Ooof, Patriot Nation took one on the chin…..

October 18, 2012

Seattle came back and KO’d the Pats with 14-unanswered points in the fourth quarter leading to a surprising 24-23 Seahawk victory. Ouch. That smarts. In the beginning, it was pretty. It looked like the Patriots were dominating the game, but then a mistake or two enabled the Seahawks to swoop in and take the game with a dramatic finish.

God help the Jets this week. The Pats host the Jets as 10.5-point home favorites. And any given Sunday, based on what transpired last week, I would jump all over the NE Bandwagon. Not only do I despise the Men in Green….especially their leader….but usually, the Pats at home coupled with them coming off a tough loss, all leads to Money. But, I can’t deny that the Jets are somehow putting up points. For a team with minimal targets, they are shoving RB Shonn Greene (4 TD’s) down their opponents’ throats and being successful with the run. The only names I recognize on their Offense Roster are: Shonn Greene, Santonio Holmes, Mark Sanches and Tim Tebo…..huh….it baffles me as to how they are winning games….any games…or even scoring points…any points. The Jets are 3-3, just like the Pats, and they are fighting for the same seat at the top of the division. Last week, the Jets beat Indianapolis 35-9 at home after suffering back to back home losses in weeks 4 and 5 against San Fran (-34)and Houston (-7) respectively. I think that the Patriots will have trouble stopping the run and 10.5-points is a lot of chalk. Honest Engine. The divisional teams, especially ours, usually play each other a lot tighter than 10.5-points. My guess is that the Pats win but don’t cover.

But, hey, I’ve been wrong before….just not last week…… Wicki Wicki Wicki. Five out of Six isn’t bad….ha ha. Someone asked me last week what my average W/L ratio was and I was perplexed. It never occurred to me to go back to check, so I sounded like a dope with no answer. Uh? Duh? One thing I do know is that I called that Tennessee win last Thursday night AND that Seattle debacle.

Last week: (Picks: Detroit +4; Tennessee +5.5; SanFran -4.5; Green Bay +3.5; (They Who Must Not Be Named +3.5) with the only loser being SanFran -4.5…..

Speaking of those goons, this Thursday night showdown is that pesky (4-2) Seahawk team going to (4-2) San Fran as 7.5-point road dogs but Seattle doesn’t have too far to travel. This will be the 49ers first divisional game this season, and it is following a horror show in the Bay area last week against the Giants. The 49ers fizzled and got walked on in their 26-3 embarrassing loss. This week, I think the Seahawks will be a lot too cocky following their wins over NE, GB & Dallas thus far this season. I also think Seattle will lose but cover the spread. I read an article that quoted a Seahawk stating something about them showing the TV guys how wrong they are and yaddy yaddy. A young hyped-up team that views themselves as underdogs again this week. In both losses for the Hawks this season, they were favored. 9/9 by 1-point against Arizona to kick off the season, and 9/30 against St.Louis, by 2-points…..their other 4 games, all winners, had them as the underdogs. Hmmm Hmmm Hmmmmm….perhaps I’ve discovered the simple secret of their motivation? A useful and common motivational tool – “Nobody believes in You!”

San Fran is 2nd in Pass defense and 9th in Rush defense, whereas Seattle is 13th in Pass defense and 2nd in Rush defense. So, I’m guessing that the Seahawks will pound RB Marshawn Lynch and the 49ers will let QB, Alex Smith throw it up…..but if I’m guessing that…then the opposing coaches probably thought of it too and will switch it up….nevertheless, it should be a good matchup.

In other news, this Sunday, the (5-1) Baltimore heads to (5-1) Houston as 6.5-point underdogs in what promises to be a good game. I’m torn. I lean toward Houston only because they are home, although, Baltimore’s only loss was by 1-point in Philly early in the season and Houston’s only loss was at home, by 18-points not only to an angry GB team, but only last week! I believe Houston will redeem, so I will stick with my original assessment.

Also on Sunday, (4-2) Arizona travels to (4-2) Minny as 6-point road dogs. The Cardinals are coming off a two-game losing streak, one on the road in St. Louis (3-17) and last week at home to the Bills (16-19). The Vikings are also coming off of a loss – a 38-26 smack down in Washington. But, the Vikings are 3-0 playing at home in the dome this season. Can the Cardinals bounce back? Like the Seahawks, the Cardinals seem to play more competitively when in the dog position. This promises to be a good game. Who would have thunk it a season ago?

Washington will travel to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants as 5.5-point road dogs. I always think that these two teams play each other solid, and usually competitively. I am going to jump off a cliff here and go with the points.

The Packers go to St. Louie as 5-point road favorites. St. Louis is 3-0 at home this year, all three of their wins at home and as underdogs, against Washington, Seattle and Arizona, respectively. The Pack lost two of their three road games (although the controversial 14-12 loss in Seattle should not count). I like the Packers to continue on the path of winning, so I pick them.

Sunday night will bring us to Cincy where the Bengals host the Steelers as 1-point home dogs in a divisional match-up. Historically, Pittsburgh wins ATS (against-the-spread), but the Steelers are also on that crazy 6 road game losing streak. This year, I think Cincy has a better team and Pitts is banged up, so I’m going with the tigers. Roar.

Tigers and Lions and Bears, oh my. Monday night will bring us Detroit at Chicago as 6.5-point road dogs. The Bears are coming off a Bye Week and have been riding a three game winning streak prior to that. It seems like something is clicking for the Bears this season and the Lions are starting and sputtering and starting and sputtering. I will take a ride on the W streak. Even though Jay Cutler is always one snap away from a nervous breakdown…..the Bears have only lost one game thus far this season and that was 10-23 at GB. The other four games they’ve played (2 at home and 2 on the road) have all resulted in double digit wins. Can I get another Roar? Oh yeah.

Well, I’m done. It’s a beautiful day out there, I hope you all got a chance to soak in some Vitamin D. Enjoy your pigskin! Go Pats!

Picks: Bears -6.5; Washington +5.5; Seahawks +7.5; GB-5; Cincy +1

Written by Kim Augusta · Filed Under Football by Kim Augusta