Tag: Peyton Manning (Page 3 of 41)

      NFL Week 11 Free Picks

      November 17, 2013 /

      Falcons vs. Bucs, 1:00PM ET
      Can things get any worse for the Falcons this season? They lose Julio Jones to a season-ending foot injury, Roddy White hasn’t been fully healthy since the start of the preseason and the defense has been forced to start undrafted rookies at multiple linebacker spots. Toss in a horrible offensive line, a weak pass rush and a frazzled quarterback and you’ve got the makings of a 2-7 season for a team that was supposed to contend for a Super Bowl. The Falcons are 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games overall, 0-4 ATS in their last four road games and 1-4 ATS in their last five division games. Even when they’re good they’ve struggled in Tampa Bay.
      FREE PICK: BUCCANEERS -1

      Lions vs. Steelers, 1:00PM ET
      The Steelers are a shell of their former selves on defense. They can still generate a decent pass rush but they’ve been bad in coverage and even worse against the run (which had been a strength under Dick LeBeau). On the other side, the Lions remain explosive on offense and their defense is dangerous because of their stout pass rush, but they’re far from being a lockdown unit. Even on a soggy field in Pittsburgh, this game has the makings of a shootout. The over is 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams and 41-20-2 in the Lions’ last 63 road games.
      FREE PICK: OVER 45.5

      49ers vs. Saints, 4:25PM ET
      The Saints have won and covered in 14 straight home games with Sean Payton on the sidelines. That’s an incredible feat, although it’s clear to anyone that pays attention that the Saints are a different team at home than away from the fast carpet of the Superdome. The Niners, meanwhile, are coming off their worst offensive performance of the season when they were held to just 151 yards of total offense. They’ve beaten up on teams like the Rams, Texans, Cardinals, Titans and Jaguars over the past month and a half, but faced with a stiff challenge in the Panthers, they couldn’t muster double-digit points. That kind of effort won’t cut it Sunday against a Saints team that has scored at least 31 points in all four of their last four home games.
      FREE PICK: SAINTS -3.5

      Chiefs vs. Broncos, 8:30PM ET
      The Chiefs can’t win in a shootout – that’s not who they are. Thus, their defense will be put to the test tonight against the most explosive offense in the NFL. The X-factor in this game is Peyton Manning’s ankles. If he’s more banged up than he and the Broncos are letting on, then Kansas City’s defense will make this game. Denver hasn’t done a good enough job the past few weeks of protecting Manning and he’s paying the price. Look for the Chiefs to take a page out of the Colts’ playbook and play press coverage on the outside. Disrupting Manning’s timing with his receivers is the only way you’re going to beat him, and that’s easier said than done. That said, the Chiefs’ have the corners and pass rush to keep Manning in check and keep this game close throughout.
      FREE PICK: CHIEFS +7.5

      NFL

      Can the Kansas City Chiefs keep it going?

      October 27, 2013 /

      The Kansas City Chiefs had the top pick in the latest NFL draft, and now they’re sitting at 7-0 with everyone calling Andy Reid a genius. But are they really that good, and does this make them a good bet in Vegas?

      Andy Reid deserves a ton of credit for turning around this team. Everything revolves around the defense, where the Chiefs already had a lot of talent. They play very aggressive defense and they’v been causing a ton of turnovers. With the defense being the core, Reid went out and got Alex Smith to fit into his natural role as a game manager. The Chiefs love to run the ball, and then they don’t ask Smith to take any chances. This conservative approach has been critical to their success so far this season.

      Still, is this sustainable? With an excellent defense they of course will be a contender all season long. But will they keep getting the critical turnovers? There’s always some luck associated with that. The Chiefs have had the good fortune of playing some terrible football teams. Also, they’ve faced a string of backup quarterbacks in Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick, and this week they get Jason Campbell. Later this year reality may set in as they will face Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning twice, Philip Rivers twice and RG3.

      Then we have the issue of the offense. How long can they ride Alex Smith and his low yards per attempt numbers?

      If you look at the NFL lines this week you’ll see the Chiefs as a 7.5 favorite over the Cleveland Browns. This game is interesting for a number of reasons. With Campbell starting, it’s really impossible to predict what we’ll see with the Cleveland offense. If he’s rusty or plays like he did last year, the Chiefs will have another win to celebrate. But if he can be a competent quarterback like the guy who was 4-2 in 2011 with the Raiders before getting hurt, then the Browns be come a formidable opponent.

      The Browns do have an aggressive defense, and DC Ray Horton has promised to let them get more aggressive this week now that they’re healthy. And while he didn’t say it, Alex Smith is no Aaron Rodgers. The Browns will likely stack the box and blitz often in order to stuff the running game and dare Smith to throw passes downfield.

      So be careful of this game. With the large spread this one seems like a coin flip that will turn on the unpredictable play of Jason Campbell. And if you’re in a n elimination pool, then this is a classic trap game. It should be a fun one to watch.

