DK Metcalf makes an extremely difficult play, catching Budda Baker, who had a 10 yard head start, by running the length of the field.
USA Today
It was locked up. A done deal. Over.
Within all reasonable expectations of how a football game should and could end, we were on the verge of Miller Time. Instead, as gamblers, we faced heartbreak. Agony. Torture. Defeat. Tickets, once as golden as Charlie's to the Wonka factory, now as worthless as the paper they were printed on.
Obviously, I'm talking about Sunday night's wonky, ass backwards, very no-good game between the Seahawks and the Cardinals. Let this article serve as a postmortem and an exorcism.
<p>Personally, I had the Seahawks down for 11 confidence points in my weekly Pick'em pool. If they won, I won a cool hundred bucks. Meanwhile, 240 miles away in Las Vegas, my cousin had an eight team moneyline parlay, which had run the gauntlet of frenzied finishes from Philly's Thursday night comeback to Cleveland's how-did-he-catch-that score and through the Lions shouldn't-have-even-had-the-ball-Todd-Gurley-accidental-TD final seconds TD drive. It was all set up for the Seahawks to waltz to a victory in the desert.<br/></p><p>As the kickoff approached, high on the prospect of our respective victories, we decided to double down and bet the undefeated Hawks -3.5 over the scrappy home team with an easy schedule and bad losses in their rear view mirror. Seattle has transformed into an offensive juggernaut this season on the strength of magician-like Russell Wilson and his absurd 22 TDs. He actually tied Peyton Manning's record through six games last night with a trio of Tyler Lockett receptions. Two of which were absolute dimes, one a 47 yard moonshot and the other a perfectly floated pass from around the right hash at the 10 yard line to the back left corner of the end zone where Lockett tapped his toes.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c671f5062de25ea39f1bfb0c2ac773ac" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="f299d" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://findbet.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU5NDQ2NS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDI3MjcwM30.nz7gAyNebwPP19FHJPPaZ_rJubmxpmn2tYZs_LorGP0/image.png?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Tyler Lockett catching another touchdown from Russell Wilson. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Alika Jenner/NFL)</small></p><p>With 6:43 in the fourth quarter, that last one felt like the death blow, sealing not only a win, but the easy cover. How much more could happen in those intervening minutes? By conventional wisdom, the momentum rested with Seattle. They just had to stop the Cardinals one time and run out the clock. However, as <em>The Ringer</em>'s Kevin Clark tweeted with evergreen wisdom: "The Seahawks have literally never played in a normal game."</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="01ae078a9d25da4507ff8e1fabf79ef2" id="72111"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1194116141280460800"><div style="margin:1em 0">The Seahawks have literally never played in a normal game.</div> — Kevin Clark (@Kevin Clark)<a href="https://twitter.com/bykevinclark/statuses/1194116141280460800">1573534448.0</a></blockquote></div><p>...and, apparently, they never will.</p><p>This axiom crossed my mind during the interception exchange on back-to-back plays early in the final quarter. Even on the almost pick-six turned 90ish yard rundown by DK Metcalf doing his best Lebron impression, which led to a goal line stand, which begat a six play 97 yard Seattle TD drive. That was the weirdness. That wasn't normal. That was all behind us now. It was time to coast.</p><p>Things didn't get worrisome until the field goal attempt with 3:02 on the clock. The shaky Seattle D had done its job, Kyler's drive sputtering out on a 3rd and 12. The Cardinals opted to kick and hope for an onside recovery or a defensive stop. The ball sailed through the uprights, right before a yellow flag sailed through the night air. </p><p>Both Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth agreed that you don't take points off the board for a five yard offsides penalty that wouldn't get you a first down. One problem: It wasn't an offsides penalty. It was UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT, meaning 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.