It’s time for me to admit I was wrong about Anthony Lynn. I was vocal last year that I thought he was a bad hire by the Los Angeles Chargers and thought he was not much more than a cheap place-holder for the eventual head coach they’d hire once the new stadium in Inglewood opened. He is not. He’s good and he has the Chargers tied for the AFC West lead with an inside track for not only a home playoff game, but a one-seed in the AFC Playoffs. He proved it once and for all Thursday night.
Unlike my usual TNF whiff or bulls eye, I hit the spread, but not the straight up winner.
I like the Chiefs tonight but not the spread (-3.5). Chiefs 31, Chargers 28 #LACvsKC #TNF
— Adam Greene (@TheFirstMan) December 13, 2018
To have won a game of this magnitude, on the road and in the fashion in which he did (coming back from 14 down and calling a two-point conversion to avoid overtime), solidifies it. Lynn is a good coach and the Chargers have as good a chance of making the Super Bowl as anybody after Thursday night.
After eating that much crow, let’s see how I can make up for it with your Friday Afternoon Quarterback NFL Picks:
Houston Texans at New York Jets (+6.5, O/U: 41.5)
You’d think for these Saturday feature games, the NFL Network would have picked a little better selection. The Texans are not only looking to start a new win streak, but there’s a real chance a No. 1 or 2 seed is possible. As big a surprise as Lynn turning into a good NFL coach is, I’m more shocked that Bill O’Brien seems to have pulled it off. Texans 27, Jets 20
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (-2.5, O/U: 45.5)
If Gregg Williams keeps this up he might actually get a real job offer this offseason and not just the imaginary contracts he sees in his Ambien fever dreams. Browns 23, Broncos 20
Baker Mayfield leads all quarterbacks with 12 deep completions (20+ air yards) since Freddie Kitchens took over @Browns play-calling responsibilities in Week 9.#Browns pic.twitter.com/uoDREkWvNs
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 12, 2018
Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings (-7.5, O/U: 44.5)
It would be just like the Dolphins to lose this game after upsetting the Patriots with one of the greatest last-second plays of all time and it would be just like the Vikings to win after firing one of the most highly regarded offensive coordinators in the league. Vikings 23, Dolphins 21
Related: NFL Betting Guide | Week 15 Odds
Oakland Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals (-3, O/U: 45.5)
Is it possible that Jon Gruden can direct a team to two victories in a row? Probably not, but I’m still picking the Raiders. Hue Jackson remains in the Bengals facility. Raiders 17, Bengals 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Baltimore Ravens (-7.5, O/U: 46.5)
I was tempted to pick an upset here, but then I remembered the Bucs haven’t fired Dirk Koetter yet. Ravens 20, Buccaneers 17
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts (-3, O/U: 47.5)
Jason Garrett is feeling pretty good about himself right now so you know what’s about to happen. Colts 38, Cowboys 23
During 5-game win-streak, no offense has gained more total yards than the Dallas #Cowboys https://t.co/LdTrIP5qHf pic.twitter.com/Cwch8uR4JI
— ✭Michael Sisemore✭ (@MrSisemore) December 13, 2018
Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills (-2, O/U: 39.5)
There’s bad losses for Matt Patricia and the Lions, then there’s losing to the Bills. Bills 23, Lions 20
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-6, O/U: 45)
The Bears are coming off their biggest win in half a decade. Here’s a fun fact: Aaron Rodgers is 16-4 against Chicago all time and he’s not hamstrung by Mike McCarthy anymore. Packers 24, Bears 23
Tennessee Titans at New York Giants (-1.5, O/U: 43.5)
The Giants are here to ruin everything. Even their chances of moving on from Eli Manning after the season. Giants 31, Titans 20
👀Eli Manning joins the celebration!#NYGvsWAS | #GiantsPride pic.twitter.com/q6gYMFIePP
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 9, 2018
Washington Redskins at Jacksonville Jaguars (-7.5, O/U: 36)
I’m not the first one to bring this up, but this over-under is incredibly low, especially considering that one of the teams is favored by more than a touchdown. It’s mystifying. I can’t stop looking at it. It’s inspired me to make my own silly prediction. Jaguars 10, Redskins 0
Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons (-9, O/U: 44)
Every coach at this game should get fired before kickoff. Falcons 24, Cardinals 9
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (+3.5, O/U: 44)
Frank Clark can run his mouth about Richard Sherman all he wants, but I bet Russell Wilson still doesn’t throw at him. Seahawks 23, 49ers 17
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5, O/U: 52)
Here’s another fun fact — the Steelers haven’t beaten the Patriots since Oct. 30, 2011. If you go back to 2002 (Brady-Belichick Year 2), the Steelers are 3-11 against New England. Which will make what I’m about to write even dumber that it should be. Steelers 27, Patriots 23
.@steelers running back Stevan Ridley is eager to face the Patriots, the team he says treated him like “trash” https://t.co/9n0wIbnAqO pic.twitter.com/5MMmOqBWHv
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 13, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams (-10.5, O/U: 52.5)
Carson Wentz won’t show up for this game, but to win it the Rams really need Jared Goff to. His talent has been a no-show for the last two weeks. Rams 40, Eagles 13
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (+6, O/U: 51.5)
The Panthers have lost five games in a row. The Saints are in the driver’s seat for NFC home field advantage. This looks like a recipe for disaster to me. Panthers 26, Saints 23
Only Cam and Peyton have reached 3,000 passing yards in each of their first 8 seasons 🙌 pic.twitter.com/NqKQ34uxio
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 9, 2018
This week
Straight up: 0-1
Against the spread: 1-0
Last week
Straight up: 10-6
Against the spread: 7-9
Season
Straight up: 122-84-2
Against the spread: 102-106
