Got my first 3-0 sweep of the season-- and rather handily, too. The over pick in the Buffalo - New York Jets game went over in the first half, and the Saints won big as short favorites. The double digit divisional dog Washington squad won outright as 10 point dogs, on the road against one of the hottest teams in football with a third string QB.
Just to note-- the 4-D situation is now 3-0 ATS.
Broncos at Chiefs (+12.5, lost by 7)
Bucs at Saints (+11, won outright)
Jets at Pats (+10, lost by 2)
In both of the above SU losses, the dogs had a chance to win or tie near the end of the game.
Detroit had a gritty come-from-behind win in London, after spotting Atlanta 21 points to open the game. Detroit is a tough team to pick as a favorite-- they are 2-3 ATS and 0-3 in their last 3 laying points. Megatron being out hasn't helped, but the play is so inconsistent week to week. The NFC North is shaping up to be a two-team race though; Chicago's meltdown has certainly not helped their position in the division at 3-5 (same as the Vikes!). Still lots of football to be played, but the lockeroom situation in the Windy City is apparently rather toxic. As an aside, I really like having the extra-early game, especially on the West Coast.
Seattle gutted out a win in a defensive struggle in Carolina. The Panthers D looked like the dominant squad from last year for only the first time this season. This was a huge road win for the struggling champs, and surprisingly not a terrible loss for Carolina in the wide-open NFC South.
Speaking of the NFC South, Atlanta (at 2-6) has the most divisional wins at 2. New Orleans and Carolina each have one, but the Saints also have a divisional loss. This race is anybody's who can get a road win or two, it seems.
The most entertaining game was probably the crazy tilt at Heinz Field. A week after shutting out the Bengals at home, the Colts defense looked like a Pop Warner squad against Big Ben and the Steelers. For a moment or two in the 3rd, it looked like Luck was going to mount a signature comeback, but some bad mistakes really cost them. The Colts are not the same team on offense without Reggie Wayne, and on defense, Vontae Davis is key. I also think that this was a clear case of a young team not dealing well with a modest amount of hype stemming from their pretty stellar play over the course of the 5 game win streak. The Steelers, however, needed a win like this, as they have a huge divisional showdown against Baltimore next week.
Philly's streak also ended in the desert against the formidible, NFC West-leading Cardinals. It was a good week for streaks to end, as 4 of the top 6 teams of ESPN's power rankings lost (Dallas, Green Bay, Indy, and Philly). Goes back to the best NFL gambling mantra ever-- no team is ever as bad or as good as everyone thinks.
NFL 2014 Week 8: 3-0
NFL 2014 Season Total: 13-12
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