Seeing Luke Kuechly’s reaction to his injury last night was a scary sight.
To see a man as tough as him sobbing while being carted off the field reminds you just how dangerous this game is. Initial reports are that it was a concussion he suffered, which underlines the need for player safety in the NFL and sports in general.
Kuechly missed three games last season with a concussion, so he knows what’s in store for – and from the looks of it, it profoundly scared him.
Not just every football fan, or even sports fan in general, but decent human being should be praying that Kuechly will be OK after this.
But we also shouldn’t forget about Saints running back Mark Ingram, either. He was clearly knocked out earlier in the game and didn’t return thanks to concussion protocol.
We sending your best wishes, don’t forget that both sides in that game suffered their losses.
The lines are from Vegas and the home teams are in CAPs.
New Orleans +3.5 over CAROLINA
A nice cover for Saints backers as Drew Brees led his team on a late comeback while the defence did surprisingly well to stuff the Panthers’ run game.
Tennessee +3 over INDIANAPOLIS
The Colts somehow pulled on out in Nashville earlier this season and we can easily see the Titans getting some revenge. Just don’t expect us to be watching a minute of it.
Jacksonville +6.5 over DETROIT
The Lions are notorious this season for playing close games, which makes us weary of giving more than three points. And you could also figure that Detroit has its sights set on a very meaningful Thanksgiving date with the Vikings, too.
KANSAS CITY -7.5 over Tampa Bay
The Chiefs are a team that grind out games, but get the job done. The Bucs will be in tough moving the ball against K.C.’s strong defence with the crowd at Arrowhead making it even tougher.
NEW YORK GIANTS -7.5 over Chicago
The Bears are a bad team and just got worse. Top lineman Kyle Long is out for the season, Alshon Jeffery is suspended for four games and Jay Cutler has had to come out and say he hasn’t lost the locker room. What a disaster.
Arizona (pk) over MINNESOTA
The Cardinals aren’t great, but the Vikings are fading pretty fast. A loss for either club will be a huge setback in their hunt for the playoffs, but we’ll take the side with the best player overall, Arizona’s David Johnson.
Buffalo +3 over CINCINNATI
The Bills lost their past two games to the Seahawks and Patriots, two of the league’s best teams. The Bengals are not among that calibre of teams this season, making this game look pretty even and the points tempting.
Baltimore +7 over DALLAS
The Cowboys have passed every test so far, but what will happen against an average opponent and a huge Thanksgiving matchup coming? I wouldn’t blame the Cowboys if they were looking ahead a bit to Washington and stumbled here.
Pittsburgh -7.5 over CLEVELAND
Sure, it’s a lot of points for a road favourite to give, but the Steelers won’t take it easy on the lowly Browns, who are barely fielding a professional team right now.
Miami -1.5 over LOS ANGELES
The Rams opened as favourites and the public quickly flipped it to the Dolphins, and with good reason. It has been a while since a QB first-overall pick won his debut and with Miami as hot as it is, we don’t see that changing.
New England -13 over SAN FRANCISCO
It’s a lot of points, but the Patriots will surely bounce back from that tight loss at home last week. Even without Gronk, this game won’t be close.
Philadelphia +6.5 over SEATTLE
The Eagles are the exact type of team that can trouble the Seahawks. Seattle’s offensive line gave Russell Wilson time last week because the Patriots pass rush is awful. Wilson won’t have that luxury here.
WASHINGTON -2.5 over Green Bay (best bet)
The Packers’ season is circling the drain while Washington has rebounded from its awful start to look like legit playoff contenders. Not sure why Green Bay is getting less than three points.
Oakland -5.5 over Houston over at Mexico City
After being cooped up in their hotel this week, the Raiders will be eager to get out and crush these overachieving Texans – who have been called the worst 6-3 team in NFL history, which is hard to argue against.
Last week: 6-8
This season: 68-71-4