the injury bug but has managed to stay afloat. I would think that the Bronco offense would struggle mightily to keep up with the Charger offense, but the Denver defense has held the team in big games before. It would be a total Chargers move to win this game by a field goal.
The Pick: Broncos +5.5
Lots of underdogs on this week’s slate. Hoping to finally report back with some success. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
In just a few weeks, fans like you and me will be able to turn on their TVs and choose between football, playoff baseball, hockey and basketball. If that’s not enough for you, soccer and the UFC are in full swing as well, though the latter always is. My three living room TVs will be very busy over the next few months as we navigate perhaps the best time of the year.
I love March through May. The NCAA tournament combined with the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs make for a very exciting spring. But spring doesn’t have football, automatically disqualifying it from the best sports period.
Along with football heating up, the MLB Playoffs are probably the most exciting postseason we have. I saw someone on Twitter describe it as “watching someone you love try to defuse a bomb” and I couldn’t agree more. As the pressure and anxiety builds, the moments become all the more incredible. I’ll be rooting for the Mariners to shock the world.
Locally, our busy fall sports schedule is winding down. Volleyball sectionals begin today, football next week, so it’s possible that in just a few weeks’ time we’ll have transitioned fully into basketball and other winter sports. As always, wishing the best of luck to all of our local athletes. From younger players making their first playoff appearances to seniors potentially playing in their last games: Have fun and go kill it!
The column suffered its second heartbreaker on a Monday night this past week. Going into the game at 7-7-1, a big Chiefs victory would secure my first winning record. Kansas City would settle for a one-point win and send me back to the shadow realm. To make matters worse, I threw my hands up in the air after I realized the win was impossible. My phone flew out and hit my coffee table, making a loud noise. I was flagged for roughing the passer.
My show recommendation this week comes from the world of reality competition. LEGO Masters on FOX is hokey, but a blast. As an avid builder myself, seeing the creations that some people can make under pressure will never fail to blow my mind. I’ll even give a second recommendation as a treat. The Redeem Team documentary on Netflix chronicles the 2008 USA Men’s Basketball team’s journey to reclaim gold after failure in 2004 and is a much watch for any hoops fan. That’s about it from my end, let’s get into some winners. We’ve entered the first week of byes, so there’ll be two fewer games for me to get wrong.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Washington Commanders at Chicago Bears (-1)
We were treated to one of the worst Thursday night games of all time last week between Indy and Denver. What I didn’t enjoy were the people making jokes a week in advance about how bad the game this week is going to be. It’s no secret that neither of these teams are good, but them both being so bad could make for an entertaining one. Commanders’ Brian Robinson had perhaps the sports moment of the year last week, coming out of the tunnel to 50 Cent’s “Many Men” after being shot twice a little more than a month ago. That was about the extent of Washington highlights last week.
The Bears blinked and found themselves down 21-3 against Minnesota last weekend. The team showed fight and got back into it before ultimately falling short. With a spread this close and neither team playing for much right now, it’s hard not to make a biased pick. The Bears have looked like maybe the worst team in the league at points, but I’ve seen them flip the switch a lot more than Washington. Give me my boys in primetime.
The Pick: Bears -1
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)
Someone said that we were perhaps crowning the Jaguars a tad prematurely as they were 7.5 point favorites over Houston. That someone was me, and that someone was right. When you aren’t right often you have to take the wins where you can get them. Jacksonville accumulated over 400 yards of offense last weekend and turned it into six points. That’s really hard to do. Trevor Lawrence has come back down to Earth after a hot start.
The Colts snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat last Thursday, coming back to get an overtime win over Denver. The team may not have deserved the win, but neither team did and you don’t apologize for winning in the NFL. The Jags do have Indy’s number when the two teams play in Florida, but it’s the reverse when the two teams play at Lucas Oil. In fact, the home team has won the last 10 meetings of this series. I’m looking at the trend to change here. Jacksonville has had a rough couple of weeks, but their high points on offense so far this season blow Indy out of the water.
The Pick: Jaguars +1.5
New England Patriots at Cleveland Browns (-3)
Cleveland’s defense has been so bad that the team traded for Atlanta’s Deion Jones before Sunday Night Football. Offensively, the Browns have had plenty of success running the ball. Nick Chubb has looked incredible once again, but Jacoby Brissett’s mistakes are becoming more frequent the longer he starts.
