10* BENGALS (GOM)

The Bengals have been consistently underestimated by their opponents and the bookmakers throughout the post-season, and I believe that's still the case here in the Super Bowl. Both the Rams and Bengals have played to some tight games throughout the postseason and that trend is going to continue here. LA had to come from behind to knock off the 49ers by a score of 20-17, while Cincinnati also rallied in its conference championship game to beat the Chiefs 27-24 in OT. These teams offensive and defensive numbers are very similar. LA averages 27.1 PPG, while the Bengals average 27.1 as well. Cincinnati allows 22.1 PPG, while LA concedes 21.9. This is going to be a great game, but another one that I expect to come right down to the wire; because of that, let's grab the points with the Bengals!

AAA Sports

10* 49ERS (GOW)

The 49ers continue to get little respect here. They just dismantled the Green Bay Packers on their own field by a score of 13-10. This 49ers defense, especially the secondary and pass rush, are on a whole other level right now. LA lost to San Francisco 27-24 in OT in Week 18, and frankly I see an almost identical outcome here as well. The Rams crushed the Cardinals, but they had a much more difficult time with the Bucs in Tampa last weekend. The 49ers' offensive numbers are comparable over the last month, but San Francisco's vast superiority on the defensive side of the ball makes it the correct call in the NFC Championship game in my opinion; grab the points!

AAA Sports

10* UNDER (ASSASSIN)

This is a very interesting matchup. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of these two teams are their dynamic men under center. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are both coming off big years, but each will need his respective "run game" to be established to find success today. The winner of this contest is going to win the game in the trenches. Ball control is going to be paramount. As will field position. Note as well that Tampa has seen the total go "under" in 7 of its last 8 in trying to revenge a home loss against an opponent in which it allowed 40 or more points in. The writing is on the wall. This is going to be a nail-biter, but one that falls well "under" the number!

AAA Sports

10* UNDER (DIV TOY)

San Francisco has advanced to this point behind its relentless defensive attack and impressive run. The last thing that Jimmy Garoppolo can do here is to try and match pace with Aaron Rodgers. San Fran's plan while on offense, will be to hold onto that ball as long as possible, to keep Rodgers off the field of play. If Green Bay is going to finally get over the hump and return to the Super Bowl this season, clearly its defense will have to play a key part. The temperatures are expected to be near 0 and there could be winds of up to 20 mile per hour. Look for this cold weather and the rest of the factors listed above to lead to a solid "under" in this one!

AAA Sports

10* UNDER (WC TOTAL TOY)

If you're wagering on this game, then you know the cast of characters for each side. You know the story lines. Even the most casual NFL fan knows the strengths and weaknesses of each of these teams. If you want an in-depth analysis on offensive and defensive stats for each team and individual player breakdowns, then I'd suggest just going over to ESPN. That's what they do best. Break down games and give out stats. I'm here to tell you why this game is going "under" the number, and not "over." Both Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford will need their respective run games to be established throughout this contest to have any success themselves. This game is going to be won and lost in the trenches. Field position and ball control will be paramount. Look for this clock to get eaten quickly and for this total to stay well under what I believe to be a sky-high total attached to this one!

AAA Sports

10* EAGLES (A$$A$$IN)

The Bucs beat the Eagles 28-22 in Philadelphia back on October 14th. You've heard that old saying right, that "revenge is a dish best served cold?!" Outright victory?! Anything is possible, but in reality I am expecting this one to be extremely competitive. With a record of 9-8, the Eagles are happy to be here. Jalen Hurts and Jordan Howard are ready to go for the visiting side, but Tampa will be without RB Leonard Fournette and WR Antonio Brown (the former out with injury, the latter released from the team.) Philly won four of its last five games and I expect it to push Tom Brady and the defending champs to the brink today. The Bucs are filled with talent and experience, but I'll argue that the Eagles are the much "hungrier" team in this fight. No outright, but all signs point to this one being decided late; so grab the points!

AAA Sports

10* PATRIOTS (WC GOY)

I feel as if this play is slightly contrarian. The Patriots stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, while the Bills won their final 4 games to claim the AFC East title. These teams split their season series, each winning on the others field. If you're wagering on this contest, then you know the cast of characters on both sides. You know the strengths and the weaknesses of each team. You know the story lines. So why is Mac Jones and Bill Bellichick going to bounce back here and find a way to deliver? The Patriots have the offense (27.2 points) to keep pace with the Bills (28.4.) Expect to see a heavy dose of the run game as well from the visiting side as it looks to duplicate the success it had here in the first game between the clubs this season. I give a big nod to Josh Allen at QB in this matchup, but the Patriots get the nod for their run game. Defenses are equal. This one really is going to be decided by whichever team has its hands on the ball last, so because of that gentlemen, let's grab up as many points as we can!

AAA Sports

10* LIONS (NFC NORTH GOY).

Green Bay has already wrapped up the NFC No. 1 seed, so QB Aaron Rodgers may or may not see any time under center today. Why would Green Bay risk their top asset in a meaningless game? Or any of its assets, like WR Davante Adams. Jared Goff will likely sit for the Lions as well today, as there's no point risking his contract in this contest. That means that Tim Boyle will get another shot after facing the Seahawks last weekend (he had 262 yards passing, but also three picks.) Dan Campbell's men play hard for him and this will be a rare opportunity for his team to "steal" a win against Green Bay. The Packers could care less about this contest, while it would be a big boost to this Detroit side if it could pull off a SU upset and have something to build on after such a terrible season. Outright? Possibly! But let's grab the points, as the play is indeed on Detroit!

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CHIEFS (10* GAME OF WEEK)

The Chiefs were upset 34-31 to Cincinnati last weekend, but I think they'll bounce back here in this favorable spot. Denver has been eliminated from playoff contention after last weekend's 34-13 loss to the Chargers. KC is now in second spot in the AFC behind Tennessee, so this is a big game for Patrick Mahomes and company. What can the Broncos play spoiler for here? The Chiefs are in the playoffs already. There's zero motivating factors working for Drew Lock and the Broncos today. They're also just 1-4 ATS in their last five at home, while KC is 14-4 in its last 18 on the road and 10-2 ATS in its last 12 in this series. Look for KC to go up huge early and then coast to a relatively simple win and cover!

AAA Sports

10* Steelers (BLOOD-BATH)

I don't particularly "like" either of these starting quarterbacks (or teams for that matter!) in this matchup. That said, despite his age and the "ups and downs" he's experienced this year, I trust veteran Ben Roethlisberger at home over Browns' starter Baker Mayfield. The Browns have lost two straight, most recently a tough 24-22 loss to Green Bay. The Steelers are off a 36-10 loss to Kansas City. If recent history is any precedence, then the Steelers have to be loving their chances as they're 6-3-1 the last ten in this series. Each teams averages and concedes roughly the same amount of points. This is Roethlisberger's final game at Heinz Field though, as he's all but announced that he'll be retiring at the end of the year. Both teams are still in the playoff hunt, but look for "home field" to be the difference today. The play is Pittsburgh!

AAA Sports

This is a 10* on OVER

So once again, we’re going with the Over in a Bengals game. Last week was a little scary when it was announced Baltimore was being forced to turn to Josh Johnson, a little-known third stringer. But the Ravens’ QB situation ended up being a non-factor as the Bengals exploded for 31 points before halftime and Joe Burrow threw for 525 yards and four touchdowns. Incredibly, the Over was a winner going into halftime with the score 31-14. Now, to expect Cincinnati to repeat last week’s offensive effort seems optimistic. But thankfully, we’ve got Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City on the other sideline. The Chiefs have scored 48, 34 and 36 points the last three weeks and are really humming along with eight straight victories. Their defense has been very impressive during the win streak, holding seven opponents to 17 points or fewer. But outside of the Cowboys and Chargers, the latter of which scored 28 against the Chiefs, none of the offenses faced were as good as Cincinnati’s. The Bengals are 0-2 SU/ATS off their first two 40+ point efforts this season, however, let it be known those two games also both went Over. There were 65 and 63 total points scored. Six of the Bengals’ last nine games have gone Over. Only one of those last nine games, a 32-13 win over Las Vegas, had fewer than 49 total points scored. The Over is 5-0 the last five times the Bengals have been off an ATS win. Play on OVER

AAA

10* AFC GAME OF YEAR Miami Dolphins.

Miami has won seven straight, most recently beatting New Orleans 20-3. The Dolphins current win streak has vaulted them into the final playoff spot in the AFC. Overall Miami averages 20.3 PPG, while allowing 21. On paper, that doesn't sound like a recipie for success, but those numbers are skewed after its terrible start to the season. In last weekend's win, QB Tua Tagovailoa completed 19 of 26 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown. Tennessee is off a 20-17 win over San Francisco. The Titans average 23.8 PPG, while allowing 21.7. QB Ryan Tannehill had 209 yards passing and one TD in last weekend's victory. The Fish don't run the ball particularly well, but Tagovailoa is going to be able to exploit this Titans' secondary. This one is going to come down to the wire. I'm going to grab the points!

AAA Sports

This is a 10* on MIAMI

New Orleans was kind to us last Sunday night, so we almost feel a bit bad playing against them here. But the situation has gotten bleak for the 7-7 Saints, who placed quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill on the COVID-19 list Thursday. That means fourth string rookie Ian Book will be making his first NFL start Monday night. Keep in mind that the Saints’ offense only scored nine points last week. The defense, which shut out Tom Brady, is also now dealing with multiple COVID-related absences. Now Miami, another 7-7 team, was kind to us last week as well, in that they didn’t cover the spread. But the Dolphins still picked up their sixth straight win, beating the Jets 24-17. It shouldn’t be much trouble for a red-hot team to beat a COVID-depleted opponent, and the Dolphins are 5-1 ATS during their six-game win streak. Shockingly, the Saints defense gives up 402 yards/game at home, most in the NFL. Once a power-house in primetime, the Saints are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight night games, including 1-3 this year. Miami is the call here. Play on MIAMI

AAA

This is an 8* on WASHINGTON

These teams are playing for the second time in three weeks. Dallas won in Week 14, 27-20, just barely covering as 6.5 point favorites thanks to Washington missing an extra point. A second win over the Football Team would clinch the NFC East for the Cowboys, who are already in the playoffs by virtue of a 21-6 win last week over the Giants. Entering this week, Dallas is tied with Green Bay for the best ATS record in the league. Washington, now 6-8, is fighting for its playoff life after a 27-17 loss in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The short week does the Football Team no favors, but they are at home and set to get QB Heinicke back from the COVID list. We also think this number is too big. Dallas scored just two offensive touchdowns last week. Washington is 4-1-1 its past six games as an underdog. The Cowboys have not won back to back games by double digits at any point this season. Washington has not lost a game by more than 10 points since Oct 24 at Green Bay. The Cowboys have been very lucky to force four turnovers in each of the last games. Grab the points here. Play on WASHINGTON

AAA

This is an 8* on KC

Pittsburgh has no business having a winning record as all seven wins this year have been one-score games and they’re -44 in point differential. This is a team that's being outgained by 50 yards/game. In four of their last five games, the Steelers have been down by double digits. They were able to overcome a 13-3 deficit last week to beat Tennessee, but are 0-6 ATS off their previous six ATS wins. Their only other SU win since early November (other than last week) was by one point over Baltimore, who went for two and the win instead of forcing overtime. The Steelers lost by 31 to Cincinnati, trailed the Chargers by 17 in the second half and the Vikings 29-0. Kansas City is not having any such issues at the moment. They have seven in a row and covered the spread five straight times. Before last week’s overtime win over the Chargers, the KC defense had allowed 17 points or less six weeks in a row. The Steelers’ offense isn’t good at all. For the Chiefs’ offense, Tyreke Hill has been activated from the COVID list. Take the far better team. Play on KANSAS CITY

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER

UPDATE: When we made this play, we obviously did not expect Johnson to be the QB for the Ravens. But this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the veteran. He's gotten games in this year and has a great offense around him. Call us crazy but you should still expect Baltimore to put points on the board... 

