Terrell Owens makes his much-anticipated return to Philadelphia, but will it mean the Cowboys can cover a (+2) spread? Check out our latest predictions as well as the latest lines at Sportsbook.com
· Titans (+19) at Colts
The Colts host the terrible Titans this week, who come into the game second-to-last in the NFL with 121 points given away by the defense to date. Not much needs to be said about what Manning and company can and will do to the Titans secondary. If they so choose, the Colts will be able to run the ball as well as the Titans are giving up a pathetic 190.5 rushing yards a game. That was before DT Albert Haynesworth was suspended for the next 5 games after last weeks incident. Now the question before us is can the Titans cover a huge 19 point spread? It’s not often we see a line this high in the NFL. With Vince Young as green as rookies come and a banged up wide receiver core, things will be tough on Sunday. The Colts have been giving up yards and points so far this year, but now they face a team in the Titans who are as bad as they come. We keep wanting to take the Titans and the large number of points, but keep coming back to the reality that the Colts are able to win by much more than the spread at home.
PICK: Colts
· Bills (+10) at Bears
It seems like the Bears could go out right now and destroy anyone in their path. With their defense feeding the offense opportunities (4 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries during the first 4 games), the Bears are playing outstanding football right now. The Bills enter the windy city looking for an answer for the Bears defense that is allowing a league low 7.2 points per game. The Bears have won their past eight regular-season homes games, allowing only two touchdowns. With the Bills defense standing in the middle of the pack statistically, we see QB Rex Grossman and the Bears ground game able to move the ball with the many chances they will have. The Bills have not proven much so far this year and the Bears have done nothing but impress. We like the Bears even if the line was a little higher as they play with one of the leagues better home field advantages.
PICK: Bears
· Raiders (+3.5) at 49ers
Things are tough in the Bay area these days. However things are real bad in the Black Hole. Oakland suffered its ninth consecutive defeat dating to last season with a 24-21 home loss to Cleveland last week. The 49ers are dead last in points allowed in the league so if the Raiders are ever going to get on the right track, this would be the week. Andrew Walters makes the second start of his career after struggling last week. However this start is against a defense that made Damon Huard look pretty good last week. Look for RB Lamont Jordan to have success as well. The 49ers QB Alex Smith has played much better this year and should be able to have success against a Raiders defense that does not pressure the QB very much. RB Frank Gore should be able to continue his great year against this soft defense. This has the makings of a bizarre game but we fall back on the thought that the Raiders are a mess right now and this game is on the road. In fact we recommend taking whoever plays the Raiders with the points until further notice.
PICK: 49ers
· Cowboys (+2) at Eagles
The fans at Lincoln Financial Field are sure to have quite a reception planned for T.O. this week. The Eagles' pass defense has been porous to date so look for T.O. to be dialed into this and he will do everything in his power to show up the Eagles and their fans. If Philly game plans to much for Owens the Cowboys have another answer in Terry Glenn who caught two touchdowns last week and is enjoying a fine year so far. The Cowboys should be able to run the ball as well as the Eagles are coming off a game giving up 99 yards rushing to a backup RB in Vernand Morency. The Cowboys look to cool off McNabb who has played outstanding so far this season. They should be able to keep him in check as they are playing solid football against opposing QB’s this year. RB Brian Westbrook remains questionable for this game and the Eagles will struggle once again in the running game if he is unable to go. We are still not completely sold on Philly and the question mark in the running game leads us to believe the Cowboys should be able to cover the (+2) in this weeks most anticipated match-up.
PICK: Cowboys
Check out these lines and more at Sportsbook.com
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