YESTERDAY'S RECAP:
We brought our college football record almost back to even after picking up a solid +11.3 Units on the strength of an 18-11 record... in the NBA, we lost 1/10th of a unit in a 6-6 split of games, where we were lucky enough to salvage a last-second cover on the Golden State Warriors as our play of the day... with yesterday's results, here are our updated 2002 results:
NFL: 90-65, +44 UNITS!!
NBA: 52-39, +27.8 UNITS!!
CFB: 84-72, -6.4 UNITS
MLB: 672-582, +151.85 UNITS!!
Tons of terrific NFL and NBA plays are now posted at the Buzz Word Sports website... in the meantime, here are some free plays for you to check out... Best of luck to everyone this Sunday!
NY Giants @ Minnesota 1:00 PM EST
Minnesota +1 over NY Giants (3 Units)
We will be the first ones to admit that the Minnesota Vikings are a bad team... however, just as we found several reasons to fade them last week, and several reasons to take them at home against the Lions a few weeks ago, we feel we have unearthed several trends that tell us that the Vikings will take this home game against the New York Giants...
Let's start with the Minnesota offense, which has seen somewhat of a revival in recent weeks, scoring 23+ points in four of their last five games... while Minnesota ended up losing by double-digits last week, it was good to see the Vikings fight back and make a game of things after falling into a 24-0 hole... the fact that Minnesota didn't just give up against a team that has owned them over the past several seasons is a good sign, just as the fact that the Giants nearly blew a 24-0 lead against the Jaguars doesn't bode well for their chances this week... life in the NFL is all about momentum, and after their respective second halves of last week, the Vikings have it and the Giants don't...
Nonetheless, the Vikings have been installed as a small underdog at home, and that situation is quite a profitable one, as the Vikings have gone 15-3 ATS in their last 18 games as a home dog, including a 3-0 SU/ATS mark over the past couple of seasons... in fact, Minnesota's last two instances of being a home dog have seen the Vikings play perhaps their best two games of the past couple of seasons, as they won both games by 18+ points straight up... when the line is less than 3 points either way, Minnesota has gone a spectacular 9-2 SU and ATS (including 5-0 SU/ATS) at home... and the fact that Minnesota is coming off such a terrible performance actually is one of the best things we could hope for, as the Vikings have gone 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS at home off a double-digit loss, winning by scores of 25-7, 31-24, 28-16 (against the Giants), 31-26, and 34-16...
After allowing 30+ points to the opposition, the Vikings have rebounded nicely, going 4-2 ATS in their next six games... and Minnesota has loved nothing more than facing the NFC East, as they have gone a dominating 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games against the Giants' division... surprisingly enough, the Vikings have actually won and covered each of their last two home games this season, and putting together a third straight win would do wonders for the morale of a Minnesota team that certainly has the talent to get back on track...
It's not like the Giants are an exceptional team anyway... and considering that the backbone of any Giants' success (their defense) has now allowed 17+ points in each of their last five games, and an average of over 21 ppg in their last seven road games, New York will likely find things difficult against Daunte Culpepper, Michael Bennett and Randy Moss...
The Giants are just 1-4-1 ATS after a SU win, and 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven games where the line was 3 points or less in either direction... add it all up, and Minnesota definitely looks like the play in this contest, as they win their third straight home game and attempt to get back to a consistent level of success...
FINAL PREDICTION: MINNESOTA 27, NY GIANTS 17
OTHER FREE PLAYS (no analysis):
San Diego @ St Louis 1:00 PM EST
St Louis -5.5 over San Diego (1.5 Units)
Cincinnati @ Baltimore 1:00 PM EST
Baltimore/Cincinnati Under 37.5 (1.5 Units)
Washington @ Jacksonville 4:15 PM EST
Washington +3 over Jacksonville (1.5 Units)