The Patriots have played some great ball under Bailey Zappe the last couple of weeks and the defensive unit is looking stout once again. Rhamondre Stevenson has been taking over the backfield the last couple of games and has looked like a very strong every-down back. One defense is a whole lot better than the other and it would be just like the Patriots to get back into the picture with everyone counting them out.
The Pick: Patriots +3
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers (-7)
How many weeks in a row are the Packers going to continue to be such heavy favorites? Both of the team’s most recent lopsided margins didn’t come close to covering, with the Packers losing outright to the Giants in London Sunday. The offense had trouble staying on the field at times last weekend, causing the defense to gas out and give up the winning score. Aaron Rodgers is still struggling to connect with his receivers and the team still has as many questions as answers.
The Jets have jumped on their last two opponents to get to 3-2. Breece Hall has looked incredible. Zach Wilson and the defense are playing well. New York’s confidence is growing by the week and while Rodgers will be a big step up from last week’s opponent Skylar Thompson, I think the team has the ability to keep it close. The fact that this is a discussion speaks volumes to the growth the team has already seen this season. I’ve picked the Pack big in each of the last two weeks, and they’ve fooled me twice. This could be a get-right game, but I’m not going to die on this hill.
The Pick: Jets +7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-8.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The bar is extremely high, but this might be the worst Steelers team of my lifetime. Without T.J. Watt, the team doesn’t do anything well. The defense is lackluster, the run game nonexistent. Kenny Pickett didn’t look much better than Mitch Trubisky, but the offense that was run was exactly the same. Perhaps time for a new OC in the Steel City? The team has more issues than even Mike Tomlin can solve. It’s a remarkable run that’s likely to come to an end, as I’m struggling to find a way the team finishes at .500 or better for the sixteenth straight year under the coach.
Tampa Bay isn’t without issues of its own, but the team has been able to win some games while treading water. Tom Brady has looked better, but the offense is still far from the peaks of the last couple of seasons. Last week seemed to be a get-right game against Atlanta, but a big lead was diminished into a single-score win. Buffalo’s defense is good, and it held Pittsburgh to practically nothing last week. Tampa’s is even better.
The Pick: Buccaneers -8.5
Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5) at New Orleans Saints
This could be one of the better games of the early slate. Both teams have played better football than their 2-3 records indicate. New Orleans ran rampant on Seattle last weekend, with utility man Taysom Hill doing the bulk of the damage. The Saints have had some of the worst injury luck in the league so far this year and have managed to keep games close in the meantime.
Cincy has picked it up after an 0-2 start, coming a Justin Tucker field goal away from winning three straight. New Orleans playing this one at home does have me pondering back and forth quite a bit. I think the Bengal D will be a much tougher test, but the Saints defensive line will likely make life very difficult for Joe Burrow.
The Pick: Saints +1.5
Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) at Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins faithful could make the argument the team would still be undefeated if Tua Tagovailoa never went down to injury, but that’s just life in the NFL. The team has struggled the last two weeks, especially last week’s contest in which the Dolphins were blown out of the water (no pun intended) by the Jets. Skylar Thompson has been named the starter for this week, which worries me.
Minnesota has played two bad games this season, only losing one of them Week 2 to undefeated Philadelphia. The Vikes look like the best team in the NFC North by a wide margin in the early season. Kirk Cousins looks good, Justin Jefferson is still the best wideout in the league and Dalvin Cook finally got into the end zone a couple of times last week. The defense looks good and should have no problem with the rookie quarterback.
The Pick: Vikings -3.5
Baltimore Ravens (-5.5) at New York Giants
I went on this whole thing last week about how the Giants were going to come back to Earth soon. It didn’t happen in London, as New York didn’t just cover, it beat Green Bay straight up to improve to 4-1. The team doesn’t have any receivers but the running game has more than made up for it. Saquon Barkley has been fantastic and Daniel Jones has run the ball well out of the quarterback spot. Barkley did get hurt in the win over the Packers, but came back.
Baltimore has been tough to figure out. The Ravens have looked like one of the best teams in the league at times, but have struggled mightily at others, landing them at 3-2 coming into this match up. The Packers went up big on the Giants but allowed the team to get back into the game. I think if Baltimore is able to get up early, the offense will be able to keep them there.
