Big question here in the AFC Championship game is the health of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Officially he's listed as probable and should start, but how healthy is he?? He has those foot and neck issues after leaving last week's game. Mahomes does a lot with his legs and he might be limited here today with all his injuries. There are also weather issues here today with rain likely. The Chiefs will try to hold QB Josh Allen down with deep zones here on Sunday. Normally I would look at this game over, but with Andy Reid looking to protect his QB and the the weather, I'm going to play this one UNDER.

Just like last week, we get treated to a pair of future Hall of Fame QB's going at it here today in the NFC Championship game. Tom Brady won his showdown with Drew Brees last week and looks to do it again here today against another future Hall of Fame QB. One player missing today will be WR Antonio Brown for the Bucs, as he hurt his knee last week against the Saints. These teams are pretty evenly matched, so for me to decide here today I am looking at the weather. It's going to be below freezing the entire game, mostly in the 20's with some light snow possible and not much winds. We have a warm weather Tampa Bay team playing in the cold today. Brady likely went to Florida to get away from these kind of days. I have more faith in QB Aaron Rodgers to run the offense in the cold then I do Brady. I have to take the home team here on a very cold Green Bay day. Play Green Bay.

NFC Divisional playoffs have a pair of South division foes facing off for the third time this year as the 12-5 Buccaneers take on the 13-4 Saints from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The Saints had their way with the Bucs in both previous games this year. the New Orleans defense has been amazing. Last week they kept the Bears out of the endzone the entire game except a late score with no time left on the clock. The Saints won in week one, 34-23 and then again in November 38-3. The Bucs appear to be at their best this time, so it won't be as easy. Alvin Kamira set a record with 6 TD's a few weeks ago, WR Michael Thomas is finally coming around after missing early in the season and QB Drew Brees isn't ready to retire just yet. The Saints have won five straight and look for their sixth here today. Really the Bucs have been embarrassed of late in this series. This one won't be easy, but I'm taking the Saints who seem to have the Buccaneers number in recent times. Play New Orleans.

The 11-5 Baltimore Ravens take on the 13-3 Buffalo Bills in this AFC Divisional playoff matchup. The Ravens lead this series with the Bills 6-3. These teams last met in 2019 in a Baltimore win, 24-17. The Ravens have been good to bettors this year, going 10-5-1 ATS. They are 8-5-1 when a dog of at least 1.5-points. The Bills defense isn't anywhere near as dominating as it was last year, with it ranking mostly in the bottom half of the league. The Bills have a potent offense, scoring 31.3 ppg this year. The Ravens offense average 29.2 ppg this year. Ever since Baltimore survived their COVID breakout, they have been playing their best ball of the season. Lamar Jackson got his first playoff win after winning MVP last year and losing his first postseason game. The Ravens should keep the ball out of Josh Allen and the Bills highly explosive passing attack. The Ravens are great at controlling the close and running ball. Their defense also is very good and 2nd in the league in third down stops. This Buffalo team will have a lot of problems with Jackson and the Ravens rushing attack. Play Baltimore.

Divisional Round of the playoffs here on Saturday as the 10-6 LA Rams take on the 13-3 Green Bay Packers from Lambeau field. Always have to check weather when dealing with Green Bay. It's going to be cold, likely below freezing during the game with light showers turning to snow later in the game with light winds. Never easy for West Coast teams to make the trip East, especially a warm weather team like the Rams playing in cold Green Bay. The Rams defense is the best in the league and it will be put to the test against likely the NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense here today. The Rams playing with hobbled QB's. Jared Goff had to come back last week even with his surgically repaired thumb to replace injured QB John Wolford. Wolford is out this week so that means Goff again despite not being near 100%. No 1 offense of Green Bay vs No 1 defense of the Rams. The Rams will try and use their excellent corners against these high powered Packer receivers and take away what Rodgers looks for most. I don't believe the Rams will have what it takes on offense to get it done here today. This likely won't be as high scoring as the Packers are used to, but they get it done today. Take Green Bay.

Divisional Round of the playoffs here on Saturday as the 10-6 LA Rams take on the 13-3 Green Bay Packers from Lambeau field. Always have to check weather when dealing with Green Bay. It's going to be cold, likely below freezing during the game with light showers turning to snow later in the game with light winds. Never easy for West Coast teams to make the trip East, especially a warm weather team like the Rams playing in cold Green Bay. The Rams defense is the best in the league and it will be put to the test against likely the NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense here today. The Rams playing with hobbled QB's. Jared Goff had to come back last week even with his surgically repaired thumb to replace injured QB John Wolford. Wolford is out this week so that means Goff again despite not being near 100%. No 1 offense of Green Bay vs No 1 defense of the Rams. The Rams will try and use their excellent corners against these high powered Packer receivers and take away what Rodgers looks for most. I don't believe the Rams will have what it takes on offense to get it done here today. Between the cold, damp weather, the long travel and a hurting QB, I don't expect a lot of scoring here. The Rams defense should keep it close but low scoring. Play the UNDER.

The Steelers didn't finish the season as they really wanted. After an 11-0 start, the Steelers lost four of their next five games. The Steelers and Browns split the regular season games. The Browns taking week 17 contest with Pitt not having anything to play for and the Browns a lot to play for. Week 6 the Steelers blew out the Browns, 38-7. The Steelers haven't been in the playoffs in two three seasons and don't want to lose and go home here today. In week 17 the Steelers nearly beat the Browns, despite playing mostly reserves. The Browns are only 3-3 against terams with a .500 or better record and 8-2 against teams below .500 mark. The line is just Pitt -4 here right now, but I expect that to go up. So I'm getting down early on a Pittsburgh team that won't take the Browns for granted and look past them. Play Pittsburgh.

The Baltimore Ravens look to avenge their last loss to the Tennessee Titans back on Nov 22, losing in OT 24-30. Derrick Henry ran all over the Ravens in that contest, much like he has done to the entire NFL this season. Henry became just the 8th back in the NFL history that rushed for more than 2,000 yards after his 250 yard performance last week at Houston. The Ravens finished 11-5 on the season and winners of five games in a row. This game will be filled with rushing. Henry for the Titans and QB Lamar Jackson for the Ravens. Jacks rushed for 97 yards in their blowout win at Cincinnati last week. I like this game to have lots of offense in a repeat of their game on Nov 22. Play OVER.

The Baltimore Ravens look to avenge their last loss to the Tennessee Titans back on Nov 22, losing in OT 24-30. Derrick Henry ran all over the Ravens in that contest, much like he has done to the entire NFL this season. Henry became just the 8th back in the NFL history that rushed for more than 2,000 yards after his 250 yard performance last week at Houston. The Ravens finished 11-5 on the season and winners of five games in a row. This game will be filled with rushing. Henry for the Titans and QB Lamar Jackson for the Ravens. Jacks rushed for 97 yards in their blowout win at Cincinnati last week. The Titans are 7-3-1 ATS their last 11 games against Baltimore. This is going to be a battle of rushing attacks, but with the Titans having the best back in the NFL I like them here today to win this game outright. Play Tennessee Titans.

Tom Brady has led the Bucs back to the postseason for the first time since 2007. The Bucs will travel to DC to take on Washington here in the Wild Card round. The Bucs have the league's 3rd ranked scoring offense (30.8 ppg) and will face one of the best passing defenses in the league here this week. Washington started the season 2-7, but finished strong with a 5-2 record to take the NFC East. The defense is the backbone of this team, ranking 2nd in total yards allowed and 2nd in passing yards allowed. They were also 4th in points allowed. Washington has seen it's last nine games on grass all go under. They are also 3-8 O/U in their last 11 home games vs a team with a wining record. These teams have gone under in five of their last seven meetings and four of the last five in Washington. Washington needs to keep this score low if they hope for a win today. Take the UNDER.

The 10-6 LA Rams take on the 12-4 Seattle Seahawks from Seattle this Saturday in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. These teams split during the regular season. The Rams likely won't know their starting QB until shortly before kickoff. QB Jared Goff broke his finger against Seattle back on Dec 27 and had surgery the following day. John Wolford started against Arizona, helping the Rams clinch their playoff spot. Wolford was 22 of 38 passing for 231 yards and rushed for a team-high 56 yards. The Rams have a great defense, tops in the NFL in fewest points allowed, passing yards allowed, TD passes, 1st downs and total yards. They will rely on that defense here today to keep Seattle QB Russel Wilson in check, which isn't easy. The Hawks had to rally from 10 points down vs the 49ers to clinch the NFC West last week. The Rams are 0-4 O/U in their last four games thanks to their strong defense. The Seattle defense was much maligned during the 1st half of the season, at or near the bottom of the league. However, since then they have played much better. The have gone under in their last four home games as a favorite. They are also 1-7 O/U in their last eight overall games. These teams are 7-15 O/U in their last 22 meetings. I like this game to go UNDER.

The 10-6 LA Rams take on the 12-4 Seattle Seahawks from Seattle this Saturday in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. These teams split during the regular season. The Rams likely won't know their starting QB until shortly before kickoff. QB Jared Goff broke his finger against Seattle back on Dec 27 and had surgery the following day. John Wolford started against Arizona, helping the Rams clinch their playoff spot. Wolford was 22 of 38 passing for 231 yards and rushed for a team-high 56 yards. The Rams have a great defense, tops in the NFL in fewest points allowed, passing yards allowed, TD passes, 1st downs and total yards. They will rely on that defense here today to keep Seattle QB Russel Wilson in check, which isn't easy. The Hawks had to rally from 10 points down vs the 49ers to clinch the NFC West last week. Seattle has done well in Wildcard rounds, going 6-1 ATS their last 7 times. The Hawks are also 10-4 ATS in their last 14 meetings with the Rams in Seattle. I'll put my trust here in Wilson over either Goff or Wofford. Play Seattle.

