As always, we begin our new week with a look back at the previous Thursday, Sunday and Monday of NFL results. Most importantly, we take a good view of how I did with my picks. We’re very concerned about that, you and I. It dominates our thinking. We really can’t sit down and enjoy a meal or moment with our family without silently mouthing to the universe, “How did Adam Green do with his picks?”
Well, we shall solve that mystery together. Here’s how I did.
This week
Straight up: 12-3
Against the spread: 7-8
Last week
Straight up: 5-9
Against the spread: 5-9
Season
Straight up: 60-46
Against the spread: 50-56
As you can see, I had a dominant week in the straight up picks, which, I have to confess, is my primary goal. It’s why I list it first. Against the spread, I didn’t do as well and remain below .500 on the season.
My best pick of the week? I have two; the Los Angeles Chargers over the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons. By the time Saturday rolled around the Chargers were a -1 favorite in that game, so I obviously wasn’t alone in the pick. Still, it showed how far the Broncos have stumbled and the mistake head coach Vance Joseph made in making Trevor Siemian the starter.
As for the Patriots, I literally dared the Falcons to prove me wrong, to show the NFL that they weren’t the victim of a Super Bowl hangover. There was no reason to believe, even for a moment, Atlanta couldn’t win this game in blowout fashion. But they didn’t and I knew they wouldn’t. Not only were the Falcons completely inept as a team, their pathetic offense made New England’s defense actually look good. How in the hell does offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian still have a job today?
My worst pick? I just have one that bothers me; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are now 4-2 and I still have trouble believing that has any semblance of reality behind it. On the other hand, I was a firm believer that the Bucs would not only contend for a playoff spot this year, but make a run at the NFC South. Neither of those things is happening.
Who did the best picks this week? That honor belongs to ESPN’s Mike Clay who finished at 14-1 straight up. The worst performance is a tie between the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora who both went 7-8.
For the season, I’m still in the top 30 percent of all NFL punditry, though I’m ashamed to say I’m tied up with Inside the NFL’s Boomer Esiason. I plan on leaving him in the dust soon enough.
Against the spread, the best record of the week belongs to a computer, Microsoft’s Cortana who went 11-4 and will soon begin Judgement Day and the robot uprising that James Cameron predicted in the Terminator movies. The worst week belonged to CBS’ Ryan Wilson who finished a ridiculous 1-14. For the season, I’m still in the top 40 percent and just 13 games behind first place with plenty of time to make it up.
EARLY WEEK EIGHT NFL LINES
Thursday
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens (-3), O/U: 37.0
Sunday Morning
Minnesota Vikings at Cleveland Browns (+9.5), O/U: 38.0
Sunday Afternoon
Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-2.5), O/U: 45.5
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (-10), O/U: 41.0
Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots (-7), O/U: 48.5
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-9), O/U: 47.5
Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets (+5), O/U: 46.0
San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-12.5), O/U: 46.5
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5) , O/U: 46.0
Sunday Late
Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks (-5.5), O/U: 46.0
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (+2), O/U: 50.0
Sunday Night
Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions (+3), O/U: 45.5
Monday Night
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-7), O/U: 43.0
NFL WEEK SEVEN KEY INJURIES
Plenty of teams took a shot right in the gonads with injuries over the weekend. The biggest name on the report belongs to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer. Palmer has made a career over the last few years of getting injured any time he plays the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams to the point I all but called this one when I wrote my preview last week.
Palmer was hit by Rams linebacker Alec Ogltree on the left arm right as he was throwing a pass. He’ll be out at least eight weeks, but more than that, he could be out for good. There was plenty of speculation that this might be Palmer’s final season anyway. This almost guarantees it.
The Cardinals, who already looking at a .500 season at best, will hand the reigns to back up Drew Stanton. Stanton is 6-3 in starts for the Cardinals since he joined the team in 2014. He was a second round pick out of Michigan by the Detroit Lions back in 2008 and is, honestly, one of the better back up quarterbacks in the league. Still, he’s got a career completion percentage of 52.7 and a negative touchdown to interception ration (14-20). With David Johnson already out for Arizona, this has just been a disaster of a year.
If Stanton can’t do the job, the Cardinals will go with No. 3 quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
THOMAS AND PETERS OUT
While Palmer’s injury was, frankly, to be expected, Joe Thomas’ wasn’t. The Cleveland Browns left tackle and the NFL’s own Iron Man went down with a torn triceps in his left arm Sunday in a loss to the Titans. Before that, the Browns lifer and arguably the best left tackle in the NFL had played 10,363 consecutive snaps, a stat most believe is the longest stretch in NFL history. Before getting injured Sunday, Thomas had never missed a snap in his career. Thomas’ rehab will take between six and nine months.
Enter Spencer Drango, Thomas’ back and a guy that no one, including Drango, thought would ever play left tackle in Cleveland. Drango was a fifth round pick out of Baylor in 2016. He had nine offensive line starts last season at left guard and one this season.
Thomas wasn’t the only elite offensive lineman to go down. Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters tore both his ACL and MCL Monday night and will miss the rest of the season too. He’ll be replaced by Vaitai Halapoulivaati. Halapoulivaati was also a fifth round pick in the 2016 draft out of TCU.
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