Leans as of now, Will pare down:
Raiders +3.5
-this is a battle of two below average ball teams. Everyone saw the
Chiefs hang tough with a chance to tie the ballgame on the road vs The
Pats while on Monday Night the Raiders get pasted at Home vs the
Broncos. I don't think the Chiefs are as good as they looked and I
don't think the Raiders are as bad as they looked.
Their also has to be motivation here for the Raiders wanting to make up
for their woeful performance. No one likes to be embarrassed
especially on primetime and I look for this defense, especially the
talented secondary to be playing with a chip on their shoulders this
week. Maybe the egos and big signings the Raiders made this off-season
made them a little overconfident and cocky, and hopefully this first
week brought them down to earth. Another angle I like about this in-division matchup is that it is usually a tightly contested game. The Raiders lost at home to the Chiefs 12-10 but beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead 20-17 with both numbers falling under the line set at 3.5 and I think this hook could prove large here.
Vikes +2 -the Colts are an above average football team no question but I don't see them as the elite team they were a couple years ago. They are a better team than they showed last week for sure but their offense looked a bit rusty and their run defense was pretty poor, getting shredded for 183 yards. Now let's look at the Vikings. The Vikings boast an even better running game and line than the Bears. They should be able to run and control the clock against the Colts just like the Bears did. The Vikings also boast a stout run defense which should make the Colts a one-dimensional team this week. I don't know if Manning is fully healthy and sharp enough yet to take this game over and win it through the air.
Skins Pick
Rams +8.5
Niners +6.5 or +7
Texans -4.5
Chargers -1.5
Plays locked in earlier in week thinking line would move in my favor (subject to middles or buyoffs):
Cowboys -6.5 (-105)
Jags -6
Panthers -3 (-120)
-As you can see I was wrong on the Jags but still like my position there.
-Got a great number on the Cowboys though but have no real opinion on
this game as of yet I think 7 could be a sharp line. Hoping to see a
7.5 for the Eagles come my way.