I don’t care how exciting the end of last night’s Atlanta-Baltimore game was last night, the only time that NFL football should be played on a Thursday is Thanksgiving. In case you couldn’t tell last night, both the Ravens and Falcons were hardly at their bests.
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Joe Flacco had an awful 30 yards passing at the half. Neither team could really run the ball, with the longest gain by a back tallying 13 yards. The Ravens defence fell apart down the stretch worse than you would ever expect from a team that’s a supposed Super Bowl contender.
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There’s just too little time for teams to prepare for these games and the quality suffers greatly. How can guys heal from the bumps of bruises from the previous week’s game a mere four days previous? How can coaches prepare for a new team and install a new game plan in that period of time? And how can the visiting team do those things when they have to waste a day travelling?
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Every year we see some of the lowest quality of football played on Thursday night. Why can’t the league learn this and try to beef up the weekly weak afternoon slate of games instead of stealing a good matchup for Thursday night? Seeing this game at 4 p.m. on Sunday would be a lot more of a treat than seeing it butchered on a Thursday.
The lines are straight from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPS
Cincinnati +7 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Bengals showed last week against Pittsburgh just how to rack up garbage time yards and points. Seven is too much here.
Houston +1.5 over JACKSONVILLE
This one is going to be a shootout for sure with two of the worst pass defences in the league facing off. I trust the Texans more in being able to cash in on that fact.
Tennessee -2 over MIAMI
Think Chad Pennington is the answer for Miami? Think again. Also, Moss won’t do too much in his third debut of the season.
Minnesota -1.5 over CHICAGO
What would lead you to believe the Bears are better than the Vikings? A win over Buffalo last week? Nope.
Detroit +3 over BUFFALO
All the Lions have done this season is cover the spread. They have the best against-the-spread record in the league.
New York Jets -3 over CLEVELAND
Browns won’t pull another huge upset. The Jets are a lot more capable at stopping the run than the Pats so Peyton Hillis won’t run wild.
TAMPA BAY -6.5 over Carolina
The Panthers will either be going with Jimmy Clausen or Tony Pike at QB and Mike Goodson at RB. This should be easy one.
Kansas City -1 over DENVER
The Chiefs are coming off a tough divisional loss and should rebound against a woeful Denver Broncos squad that could use a shakeup.
St. Louis +6 over SAN FRANCISCO
I have liked Troy Smith since his college days, but I like Sam Bradford a lot more here getting the points.
ARIZONA -3 over Seattle
So I get to bet against Charlie Whitehurst on the road and only have to give up three points? Sign me up!
Dallas +14 over NEW YORK GIANTS
You don’t think that some Cowboys will show up to try to impress the new boss? Well, maybe not but 14 is a lot and the Giants aren’t spectacular at home.
New England +4.5 over PITTSBURGH
If Cincy can keep it close and cover against the Steelers, then why can’t the 6-2 Patriots?
Philadelphia -3 over WASHINGTON
The Redskins only won their last meeting because Michael Vick got injured. That won’t happen twice in a row.
This week: 0-1-0
Last week: 8-4-1
This season: 69-57-5