Both these clubs fighting for that last playoff spot as the Rams host the Cardinals. The losers season is over here. The Cardinals couldn't stop the Carolina run last week and it cost them dearly as they lost 12-20. For the highly ranked Arizona offense it was their worst offensive output of the season. And to make matters worse, QB Kyler Murray was injured on the last play of the game. He has said he will play here on Sunday. The Rams lost a chance to lock down a playoff spot last week in their loss to the division winning Seahawks, 9-20. LA also lost their QB as Jared Goff broke his thumb. The Rams will have to now turn to backup John Wolford. Wolford has never taken a NFL snap. With both QB's either out or hurting, I look for the defenses to take over here on Sunday. The Rams have a top defensive unit and they will need every bit of it to secure a playoff spot. For me, I'll just take the UNDER here on Sunday.

These age old enemies meet here in the last week of the regular season and this game is big. The Bears are 8-7 and red hot hosting the 12-3 Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. The Pack can lock up the No 1 overall seed and the Bears can gain a Wild Card spot. The Bears have won three in a row and if they win, they are in. They could still make it if they lose, but that requires an Arizona loss to the Rams. The Bears will have to be at their best here today as the Packers have won five in row. Mitchell Trubisky regained his starting position after losing it to Nick Foles. And since his return he has been very good. David Montgomery has also contributed a lot to the Bears down the stretch with 354 yards in his last three games. The Packers are laying four points here today. I'll take those points with the Bears. Play Chicago.

The NY Jets will have the No 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. Today's game will have no bearing on that pick, win or lose. That way they can try and end the season on a winning note. In fact, the Patriots have nothing to play for here either as they are eliminated from the playoffs. The Patriots usually play a lot of backups in a meaningless Week 17 matchup. The Jets can end the season with a three game win streak here today. The Patriots will likely have Jarrett Stidham starting here at QB. The bad news is that the Jets won't land Trevor Lawrence in the draft. This won't likely be a game to watch, but the Jets will want to win it more than the Patriots will. I'll take the field goal with the Jets who likely win outright. Play NY Jets

The Buffalo Bills clinched their first AFC East Title since 1995 with their win last week. They are now 11-3 and can still pick up the No 2 seed in the playoffs. The New England Patriots are hearing words they and their fans are not used to hear, they have been eliminated from the playoffs. In all the years that Tom Brady was in New England, they failed to make the playoffs just once and that was because Brady was hurt. Cam Newton should play tonight, despite the fact they have failed to score an offensive TD in the last two weeks. Wouldn't be surprised to see Jarrett Stidham at some point in this game or next. The Bills have everything to play for while the Patriots have nothing. The Bills have momentum with four straight wins and the motivation of kicking the Pats behinds. I look for a Buffalo blowout here on Monday. Play the Bills.

These teams met back in November and that turned into more of a defensive struggle, with the Rams holding on for a 23-16 win. The Rams had 289 yards of offense and Seattle had 333 yards of offense. The Rams might have looked toward this game when they played at home to the Jets last week, give New York its first win of the season, 23-20. The 17-point favored Rams had 303 yards and one turnover in the loss. Seattle had just 302 yards in their win at Washington, having 23 fewer snaps on offense and allowing 51 more yards. Seattle has the 7th ranked offense, dropping in recent weeks. The Rams defense remains topped ranked in the NFL, 1st against the pass and 3rd vs the run. I look for another low scoring game here today. The Rams defense will keep this game lower scoring as Seattle will look to establish the run. Play UNDER.

The Carolina Panthers thought that RB Christian McCaffrey would return here today. However, latest reports have him downgraded to doubtful for today's game. McCaffrey has only played in three games all season, but still have six TD's. The Panthers are ranked 20th in the NFL in total offense, 19th rushing and 16th passing. On the other side, it's possible QB Alex Smith will be back today after suffering a calf injury. Washington, as most NFC East teams, still in the hunt for the Division championship and that playoff berth. Right now it looks like Washington has the inside track. They are coming off a loss last week to Seattle, 15-20. Their excellent defense held Seattle's highly ranked offense to just 302 total yards. The problem isn't Washington's 4th ranked defense, it's their offense. Washington is ranked 28th in total offense, 22nd rushing, 25th passing. Today if Smith doesn't return, or even if he does, I see this as a low scoring game. McCaffrey might have given some hope for more offense, but now I see this as a dead under. That's the play, UNDER.

The Indianapolis Colts have won three straight games since their loss to Tennessee back on November 29th. The defense got 5 sacks last week in their win over the Houston Texans, 27-20. The Colts are in a log jam in the AFC at 10-4 they are tied with the Titans Browns. Currently they hold the 6th playoff. Meanwhile, the Steelers have dropped three straight games after starting 11-0. The Steelers were shocked by the Bengals last week in Cincinnati, 17-27. Teams that usually limp into the playoffs don't do well, so I look for the Steelers to want to finish strong these last two weeks. In addition, the Colts with be without a pair of offensive line starters, which could be bad for QB Rivers against the excellent Steelers defense. With Pittsburgh laying just one or two points here on Sunday I'll take them to get back in the win column. Take Pittsburgh.

Nothing on the line here today for the San Francisco 49ers. They will be playing out the last few weeks of the season. At 5-9 and in 12th place in the NFC playoff race they have been eliminated. Not so though for the Arizona Cardinals who are sitting in that 7th and final playoff spot in the NFC at 8-6. They have two teams above them at 9-5, the Rams and Bucs, with the Bears breathing down their back at 7-7 and the Vikings two back at 6-8. The 49ers have one of the longest injury lists in the NFL. It has been a horrid season for the defending NFC Champions. They don't even have a home field anymore as they play their home games here in Arizona. The 49ers have won just one of their last seven games both S/U and ATS. Additionally, the Cardinals have won and covered five of the last six vs the 49ers. The Cards need the win to hold onto that last playoff spot and the 49ers are just too beat up to contest here today. Arizona is my NFL Game of the Year for 2020.

The New Orleans Saints look to welcome back QB Drew Brees here on Sunday. However, it looks more and more like he'll be splitting time with Taysom Hill. Hill has led the team these last four weeks with Brees on the injury list. And, Hill has done a very good job too. This game will pit the NFL's top ranked offense in the Cheifs against the NFL's 2nd ranked defense of the Saints. The Saints have the 2nd rated defense vs the run and 4th vs the pass. The Chiefs have the NFL's top passing attack and the 17th running game. Patrick Mahomes has just five INT's on the season, that's second best to only Aaron Rodgers four INT's. The Saints lost last week for the first time under Hill, dropping a 21-24 contest at Philadelphia. Kansas City held on for the win at Miami last week, 33-27 despite four turnovers and 15 fewer offensive snaps. Should be a very good one here today, but the infusion of Brees back into the lineup gives the home dog Saints all I need to see for the taking. Play the Saints.

The Jalen Hurts era made a good start last week for the Philadelphia Eagles as they beat the best defense in the NFL, the Saints 24-21. The Eagles ran for 246 and Hurts passed for 167 yards and no INT's. Arizona snapped a three game losing streak with a win over the Giants, 26-7. The Cardinals held the Giants to just 159 totals yards and had a whopping 37 more offensive plays then the Giants had. The Cards boast the NFL's 4th best offense, 4th in rushing and 17th in passing yards. Philly has been near the bottom third in the offense, but we'll see if that turns around with Hurts at the helm. We might be seeing the end of Carson Wentz in Philly as Hurts looks like the real deal thus far. For me, I'm taking the OVER here on Sunday.

 The Washington Football team has flexed their defensive muscles in recent week. They are ranked 4th overall in the NFL, 9th vs the rush and 3rd vs the pass. They will need that defense here today against Russell Wilson and the high flying Seahawks. The offense isn't very good, gaining a mere 193 yards in their win against San Francisco last week. However, the defense got three turnovers and turned those into points. Seattle rebounded from its shocking loss to the Giants two weeks ago with a blowout win over the Jets last week, 40-3. The Hawks had 410 yards and held the Jets to just 185 yards. Seattle has the league's 6th ranked overall offense, 11th in rushing and 4th in passing. This game really boils down to the Washington defense vs the Seattle offense. There is no way that Washington can match Seattle score for score, that just isn't how this team is built. But I've been impressed with their defense I expect them to keep this game close with that defense. Therefore, I'm taking the UNDER here today.

The Patriots looked like they had the offense back on track after scoring at least 20 points in six straight game and going 4-2 over that six game stretch. However, that all came to a halt last week when they play at the LA Rams. The Pats scored just three points in a 3-24 loss. The offense had just 220 total yards and one turnover. The defense played decent, holding LA to 318 yards and one turnover. Cam Newton had just 113 yards passing and the team had 107 yards rushing. The Dolphins mounted a nice comeback at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, but came up on the short end of a 27-33 contest. Though they did backend the spread to get the cover against the +7 point line. The Dolphins have been a good under team all year. They have gone under in three of their last four games and are 5-8 O/U on the season. The passing defense had allowed 174 or fewer their previous three of four games before Patrick Mahones torched them for 354 last week. Though the defense did get four takeaways and three sacks against the Chiefs. Neither of these teams have highly ranked offenses, with Miami coming in at 27th and the Pats at 24th. I don't think the oddsmaker can put up a total low enough on this contest. I have the total at least nine points less. I'm looking at a low scoring game here on Sunday. Play UNDER.

