Light up all those neon “GET CA$H HERE” signs, because Ernesto the Prediction Iguana and the Cat Squad Research Team had another stellar week of NFL picks: 5-1 overall and 21 in teasers, swelling the season totals to 13-5 overall, 6-3 in teasers. Last week Ernesto hit with the Patriots (3-0 for us this season!) the Chargers in London (2-0 for us) and the Chiefs, as well as two OVER/UNDERS. The lone loss was the hapless Bills, who got 13 for us, but needed 33.
Anyhoo, here’s our intrepid animal kingdom prognosticator’s list of winners for this week. As always, we do 2-team teasers here, so we can move the line six points either way. We use the lines from www.vegasinsider.com, HOME TEAM IN CAPS.
OVER EASY!
PANTHERS-ravens OVER 37.5
JAGUARS-eagles OVER 35
Watch out for the barking dog visitors, who may win outright and light up the scoreboard. Meanwhile, the Panthers are rounding into form, while the Jags are treading water in a division they hoped to dominate.
ON THE RISE!
CHIEFS -2.5 vs. broncos
BEARS +1/2 vs. jets
Don’t be fooled by the Broncos beating up on the flightless Cardinals; the Chiefs are a rising powerhouse, and Arrowhead is once again living up to its fierce reputation as a tough place to play. The Bears rejuvenated offense will have to grind it out for four quarters against the Jets, but New York still makes too many mental errors and engages in too much sloppy play.
BARKIN’ DOGS!
redskins +5 at GIANTS
saints +4.5 at VIKINGS
The Redskins seem to be solidifying under Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson; that was a tough win they gutted out against Dallas last weekend. The Giants continue to founder. Time to trade OBJ for a few Kegs of Bud Light and that Giant Blue Knight from the commercials. He can tackle better than moSt of that defense anyway. The Saints are making a run, and they are closing out games that they used to squander. Minnesota took a while to warm up against the Jets, and made several gaffes of their own, but found a higher gear in the second half. Was that the fuse igniting them to a run or just a spark against a
lesser foe? I think more the latter.
BONUS PICK – FOR GAMBLING DEGENERATES ONLY
STEELERS -1 vs. browns
patriots -7 vs. BILLS
We’re 2-0 this season betting AGAINST the improved Browns and their Baker Mayfield-led offense. We’re also 3-0 betting WITH the Pats, and Buffalo gave us no reason to think any differently with that putrid effort in Indy.