The Ravens may have failed to convert a potential game-winning two-point try last week. But they definitely didn’t have any issue putting up points. This despite backup Tyler Huntley playing quarterback. Huntley had 215 yards passing and 73 yards rushing in the 31-30 loss against the Packers. So we’re pretty confident that Baltimore is going to score plenty of points on Sunday, no matter if it’s Huntley or Lamar Jackson at QB. Jackson had never missed a game before last week. This is a huge game in the AFC North vs. Cincinnati. The Bengals beat the Ravens 41-17 earlier in the year. The teams enter this rematch tied at 8-6. Cincy won last week in Denver, 15-10. Had they lost, both they and the Ravens would be on a three-game skid. The Bengals average 26.4 points/game, so they should not have problems scoring. We know that they did have problems against the Broncos. However, last week marked only the third game in 2021 that Cincy failed to score at least 22 points. Defensively, the Bengals have allowed 41 points twice in the last four home games. Those last four home games have all seen at least 49 total points scored. Bengals’ home games average 51.9 points/game. Huntley proved himself to us last week, so we’re satisfied no matter if it’s him or Jackson starting this week. The Over is 5-1 the previous six times Baltimore has been off a straight-up loss. The Over has cashed the last four times Cincinnati has been off a win. Play on OVER

AAA

This is an 8* on OVER

Indianapolis is going to be playing without three of its five starting offensive linemen on Christmas. But considering that they scored 27 points last week with Carson Wentz completing only five passes for 57 yards, we believe the Colts can still score a reasonable number of points in this game. Arizona has given up 30 points in each of its last two games. The Colts come in putting an average of 28 points/game on the board. Though Wentz struggled in the last game (still beat the Patriots) and the offensive line is banged up, handing the ball to RB Jonathan Taylor seems easy enough. Taylor leads the league - by a wide margin - with over 1500 yards rushing. He had 170 last week. Stopping the Cardinals’ offense may prove to be difficult for the Colts, however. Despite playing without WR Hopkins, Kyler Murray still threw for 257 yards last week in what ended up being an embarrassing loss to Detroit. The Indianapolis’ defense is not particularly great against the run or pass, so the Cardinals offense should have success. Each of the last five times the Colts have been underdogs, the game has gone Over. Play on OVER

AAA

This is a 10* on GREEN BAY

No matter if it’s Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum or Bernie Kosar, the Browns don’t stand a chance at Lambeau Field on Christmas Day. The Packers are 6-0 straight up and against the spread in 2021 home games. The six wins have come by an average of 13.7 points. Last week’s win in Baltimore got too close for comfort at the end, but Green Bay was up big in that one and we don’t see them making the same mistake of letting Cleveland hang around here. The Browns are getting their COVID players back this week, but that comes at a bit of a price. With so many players out last week, the game was moved to Monday. That now puts them on a very short week. In the last six games, the Browns are averaging 13.6 points, which would rank 30th in the league ahead of just the Giants and Jaguars. Also, the team’s best defensive player, Myles Garrett, may not play in this game. Green Bay has put up 31 or more points each of the last four weeks. This is no contest. Play on GREEN BAY

AAA

This is a 10* on SF

We really like San Francisco in this Thursday night matchup. They are playing much better than Tennessee at the moment and the Titans’ alarming number of absences only continues to grow. It was announced Wednesday that the entire starting left side of the Titans’ offensive line - tackle Taylor Lewan and guard Rodger Saffold - will miss this game. That seems particularly ill-timed as the 49ers have Nick  Bosa, who has recorded 15 sacks this year and one in each of the last six games. Of course, the Titans were already without Derrick Henry and we’ve seen the effect on their offense as they’ve gone four straight games without scoring more than 20 points. Their only win in those four games was over the hapless Jaguars. The 49ers are 5-1 in their last six games and now control their own destiny in the NFC playoff picture. Go back to the start of the season and you may remember that many were predicting the Niners to be one of this year’s most improved teams. They just rocked Atlanta 31-13 at home last week. On the road, SF has been a covering machine for Kyle Shanahan, going 15-8 ATS including 4-1 when favored by three or less. The Niners have won 17 of their last 23 road games. They are the better team, so we will lay the points. Play on SAN FRANCISCO

AAA

This is a 10* on CHI

With Minnesota desperately needing a win tonight, this line has skyrocketed. The Vikings are one of five NFC teams currently with six or seven wins and the Saints shocking upset of the Buccaneers last night puts even more pressure on the road team to win here. While it is true that the Vikings are the only team in the NFL yet to suffer a defeat by more than eight points, they also have just one win by more than eight points and that was back in Week 3 against Seattle. Not sure how you can trust this team laying more than a field goal on the road after watching them blow nearly all of a 29-0 lead last week at home to Pittsburgh. Minnesota is never as good away from home where they are giving up 29.2 points/game as opposed to the 21.2 per game they allow at home. They have just two road wins all year. Plus they are just 5-16 at Soldier Field this century and 1-5 overall in the last six meetings with the Bears. QB Cousins has a terrible 1-9 record on Monday Night Football. The Bears were winning at halftime last week at Green Bay, so don’t be fooled by that final score. Three of the four previous games were decided by three points or less. We’re grabbing the points. How can you trust Minnesota to win big on the road? Play on CHICAGO

AAA

This is an 8* on NEW ORLEANS

So much has changed since the Saints defeated the Buccaneers 36-27 as four point home dogs back in Week 8. New Orleans lost Jameis Winston to injury in that win and hasn’t really gotten great quarterback play since. After beating Tampa, the Saints lost their next five games, a streak which finally ended last week by beating the Jets 30-9. The Bucs are 5-0 SU/ATS as double digit favorites this season and have a 6-0 record at home. So it’s not a surprise that they are such big favorites for Sunday Night Football. But we still like this Saints’ defense and think they can keep it close. Trevor Siemian took a lot of the snaps for NO in the first game vs. the Bucs. Now it’s going to be Taysom Hill, who adds a different dimension to the offense. Tampa’s defense showed that it was not very good last week, letting Buffalo come back from a 21-point halftime deficit to force overtime. Alvin Kamara returned to the Saints lineup last week after missing four games. The Saints have won the last six regular season meetings with the Bucs. Do they win here? Probably not. But they will stay within the number. So take the points. Play on NEW ORLEANS

AAA

This is a 10* on CINCINNATI

Last week, the SuperBook had the look-ahead line for this game at Bengals -3. But due to last week’s results, we’re now a long ways away from that look-ahead line. Denver definitely didn’t have any problem winning 38-10 last week, but that was against a 1-win Detroit team that was playing shorthanded. As for Cincinnati, they came all the way back from a 20-6 fourth quarter deficit to force overtime. But after kicking a FG to go up 23-20, the defense gave up a TD to lose 26-23. With both the Bengals and Broncos coming in at 7-6, this is a massive game for both teams’ playoff hopes. The bloom has come off the “Cincinnati rose” a bit in recent weeks as the Bengals have lost two straight at home. But they still have a +61 point differential and are 4-1 on the road. We think the Bengals are better than the Broncos. No team has scored more touchdowns outside the red zone than Cincy. Joe Burrow’s finger injury doesn’t look to be a problem as he threw for over 300 yards last week. We really can’t see the Bengals losing three straight after such a good start to the year. Home favorites of less than a field goal have performed quite poorly this NFL season. They are 6-14 straight up and ATS. Play on CINCINNATI

AAA

This is a 9* on NY JETS

Miami returns from its bye on a five-game win streak (also 5-0 ATS) and at 6-7 for the year. They are just one game behind the Bills for second place in the AFC East and very much still alive in the playoff hunt. Down at the bottom of the division is the Jets, who are 3-10 and coming off a rather ugly 30-9 home loss to New Orleans. While we can understand the lack of enticement for the Jets in this spot, this is a lot of points for Miami to lay. The Dolphins still only average 19.5 points/game. They were 6.5 point favorites in their last game and did cover, but that’s the only game this season where the ‘Fins were a favorite of more than 3.5 points. During the win streak, Miami’s average of 2.9 yards per carry ranked dead last in the league and they may not have any of their top three running backs on Sunday. Are the Jets bad? In a word, yes. But only three teams in NFL history have gotten back to .500 after falling six or more games below and it’s happened only once since 1984. If this line reaches double digits, it will be only the second time since 2010 that Miami is favored by 10 or more. What we are saying here is that the line is just too high. The Jets will keep this one close. Play on NY JETS

AAA

This is a 8* on OVER

The Cowboys and Giants renew acquaintances in Week 15. The Cowboys lead the NFC East by three games with a 9-4 record. After taking a 24-0 lead into halftime last week vs. Washington, things did get a bit too close for comfort when the Football Team stormed back to get within seven. But Dallas did win the game, 27-20. Another win here would move Dallas very close to wrapping up a division title. In recent years, the Giants have been rather accommodating. Including a 44-20 win on Oct 10, the Cowboys have taken eight of the last nine meetings from the Giants. The incarnation of the G-men that they will face on Sunday has Mike Glennon playing QB. The Giants lost 37-21 last week to the Chargers to fall to 4-9. Despite Glennon playing QB for the Giants and the Cowboys’ being banged up at running back, we like this game to go Over, just as the last meeting did. Dallas is second in the league in scoring at 29.2 points/game. We had the Over in last week’s game vs. Washington and were denied a win by a missed extra point. We look for this game to make it Over, as similar to last week, the Cowboys should race out to a big lead and then start playing lax defense. The Over is 17-8 in the previous 25 Cowboys-Giants matchups, including 4-1 the previous five. Play on OVER

AAA

This is an 8* on PITTSBURGH

Tennessee is 9-4, which believe it or not has them tied with the Patriots and Chiefs for the best record in the AFC. We understand that the Titans beat the Chiefs as well as the likes of the Colts, Bills and Rams. But does this really “feel” like the top team in the AFC? We don’t think so. Do not forget they lost to the Texans. With only a +34 point point differential on the year, Tennessee should probably feel lucky to be 9-4. Remember their point differential was only +14 before sending Urban Meyer to an early retirement last week. The Titans have four wins by three points or less. Now Pittsburgh’s also been a bit lucky in close games. But with their record at only 6-6-1, they are in much more dire need of a win Sunday. At home, we think they get the win they need. Lots of injuries on the Titans' side. There’s no Derrick Henry and no AJ Brown. That’s part of the reason the offense could only manage 3.8 yards per play against the Jaguars last week. Key for the Steelers is getting off to a good start. They’ve scored zero first half touchdowns the last three games and found themselves in a 28-0 hole vs. Minnesota last week. But that was a Thursday game, just four days removed from a physical win over the Ravens. Now they’ve had more time to prepare and are at home. As a small favorite, they’ll come up big. Play on PITTSBURGH

AAA

This is a 10* on NEW ENGLAND

The Colts are actually favored here. While they are a good team and probably better than their 7-6 record, Indy isn’t as good as New England, who is the hottest team in the league. The Patriots opened this season at 2-4. Since then, they have both won and covered seven in a row. Both teams are off byes here. But we like the Patriots defense, which has allowed no more than 13 points in six of those last seven wins. That defense is why the Pats were able to get away with throwing just three passes two Mondays ago in Buffalo. It also helped that they ran for 222 yards. Now it’s not as if the Colts aren’t hot themselves. They’ve won four of five and seven of 10 (two losses in overtime). However, three of their last four wins were over the Jets, Jags and Texans aka the three worst teams in the NFL, New England is on an 8-0 run against Indianapolis. While many of the players have changed, Bill Belichick has been the Patriots’ coach for all of those wins. NE has also won all six of its road games this year. The Colts are only 3-4 here at home. The Patriots should be the favorites in this game. Because they are not, we are definitely “getting down.” Play on NEW ENGLAND

