orioles

Gobble gobble, limeys. Here's ya picks.

Eagles at Lions

The Eagles are grounded and look like Lion bait here.

Pick: Detroit Lions -2.5

Pick: 1st TD Calvin Johnson @ 8.5
Pick: Anytime TD DeMarco Murray @ 2.1*

Panthers at Cowboys

Matt Cassell is one hit away and anyway, I like the Panthers.

Pick: Carolina Panthers +1

Pick: 1st TD Greg Olsen @ 10
Pick: Anytime TD Dez Bryant @ 2

Bears at Packers

I can't spot this Pack defense that many points.

Pick: Chicago Bears +8.5

Pick: 1st TD James Jones @ 11
Pick: Anytime TD Alshon Jeffery @ 2.5*

An excuse for an early night. This is the same sort of treat as the snap of the rubber glove as your doctor tells you to "bend over".

It's Thursday, take the favourite.

Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars -3 @ 2

Pick: 1st TD Allen Robinson @ 10
Pick: Anytime TD Delanie Walker @ 2.75

I haven't seen a football weekend like this in a long, long time. ATS picks hammering SU, Manning benched, the Pack turned over like Rousey in the colonies; madness right through the card. I had 27 bets this weekend. I won 9 and was pretty relieved. Awful.

The Bengals have a run at it all, but the Texans have some game on the defensive side - their problem is deep and if the Texans don't get to Dalton (a tough ask with the Cincinnati front four) they could be in deep trouble.

The Bengals play my least favourite defensive philosophy of 'bend but don't break' so they give up the occasional big play, rarely blitz and can give up garbage time scores.

All this means that giving a bunch of points on national TV looks too risky.

It's the MNF dog. Good luck! :)

Pick: Houston Texans +10 @ 1.95

Pick: 1st TD Tyler Eifert @ 9
Pick: Anytime TD DeAndre Hopkins @ 2.3

It's one of those weeks in football. It's Thunderdome, so best to light the hurricane lamps, head down to the cellar and hunker down.

If I have to pick ATS here (and I do!) I'd have to take the opportunity to lay a field goal at CenturyLink Field.

This should be an arm wrestle though and my primary interest would be in the Under.

Pick: Seattle Seahawks -3 @ 2
Pick: Under 43.5 @ 1.95

Pick: 1st TD Marshawn Lynch @ 6.5
Pick: Anytime TD Jimmy Graham @ 2.6

The Vikes have a decent pass defense, but Derek Carr is tearing it up since the bye week. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are seeing lots of the pill and making some plays out wide.

Terry Bridgewater goes tonight despite taking a cheap shot from Lamarcus Joyner last week (any guesses who was on the defensive clipboard?) and I suspect Minnesota will try to keep him clean by pounding the ball with the ageless Adrian Peterson. Oakland know this of course, and will likely stack the box (they're not that bad against the run anyway) and that might allow Terry to take the occasional cheeky shot vertically against an underwhelming Raiders' pass defense.

This could be a good game. I'll give the FG with the rolling Raiders.

Pick: Oakland Raiders -3 @ 2

Pick: 1st TD Amari Cooper @ 9
Pick: Anytime TD Stefon Diggs @ 2.6

Packers
Panthers
Rams
Eagles
Steelers
Patriots
Broncos
Bengals

@ 10.79

I invested in the Eagles earlier in the season and they were a dodos in disguise.

Now however, they might just be throwing off the fluffy baby feathers to reveal a more potent beast beneath. The run game has prompted the transformation (Miami ranks 29th against the run) and with the O line beginning to protect Bradford, he has started to perform too.

The fins are missing Cameron Wake and that could transform a mere loss to the kind of deficit we're looking for.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -6 @ 1.95

Pick: 1st TD DeMarco Murray @ 6.5
Pick: Anytime TD Jordan Matthews @ 2.2

Rex Ryan was supposed to add a little mustard to an already tough defense in Buffalo but it hasn't really happened. That said, he'll be keen to put one over on his old team tonight.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is apparently headed for the operating theatre after the game and it may be that the Bills can finally get after a QB, but the Jets do have a couple of live threats out wide in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.

The Bills, on the other hand, have Sammy Watkins in the passing game. That's it. It's a shame because (Revis aside) the Jets' secondary is in a mess, but bear in mind Watkins had a huge game last week. The Buffalo run game is rather more potent than their host's, but the Jets are tough to beat on the ground, so it'll be interesting to see how Buffalo runs its offense. I like Tyrod Taylor, who looked good in his first game back and I think he can be the difference here. Just.

Pick: Buffalo Bills +2 @ 1.95

Pick: 1st TD Brandon Marshall @ 10
Pick: Anytime TD Sammy Watkins @ 2.62

The Bolts are beating the bushes to find fit bodies and the loss of Keenan Allen, the latest to go down, is a huge loss because the passing game is the whole of the San Diego offense. Philip Rivers is putting up huge numbers, but he'll have to do it with Malcolm Floyd and Stevie Johnson.

The Bears on the other hand, rely on a strong running game, but Forte is out, which is a shame because the Chargers can't stop the run. Cutler will look for Alshon Jeffrey, but I don't think they have enough to get it done - they look in bad shape.

Giving the points on MNF is never a delight, but I can't see past the home team.

Pick: San Diego Chargers -4 @ 1.91

Pick: 1st TD Steve Johnson @ 11
Pick: Anytime TD Steve Johnson @ 2.38, Jeremy Langford @ 2

Dallas with Cassel may actually be worse than Dallas with Weeden and that's a helluva an achievement. Ordinarily, that would mean smashing into the visitors, but Sam Bradford has been awful this season and was given fits by this Cowboys defense in Week 2 with the Eagles barely able to get airborne. With Jason Peters struggling, Bradford could be badly exposed.

However, there have been signs of life from Philadelphia and their defense should be tough enough to take on Cassel. DeMarco Murray will have a fire in his belly too.

I'll give a field goal.

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -3 @ 1.83

Pick: 1st TD DeMarco Murray @ 7
Pick: Anytime TD Dez Bryant @ 2.2