Football expert Phil Steele is the owner and publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, regarded as the college football bible. Get indepth coverage of college and pro football 24/7/365 at PhilSteele.com.
Saturday
Atlanta (-3) over PANTHERS: The Falcons and their No.1-scoring offense (33.5 ppg) had no problem beating up on the weak San Francisco defense a week ago. They now head to Charlotte looking for the season sweep against a Panthers squad that earned the upset win of the Redskins last Monday. With Carolina giving us some value following last week’s performance and the Falcons needing to deliver a victory to stay atop the NFC South, I have no problem leaning with the road favorite in this one.
Buccaneers (+3) over SAINTS: While the Buccaneers head to the Superdome following a road loss to the Cowboys, they still remain in the thick of the NFC wild-card conversation assuming that they’re able to win out. The Saints meanwhile finally got their offense going last week in the desert after a pair of subpar outings. With Tampa having covered 6-of-7 away from home this season and getting the full field goal here, I see no reason not to lean in their direction.
Last week: 1-1
Season: 13-16- 1.