BOURBON TRAIL, KY – I’m sober. For now. I’m putting my Cheesy Bruin’s FREE NFL Picks together a full day in advance of all the boozing I’ll be doing, starting this evening. It won’t stop, God willing – until the day after Christmas. Humility aside, I was 3-1 last week and delivered on the promise to put some greenbacks in your holiday pockets for those so inclined on betting NFL games. Santa Cheese is here to give out early gifts on this Xmas Eve Day and here they are…
FAVORITE: At this late juncture of the NFL season, I try to find a team with some modicum of motivation even if there’s no hope of playoffs. Getting to .500 is an accomplishment to those teams who’ve undergone difficulties of sorts. All teams have injuries at this point, and the Redskins do, but key offensive components have been missing most of the year in D.C. At 6-8, the ‘Skins can get to the break even mark with victories in their last two games and the one at home versus Denver today should come easy. Can the Broncos be less enthusiastic about boarding a plane and heading east for a non-conference game with a scrub at QB and a 5-9 record on Xmas weekend? A meaningless game is my Best Bet of the weekend. The Pick? WASHINGTON -3.5 over Denver.
UNDERDOG: The oddsmakers in Las Vegas seem to be expecting a Chiefs blowout with Kay Cee a hefty 10+ point favorite over the Dolphins. I’m not sure I’m buying the Chiefs recent back-to-back wins and I’m definitely not believing the Fish are chum, considering the Chiefs are only two games better at 8-6. Dare I say it but Miami QB Jake Cutler is playing good football, as the ‘Fins play out the string. Alex Smith will be running for his life under a heavy pass rush most of the day and I just think all those points are too much to pass up. The Pick? Miami +10.5 over KANSAS CITY.
OVER: For those paying close attention to these picks throughout the year, when I’ve disclosed a gut feeling on certain bets I’ve proved myself almost otherworldly – if I do say so myself. Well, there’s one more coming and it needs some explanation: I’ve endured a roster full of injuries in Fantasy Football and still find myself in the middle of the standings. As I am set to bench Oakland QB Derek Carr for the final two weeks, this can mean only one thing; that the pop gun passing offense explodes for unaccustomed big play after big play and I lose out on some valuable money to cut any eventual lo$$e$. While the Eagles might be primed for an offensive dud, which really hasn’t happened yet, the Raiders will find points easy to come by because my lineup maneuver says Carr has a 300-yard passing day, with 3 or 4 TD’s. The Pick? Oakland/PHILADELPHIA OVER 47.5
UNDER: The Seattle Seahawks took a savage beating last week at the hands of the L.A. Rams, in which they gave up 42 points. The Dallas Cowboys get running back Ezekiel Elliott back from suspension for today’s game. In what is one of the more important games to the NFC Playoffs landscape, this shapes up as a tightly-contested game in that the Hawks will shore up the defense ahead of the not-so-special Dallas passing game. Dallas is banged-up on the O-line and that should neutralize the effectiveness of their running game. A nail-biter at the very least, but possibly a very ugly game to watch. The Pick? Seattle/DALLAS UNDER 47.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!
That’s it. Leave your picks and comments below, come back tomorrow for Mister Christmas, DJ Eberle. And support the cause with a follow on Twitter – @CheesyBruin & @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and by likeing our Facebook page, Meet The Matts. Thank you.