AAA

This is a 10* on KC

Kansas City has won its last six games and it’s been the defense leading the charge. The Chiefs have allowed just 10.8 points/game during the six-game win streak with no opponent scoring more than 17 on them. The last three weeks have seen KC give up exactly nine points in every game. It’s also on a 4-0 ATS run at the betting window. Tonight’s game shapes up as the biggest of the year. The Chiefs have revenge for a 30-24 loss back in Week 3. If they win tonight, then it’s a two-game lead in the AFC West. But if they lose, they’re tied with the Chargers and would lose the tiebreak. We believe in KC, not just because of the defense, but also Patrick Mahomes. Despite having what is considered a “down year,” Mahomes is still fifth in the league with 3,642 passing yards. The Chiefs put up 48 points last week on the Raiders. They were -4 in turnovers in the first meeting with the Chargers and got outscored 16-7 in the fourth quarter. That turnover margin negated a 437-352 edge in total yards and 33-21 edge in first downs. The Chiefs have won seven straight road games over the Chargers, who have the worst home field advantage in the sport. On the COVID front, LA could be without 2-3 starting offensive linemen. Look for Kansas City to get its revenge tonight and keep rolling. Play on KANSAS CITY

This is a 10* on LA RAMS

After enduring an 0-3 November (SU and ATS), the Rams had what amounted to a “get well game” last week as they throttled the Jaguars 37-7. That leaves them two games back of the Cardinals in the NFC West and tonight is pretty much a “must win” if the Rams have any hope of winning the division. That’s because they lost the first meeting with Arizona, 37-20, back in Week 4 as a 3.5 point home favorite. Here’s why we think tonight will be different for the Rams. For starters, the Cardinals are just 3-2 since a 7-0 start. Also, while Arizona is 7-0 SU on the road, they are just 3-2 at home. Going back further, the Cards are 4-10 ATS in their previous 14 games as a home favorite. Going into Sunday, any home favorite of three points or less was just 6-13 straight up and against the spread this year in the NFL. Sean McVay was 8-0 ATS vs. the Cardinals prior to the Week 4 loss. Don’t be fooled by the fact Arizona won 33-22 last week. They were outgained 329-257 and had 12 fewer first downs than the Bears. The key to the Cardinals winning at Soldier Field was being +4 in the turnover department. Thanks to roster additions like Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr, the Rams are a stronger team now than they were back in Week 4. This game is more important to them, so we are taking the points. Play on LA RAMS

AAA

This is an 8* on GREEN BAY

Back in Week 6, Green Bay (-5.5) defeated Chicago 24-14 at Soldier Field. It was during that game Packers QB Aaron Rodgers quipped about “owning” the Bears. Rodgers has a point. Only Brett Favre has more wins over Chicago during the Super Bowl era. Favre went 23-13 vs. the Bears in his career. Rodgers might have fewer wins than his predecessor, but has been more profitable to bet on with a 19-6 ATS (21-5 SU) head to head record against the “Monsters of the Midway.” The Bears have won just one game since that Week 6 loss. That was on Thanksgiving against the Lions where they needed a last second field goal to win 16-14. Justin Fields is expected to start Sunday night for Chicago. But honestly who cares? The Bears offense is no better with Fields than it is with Andy Dalton. Lame duck coach Matt Nagy is calling the plays either way. Green Bay is playing at home and coming off the bye. The Pack are 5-0 SU and ATS in Lambeau, scoring 27.8 points/game while allowing just 14.4. In the last two games, GB has scored 31 and 36 points. The Bears have yet to score more than 27 in any game all season and have scored 20 or less a total of eight times. Play on GREEN BAY

AAA

This is a 10* on BUFFALO

In blustery conditions, the Bills went down 14-10 at the hands of the Patriots Monday night. It’s a loss that leaves them at 7-5 and two games off the pace in the division. Given how this season started, it’s kind of shocking to see Buffalo with five losses right now. Even more strange is that New England was able to win despite attempting only three passes! You can expect Tom Brady and the Bucs to attempt a lot more than that. But fortunately, the Bills’ pass defense ranks first in the league in yards allowed per game (165.3) and fewest touchdowns allowed (8). The Bills’ offense won’t have to contend with horrible weather conditions here in Tampa Bay, so look for Josh Allen and the passing attack to be revitalized. Even after Monday, Buffalo still averages 28.0 points/game, placing them in the top five in the league. Tampa is undefeated at home, but they’ve previously hosted the Giants, Bears, Dolphins, Falcons and Cowboys. Only the Cowboys have a winning record out of that group and the Bucs beat them by just two points. Buffalo has been an underdog only one other time this season. It was against Kansas City, a game they won 38-20. The perception right now is that the Bucs are a lot better than the Bills. But we don’t agree with that and will take the points. Play on BUFFALO

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This is a 10* on OVER

Washington has gotten back into the NFC East race by winning four straight games. They are also 4-0 ATS during that time as they’ve been the underdog in all four wins. So this is quite the run that the Football Team is on right now. On Sunday, they can further narrow the division lead as first place Dallas comes to town. The Cowboys, coming off back to back Thursday games, are 8-4 and still have a two-game lead over Washington. Last week saw Dallas go to New Orleans and win 27-17 as a 6.5 point favorite. That came on the heels of a shocking overtime loss on Thanksgiving to the Raiders. The final score of that Thanksgiving Day loss was 36-33. We expect this one to be high scoring as well. The Cowboys offense is finally healthy. Pay close attention to the status of RB Pollard, who missed practice on Wednesday, but even if he can’t go the team still has Ezekiel Elliott to hand the ball off to. Washington’s last two games both ended up as 17-15 finals, but they moved the ball more than you might think. The Over has hit 9 of the previous 11 times these teams have met. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on PIT

These are two teams desperately needing a win as each tries to remain relevant in their respective conference’s playoff race. There’s no doubt that the Steelers are in better shape right now at 6-5-1 and coming off a surprise 20-19 win over the Ravens. While Pittsburgh now has to hit the road on a short week, they are facing a 5-7 Vikings team that just lost to the Lions and has two key playmakers on offense banged up. WR Thielen will not play for Minnesota tonight. RB Dalvin Cook reportedly will, but we don’t think he’ll be all that effective after suffering a dislocated left shoulder 11 days ago. You’ve got to think this will end up being a close game. The Steelers and Vikings have combined to play 24 games this season. Of those, 19 have been one-score games. That’s one of the reasons we’re taking the points tonight. The other is that the Steelers have a much better defense. They’ve allowed 20 points or less in half of their games. Minnesota has kept only three opponents under 20 points and over the last seven games they’ve allowed 28 or more five times. Play on PITTSBURGH

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This is a 10* on BUF

Two of the best teams in the NFL face off Monday night as the 7-4 Bills host the 8-4 Patriots. The Patriots are the hottest team in the league right now. They’ve won and covered six straight games with five of those victories coming by at least 18 points. But tonight is easily the Patriots’ toughest matchup of the season, let alone since they got hot. Having not played since Thanksgiving, Buffalo has had extra time to prepare for this AFC East showdown. Conversely, New England is yet to have a bye (they are off next week). So that would really seem to favor the home team. We know that the Patriots are 5-0 on the road, but those wins have been against the Jets, Texans, Chargers, Panthers and Falcons. Only one of those five (Chargers) has a winning record. Three of the other four are among the worst teams in the league. With a visit to Tampa Bay scheduled for next week and a future visit to New England also on the docket, tonight is “must win” for the Bills at home. It should be a fired-up crowd and after being embarrassed (41-15 by the Colts) in their last home game, Buffalo is going to look to make a “statement” Monday night. Play on BUFFALO

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This is an 8* on OVER

Flexed into the Sunday night position, the Chiefs host the Broncos this week. Kansas City is coming off a bye. Coach Andy Reid is usually deadly in this situation, going 14-8 ATS, but that includes 1-3 the last four years. The Chiefs were playing well going into the bye, winning four straight with the defense surprisingly leading the way by allowing just 11.75 points/game. They are facing a Denver team that has seen the Under hit in 9 of 11 games this year. The O/U has come down for this game, but we’re going with the Over as KC scored 41 in its last appearance on “Sunday Night Football.” Denver put up 28 last week in a surprising win over the Chargers. That win puts the Broncos one game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West and tied with the Chargers and Raiders. It was the second time in three weeks that Denver scored 28 or more. While it looks like most are expecting a relatively low-scoring affair, we’re going the other way. Play on OVER

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This is a 9* on the UNDER

The 49ers have not only won three straight, but also four of five SU and ATS. In Week 12, they held off the Vikings for a 34-26 win and covered the four-point spot. This run has gotten the Niners back into playoff contention as they are now 6-5 on the season. The Seahawks are headed in the opposite direction. Monday’s 17-15 loss in Washington was Seattle’s third straight setback, leaving them at 3-8 overall. The Under has hit in five straight Seahawks’ games and we think it will be six straight after this NFC West clash. Since Russell Wilson returned, the Seattle offense has scored a total of 26 points in three losses. They had only 10 first downs and five straight three-and-outs on MNF.  But the defense hasn’t been all that bad, giving up an average of only 15.4 points during the five-game Under run. San Francisco has scored 30 or more in three straight games, but the Seahawks haven’t allowed that many since Week 3. The Under is 6-0 in Seattle’s last six conference games and 13-2 in Wilson’s previous 15 starts. When these teams played in Week 4, it was a 28-13 game (Seattle’s favor) until a late TD + 2 pt conversion from the Niners. This game should see SF control the clock by running the ball, leading to fewer possessions (for both teams). The Niners will be without WR Samuel. Play on UNDER

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This is a 10* on LA RAMS

We know the Rams have lost three in a row. But we can’t see them struggling to beat a 2-9 Jacksonville outfit that has not cleared 17 points in any of its last five games. Despite being only 1.5 point home dogs, the Jaguars lost last week 21-14 to the Falcons. That was their third straight loss since a stunning 9-6 win over the Bills in Week 9. The Rams' last three losses have all been to winning teams (Titans, 49ers, Packers), which doesn’t make it any better, especially because they closed as favorites in all three games. Going back even further, LA is 0-5 ATS in its last five games. But this has all the makings of a “get well” game for the NFC West contingent. The Jags are second to last in offense at 15.7 points/game. The Rams average 27.2 points/game and that’s when facing better competition than they’ll see on Sunday.  Against sub-.500 teams, LA is 5-0 this year with the average win coming by 16.2 points. This is their firs game at home since acquiring Von Miller and Odell Beckham. It should be an inspired effort. Jacksonville has lost 15 straight non-conference games and knows its season is basically “over” at this point. We don’t expect the underdog to put up much resistance in this one. Play on LA RAMS

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This is a 9* on MINNESOTA

Minnesota needs to string a couple wins together or they run the risk of falling out of playoff contention. Fortunately, the Vikings are facing the winless Lions this week. Coming up short in San Francisco last week leaves the Vikes at 5-6 SU overall. All six losses have been one-possession games, four by four points or less and two in overtime. As for Detroit, they just let their best chance at a win slip away on Thanksgiving, losing 16-14 to the Bears. The Lions have also dropped four games by four points or less. One was at Minnesota, 19-17 in Week 5, which came down to a last second FG. We don’t think the rematch will be quite as close as the Vikings should be “out for blood” this Sunday. Look for WR Jefferson to have a big game as not only was he named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, but he had seven catches for 124 yards in the first meeting. This terrible Lions offense hasn’t scored more than 19 points since Week 1. Neither team will have its starting RB. But Detroit has lost eight straight times to Minnesota, a streak that goes all the way back to 2017. Dan Campbell is not the man for the job nor is Jared Goff. Lay the number is this one. Play on MINNESOTA

