St. Louis +10 over JACKSONVILLE Sports Interaction
Move over Detroit Lions, here come the St. Louis Rams. That’s right, the Rams have dropped 15 in a row since beating Dallas last October. So, what is there to like about them this week? Well, for one, their stock has tumbled to an all-time low, meaning we’re probably getting more points than we should be. Secondly, this guest is on the verge of breaking out and this could certainly be the week. I never bet a team that I don’t think can win outright and it would not surprise me one but to see that come to pass. The Rams lost 38-10 to the Vikes last week but in no way was that score indicative of what transpired on the field. The Rams had more total yards than the Vikes and they also held the in edge in time of possession. The offense was crisp and the defense is a whole lot better than they’re getting credit for. This team is slowly but surely getting better and if they eliminate turnovers this week they have a great chance to not only cover but win outright. The Rams blowout losses, unlike the Raiders and Bucs, are not as bad as they seem and even the previous week against San Fran, they were down just 7-0 at halftime before a couple of costly turnovers in the second half made the score look worse than it was. Marc Bulger looks healthy and was very sharp in relief of Kyle Boller last week. Bulger rarely throws a pick and that’s good news for our cause. The Jags were crushed last week in Seattle and fan interest is diminishing quicker than Clay Aiken’s fan base. Playing at home in front of a ton of empty seats is not inspiring and takes away from home-field advantage. The Jags could never be trusted as a favorite and as double-digit chalk they are to be less trusted. Yeah, the Rams record on paper is horrible but this team is not as bad as those other Tomato Cans and this is the week they have a great shot.
Play: St. Louis +10 (Risking 2.4 units to win 2).
NEW ORLEANS –3½ +1.02 over NY Giants PINNACLE
The Giants are a perfect 5-0 but let’s have a closer look at that because that 5-0 record is a little misleading, in that we really don’t know how good or even how flawed the Giants really are. We’ll find out this week and you might be surprised when and if they get smoked. You see, the Giants opened the year with a win over the pathetic Redskins. We’ll skip week 2 and come back to it but in weeks 3, 4 and 5 they beat the Chiefs, Bucs and Raiders. To put it mildly, those four wins came against arguably the worst quartet in football, bar none. Not one of those four teams can move five yards. In week 2, the Giants played Dallas and won 33-31 but that was a rather fluky win, as they Boys turned the ball over four times and lost by just two points. In fact, Dallas completely dominated the Giants and they moved the ball at will. Now the Giants defense will really be tested against the sharpest and most dangerous offense in the game. It’s also the Giants fourth road game in the past five weeks and frankly, they really haven’t been battle tested yet. In fact, the Giants do not have a notable win this season. Under these circumstances (fourth road game in five weeks and not battle tested) in this is not the right time for them to meet the Saints. Just one game short of a title game berth last year, the returning Saints have beaten down their initial four foes of 2009 through shock and awe, evidenced by league-best team numbers in yards per game and individual league leads taken by quarterback Drew Brees (touchdowns, passer rating) and wide receiver Marques Colston (touchdown catches). They hung a 48 on Philly, they crushed a very good Jets team and they won by 20 on the road in Buffalo, not an easy place to score points. Unlike the Giants, the Saints are battle tested and passed with flying colors. Now they’ve had two weeks to prepare, the place will be maddening and it says here they win again and they win big.
Play: New Orleans –3½ +1.02 (Risking 2 units).
Houston +5 +1.06 over CINCINNATI PINNACLE
This line just keeps moving up and it’s now time to pull the trigger against the Bengals and here’s why. The Bengals stock has soared through the roof the past few weeks with wins over Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Green Bay with two of those being on the road a s a 9-point pooch. The Bengals are 4-1 but they should be 5-0 had it not been for that fluke TD by Denver in the opening game of the year. The best time to step in against a team is when everyone is on them and that’s precisely the situation we have here. To those that are on the Bengals, sorry, but that ship has already sailed and you missed out. It’s now time to go against them as the public continues to hammer them. What I do know is that the Bengals are in a huge letdown spot and they’re just an awful play as a favorite. In fact, the Bengals are 2-9 against the spread when laying points over its last 11 games as the chalk. The Texans are a dangerous team with a dangerous offense and great receivers and they’ll come in here and catch the Bengals way off their game and will likely leave with a win.
Play: Houston +5 +1.02 (Risking 2 units).
Randall the Handle 10/18
