in

NFL Week 14 Wrap Up

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

After a couple of incredible weeks atop the pick-o-sphere, the NFL took a might dump upon my overall record this week. The crazy thing is, the bigger the game, the more likely I was to completely nail it. It was the scrub games and teams that completely derailed my handicap-page.

Here’s how it went down.

This week

Straight up: 8-8

Against the spread: 6-10

Last week

Straight up: 13-3

Against the spread: 10-6

Season

Straight up: 125-83

Against the spread: 107-101

On the bright side, most everybody hit that .500 mark straight up. My best picks of the week were the two key games. I had the Vikings dropping a game on the road to the Panthers and the Rams losing at home to the Eagles. Both those contests went exactly as a I thought.

The Steelers, once again, made sure that picking them to win but not cover was the correct move. I get half credit in picking the Patriots not to cover against the Dolphins. I did not have the balls to pick Miami for the outright upset, but no one did.

My worst picks? The Raiders really let me down with a chance at getting back into the playoff race against the Chiefs. They were my preseason Super Bowl pick and, regardless of what math wants to say about it, those dudes are out of the postseason mix now.

Staying in the AFC West, picking the Redskins over the Chargers looks pretty scrotal right now. My lack of faith in Anthony Lynn superseded my lack of belief in Jay Gruden. I won’t make that mistake again. Lastly, the Bears absolutely curb stomping the Bengals should shame the entire city of Cincinnati. It’s a nice town, too. It doesn’t deserve that. Have you ever had Skyline? It’s fantastic.

In spite of the huge mass of us that hit around 8-8, there were a handful of people that had stellar performances. Craig Miller of the Dallas Morning News went 13-3 to win the day. Just to prove how it was opposite week when it comes to picks, CBS Sports’ Will Brinson finished 12-4. That’s how weird the NFL weekend was. Brinson finished four games above .500.

There were plenty of people that went 6-10 at the bottom of the pile including the NFL Network’s Marshall Faulk, who, after getting put on a leave of absence after a sexual harassment claim, won’t even get a chance to dig himself out of the doghouse. Also, he won’t be able to improve his picks.

For the season, CBS Sports’ Jamey Eisenberg and Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Ratcliffe lead the way with marks of 143-65.

At the bottom, we have a lot of cheaters who are paying the price for not picking every game. The NFL Network’s Michael Robinson is 89-64 and Colleen Wolf is 91-61. You have an excuse picking against the spread to skip a few games, but straight up? Shame.

Against the spread, Craig Miller of the Dallas Morning News had an incredible week and he needed it, going 13-3, but only now hitting .500 in his overall picks. Again, Will Brinson shows up in second place, proving the old adage of a blind squirrel’s ability to periodically find an acorn with a 12-4 finish.

Atop the overall rankings, Albert Breer of MMQB sits with a solid 115-86 record. I dropped from the No. 5 spot to the No. 7 spot, tied with MMQB’s Jacob Feldman and Tim Rohan.

EARLY NFL WEEK 15 LINES

Thursday Night

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (+2.5), O/U: 40.5

Saturday Late

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-5.5), O/U: 44.0

Saturday Night

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (+1), O/U: 46.0

Sunday Early

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (N/A), O/U: N/A

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (-6.5), O/U: 44.0

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (+7), O/U: 40.0

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-10.5), O/U: 39.0

Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings (-10.5), O/U:  42.0

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints (-15), O/U:  47.0

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants (+7.5), O/U: 40.0

Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins (-4.5), O/U: 43.0

Sunday Late

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-1.5), O/U: 48.0

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (+3), O/U: 53.5

Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers (-2), O/U: 44.5

Sunday Night

Dallas Cowboys at Oakland Raiders (+3), O/U: 46.0

Monday Night

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5), O/U: 48.0

We get our first Saturday slate of games this week with college football out of the way. While that Lions vs. Bears match up doesn’t beg to be watched, the late game between the Chargers and the Chiefs is for AFC West supremacy. Los Angeles is even favored by a point, which I find very intriguing.

The Dolphins and Bills game doesn’t have a line or total yet, and that one is going to be a huge money game if Tyrod Taylor plays. There’s a lot of gamblers refreshing their pages on that one right as I type this.

Aaron Rodgers has been cleared to play and will start the game against the Panthers, so who knows where that line will end up. What I do know, is we’ll all be watching that game. If Green Bay can sneak into the playoff field with Carson Wentz out for the year, everything changes. If you want to take the Packers, you better do it right after you read this because there’s no way that line stays +6.5.

We have three games with double digit spreads and two of them make me nervous. The Saints -15 looks like a trap. Not that New Orleans will lose, but Sean Payton will be more than happy with a 24-10 victory against the Jets. The Vikings at -10.5 against the Bengals when Cincinnati has some real weapons on offense is scary too.

Two seemingly innocuous games really stick out to me. First, the 49ers at -2 hosting the Titans just goes to show how Jimmy Garoppolo has flipped the the script in San Francisco. Second, I’m really not too sure about this Redskins -4.5 against the Cardinals who have won two straight and not looked bad at all.

The SNF game doesn’t feel like it’ll affect much at all as far as the playoffs go, but it at least should be a fun one with the Cowboys playing the Raiders. Less entertaining is the Monday nighter between the Falcons and the Buccaneers. It’s like they’re daring Jon Gruden to flee the booth and come back to coaching.

To make a wager on any sport, go to the world famous Diamond Sportsbook by clicking here.

Written by Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a writer and photographer based out of East Tennessee. His work has appeared on Cracked.com, in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Chicago Cubs Vineline Magazine, AskMen.com and many other publications.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Washington Capitals Matchup Preview 12/12/17

NFL Week 14: What We Learned