BRALEY BOWL IN THE MAKING AND SMART NFL PICKS
It has been suggested that close only counts in horseshoes,
hand grenades and drive-in theatres. Add football pools to the list, too.
Unlike my younger brother, Ward ‘Mr. Perfect’ Kurenoff, who
likes to remind our above average readers how freakin’ accurate his CFL picks
are on a daily basis, and that he won a big hockey pool last year when the NHL
didn’t stand for the No Hockey League, I prefer the humble route.
But did you notice I picked the Bills to win by at least
four points on Thursday and they won by five? And did I mention we have a .750
average on NFL picks after 10 weeks, and higher if you throw out the point
spreads? Did I mention how more and more people are using my little old picks
for their office pools? Of course not, that’s not how I roll.
Our NFL picks are a bit shorter this week (way too
early to start clapping). And I want to add My Two Bits about the CFL East and
West Finals, so drum roll, please.
First, the CFL: The B.C. Lions will crush the Stampeders on
Sunday. Nik Lewis, who proves you don’t have to be smart to play for the
Stampeders, poked the bear by tweeting the Lions were afraid to play them. And
to think that was his smartest tweet of the week, but I digress. Lions by 12,
maybe even more.
The Toronto Argonauts, owned by David Braley (who also owns
the Lions), will knock off the Als at Olympic Stadium in Montreal by at least
eight points, setting up a Braley Bowl Grey Cup on Nov. 25. It will be nice to
see a sold-out CFL game in Toronto, even if 98 per cent of the Rogers Centre crowd
is from out of province and the other two per cent have never heard of the
Argos.
Now for the NFL:
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
The Redskins are favoured by 2.5 points. Both teams are 3-6 and starting to shop
for playoff tickets. The Eagles are also without quarterback Michael Vick
because of a nasty concussion, while the Redskins have a healthy RG3, playing
at home.
Gord’s Great Guess: Redskins to fly past the Eagles by 3
points or more.
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
The Packers are 4.5-point favourites. They’ll prey Sunday on
the Lions in Motown. Some experts are divided on this one, figuring the Packers
aren’t what they used to be. Let them waste their money.
Gord’s Great Guess: Pick Packers to prevail by seven points
or more.
Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
The Dirty Birds are 9.5-point favourites, which is a bit
high against a rock-solid defence like the Cards, who can’t score but can stop
offences.
Gord’s Great Guess: Pick Atlanta to win, but the point
spread is a bit high. Still, I can’t resist going with the Dirty Birds to
prevail by at least 10 points.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
The Bucs are 1.5-point favourites and the Panthers are being
called a team of the future by their own fans, which loosely translated means
they have no hope in hell now.
Gord’s Great Guess: Bucs win, easy.
Cleveland Browns at Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are 7.5-point favourites against the Charlie
Browns. Everything is bigger in Dallas, except the expectations for the
hot-and-cold Cowboys.
Gord’s Great Guess: Cowboys will win by 8 points or more or
fans will begin watching the cheerleaders instead of the team . . . wait, half
of the fans already do that. Cowboys must win Sunday or playoff-starved fans
will convert to Texans’ faith.
New York Jets at St. Louis Rams
How far have the Jets plunged? The lowly Rams are 3.5-point
favourites this weekend.
Gord’s Great Guess: The anti-Jets sentiment is
understandable, but they will beat the Rams. There are a lot of Mark Sanchez
and Rex Ryan bashers and those who believe the New York receivers couldn’t
catch a flu. But the Jets will win Sunday in convincing fashion (wink, wink),
by 3 points or more!
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
The Patriots are 9.5-point favourites to squash Andrew Luck
and the Colts. That’s a big number for a cold Sunday in the Boston area. It
won’t be a T (shirt) party.
Gord’s Great Guess: Pats will win in a squeaker but won’t
cover the spread.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Wow, the oddsmakers have made the Texans 15.5-point
favourites. That’s a Grand Canyon-sized spread.
Gord’s Great Guess: Texans will win for sure. But I’m a tad
nervous about the 15.5-point spread and I don’t think the Jags will get blown
out by that much, even though Houston won 27-7 earlier this season. My gut says
it will be closer this time, by 12 or 13, but not 15.5.
Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
The Bengals are 3.5-point favourites, but KC is playing much
better and almost beat the Steelers last week.
Gord’s Great Guess: The Chiefs will win, maybe even in
overtime, but they will win. Barely!
New Orleans Saints at Oakland Raiders
The Saints are marching and Drew Brees is playing like the
MVP of yesteryear. The Raiders are hot and cold, but mostly cold. Tougher to secure a safe parking spot in Oakland than a win these days.
Gord’s Great Guess: Saints are favoured by 5.5 points and
they’ll win by at least seven points. Raider Nation will be screaming for
coaching and player changes, which means another recruiting trip to local
prisons!
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
The Broncos are favoured to win by 7.5 points at Mile High.
The Chargers continue to start fast and run out of gas by the third quarter.
Gord’s Great Guess: Broncos to win by 9 or more.
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers are favoured by 3.5 points without quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, which is incredible.
Gord’s Great Guess: Ravens will win a defensive struggle by
at least 3 points.
THE MONDAY NIGHTER
Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are 4.5 favourites and the Bears won’t have QB Jay
Cutler due to concussion issues.
Gord’s Great Guess: San Fran will prove they are for real on
the Monday Night Football stage and blitz the Bears by 8 points or more. Expect
a 27-10 kind of game!
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Perhaps it is appropriate that the New York Jets are
included on the National Football League’s busy Thanksgiving Thursday schedule.
In the day’s early game, 9:30 a.m. in Vancouver and later in
Newfoundland, the powerful Houston Texans are in Detroit to face the
meat-and-potato Lions, while at 1:15 p.m. RG3’s Washington Redskins visit Dallas
to tangle with the Cowboys, who have been known to whip up pumpkin-like
performances at their posh Arlington stadium this season.
Methinks the Cowboys (5-5) will get it right Thursday and
baste the Redskins (4-6), while the Texans (9-1), on a pilgrimage to win the
Super Bowl this season, will gobble up the Lions (4-6).
