Move over, nice 'dog
Well, I'll be darned, I had another winner last weekend in the pro football underdog pool in which I play: Houston prevailed over Green Bay. The other top players in the pool also scored, but I gained a little ground: Now I'm just 1½ points out of second place, but still 4 points out of first place. The fourth-place participant is now 15 points behind me.
With three weeks to go in the regular season and playoffs trailing behind, a 4-point deficit is nothing, and so it's with gusto that we approach this week's slate. See any underdog on the list (in caps) that can win its game outright? Beating the spread isn't enough. If I pick a winning 'dog, I will get the number of points in the left-hand column.
17.5 DETROIT at Indianapolis
14 CLEVELAND at Philadelphia
7.5 DENVER at Carolina
7 BUFFALO at NY Jets
7 OAKLAND vs. New England
6.5 CINCINNATI vs. Washington
6.5 SAN FRANCISCO at Miami
5 KANSAS CITY vs. San Diego
3 HOUSTON vs. Tennessee
3 NEW ORLEANS at Chicago (Thursday)
2.5 NY GIANTS at Dallas
2.5 TAMPA BAY at Atlanta
1.5 JACKSONVILLE vs. Green Bay
1.5 PITTSBURGH at Baltimore
So what do we see? Five home teams favored to lose -- that's a little unusual. And there are no lines for Seattle/St. Louis or Minnesota/Arizona -- at least, not at the moment.
Off the top of my head, Oakland, the Niners, and Kansas City all have potential. Readers' input is always appreciated, especially now as we approach crunch time. Prognosticate, please! But if you think New Orleans is my best choice against Da Bearss, please speak up quick -- the game's tomorrow night.
UPDATE, 12/12, 2:27 p.m.: A couple of late 'dogs to add:
3 MINNESOTA at Arizona
1 ST. LOUIS vs. Seattle
| Posted at 4:03 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (5)
I'd go with the G-Men. Dallas just isn't getting it done this year.
But 2.5 points ain't a lot right now. Otherwise I'd go with the 49ers, who seem to be playing some good ball for Singletary.
Posted by Dave J. | December 10, 2008 10:34 AM
Skip SF. West coast team playing AM games on the East coast have lost like 17-18 straight times.
Hard to say this week, but KC would be my pick
Posted by mp97303 | December 10, 2008 12:54 PM
NO over CHI is a good pick - Brees picking apart the Bears awful secondary will be entertaining if not painful to watch (note that this pits two of Purdue's best quarterbacks against each other: Brees and Orton). Chicago weather will perhaps be the biggest unknown.
Because I can't root against Chicago or any Purdue quarterback (my alma mater): SF.
Posted by Kevin | December 11, 2008 1:37 PM
mp97303, you must have missed the Niners beating the Bills in Buffalo a couple of weeks ago. That being said, Franlk Gore probably won't play, so I'd pass on the Niners. Not a whole lot of points, but I like Tampa Bay over Atlanta.
Posted by drivin' fool | December 11, 2008 5:16 PM
fool: I stand corrected. But 1-18 doesn't inspire enough confidence to go against that trend.
Good catch though....
Posted by mp97303 | December 11, 2008 9:52 PM