NFL fans get a marquee matchup with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday. It’s the best quarterback in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, against the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
The line opened at Kansas City -3.5 and now has settled to Kansas City -3. The over/under is set at 56.5.
This game can go in so many different directions. The Chiefs are a scoring machine, but they’ve stumbled at times early in games. The Bucs are also inconsistent, but Brady has played well in this offense as the year progressed.
That said, Brady had a tough second half versus the Packers last week and it was the defense plus some bad coaching by the Packers that saved the day for the Bucs. Still, it’s always tough to bet against Brady.
I don’t feel strongly about this one at all, but if I had to bet it, or I was in Vegas for some fun, I’d go with the Chiefs -3 and the over.
Is everyone over those stories about the NFL being in decline? Sure, they had some serious controversies last year with the protests, and the NBA was on fire with the Cavs – Warriors battles. College football also created quite a buzz with their new playoff as well starting in 2014.
But suddenly we’ve seen the ratings do a u-turn. NFL ratings are back up again this year, while the NBA is suddenly dipping as the Lebron James versus the Warriors story starts to get old. Superteams are good for a sport . . . but only for a while. Aren’t you sick of the Warriors stockpiling all stars? Meanwhile, the College Football Playoff has lost a little of its luster with Alabama and Clemson being annual locks to play in the final four.
After a miserable rookie season under Jeff Fisher where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns, few would have predicted that Jared Goff would be a starting quarterback in the Super Bowl just two years later. Instead, many were tossing around the “bust” term.
Things certainly changed once Sean McVay took over the Rams and quickly resurrected Goff’s career and reputation with his innovative offensive schemes. This past season Goff completed 64.9% of his passes for 4,688 yards, 32 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.
We’ve seen this movie before. For a generation, NFL fans have grown accustomed now to seeing Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and some version of the New England Patriots find their way into the Super Bowl. They’re also usually favorites as well apart from their first appearance where they were huge underdogs against . . . the St. Louis Rams. This year they’ll face the now Los Angeles Rams led by young coaching phenom Sean McVay and young quarterback Jared Goff. The current line has the Patriots favored by 2.5 points, which has grown from a slightly smaller opening spread and money jumped on the Patriots.
The NFL has had a rough year, but the league keeps delivering with incredible Super Bowl games and great finishes. Last night was no different as Nick Foles and the underdog Eagles defeated Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots dynasty in an instant classic.
The 41-33 win came down to another excellent game plan by Doug Pederson who has established himself as one of the best and most innovative coaches in the NFL. Last night he was able to beat the master and Nick Foles played just as well as legendary Tom Brady.
They’ll be celebrating this one in Philly for a LONG time . . .
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