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This is an 8* on OVER

Two teams in the AFC playoff hunt will meet in Cincinnati this Sunday as the Bengals host the Chargers. Cincy is now 7-4 after blowing out Pittsburgh 41-10 last week. That was right here at home and came on the heels of a 32-13 road win in Vegas. So the Bengals definitely seem to be humming again after head-scratching losses to the Jets and Browns. The Bengals’ last five games have averaged a total of 55.2 points with all but one clearing 50. So that’s why we’ve got a high total here. Another reason is what the Chargers are capable of doing offensively. Two weeks ago, they put over 500 yards of offense in a 41-37 win over the Steelers. Things weren’t as good last week when the Lightning Bolts lost 28-13 at Denver. But that was only the third game all season that LA did not score 20 or more points. In fact, since Week 3, the Chargers have scored 24 or more points in all but two games. Look for Justin Herbert to have a bounce back game on Sunday and the Bengals will put up their usual number of points as well. The Chargers’ defense, which is second worst in the league at stopping the run, has given up an average of 31.3 points the seven games (2nd most in the league during that span) with all seven opponents scoring at least 24. Cincinnati is averaging the second most points in the league (31.3/game) since Week 6. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Dallas was tremendous over the first two months of the season, going 6-1 straight up and 7-0 against the spread. But they definitely gave some back in November, going 1-3 SU and ATS. The Cowboys were losers on Thanksgiving Day, falling 36-33 in overtime to the Raiders. Now they’’ turn around and face another Thanksgiving Day loser, the Saints, in another Thursday game. New Orleans got blasted by Buffalo 31-6 as a seven-point home underdog last week. It was their fourth consecutive loss. Before this current losing streak, you would have had to go all the way back to 2016 to find the last time any Saints team lost three in a row. With both teams struggling, we’re not interested in playing either side here. Instead, the Over looks to be where the value is at. The Dallas defense gave up over 500 yards last week, including 366 through the air. Per sources, New Orleans is making a change at QB to Taysom Hill. We like the move. But what Hill can’t fix is a Saints defense that’s allowed 71 points the last two games and an average of 29.6 its last five. The Cowboys offense is likely to see WR CeeDee Lamb return. The impact of not having coach Mike McCarthy on the sidelines should be minimal for the road team. McCarthy is generally regarded as a bottom tier coach. The Over has hit in the Cowboys' last four Thursday games. Play on OVER

This is a 10* on SEATTLE

It’s not the most attractive matchup on Monday night, but we like the Seahawks to cover against the Washington Football Team. While Seattle is a very disappointing 3-7, this is a game they can certainly win. Last week, the ‘Hawks were favored to beat 9-2 Arizona. We know that game was at home and the Cardinals didn’t have Kyler Murray. But it’s certainly a bit jarring to see them go from being favored to beat the team with the best record in the league to underdogs against a 4-6 Football Team. Now Washington has won two straight. One of those was against Tampa Bay. Then they went on the road to upset Carolina last week. But the Football Team is still a subpar outfit. Seattle might have some injuries, but they have Russell Wilson. They also have the highest win percentage in the history of Monday Night Football, including 11 wins in the past 14 appearances. We see this as a classic buy low spot on the Seahawks, who are the better team. We’re getting a good number as the lookahead line had them favored by 3.5 points. Play on SEATTLE

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This is a 9* on OVER

The Chargers scored 41 points and gained over 500 yards last week. It came down to the final minute, as all Chargers’ games seem to do, but they were a 41-37 winner over Pittsburgh. This just in: QB Justin Herbert is very good. Denver’s defense isn’t as good as you think, which was evident two weeks ago when they gave up 30 points to the Eagles. Meanwhile, look for the Broncos’ offense to move the ball via the running game. The Chargers are last in the league at stopping the run. Denver has two good backs - Melvin Gordon III and Javonte Williams - who have combined for 4.7 yards per rush and 1,333 scrimmage yards. Each of the Chargers’ last six opponents have scored at least 24 points. Look for this to turn into a pretty high-scoring affair. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on TB

Tampa Bay continued its strong play at home with a 30-10 win over the Giants on Monday Night Football. The Super Bowl Champs are now 5-0 SU at home this year. But on the road, they are only 2-3 SU and 0-5 ATS. An 0-3 ATS record this season against teams that have winning records is even less inspiring. But we will still lay the points with the Bucs in this one. Indianapolis, coming off a 41-15 win over Buffalo, seems a little overvalued. The Colts were +4 in turnover margin against the Bills, which was the difference. They’ve played three straight games of turnover-free football. A fourth straight seems a bit much as would be asking them to cover for a fifth straight time as a dog. We think the big key in this game is the Bucs having the league’s top ranked run defense. So they should be able to slow down Colts RB Jonathan Taylor a bit. You’ve got to figure that first ATS road win is coming. Only having to lay a field goal seems like a solid value. The Colts gained fewer yards per play last week than the Bills, which will be surprising to some given the final score. Play on TAMPA BAY

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This is an 8* on JAX

Jacksonville should be favored in this game. We know they are one of the worst teams in the NFL. But so are the Falcons, who have put up only three points total in the last two games. After being humiliated 43-3 in Dallas, Atlanta was shutout at home by New England, 25-0, last Thursday. The offensive struggles are easy to understand. WR Calvin Ridley remains out and RB Cordarrelle Patterson has been bothered by an ankle injury. Here’s something that is truly unbelievable - the Falcons haven’t had a single run play go for more than 18 yards all season. Now Jacksonville has gone four straight games without topping 17 points. But they did beat the Bills and cover against the Colts. Last week’s 30-10 loss to the 49ers was a step back and their 14th straight loss to NFC opponents. But if they’re ever going to stop that streak, it would be here. In a battle of two of the league’s worst teams, we will side with the home team getting points. Atlanta is 9-17 ATS its last 26 games as a favorite, 3-6 ATS since the start of last season. Play on JACKSONVILLE

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This is an 8* on CAR

Under Matt Rhule, Carolina has simply been a better team on the road. They are 10-3 ATS in his two-year tenure, which includes 3-2 SU/ATS this year. The last time the Panthers went on the road, they beat Arizona 34-10. Unfortunately though, they lost 27-21 to Washington at home last week. But Cam Newton looked good with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was a tie game in the fourth quarter. Miami has won and covered three in a row, but two of the wins were against the Texans and Jets. They are 0-3 ATS this year when the spread is three points or less. Carolina’s defense ranks second in the league in total yards allowed and is first against the pass. They do a good job at pressuring the QB (1st in pressure rate L4 weeks) and pass protection has been a problem for this Dolphins’ offensive line all year as they’ve given up the sixth most sacks. On a three-game win streak with the Jets and Giants coming up next, Miami might be feeling good about themselves. But we don’t see them winning a fourth straight game. They’re one of the worst teams in the league. Lay the points. Play on CAROLINA

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This is an 8* on BUFFALO

At one time, Buffalo looked to be the best team in the NFL. Three losses in the last five games have really tempered enthusiasm though. Yet we still believe in the team from upstate NY. The Bills have the league’s second best point differential at +119. Their top ranked defense was shredded on Sunday by Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, who scored five touchdowns. But that was a very misleading 41-15 final score. What if we told you that the Bills gained more yards per play than the Colts in that game? They did. The problem was they were -4 in the turnover battle. We think they bounce back Thanksgiving Night against the reeling Saints. New Orleans has lost three in a row. They were thoroughly dominated by the Eagles on Sunday in a 40-29 loss. Trevor Siemian, filling in for an injured Jameis Winston, is not getting it done at quarterback. The injuries are starting to pile up in the Big Easy as TE Trautman is out 4-6 weeks and OT Young will have season-ending foot surgery. The Saints are pretty clearly the inferior side in this matchup. Buffalo, who is 3-0 ATS off a straight up loss this year, is the only team in the league to be top three in both scoring offense and defense. Play on BUFFALO

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This is a 10* on OVER

Both the Raiders and Cowboys are reeling coming into Thanksgiving Day. The Raiders lost their third straight game on Sunday and are now just 5-5 SU. They’ve scored just 43 points during this losing skid. The last two losses have been blowouts: 41-14 to the Chiefs and 32-13 in Cincinnati. Both of those were home games. The Raiders now leave Sin City to take on a Dallas team that put up a season-low nine points against the Chiefs on Sunday. However, the Cowboys are in a lot better shape than the Raiders are. Dallas still leads the NFC East with a 7-3 record. Considering they average the third most points/game in the NFL (29.3), we’re willing to “write off” what happened in the last game. The last time the Cowboys played at home, they put up 43 points. That was the third time this year they scored 40 or more at home. The Raiders’ defense isn’t good, so we’re expecting another strong effort from Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense. But look for Derek Carr and Las Vegas to put up some points as well. They substantially outgained the Bengals offense on a per play basis. Not only is the Over 11-4-1 in the Raiders’ last 16 games as an underdog, but it is 7-2 the last nine times following a straight-up loss. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on UNDER

So we do not yet know who will be playing QB for the Lions on Thanksgiving Day. Does that matter though? The team has yet to win a game and will be going with either Jared Goff or Tim Boyle. Boyle made his first NFL start last week in a 13-10 loss to the Browns. He threw for 77 yards and had two interceptions. Goff’s last eight starts haven’t been much better. One would have to go back to Week 1 to find the last time that the Lions scored more than 19 points. They are 30th in the league in scoring.  Right ahead of them, in 29th, is this year’s Thanksgiving Day opponent. Chicago averages just 16.3 points/game. They will reportedly be starting Andy Dalton at QB. Dalton replaced an injured Justin Fields on Sunday and the Bears wound up with only 13 points and lost to the Ravens. It was the seventh game this year that the Bears scored 20 points or less. There are rumors that head coach Matt Nagy might be fired after this game. That’s inspiring! So let’s summarize. Chicago is starting Andy Dalton with a potentially lame-duck head coach. They are facing a winless team starting either Jared Goff or Tim Boyle. We will take the Under.  Play on UNDER

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This is a 10* on OVER

The Bucs are thankful to be back home Monday night after losing two in a row on the road. The two losses saw them give up 36 points to the Saints and 29 points to the Washington Football Team. But defense shouldn’t be much of a concern tonight as Brady and the offense are averaging a jaw-dropping 40.0 points/game at home. The last time they played in Tampa, the Bucs scored 35 points in the first half. So we’ll play the Over tonight as the Super Bowl Champs host the 3-6 Giants. New York is off a 23-16 win over Las Vegas and then last week had a bye. So there’s been plenty of time to get the offense ready to put enough points on the board to help send this one Over the total. Giants’ road games have been pretty high scoring this year, averaging 52.1 points/game. They both score and allow more on the road than they do at home. The Over has hit each of the last six times these teams have played. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on LAC

Ben Roethlisberger passed COVID-19 protocols on Saturday and the expectation is that he will start tonight. But the Steelers aren’t a very good team. Without Big Ben, they tied the Lions last week in a very ugly game. While their record is 5-3-1, the Steelers have been outscored. We mentioned last week that none of their five wins this year have come by more than eight points. So they are probably a bit lucky to have a winning record coming into this game with the Chargers, who are looking to bounce back from a loss to Minnesota that leaves them at 5-4. The Chargers also have a slightly negative point differential on the year. But they’ve impressed us more as they’ve played only one bad game (at Baltimore). West coast teams usually have the edge in night games. The Steelers are banged up on the defensive side of the ball (no TJ Watt) while the Chargers may be getting Joey Bosa back. The Steelers average only 18.3 points/game on the road. The Chargers average 27.3 points/game. Justin Herbert is simply a much better QB than Big Ben at this stage of the game. Herbert will take advantage of that banged up Steelers defense. Lay the points. Play on LA CHARGERS

