This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m OK with ties in the NFL.
Many will point to the “shootout” style OT system that the NCAA and CFL use, but I don’t believe that’s perfect either. Football is a game of field position and that should be reflected in OT. While it can be fun to see both teams coming down and scoring time and time again, it’s not representative of the game.
Aren’t we all still weary of the NHL using shootouts to settle games and don’t we all hate it when meaningful soccer games are decided on penalties?
And we can’t extend games more than that extra 15 minutes because the risk of injury is just too great. In this contact-filled sport, you can’t play forever.
The fact of the matter is that if neither team can score in 15 minutes, with two timeouts a piece and a two-minute warning, then neither team deserves the win.
Really, the chances were against Sunday night’s game ending in a tie. The odds that both kickers would miss a chip-shot FG were an astounding 0.2%. So let’s not go out crying for change over some fluke.
Sure, it’s not perfect to see that seemingly rogue ‘1’ at the end of teams’ records, but it’s a minor annoyance that we should be able to deal with.
Also, there’s nothing wrong with having a guy jump over the long snapper to try for a field goal block. It’s a play that takes a lot of timing and carries a lot of risk. The Cards should’ve been prepared for it and we don’t need to take the possibility of something awesome-looking out of the game.
The lines are Vegas home teams are in CAPs.
Jacksonville +3.5 over TENNESSEE
Either Gus Bradley or Blake Bortles needs to go in Jacksonville. There’s no way around it that both of these guys just aren’t fit for their jobs.
Cincinnati -3 over Washington at London
The NFL actually sends a team with a winning record of to England and it’s Washington? Poor British fans. Washington has a few key injuries that we can’t ignore here.
CLEVELAND +3 over New York Jets
This is one of the few real chances the Browns have of getting a win this season and they can’t squander it against Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Seattle -2.5 over NEW ORLEANS
After slogging through that tie last week, the Seahawks will be thrilled to be facing one of the league’s worst defence and actually having a chance at moving the ball. If they can’t, that spells some real trouble.
Kansas City -2.5 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts came back to beat the Titans last week, but let’s not give them too much credit for that. The Chiefs are the superior team in this one.
Detroit +2.5 over HOUSTON
This one should be a close one because, well, all Lions games are somehow close. The Matt Stafford hype is getting pretty big while it looks like Brock Osweiler is going to go down as a huge bust for the Texans.
New England -6.5 over BUFFALO
The Bills shutout the Pats earlier this season, but we don’t see that happening again. Tom Brady is back, both Bills running backs are banged up and Bill Belichick will want some revenge.
Oakland +1.5 over TAMPA BAY
Not sure what to make of this Bucs team, that’s somehow half a game out of the division led, but the Raiders look more like the playoff team in this matchup. Oakland’s secondary is also more equipped to take on bigger receivers like Mike Evans.
Arizona +2.5 over CAROLINA
The Panthers defence just doesn’t have it this season and, let’s face it, the Cards were the better team in last week’s tie. Who would’ve thought this NFC Championship Game rematch would feature two teams with a combined four wins?
San Diego +5 over DENVER
The Chargers beat the Broncos two weeks ago, took it to Atlanta on the road, but are getting five points here? Phil Rivers is looking like he could be a legit MVP candidate.
ATLANTA -3 over Green Bay
The Packers’ running back situation is a dicey one and let’s not go about saying that Aaron Rodgers is back just because he had one good half against an awful Bears team.
Philadelphia +4 over DALLAS
The NFL finally gets what should be a good game in prime time and it has to go up against the World Series. The Cowboys are coming off their bye, but the Eagles will be looking to build off that big win over Minnesota last week.
Minnesota -5 over CHICAGO
Going back to Jay Cutler isn’t going to help the Bears turn it around. While the Vikings had some trouble blocking in Philly, this team should bounce back against their division rival.
Last week: 9-6
This season: 55-47-2