The Dred vs The Spread
Whoa! What a crazy week it was in the NFL last week during the official bye week of the Dred vs the Spread. The Bengals lost a bizarre Thursday night game ending in a safety when Cameron Wake sacked Andy Dalton in the end zone during overtime. Romo threw the big pick against the Vikings and the Cowboys still won. To top it off, Drew Brees and the Saints squandered a game against the Jets, who got 139 rushing yards and a touchdown from former Saints running back Chris Ivory. This weekend promises to provide a couple "fa sho" picks and a wildcard game which could surely get wild as two dysfunctional teams meet in Raymond James Stadium for Monday Night football.
Week 10 "Fa Sho" Picks
The first "fa sho" pick in the return of the Dred versus the Spread is as simple as the second "fa sho" pick this week due to similar issues at the quarterback position. Let us first scope Heinz Field where the 2-6 Pittsburgh Steelers host the 3-6 Buffalo Bills. The Bills will be welcoming the return of starting quarterback E. J. Manuel who has been sidelined since week 3 in Cleveland where he injured his knee versus the Browns. The Bills come into the weekend with the 26 ranked passing defense in the league while the Steelers come into this game ranked 11th in passing offense. More vital than that, the Steelers have won only one home game thus far this season and head coach Mike Tomlin is not a a happy camper to state the least. We can not dismiss the Steelers and Bills are just awful versus the rush, both ranked below 25 in rushing defense. Fortunately for the Bills, between Fred Jackson, C. J. Spiller and Tashard Choice, they rank 4th in the NFL rushing offense. Still expect a huge game from Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell at home. If the Steelers do not win by 3 or more it means they lost and their season is done. Take the Steelers (-3) as a "fa sho" pick.
In Green Bay, instead of getting a returning starting quarterback they just lost theirs. With Aaron Rodgers out with a broken collarbone, Senaca Wallace will take over the number six rated offense in the NFL to go against the Eagles 27th ranked defense. The Eagles are also playing with the back up quarterback , but in the case of Nick Foles, the book is still out on whether he is full time starter material as he is coming off a historic 7 touchdown game last week versus the Raiders. The Eagles offense is ranked two slots below the Packers' at 8th in the league, but the Packers defense, ranked 13th in the league, is expecting the return of all-pro linebacker, Clay Matthews. If Aaron Rodgers was playing, all the numbers say take the Packers. Without Rodgers' presenting a true passing threat to pick apart an Eagles defense ranked dead last versus the pass, the Eagles should be able to get some early stops and take a lead. Once in the lead, the Eagles can play aggressive on defense and get more possessions on offense. Despite the numbers, the Eagles (+1) is a "fa sho" pick this week.
Week 10 Wildcard Pick
This week's wildcard pick involves two teams dealing with wild situations as they enter Raymond James Stadium to play a Monday night game with less appeal than the the story lines surrounding the participants. On one side you have the winless Bucs who have been in turmoil all season. There are issues between the players and coach Schiano, there were issues with now former Bucs quarterback, Josh Freeman, who was released and then there was the staph infection issue. The Dolphins have even more recent issues as they deal with a possible bullying/hazing debacle which has caused their team to lose two starting offensive lineman, Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito. Being without Incognito and Martin does not bode well for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill who has already been sacked a league high 35 times. For that reason along with the Bucs being at home, take the Bucs (+2.5) to win their first game of the season.
Final Recap
The picks are in. The "fa sho" picks are the Steelers (-3) versus the Bills and the Eagles (+1) versus the Packers. The wildcard pick is the defeated Bucs (+2.5) versus the debilitated Dolphins. Now that the bye week is officially over it is time to build up momentum as we make a run for the playoffs. Remember, this is for entertainment purposes only. Gambling is not advised.
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