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This is a 10* on SEA

It’s looking like Kyler Murray won’t play for Arizona. That’s bad news for a Cardinals team that lost last week to Carolina, 34-10. If Murray can’t go, then Colt McCoy will again be at the helm. McCoy suffered a pectoral injury in the loss last week, so Arizona is really banged up at QB. They’ve also lost two of their last three games after a 7-0 start. Now Seattle obviously has its own set of problems as they are 3-6 and were shut out by the Packers 17-0 last week. Russell Wilson’s return to the lineup proved to be a real ‘dud’, but at least he’s back. Wilson threw two interceptions in the end zone against the Packers, which really proved to be the difference in the game. We expect Wilson will play a lot better this week in a game the Seahawks really “have to have.” The Seahawks’ offense scored 28 or more points in three of the first four weeks of the season, all with Wilson healthy. Having their starting QB back at the same time Arizona has major injury issues at the position is pretty fortuitous. We will take advantage of the situation here by taking the Seahawks, who are 36-15-4 ATS their last 55 games off a loss. Play on SEATTLE

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This is an 8* on DETROIT

The Lions are still winless, but they covered for us last week in Pittsburgh. We had them as nine-point underdogs in a game that ended up being a 16-16 tie. Now that line came down, by a lot, when it was announced Ben Roethlisberger wouldn’t play for the Steelers. But no matter what number you got the Lions at, it was an ATS win. The opponent this week (Cleveland) doesn’t have a backup QB, but they are a mess (lost 45-7 at New England last week) and should not be this large of a favorite against anyone right now. The Browns are 2-4 ATS in their last six games and one of the two games they covered was a three-point win. They did not cover the previous time they were double digit favorites (-13.5 vs. Houston). They have just two wins by more than 10 points this season. Meanwhile, as poor as this season has gone for the Lions, they’ve lost by more than 10 points only three times. They are 5-1 ATS when getting four or more points and have covered three straight road games. Play on DETROIT

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This is a 9* on UNDER

Expect the Jets and Dolphins to play a low-scoring affair on Sunday. The Jets are 26th in the league in scoring at 17.9 points/game. They are starting Joe Flacco at quarterback this week. That sounds dire. If you can believe it, the Dolphins actually rank lower in scoring than the Jets. They are scoring just 17.7 points per game. That ranks 28th. So we’ve got two of the bottom seven scoring offenses here. The reason the last six Jets games have all gone Over the total is because their defense is horrible, giving up a league-worst 32.9 points/game. When they face teams like Buffalo, Indianapolis, Cincinnati or New England (their last four opponents), that’s obviously a problem. Miami is unlikely to take advantage of this porous defense though. The Dolphins have scored only 50 points - total - the last three weeks. All three games went Under. On the bright side, the Miami defense has allowed just 19 points in the last two games, including a really impressive effort last Thursday vs. Baltimore. Play on UNDER

This is an 8* on OVER

Buffalo is #2 in the league in scoring, averaging 31.1 points/game. They put 45 on the board last week against the worst defensive team in the league, the Jets. They won’t need nearly that much here vs. Indianapolis for the game to go Over the total. That’s because the Colts are top eight in points scored at 26.8 per game. We’re really surprised that this number isn’t higher. Indy had scored 30 or more in four straight games going into last week’s 23-17 win against Jacksonville. Given how these two offenses have consistently put up points, how can you NOT go Over? The Over is 10-1 in the Colts' last 11 games vs. teams that have winning records. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on NE

It seems safe to say that all signs point to a New England blowout tonight. The Patriots have won their last four games by a combined 100 points. They beat Cleveland 45-7 on Sunday, outgaining the Browns 2:1 and not allowing any points after the opening drive. Going on the road has not been a problem for these Patriots as they are 4-0 SU away from Foxboro with those four wins coming by an average of 10.5 points/game. Atlanta is 0-3 straight up and against the spread at home. They just got beat 43-3 in Dallas. Their top receiver Calvin Ridley is out and running back Cordarrelle Patterson is a game-time decision. Even if Patterson plays, we expect the Falcons offense to be ineffective in this game. They are 25th in scoring and 29th in rush yards. It doesn’t help that the defense is also 29th in points allowed. Though the 4-5 record doesn’t seem bad, Atlanta has been outscored by 85 points this year. This is a top five team against a bottom five team. Lay the points. Play on NEW ENGLAND

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This is a 10* on OVER

The big story for tonight is that Odell Beckham will be making his Rams’ debut. Beckham arrives in LA at an opportune time - the Rams lost last week to the Titans, 28-16, and then WR Robert Woods went down in practice with a season-ending knee injury. But Beckham may not be the only high-profile debut for the Rams here. On the defensive side, Von Miller could suit up for the first time since the Rams traded for him. Whether or not the former Bronco plays is dependent on the ankle injury that kept him out last week. The Rams are 4-0 on the road this season while the 49ers are 0-4 at home. But the 49ers have won all four meetings the previous two seasons, three of them as underdogs. We like the total tonight. The Rams being held to only 16 points last week (and that was with a late TD) was odd. They are among the highest scoring teams in the NFL at 29.0 points/game. On the road, the scoring average jumps to 32.3 points/game. Stafford is the only QB in the league to have nine games with 250+ yards passing. Since returning, the Niners’ Jimmy Garoppolo has thrown for 300+ yards in back to back games. With just one win in the last six games, the home team will be desperate here and knows it’s going to take a lot of points to win. The last three 49ers’ games have gone Over the total as either they have scored or allowed 30 points in all of them. San Francisco’s defense is allowing almost 30 PPG at home. Both offenses should bounce back from subpar performances last week. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on KANSAS CITY

It was ugly but Kansas City got a 13-7 win last week over Green Bay (who was without Aaron Rodgers). The Chiefs could not cover the inflated number though, so they are now 4-16 against the spread in their last 20 games. It may seem risky to lay points with Patrick Mahomes on the road right now, but we’re going to do it Sunday night in Las Vegas. The Raiders were exposed a bit in last week’s 23-16 loss to the Giants. It is true that they had 156 more total yards than their opponent. But this is a team that has now lost to the Giants and Bears, plus needed overtime to get by the lowly Dolphins. Looking at this pair of five-win AFC West teams, we are more confident in the Chiefs making a second half run than we are the Raiders. Play on KANSAS CITY

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This is a 10* on SEATTLE

So the Seahawks are set to get Russell Wilson back. We do not yet know if the Packers will have Aaron Rodgers on the field. What we do know is that without Rodgers, the Packers could only score seven points against a Chiefs defense that is terrible. We also know that the Seahawks are a much better team with Wilson under center. Wilson is 24-12-2 ATS in his pro career as an underdog. When getting four or more points, he is 10-1 against the spread with seven outright wins. If Rodgers cannot play Sunday, then this line is a steal. Even if we knew he was playing, we’d still take the points. Why? All things considered, these teams are pretty even. Seattle’s point differential is +12. Green Bay, despite being 7-2, has a point differential of +19. The Packers are not as good as their straight up record and their ATS win streak, currently tied for the longest in the last three NFL seasons, is due to end. It won’t be until late Saturday that Rodgers’ status for this game becomes official. So even if he does play, that’s less than 24 hours to prepare. By the way, the Seahawks are coming off a bye. Play on SEATTLE

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This is a 10* on UNDER

The Browns got a huge win last week, beating Cincinnati by the score of 41-16. They did get a 99-yard INT return for a touchdown early in the game, which was a big swing. The offense for this team has been really “feast or famine” this season. Three times the Browns have topped 40 points. They also have four games where they scored 17 or less. Three of those came in the three weeks preceding the win over the Bengals. But another interesting thing about Cleveland is that the defense has had three games this year where it allowed 37 or more points. But it also has put together five games where it allowed no more than 16 points. The last three weeks have seen the Browns allow an average of 15 points/game. So which Browns offense - and Browns defense - will show up this week in New England? Well, we don’t like the prospects for the offense. Nick Chubb (COVID) may not be able to play. The Patriots allow only 18.6 points/game at home and last week held the Panthers to six points in Carolina. But the good news for Browns fans is that we’re not sold on rookie QB Mac Jones and the New England offense. Yes, Jones and company have put up some nice numbers in recent weeks. But they did so at the expense of some bad defenses. Play on UNDER

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This is an 8* on DETROIT

Coming out of a bye, is this the time for the Lions to finally win? The league’s only winless team (0-8) visits Pittsburgh this week. If you think the Steelers are as good as their 5-3 SU record, then you’re crazy. They nearly threw the game away Monday night vs. Chicago. By the way, how about the nice little scheduling advantage for the road team? They’re not coming off a bye, but also facing a team on a short week. The Steelers are only averaging 20.1 points, so why would you lay a big number with them? The Bears outgained them 414-280. It was the third game in a row that Pittsburgh won by five points or less. None of their wins this year have come by more than eight points. Going back to the end of last season, the Steelers have failed to cover the last eight times they were favored. Not only is Detroit 8-1 ATS coming off a bye week the last nine seasons, but teams 0-5 or worse coming off a bye are 18-6 ATS all-time. Definitely grab the points in this one. Play on DETROIT

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This is a 10* on MIAMI

The history between the Ravens and Dolphins has been very one-sided. Baltimore has won eight of the last nine meetings and gone 9-0 ATS! The three most recent meetings (2016, ‘17 and ‘19) have seen the Ravens win by a combined score of 137-16! However, lets not forget what happened just three weeks ago. The Ravens played a Cincinnati team they were known for dominating. We said to take the points with the Bengals and sure enough THEY won the game 41-14! Miami probably is not capable of doing the same thing. But we do expect them to keep this Thursday night game within one score. Most Ravens’ wins this year have been close. Like last week when they beat Minnesota in overtime after trailing by two touchdowns. It was the fourth Baltimore win this year by fewer than seven points and second in overtime. Remember the Monday night game vs. Indianapolis where we played against them? That should have been a loss for the Ravens (they won, but did not cover). Miami was also a winner last week, with Jacoby Brissett as the starting QB, so that should give them some confidence heading into Thursday night. The Ravens, 0-5 ATS as favorites of 3.5 to 9.5 points, are not as good as their record. Play on MIAMI

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This is a 10* on CHICAGO

Chicago is 1-5 ATS as an underdog this season and 0-3 ATS the last three games overall. But Pittsburgh is 0-3 ATS when favored in 2021, losing two of the games straight up. So something is going to have to give on Monday Night Football. This is actually the most points that the Steelers have been favored by in any game all season. It was a wacky Sunday in the NFL and a Bears win here would certainly follow the pattern of results we saw yesterday. We’re not confident enough to predict the underdog winning outright here, but we do like the points. All four of the Steelers’ wins this year have been by one score. Chicago’s 3-5 SU record is not all that surprising when you consider they have faced six teams that have winning records. They didn’t have coach Matt Nagy on the sidelines last week because of COVID. Nagy is the play caller on offense. Rookie QB Fields showed some flashes last week vs. the 49ers when he ran for more than 100 yards. When it comes to number of completed passes, Fields’ last two games have been his best. We think this ends up being a close, albeit low-scoring affair. Play on CHICAGO

This is an 8* on LA RAMS

The Rams don’t need any help right now. They are 7-1 and clearly look to be one of the best teams in the league. But facing Tennessee when the Titans don’t have Derrick Henry is a HUGE break. The Titans have pulled three straight upsets, beating the Chiefs, Bills and Colts. Every game they were an underdog. We had them last week in Indy. But now there’s no Henry, who was the NFL’s leading rusher. Adrian Peterson, who is now 36 years old, is simply not an adequate replacement on that front. The Rams are averaging more than 30 points/game and they were up 38-0 last week. Their defense just got Von Miller, so now they’re even stronger on that side of the ball. History says the Titans are not likely to win this game. Only five teams since 1990 have started a season by winning their first five times as an underdog. Only four teams in HISTORY have won four straight times as an underdog of three or more points. So we will lay the points with a Rams team that was already superior to a Henry-led Titans team. Play on LA RAMS

