BLOOMINGBURG, NY – Yup, this site is in the sh!tter and so are my weekly Cheesy Bruin’s Free NFL Picks. I went 1-3 last week with my only victory the guarantee of a Cowboys bounce-back in prime time. As Angry Ward necessarily continues to bat out of order with great success, I’m hoping some Kirk Cousins magic rubs off on me the way it has resurrected the Vikings. This week’s stabs in the dark are…
FAVORITE Normally I hate when all things point favorably in one direction but I really need to opine about the Atlanta Falcons. This team clearly has not recovered from their blown 25-point lead in the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots a few years ago. They were a disappointment last year and are faring worse in 2019. The wheels have fallen off and look no further than the lack of discipline (and brains?) displayed by running back DeVontae Freeman punching 300-pound plus Aaron Donald who picked him up off the ground like Drago on Balboa. Head coach Dan Quinn has to be on the hot seat even with a very loyal owner in Arthur Blank. The front office hinted this year is already lost by trading wide receiver Mohammed Sanu who you just know is going to light it up in New England. Matt Ryan is gimping around on a balky ankle and if he starts may eventually give way to the venerable and mistake-prone Matt Schaub. Yeah, no need to call Kaepernick, right? As former New York Knick/Net Michael Ray Richardson once said, “The ship be sinkin’.“The Pick? Seattle -3.5 over ATLANTA
UNDERDOG I’m gonna say it! The Pats are in trouble today. Everybody is aware of the roll the New England defense is on but let’s face it people, they haven’t faced a competent or completely healthy offense all season. In stroll the Browns with a stout running game in Nick Chubb and the pass catchers to take some shots downfield to loosen things up if Baker Mayfield can return to last year’s form provided he gets some protection from the men up front. The way the Browns stay close is by scoring points because Brady always finds a way to put up 24 points on a bad day and I don’t think Cleveland can stop him. Is there finally some dissension on a Belichick team? Michael Bennett was jettisoned for nothing, Josh Gordon was questionably placed on IR, and there’s a new face in Mohammed Sanu. This appears to be a team in flux. The Pats are ripe for the upset today in what I think will be one of the better games of the day. This is a rare double selection. The Picks? Cleveland +10.5 over NEW ENGLAND & Cleveland/NEW ENGLAND OVER 43.5
UNDER There always is an unpredictability in figuring out the Houston Texans. I just don’t know what it is. And what has happened to DeAndre Hopkins? Arguably the best receiver in the game, the wideout hasn’t exploded as many thought he would. Will Fuller is hurt… again. Maybe this ignites Hopkins use in the offense but I wouldn’t hold my breath. The Raiders seem to be functioning with some competency on the offensive side of the ball but that defense is a mess. All signs point to the over as the trend play with the Texans (three straight) and Oakland (last four) combing for seven in a row. I’m bucking the odds here. The Pick? Oakland/HOUSTON UNDER 51.5
That’s it for me, leave your two cents downstairs and come back tomorrow for a soggy Short Matt, who is allegedly getting pummeled by biblical rain storms outside Liverpool, England.
