Players NFL 8* Sunday OVER in Pit on Dec 27th
Scott Rickenbach’s NFL 8* (Regular Play) OVER the total in Pittsburgh vs Baltimore @ 1:00 ET – RATING SYSTEM: Plays range from 6* up to 10*. The 6*, 7*, and 8* picks are the normal, daily play ratings. The 9* and 10* picks are the higher-rated plays and are Top Plays! A 10* Top Play is rare and, of course, is a level above a 9* Top Play!

Pittsburgh’s offense caught fire last week and it led to a key win over Green Bay to keep the Steelers playoff hopes alive. That insures that Pittsburgh will bring positive energy to this key divisional home game with Baltimore today. However, the trouble for the Steelers is their defense has been impacted by injuries this season and it’s certainly appeared to take its toll. Pittsburgh has proven unable to hold leads late in games as the defense definitely seems to be worn down! The Steelers have gone over the total in four of their last five games and they’re facing a Ravens offense that has additional confidence from scoring a total of 79 points the last two weeks.

While it is true that the recent big wins for Baltimore came against weaker opposition but that is still a tremendous boost for a team’s confidence and the Ravens will take advantage of a Pittsburgh defense that truly has been a shell of it’s former self. Although cold at Heinz Field today, the winds will be light with no precipitation so the weather conditions are ideal for points early and often in this one. The Steelers are 8-2 to the over when revenging a loss versus an opponent while the Ravens are 7-1 to the over as a road dog of 3 points or less. These two trends stretch back over the last three seasons and provide us with combined ATS support of 15-3 (83%) to the over in this one. Play OVER the total in Pittsburgh as an 8* Regular Play selection.




Players NFL 10* Top Play GOM on NY JETS on Dec 27th
Scott Rickenbach’s NFL 10* (TOP PLAY) New York Jets (+) @ Indianapolis @ 4:15 ET – RATING SYSTEM: Plays range from 6* up to 10*. The 6*, 7*, and 8* picks are the normal, daily play ratings. The 9* and 10* picks are the higher-rated plays and are Top Plays! A 10* Top Play is rare and, of course, is a level above a 9* Top Play!

The feeling here is that we’re going to see quite a few guys sitting out and/or getting plenty of rest in this game. Until the #1 seed in the AFC was sewn up it was justifiable for the Colts to keep giving it their all. That said, Indianapolis still barely even got by Jacksonville last week as it took a late TD for the Colts to get the four point win. Their prior game was a 12 point win over Denver but Indy was outgained in the game. The week before that was a 10 point win over Tennessee but the Colts were again outgained in that game! Before that win over the Titans, the Colts did beat the Texans but Houston held the yardage edge in that one. Prior to that it was a two point win for Indianapolis over Baltimore in a game the Ravens clearly should have won outright. Honestly, if you look at back at all the stats and/or scores from Indianapolis the last 8 weeks you simply will not be all that impressed. Yes, the Colts are undefeated but they were blowing teams away early in the season. Now, it’s a fierce battle each week just for the Colts to remain unbeaten. Amazingly, the Colts have managed to continue to not only sneak out wins but also they’ve often snuck out the point spread covers as well. That’s not likely to continue here.

It’s official, the Colts have locked up everything there is to lock up and there’s just two weeks left in the regular season. How can they risk guys getting hurt in a spot like this? Simple answer, they can not. The Colts certainly will play many starters here but anyone hurting (even with a minor injury) is likely to sit. The other issue for Indianapolis here is that the match-up edges are also favorable toward the Jets. If anybody is built well to beat the Colts when they are less than 100% physically and mentally (Indy is looking ahead to post-season), it’s the Jets. New York has been rock solid against the pass this season which is what the Colts like to do. Defensively, Indianapolis has a tendency to struggle against the run which should allow the Jets physical offensive line to open up holes for the running game. This will alleviate pressure on the passing attack of the Jets and allow New York to try and control this game with their defense and a ground-based ball-control offense. We like this formula for the Jets (still alive in the playoff chase) against a Colts team that is finally in “slow-down” mode in advance of the post-season. The line has been dropping but there still is fantastic line value with the underdog in this one. Look for the Jets to improve to 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against AFC South opponents while the Colts drop to 13-22 ATS in home games where the total is posted anywhere between 38.5 and 42 points! Play the New York Jets plus the points as a 10* Top Play selection.