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This is an 8* on ARIZONA

So both QB Murray and WR Hopkins are officially “game-time decisions” for Arizona. If one - or both - does not play, that obviously changes the game in a dynamic way. But remember what happened last Sunday night? The Cowboys announced they were resting Dak Prescott. The line shot the other way. The Cowboys won anyway. We believe the Cardinals can win this game, with or without Murray and/or Hopkins. The 49ers are a bit of a mess right now. They’d lost four in a row before defeating Chicago last week. And it wasn’t easy beating the Bears either. The Niners are typically terrible when favored (so we love getting Arizona as an underdog with all the uncertainty) and they have won just once in their new stadium since it opened last year. All the uncertainty over who will be the starting QB (Colt McCoy is Arizona’s backup) makes it tough for San Francisco to prepare. Arizona already beat SF once this year and still has the advantage. Play on ARIZONA

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This is an 8* on OVER

Dallas took a chance in resting Dak Prescott last week. It worked out. They went to Minnesota and beat the Vikings 20-16 thanks to a last second TD pass from backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Prescott will play this week against Denver, That means the Cowboys won’t have any problems putting up points against a Denver defense that just had to say goodbye to Von Miller. Dallas is #1 in the league in yards from scrimmage with 454.9 per game. The last eight home games with Prescott as the starter, the Cowboys have scored 35 or more points. Count on them doing most of the scoring here. But Denver will add enough points to ensure we hit this Over. The Cowboys defense is 28th in passing yards allowed, so the Broncos will be able to move the ball if/when they are behind. Play on OVER

This is a 9* on CINCINNATI

Cleveland is a mess right now. Odell Beckham Jr was just waived, Baker Mayfield is both injured and ineffective. If that’s not enough, the Browns have won just one of their last four games and that was a Thursday nighter vs. Denver. Cincinnati is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Jets, so they won’t be taking the Browns lightly. Despite what happened last week, the Bengals are an improved team in 2021. They’d won back to back games by a total of 47 points before losing to the Jets. One was a 41-17 win at Baltimore. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is 0-7 ATS in AFC North Games. This year, the Browns are 0-3 ATS vs. teams that have winning records. Cincinnati has covered 10 of the last 12 games in this AFC North rivalry. Joe Burrow is already better than Mayfield. The Browns offensive line has been banged up all year and the defensive front is the strength of this Bengals team. Cleveland has been held to 17 points or fewer in four of its last five games. Lay the points with the favorite. Play on CINCINNATI

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This is a 10* on NO

New Orleans upset last week, but it was a costly win as Jameis Winston was lost to a season ending injury (ACL). There’s been some debate over who will be the Saints starting quarterback this week. We expect it will be Trevor Siemian, who was in for a good amount of last week’s game. Siemian did a fine job vs. the Bucs. He should do fine against the Falcons, who are one of the league’s worst teams. Atlanta is coming off a 19-13 home loss to Carolina. It was their fifth straight one-score game, but really it wasn’t close as the Falcons trailed the whole way. All three Atlanta wins have been close over bad teams. We just cannot see them going on the road and beating the Saints. New Orleans still has a great defense that is #1 in the red zone. Atlanta’s defense gave up more than 200 yards rushing last week. A run game would really be beneficial to Siemian. The Saints are 26-12 ATS in their last 38 division games. They’ve covered five of six over Atlanta. Play on NEW ORLEANS

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This is a 10* on NYJ

The Jets picked up their second win of the year last week and did so in pretty shocking fashion. They trailed the Bengals 31-20 with less than five minutes remaining, but were able to put two touchdowns on the board to pull off an improbable 34-31 upset. While the second touchdown was somewhat of a gift (Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw an interception inside his own 20 yard line), the Jets deserved that win for gaining 511 total yards in the contest. That was nearly 200 more than they allowed to Cincinnati. Mike White, making his first NFL start, seemed to provide a huge spark for the offense that just wasn’t there with rookie Zach Wilson under center. White completed 37 of 45 passes against the Bengals for 405 yards and three touchdowns! He’s probably not going to put up those kinds of numbers again tonight, but we do look for White to lead the Jets to at least a cover against the Colts tonight. It was quite the heartbreaker for Indianapolis last week as they fell to division rival Tennessee in overtime. A short week does not do them any favors and we think the Colts may have trouble “getting up” for this game. Laying double digits in this scenario would be unwise. Other than getting blown out by Denver and twice by New England, the Jets have been in every game. White seems to be a spark. Play on NY JETS

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This is a 10* on KC

At 3-4, the Chiefs need to fix things in a hurry. Luckily for them, they’ve got a matchup with the Giants on Monday Night Football. The Giants should be no match for a Kansas City offense that struggled last week, but is known for putting points on the board. The Chiefs have put up 31 or more points in four of their seven games this season. The Giants have never reached that number even one time. Now we do have to worry about a double digit pointspread tonight. Fortunately, a Chiefs defense that has pitched two straight second half shutouts should have a large hand in covering this double digit number. In three of their seven games, New York has not scored more than 14 points. The Giants did pick up a rare win last week, but even in doing so they barely gained 300 yards. They’ve not exceeded 367 total yards in any of their last three games. Their feeble offense - which is still minus RB Barkley and WR Golladay - just won’t score enough this week to stay within the number. We anticipate something in the neighborhood of 30-14 Chiefs tonight. The Giants are 2-7 straight up and 1-8 against the spread vs. the AFC the last three seasons. Play on KANSAS CITY

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This is an 8* on OVER

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is listed as a game time decision for the Sunday nighter against the Vikings. Whether or not he plays, we like this game to go Over the total. Dallas will have plenty of offensive firepower surrounding the quarterback, no matter who ends up starting. If it’s Prescott, then we need not even sell you on an offense that is putting up 34.2 points/game thus far. The Cowboys have scored more than that average in each of their past four games. We think that even if Cooper Rush is called upon, the offense can score enough to help this one get Over the total. Minnesota gave up 28 points the last time we saw them. The Vikings offense has scored 30 or more in three of the last five games. So they too can score. Kirk Cousins had a season-high 373 yards vs. Carolina. The Dallas secondary allows 13 yards per completion. The Over has hit in each of Dallas’ past four games and we’re getting a good number because of the uncertainty surrounding Prescott. The Over is 5-0 for the Vikings the last five seasons off a bye week. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on TAMPA BAY

Tampa Bay lost both regular season games against New Orleans in 2020. But they more than got their revenge in the playoffs when they came to the Superdome and won 30-20. As we all know, the Buccaneers ended up winning the Super Bowl. They remain one of the favorites to do so again this year while the Saints simply are not “what they used to be.” Part of that is Jameis Winston “replacing” the retired Drew Brees. This is not a good matchup for the home team on Sunday. They are working on a short week. While the Saints did win Monday night, it was as unimpressive a win as you’ll see. They beat the Russell Wilson-less Seahawks 13-10 with just over 300 yards of offense. Tampa Bay could not have looked much better last week as they scored five first half touchdowns, then coasted to a 38-3 win against Chicago. Both defenses here are excellent at stopping the run. So it comes down to Tom Brady vs. Winston. Who do you want your money on? Seems like a pretty easy answer, no? Play on TAMPA BAY

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This is a 9* on TENNESSEE

We firmly disagree with fellow bettors on this AFC South matchup. The line has moved to where the Colts are now favored. Yes, the game is in Indianapolis. But Tennessee is the better team here. The Titans are not only coming off impressive wins over the Bills and Chiefs, but back in Week 3 they defeated the Colts 25-16. Since losing in Week 1 to Arizona, Tennessee has not lost a game in regulation. They’ve covered four of the last five division games and five of the last seven times they’ve been an underdog. Even more impressive is the Titans’ 4-0 SU/ATS record against teams that made the playoffs last year. The Colts have never been able to stop RB Henry in the past. He has run for 135.5 yards/game in the last four meetings. The three teams that Indy has beaten this year are: Miami, Houston and San Francisco. All of them have losing records. We’ll take the better team getting points. Play on TENNESSEE

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This is an 8* on SF

The 49ers are facing a Bears team that a) isn’t very good and b) won’t have its head coach (primary play caller) on the sidelines. In other words, look for the road team to snap its four game losing streak. Chicago is 3-4, however every loss has been by double digits. They were smoked 38-3 by Tampa Bay last week and that game was 35-3 at halftime. Justin Fields has not provided any kind of upgrade from Andy Dalton at QB. San Francisco was supposed to be one of the more improved teams in the league this year. They started 2-0 and things were looking good. But injuries quickly derailed things and they’ve lost a number of close games. This looks to be their most favorable matchup since a 17-11 win at Philadelphia back in Week 2. The Bears are just 1-4 ATS as underdogs. Not only are they without coach Matt Nagy, but top pass rusher Khalil Mack will be M.I.A. today. This should be an easy win and cover for the 49ers. Play on SAN FRANCISCO

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This is a 10* on OVER

Green Bay has won six in a row, covering the spread every time, with Aaron Rodgers throwing 15 touchdown passes and just one interception. Arizona is 7-0 and the last unbeaten team standing. They have covered the spread each of the last five weeks. So this is poised to be one of the better Thursday night games of the season. However, the Packers do have major concerns at wide receiver due to Adams and Lazard both landing on the IR/COVID-19 list. But Rodgers can still make it work. The defensive side of the ball has also been affected by COVID-19 with coordinator Joe Barry set to miss this game. That could be the bigger problem as Arizona comes in averaging 32.1 points/game, which is fourth most in the league. But the Cardinals’ defense also has concerns. JJ Watt is likely done for the season. Both of these defenses have not exactly been facing some of the elite offenses in this league recently. We look for the two quarterbacks - Rodgers and Kyler Murray - to make sure this game goes Over the total. Green Bay has gone Over each of the last five times it has been an underdog. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on SEATTLE

It used to be that “Saints vs. Seahawks” meant  “Drew Brees vs. Russell Wilson.” But neither of those HOF quarterbacks are starting this game. Brees is retired and under the direction of Jameis Winston, the Saints’ passing attack ranks second to last in the whole league. For Seattle, Geno Smith makes his second start in place of the injured Wilson. While also a downgrade, things may not be as bad as they seem for the Seahawks. Smith has covered the number in six straight starts going back to 2014. He kept his team in the game last Sunday at Pittsburgh. Seattle is 0-2 at home in 2021, something we are not accustomed to seeing. But home teams have had the edge on “Monday Night Football” this year, going 5-1 ATS. This will be the first time since Week 5 of the 2018 season that the Seahawks are underdogs of four or more points. They are 5-0 ATS as home dogs going back to 2011. Facing the possibility of falling to 2-5, this game is more important to the Seahawks. In a battle of two teams that aren’t as good as they used to be, we will take the points. Play on SEATTLE

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This is an 8* on OVER

Indianapolis put up 31 points last week in a win over Houston. The week before that they put up 25 against Baltimore. The week before that they scored 27 against Miami. So that’s an average of 27.7 points the last three weeks and the offense is averaging 416.7 yards to boot. Carson Wentz is playing well for them. He has already thrown for more than 1500 yards and nine touchdowns against just one interception. Versus Baltimore, Wentz threw for a career-high 402 yards and then he averaged more than 20 yards per completion last week against Houston. So we expect them to put up a solid number of points this week. The Colts would have even more points scored this year if not for some unfortunate red zone inefficiency. As for San Francisco, Jimmy G is back in the starting lineup. The last time he finished a game was also on a Sunday night (vs. Green Bay) and the 49ers scored 28 points. The team is coming off a bye, so they’ve had plenty of time to prepare for facing the Colts' defense. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on CHICAGO

The Bears are playing the Bucs this week, which looks like a mismatch on paper. However, this is a lot of points for the road team to be getting. Three of Tampa Bay’s wins have been by no more than six points. Another saw them return two late interceptions for touchdowns to make a deceiving final score. So we expect the Bears to at least “hang around” Sunday and keep this one respectable. Tampa Bay has a big division game on deck (at New Orleans) and could be looking past this one. There are four starters out due to injuries and all of them are big names (Gronk, Antonio Brown, Lavonte David and Richard Sherman). The Bucs defense has not exactly been very good. They’ve allowed the sixth most passing yards per game. Only one win has come against a Top 10 defense and that was a two-point victory at New England. The Bears’ defense leads the league in sacks. They beat Tampa Bay last season 20-19. Again, we expect this one to be relatively close. Grab the points. Play on CHICAGO

