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Best Bet
1. Minnesota Vikings (+3) vs. Chicago Bears – See money line bet.
Next
2. Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) vs. Houston Texans – This is a tall order for the Texans. They’re coming off a crushing defeat which also saw LB Mario Williams lost for the year. Star WR Andre Johnson is also still out.
The Ravens on the other hand are fully rested and will win this by double digits.
3. Oakland Raiders (-6.5) vs. Cleveland Browns – This is the 1st home game since Al Davis’ passing. Expect the energy level to be high and for the Raiders to run the ball all over the Browns D. Defensively, they’ll attack Colt McCoy en route to covering the point spread with a TD victory.
4. St Louis Rams (+15) vs. Green Bay Packers – 15 points is a TON to give. The Packers are also headed home after a physical Sunday Night win which saw LT Chad Clifton lost for an extended period of time. The Rams are well rested and we think the Packers could overlook this opponent… leading to a much closer finish than the odds makers predict.
The Rest
Detroit Lions (-4.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers – The 49ers are playing great ball but this is a tough match-up. The Lions D is flying around and tough on opposing QBs. The offense is starting to click as well which is why the Lions will advance to 6-0 with a 24-17 win.
New Orleans Saints (-4.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – The Bucs ’11 version is much different than a year ago. A year ago they were able to sneak up on teams playing a last place schedule; this year, expectations are higher and they’re not measuring up. The Saints on the other hand are playing very well and will head into Tampa and pull out the win by at least a TD.
Miami Dolphins (+7) vs. New York Jets – The Jets are in a tail spin coming off three losses and there’s problems in the locker room. They should win this game, but Miami ALWAYS plays tough in New Jersey, and coming off the bye week we expect that to continue again on Monday Night.
Money Line Bet
Minnesota Vikings (+130) vs. Chicago Bears – The Vikings got their 1st win last week but are only a few plays away from being perfect on the season. Each loss has been by one TD or less.
This week they get the Bears who could be without standout DE Julius Peppers, which further hurts an already reeling defensive unit. Look for the Vikings to feed the ball to RB Adrian Peterson all evening long and for the offense to put 17 on the board.
Defensively, Jared Allen and Co. will get after Cutler who is standing behind a shoddy line and force the QB into mistakes.
We expect the Vikings to earn their 2nd win of the season with a 17-14 win.
