WASHINGTON, D.C. – The NFL Finish Line will be crossed tonight at around 11:15 p.m. EST as the NFC East crowns its champion. One of two loathsome owners will be glad-handing and smiling, while all fans other than those of the Cowboys and Redskins will be bringing up their dinner. But enough about that, let’s get to my NFL Picks…
Had former Steelers LB Joey Porter been visiting MTM on Sunday’s for gambling advice, he wouldn’t be $70K in the hole to the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino. Further, if Tim Geitner and the Treasury had been using my pick, the nation wouldn’t be heading for Fiscal Cliffs and R.A. Dickey would still be a Met… Here’s the skinny on my 38-19 (67%) record:
Favorites: 11-4 Underdogs: 10-4 Over: 5-9 Under: 12-2
FAVORITE: Why is it being said that the Giants have a slim shot at making the playoffs? A scenario where two underdogs (Cowboys and Vikings) lose along with a shaky road favorite (Bears) is very much possible. The hook is trying to get the Giants to win their game against the Eagles provided the way they’re playing most recently. At -7 the Giants top the menu of this last slate of regular season games because a rusty Mike Vick is sure to be out of sync with the offense and more importantly his receivers. Andy Reid’s offensive philosophy of passing the rock two out of three times doesn’t take advantage of McCoy and Bryce Brown on the ground against a suspect run defense, either. A last home game rout gives the Giants confidence moving forward in case the dominoes fall their way. NY -7 is the pick.
UNDERDOG: Aside from the AFC playoff bound teams none other will be above the .500 mark as only two have a chance to achieve an 8-8 record this week—one a disappointment (Steelers) and the other (Dolphins) a surprise. Miami, with its freshman Head Coach and QB, was picked by many to vie for the #1 overall pick in April’s draft. A bettor never feels great about a warm-weather team travelling north in December/January but when you throw 10 points his way and a team’s motivation of getting even at 8-8 gimme the ‘Fins (+10) at New England with a shot at the upset.
OVER: As I double-dipped with success (Ravens & Under) in the Giants game last week, I’m going in one more time to fill the same chip. Vick’s turnovers can shorten the field or lead directly to points and Eli Manning is bound to have an excellent game (he’s so due!) to erase the sour taste of a month of duds. At 46, the Giants can threaten the OVER themselves as the Eagles help push the total around the mid-50’s. Giants/Eagles go OVER 46.
UNDER: Odds-makers are forecasting a power outage up in the Pacific Northwest today as the total on Rams/Seahawks is 41 ½ points. The Seahawks are scoring at Wilt Chamberlain’s off-the-court pace – 50 per the last three outings – while Ram devotees like Grote2DMax, Tall Matt & Cam James seen their boys sitting their best offensive foot forward lately. A relatively low number given the circumstances means something’s up and it ain’t the points in this one. STL/SEA UNDER 41 ½.
I’ll be posting playoff picks with a mini column on Saturdays and Sundays during the playoffs provided I think a selection or two is worth your investment.
Tune in tomorrow for The Pontificating Public Professor.