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This is a 10* on LV

Philadelphia was very lucky to cover last Thursday against Tampa Bay. They were down 28-7 in the third quarter. After scoring a TD late in the third quarter, they scored another late in the fourth, then added a 2-point conversion to get within the number. Tampa Bay drove the ball down inside the Eagles’ five yard line on the final possession, but ended up kneeling to run the clock out. Total yards in the game were 399-213 in the Buccaneers' favor. While it technically counts as a “close loss” for the Eagles, it was anything but. We don’t like their chances this week as they go into Las Vegas to face a Raiders team that is off a commanding 34-24 win over Denver last week. The Raiders are 4-2 and last week was an amazing performance when you consider all the drama caused by former coach Jon Gruden. The team is obviously willing to play hard for interim coach Rich Bisaccia. The Eagles are not well respected by the oddsmakers. They are one of only four teams that has been an underdog in every game. Their defense is 28th against the run. If not for a late comeback against Carolina two weeks ago, they’d be coming into this game on a five-game losing streak. Led by Derek Carr, look for the Raiders to move to 5-2 on the year and easily cover this short spread. Play on LAS VEGAS

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This is a 9* on CINCY

This is where we find out if the Bengals are “for real” or not. They come in with a 4-2 record. The only two losses have been by three points. They’ve also won two games by a field goal. Last week saw them record their most comfortable victory of the still-young season, winning 34-11 at Detroit. QB Burrow threw three touchdown passes in a game that was never really close. It will be a much tougher test this week in Baltimore. The Ravens are 3-0 at home so far. But two of the three wins came by six points or less. They too are off a dominant win, 34-6 over the Chargers in their case. With Lamar Jackson as the starting quarterback, the Ravens have really had the Bengals number the last couple years. But here’s the thing. The Bengals are now much better. Their defense is up to eighth in yards given up and fifth in points allowed. Because of the expectation that this game may be pretty low scoring, we will take the points. Cincinnati has covered five of its last seven trips into Baltimore. Burrow is 6-2 ATS as an underdog of three or more points. Play on CINCINNATI

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This is a 9* on UNDER

The Patriots are still without a home win this year, but that’s likely to change after today. They host the Jets, a team they’ve already beaten 25-6. But if New England is to pick up that elusive first home victory, expect it to come in low scoring fashion. We are on the Under in this AFC East matchup. The Jets are off a bye and have been an underdog in every game. Rookie QB Wilson threw four picks the first time he faced Belichick’s defense. It was not a pretty sight. Here’s the thing though: the Patriots’ offense gained only 260 yards in that game. In three of the four home games this year, New England has failed to score 20 points. So we’re not counting on them scoring a ton here. Most of those 25 points they scored in the first game with the Jets were off turnovers. For the Jets, QB Wilson hasn’t matured enough where we’d expect him to play that much better in this rematch. But he should limit the turnovers this time. The Jets’ offense hasn’t gained 300 total yards in any game that didn’t go to overtime. That’s pretty sad. The Jets are last in points per game (13.4), 31st in total yards and 31st in rushing. New England only had 14 points with six minutes to go last week and they rank 26th in total yards and 27th in rushing yards. Play on UNDER

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This is a 10* on OVER

A multitude of injuries on the Cleveland side have seen this spread drop like a rock and with it, the total has come down as well. But be mindful of the fact that Denver just put up over 400 yards last week in a loss to the Raiders. They only scored 24 points because they had four turnovers. The Browns defense isn’t very good; it has given up 84 points the last two games. So we expect the Broncos to score a decent amount of points in this Thursday night road tilt. But their own defense has some issues that may not be properly addressed in a short week. Since a 3-0 start that saw them hold the Giants, Jets and Jaguars to a total of 26 points, Denver’s defense has given up an average of 28 points in three straight losses. The Browns will start Case Keenum at QB. Most will tell you how this is a downgrade from Baker Mayfield and they aren’t wrong. Keenum is not helped by the fact that over half of the Browns’ offensive starters are injured. However, the Broncos’ defense has a ton of injuries as well. Three linebackers are out. The Over is 6-2 the last eight times the Browns have been off a loss. Too many things can happen in an NFL game - like a touchdown by the defense or special teams - for us not to choose Over when the total is this low. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on OVER

Though they lost Week 1 to the Steelers, this start to the season that the Bills have put together really couldn’t be much more dominant. They’ve scored the most points in the league and also given up the fewest. On Monday they will face the Titans, a team that beat them 42-16 in a rare Tuesday game last season, and we believe that the Buffalo offense will keep humming right along. We warned you about this Tennessee defense back in Week 1 when we played the Cardinals. The Titans gave up 38 points in that game. They have given up at least 27 in three of their five games, one of those times coming against the Jets who are last in the league in scoring. The Bills come in averaging 34.4 points/game and should hit that average tonight. As for the Bills having allowed the fewest points, it obviously helps that they have faced Miami and Houston. The other three games have seen them give up 20 or more points every time. Tennessee remains a strong team offensively with RB Derrick Henry, who has 640 yards and four straight 100-plus yard games. The Over is 25-9-1 in the Titans’ last 35 games overall and 7-1 the last eight times they have been an underdog. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on SEA

So no Russell Wilson for Seattle. But are people really willing to lay this many points with a Pittsburgh team everyone was writing off two weeks ago? Before beating Denver 27-19 last week, the Steelers had lost three in a row and not scored 17 points in any of the games. They aren’t a good team by any means. In the win over Denver, JuJu Smith-Schuster was lost to a season-ending injury. So that makes the offense even worse. The Seahawks’ offense obviously takes a massive hit without Wilson. But remember that Geno Smith, the first QB other than Wilson to start for Seattle since 2011, did drive the field for a TD when he had to come in last Thursday. Getting the mini-bye is a big assist to Smith, who is 5-0 ATS his L5 games as a starter. The Seahawks are 16-8 ATS under Pete Carroll as an underdog of four or more points. The last five times Pittsburgh has been favored, they have lost the game. Play on SEATTLE

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This is an 8* on OVER

Well, there’s a lot going on with this matchup isn’t there?. Arizona, the only undefeated team left in the NFL, will be without its head coach and QB coach because of COVID-19. This is on top of several on the field absences: Center Rodney Hudson, TE Maxx Williams and LB Chandler Jones. But Cleveland is not unscathed coming into Week 6 either. They will be missing RB Nick Chubb. There were 16 others on the injury report, several of whom will not play. But these teams are still more than capable of sending this one Over the total. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is having an MVP caliber season thus far as he has completed 70% of his passes in four straight games. The offense is fourth in points per game at 31.4. The Browns were just involved in a 47-42 game last week. They lost despite gaining 531 yards. While Chubb is out, Baker Mayfield can still hand the ball to Kareem Hunt, who once led the NFL in rushing.. Arizona being banged up in the secondary should open things up for the Browns in the passing game. When these defense have turned in quality performances this year, it has been because they’ve faced subpar quarterbacks. We believe the total has come down too much for this matchup. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on LAC

The Chargers look like a good team this year. They are 4-1 straight up and ATS. They are 8-1 ATS L9 games, going back to 2020. They lead the AFC West after coming back to beat Cleveland 47-42 last week. They had a season-high 500+ yards in the game. The Chargers’ only loss was to Dallas on a last second field goal. QB Herbert seems like the real deal. He is fourth in passing yards and third in touchdowns. Now LA faces Baltimore, who is on a short week. The Ravens needed a wild comeback of their own to beat the Colts 31-25 on Monday night. It was their fourth win in a row, but third by six points or less. The other two were by a combined three points. They just as easily could be 1-4 straight up and we’d be having a much different conversation here. The Chargers are 49-22-5 ATS as road underdogs, 5-2 with Herbert as the quarterback. We will go with the better team getting points. Play on LA CHARGERS

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This is a 7* on CINCY MONEY LINE

Poor Detroit can’t seem to buy a break. Twice in the past three weeks they have lost on a last second field goal. Last week they battled back from a 16-6 fourth quarter deficit and took a 17-16 lead with 37 seconds left. But they let Minnesota drive down to kick a game winning field goal on the final play. It was a very similar story and the same 19-17 final three weeks ago vs. Baltimore when Matt Prater got them with a record-setting 66 yard field goal at the gun. We get why people may think the Lions could break through this week when they host Cincinnati. But how can they overcome such continual heartbreak? Cincinnati is 3-2 after losing in overtime to Green Bay last week. Four of their five games have been decided by a field goal. So we won’t lay the points, but we do like the Bengals to win. The Lions haven’t scored more than 17 points in any of the last four weeks and Jared Goff is averaging only 6.6 yards per pass attempt. The team has covered back to back games just twice in its last six tries. Cincy has wins over Minnesota and Pittsburgh and could have beaten Green Bay. The money line means we don’t have to worry about them winning by more than three. Play CINCINNATI on the money line

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This is an 8* on JACKSONVILLE

After going 0-3 with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback, Miami will welcome Tua Tagovailoa back on Sunday. At least it looks that way. Coach Brian Flores said “if all goes well” in Friday’s practice, Tua will get the start. This next game comes in London against the 0-5 Jaguars. The matchup coupled with a potential Tua return has to have Dolphins fans thinking this is one where they end their losing streak. But they’ve been as bad as anybody this year, getting outscored by 76 points the last four weeks. The ‘Fins do have a worse scoring differential than the Jaguars this year. Speaking of losing streaks, the Jags have dropped 20 in a row going back to Week 1 of last year. They too look at this matchup as the one where they can end the streak. They are desperate and looking at the next couple weeks, we don’t see a game as “winnable” as this one for the Jags. Maybe leaving the country is what they need! Urban Meyer is certainly looking for a “vacation” after his rough last couple of weeks. Though they did lose on the scoreboard 37-19, Jacksonville ended up outgaining Tennessee last week and put up a season-high 454 total yards. Miami should not be favored against anyone, not even the Jags. Play on JACKSONVILLE

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This is a 10* on TB

Tampa Bay comes in at 4-1 SU, but just 2-3 against the spread. Philadelphia is 2-3 both SU and ATS. The Buccaneers are clearly the better team in this matchup as they are averaging 33.4 points/game while only giving up an average of 24.4. The Eagles give up a similar number of points/game (24.8) but their problem is they score far fewer (23.0). We just don’t see the Eagles having enough firepower to stay within a touchdown against a team like Tampa. The Eagles were down 15-3 to Carolina in the second half last week before a late rally earned them the upset win. They didn’t go ahead until less than three minutes were left in the game. The Bucs pretty much led start to finish against the Dolphins last week on their way to an eventual 45-17 win where they had no problem covering the double digit spread. We’d say the Bucs have faced two bad teams thus far - Miami and Atlanta. They won both games by 23 or more points. The Eagles are a bad team. Play on TAMPA BAY

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This is a 10* on IND

Home teams are 4-0 ATS so far on Monday Night Football. But this is kind of a big number that the Ravens are laying this week. The Colts being 1-3 shouldn’t be that surprising. They’ve been the underdog in all four games. Baltimore has been an underdog twice, so they should be celebrating a 3-1 record to this point. But two of their wins have come by a total of three points. That means they could easily be 1-3, just like the Colts, coming into tonight. Last week was Baltimore’s best performance of the year but it came against a Denver team that was down to its backup QB. Indianapolis also beat a backup QB last week for its first win. Carson Wentz gets a lot of criticism, but hasn’t really played all that badly. He’s thrown five touchdowns and only one interception. The Ravens are 0-2 ATS when favored this year and those two games saw them lose to the Raiders and barely defeat the winless Lions. It seems like they may be a little preoccupied with setting a new NFL record for most consecutive games with 100 or more yards rushing. They can make it 44 straight tonight, which would be the new record. But they haven’t been that effective in running the ball the past two games. Maybe a stubbornness to run keeps this game close? Indy is 10-2 ATS the past 12 meetings with the Ravens and 6-1 here in Baltimore. This is the most points they’ve gotten in any game all year. Play on INDIANAPOLIS

