NFL Week 7: Overseas Travel Tips

The overall record was once again great for Week 6 (9-4) but the record against the spread was literally strictly average (6-6-1). Here are the records so far:

Overall: 58-26 (69%)
Vs. Spread: 45-38-1

SUNDAY

San Diego Chargers (2-3)(-4.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)
1:00 p.m. Arrowhead Stadium
Did anyone ever check to see if Al Groh and Norv Turner are the same person? Has anyone ever seen them in the same room or stadium together? How many times can both coaches start poorly, get hot, finish around .500 and save their jobs before their employers decide to hire someone that’s competent?
Pick: Chargers

Indianapolis Colts (5-0)(-13) vs. St. Louis Rams (0-6)
1:00 p.m. Edward Jones Dome
The Colts did not need the bye week to get ready for this game. In fact, they only really needed the amount of time a bus ride would take to St. Louis.
Pick: Colts

Chicago Bears (3-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)(-1.5)
1:00 p.m. Paul Brown Field
I really should have seen Cincy’s loss to Houston coming. Classic trap game. As for the Bears, I’m not sure what they saw in Jay Cutler that was worth giving him a 2-year extension. I’m not sure what part of their 3-2 record was that impressive. Kyle Orton (remember him?) is 6-0 in Denver. Seems like the wrong QB got the extension.
Pick: Bengals

Green Bay Packers (3-2)(-8.5) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-5)
1:00 p.m. Cleveland Browns Stadium
This one reeks of a game the Packers are going to give away. They simply aren’t that good. They are clearly the 3rd best team in their division. I won’t pick it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they slip up here.
Pick: Packers

Minnesota Vikings (6-0) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)(-4.5)
1:00 p.m. Heinz Field
Brett Favre had his FIRST decent game of the season against the Ravens. You wouldn’t know that by listening to FOX, CBS, ESPN, CNN, CBC, NBC, the NRA or the IRS. But Favre finally showed that even 40-year quarterbacks can help win a game once and awhile. The Vikings run ends here, and the beginning of the “What’s Wrong with Favre” segments begin on all the ESPN shows.
Pick: Steelers

New England Patriots (4-2)(-14) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-6)
1:00 p.m. Wembley Stadium in London, England
Again with the England game. Ok, NFL. We all get it. You are trying to spread the game globally. Well done! Perhaps sending a winless team over to London for the 2nd time in three seasons isn’t the best way to sell American Football. Especially a winless team that’s forced to play an opponent who could have easily put up 80 points or more last week. By the way, is there any chance that Bill Belichick won't be allowed back in the country?
Pick: Patriots

San Francisco 49ers (3-2) vs. Houston Texans (3-3)(-3)
1:00 p.m. Reliant Stadium
This really isn’t fair. The NFL decides to put the two most schizo franchises on a field together and forces me to pick between the two. While the Texans have had some quizzical losses, they have yet to lose by 35 points at home, like the 49ers have. Two weeks ago I praised the 49ers for appearing to be relevant again. Then they stick up the joint against Atlanta. Give me Houston at home.
Pick: Texans

New York Jets (3-3)(-6.5) vs. Oakland Raiders (2-4)
4:05 p.m. Oakland-Alameda Coliseum
Speaking of schizo, how about this matchup. The Jets get off to a 3-0 start (even though everyone knew they weren’t that good), then lose three straight. The most recent of which came at home to the Bills, a team that seemingly gave up on their season back in September. Mark Sanchez goes from the Sanch-ise to five interceptions in the span of 21 days. And the Jets aren’t even the most confusing team on the field in this game. The Raiders, after being blown out in consecutive weeks, completely embarrass the Eagles. Now I know the Eagles weren’t as good as their 3-1 record indicated, but under no circumstances should they have lost that game. So a team that can’t hold on to the ball has to make a cross-country trip to play a team that is among the worst run franchises in professional sports. I’m just closing my eyes and pointing randomly to make a pick at this point.
Pick: Jets

Buffalo Bills (2-4) vs. Carolina Panthers (2-3)(-7)
4:05 p.m. Bank of America Stadium
Here’s another one I don’t know what to do with. I could easily take Carolina since they get to face a Bills team with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. But that’s the same Fitzpatrick that made fewer mistakes than Sanchez last week and somehow helped Buffalo win. I’m just going to play it safe.
Pick: Panthers, Bills cover

New Orleans Saints (5-0)(-6.5) vs. Miami Dolphins (2-3)
4:15 p.m. Land Shark Stadium
The Saints proved that they are far and away the best team in the NFC. Miami has proven throughout the season that they are strictly middle-of-the-pack in the AFC. However, Miami has had two weeks to get ready for this, so it should be much closer for New Orleans than their game was last week.
Pick: Saints

Atlanta Falcons (4-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-2)(-4.5)
4:15 p.m. Cowboys Stadium
Clearly Las Vegas has not been watching the Cowboys this season. They’ve had one decent game, and that was against the Buccaneers. They got dominated by Denver and the Giants. They should have lost to Kansas City. They played even with Carolina. The schedule has helped this team to 3-2. But it’s time to face it…despite all the talent on that roster, the Cowboys are a below average team.
Pick: Falcons

Arizona Cardinals (3-2) vs. New York Giants (5-1)(-7)
8:20 p.m. Giants Stadium
All the experts are usually quick to point out that the Cardinals can’t win on the East Coast. I used to be one of those people. However, Arizona has won their last two East Coast games, including that playoff win last season in Charlotte. The Cardinals get in trouble when they have to play a 1:00 p.m. game in this time zone. As you can see, that won’t be a problem for Arizona. As for the Giants, they were exposed last week in their first real test of the season. This is their second. The Cards are rolling, and a night game against the Giants shouldn’t stop that roll.
Pick: Cardinals

Bye Week: Baltimore, Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, Seattle, Tennessee