Like most of the public, The Game Haus had a good week against the spread last week. With an 8-5 mark, the season record sits pretty at 70-59-5. As usual, picks are bolded, outright upsets have an asterisk, and all spreads are from rtsports.com at the time of writing.
Thursday Night:
Panthers at Steelers (-4)- What a great game to kick off the week. It has been about a month since either team lost. This could be a Super Bowl preview. These teams are more balanced than some of the teams that people are falling in love with. These squads are similar too. They can do a little bit of everything on offense. The Steelers are healthier and playing at home on a short week. That is what tips this coin flip game in their favor. Pit 30 Car 24
Sunday:
Cardinals at Chiefs (-16.5)- It is an insane number to swallow, especially with Kansas City’s defense being what it is. However, Arizona is a really young football team that will be behind early on the road here. Once that avalanche gets started downhill, it will be tough for them to stop it. KC 41 Ari 20
Falcons (-4) at Browns- After three straight wins, Atlanta is a factor at the back end of the NFC playoff race. The constant dysfunction has taken the Browns from competitive to not competitive in the last two weeks. They will keep this respectable, but four is too small a number not to swallow. Atl 28 Cle 20
Bills at Jets (-7)- This is the first of several value picks this week. It will be an awful game. Also, the line has yet to be affected by the news that Sam Darnold will not play. The Bills’ quarterback carousel continues to spin so fast that no one can keep up. Still, the Jets are not seven points better than anyone in the NFL right now, even with Darnold. Nyj 14 Buf 10
Lions at Bears (-6.5)- The Lions gave up 10 sacks last week in Minnesota. They will have a hard time faring much better against the Chicago pass rush. It is hard for a team to stay even remotely competitive when they are struggling to protect the quarterback to the degree the Lions are at the moment. Chi 28 Det 17
Jaguars at Colts (-3)- These two teams have the same record, but Jacksonville has lost four in a row. The Colts are at home, have won two in a row and Andrew Luck suddenly has a running game to help him out. This is an easy one. Ind 27 Jac 17
Saints (-5.5) at Bengals- The Saints are the most complete team in football. Last week ended any doubt. However, this will be their fifth straight game against a team with legitimate playoff hopes. That is a grind that will catch up with them before long. If A.J. Green were healthy, this week on the road would be likely. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, he is not and it is hard to imagine the Bengals keeping up in a shootout without their best pass catcher. NO 38 Cin 28
Patriots (-6.5) at Titans- The Titans got a big road last week, but the Patriots have hit their stride. Very few teams are good enough to really compete with them right now. The Titans 30th ranked total offense certainly is not going to cut it. NE 29 Ten 16
Redskins at Bucs (-3)- Like the Lions a few weeks ago against Seattle, the Redskins had a chance to solidify themselves as contenders last week and laid an egg at home. Like the Lions after Seattle, they are done. Meanwhile, it is amazing how much better and harder Tampa Bay plays with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. Even though the Redskins are the ones in a division race, the effort for Tampa Bay was far superior last week. There is no reason to think that will not continue here. TB 24 Was 17
Chargers (-10) at Raiders– This pick is about professional pride, nothing more. The Chargers are white hot right now. However, Jon Gruden and his players have been the butt of everyone’s jokes for two weeks. Teams like that usually come out and play really well once the next game rolls around. No one should be crazy enough to pick the outright upset, but Oakland will cover. Lac 28 Oak 20
Dolphins at Packers (-10)- The gap between Aaron Rodgers and Brock Osweiler is the Grand Canyon, but Miami has the better record. This is the only winnable game in a five-week stretch for Green Bay, and they know it. That desperation will get them over the line here, but Miami has been playing a clean brand of football all year long and is much better than this line suggests. GB 31 Mia 24
Seahawks at Rams (-10)- Here is yet another classic value pick. This is very similar to when the Packers played the Rams a couple weeks ago. Rodgers getting 9.5 points was a steal then, just like Russell Wilson getting 10 points is now. This is especially true with the way the Rams defense has become a little leaky as of late. The Rams win a nail-biter. Lar 33 Sea 30
Cowboys at Eagles (-6.5)- This is the last value pick of the week. Dallas is falling apart, and the Eagles are at home off a bye. Still, it is hard to believe any of the top three teams in the shockingly average NFC East are a touchdown better than each other. Phi 23 Dal 20
MNF:
Giants at 49ers (-3)- Both teams are in the running for the first pick in the draft. This is not a great game by any measure. Do not expect Nick Mullens to set the world on fire again. Still, at least the 49ers are still playing hard and pulling the same direction. The same cannot be said for the Giants. SF 21 Nyg 17
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