Every team has at least passed the halfway point so we’ve got a good pulse on what they really are — well most of them anyway. Some intriguing matchups this week should determine whether teams like Tampa Bay, Miami, and Kansas City are for real. The featured games this week are Dolphins at Ravens, Bucs at Falcons, Chargers at Texans, and Steelers at Bengals. If you’re looking for some teasers and parlays, check out some of the NFL picks here.
After the picks, Ryan and Vin discuss Troy Polamalu calling out Roger Goodell, Kevin Garnett’s cancerous trash talk, and transgender basketball player.
Next week we’ll have special guest CBS Sports National Columnist Gregg Doyel on the show.
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NFL Week 9 2010 Picks
Straight Up
MATCHUP | Vegas Vinny | BostonMac | RJ | Peso* | Actual |
Patriots @ Browns | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | |
Saints @ Panthers | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | |
Cards @ Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Cards | |
Dolphins @ Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | |
Bears @ Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | |
Bucs @ Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | |
Jets @ Lions | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | |
Chargers @ Texans | Chargers | Texans | Chargers | Texans | |
Giants @ Seahawks | Giants | Giants | Giants | Seahawks | |
Colts @ Eagles | Colts | Colts | Colts | Eagles | |
Chiefs @ Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Chiefs | Chiefs | |
Cowboys @ Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | |
Steelers @ Bengals | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | |
Prev Week | 7-6 (.538) | 7-6 (.538) | 7-6 (.538) | 8-5 (.615) | |
Overall | 65-52 (.556) | 65-52 (.556) | 64-53 (.547) | 68-49 (.581) |
Against the Spread
MATCHUP | Vegas Vinny | BostonMac | RJ | Peso* | Actual |
Patriots @ Browns (+5) | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Browns | |
Saints @ Panthers (+7) | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | |
Cards @ Vikings (-9) | Vikings | Cards | Cards | Cards | |
Dolphins @ Ravens (-5) | Ravens | Dolphins | Dolphins | Ravens | |
Bears @ Bills (+2.5) | Bills | Bills | Bills | Bills | |
Bucs @ Falcons (-8) | Falcons | Bucs | Falcons | Falcons | |
Jets @ Lions (+4) | Jets | Jets | Jets | Jets | |
Chargers @ Texans (+1.5) | Chargers | Texans | Chargers | Texans | |
Giants @ Seahawks (+6) |
Seahawks | Giants | Giants | Seahawks | |
Colts @ Eagles (-3) | Colts | Colts | Colts | Eagles | |
Chiefs @ Raiders (-3) | Raiders | Raiders | Chiefs | Chiefs | |
Cowboys @ Packers (-8) | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers | |
Steelers @ Bengals (+4.5) | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | Steelers | |
Prev Week | 7-6 (.538) | 7-6 (.538) | 6-7 (.462) | 5-8 (.385) | |
Overall | 52-61-4 (.460) | 59-54-4(.522) | 50-63-4 (.442) | 44-69-4 (.389) |
* The peso is a coin flip of an old peso to pick the game.
Locks of the Week
Vegas Vinny: (2-6, Balance =$820). I know a lot has been made of Andy Reid’s 11-0 record coming out of the bye. But if you really delve deeper into that record (as impressive as it is), the Eagles have benefited from a cupcake opponent for most of those games. Meanwhile, Philly has never beaten Peyton Manning. It doesn’t matter how good either team is, the Eagles just don’t match up well against Indy and Manning.
I believe the 3 points the Eagles are giving are a result of Vegas overthinking things. Sure the Colts are injured and coming off short week but it seemed like when the Colts needed to make a statement about who was the class of the AFC South, Manning stepped up and delivered with a cast of characters nobody has even heard of. If anyone outside of Indy claims they have heard of Jacob Tamme, they’re lying. And yet the Colts just keep chugging along. The Colts defense is suspect but even if Mike Vick (and possible return of Desean Jackson) can exploit the defense, the Eagles secondary won’t be able to stymie the Colts offense enough to pull out the victory. I don’t think the Colts will need the 3 points but I’m happy to take them. I’ll put $110 to win $100 on the Colts (+3). And, if you’re wondering, no, this is not a reverse jinx.
BostonMac: (3-5, Balance =$660) Am I crazy? Who in their right mind would ever take an 0-7 team as their lock of the week? Well, when that 0-7 team has one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league in Ryan Fitzpatrick (12 TD’s, 5 INT’s this season) and has taken the Ravens and Chiefs to overtime in their past two games? The Bills have as much “momentum” as an 0-7 team can possibly have, and they’re taking on a bland, dysfunctional Bears team on the verge of a Jay Cutler-led anarchy (as well as a Jay Cutler-led turnover barrage). The Bills are getting 2.5 points at home (albeit only 150 kilometres away in Toronto) and I think they finally win this week. They’ve been making strides each week under Chan Gailey and have put a scare into Baltimore, Kansas City, and New England, three of the top teams in the AFC. Score one for the AFC East this week and put $55 to win $50 on BUFFALO (+2.5).
RJ: (4-2-1, Balance =$1190) In a week of bad matchups and boring games to watch, Cardinals-Vikings might be the most boring. The Vikings may be interesting tabloid-wise with the whole Favre-Moss-Childress Axis of Dumb, but they’re incredibly boring and pedestrian on the football field. Brett Favre is done, and the offensive and defensive lines aren’t anywhere near the level they were at last year, and say what you will about the departed Moss, his loss really hurts Percy Harvin. The Cardinals, on the other hand, boast the two-headed monster of ineptness at quarterback of Max Anderson and Derek Hall. Not sure if I got that right, but does anyone really care? For some reason, the Vikings are still being treated like a Super Bowl contender according to the spread. They’re definitely good enough to win, but they’re nowhere near good enough to win by a wide margin.The Cardinals should be able to run and if Anderson/Hall can not throw multiple pick-sixes, they can keep this game within the 4-7 point range. I hate taking backdoor locks, but the Cardinals (+9) can easily cover that with a decent showing at Minnesota. 55/50
Burton: (2-5, Balance =$265). This week, I don’t really agree with much of what the peso says, and that which I do agree with I only agree half-heartedly. But I do agree that the Cowboys are one of the worst teams in football. If the Packecrappyrs can shut out the Jets in the New Meadowlands, I’d like to think they can cover an eight point margin against a shitty Cowboys team without Tony Romo. This is a tough week, and this entire season has shown 31 inconsistent teams. But the Cowboys are consistent: consistently bad. I’ll bet $55 to win $50 and start a trend: so long as the spread is reasonable, I’m a better against Dallas. Packers (-8).