<strong> A Seahawks defender, a man whose name I refuse to learn out of fear of what I'll do, jumped on the back of an Arizona lineman–a choice that was as pointless as it was boneheaded.</strong> </p><p>Of course, Arizona goes down and punches their way into the end zone. Suddenly, -3.5 looks dead in the water, but a simple win still preserves the pick'em and parlay.</p><p>Somehow, Seattle, a team that seems to run the ball and conjure first downs at will, couldn't drain the clock, getting stuffed on a 3rd and short and forced to punt. It became completely obvious to everyone this game was destined for overtime.</p><p>It was, and Seattle won the toss. Of course, the game was far from a guarantee, but this might work in our favor. If they could score a touchdown to end it on that first possession, we'd win it all, including those -3.5 bets. Each twist and turn of this game heightened my investment and anxiety. </p><p>What did Seattle do? Well, go negative three plays, including two sacks, and draw a false start before a punt. <strong>At this point, the Arizona comeback felt inevitable and, frankly, I was looking forward to the sweet release from this nightmare.</strong></p><p>That's how it played out, all the way up until the Cardinals iced their own kicker to avoid a delay of game. He made the kick nullified by the timeout and promptly shanked his second try. </p><p>I may never forget the feeling of watching DK Metcalf turn the corner and sprint down the sideline unimpeded across the goal line. It was all worth it, it all worked out, the Seahawks really are the luckiest team in the world. Until they weren't, and it all came crashing down, the block that sprung DK was an obvious hold. It was an emotional whiplash of the highest order. The high and low that only sports can provide.</p><p>The next play Wilson looked very un-Wilson-like and wafted a duck into the hands of a defender. Finally, my half hour long stroke was about to end. This time the Cardinals didn't miss the game winner, and my brain disassociated from reality just long enough to make the whole thing pretty hilarious.</p><div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e7ae57934cf85599c0fec7f6e06b4672" id="18ceb"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1320583186057887744"><div style="margin:1em 0">Win Probability: Seahawks @ Cardinals https://t.co/FP3hRzHsgG</div> — Lee Sharpe, ⛓️ @ 🏠(@Lee Sharpe, ⛓️ @ 🏠)<a href="https://twitter.com/LeeSharpeNFL/statuses/1320583186057887744">1603686541.0</a></blockquote></div><p>An hour later, I saw that graph, charting the win probability of the game. <strong>The dramatic ups and downs mirror exactly what my heart would have looked like hooked up to an EKG during those final minutes of the game.</strong> Staring at it, I remembered each moment with morbid fascination. I clicked it off and had one thought, "I hope 'Monday Night Football' is half as good as this."<br/></p>
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Daniel Jones gave a lot of fans the ability to say they could do something a professional athlete can do on Thursday night versus the Eagles
Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
Week 6 Vibe Check (2-3) This past week offered us a worthy entry into the Bad Beat Hall of Losers.
A brutal 22 point fourth quarter by the Eagles killed an easy -7.5 point cover by the Ravens, who haven't quite looked as dominant as we expected them to heading into this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers and Packers decided to make my big sweeping proclamations that Carolina's good and the Tampa Bay Bucs are bad look very silly.
As for my two wins, they were decent nail biters, too. The Titans, thanks to some creative coaching, managed to secure us a cover with a King Henry wildcat TD and the Chiefs showed us all a different dimension they have to crush people, their running game. This kept the game a little closer than most would've liked, but imagine adding Le'Veon Bell to this team. Yeah, start checking Super Bowl futures.