The Buffalo Bills have won three straight games after that devastating loss to the Cardinals back on November 15th. They have covered five straight games after a four game losing streak. Buffalo handed Pittsburgh its second straight loss last week, 26-15. The Bills held the Steelers to just 224 total yards and had 16 more offensive plays. Denver is coming off a road win last week at Carolina, 32-17, despite having five less yards than the Panthers and one more turnover. Drew Lock passed for 269 yards on 21-of-27 passing. Buffalo ranks 10th overall in total offense while the Broncos are 25th. Denver has the slightly better defense, ranked 15th to Buffalo's 20th ranked D. Buffalo closes out their season with games at New England and then at home against Miami. The Broncos might catch the Bills in a bit of a letdown spot here today after their big win last week. I'll take the points at home with Denver.

The Cleveland Browns currently sit at 9-3 and in the playoff picture. However, they face a desperate Baltimore team here today that is on the outside of the AFC playoff picture looking in. A loss by the Ravens and they can pretty much kiss any postseason goodbye. The Ravens have had many Covid issues in recent weeks and it has effected the team. They lost to New England without Lamar Jackson (Covid) and then lost to Tennessee before rebounding last week with a win over the Cowboys. They play their last road game here tonight before returning home to close out the regular season against Jacksonville and the Giants. Cleveland's offense and QB Baker Mayfield arguably had their best ever showing last week in a win over Tennessee, 41-35. They had 118 yards rushing and 340 yards Passing with just one turnover. They play the Ravens tonight before the Giants and Jets in subsequent weeks before closing out at home over Pittsburgh. They are trying to hold off the Colts for that AFC Wild Card spot. Usually you have to take a close look at the weather in December for Cleveland. Tonight it looks to be around freezing with winds that could be up near 20 MPH. The winds are the biggest concern as it will effect the passing games. The Ravens love to rush and the Browns are good on the ground too. Expect a lot of ground game here tonight. I'm taking the UNDER.

The New Orleans Saints hold the top playoff spot in the NFC with a 10-2 overall record. Philadelphia is pretty much out of it, even in the NFC East as they are just 3-8-1 on the season. The Saints will play again tomorrow with QB Drew Brees. But that hasn't been a problem with Taysom Hill at the Helm. He's guided them to three straight starting wins. The defense has been great and it should be as it's the tops in the NFL (2nd vs rush and 4th vs pass). That doesn't bode well today as the Eagles will start Jalen Hurts at QB. They have wanted to get Hurts into the mix, but this is more like throwing him to the wolves. Hurts brings a run/pass dynamic to the Eagles, but his passing leaves a lot to be desired. Now he must face the 4th best pass defense. The Saints have gone under in five straight games, mainly because Hill is more a controlled rusher with short passes. Since Hill has bee at the helm, the rushing yards have gone up to 168, 229 and 207 yards in each of their last three games. I don't see the Eagles scoring much over 10 points here today. I'm taking the UNDER.

The New Orleans Saints hold the top playoff spot in the NFC with a 10-2 overall record. Philadelphia is pretty much out of it, even in the NFC East as they are just 3-8-1 on the season. The Saints will play again tomorrow with QB Drew Brees. But that hasn't been a problem with Taysom Hill at the Helm. He's guided them to three straight starting wins. The defense has been great and it should be as it's the tops in the NFL (2nd vs rush and 4th vs pass). That doesn't bode well today as the Eagles will start Jalen Hurts at QB. They have wanted to get Hurts into the mix, but this is more like throwing him to the wolves. Hurts brings a run/pass dynamic to the Eagles, but his passing leaves a lot to be desired. Now he must face the 4th best pass defense. The Saints have gone under in five straight games, mainly because Hill is more a controlled rusher with short passes. Since Hill has bee at the helm, the rushing yards have gone up to 168, 229 and 207 yards in each of their last three games. I like the Saints here today as they completely shut down this Eagles Team. Play New Orleans.

The Cardinals have seen their playoff hopes drop drastically over the last few weeks as they now sit 6-6. Arizona has lost three straight since their miracle win over Buffalo back on November 15th. There is lots of concern with QB Kyler Murray who has been nursing various injuries, which could account for the lack of offense in recent weeks. The Cards had just 232 total yards last week and 298 yards the previous week. Meanwhile, the Giants are in the driver seat to win the NFC East. They had that big win last week at Seattle and own the tiebreaker over Washington based on head to head win percentage. More good news, they get back QB Daniel Jones here today, who has been nursing a hamstring injury. These teams headed in different directions plus the Cards make that long West to East trip. The Giants have an excellent defense, ranked 7th overall in the NFL and 4th vs the rush. I look for them to give Murray fits here today. Play the UNDER.

Minnesota very much in the playoff hunt at 6-6 as they hold the tiebreaker over 6-6 Arizona. Tampa Bay is 7-5 and sits 6th in the NFC playoff picture, so today's game is very important to both teams. The Vikings have pulled two wins from the jaws of defeat in the last two weeks with late wins over Carolina and Jacksonville. But those were at home and now they go to Tampa to face Tom Brady and company. The defense is not good, ranked 23rd overall and 27th vs the pass. Tampa Bay, which was ranked in the top 2 or three, has since dropped to 8th overall, though they are still 1st vs the run. That should be put to test here today against the 6th ranked Minnesota rushing attack. Both teams posses the players to score big here and combine that with the Vikings poor defense and I'm playing OVER.

The Cardinals have seen their playoff hopes drop drastically over the last few weeks as they now sit 6-6. Arizona has lost three straight since their miracle win over Buffalo back on November 15th. There is lots of concern with QB Kyler Murray who has been nursing various injuries, which could account for the lack of offense in recent weeks. The Cards had just 232 total yards last week and 298 yards the previous week. Meanwhile, the Giants are in the driver seat to win the NFC East. They had that big win last week at Seattle and own the tiebreaker over Washington based on head to head win percentage. More good news, they get back QB Daniel Jones here today, who has been nursing a hamstring injury. These teams headed in different directions plus the Cards make that long West to East trip, which is never good. Take New York Giants.

 The Patriots defense came up big last week in their win at the LA Chargers, getting the shutout win, 45-0. The Pats also got three sacks and two fumbles to go with big special teams plays. They held the Chargers to seven yards rushing and 188 yards passing. Tonight, they get the other host of SoFi stadium, the Rams. The Rams are coming off a big win over Arizona to take over the NFC West lead. The Rams defense held the Cardinals to just 92 yards rushing and 140 yards passing. The Rams have four games left with three of those at home (Pats, Jets and Cardinals) and their lone road game coming at Seattle. The Rams have the third ranked offense in the league (8th rush, 6th pass) whit the Patriots coming in at 22nd. Both teams are top 10 defenses, Patriots at 9th and Rams and No 2. Should be a good defensive battle here on Thursday. Off what I saw last week, the Pats have a lot of confidence built up and I'm going to take the points with them here tonight. Play New England.

Both teams need a win here today to keep their respective playoff hopes alive. The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a bad loss at home to Washington, 16-41. The loss snapped the nice win they had the week before at Minnesota, 31-28. The Ravens had that crazy week with Covid where their Thursday game got moved four times until they played last Wednesday, losing to the Steelers 14-19. With as many losses to Covid, they performed very well in the loss. However, it was their third loss in a row. Baltimore's offense is ranked 25th overall. However, they have the league's 3rd ranked rushing attack. Dallas is 9th in the league and 7th in passing. However, a lot of those came with Dak Prescot who is out for the season. Raven's QB Lamar Jackson should return today from his Covid protocols. With Jackson and their full contingent of running backs, I'll take the Ravens here today. Play Baltimore.

The Buffalo Bills make the trip West, but not to San Francisco to play the Niners but to Arizona. The 49ers are forced to play the rest of their home games in Arizona now. Buffalo and Josh Allen don't really want to visit this place again after they lost to the Cardinals here in that last second "Hail Murray" pass. Buffalo beat the Chargers last week, 27-17. The offense only had 332 total yards and three turnovers but somehow still pulled out the win and cover. The 49ers came off that big win at the Rams, 23-20, holding the LA offense to just 308 total yards and taking the ball away four times from the Rams. This game is basicially a pick here today. This is the early game going at 2pm PT and I will take the 49ers in this one. Play San Francisco.

The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their perfect record in tact last Wednesday against an undermanned Baltimore Ravens team. Baltimore was hit hard by Covid issues and didn't even have starting QB Lamar Jackson. The Steelers play the late game on Monday against the Washington. The big question is if Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger will play with his knee injury. Offjavascript:__doPostBack('eAddPickPackage','')icially he's questionable but even if he does play how effective will he be tonight? James Conner is also questionable with Covid issues and Center Maurkice Pouncey also has Covid issues. So many questions surround this Steelers team this week. Pittsburgh has the third ranked defense, but Washington is right behind them, ranked 4th overall. Washington has the 2nd best pass defense and that will come into play here tonight. Pittsburgh laying 7 or 7 1/2 right now. I'm going to get on the dog right now with this very good Washington defense. Play Washington.

