It was another 3-3 week for Ernesto the Prediction Iguana. He hit with the Patriots, Falcons, and Bills, but the Steelers stank up the joint in Miami, while Dallas shellacked the Packers.
That brings the young season totals to 6-6, but Ernesto looks to rebound this week. As always, we do teasers here. Home team in CAPS, all lines from www.vegasinsider.com
GREEN LIGHT
patriots +7 at STEELERS
EAGLES-vikings OVER 34
“I think the bookies must be drunk,” said one sports writer as he, Ernesto, and I discussed both the Steelers debacle and this headscratching line. Roethlisberger is hurt, the run defense gave up 204 yards to a guy no one outside of Miami heard of, and the pass defense makes schlubs like Wentz and Tannehill look like Sammy Baugh.
Parleying that gift with a low over in Eagles-Vikings looks like Halloween candy. The Vikings are one of the two biggest stories in the NFC with their resurgent offense and stiff defense. The Eagles put up 30 on the Steelers. They should have enough firepower to keep reasonable enough pace and take it over a particularly low number for two good offenses.
AMBER ALERT
RAMS-giants OVER 38.5
ravens +5 at JETS
The NFL is an OVER league now. Scores are slowly rising. The NFL league average moved from a 22-21 game to a 23-22 game in just the last two years alone. Rams QB Case Keenum completed 20 straight passes in a losing effort, so the Rams do have offensive punch, enough to cover 38.5 with the Giants and Odell Beckham. The Jets are kicking themselves for firing Rex Ryan, as they are likely to return to the bad old days of double digit losses per season.
RED ALERT
raiders +7 at JAGUARS
CHIEFS-saints OVER 43
In four of their five games this year, the Saints have scored over 34 points. The Raiders admittedly have improved, but with the talent they are cultivating, they have a reasonable chance to make the playoffs. The 4-2 start helps.
