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It's hard to believe that Baltimore has morphed into the league’s No. 1 offense for yards per game and the No. 32 defense for yards allowed per play. QB Lamar Jackson is thriving. If his last game is any indication, Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph has settled in as Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement. His passer rating was a superb 124.6. Though this total has been nudged up, it remains reasonable, given the extremes of the Ravens’ offense/defense rankings.
8-4 IN LAST 12 PIT O/U PICKS | +368
Larry Hartstein
Pittsburgh +3.5
The Ravens' defense has gotten exposed the past two weeks, and now they're giving up an NFL-worst 7.0 yards per play. With the underdog 7-1-1 ATS in the past nine meetings, I'll back Pittsburgh to keep it close.
15-8 IN LAST 23 NFL ATS PICKS | +616
5-3-1 IN LAST 9 BAL ATS PICKS | +168
2-1 IN LAST 3 PIT ATS PICKS | +89
Tom Fornelli
Baltimore -3.5
You'll have to forgive me, but I'm not ready to buy the idea that Pittsburgh's offense is solved because it played well against the Bengals. Mason Rudolph needed to throw roughly 500 two-yard passes to soften up the defense enough for one deep ball. The Ravens were torn apart by the Browns last week, but the Browns have the kind of talented offense that can do that. The Steelers don't. Take the Ravens.
13-6 IN LAST 19 NFL PICKS | +644
3-1 IN LAST 4 PIT ATS PICKS | +190
Emory Hunt
Baltimore -3.5
It's a huge match up in the AFC North as the Steelers come off their first victory of the season, and the Ravens enter on a two-game losing streak. It's been a reversal, as the Ravens defense and Steelers offense have looked shaky the past few weeks. The Steelers can't run the ball and have a very conservative passing game, so the Ravens' defense will get off the mat and get a needed confidence boost.
NFL players like routines and, thus, do not like playing in Europe. I think we are in for a sloppy game dominated by defense, and points are going to be at a premium. The Bears defense has been fantastic while their offense has struggled. Meanwhile the Raiders haven't played well on either side of the ball. Look for Khalil Mack to have a huge impact on this game playing with a little extra motivation. I'm leaning slightly toward the Bears on the point spread, but I like the total better. Under is the play.
Brett Anderson
Chicago @ Oakland UNDER 40.5
The Bears have played just one game this season where the total went over 30, and they'll likely play this one without their starting QB. Maybe Chase Daniel isn’t much of a drop-off, but there’s little reason to believe the Raiders will score very often on a defense (led by a motivated Khalil Mack) that’s allowing 11.2 points a game. Chicago’s games have gone Under the total in three of four weeks. Could Tottenham Stadium see another soccer-style score? Take the Under.
8-5-1 IN LAST 14 NFL PICKS | +249
Larry Hartstein
Chicago -5.5
Under Jon Gruden, the Raiders are 0-5 ATS coming off a win. I believe this line should be higher. Indy's defensive injuries made Oakland's offense look better last week than it really is. With Roquan Smith returning to join a highly motivated Khalil Mack, expect Chicago to shut down the Raiders and cover.
15-8 IN LAST 23 NFL ATS PICKS | +616
5-2 IN LAST 7 OAK ATS PICKS | +272
Tom Fornelli
Chicago @ Oakland UNDER 40.5
Is the Bears offense better off with Chase Daniel at QB instead of Mitch Trubisky? You know what? It doesn't matter. It stinks either way, which is why I'm not trusting the Bears as favorites here, but I do trust that Bears defense to swallow Oakland alive. This is going to be another ugly, low-scoring affair like every Bears game has been this year.
13-6 IN LAST 19 NFL PICKS | +644
3-1 IN LAST 4 CHI O/U PICKS | +190
Hank Goldberg
Chicago -5.5
Chicago is better without Mitchell Trubisky. The Bears have dominated this series historically, going 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings. They come into this one allowing 11.3 points per game. Khalil Mack is going to be real fired up for this one. Lay the points.
13-10 IN LAST 23 NFL ATS PICKS | +187
3-2 IN LAST 5 CHI ATS PICKS | +82
3-2 IN LAST 5 OAK ATS PICKS | +77
R.J. White
Chicago -5
While we don't have a huge sample size of London games, the data we do have clearly favors the Bears here. Favorites are 15-9 ATS in London and 9-4 ATS when favored by more than a field goal. Teams out west that have to go to London are 1-5 ATS when facing a team from a Central or Eastern time zone, with the one cover being by a San Francisco team that was favored by 14.5 over the Jaguars. With the Bears getting Roquan Smith back and Khalil Mack seeking revenge, I'm not confident the Raiders offense does much of anything, while I think Chase Daniel can have some success for Chicago.
25-20 IN LAST 45 NFL PICKS | +273
22-9-1 IN LAST 32 CHI ATS PICKS | +1227
5-2 IN LAST 7 OAK ATS PICKS | +277
Emory Hunt
Chicago -5
The first London game of the season features the Bears and Raiders, and both enter with questions at quarterback. Will this Chicago offense look better under Chase Daniel, who is filling in for an injured Mitch Trubisky? And can Derek Carr string two strong weeks together? The former is more likely to happen because of the greatness that is the Chicago Bears defense.
2-1 IN LAST 3 CHI ATS PICKS | +90
Micah Roberts
Chicago @ Oakland UNDER 41
The beautiful new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London will use synthetic turf for this game, which will make the Bears defense even faster and scarier. They’ve stayed Under in three of their four games and have averaged a 16-11 score so far, and their scoring offensively should be the same even without starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky. I’m on the Under.
