Doc finally bounced back with a big-time 12-4 week ATS and a 13-3 week straight up in Week 13. It’s not supposed to be that easy, which probably means a crash back to earth is coming. Injuries at the quarterback position have created questions in Tampa Bay, Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Houston. That’s making our job difficult, but we’re doing our best. Here are the picks, along with analysis on the Top 3 games below.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
The Saints are on a different level from the Titans. It’s certainly possible that New Orleans has an off game the way they did against the Rams, but they’re just much better than Tennessee. The Titans have won two in a row, but it’s been against bad competition. They likely won’t be able to keep up with the Saints. The Doc would have figured this to be a 6-point spread.
The Chiefs have hopeless Tyler Palko at quarterback, whose only touchdown pass last week came on a Hail Mary before halftime. But here’s the thing: their defense has been getting it done. Teams simply are having difficulty scoring on them. Doc imagines the Jets will find trouble doing the same thing. As long as Palko doesn’t make mistakes, the defense should do enough to keep the game within nine points.
The Doc never thought it would come to the point where he’d feel comfortable picking the 49ers to cover, but that’s where we are. Their defense is so good it’s made them an excellent pick against the spread. Arizona’s defense has improved, but their offense is still suspect. The Doc imagines they’ll find difficulty scoring, just like they did in their last meeting with San Francisco.