The LA Rams have been a perplexing team. They go to Tampa Bay and win 27-24 against Tom Brady and a very good defense. Then they come home and can have a terrible time offensively against the 49ers as they lose, 20-23. The Rams had just 308 total yards of offense in that loss. The Rams also had four turnovers. Now they travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals. The Cardinals have lost two straight games and three of their last four. They lost to the Patriots last week, 17-20 and the Seahawks the week before, 21-28. The offense had 298 yards of offense last week and 314 the week before. Both teams seem to have lost something offensively here in recent weeks. The Rams still have a excellent defense, ranked 2nd in the NFL, fourth vs the rush and 3rd vs the pass. I look for another low scoring game here today. Play UNDER.

New Orleans will be without Drew Brees again this week with his rib injuries. Taysom Hill will start again here today. The Saints beat the Broncos last week as Denver had no quarterbacks and New Orleans had little issues in the 31-3 win. Still, the Saints managed just 63 total passing yards to go with their 229 rushing yards. The Falcons had the week off after beating the Raiders the week before, 43-6. The team has won three of their last four games both S/U and ATS. Their one loss came to these Saints on Nov 22nd, 9-24 in New Orleans. Atlanta's offense has improved to 10th overall and 6th passing. The Saints are 13th, 7th rushing. The Saints defense is ranked No 1 overall, 2nd against the rush and 5th against the pass. This will be a tough task today on the road for the Saints against a improving Falcons club. I expect a lot of rushing from the Saints as they limit Hill's passing attempts. Take the UNDER.

Cleveland won at Jacksonville last week, 27-25 though they failed to cover the TD spread. While the Browns have won three straight, they have covered just one of their last six games. The Browns finally got away from that bad Cleveland weather that saw them go under three games in a row due to various inclement conditions. The Titans are coming off a big win at Indianapolis last week, 45-26. The Titans have scored 75 points in their last two games against two very good defenses. Tennessee has seen its offense rankings climb to 8th overall and 2nd in the league rushing. They will face the Browns 17th ranked defense. The way the Titans offense is firing on all cylinders, I expect this game to be high scoring. Play OVER.

New Orleans will be without Drew Brees again this week with his rib injuries. Taysom Hill will start again here today. The Saints beat the Broncos last week as Denver had no quarterbacks and New Orleans had little issues in the 31-3 win. Still, the Saints managed just 63 total passing yards to go with their 229 rushing yards. The Falcons had the week off after beating the Raiders the week before, 43-6. The team has won three of their last four games both S/U and ATS. Their one loss came to these Saints on Nov 22nd, 9-24 in New Orleans. Atlanta's offense has improved to 10th overall and 6th passing. The Saints are 13th, 7th rushing. The Saints defense is ranked No 1 overall, 2nd against the rush and 5th against the pass. This will be a tough task today on the road for the Saints against a improving Falcons club. I expect a lot of rushing from the Saints as they limit Hill's passing attempts. The Falcons plus the points here look very good to me as I fully expect a outright Falcons win. Play Atlanta.

If the Playoffs started today the Seahawks would be in and the Eagles out. Philly is only 3-6-1 on the season, but because the NFC East is so bad, they still have a chance. The Giants won today and took over the division lead, but there are still some games left and anything can happen in that crazy division. Seattle coming off a big win over NFC West foe Arizona last week, 28-21. Russell Wilson played a great game, going 23 of 28 with no turnovers. Philly has lost two in a row and now trails both Washington and the Giants in the crazy NFC East. The fans are calling for Jalen Hurts to takeover at QB and that might happen if they lose here tonight. Seattle has the league's third ranked offense and 2nd passing attack. Philly ranks 27th as they are 27th running and 22nd passing. Philly does hold the edge on defense, as they rank 10th overall compared to the Seahawks 32nd ranked defense. Don't see the Eagles offense being able to keep up with Seattle's here on Monday. I'll lay the price on the road with Wilson and the Seahawks.

The Chicago Bears came up short at Minnesota two weeks ago, losing 13-19. The Bears offense was anemic, totaling just 149 yards. Still, their defense kept them close. The defense ranks 8th overall and 9th vs the pass. They will be tested here today against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Packers have the 7th overall offense and 6th via the pass. The Packers lost a close one last week in Indianapolis, 31-34. Rodgers had 280 yards passing and was intercepted once by the Colts. Surprisingly, the Packers have gone under in four of their last seven games. Both these games went under last year, with the packers winning 21-13 and 10-3. The Bears know they can't get into a scoring match here with the Packers. They will have to rely on take away and keep the ball more on offense while hoping their defense can keep Rodgers off balance. Take the UNDER.

The Chiefs avenged their only loss this season as they beat the Raiders last week, 35-31 on a last minute TD drive by Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs have scored 33 or more points in four straight games and have yet to score fewer than 23 points. The offense ranks 2nd overall and 1st via the pass (301 yards per game). The rushing game is adequate, ranking 16th at 113 yards per game. The defense is right in the middle of the pack at 15th. Tampa Bay was embarrassed again in the big national spotlight, this time losing at home to the Rams, 24-27. Tom Brady looking very average of late couldn't lead his team on any last minute win. The Rams passed for 367 yards against the highly ranked Bucs defense. If Jared Goff could pass for over 300 yards against this Bucs team, what will Mahomes do here today? I really believe there is a disconnection between Brady and HC Arians. They don't seem to be on the same page at times and Brady looks to get rid of passes all too early. I'm taking the Chiefs here on Sunday.

The Titans have proven they can play with anyone, even on the road. They beat the Raven last week in Baltimore, 30-24 as a 6-point dog. Their only loss on the road this season came at Cincinnati of all places. The Colts coming off a win last week against the Packers, 34-31. It was the team's second win and cover in a row. The Colts had 420 yards to the Packers' 367 yards. The Titans rolled-up 173 yards on the ground against the Ravens last week. The Titans offense is ranked 10th overall and 5th rushing. The Colts offense is ranked 13th overall. The Indy defense is very good at No 2 in the league. Now Tennessee is getting points in this spot. This game will be the Titans rushing vs the Colts defense. Don't expect another shootout like last week. I'll take the points as the Titans have shown they can win outright on the road. Play Tennessee.

Just when you think the Minnesota Vikings are playing better, they lay an egg. The Vikings had won three straight games including a 28-22 win at Green Bay. So you would think a depleted and down Cowboys team visiting Minnesota would be an easy win. Not so! The Cowboys put together a excellent game and kept Minnesota from a late 4th quarter winning drive to beat the Vikings, 31-28. Now they host Carolina, another team with injuries. Carolina beat Detroit last week 20-0 holding the Lions to just 185 yards of offense and getting five sacks and three turnovers. The Panthers will be without RB Christian McCaffrey, something they have been accustomed to this year. However, they look to get back QB Teddy Bridgewater, who missed last week with a knee injury. A big loss for the Vikings this week will be WR Adam Thielen who has to sit out due to Covid issues. For me, the Panthers are the better team here and the points are a bonus. Play Carolina.

Arizona makes the long trip from the West to the Northeast today to take on the Patriots. The Pats actually find themselves a small dog here at home on Sunday, currently around +2 points. Arizona has had a rough stretch, playing Buffalo, then last week at Seattle and now at New England. The Cardinals lost at Seattle, 28-21, totaling just 314 yards in the process against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Pats lost last week too, dropping their contest at Houston, 20-27. The Pats had 455 yards in the loss and no turnovers. Cam Newton threw for 349 yards in the loss. Arizona still has the league's top ranked offense, despite their below average showing last week. The Pats come in at 16th. I don't like these West teams that have to make the long trips East. Plus I get a couple of points with the host here. I'll take the Patriots in this one. Play New England.

The Las Vegas Raiders have had some tough losses this year and last week was one of them. They led Kansas City with just over a minute remaining, but that's all Patrick Mahomes needed to drive the Chiefs for the winning score, 35-31. The Raiders now have to make the long trip East to Atlanta to play the Falcons. The Falcons lost last week at New Orleans, 9-24. The loss snapped a two game win streak for Atlanta. The Falcons had just 248 yards in the loss with a pair of turnovers. That was a departure for the 9th ranked Falcons offense. They are also 4th in passing. Vegas is 14th in offense, 20th with the pass. Both teams in the lower half of the league in defense, Vegas ranking 23rd and Atlanta 29th. Not sure the right team is favored in this game. Vegas laying points on the road isn't what they do best. I'll take the home dog here. Play Atlanta.

Washington was responsible for ending Joe Burrows year last week with a knee injury. Washington had little trouble with the Bengals thereafter, taking the game 20-9. The Dallas Cowboys got a much needed win in the NFC East with a win over the Vikings last week, 31-28. It was the most points the Cowboys have put on the board since Dak Prescot went out for the season on October 11th vs the Giants. Thanks in part to the role Prescot played early in the season, the Cowboys still have the 6th ranked offense, 13th rushing and 7th passing. Washington is ranked 26th in the league in offense, 20th rushing and 24th passing. Washington has a decent defense, ranked 6th overall and 1st against the pass. Look for Washington to put more men in the box on Thursday to stop Ezekiel Elliot and put pressure on the Dallas passing game. I'm going to take this matchup under as I don't see either team getting a lot of points. Play UNDER.

