Man, what in the world is happening to Norv Turner's San Diego Chargers? Last night's game was ridiculous to watch and yes, I'm bitter because I went with San Diego. I've been a Raider backer most of the season, but once Jason Campbell went out, I thought their season was over. Ponder that for a second... a season's hope resting on the loss of the former Redskins signal caller. Then they lose Darren McFadden and get blown out by Tim Tebow. Tim Tebow?
Regardless, the performance of new Raiders QB Carson Palmer poses many questions for me. Palmer went 11 months without participating in football activities. If you ask Bengals fans, that number might be closer to 36. His numbers before leaving Cincinnati weren't horrible, but as I've said before, he was the king of filler stats. Yardage once the game was out of reach and turnovers to thwart comebacks were his weekly ritual. Now, rookie Andy Dalton comes in and has the Bengals sitting at 6-2. Palmer, with much rust, is now playing at a high level after pouting his way to a trade away from the Queen City.
Am I the only one considering that Palmer was tanking it while in Cincinnati?
Anyways, last week was a good one for prognostication; with only some late-game let-ups keeping it from being double-digit-goodness.
| S/U | ATS | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 9 | 9-5 | 9-5 | 6-8 |
| Season Total | 73-46 | 63-58-5 | 51-66-1 |
Follow the jump for this week's predictions.
On to the picks, as we have some of the juiciest matchups of the season on slate this weekend. Not only is Dallas facing off against a formidable Buffalo team on Sunday, there are six other contests featuring teams at or above .500. Those battles will start help shaping the playoff picture now that we've reached double-digit weeks.
Pittsburgh-Cincinnati, Detroit-Chicago, Patriots-Jets and Saints-Falcons are all intradivision battles that feature contempt and familiarity. If you thought you'd be alright without Sunday Ticket, this might be the first weekend you reconsider.
| MATCHUP | Kickoff | Underdog | Line | Favorite | O/U | S/U | ATS | O/U | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland @ San Diego | T820p | Raiders | 7 | CHARGERS | 48 | Chargers | Chargers | Over | |
| Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati | 1p | BENGALS | 3 | Steelers | 41.5 | Steelers | Steelers | Under | |
| Denver @ Kansas City | 1p | Broncos | 3 | CHIEFS | 41 | Chiefs | Chiefs | Over | |
| Jacksonville @ Indianapolis | 1p | COLTS | 3 | Jaguars | 37.5 | Colts | Colts | Under | |
| Buffalo @ Dallas | 1p | Bills | 5 | COWBOYS | 48 | Cowboys | Cowboys | Under | |
| Houston @ Tampa Bay | 1p | BUCS | 3.5 | Texans | 45.5 | Bucs | Bucs | Under | |
| Tennessee @ Carolina | 1p | Titans | 3.5 | PANTHERS | 46 | Panthers | Panthers | Over | |
| Washington @Miami | 1p | Redskins | 4 | DOLPHINS | 37.5 | Redskins | Redskins | Under | |
| New Orleans @ Atlanta | 1p | Saints | PICKEM | Falcons | 50 | Saints | Saints | Over | |
| St. Louis @ Cleveland | 1p | Rams | 2.5 | BROWNS | 37 | Rams | Rams | Over | |
| Arizona @ Philadelphia | 1p | Cardinals | LINE OFF | EAGLES | PENDING KOLB | Eagles | pending | pending | |
| Batlimore @ Seattle | 405p | SEAHAWKS | 6.5 | Ravens | 41 | Ravens | Ravens | Under | |
| Detroit @ Chicago | 415p | Lions | 2.5 | BEARS | 45 | Lions | Lions | Over | |
| NY Giants @ San Francisco | 415p | Giants | 3.5 | 49ERS | 42.5 | 49ers | Giants | Over | |
| New England @ NY Jets | 830p | Patriots | 1.5 | JETS | 47.5 | Patriots | Patriots | Under | |
| Minnesota @ Green Bay | M835p | Vikings | 13 | PACKERS | 50.5 | Packers | Packers | Under |