Denver 26 - KANSAS CITY 13 - (1:00) -- Appears that Bronco obit was a bit
premature. Upset of Giants featured their first offensive TD in 23 drives, &
note holding the Giants to 57 RYs, after allowing 169 RYpg in 4-game slide.
Have Indy up next, but will be focused. The visitor is 3-0 ATS in Denver division
games TY, by a combined 55½ pts, & that meshes nicely with the fact that the
guest is 6-2 ATS in KC division tilts. LY, Denver took 'em, 33-19, here, & that
despite turning it over 4 times. Broncos are also 29-14 ATS in the 1st of 2 RGs.
PITTSBURGH 30 - Oakland 10 - (1:00) -- No Ben for Steelers in OT loss to the
Ravens, but he'll be back for this, as 3 straight losses doesn't set well. Back to
normalcy for Raiders. Just 7 pts at Dallas, & 8.3 ppg last 9 outings, as well as
a 121-36 pt deficit in their last 4 RGs. Steelers are 27-11 ATS as Dec HFs, are
17-7 ATS at home off pair of losses, & are 7-0 ATS at home off a division loss.
Oakland is 1-10 ATS on the Dec road off a SU/ATS loss. A Pitt bouncebacker.
Houston 22 - JACKSONVILLE 19 - (1:00) -- Fourth straight division game, &
must win for Texans, who are a gm back of the Jags. Saw 17-0 lead over Indy,
turn into a 35-27 loss, with Schaub a solid 14-of-17 in the 1st half, only to suffer
3 TOs in half #2. That pushed the visitor edge in Houston games to 8-2-1 ATS
TY. Jags were 0-for-4 inside red zone in loss to Niners, but dog is still 21-9 ATS
in J'Ville tilts. Texans 11-4 ATS vs J'Ville, as well as 16-7 ATS off back-to-back
ATS losses, & 9-2 ATS off a pair of SU losses. Simply can't afford another loss.
INDIANAPOLIS 27 - Tennessee 24 - (1:00) -- Five straight wins for Titans, with
LW's winning TD coming on 10-yd Young pass with 0:00 left, which capped a
spectacular 99-yd drive. Now 9 straight wins for Vince, as a starter. And note
Johnson with 6 straight 100 RY games, which ties him with Earl Campbell for
franchise record. But Colts have won 20 straight regular season games, which
is 1 game shy of the all-time record. Manning now 24/11. However, the guest
is 11-4 ATS in Indy games, while the Titans are 4-0-1 ATS in their current run.
Philadelphia 24 - ATLANTA 20 - (1:00) -- Michael Vick returns to Atlanta. Falcs
stayed in playoff picture, thanks to Redman TD pass vs Bucs, in final 0:26. He
filled in for Ryan, who left in 1st, & also check Turner hurt again, with Atlanta
managing only 90 & 75 RYs last 2 games. Eagles turned 24-16 deficit in 4th,
into 27-24 win over the 'Skins, with McCoy at 175 RYs last 2. Host is 18-9 ATS
in Falcon tilts, but Atlanta an 8-18 ATS Dec dog, & 1-8 ATS as a HD off a win.
Philly 24-13 ATS in domes, as well as 6-0 ATS off Washington. Very mild call.
CINCINNATI 22 - Detroit 13 - (1:00) -- Any other way to go? Not for us, as the
dog has now covered 10-OF-10 games involving the Bengals this season, &
that includes 8 SU upsets. Seems unbelievable, in light of Cincy's 8-3 record,
& exploding overland output. Johnson & Scott for Benson LW: 107 & 87 RYs.
But Bengals have topped 18 pts just 1 of last 7 games. Lion QB Stafford: from
5 TDs to 4 INTs in a week. Detroit: minus 11 TOs for the year. Lions are 17-6
ATS away off a DD home loss, while Cincy is 6-15 ATS as a chalk of >6½ pts.
New Orleans 27 - WASHINGTON 20 - (1:00) -- 'Skins couldn't hold an 8-pt lead
in 4th, in 27-24 loss to Eagles. Averaging just 13.7 ppg last 19 gms, but have
held 17-of-22 foes below 18 pts. Catching presently perfect Saints in NwEng/
Atlanta sandwich helps. Saints 13-2 ATS vs non-division, but are 4-12 ATS as
DD favs, & that includes dropping 3 of their last 4 such setups. The 'Skins are
13-5 ATS as HDs of >6 pts, & are also 6-2 ATS at home off a pair of SU losses.
CAROLINA 27 - Tampa Bay 16 - (1:00) -- Bucs upsetting the apple cart a bit with
3-1 ATS run, despite current 1-14 SU slide. They actually outplayed Atlanta
LW, but were killed by crucial penalties, losing in the final 0:23. Still on a 1-14
SU run, as well as a 6-14 spread slide. Have to wonder how much longer the
Panthers will stay with Delhomme, who threw another 4 INTs in 6-pt output vs
the Jets. He now stands at 8/18 for the season. But Carolina's 3rd rated run
"O" should do its thing vs Bucs' porous run "D". Tampa 9-19 ATS on Dec road.
