Oakland (-11) at Green Bay – I can’t believe I am actually going to take the Raiders, but it’s true. I think that 11 points is too many here. The Raiders have won two in a row, and they are running the ball very well. Until he proves me wrong I can’t believe that Favre is 100% healthy after his injury last week. I think that the Packers will win, but this is too many points. Pick: Oakland.

Tampa Bay (-3) at Houston – The Texans are not in a good place right now. They have lost two in a row, and they haven’t looked good doing it. Tampa Bay has had every reason to struggle this year, but they keep finding ways to win. Jeff Garcia may be back in action this week, and even if he isn’t Tampa Bay finds ways to get by. They are hungry and eager to put their division out of the grasp of others, and that should be enough to cover here. Pick: Tampa Bay.

Minnesota (-8.5) at San Francisco - I have a soft spot for San Francisco, but they are in a terrible spot here. Minnesota is incredible on the ground, and they have more confidence offensively than almost any team in the league right now. The Niners are weak on defense, and essentially incompetent against the run. Minnesota’s sprint to the playoffs continues here in a big way. Pick: Minnesota.

Cleveland (-3) at New York Jets – Cleveland has to be upset, because Kellen Winslow was the victim of a bad call that cost them the game last week. They are a proud team, and they are still very much in the playoff hunt. They need a win here, and I expect them to come out very hungry and feast on a vulnerable New York team. Pick: Cleveland.

San Diego (pick) at Tennessee – I have no faith in the Titans. San Diego is suddenly playing with confidence and passion that was lacking early. The combination of those two factors make the Chargers very attractive at this price. Pick: San Diego.

UPDATE: Nice wins by Minnesota, Cleveland and San Diego overcame incompetent performances by Tampa Bay and Oakland to move me to 3-2 on the weekend. I’ll certainly take that.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there. I’m a Canadian, so it’s not my Thanksgiving, but I work mostly for Americans, I will be lying on the couch watching football all day like most Americans, and I really, really love turkey, so there will be a bird in the oven at my house in the spirit of cross-border cooperation. It’s the least I can do.

The fun of watching the game will obviously be enhanced by having betting interests in them. I normally wouldn’t play all three of the NFL games, but then I wouldn’t normally spend a Thursday lying on the couch and gorging myself on Turkey, so it seems fitting to go all the way:

Green Bay (-3) at Detroit – I don’t want to overthink this one. I am sick of losing money on the Lions, and I don’t trust them. I don’t understand how it is happening, but the Packers are consistently winning. I think that they will continue their winning ways, and I think that only having to give up a field goal is a relative field goal. Pick: Green Bay

New York Jets (+14) at Dallas – I have gone back and forth on this one. Obviously the Cowboys are far superior, but they haven’t been blowing teams away, and the Jets did post a big upset last week. Despite that, New York can’t stop the run, and Dallas will be able to pound their backs, which will in turn provide opportunities for the passing game. I wish that the line were a bit smaller (and I think it probably should be), but I can’t convince myself to take the Jets. Pick: Dallas

Indianapolis (-13) at Atlanta – I must say in advance that I can’t believe I am actually going to pick the Falcons. The woes of the Colts are so extreme that I have no choice, though. The injury problems, most notably Marvin Harrison, are still a problem, and the team has lost its mojo. Though Atlanta is only 3-7, they have a surprisingly good record of 6-4 against the spread. They have played well in three of their last four, and will certainly be motivated to make a statement against a top team. I think Indy will still win the game, and under normal circumstances I wouldn’t touch this game, but I do believe that this spread is a bit high given the current reality. Pick: Atlanta

UPDATE: Wow, that was a terrible day of football. Three games, and barely a highlight. That’s ten hours of my life I will never get back.  It was made a bit more bearable thanks to the profit. Green Bay came through as expected, and the Jets failed to show up which made it easy for the Cowboys. That was two wins. Atlanta looked like they were going to give me a sweep, but they couldn’t stay close, and they couldn’t score a late, meaningless touchdown. Oh well, I’ll take 2-1 any day.

Post from: Ultra Sports Bet