Rams beat the Seahawks on Sunday, shutting them out in the 2nd half. However, the win didn't come without a big loss, that being left tackle Andrew Whitworth who tore his MCL and is done for the season. Why is this so important? The Rams play one of the best defenses in the league and a defense that loves to blitz QB's. With Whitworth out, you lose a very good veteran who protects Goff's blindside. That will open up the attack for the Bucs and you can believe they will design an attack just for that here on Monday. Goff does not do well under pressure and he will be under plenty tonight. I'm going to lay the short field goal here in what I see as a Bucs blowout win.

Rams beat the Seahawks on Sunday, shutting them out in the 2nd half. However, the win didn't come without a big loss, that being left tackle Andrew Whitworth who tore his MCL and is done for the season. Why is this so important? The Rams play one of the best defenses in the league and a defense that loves to blitz QB's. With Whitworth out, you lose a very good veteran who protects Goff's blindside. That will open up the attack for the Bucs and you can believe they will design an attack just for that here on Monday. Goff does not do well under pressure and he will be under plenty tonight. With Goff under all this pressure from a top NFL defense I look for the Rams to score below their season average and this game to go UNDER.

The Green Bay Packers will unleash their 6th ranked offense against the Indianapolis Colts and their top ranked defense. The Colts have the 3rd ranked rushing defense and the 2nd ranked passing defense. The Packers played a pretty uninspired contest last week at Jacksonville, winning 24-20 as a 13.5 point favorite. The Colts had a pretty easy time at Tennessee, winning 34-17 on the road as a 1-point favorite. The Colts had 430 yards to just 294 by the Titans. The Packers have score 30 points or more in six of their nine games this season. Despite having a good defense, the Colts have gone over in four of their last five games. For me, that's what I'm playing this weekend. Take the OVER.

The NE Patriots pulled off a huge win last week at home over the Baltimore Ravens, 23-17. It was the teams 2nd win in a row since their four game losing string. Cam Newtown returned from his Covid exile and now looks to be back into form. A big plus for the Pats here on Sunday is the return of RB Sony Michele who hasn't played since week 3. Houston lost last week to Cleveland, 7-10 in a wind filled game. The Texans could muster just 243 total yards. It was the teams 2nd loss in their last three games. Houston is now just 2-7 ATS on the season while the Patriots are 4-5 ATS. Both teams are very evenly matched on offense with the Pats having the 13th ranked defense compared to the Texans 29th ranked defense. Pats laying just 2 or 2 1/2 here so basically have to little more than win. I like them in this spot. Play New England.

The Tennessee Titans look to get back on the winning side today after losing to the Colts last week, 17-34. Baltimore is also coming off a loss, losing at the Patriots last week, 17-23. Baltimore's offense ranks just 22nd in the league, but they have the 2nd best rushing offense. The Titans have the 11th ranked offense with the 6th ranked rushing offense. Expect to see a lot of rushing in this game as two of the best will go head to head on the ground. I'll take the points here with the visitor. Play Tennessee.

NFC South clash here has Atlanta Falcons playing at New Orleans Saints. Saints will be without QB Drew Brees who will sit this one out with a rib injury. Taysom Hill will step into the starters role for the Saints. Hill sees plenty of action normally so this shouldn't be a big departure for the Saints. The Saints were able to beat the 49ers last week, 27-13 behind four San Francisco turnovers. The Saints also used their potent rushing attack to gain 114 yards compared to the Niners 49 yards. The Falcons have the 30th ranked defense, 6th vs the rush and 30th vs the pass. Even without Brees, I like these teams to get points on the board. Hill should have issues moving this team against this poor Falcons defense. Expect lots of points here today. Play the OVER.

NFC South clash here has Atlanta Falcons playing at New Orleans Saints. Saints will be without QB Drew Brees who will sit this one out with a rib injury. Taysom Hill will step into the starters role for the Saints. Hill sees plenty of action normally so this shouldn't be a big departure for the Saints. The Saints were able to beat the 49ers last week, 27-13 behind four San Francisco turnovers. The Saints also used their potent rushing attack to gain 114 yards compared to the Niners 49 yards. The Falcons have the 30th ranked defense, 6th vs the rush and 30th vs the pass. Even without Brees, I like these teams to get points on the board. Hill should have issues moving this team against this poor Falcons defense. Expect lots of points here today. Play the OVER.

The Seattle Seahawks were shutout in the 2nd half of Sunday's loss at the Rams. When was the last time that has happened to a Russell Wilson led team? So why did this happen? Wilson is getting beat up without a good offensive line in front of him. That's becoming apparent. And as such, I look for the Hawks to spend more time running the ball here tonight. They can't keep letting Wilson get hit as mush as he has been lately. The gameplan has to change tonight and for me I see much more running attack by Seattle. With that being said, that 58 point total looks like a mountain to me that these teams will not overcome. Then you add in possibly the wind and rain and that makes me like this play even more. I'm playing UNDER in this one on Thursday.

The Vikings coming off a big win at home over Detroit last week, 34-20. That's two big wins in a row since Dalvin Cook returned. The running game is piling up the yards with 275 last week and 173 the week before. Compare that to just 32 in their loss three weeks ago to Atlanta, 23-40. The Bears got stuffed last week in Tennessee, 17-27. The Bears defense did its job, holding the Titans to just 228 total yards. However, two turnovers were too much to overcome in the loss. The Bears are now 3-6 Over/Under on the season and 1-3 o/u at home. Chicago has the 30th ranked offense in the league this year. However, their defense is ranked 8th, 7th vs the pass and 14th vs the run. This one will all depend on how well the Vikings can run the ball against this Bears defense. I look for a low scoring game in this one. Take UNDER

The Vikings coming off a big win at home over Detroit last week, 34-20. That's two big wins in a row since Dalvin Cook returned. The running game is piling up the yards with 275 last week and 173 the week before. Compare that to just 32 in their loss three weeks ago to Atlanta, 23-40. The Bears got stuffed last week in Tennessee, 17-27. The Bears defense did its job, holding the Titans to just 228 total yards. However, two turnovers were too much to overcome in the loss. The Bears are now 3-6 Over/Under on the season and 1-3 o/u at home. Chicago has the 30th ranked offense in the league this year. However, their defense is ranked 8th, 7th vs the pass and 14th vs the run. This one will all depend on how well the Vikings can run the ball against this Bears defense. I look for a low scoring game in this one. Take UNDER

The Denver Broncos trailed big last week in Atlanta. However, they closed the gap in the 2nd half, but came up just short in the loss, 27-34. The Broncos have had a very balanced attack, as they have over 100 yards rushing in each of their last five games and seven of their eight overall. The defense has registered at least one sack in every game this year and 18 sacks in their last five games. The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off a win last week at the Chargers, 31-26. Vegas has won three straight road games. However, they have lost their last two home games. This is a run first team, gaining 160 yards on the ground last week and 208 the previous game. The Raiders have the 9th ranked rushing offense in the league. The issue is the defense, which ranks 22nd overall and 26th vs the pass. There is no love lost between these teams. However, the dog looks to be the play here today. Take the Broncos.

The Chargers look to snap a two game losing streak here on Sunday. They lost last week to the Raiders, 26-31 and the previous week to the Broncos, 30-31. The Chargers just can't seem to win close games as they had chances to win both games in the final seconds. Defense has been an issue, allowing 29 points or more in five straight games (all overs). Despite all the points allowed, they come in ranked 15th overall in defense. Meanwhile, Miami looks to win their third straight under their new rookie QB. The Dolphins won on the road last week at Arizona, 34-31. That followed a win at home over the Rams, 28-17. In both games the Dolphins were out gained in total yards. The defense and special teams have produced touchdowns in both games. Miami's 21st ranked defense will have to contend with Chargers' QB Hebert who is having an excellent season since taking over for Tyrod Taylor. The Chargers have the 3rd ranked overall offense, 5th in passing. I expect a lot of points on the board here today as neither defense likely to stop the opposing offense. Play OVER.

The Bills offense was clicking last week at home against Seattle in a big win, 44-34. Even though they ran the ball for just 34 yards, Josh Allen threw for 386 yards in the win. It was the team's second over in a row after they beat New England two weeks ago, 24-21. That ended a drought that saw the team score 18 or fewer points in three straight weeks. Arizona had no answer last week for Miami as they lost in a shootout, 31-34. The defense didn't play bad for giving up 34 points, allowing just 91 rushing yards and 221 passing yards. Arizona rushed for 178 yards and passed for 264 yards in the loss. It was the team's 2nd over after a 37-34 win the previous week over Seattle. Arizona has the league's 2nd ranked offense, 2nd rushing and 12th passing. Buffalo ranks 12th, 26th rushing and 7th passing. Both teams are about even defensively, with Buffalo coming in at 18th and Arizona 19th. I expect a lot of yards in this one and with that another OVER. Play OVER.

Cleveland had last week off. Good thing too with some Covid concerns and also injuries. Those appear to be solved here today. However, if you remember back to their Nov 1 game vs the Raiders they had high winds and it really shut down the scoring. The Browns had just 223 totals yards and neither team got over 122 yards passing. Well, it's deja vu all over again here today. Winds are expected over 20 mph throughout the game and for me, that means another ground and pound game from both teams. I believe that the experience of having played the wind already gives the Browns an advantage here today. They just have to follow the Raiders game plan from last time and run, run, run the ball. They have the horses to do that here today and keep the ball out of Houston's hands. Take Cleveland.