<h4>Speaking of the future, let's get a look at Week 7…</h4><p>To be honest, there aren't a ton of games that I love on this slate. Seems like oddsmakers have this week dialed in and a lot of these match ups just seem a little off. However, the games that do call out to me all have one thing in common. </p><p><strong><u>Road Favorites for the Win</u></strong></p><p><strong>Packers -3.5 over Texans</strong></p><p>The Packers are coming off a brutal road loss, in which their offense got full on exposed by Todd Bowles and the Bucs. What's the best medicine for an offense still nursing their pride and trying to rebound? Playing against a <a href="https://texanswire.usatoday.com/2020/10/19/texans-must-be-consistent-defense/" target="_blank">defense</a> allowing 5.4 yards per carry and having Aaron Jones on your team is a good start. The line on this should be higher, but the Texans playing a home drops the spread by a couple points. I expect and hope everyone will take advantage here. Heck, double up and bet Aaron Jones overs on yards, TDs, and anything else you can find! </p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="cdb906836b32703b443cc5f06008781b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="4c97b" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://findbet.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU2ODg5NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODU2Njc2N30.-qNwBXIjRDXguM9MZxtH6jTYEE9rmb3waGi3Q4tEJSU/image.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Aaron Rodgers will look to bounce back from a tough loss in Tampa Bay.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)</small></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Browns -3 over Bengals</strong></p><p>The Browns are coming off a brutal road loss, in which their offense got full on exposed by Keith Butler and the Steelers. What's the best medicine for an offense still nursing their pride and trying to rebound? Playing a <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/bengals/news/bengals-defense-indianapolis" target="_blank">defense</a> allowing 5.1 yards per carry and having Kareem Hunt on your team is a good start. Whoa. So, that's what Deja vu feels like. The only way this could be better for the Dawg Pound was if Nick Chubb was healthy. On the flip side, the Cleveland D has been porous, at times, but against the rookie Joe Burrow and a struggling Cincy offense, whom they've already handled once this year with ease, they'll have a chance to get right. </p><p><strong>Seahawks -3 over Cardinals</strong></p><p>Russell Wilson has cemented himself as <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-mvp-odds-russell-wilson-s-mvp-odds-have-moved-so-much-he-s-favored-over-the-field/ar-BB1akIrp" target="_blank">the odds-on favorite for MVP</a> on the strength of his glorious arm and ability to extend plays behind his middling offensive line. The Cardinals and Kyler Murray, the briefest of MVP candidates, have shown flashes, but thrown some duds in for equal measure. However, the biggest concern is their strength of opponent. In the past four weeks, they've lost to the Lions and Panthers, while beating up on the Darnold-less Jets and Dak-less Cowboys. The Seahawks are, by far, the best opponent this young and inconsistent team has faced and it's time for the real contender to do away with the pretender.</p><p><strong>D'Andre Swift to Score a TD (+135)</strong> </p><p>The Georgia stud and rookie running back is coming off of his best game as a professional against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This feels like the moment he takes <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/detroit-lions-adrian-peterson-d-andre-swift-has-already-taken-tremendous-steps/ar-BB1ajeJc" target="_blank">the leap</a> towards being a consistent fantasy play and genuine offensive threat. He put up 116 yards on 14 carries for a gaudy 8.2 average with two touchdowns to boot. He's about to face another weak bottom half of the league rushing D, one who's let up the second most receptions to backs. Swift got four of those last week, so he's just as likely to punch one in via the air as the ground. For a little (lot of) extra value, you can always bet him to score the first TD at +1100.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="56d0fef6d91b49790c512a63c6063682" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="b878a" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://findbet.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDU3MDM5Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzODM4NzA4M30.BnIhkLf_nmbFix8yd0WF5XlGAtB5Ruk4yLDoVIIRC9A/image.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Jimmy Garoppolo receiving some hands on coaching from Bill Belichick, his former mentor and current opponent. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</small></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>San Francisco vs New England over 43.5</strong></p><h3></h3><p>The 49ers and Patriots are both having themselves some odd seasons. Cam Newton looked like his former self in the early going, but a COVID diagnosis derailed any momentum he or the team had before getting the Chiefs, an early bye, and the Broncos. Belichick isn't taking a three game losing streak without a fight, and will be working overtime to return his offense to their early season success. Not to mention, the mastermind is going up against his former backup, who he's <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/bill-belichick-reflects-jimmy-garoppolo-trade-patriots-49ers-nears" target="_blank">definitely sick of having to talk about trading</a>. Meanwhile, the 49ers have been ravaged by injuries, having the most guys on IR this season. This rash of bad luck included their starting QB, RB, WR, TE, CB, DE, and LB all missing time. It culminated in an ugly loss to the Dolphins, which seemed to be the wake up call the team needed to bounce back to beat the Rams. I could easily see this game scoring up into the high 20's with a pair of highly motivated offenses going against defenses, which haven't reached the heights of last season's former glory. </p>
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Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports
Fall is in the air—so are a hell of a lot of changes in the NFL.
Le'Veon went from worst to first, Dan Quinn is out of job, and like college athletes, sports journalists apparently aren't allowed to make money from sponsorships. Meanwhile, coronavirus is running in the background, taking out teams before opponents even get the chance.
Here are the oofs and ahhs in this week's edition of Shots Taken.