The Pick: Ravens -5.5
San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta is the only team in the NFL that is a perfect 5-0 against the spread this season. It doesn’t matter if the spread is close or lopsided, Atlanta has found a way to cover every week. The Falcons aren’t being thought of as a top team in the league, but has definitely been a tough test for each team it has faced.
The Niners have really turned it on the last couple of weeks, especially on the defensive end. San Fran looks like the best team in the NFC West at this point in the year and is finding ways to win everywhere. I would expect the 49ers to keep rolling and pick up another big win, but Atlanta’s commitment to covering has me second guessing. A lot of injury concerns with this one, as Cordarrelle Patterson is out and Kyle Pitts and Nick Bosa are questionable.
The Pick: 49ers -5.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams (-10.5)
The Panthers will be under the guide of interim head coach Steve Wilks after Matt Rhule was fired earlier this week. The team has the talent, but has looked atrocious so far this year, perhaps like the worst team in the league. Furthermore, P.J. Walker might be the starting quarterback after an ankle injury suffered by Baker Mayfield.
Meanwhile, the Rams are a mess. I don’t care if they’re playing the worst team in the league, they are not 10 points better than anyone right now. The offensive line is terrible, Matthew Stafford has forgotten he has receivers not named Cooper Kupp and the defense isn’t stopping much. Carolina is going to have a boost with a new head coach, and they’re going to hang in there.
The Pick: Panthers +10.5
Buffalo Bills (-2.5) at Kansas City Chiefs
Buckle up, everybody. What looks to be the game of the week across the board is a rematch of last year’s divisional round matchup, which could have been one of the greatest games ever played. The Bills are coming off a thrashing of the Steelers and have looked as good as advertised. Josh Allen had nearly 400 yards in the first half last week and the defense has battled through injuries to remain a top unit.
On the other side you have Patrick Mahomes, who is undefeated (7-0-1) as an underdog in his career. The Chiefs survived a scare by the Raiders on Monday night, coming back from 17 down to win the game. The Chiefs are still the Chiefs, but I have to figure this game means just a little bit more to Buffalo after being on the losing side of last year’s playoff game. I love a good revenge game.
The Pick: Bills -2.5
Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) at Seattle Seahawks
The Cardinals have been very tough to figure out this year. The team hasn’t had a good first half yet, but has looked incredible in some second halves they’ve played. A slow start against Geno Smith and the Seahawks could do the team in, as Seattle has surprised a lot of people this year with the points they’ve been able to score.
They wrote Smith off, but he didn’t write back. Geno has performed as a top ten QB in the league by most metrics. The team lost Rashaad Penny to a season-ending injury last weekend, which is a brutal loss as Penny had been tearing it up. Games between the Cardinals and Seahawks always end in a weird way it seems, and I think this one will be no different. Also worth noting is that this game will be played at 5:30 instead of 4:05 if the Seattle Mariners-Houston Astros series goes to four games.
The Pick: Cardinals -2.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-6)
The Cowboys are definitely the surprise of the season so far, going 4-0 without Dak Prescott to put the team in a position to take over first place with a win over Philly on Sunday night. This will definitely be the toughest defense that Cooper Rush will have had to face in his tenure, but the Cowboys’ defense has been remarkable itself.
Philadelphia has been the NFL’s last remaining undefeated for the last two weeks. It won’t be easy for the Eagles to remain that way as this game is going to be a slugfest. If Dallas’ defense is able to keep this high-octane offense at bay, I’m expecting a close one. With both teams facing off against their bitter rivals with so much on the line, this one could really go either way.
The Pick: Cowboys +6
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-5.5)
Denver has easily been the biggest disappointment of the season so far. The Broncos had some of the highest expectations in the league and have failed to come even close to living up to them so far. Russell Wilson has been bad and so has Nathanial Hackett. The team has struggled to run the ball on most occasions and is lucky to have two wins.
The Chargers have also disappointed, though not nearly as much. The team has struggled in games it’s been expected to win handily. Los Angeles has been hit pretty bad by the injury bug but has managed to stay afloat. I would think that the Bronco offense would struggle mightily to keep up with the Charger offense, but the Denver defense has held the team in big games before. It would be a total Chargers move to win this game by a field goal.
The Pick: Broncos +5.5
Lots of underdogs on this week’s slate. Hoping to finally report back with some success. Enjoy your weekend everyone!
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