No matter how bad the NFC East teams are or even their records, all teams are still in the hunt for the division title. That's because the first place Eagles are just 3-4-1 with 2nd place Washington at 2-6 and last place Giants are 2-7. That makes this game all the more important for the Giants if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Giants have played very well of late, in fact their last four game have all been decided by three points or fewer. They are coming off a road win at Washington, 23-20. They lost to these Eagles three weeks ago in Philly, 21-22. The defense has not allowed 100 yards or more on the ground in any of their last four games. Moreover, only two of three of their nine opponents have gained over 100 yards on the ground this year against them. Philly can put some distance in the division with a win here today. They are coming off a win over the Cowboys, 23-9. It was the team's second win in a row. I like the way the Giants are playing and I look for a straight-up win here today out of New York. However, I'll take the 3.5 points with a much improved Giants team. Play New York.

Cleveland had last week off. Good thing too with some Covid concerns and also injuries. Those appear to be solved here today. However, if you remember back to their Nov 1 game vs the Raiders they had high winds and it really shut down the scoring. The Browns had just 223 totals yards and neither team got over 122 yards passing. Well, it's deja vu all over again here today. Winds are expected over 20 mph throughout the game and for me, that means another ground and pound game from both teams. With that, I'll throw out stats in this one and put my money on the wind and in this case, the UNDER

Jacksonville finally got a spread win after five straight loss with their narrow defeat last week to Houston, 25-27. The defense held the Texans to just 374 yards in the loss. The Packers bounced back from their loss to the Vikings two weeks ago with a win over the SFO 49ers, 34-17. Green Bay has the 6th ranked overall offense this season. Jacksonville is 21st in the league. One factor not on the stat sheet today is the weather. Actually the wind, which will be blow up into the 20's here today. Winds effect play more than rain or possibly even snow. Jax QB Gardner Minshew will miss this game with a thumb injury. That will further hinder the scoring in this contest. I'm taking UNDER here today.

The Colts took a 10-7 lead into the locker room at halftime against the Ravens last week, but were outscored 0-17 in the 2nd half for the loss, 10-24. The Colts still won the stats battle, having 339 yards to just 266 yards for the Ravens. The Titans beat Chicago last week, 27-17 as a 6-point favorite. The Titans did this despite having just 228 total yards to Chicago's 375 yards. The Bears had two turnovers to none for the Titans. The Colts still have the top rated defense in the league and ranks 3rd both in rushing and passing defense. The Titans are 25th in defense, 17th in rushing and 27th in passing. The Titans hold the edge on offense, ranked 10th overall, 6th rushing and 20th passing. The Colts are 19th overall, 23rd rushing and 14th passing. The Colts have covered three of the last four in the series and six of the last nine. If the Colts can use their 3rd ranked rush defense to keep the running game in check, this looks to be a road win for Indy. Play the Colts.

The Tua Tagovailoa era began last week as the rookie made his first start of the season at home against the Rams. If you look at just the final score you would expect a big Miami offensive explosion as they won 28-17. However, it was defensive TD's that made the score and win for the Dolphins. The Rams had 471 yards to just 145 for the Dolphins. Tua had just 90 passing yards and the offense 55 rushing yards. It was the four Rams turnovers that inflated that score. Now they had better find some offense at they travel to Arizona to face the high scoring Cardinals. Arizona has the 2nd ranked offense, 2nd rushing and 14th passing. Miami's defense got all the credit last week, but overall they are just 20th in the league and 26th against the pass. That will be the test this week. I don't believe the Dolphins have much shot against this Cardinals team that is leaps and bounds above them on the offensive sides of the ball. This could be a rough learning day for young Tua. Take the Cardinals.

The Tua Tagovailoa era began last week as the rookie made his first start of the season at home against the Rams. If you look at just the final score you would expect a big Miami offensive explosion as they won 28-17. However, it was defensive TD's that made the score and win for the Dolphins. The Rams had 471 yards to just 145 for the Dolphins. Tua had just 90 passing yards and the offense 55 rushing yards. It was the four Rams turnovers that inflated that score. Now they had better find some offense at they travel to Arizona to face the high scoring Cardinals. Arizona has the 2nd ranked offense, 2nd rushing and 14th passing. Miami's defense got all the credit last week, but overall they are just 20th in the league and 26th against the pass. That will be the test this week. I don't believe the Dolphins have much shot against this Cardinals team that is leaps and bounds above them on the offensive sides of the ball. Expect lots of points in this one, likely most coming from the birds side of the column. Play the OVER.

 The Raiders make the short trip West to SoFi Stadium to take on the LA Chargers. Las Vegas went into Cleveland last week amid a wind storm and left with a hard earned 16-6 victory. The Raider rushed for 208 yards and passed for just 101 yards. The high winds effected both teams passing attacks as the Browns had just 122 passing yards. The Chargers lost a heartbreaker on the last play of the game at Denver last week, 30-31. The loss came despite 210 rushing and 275 passing yards. The Chargers have the 3rd ranked offense in the league, 6th passing and 8th rushing. The Raiders are 11th in the league, 11th in rushing and 15th passing. Should be plenty of points on the board in this one. The Raiders have had a knack for winning on the road, doing just that their last two away games at Cleveland and Kansas City. I'll take the points with the Raiders today. Play Las Vegas.

The Vegas Raiders ran into a whipping wind storm in Cleveland last week and that resulted in a low scoring game that Vegas won, 16-6. Vegas held the Browns to just 223 total yards, 101 rushing and 122 passing. Despite the winds, there was only one turnover and that was by Cleveland. The Chargers lost a heartbreaker on the last play of the game last week at Denver, 30-31. Bad coaching seems to be the norm these days for the Chargers. LA had 82 plays to just 57 by Denver and had 485 yards to just 351. Chargers QB Justin Herbert is having a great season since taking over early in the year for Tyrod Taylor. Herbert threwe for 275 yards and has now eclipsed 1500 yards on the season. The Chargers have the 3rd best offense in the league, 6th in passing and 8th in rushing. The Raiders have the 8th overall offense, 7th in rushing and 10th in passing. Both teams not very good on the defensive side, with the Chargers ranked 18th and the Raiders 21st. Vegas has gone over in six of their seven games this season while the Chargers are 4-3 o/u on the season. I expect a lot of offense here in the Sofi Stadium. I'm taking OVER.

 The Indianapolis Colts had little problems last week at Detroit, beating the Lions 41-21. The Colts didn't dominate the stats through, gaining just 40 more yard, 366-326. The Colts defense held the Lions to just 29 rushing yards and had a +2 turnover differential. The Ravens became the latest victim of the undefeated Steelers, losing to Pittsburgh 24-28. The loss came despite out gaining the Steelers, 457-221 yards. The top ranked rushing offense of the Ravens had 265 yards on the ground against the league's best defense. The difference was the four Ravens turnovers in this game. Even though Baltimore has the No 1 rushing offense, they come in 20th overall in total offense. The Colts have the 2nd overall defense and are 2nd against the rush. That should make for a great matchup here with the 2nd ranked rushing defense against the 1st ranked rushing offense. I look for the Colts to keep the Ravens under their season rushing average and put pressure on the passing game. I'll take the home team here. Play the Colts.

The Bears coming off a loss at home to the Saints last week, 23-26. Their defense gave up more than their average on the road, allowing 122 yards to the Saints rushing. The defense saw its ranking drop 9th the week before to 12th. Tennessee might have had the biggest upset loss, a 20-31 setback at Cincinnadi as 7-point road favorites. The Titans outgained the Bengals 441-367 yards, yet trailed big most of the game and had only one turnover. The edge on offense goes to the Titans, 5th in offense and 5th in rushing yards. The Bears are a horid 29th in offense and last in rushing. The Bears have also had trouble scoring in the third quarter, just 7-points on the entire season. This is the Bears defense against the Titans offense. I'll take the points though in this game. Play Chicago.

Seattle makes the cross country trip to take on the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo held on to beat the New England Patriots last week, 24-21, but didn't cover the 4-point line. Buffalo was slightly outplayed, but got the big plays when they needed them. Seattle once again in a shootout, beating San Francisco 37-27 as a 1-point favorite. The Seahawks and 49ers each had 35 yards and the lone advantage came in rushing yards where Seattle had 101 to the Niners 51. Seattle has the top rated offense in the league and is 1st in passing and 12th in rushing. Buffalo is 13th in the league, 9th in passing and 21st in rushing. Issue for the Seahawks is that they are dead last in overall defense, 32nds vs the pass and 7th vs the rush. Buffalo doesn't have the defense they had last year, now ranking 16th overall, 10th vs the pass. I haven't been all that impressed with the Buffalo offense the last four week. They have scored 16, 17, 18 and 24 points. That after scoring 27 or more points in their first four games this season. I'm sticking with the Seahawks here on Sunday and laying less than a field goal. Play Seattle.

Seattle makes the cross country trip to take on the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo held on to beat the New England Patriots last week, 24-21, but didn't cover the 4-point line. Buffalo was slightly outplayed, but got the big plays when they needed them. Seattle once again in a shootout, beating San Francisco 37-27 as a 1-point favorite. The Seahawks and 49ers each had 35 yards and the lone advantage came in rushing yards where Seattle had 101 to the Niners 51. Seattle has the top rated offense in the league and is 1st in passing and 12th in rushing. Buffalo is 13th in the league, 9th in passing and 21st in rushing. Issue for the Seahawks is that they are dead last in overall defense, 32nds vs the pass and 7th vs the rush. Buffalo doesn't have the defense they had last year, now ranking 16th overall, 10th vs the pass. These are two great over/under bets this year, between them they are 11-3 Over/Under. I look for another high scoring Seattle game this week. Take OVER.