<h2>The NFL Is Done With The Rona, But The Rona Isn't Done With The NFL </h2><p>Coronavirus has been a headline for the entire year, and it's still making NFL headlines in a season that's chugging along despite an outbreak that may have officially killed the Patriots dynasty. </p><p>Meanwhile, the Colts are <a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2020/10/16/nfl-and-coronavirus-breakdown-covid-19-testing-schedule-changes/3676575001/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>coping with four false positives</u></a>, rushing to reopen their facility before their Sunday game against the Bengals. But with false positives and confirmed cases, the Rona is on the brink of a full-on takeover.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30030523/line-nfl-covid-19-outbreak-how-positive-tests-led-postponed-games" target="_blank"><u>a matter of weeks</u></a>, the coronavirus has knocked out half of the Titans roster, it's taken out the Patriots' best players on offense and defense, and it's switched around <em>nine</em> bye weeks and <em>seven</em> weeks of scheduling. Sure, infected players are being sidelined as teams move forward, but there's going to be more cases, and there is only so much rescheduling teams can do. What happens, for example, if the Patriots see even more cases, or the Steelers experience an outbreak and need another bye week?</p><p><br/></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="af4adcd356d995bc907df977bf7505c5" style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" type="lazy-iframe" scrolling="no" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9KCul-UUzBs?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Moving the Chains with Ashmere | COVID in the NFL</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KCul-UUzBs" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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<p><br/></p><p><span></span>While discussions of a bubble seem unrealistic for the NFL, perhaps they'll be a two-week hiatus that allows everyone to quarantine. Maybe players will have to shuffle into a controlled hotel environment for the second half of the season. Whatever they decide to do, coronavirus will be running in the background like the virus that took over your Windows computer.</p><p><br/></p><h2>The Bell Now Tolls For Kansas City</h2><p>If you're not first, you're last. </p><p>While there is some truth in Ricky Bobby's wisdom, it's still early in the season, and we don't quite know who's taking home the Lombardi this year. But we do know who isn't taking it home (the Jets) and who did last year (the Chiefs). We also know that in a matter of days, Le'Veon Bell just jumped from last to first by <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30120515/rb-leveon-bell-expected-sign-kansas-city-chiefs" target="_blank"><u>getting cut by the Jets, then signing with the Chiefs</u></a>. </p><p><br/></p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7986f3be71038283d6647c546b9c24c5" id="50db9"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1316882234155147264"><div style="margin:1em 0">Kansas City, #ChiefsKingdom, thank you for the opportunity 🙏🏾 let’s go! https://t.co/6aEY9GaoA7</div> — Le'Veon Bell (@Le'Veon Bell)<a href="https://twitter.com/LeVeonBell/statuses/1316882234155147264">1602804165.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><br/></p><p><span></span>It almost seems like there should be a rule against the Chiefs accumulating so much talent, but no, the Jets may have ruined everyone's postseason chances by letting them snag the former Steelers star. While Bell's woes began over <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2019/3/14/18263979/leveon-bell-pittsburgh-steelers-offer-jets-guaranteed" target="_blank"><u>contract negotiations</u></a>, he's slated to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30128258/leveon-bell-1-year-deal-kansas-city-chiefs-worth-169m" target="_blank"><u>only make $690,000 with the Chiefs with the opportunity to make up to $1.69 million</u></a>.</p><p>The best part of it all? Bell is being treated to a revenge game opportunity against the Jets in Week 8. Here's to hoping Bell can rebuild his reputation by swerving, stiff arming and straight-up shaming the Jets defense. </p><p><br/></p><h2>After Quinn's Departure, Will The Falcons Finally Take Flight? </h2><p>The only surprising thing about Dan Quinn's dismissal from the Falcons is that it took this long to execute. Liz Roscher of Yahoo Sports summarized Quinn's tenure as "<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/fired-falcons-coach-dan-quinn-thanks-atlanta-in-heartfelt-letter-165334761.