Sports Picks & Predictions

*3 Star NFL Play of the Week* The Carolina Panthers are just miserable on offense this year. In 10 of their 15 games so far this year they have scored 14 points or fewer. The Falcons held the Panthers to just ten points in their first meeting this season. This is definitely an important game to the Falcons, since they can clinch the top seed in the playoffs with a win. Jimmy Clausen will start for the Panthers at quarterback, and he hasn't shown the ability to do much yet. Carolina has the worst passing attack in the NFL. Carolina's running game is also slowed now because DeAngelo Williams is out and Johnathan Stewart is hobbled by a minor foot injury. I think Atlanta will take control of this game from the beginning and then they'll be looking to get out of here with all their players healthy. I think the Falcons defense will flex their muscles in this one. I like the under in this game.

*3 Star NFL Bookie SMASHER* The Indianapolis Colts offense seems to have turned it around the last few weeks. Peyton Manning is looking like the same terrific player he has the last few years, and the running game has even improved. The Colts defense is still weak against the run, and I think the Raiders will be able to exploit that with their terrific rushing game. Most people don't realize this Raiders offense is 8th in the NFL in total offense, and the rushing attack is the second best in the NFL this year. The Raiders have given up 28.4 points per game in their last five games, and the Colts have given up 30.8 per game in their last five games. Both teams need a win here, and I think the offenses will have the upper hand in this game. I like the over.

*3 Star NFL ATS Play of the Week* This is a classic case of one team having a ton to play for and the other having nothing to play for. Tennessee showed up with a good effort to exact revenge on Houston this week, but other than that game they haven't looked interested in the last few weeks. The Chiefs are atop the AFC West, but they know they can't afford to lose a game like this with the Chargers playing great football right now. The Chiefs are unbeaten at home this year, and while some of their games have been close, I think they'll win this one comfortably. Kansas City has the top rushing attack in the NFL, and Tennessee hasn't been very good against the run this year. Matt Cassel is back and healthy and I think the passing attack will give the Chiefs enough balance in this one. I like the Chiefs at home here.

*3 Star NFL Total DOMINATION* The Washington Redskins have turned to Rex Grossman as their starting quarterback and I think that means more points in their games, both for them, and the opposition. Grossman will take more chances with the football, which should lead to plenty of points. The Redskins defense is the worst in the NFL, and I expect Jones-Drew and the Jaguars rushing attack to have a field day in this one. At the same time, the Jaguars defense is one of the worst in the NFL against the pass, which means the Redskins should have chances to score as well. The over is 7-1 in the Jaguars last 8 games overall. The Redskins game against the Cowboys last week showed what their offense could look like with Grossman, which is both good and bad. I like the over in this one.

*3 Star NFL Total DOMINATION* It should be no secret by now that the Indianapolis run defense is not any good. Jacksonville knows how to exploit this defense, as they have shown in recent meetings with the Colts. The Jaguars are averaging 179 yards per game on the ground in their last eight games against the Colts. At the same time, Peyton Manning has thrown for more than 300 yards in three of the last four meetings with Jacksonville's defense. The over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings between these two teams. The over is 10-3 in the Colts 13 games this year and 8-4-1 in the Jags games this season. There is a good chance some of the starters will be back for the Colts in this matchup and Manning will have some extra weapons. Both quarterbacks have thrown a lot of picks this year, so don't be surprised if the defense scores in this one as well. I like the over in this game.

*3 Star NFL Bookie CRUSHER* The Philadelphia Eagles have had the best offense in the NFL over the last five weeks. Mike Vick is throwing the ball as well as ever and McCoy is proving to be the real deal in the backfield. The Eagles are averaging 35.2 points per game in their last five games. The Giants defense is solid, but at this point I believe the Eagles can move and score quite a few on everyone in the league. Philadelphia's defense is allowing 26 points per game on the road this year. The Giants running game has gotten going of late and I expect them to be productive again on Sunday. This may well be the biggest game of the week as both of these teams enter at 9-4. The over is 8-1 in the Eagles last 9 and 8-3 in the Giants last 11 games at home. I expect the offenses to have the upper hand all throughout this game. Take the over here.

*3 Star NFL Total Knockout* The single biggest takeaway from the Ravens game with the Texans last Monday night for me was that this Ravens defense isn't even close to the level they used to be. The secondary is fairly weak, and the front seven wear down by the fourth quarter as well. The New Orleans Saints offense may have started a bit slowly this year, but they are absolutely on fire of late. The Saints have scored at least 30 points in each of their last five games. The passing attack ranks third in the NFL, and I think they'll exploit the Ravens secondary in this game. Baltimore has been a little better offensively at home this year, and I think their trio of great wide receivers will be a mismatch against the Saints as well. Ray Rice is bound to have a breakout game soon, and I think it could be here. I think the line is set too low here, and I'm taking the over.

*3 Star Monday Night Football Bookie CRUSHER* The Houston Texans are a talented team, especially on offense, but they have underachieved this year. Andre Johnson has been dinged up this year, and that has hurt the team quite a bit. The biggest problem they have is that their pass defense is absolutely terrible. They are on pace to set a record for most passing yards allowed in a season. Opponents are racking up 287 passing yards per game. Joe Flacco has been inconsistent this year, but I think this secondary will bring the best out in him. Boldin, Mason, and Houshmandzadeh are a good trio of wide receivers and I expect them to be open all night long. Arian Foster is a good runner, but I don't expect this terrific Ravens defense to allow the Texans run game to get going very much. This Ravens defensive front is terrific. The Ravens need this game and they are the much more balanced team. I like Baltimore in this one.

*3 Star NFL Sunday Night Bookie BASHER* The Eagles and Cowboys probably have the two hottest offenses in the NFL right now. If you look back a few weeks it is hard to imagine saying the Cowboys offense is good, but they have averaged 33.25 points per game in their last four games. Jason Garrett is now the head coach and this team seems to have changed their game plan a bit since then. The Eagles continue to roll on the offensive end behind some terrific quarterback play from Mike Vick. The Eagles have scored 26 points or more in seven of their last eight games overall. The Cowboys defense is allowing 28 points per game. The over is 7-1 in the Eagles last eight games. The over is 8-0 in the Cowboys last 8 games. This is a pretty high number, but I think we'll see a game that hits at least the mid 50's. Take the over here.

*3 Star NFL Bookie CRUSHER* The Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are no strangers to ugly low-scoring games. Last year the Browns beat the Bills 6-3 in what may have been the worst game of the year to watch. This year there is a major weather system that will impact this game. Buffalo is expected to be getting snow and 15-20 mph winds during this game. Since it is right by the lake, the conditions can deteriorate rapidly here. I fully expect this to be a game where both teams rely on their running game, because the conditions won't allow much passing. The under is 5-1 in the Bills last 6 home games in December, largely because of the poor weather that occurs here. This weekend we have two teams with suspect offenses and bad weather conditions. I'll take the under.

*3 Star NFL Total DOMINATION* The Pittsburgh Steelers have the best run defense in the NFL. Pittsburgh is under a winter storm watch for Sunday because they are expected to receive several inches of snow and high winds. The Bengals rushing game is not impressive at all, and I think Cincinnati will struggle to score in this game. Inclement conditions will likely make the Steelers willing to just run the ball and methodically score on the Bengals, eating up a lot of time in the process. With winds of 15-20 mph and heavy snow at times, I fully expect this to be a low scoring game. The Steelers defense will flex their muscles against a weak Bengals running game and this one will likely be a snoozer. Take the under and expect the weather to impact this game in a major way.