      NFL

      Peyton Manning on a roll

      September 24, 2013 /

      Peyton Manning has always been a stud in the regular season, but this is ridiculous.

      Adding to his historic start, Manning led the Broncos to a 37-21 whipping of the Oakland Raiders on Monday night at Sports Authority Field. Manning was an absurd 32-of-37 — all five incompletions hit the intended receiver in the hands — for 374 yards and three touchdowns.

      The Broncos’ quarterback is making it look ridiculously easy three games into the 2013 season. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 12 touchdown passes through the first three games. And Manning had his passing dozen by halftime of Game 3.

      That’s 12 touchdowns against zero interceptions. The best he’s ever been?

      The question again remains however as to whether Manning can extend this to the post season. Until that happens, this is great fodder for conversation, but it really doesn’t matter that much. Winning in the playoffs will be critical to Manning’s legacy.

      NFL

      NFL Week 2 Picks & Predictions

      September 15, 2013 /

      Rams at Falcons, 1:00PM ET
      The Falcons aren’t firing on all cylinders offensively. Roddy White was relegated to decoy duties last Sunday against the Saints due to a high-ankle injury, and the offensive line is young, vulnerable, and inexperienced. New Orleans pressured Matt Ryan relentlessly last week and the strength of St. Louis’ defense is its front four. Thus, Falcons OC Dirk Koetter might slow things down and build his game plan around Steven Jackson and his running game in efforts to slow the Rams’ pass rush down. On the other side, Sam Bradford and Co. scored 27 points against Arizona in Week 1 but 14 of those points didn’t come until the fourth quarter. The Rams shot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers, which halted a couple potential scoring drives. This is a young St. Louis team that will be facing a defense today led by Mike Nolan, who creates a lot of confusion with his schemes. Don’t expect a shootout today in the Dome. The under is 39-18-1 in the Rams’ last 58 road games and 6-2 in the Falcons’ last eight home games.
      PREDICTION: RAMS/FALCONS UNDER 47.5

      Cowboys vs. Chiefs, 1:00PM ET
      The Cowboys had to hang on to a 36-31 win despite creating six turnovers last Sunday night against the Giants. They’re also banged up, as Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and Anthony Spencer will play through injuries today in Kansas City. Andy Reid is familiar with the Cowboys’ tendencies after coaching in the NFC East for over 10 years and should put together a quality game plan today. The Chiefs also built some momentum and confidence by spanking a bad Jaguars team in Jacksonville last Sunday, and their defense looks like it could be a strength all season under new DC Bob Sutton. The Cowboys are 4-14 against the spread in their last 18 games following a straight up win and 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games following an ATS win. Chiefs get it done in their home opener.
      PREDICTION: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -3

      Titans vs. Texans, 1:00PM ET
      Two of the bigger surprises occurred in Week 1 as Tennessee went into Pittsburgh and thumped the Steelers, while the Texans had to overcome a double-digit deficit to beat a bad Chargers team on Monday night. The Titans aren’t getting a lot of respect from oddsmakers today despite making additions this offseason to fix the interior of their offensive line and defense. I expect Wade Phillip’s defense to play much better this week, but keep in mind that Houston is coming off a short week after traveling to San Diego in Week 1. They’re 1-4 against the spread in their last five games overall and 0-4 ATS in their last four games following a straight up win. Tennessee keeps pace today.
      PREDICTION: TENNESSEE TITANS +9

      Broncos vs. Giants, 4:25PM ET
      “The Manning Bowl” is going to be closer than people think. The Giants aren’t going to turn the ball over six times like they did a week ago in Dallas and Peyton Manning will be hard pressed to throw for seven touchdowns again like he did at home versus Baltimore. Look for Perry Fewell and New York’s defense to keep everything in front of them in efforts to minimize Manning’s effectiveness in the passing game. And if Fewell can drum up pressure, then Manning will also be forced to slow down the tempo of the Broncos’ offense. The Giants are 10-4-1 against the spread versus a team with a winning record and 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game. Look for New York to rebound today.
      PREDICTION: NEW YORK GIANTS +4.5

      NFL

      Manning and Broncos embarrass Ravens

      September 6, 2013 /


      Manning, Broncos stomp Ravens in opener by FOX Sports

      The Broncos wanted revenge, but they got much more than that last night. Peyton Manning threw for seven touchdowns with no interceptions as he carved up the revamped Ravens defense.

      How many “experts” were saying that the Ravens could be better on defense this year? The thought now seems like a joke. Of course they will get better, and it’s hard to prepare for Peyton Manning when you have a bunch of new players. But playing as a unit takes time, and the Ravens lost more than half of their defense! The results should not have been surprising.

      Meanwhile, Joe Flacco was mediocre with two interceptions. It was hardly an endorsement of his monster contract.

      So the Broncos have served notice that they can live up to the hype, and the Ravens have some work to do. But, just as a word of caution, you can never read too much into one NFL game. Things can change dramatically from week to week, so all is not lost for the Ravens . . . yet.

      NFL

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