Del hit a bit of a speed bump last week with a 6-9-1 record against the spread and 1-2 in the Top 3. It was a rare week after having ripped off several weeks of above-.500 action, so let’s hope we can bounce back here with the season winding down. Unfortunately, this week has a lot of really tough lines. As usual, Del will do what he can to win you some money and has worked hard to analyze a week filled with tough match-ups.
As of right now, injuries across the league have prevented three lines from being posted. For that reason, Del has only chosen one Top-3 selection, with the rest to come when all of the lines are posted. That one game is Houston +1 at Tennessee. Oddsmakers are probably banking on the fact that the Titans are due for a win and could get it against a 5-8 team at home, but the Texans are a far superior team. They showed a lot of toughness in coming back to force overtime against the Ravens. Houston was a Matt Schaub pick-six away from a tremendous comeback victory that could have kept their AFC South hopes alive. I expect them to take it to the Titans this week, as Tennessee has completely lost its mojo — if it ever had any.
Another game I love this week is Dallas -6 at home against the Redskins. Now that Mike Shanahan has decided to bench Donovan McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman, there’s no reason the Cowboys shouldn’t turn this into a blowout. In fact, the Cowboys defense has openly stated their excitement with having to face Grossman instead of McNabb. Dallas should win by two touchdowns.
Rounding out the Top 3, I’m taking Atlanta -6 on the road against the Seahawks. Qwest Field may be a tough place to play, but the Seahawks are not as good as their 6-7 record indicates. The Falcons, on the other hand, are every bit as good as their 11-2 record indicates. It’s almost like people are waiting for them to hit a skid and it isn’t happening. They should roll again this week against a weak Seattle team and help the Rams inch closer to an 8-8 NFC West division title.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
