Doc Brown took a beating in his picks last week against the spread. But for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. So you know what that means? It’s time to recover and get that record straight.
Once again, the lines are very well placed by the folks in Vegas. There are a few lines that seem to stand out. For instance, both Doc and Del are loving the Giants on the road only giving one point. The only games we truly differ on are the Rams-Redskins contest, and Dolphins-Chargers. Del was unimpressed by San Diego last weekend and thinks the Dolphins will be desperate for a win. Doc was unimpressed by the Chargers as well, but thinks they’re a better team than what they’ve shown, and that Philip Rivers will have an improved week.
On with the picks before we get into more analysis.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
Doc has been all about the Detroit Lions since the preseason. The Cowboys’ receiving corps is banged up and many of the fill-ins looked lost on Monday night. If Dez Bryant and Miles Austin were at full strength, Doc would pick the Cowboys. Because they’re not, the Doc is rolling with the Lions for another week. Detroit’s struggles in pass protection last week were alarming, and DeMarcus Ware may make life difficult for Matthew Stafford, but the Lions should be able to get their passing game going anyhow.
The Redskins looked good on Monday night and have a tough defense. The Rams are finally getting Steven Jackson back, but they look like a bottom-feeding team in the NFL. The Redskins are much more talented and will pressure Sam Bradford all day. St. Louis’ inability to protect its quarterback is a major concern, and Washington has the pass rushers to exploit the weakness.
The Giants at the Cardinals seems like a no-brainer, which means they will probably lose. New York has put together back-to-back wins since dropping their opener to the Redskins. They really worked the Rams and Giants over in successive weeks, and it’s comforting that Eli Manning was able to play mistake-free football. Having Mario Manningham in addition to Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz gives the Giants a full compliment of receivers to pick on Arizona’s weak pass defense. And even though Justin Tuck is out, Osi Umenyiora is coming back, and Jason Pierre-Paul looks great. With Beanie Wells as a game-time decision, the Cardinals may have a one-dimensional attack. The good news for Arizona is that their passing game is the team’s offensive strength, which matches up well against the Giants’ poor pass defense. It won’t be a laugher, but the Doc likes the Giants to pull it out.
You can also head over to Play Action Picks to see my boy Sammy’s picks for week four.
