JPP POWER! Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants will rough up the Redskins. (
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Is The Giants’ defense back? It sure looked that way in San Francisco, where six sacks and three interceptions helped turn the NFL’s supposed best team to dust.
So now the Giants come home to face the dynamic rookie duo of Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris. Count on them being more rookie than dynamic in their first go-’round with these re-charged Big Blue monsters.
Meanwhile, the Giants have kept Eli Manning immaculately protected, and he will have the time to play pitch-and-catch with Victor Cruz and his other receivers against a Washington D that gives up 417 yards per game.
Finally, the Giants have a double revenge motive after losing twice to the ’Skins last season. And they may feel they owe the home fans something after falling to the Cowboys and sketchy wins over the Bucs and Browns.
The pick: Giants -5 1/2.
PATRIOTS (-10 1/2) over Jets: Jets took advantage of a rookie quarterback and a Colts team missing its starting running back last week. Look beyond that and see a defense that can’t get sacks and has trouble getting off the field on third down — and that’s the better half of the team. Nick Mangold’s ankle injury and the fact Shonn Greene’s the lone healthy running back will make it hard for the Jets to grind out yardage and possession time. And the Patriots’ plus-10 turnover ratio forecasts a pick-six that would get you past this large spread in a hurry.
BILLS (-3 1/2) over Titans: Bills are easy to dismiss because they have given up the three highest scores in the league this season (52, 48, 45). But two of those were on the road and the other was in a weird game against the Patriots. In their one other home game they crushed the Chiefs, and are worth backing here against a Titans team that has given up even more points (204 to the Bills’ 192).
Cardinals (+6) over VIKINGS: Vikings won last year’s meeting 34-10 but generally these teams play close games that are often decided late. Like the near-TD head start in this one.
Browns (+2 1/2) over COLTS: The Browns must have some weapons for Brandon Weeden’s 1,519 yards to be the second most in NFL history by a rookie in his first six games. Though Trent Richardson is banged up (chest, rib), he’s way better than what Indy will have running the ball.
Ravens (+6 1/2) over TEXANS: Did this spread ever go through the roof thanks to Ray Lewis’ injury? This is just a ton of points to give in a battle of 5-1s, not to mention that the Texans are without LB Brian Cushing and are coming off a game in which they gave up six TD passes to Aaron Rodgers.
RAMS (+5 1/2) over Packers: Hard to go against the Pack after what they did to the Texans, but the Rams are exceeding all expectations. They are 3-0 outright at home and 5-1 vs. the spread. With Robert Quinn and Chris Long, they could reprise the first-half beating the Seahawks gave Rodgers.
PANTHERS (+2) over Cowboys: Dallas is ranked No. 2 in the NFL in yards allowed but 20th in points allowed. Minus-8 in turnovers has a lot to do with that, but this is shaping up as a team that’s less than the sum of its parts.
BUCCANEERS (+2) over Saints: Josh Freeman threw for 303 yards and two TDs in a home win over a way better Saints team last season. He will have fun going against this Saints D, which allows an astounding 456 yards per game.
RAIDERS (-4) over Jaguars: Kudos to the Raiders for a great performance in a near-miss vs. the undefeated Falcons. This week, they should be able to whip up on a Jaguars team that is giving up an unheard of 183 more yards per game than they gain.
BENGALS (+1 1/2) over Steelers: Everyone’s looking at the Steelers’ defensive injuries but the biggest one this week is center Maurkice Pouncey. They will have to score a lot of points to keep up with Andy Dalton here, and Pouncey’s absence could be a killer.
MONDAY NIGHT
Lions (+6 1/2) over BEARS: Detroit is down to two healthy cornerbacks after its physical win at Philadelphia. But spread’s a little high for divisional prime-timer, and like Matt Stafford for the backdoor cover if one is needed.
BEST BETS: Giants, Bills, Raiders
LOCK OF THE WEEK: Giants (Locks 1-5 )
LAST NIGHT: 49ers. (Tie)
LAST WEEK: 7-7 overall, 1-2 Best Bets