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This is a 10* on KC

The sky was falling in Kansas City last week. The Chiefs were 1-2 with a defense that seemingly couldn’t stop anybody. That defense remains a question mark, but the offense scored a touchdown on all but one possession last week and the Chiefs beat the Eagles 42-30. Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes. The team has scored 33 points in three of its four games. It’s a big test this week at home vs. Buffalo in the Sunday Night game. But keep two things in mind. One is that the Chiefs were 2-0 vs. the Bills last year. The second win came in the AFC Championship Game. The Bills, who are obviously thinking revenge, have looked as good as any team in the league the last three weeks. But the second thing to keep in mind is just how rare it is to get Mahomes as this short of a favorite. He is 9-1-1 ATS in his career when not favored by more than a field goal. Depending where the line closes, this could be the first time at home in his career that he’s not favored by at least three points. As impressive as the Bills have looked in those last three games, it’s been all bad teams they’ve played. We like the Chiefs. Play on KANSAS CITY

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This is a 9* on NYG

Dallas is the only 4-0 ATS team. But we know all about how the Giants do when priced as road underdogs. They are 18-4 against the spread in the role since 2018. QB Jones is 10-2 ATS as a road dog, even though he’s won just three of those games straight up. This just has the feel of a close NFC East game. The Cowboys did cover as short favorites in each of the last two games. But they are still only 3-6 ATS as favorites since the start of last season, including 2-5 at home. Each of the Giants' previous three games have been decided by six points or fewer. Their last two losses were by one and four points. We were impressed by Jones last week. He had his first 400 yard day as a pro and that was against a good Saints defense. In two road games, the Giants’ offense has averaged 28 points. That should be enough to at least cover this week. The G-men’s reputation as a road underdog speaks for itself. Play on NY GIANTS

This is an 8* on the OVER

The Eagles’ defense has been terrible the past two weeks. Some of that has to do with losing defensive end Brandon Graham to a season ending ACL injury. Some of it has to do with facing the Cowboys and Chiefs. Still, there’s no excuse for giving up 41+ points in back to back games. Philadelphia is 31st in the league right now at stopping the run, so even without Christian McCaffery they can move the ball. The 3-1 Panthers have averaged 26 points/game the last three weeks and should have no problem achieving that average again. But their defense was exposed a bit last week as they too got a taste of the Cowboys. Carolina allowed 36 points against Dallas, which was more than they allowed the first three weeks when they faced the Jets, Saints and Texans. We think the Eagles are going to be able to do something closer to what the Cowboys did than the other three teams. Jalen Hurts is coming off a career day where he threw for 387 yards. Twice the Eagles have hit 30 points this year and only once have they been held under 21. The Over is 33-16 in Philadelphia’s past 49 road games and is 21-9 L30 when they are a road dog. Play on OVER

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This is an 8* on ATLANTA

They gave the game away last week, but we cannot see Atlanta losing again. Not to a Jets team that scored more points last week than they did in the first three games combined. Maybe heading across the Atlantic Ocean is what the Falcons need right now. They are 1-3 and really in need of a win. Two weeks ago, we said the Falcons would win and they did - beating the Giants 17-14. The Jets beat Tennessee in overtime last week, but it can’t be forgotten how poorly they looked in the first three games. Atlanta should have made it two wins in a row last week, but blew a late lead to Washington at home. They allowed the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of regulation. The Falcons should get to five wins this year. This is one of the games their fanbase had to have circled as a win. With Calvin Ridley not making the trip, expect to see a healthy dose of Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson. We trust Matt Ryan more than we do Jets rookie Zach Wilson. This is not a true road game, but the Jets are 2-8 ATS L10 games away from home. Favorites are 17-11 ATS in these London games. The Falcons need this one badly. Play on ATLANTA

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This is an 8* on CHARGERS ML

Las Vegas is 3-0 but two of the three wins were in overtime and the other was against a banged-up Pittsburgh team. So what we’re saying here is “don’t fall for the record.” Los Angeles is 2-1 but has victories over two of last year’s division champs and probably should have beaten Dallas in Week 2. They defeated Kansas City last week, on the road, 30-24 as a seven-point underdog. We can’t see them losing to the Raiders this week. Being 3-0 is nice, but this is only the second time in NFL history a team has started 3-0 with two wins in OT. The Raiders were down 14-0 last week to the Dolphins and needed a last second field goal to force OT against the Ravens back in Week 1. This is a team that could easily be 1-2. Derek Carr does lead the NFL in passing yards, but we still prefer the Chargers QB - Justin Herbert - who threw four touchdown passes last week against the Chiefs. We have questions about the Raiders’ offensive line and entire defense. Both units are suspect. At the end of the day, we prefer to simply call for a Chargers SU win as opposed to laying the points. Play on LOS ANGELES

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This is a 9* on NE

For the first time ever, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will be on opposite sidelines. There’s one team that Brady has never beaten in his career and that’s because he played for them for 20 seasons. Now he’s a visitor at Foxboro. His Buccaneers are coming off a loss, their first since Week 12 of last season. They were 5-0 ATS off a loss in the Super Bowl winning season, but they were a road favorite in just one of those five games. It was against Carolina, not a Bill Belichick coached team. It’s not a usual occurrence to see the Patriots getting this many points at Gillette Stadium. A defense that knows Brady well will keep this game close. Rob Gronkowski, another former Patriot, will miss this game. New England, a double digit loser to New Orleans in Week 3, is 4-0 the past four times they’ve been off a 10+ point loss at home. They are 9-2 ATS in their past 11 games as a home underdog.  We expect one of the most heavily hyped regular season games in years to be close. Play on NEW ENGLAND

This is an 8* on GB

Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers have faced off only twice in their Hall of Fame careers. One of them was a Super Bowl, won by Rodgers’ Packers. It’s unfortunate for Big Ben that the third all-time meeting takes place at this stage of the game. A Steelers offense that is averaging only 16.7 points/game has seen all three of its top receivers get hurt in 2021. Chase Claypool has already been ruled out for Sunday. Johnson and Smith-Schuster were non-factors last week, with Johnson sitting out. Both are expected to play this week, but Big Ben is averaging less than 10 yards per pass attempt. The Steelers are coming off two straight losses at home favorites. Up next is a Packers team that has won its previous two games. Rodgers has completed 75% of his passes with six touchdowns and zero interceptions in the pair of victories. Pittsburgh’s defense saw its streak of 75 straight games with a sack end last week. Their offensive struggles to protect the stationary Roethlisberger. Too many injuries for a suddenly bad Pittsburgh to overcome on the road. Play on GREEN BAY

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This is a 10* on WASHINGTON

Washington is one of three teams that has yet to cover a game against the spread. They lost to the Chargers as a 1.5 point favorite, beat the Giants 30-29 as four point favorites and then got blown out by the Bills. The problem has been their defense just hasn’t been as good as it was in 2020. But this week they’re up against Atlanta, a fellow 1-2 SU team whose offense ranks 29th in points and 27th in yards. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is averaging only 235.7 YPG, which is well off his career pace. Atlanta got its first win of 2021 last week, also by beating the Giants. That followed blowout losses to the Bucs and Eagles. We had Atlanta last week, but the Giants are easily one of the worst teams in the league. The Football Team’s front four is going to give Ryan problems all day. We think QB Heinicke has played pretty well so far for the Football Team. Well, maybe not last week, but he had a 300+ yard game against the Giants and that was better than Ryan did last week. This is a homecoming for Heinicke as he grew up in the Atlanta era. We think he’s the guy to end Washington’s six-game losing streak to Atlanta. Play on WASHINGTON

This is an 8* on MIAMI

The winless Colts take on the 1-2 Dolphins in a matchup of disappointing teams. But Miami, even without Tua Tagovailoa, made more than a decent accounting for itself last week in Las Vegas. They took an early 14-0 lead, then forced the Raiders into overtime. While it ended up being a second straight loss for the ‘Fins, at least they left with the cash as underdogs. Miami has the best cover percentage in the NFL these last two seasons and key to that is a 6-0 ATS mark when coming off a loss. This week they return home where they’ve covered four straight times as favorites. Indianapolis is not playing well right now as last week’s nine point loss to the Titans marked the first time they weren’t down double digits in a game. We know that Miami has an injured QB and injured center, but the Colts are in worse shape with Carson Wentz playing on two injured ankles behind an offensive line that is even more banged up than what’s going on in Miami right now. This game means a lot to Dolphins QB Brissett as he is facing his former team. We don’t see how a team can go on the road with a QB dealing with two injured ankles and win. Play on MIAMI

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This is an 8* on OVER

Cleveland is a top 10 offense and QB Mayfield is completing 73% of his passes. But the strength of this Browns offense is the run game. It’s arguably the best in the league with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb. Coach Kevin Stefanski knows the opponent well as he previously served as the offensive coordinator under Mike Zimmer in Minnesota. But the Vikings can score as well, Kirk Cousins is playing at a very high level so far. He’s throwing for over 300 yards/game, has eight touchdowns and no interceptions. It certainly looks as if he’s getting Dalvin Cook back this week. Cook missed the team’s 30-17 win over Seattle in Week 3. Minnesota is 1-2, but four points away from being 3-0 and the offense has produced over 400 total yards in every game. The dominant performance we saw from Cleveland’s defense last week should be immediately tossed aside as they were facing a rookie QB making his first start behind a terrible offensive line. The Browns allowed an average of 27 points in its first two games. The Over is 8-2 the Vikings past 10 home games. Play on OVER

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This is a 10* on the OVER

Both the Eagles and Cowboys are 1-1. Philadelphia won its first game but lost the second. It’s been just the opposite for Dallas. An Eagles defense that has yet to force a turnover will struggle to stop a high-powered Cowboys offense Monday night. Dallas averaged 6.4 yards per rush and 8.8 yards per pass against the Chargers last week. It was a little stunning that they only had 20 points and needed a 56-yard field goal on the final play to win. Through the first two weeks, the Cowboys are averaging 435 yards/game and converting over 55 percent of their third down opportunities. They have 35 plays of 10 or more yards. It was already going to be a tough task for Philly to slow down their opponents in this game. With DE Brandon Graham suffering a season-ending ACL injury last week, the task is now that much harder. So that’s one half of this equation. After scoring 32 in the season opener, the Eagles were held to 11 last week by the 49ers. But they had a blocked field goal and a 94-yard drive ended with no points. Dallas doesn’t have a good defense. They’ve allowed over 400 yards to both of their 2021 opponents. The Over is 8-2 in the Cowboys' last 10 home games. The Eagles are on a 15-6 run to the Over after a game where they were held under 15 points. Play on OVER

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This is a 9* on GB

Things were looking pretty dicey for Green Bay Monday night. They’d been blown out 38-3 by New Orleans in the opener, then trailed at the half to Detroit at home. But Aaron Rodgers, as he’s wont to do, took over in the second half and made the skepticism look foolish. The Packers now get a favorable matchup against a banged-up 49ers team Sunday night. Green Bay has covered four of the last five times after playing on Monday Night Football. As a road underdog, Rodgers is on a 5-2 ATS run. San Francisco is 2-0 with road wins over Detroit and Philadelphia. Neither of those opponents are expected to be any good, so they should be 2-0. The problem is the last two times the Niners have played at home following back to back road games on the East Coast, they have lost outright. All five times they were favored at home last year, they failed to cover. But the biggest problem - even more than facing Rodgers - are the injuries. Running back is perilously thin with the only two available ball carries combining for just two carries for -1 yard this year. Missing CB Verrett seems problematic going against Rodgers. San Fran was outgained last week despite beating Philly 17-11. Green Bay’s defense held Detroit to zero points in the second half Monday night. The 49ers’ defense gave up more than 400 yards to the Lions. Grab the points. Play on GREEN BAY

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