Tampa Bay had little trouble with Las Vegas last week, winning 45-20. Though, 24 of those points came in a 4th quarter explosion. The Bucs ran for just 85 yards in the contest but threw for 369 yards and no turnovers. The Giants lost a tough battle last week at Philadelphia, 21-22 as 5-point dogs, though they did cover. The Giants out-rushed the Eagles, 160-96. However, the Eagles passed for 346 yards compared to just 165 for the Giants. What really hurt NY was their three turnovers. Tampa comes into this wee as the 15th ranked offense overall 20th on rush and 9th in passing. The Giants are second to last, 27th in rushing and 30th in passing. The Bucs have the third best defense in the league while the Giants aren't bad at 14th. Big game for the Bucs next week at home vs the Saints. Not sure how invested they will be past just winning here tonight. I'll take the points with the Giants and look for the cover. Play NY Giants.

The San Francisco 49ers went into Foxboro last week and demolished the Patriots, 33-6. The Niners had 467 yards to just 241 for the Pats. The Niners also rushed for 197 yards in the game. Seattle was in another shootout, but what's new. They lost at Arizona, 34-37, but really should have won if not for a penalty on a Arizona field goal that resulted in a first down and subsequent TD. Still, just another example of the Seahawks playing nail biting games that are high scoring. Seattle is now 4-1 O/U on the season and both home games have gone over. The Niners have seen two of their three road games go over this year. Seattle has the worst defense in the NFL overall and worst vs pass. However, Seattle does have the NFL's best offense and 2nd ranked passing offense. That combination does provide those high scoring games. I'm sticking with the formula for this one today. Take OVER.

The New Orleans Saints survived last week against a pesky Carolina club, 27-24, though they didn't cover the 7-point line. The Saints outgained the Panthers 415-283 yards. Now they face the 8th ranked Bears defense. The Saints defense is actually rated higher than Chicago, 7th overall and 4th against the rush. Offensively, the Bears are 29th in the league and have the worst rushing game in the NFL (84 yards per game). The have also been intercepted nine times (28th in the league). Conditions not so great in Chicago on Sunday as it's expected to be around freezing with winds close to 20 mph. With the playing conditions and two very good defenses, I'm going UNDER.

Two AFC heavyweights square-off here on Sunday as the 6-0 Pittsburgh Steelers take on the 5-1 Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers definitely have Super Bowl thoughts at this point as they are scoring a lot of points and their defense has been great. The Steelers jumped out to a big lead last week at Tennessee and held on for a 27-24 win as a 1-point dog. The Steelers had 20 more plays than the Titans did but had three turnovers to none for Tennessee. The Steelers have the league's top rated overall defense and are 2nd against the rush and 6th against the pass. they also have the most QB sacks in the league. The Ravens had last week off. The Ravens have the 13th ranked defense and are 2nd in QB sacks. The offense has the league's top ranked rushing attack (164 yards per game) but overall is just 27th because of a 31st ranked passing attack. Now they face the leagues top ranked defense. The Ravens are laying points here on Sunday at last look about 3 1/2 to 4 points. I'll take the points with the best defense in the league and a pretty good offense too. Play Pittsburgh.

Buffalo won last week at the Jets, though they never came close to covering the spread. The Bills could manage just six field goals against a poor Jets team despite outgaining the Jets 422 yards to just 190. New England continues to sputter. After a poor showing and loss to the Broncos two weeks ago, they did it again last week at home vs the 49ers, losing 6-33. This despite Cam Newton being back for both games. The Patriots managed just 22 yards rushing and 147 yards passing to go with four turnovers. The Pats are in serious trouble as their offense has completely gone South. The Bills haven't clicked on offense for a few weeks now. I'm taking the UNDER.

The Minnesota Vikings hope to welcome back star running back Dalvin Cook this week. Cook has missed the last couple of weeks with a groin injury and is a very important cog to this Vikings offense. The Packers could be without their star running back in Aaron Jones. Jones is nursing a calf injury and is currently questionable for this contest. The Vikings had a much needed week off after some lackluster performances. The Packers won last week at Houston, 35-20, just getting under the 55.5 total. Green Bay had only 379 yards vs 365 yards by Houston, yet outscored them by 15 points. This series has been an under series in recent years, with the last three going under and eight of the last 10 going under. The Packers have the 10th ranked defense in the league while Minnesota is 27th. Green Bay has the 8th ranked offense while Minnesota comes in at 14th. Even with cook back here today I'm expecting this game to come in under the 51 point total. Play UNDER.

The Detroit Lions looked like dead ducks last week at Atlanta. The Falcons only needed to stay out of the endzone on a Todd Gurley run and they could run out the clock. But, the Lions let Gurley score as he tried to stay out but failed. That allowed the Lions to march down the field for the winning TD, 23-22. The stats were pretty much identical with the Lions have 386 yards and the Falcons 388. The Lions look to take that momentum here today against the Colts. The Colts had last week off to prepare for today's contest. The Colts have the league's second rated overall defense and are third against the rush and 2nd against the pass. They also lead the league in pass interceptions with 10. Detroit's defense isn't as good, ranked 22nd overall. Offensively, neither team in the top half of the league with the Colts ranked 19th and the Lions coming in at 22nd. I don't see this as a very high scoring game and as such points will be at a premium. I'm taking the dog in this one. Play Detroit.

The Las Vegas Raiders couldn't overcome one of the better defenses in the league last week in Tampa Bay, losing at home 20-45. The Raiders were close, but a 24 point fourth quarter by the Bucs broke that one open. The Browns had themselves a shootout with their instrastate rivals, Cincinnati. The Browns scored late to win, 37-34. However, the win was costly as star WR Odell Beckham Jr was lost for the rest of the season due to an injury. The Raiders have already picked up a big win on the road when they went to KC and shocked the Chiefs. Vegas is ranked 9th in total offense and 7th in passing. The Browns are 19th offensively. Both teams in the bottom half of the league in defense. There looks to be light rain and winds over 20 mph in this one. I'm taking the dog here as I expect the Raiders to win outright. Play Las Vegas.

Thursday night action has the Atlanta Falcons taking on the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons lost a heartbreaker last week at home to the Detroit Lions, 22-23. Todd Gurley's failure to keep out of the endzone late in the 4th quarter ended up losing the game for the Falcons. The Falcons and Lions went under their 54.5 point total. Carolina gave the Saints all it could handle last week, just coming up short in a 24-27 loss at the Super Dome. Carolina had just 283 totals yards in the game compared to the Saints 415 and ran 24 fewer plays. They did just get over the 49.5 point total. Two of the last three years and four of the last six has seen these two teams go UNDER the total. The Panthers have a decent defense, ranked 11th overall and 9th against the pass. The Panthers also have the 6th best sack total in the league with 32. The Falcons defense is next to last in the league, though they are ranked 6th against the rush. High total here tonight as oddsmakers have adjust up totals since a lot of early week games have gone over. I look for this game to be not quite that high, so I'm playing UNDER.

The 5-1 Chicago Bears take on the 4-2 LA Rams on Monday Night football from Los Angeles. Contrast of two teams here on Monday as the Bears get it done with their defense first and then just enough of the offense to get them the wins. The Rams offense has been hitting on all cylinders, that is until last week when they went to San Francisco and couldn't do much with the ball.The defense has been hard on opposing QB's with seven sacks and 14 QB hits this year. The offense has 43 points in their last two games, nothing great, but enough to get things done with the defense. The Rams are 2-0 at SoFi Stadium and outscored opponents 37-26. I like defense and the Bears have one of the best this year. I expect the Rams to continue to struggle against good defenses as they did last week. I'll take the visitor here tonight plus the points.

The 5-1 Chicago Bears take on the 4-2 LA Rams on Monday Night football from Los Angeles. Contrast of two teams here on Monday as the Bears get it done with their defense first and then just enough of the offense to get them the wins. The Rams offense has been hitting on all cylinders, that is until last week when they went to San Francisco and couldn't do much with the ball.The defense has been hard on opposing QB's with seven sacks and 14 QB hits this year. The offense has 43 points in their last two games, nothing great, but enough to get things done with the defense. The Rams are 2-0 at SoFi Stadium and outscored opponents 37-26. I like defense and the Bears have one of the best this year. I expect the Rams to continue to struggle against good defenses as they did last week. The Bears will play to their defense and that means not a high scoring game. Take the UNDER.

The Seattle Seahawks had last week off to prepare for today's game at Arizona. The Seahawks are one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL with a 5-0 record. Seattle look beaten in their game before the break, losing to the Vikings at the half, 0-13. But another big Russell Wilson comeback resulted in another close Seattle win, 27-26. Meanwhile, Arizona is 4-2 and coming off a dominating performance at Dallas last Monday night, 38-10. The only bad thing here is that while the Seahawks had last week off, the Cards are playing on the short week. This should be the Wilson vs Murray showcase, but I'm giving it to the veteran to school the youngster. Play Seattle.

