The real refs are back + Week 4 picks

Thank God the real referees are back. I never in my life thought that a crew of NFL refs would get a standing ovation like they did on Thursday night. While many will be quick to point out that the refs actually flagged more penalties than the replacements’ average and the game length was the about the same, there could be a very good reason for that. The players may have gotten a bit too used to having refs they can bully around and weren’t quick enough to adapt to the real playing style.

We should see the NFL back to the way we always loved by next week for sure.

Again, thank God.

The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPS.

New England -4 over BUFFALO

Can you honestly bet against the Patriots after losing twice in a row? Plus they have to fired up after the end of Sunday night’s game in Baltimore.

Minnesota (+4) over DETROIT

Matt Stafford will play, but is he a good play against the Vikes? Minnesota has looked strong and did well against the Lions last year.

ATLANTA -8 over Carolina

As the Sports Guy pointed out, the Panthers have only really beaten poor-to-average teams with Cam Newton at the helm. These Falcons are far better than average.

San Francisco -4 over NEW YORK JETS

Can a team as good as the Niners lose two in a row? Well, it is an early game for the west-coast team, but losing Darrelle Revis hurts the Jets beyond repair.

KANSAS CITY (pk) over San Diego

The Chargers are due to lose another one – especially to a weaker team – to establish their usual early-season stumble.

Tennessee +14 over HOUSTON

The Texans are the much better team here, but the Titans just showed us that they can put up some points. I bet that’s enough to keep them within two TDs.

Seattle -1 over ST. LOUIS

The Seahawks win over the Pack was as cheap and questionable as they come, but the fact is that they still contained Green Bay for most of the game. They shouldn’t have trouble with the Rams.

ARIZONA -7 over Miami

This feels like a letdown game right off the bat, but do you really want to bet on Ryan Tannehill against this defence on the road?

Oakland +7 over DENVER

The Broncos defence isn’t that good, so even if the Raiders aren’t that good overall, they’ll be able to keep it close.

Cincinnati -1 over JACKSONVILLE

Blaine Gabbert pulled that win in Indy out of his ass on a lucky play. That won’t happen many more times this season.

New Orleans +9 over GREEN BAY

This will be the game that finally gets the Packers and Saints offences really going. The Saints can’t stop anyone, but they’ll be able to really start chucking the ball here.

Washington +2.5 over TAMPA BAY

Despite a terrible start and a woeful defensive showing, RG3 nearly got his team back into it in the second half. Against Tampa, he can have two great halves.

New York Giants +1 over PHILADELPHIA

The defending champs play much better on the road and will put a lot of pressure on Michael Vick, something he isn’t handling well this season.

Chicago +3.5 over DALLAS

Both of these teams have amazing defence and poor blocking. This game should be settled with field goals being the main form of scoring.

This week: 0-1
Last week: 8-8
This season: 22-25-2