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>six years on the job, two winning seasons and one memorably painful Super Bowl appearance</u></a>", the worst part being that his team hasn't had a winning season since 2017.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1725231dcb2cdd075b345e98a315d85e" id="f3fc1"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1316408469826699265"><div style="margin:1em 0">A letter from Dan Quinn to the city of Atlanta. https://t.co/2QSoHtbDxI</div> — Atlanta Falcons (@Atlanta Falcons)<a href="https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/statuses/1316408469826699265">1602691211.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The Falcons lost that Patriots Super Bowl, they lost Kyle Shanahan to the 49ers, and they haven't been the same since. After an eerily-similar repeat of their Super Bowl loss in Week 2 against the Cowboys, the calls to fire Quinn were louder than ever, yet Quinn and GM Tom Dimitroff were given three more weeks to redeem themselves. With Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Todd Gurley and Calvin Ridley, there's no reason that the Falcons couldn't have won one game—well, besides coaching.<br/></p><p>If players win games and coaches lose them, then perhaps the Falcons still have a chance to salvage their season without Quinn leading the charge. </p><p><br/></p><h2>Ian Rapoport Gets Cut Down For Endorsing Manscaping </h2><p>In some football-adjacent news, prominent NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has been suspended by NFL Network until October 22nd for something racy he shared on his Instagram… an ad for Manscaped. </p><p><a href="https://www.manscaped.com/" target="_blank"><u>Manscaped</u></a>, which specializes in <em>full</em>-body hair trimming options for men, has employed a highly-effective viral marketing model by getting celebrity endorsements in the spaces men typically frequent—on podcasts, social media and in the sports world. Rapoport was one of these celebrities, but apparently he didn't get clearance from the network to share the endorsement on his social channels, thereby violating network guidelines.</p>
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="b03e9fadf97ce5a521fc6672b39e6e16" id="ffeda"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-partner="rebelmouse" data-twitter-tweet-id="1314764808122773504"><div style="margin:1em 0">https://t.co/jdN1GceONW</div> — Ian Rapoport (@Ian Rapoport)<a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/statuses/1314764808122773504">1602299332.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><br/></p><h3></h3><p><span></span>While Rapoport said he respects and understands the network's decision and is "deeply sorry for his mistake", it brings about an interesting discussion about how sports journalists, like athletes, may be limited in the ways they can make money through their celebrity. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/04/20/u-s-newsroom-employment-has-dropped-by-a-quarter-since-2008/" target="_blank"><u>Already-shrinking newsrooms</u></a> have been <a href="https://www.poynter.org/business-work/2020/here-are-the-newsroom-layoffs-furloughs-and-closures-caused-by-the-coronavirus/" target="_blank"><u>slashed by COVID cuts</u></a>, and though Rapoport likely isn't affected by this, there shouldn't be anything wrong with trying to earn a side hustle in an impoverished journalistic landscape—even if that means Rapoport breaks the news on the best way to, uh, mow the lawn.</p>
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Derrick Henry throws Josh Norman, who's listed at 6 foot and 200 pounds, like he's a bag of beans.
NFL
Week 5 Vibe Check - Apologies for my Apple repair-induced vacation last week. For those curious, my offline picks kept me afloat at 3-2, while waiting to hear exactly how much a new keyboard for a MacBook costs.
The Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Arizona Cardinals all chipped in for me, but the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars nearly cost me letters "Q" through "T."
What did we figure out this last week? Well, Tom Brady's favorite number is four and like I've been saying all year, "THE BUCS AREN'T THAT GOOD." Meanwhile, down in Atlanta, the Panthers once again showed us that they ARE a competitive football team by smacking down the Falcons so mercilessly that Dan Quinn got the ax. You could've gotten pretty good odds on his firing. Or if you're like me, you lost money for the second time that Adam Gase hasn't cleaned out his office yet.
