probably a good day to fade me... i went 2-0 yesterday. :scared i don't like either of these as much as i did denver yesterday, but i do like both more than i liked seattle.
pitt (+10) 3 units. pitt is not getting enough respect. how many times do we see it... a team starts the season on fire, then limps into the playoffs and struggles in their first playoff game? indy lost 2 games and then came within a replay of losing a home game to arizona. ARIZONA!! c'mon, shouldn't their reserves be able to handle the cards?
pitt has won 5 straight games. you say, "but washington won 6 straight before seattle spanked them by 10." slightly different situation here. washington was very beat up going into yesterday's game. they were out of gas. plus, their offense was pitiful. pitt's offense is just hitting their stride. and, unlike washingon yesterday, the steelers have revenge on their minds to help fuel their fires.
i think yesterday's new england loss also helps pitt in this game. the colts had to be thinking about extracting their revenge on the pats next week. now that is out the window, so there will be somewhat of a letdown.
if indy can shake off the rust and jump out to a quick lead, forcing pitt to play from behind again, then the steelers may be in trouble and i will tip my cap to the colts. i just don't see it happening though. the steelers are a much more confident group than the team that lost on monday night at indy. they'll keep it close and may even get the win.
chicago (-2.5) 3 units. i love it.. the line finally came down off 3. that means the 10-7 win will pay me money instead of a push.
let mu just start by saying i loved the bears the first time they played the panthers. that win will help take off some of the sting if i lose this game today. there are definitely some factors that scare me in this game, and i'll start with them.
1) carolina has been much better on the road lately than they were at home. in fact, they lost their last 2 home games, and have won 4 straight road games, since their loss at chicago.
2) rex grossman. no, not because of the 'first playoff start' thing. i simply don't think he's that good. people are talking about him as though he's some kind of savior for that offense. no, he's not. kyle orton may have been very good this season, but he didn't lose games. he understood his role on this team. grossman thinks he's good. he thinks he has the ability to win games. he's wrong. i fully expect him to make some terrible decisions that will give the panthers good field position, if not points. he is the one reason keeping this from being a bigger play for me.
alright, here's why i like the bears today:
1) here's who carolina's recent road wins came against: buffalo, new orleans, and an atlanta team with nothing to play for. oh, and a vastly overrated giants team with a weak secondary and no linebackers.
2) speaking of road games, this is carolina's 3rd straight. as i said in yesterday's thread about the redskins, we know the numbers of teams in that situation.
3) the bears defense. they are awesome. and they're healthy again. they were still decent at the end of the year, but they really missed mike brown. unless i've missed something, he is back. i don't see him on the injury report. he makes a huge difference. just like the first matchup, they will stop the run (deshaun foster is playing hurt), and force delhomme into bad decisions. i'm looking for a pick-6. the bears d has been their best offense all season, and i expect that to continue today.
again... and i know how strange this sounds... if orton was starting this would be a bigger play for me. it's going to come down to who's defense sets up their offense more often, and the bears have done that all year.
car/chi under (31) 2 units. i don't need any more explanation for this. both teams best chances to score will come from their defense.
pitt (+10) 3 units. pitt is not getting enough respect. how many times do we see it... a team starts the season on fire, then limps into the playoffs and struggles in their first playoff game? indy lost 2 games and then came within a replay of losing a home game to arizona. ARIZONA!! c'mon, shouldn't their reserves be able to handle the cards?
pitt has won 5 straight games. you say, "but washington won 6 straight before seattle spanked them by 10." slightly different situation here. washington was very beat up going into yesterday's game. they were out of gas. plus, their offense was pitiful. pitt's offense is just hitting their stride. and, unlike washingon yesterday, the steelers have revenge on their minds to help fuel their fires.
i think yesterday's new england loss also helps pitt in this game. the colts had to be thinking about extracting their revenge on the pats next week. now that is out the window, so there will be somewhat of a letdown.
if indy can shake off the rust and jump out to a quick lead, forcing pitt to play from behind again, then the steelers may be in trouble and i will tip my cap to the colts. i just don't see it happening though. the steelers are a much more confident group than the team that lost on monday night at indy. they'll keep it close and may even get the win.
chicago (-2.5) 3 units. i love it.. the line finally came down off 3. that means the 10-7 win will pay me money instead of a push.
let mu just start by saying i loved the bears the first time they played the panthers. that win will help take off some of the sting if i lose this game today. there are definitely some factors that scare me in this game, and i'll start with them.1) carolina has been much better on the road lately than they were at home. in fact, they lost their last 2 home games, and have won 4 straight road games, since their loss at chicago.
2) rex grossman. no, not because of the 'first playoff start' thing. i simply don't think he's that good. people are talking about him as though he's some kind of savior for that offense. no, he's not. kyle orton may have been very good this season, but he didn't lose games. he understood his role on this team. grossman thinks he's good. he thinks he has the ability to win games. he's wrong. i fully expect him to make some terrible decisions that will give the panthers good field position, if not points. he is the one reason keeping this from being a bigger play for me.
alright, here's why i like the bears today:
1) here's who carolina's recent road wins came against: buffalo, new orleans, and an atlanta team with nothing to play for. oh, and a vastly overrated giants team with a weak secondary and no linebackers.
2) speaking of road games, this is carolina's 3rd straight. as i said in yesterday's thread about the redskins, we know the numbers of teams in that situation.
3) the bears defense. they are awesome. and they're healthy again. they were still decent at the end of the year, but they really missed mike brown. unless i've missed something, he is back. i don't see him on the injury report. he makes a huge difference. just like the first matchup, they will stop the run (deshaun foster is playing hurt), and force delhomme into bad decisions. i'm looking for a pick-6. the bears d has been their best offense all season, and i expect that to continue today.
again... and i know how strange this sounds... if orton was starting this would be a bigger play for me. it's going to come down to who's defense sets up their offense more often, and the bears have done that all year.
car/chi under (31) 2 units. i don't need any more explanation for this. both teams best chances to score will come from their defense.