In what has been a very strange season, two of the pre-season favorites meet here today in Foxboro as the 49ers take on the Patriots. The Pats had been without QB Cam Newton due to Covid and his return last week was not a good one. The Pats lost at home to the Broncos, 16-18. That was New England's 2nd straight loss and has dropped the team below the .500 mark. The 49ers finally looked like the team that went to the Super Bowl with a dominating performance last week vs the Rams in a 24-16 win. The Pats hope Newton can bounce back this week against a very good 49ers defense. Both these teams still have a lot of injuries. I'm taking the UNDER here today.

The Kansas City Chiefs make the trek to Colorado's Mile High city to take on their division rivals, Denver Broncos. It's never easy for teams to play in the high elevation. The Broncos welcomed back QB Drew Lock last week and RB Phillip Lindsay from injuries. The Broncos upset the Patriots on the road, 18-16 in an ugly game. The Chiefs bounced back from their loss at home to the Las Vegas Raiders with a nice win over Buffalo, 26-17 to improve to 5-1 on the season. Their defense really came to play last week, holding the very good Bills offense to just 206 total yards. The Broncos defense needs to come up big this week as they cannot afford to get into a shootout with the Chiefs. They can do this against the Chiefs run defense, which is their weak spot. The Broncos will also get back RB Gordon this week so they will have plenty in the tank at RB. I'm not going to take a side here, but I will take the UNDER as I look for Denver to try and take the air out of the ball. Play UNDER.

Two of the last three undefeated teams meet here on Sunday as the 5-0 Pittsburgh Steelers take on the 5-0 Tennessee Titans. The Titans have a balanced offense and are the best Red Zone team in the NFL. Derrick Henry leads the team and the league in rushing with 588 yards and 6TD's. The Steelers have an excellent defense starting with their pass rush. This should be a great game between these unbeatens heavyweights. I'm looking for a high scoring affair here on Sunday. Play the OVER.

The Green Bay Packers fell from the undefeated last week as they lost at Tampa Bay, 10-38. Aaron Rodgers looked to be on a MVP season until he ran into that buzz saw last week in Tampa. Rodgers threw three pass interceptions last week including a pick-six. They should get a good chance to get back on track vs a reeling 1-5 Houston Texans team. The Texans fired Bill O'Brien and installed Romeo Cronell at HC and it looked to be a winning combo as they went to Tennessee last week and took a 7-point lead late into the 4th quarter. However, a controversial two point try by Houston led to the Titans needing just a TD and extra point to tie, which they did. The Titans forced OT and scored a TD on the opening possession for the win and cover to the dismay of bettors all over who had the Titans. The Texans allow a league worst 5.4 yards per carry and 177.5 yards per game on the ground. The one good thing is the offense is still potent with QB Deshaun Watson and a trio of very good receivers. I look for the Packers to take out some of that frustration from last week here today on the Texans. Look for a high scoring game. Play OVER.

Two of the last three undefeated teams meet here on Sunday as the 5-0 Pittsburgh Steelers take on the 5-0 Tennessee Titans. The Titans have a balanced offense and are the best Red Zone team in the NFL. Derrick Henry leads the team and the league in rushing with 588 yards and 6TD's. The Steelers have an excellent defense starting with their pass rush. This should be a great game between these unbeatens. I expect a high scoring game here with the home team coming out the victor. Play Tennessee.

NFC South matchup here has the Carolina Panthers visit the Superdome to play the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers have played much better than most thought this year, especially since most of their games so far have been without star running back Christian McCaffery who will miss today's game too. The Saints have missed their own stars as WR Michael Thomas and WR Emmanuel Sanders will both miss today's contest. Not many would think the Panthers would be 3-3 while the Saints just 3-2 this season. The Panthers saw their three game win streak snapped last week, losing to the Bears, 16-23. Teddy Bridgewater gets to face his old team here today and he's playing very well for the Panthers with a pair of 300-plus performances on the road this year. I am not overly impressed with the Saints and without their top two receivers I expect the Panthers to stick close. Take the points. Play Carolina.

The loss of Dallas QB Dak Prescott is a huge one for this Dallas team. Hopefully he will be able to return next season. However, now it's up to Andy Dalton to lead this Dallas team. Here today the Cardinals are laying 3 points at Dallas. I am of the feeling that these Dallas players will rally around the loss of Prescott and the support of Dalton.  At least in the short term I see Dallas being just as good offensively.  Teams tend to do that shortly after the loss of a big player. In the long run they might degrade but for this week, this 3-point line is just what I'm looking for. I'm taking the Cowboys here with Dalton in what should be a straight-up win.

Great matchup of future Hall of Famers here today as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Packers are 4-0 on the season and off their bye week as they sit atop the NFC North. The Buccaneers are 3-2 after losing at Chicago last week. The Bucs are still in first place in the NFC South, tied with the Saints and Panthers. This game should tell us a lot about both these teams as both have equally great offenses. I expect a close game here but will take the host in this one. Play Tampa Bay.

The Tennessee Titans remained unbeaten despite having to go through some Covid hoops last week that included losing practice time and having their game moved. More than 20 players and staff tested positive and they were without some of their wide receivers in their game, yet they beat the undefeated Bills handily, 42-16. The Texans started 0-4 and then fired HC Bill O'Brien. Romeo Crennel took over and that seemed to give the Texans a shot in the arm as they got their first win over Jacksonville, 30-14. Titans playing on a very short week here today after playing last Tuesday. Both teams put up excellent points last week and with the new coach I expect Houston to continue to roll here this week. This one should be a shoot out on Sunday. Play OVER.

The Tennessee Titans remained unbeaten despite having to go through some Covid hoops last week that included losing practice time and having their game moved. More than 20 players and staff tested positive and they were without some of their wide receivers in their game, yet they beat the undefeated Bills handily, 42-16. The Texans started 0-4 and then fired HC Bill O'Brien. Romeo Crennel took over and that seemed to give the Texans a shot in the arm as they got their first win over Jacksonville, 30-14. Titans playing on a very short week here today after playing last Tuesday. I'm going to take the Texans under their new coach and see if they can keep the momentum going. Play Houston.

The 0-5 Atlanta Falcons still looking for that first win of the season as they travel to the 1-4 Vikings here on Sunday. The Vikings came up short last week at Seattle, losing 26-27. The Vikings held a 13-0 lead at half but couldn't hold on for the win. The Vikings will be without star running back Dalvin Cook here today as he had to leave last week's game with a groin injury. The Falcons lost last week to the Panthers, 16-23. Dan Quinn was fired after that loss as was GM Thomas Dimitroff. I don't think a coaching change will make much difference here today for the Falcons. They just find ways to lose games these days. Play Minnesota.

Two undefeated teams meet here on Tuesday as the 3-0 Tennessee Titans host the 4-0 Buffalo Bills. This game moved from Sunday due to covid issues can be played tonight because no other players tested positive. Covid has played a big part in this year's games with no preseason and teams limited in practice. We saw a rash of early injuries that may or may not be directly attributable to the Covid delays. But, they look like they will play this game. The Titans had 20 players and staff infected and they had their facilities shut down, so they may be more effected then the Bills tonight. The Titans could still be without many players for tonight that are currently on the Reserve/Covid-19 list, with most notable being WR Corey Davis, WR Adam Humphries, DE Jeffrey Simmons and DL DaQuan Jones. Bills QB Josh Allen is having an MVP season already with 12 TD's and 70% completion rate. This year he has added talent around him including WR Stephan Diggs. Tough to get behind the Titans here with all their Covid issues. Take Buffalo

It's the old dog vs the rookie here tonight as future Hall of Famer Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints take on rookie Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers. Brees started his career with the Chargers and this looks to be his final start against his old team. The Chargers led the Bucs last week 24-7 before collapsing by allowing 24 second half points to Tampa Bay. The Saints climbed back to .500 with a win over the Lions last week. LA will be without Austin Ekeler who has a hamstring issue. He was the Chargers leading rusher this season. Looks like this will put more stress on Herbert's shoulders since the Saints do not allow a lot of yards on the ground. Herbert has thrown for 330 and 290 yards in his two starts. This is another long road trip for the Chargers. Meanwhile the Saints get next week off. I look for the Saints and Brees to school the rookie here tonight. Take The New Orleans Saints.

Week five matchup here of teams that are both on 3-0 win streaks. Both these clubs opened the season with losses and since have gone on to win their next three games. The Colts defense has been excellent this season. Their last three games they have held the Vikings, Jets and Bears to a combined 29 points. The Browns lost to the Ravens in week 1 and since have scored 118 points in wins over Cincinnati, Washington and Dallas. The Colts are playing their second straight road game here this week. The Browns are controlling the ball on the ground, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. This one will be the Colts defense against the Browns offense. The game is basically pick and I'll take the home club in this one. Play Cleveland.

Week five matchup here of teams that are both on 3-0 win streaks. Both these clubs opened the season with losses and since have gone on to win their next three games. The Colts defense has been excellent this season. Their last three games they have held the Vikings, Jets and Bears to a combined 29 points. The Browns lost to the Ravens in week 1 and since have scored 118 points in wins over Cincinnati, Washington and Dallas. The Colts are playing their second straight road game here this week. The Browns are controlling the ball on the ground, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The battle in this one is the defense of the Colts vs the offense of the Browns. The Colts defense has been very good and they should control both the offensive and defensive lines here today. I'm taking this game to go UNDER.