Twitter has assured me that Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins is the real deal. And since when has Twitter been wrong? Real deal or not, he’ll meet his match Sunday afternoon against the Patriots. Washington did beat the Buccaneers prior to last week’s bye, but Cousins got a little help when Tampa Bay’s cornerback dropped what would have been the game-sealing interception. But that spread this week, that’s more than two touchdowns ... could the KC Masterpiece do the impossible, cover the spread against a Patriots team that’s vastly superior in every possible way?
NFL picks against the spread, Week 9: Broncos, Falcons best bets this week
Place your bets!
Double-digit spreads are nothing new to the Patriots. Since Bill Belichick has been coaching the team, they’ve been favored by 10 or more 42 times. He’s 39-3 straight up in those game. Against the spread, he’s only 17-25. So maybe there’s hope?
The Patriots have failed to cover the spread just once this season.
Washington’s mustered more than 25 points in a game just once this season, against the Bucs. That’s not a good sign considering what it will take to beat this New England team. But I look forward to another round of Cousins fans telling me what a great quarterback he’s going to be anyway.
It’s Blaine Gabbert time!
Colin Kaepernick was playing poorly, so the 49ers switched to Blaine Gabbert. That’s going to go great! The 49ers are underdogs again this week, like they have been in every game this season.
The real treat here is that someone inside the building in Santa Clara let it be known that the team felt like it was giving Gabbert at soft landing against the Falcons defense ... WHOOPS! Dan Quinn doesn’t seem like the kind of coach who’s going to let easy bulletin board material go unused, especially after losing to the Saints and Bucs in two of their last three.
The 49ers, the organization as much as the team on the field, can’t get out of their own way. Things get worse for teams in chaos before they get better, and we haven’t seen Jed York’s master plan hit bottom yet.
Peyton’s trip to the circus
The Colts are well on their way to becoming the 49ers (or the Browns, Lions, Titans, etc.). A visit from Peyton Manning and the Broncos isn’t going to help. Denver’s defense made Aaron Rodgers look like Brandon Weeden last week. Can you imagine what they’re capable of doing to this Colts team?
But wait, it gets better. Peyton Manning may not be playing like the version of himself the Colts are used to seeing, but he’s part of a nearly unbeatable Broncos team. Denver’s winning, and Indianapolis is not. But the Colts expected to be right there with them this season, and they’re not. Being force fed a dose of nostalgia with a side of what-should-have-been might leave Jim Irsay crumbled into a mumbly ball of goo writhing in the corner of the owners suite, desperately tweeting for help.
Five points just isn’t enough for me. Manning’s lame wing or not, the Broncos might win by 20 or more.
Week 9 picks
Okay, here are all my picks against the spread for this week’s games. My pick is in all caps.
Packers (-3) at PANTHERS
DOLPHINS at Bills (-3)
Washington at PATRIOTS (-14.5)
Jaguars at JETS (-8)
TITANS at Saints (-7)
RAIDERS at Steelers (-5)
Rams at VIKINGS (-1)
GIANTS at Buccaneers (-3)
FALCONS (-7.5) at 49ers
BRONCOS (-5) at Colts
EAGLES (-3) at Cowboys
Bears at CHARGERS (-4)