This pick is predicated almost entirely on pace of play. Both teams’ first-year coaches want to go giddy-up on offense. Arizona snaps the ball more quickly than any other team, according to Football Outsiders, whereas Cincinnati is the seventh-most hurried squad. As a result, the Bengals are gobbling up the sixth-most yardage, four spots ahead of the Cardinals. Granted, neither approach is resulting in a multitude of points -- Arizona ranks 25th, Cincy 30th in scoring. But matched up against each other, one side, if not both, can break loose.
5-3 IN LAST 8 CIN O/U PICKS | +177
Emory Hunt
Arizona +3
It is still unclear if we will see A.J. Green in this game for Cincinnati, so the focus should be on an offensive line that has struggled to create holes for Joe Mixon. Each week, the Cardinals seem closer to that first victory of the season. This Bengals offensive line might be just what the doctor ordered.
The Panthers have 14 sacks the past two games. This is going to be a low-scoring affair. It's Gardner Minshew's second straight game on the road. Go Under.
Don't look now, but here come the 2-2 Giants, who have peeled off two straight wins with Daniel Jones at quarterback. He has energized this team and organization. Meanwhile the Vikings have issues, and one of them is with their best receiver, Stefon Diggs. I like what I see from the Giants, and they will have a chance to win this game. If they lose, the game will be closer than this line suggests, a field goal either way. I like the Giants getting the points.
Mike Tierney
Minnesota @ N.Y. Giants UNDER 43.5
Minnesota has begged and borrowed just 22 points the past two weeks. Among the folks reportedly unhappy with QB Kirk Cousins are WRs Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. The Giants’ offense has been resuscitated with rookie QB Daniel Jones in those weeks, yet he was fortunate to face the suspect defenses of Tampa Bay and Washington. The Vikings pose his first stiff test. Minnesota has stayed Under in five straight roadies, while the Giants have done likewise in 15 of the last 22 home dates.
4-1 IN LAST 5 NYG O/U PICKS | +290
R.J. White
Minnesota @ N.Y. Giants UNDER 43.5
Daniel Jones has been excellent so far, but facing this Vikings defense is a whole 'nother ball game. Aside from one bad quarter against the Packers, Minnesota's D has been excellent and can stop both the pass (eighth in net yards per attempt) and run (seventh in yards per rush). With the Minnesota offense sputtering a bit as well, they'll certainly look to turn this into a grind-it-out win behind their run game and defense. That bodes well for the Under hitting, as it does often with Mike Zimmer (49-33-2 with Vikings).
25-20 IN LAST 45 NFL PICKS | +273
8-3 IN LAST 11 NYG O/U PICKS | +470
Hank Goldberg
Minnesota -5.5
Giants fans are in for a rude awakening. This is a tough defense Daniel Jones will be going up against. Kirk Cousins can excel in this one because the Giants have no pass rush and a bad secondary. The Vikings also will be able to run the ball, something they couldn't do at Chicago. Lay the points.
13-10 IN LAST 23 NFL ATS PICKS | +187
6-1 IN LAST 7 MIN ATS PICKS | +491
Stephen Oh
Minnesota @ N.Y. Giants UNDER 44
I'm projecting 38 points for Vikings-Giants, giving us a strong play on the Under. Look for Minnesota to control this one with its running game and defense.
4-0 IN LAST 4 NFL PICKS | +400
2-1 IN LAST 3 NYG O/U PICKS | +90
Emory Hunt
Minnesota -5.5
While I don't trust Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, I do trust the Minnesota defense against rookie QB Daniel Jones. We also will learn a lot about the Giants' run defense and how far it has come since Week 1. RB Dalvin Cook is one of the league's biggest game-breakers at the position, and Minnesota will lean more on him than Cousins in this game.
This is a lot of points to lay, especially on the road, but this is the Patriots against the hopeless Redskins. The Patriots didn't look so great last week against the Jets, but that is a rivalry game; this game is much different. The 'Skins have serious problems from top to bottom. They just named Colt McCoy as the starter, and the Patriots defense has allowed only one offensive touchdown all season. The Patriots are 15-3 against the spread in their last 18 games in Week 5. I like New England by three touchdowns.
R.J. White
New England -15
I hate laying a ton of points in the NFL, but no team is better at doing the little things to help cover big numbers than the Patriots. Since the start of 2015, the Pats are 15-4 ATS when favored by 10 points or more, including 5-1 on the road. Washington has a poor home-field advantage, a ton of injuries, a revolving door at quarterback, a piecemeal offensive line and three straight games giving up 30-plus points before losing 24-3 last week. They do nothing well. So I'm going to go ahead and lay the big number with the safest team in the league.
25-20 IN LAST 45 NFL PICKS | +273
16-11 IN LAST 27 WAS ATS PICKS | +380
3-1 IN LAST 4 NE ATS PICKS | +190
R.J. White
New England @ Washington UNDER 42.5
The Unders for New England have been on a roll, going 11-2 in the last 13 regular season games. Patriots Unders should be 4-0 to start this year but one was scuttled by two non-offensive TDs with the Pats up 30-0. The Patriots defense looks historically good and should have no issues with a floundering Washington offense that has no serviceable QB. Unless Washington picks up a fluke TD or two, we should safely hit the Under again.
25-20 IN LAST 45 NFL PICKS | +273
6-1 IN LAST 7 NE O/U PICKS | +489
Hank Goldberg
New England -15.5
New England should crush Washington. The Redskins are a mess, they're as bad as any team in the league. Lay it.
13-10 IN LAST 23 NFL ATS PICKS | +187
4-2 IN LAST 6 NE ATS PICKS | +181
2-1 IN LAST 3 WAS ATS PICKS | +91
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