<p>Moving onto new business…</p><p><strong>Titans -3.5 over Texans</strong></p><p>The Ryan Tannehill experience keeps on rolling from town to town, even if a couple performances had to be delayed. The Titans wiped out an undefeated Bills team on the second ever Tuesday Night Football game on the strength of their passing game, which finally had its young, talented receiver, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/a-j-brown-catches-td-on-first-pass-back-from-injury-to-give-titans-an-early-lead-over-bills/" target="_blank">AJ Brown back in fighting shape</a> and Jonnu Smith mid-breakout. This allowed them to leave Derrick Henry, Ford F-150 with a Ferrari engine, in the garage most of the night, tallying a season low in carries, two TDs, and one of the nastiest stiff arms in recorded history. The Texans may have managed to beat up a flailing Jaguar team, but they'll have a lot more trouble handling a surging offense, even if Deshaun Watson will be able to do some damage against a subpar pass rush. </p><p><strong>Panthers -1.5 over Bears</strong></p><p>THE! PANTHERS! ARE! GOOD! I've been trying to say it all year. Matt Rhule gets it. Joe Brady gets it. Teddy Bridgewater gets it. They've looked competent in every game this season and <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/panthers/news/robby-anderson-key-unlocked-panthers-offense" target="_blank">the offense keeps improving with each start</a>, seemingly not missing a beat without McCaffrey. (Imagine what happens when he gets back). Meanwhile, the Bears are statistically one of the worst 4-1 teams in NFL history. They've lucked into a Charmin soft schedule that still required multiple collapses, a Foles' comeback, and a Brady blunder to get to where they are, which isn't that impressive.</p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="81bd07da8ff9a6ae68199ab2b7c6fac4" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="c9977" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://findbet.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUyMjA3Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMDAyMjYzMX0.OgHqB65cZI6Xe6wJCjLkrhorW-9TKN_9JaqjSCPcE18/image.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Mike Davis has taken up the torch for his injured teammate and looked like a star in his own right. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">AP Photo/John Bazemore</small></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Ravens -7.5 over Eagles</strong></p><p>The Eagles have proven themselves to be a bit frisky, having found a gem in Travis Fulgram and benefited from the health of Miles Sanders. However, everything still hinges on Carson Wentz and his protection, currently averaging just a shade under four sacks let up a game. Bad news: the Ravens are coming off a <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ravens-film-study-how-the-pass-rush-made-life-miserable-for-bengals-qb-joe-burrow/ar-BB1a1lmC" target="_blank">seven sack performance against the Bengals</a>. As for their offense, Lamar Jackson's run production has dropped this season, and with it, the overall effectiveness of their offense, which currently ranks 17th in DVOA. That's a ranking for a team whose victory has come by at least two scores. If this is a team who hasn't hit anything close to their stride, watch out. </p><p><strong>Packers -1 over Buccaneers</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/hall-of-fame-battle-brady-vs-rodgers-in-sundays-marquee-matchup/ar-BB1a4r3A" target="_blank">This is QB matchup everyone's been talking about</a>. Aaron Rodgers is a man on a no holds barred, take no prisoners, scorched earth mission to assert his dominance. Tom Brady is a man on the edge of a fall down, flat out, faltering 43 year old's breakdown. Rodgers has continued to elevate playmakers like Allen Lazard and Robert Tonyan well above their ceilings. Brady has continued on without playmakers like Chris Godwin or Mike Evans from week to week and looked more human with each passing possession. The Bucs are destined to go 8-8 and you can hang this one up in loss column towards that unavoidable reality. </p><p><br/></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2a709bf9458ac011cfef293dff031723" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" id="2a8c5" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://findbet.com/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDUyMjA2OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODI4MDQ2N30._Uew6K2kjYuaaIFpV661ATQeBR_IRBZaQ09gumc36d8/image.jpg?width=980"/>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Aaron Rodgers has looked ten years younger orchestrating his offense this season. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">The Associated Press</small></p><p><br/></p><p><strong>Chiefs -4 over Bills</strong></p><h3></h3><p>Patrick Mahomes has only lost back-to-back games in his career twice, once in 2018 and 2019. I wouldn't bet on this being the third. The Bills were left reeling after that thorough shellacking, while the Chiefs got caught trading punches with a scrappier Raiders team than anyone expected, leading to the largest loss in Mahomes' career. If the Bills couldn't keep the Titans under wraps, watch out for a motivated Chiefs offense that's talking about going back to basics and refocusing their play around the fundamentals. The star quarterback himself said that he can't rely on his scrambling and <a href="https://www.kansas.com/sports/article246481245.html" target="_blank">broken-plays-turned-good</a> to win games. Do you hear that? It's the sound of 31 NFL defensive coordinators slamming their heads against the wall of their office in concert. The only interesting competition in this game should be who has the bigger arm. </p>
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