CHICAGO 23 - St Louis 10 - (1:00) -- Bears' 3-1 start has certainly deteriorated,
with 1-6 run since. In off allowing 537 yds, which is the most they've ceded in
27 years! Check a 31-8 FD deficit. Have been held below 18 pts 6 times TY,
with Cutler now standing at 16/20 (2 more picks LW). The Rams had covered
3 straight, & had a 100 yd edge over the Seahawks, but a 27-17 loss, with INTs
resulting in 10 Seattle pts. StLouis is 17-30 ATS on non-division road, while
Chicago is 19-6 ATS home off a DD loss, & 11-1 ATS as Dec host off 2 losses.
San Diego 31 - CLEVELAND 10 - (4:05) -- Let's see. The Chargers are off a pair
of division games, with Dallas & Cincy on deck. Forget it. This team is simply
on fire. Six straight wins, with a plus 79 pts ATS in those contests. A 75-17 pt
edge the last 2 weeks. Rivers: 21-of-28 for 318 yds LW. Etc, etc. Browns got
the cover vs Cincy, while managing only 7 pts & 11 FDs, along with a 210-58
RY deficit. Now at 7.4 ppg in 16 of last 17 outings. Chargers 11-2 ATS on Dec
road off 2 wins. Browns are 11-2 ATS off Bengals. But like we said: forget it.
San Francisco 20 - SEATTLE 19 - (4:15) -- Niners opened it up a bit, in LW's
much needed win over J'Ville, as Smith was 27-of-41 for 232 yds & 2 TDs. SF
now 12-4-1 ATS, & just 11 pts from 15-2. But check Niner "D" past 4 games:
34, 6, 30, 3 pts. Seahawks could keep that yo-yo trend going, as they have a
25-14 ppg edge at home. But LW's 170 RYs was a season high (rank last in
overland production). The is a revenge game for Seattle, but note Seahawks
are only 1-9 ATS as division avengers vs <.500 opponents. We aren't involved.
Minnesota 27 - ARIZONA 23 - (4:15) -- No Warner for Cards LW (concussion),
but Leinart a decent 21-of-31 (no picks). Still a bitter loss on the final play. The
Vikes are simply superb, with 10-1 record, while averaging 32.5 ppg in 10 of
their 11 games to date. Favre: another 392 PYs & 3/0 in complete rout (36-10)
of the Bears: 31-8 FD & 537-169 TY edges. The visitor is 11-3 ATS in Minny
games, while 'Zona is minus 57 pts ATS at home TY, losing its last non-division
hoster by 23 pts. No early line due to Kurt situation, but Viking play, regardless.
Dallas 24 - NEW YORK GIANTS 20 - (4:15) -- Current demise of the Giants is
nearly unprecedented. And unheard of 190-121 pt deficit in their last 6 games,
spread losses all (by a cumulative 91½ pts), with a but single success (OT)
preventing an 0-6 SU plunge. Check Jacobs with a season-low 27 RYs vs the
Broncos. Now 2 back of the 'Boys. But Dallas is back on track, with 195 RYs,
& Romo topping the 300 PY mark in rout of Oakland. NY is just 4-9 ATS in Dec
off a SU loss, & 8-18 ATS after being held to 10 pts or less. Throw in revenge.
New England 31 - MIAMI 17 - (8:20 - NBC) -- Yes, we know that the Pats are in
off their Monday Night shootout with the Saints. And yes, we know that the
Dolphins had covered 6 straight division games, before LW's unexpected loss
to the Bills. Again? Okay, we are aware of the fact that Ricky has 3 straight
100-RY efforts. But Miami has also turned it over 17 times, after LY's record
low 13 for the entire season, & is in off a 24-0 4th quarter deficit at Buffalo. Pats
21-10 ATS vs division in Dec, while Fish 11-25 ATS vs division in Dec. Get it?
MONDAY
GREEN BAY 26 - Baltimore 20 - (8:35 - ESPN) -- As we've said before, Green
Bay is one of this season's "under-the-radar" squads. Sure, they are a full 3 gms
back of the smoking Vikings, but are sitting pretty, as far as the Wild Card chase
is concerned. The Pack ranks 7th in total "O", as well as 3rd in total "D". And
Rodgers (28-of-39 for 348 yds & 3 TDs LW), stands at 22/5 for the year. Ravens
allowing only 11.6 ppg the last 5 wks, but Harbaugh is just 2-5 ATS vs a foe off a
pair of wins. Packers are 8-3 ATS at home off a DD win, & 9-1 ATS in Dec off
back-to-back SU wins. And don't forget, Baltimore in off Colt & Steeler grinders.