LT Profits
Green Bay Packers +1.0
The Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers renew their Bay of Pigs rivalry from the old NFL Central days this week, and we look for the cold-climate Packers to prevail in the Florida heat.
The Buccaneers have been a pleasant surprise at 2-1, and they could easily be 3-0 as they blew a late lead in their only loss at New Orleans. Still, Brian Griese is coming off of a career day in a 27-24 overtime victory vs. the Chicago Bears, passing for 407 years while throwing the ball an ungodly 67 times.
Simply put, Griese is not good enough to have two solid games in a row, and if the Tampa Bay running game gets stuffed again, we feel that the Bucs would be in for a very long day. Do not forget that for all the yardage that Griese passed for last week, he did also toss three interceptions.
Meanwhile, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers must be salivating at the opportunity to pass against a Tampa Bay secondary that was shredded b Kyle Orton of all people last week. If the likes of Brandon Lloyd could garner 134 receiving yards vs. the Bucs, how are they supposed to contain the duo of Greg Jennings and Donald Driver?
The answer is probably that they cannot, so look for Rodgers to pass the Pack to a big road win.
Pick: Packers +1
Minnesota Vikings +3.0
We feel that this matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans is a battle between a slightly underrated team and a slightly overrated team, and that the underrated team is the underdog.
Remember that the Vikings were the preseason pick by many to win the NFC North, but many people soured on them after an 0-2 start. Well, they could have gone 2-0 in those games with any quarterback play whatsoever, and they did indeed break through the win column vs. the Carolina Panthers last week after finally making the switch to Gus Frerotte under center.
Meantime, the Titans are 3-0 but they have yet to face a team that is capable of stopping the run. That is not the case here vs. a Minnesota defense that is surrendering a miniscule 70.3 rushing yards per game on 3.2 yards per rush, and we do not trust Kerry Collins to stand in vs. probably the best defensive line in all of football.
Finally, this game means a lot more to the Vikings, as they are still chasing the Green Bay Packers while the Titans already have a two-game lead in the AFC South. Look for an outright upset.
Pick: Vikings +3