The NFL Reaches Week Twelve In 2024, As A Golden Retriever Toys With The Point Spread
Penny Maintains The Magic Touch And Spots The Upsets Of The Week. She Has A Strong Lead In The Friendly Battle.
Cassie Has Fallen Below Even For The Year. She Remains Within Sight Of Second Place.
Cassie struggled to deliver a 3-11 mark last week. She is doing ok, however, with only four games picked correctly separating her from a winning record.
Week Eleven:
Bob: 9-5
Penny: 8-6
Cassie: 3-11
The Year To Date:
Bob: 89-71-6 (55.4%)
Penny: 102-58-6 (63.2%)
Cassie 78-82-6 (48.7%)
There’s no need to waste time with games to review. Lets see what two Golden Retrievers think about this week’s point spreads in the NFL.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5) At Cleveland Browns
After hoping for some decent matchups, we immediately arrive at a stinker. I have no clue how the Steelers are favored by only 3.5 when the Browns aren’t likely to score double-digits.
To be fair, I do know. AFC North contests can be brutal and close, regardless of how the teams are playing. These teams split their games in 2023 and 2022. The problem for the Browns becomes scoring, which they won’t do against the Steelers.
Bob: Pittsburgh
Penny: Cleveland
Cassie: Pittsburgh
Kansas City Chiefs (-11) At Carolina Panthers
After their first loss, Kansas City takes on a club that gives up about 31 points per game. They won’t lose this week.
Bob: Kansas City
Penny: Kansas City
Cassie: Carolina
Minnesota Vikings (-3) At Chicago Bears
There have been reports out of Chicago that seem to indicate problems behind the scenes. The Bears have fired the offensive coordinator, the head coach might last the regular season but appears destined not to return in 2025, and the roster seems edgy about recent losses. It’s the perfect scenario for a Minnesota team that wants to arrive in the Windy City, win a game, and leave.
Bob: Minnesota
Penny: Minnesota
Cassie: Chicago
Tennessee Titans At Houston Texans (-8.5)
Tennessee is averaging about nine fewer points per game than their opponents. Houston will win handily here and then prepare for a trip to Jacksonville next week.
Bob: Houston
Penny: Tennessee
Cassie: Tennessee
Detroit Lions (-7.5) At Indianapolis Colts
Last week, the Colts beat the Jets. Barely. You can believe the news from Indianapolis that says Anthony Richardson matured and is ready to play quality football. Or, you can believe Richardson led the team to victory over the most dysfunctional team in the league. I think it’s the latter.
Bob: Detroit
Penny: Indianapolis
Cassie: Detroit
New England Patriots At Miami Dolphins (-7)
Tua Tagovailoa’s completion percentage over the past four weeks has been incredible. He’s gone 101 for 130, for a mark of 77.6%. In addition, he’s thrown 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. There are reasons the 4-6 Dolphins believe they could sneak back into the postseason hunt.
On the surface, the existence of Green Bay, Houston, and San Francisco on the schedule suggests Miami’s playoff hopes are in serious trouble. Two games remaining against the Jets and one with the Browns suggest hope is worth having.
Enter the Patriots. New England and Miami have a history of fiery battles with legendary stories. This week should be no different. After four straight competitive games, including a brilliant effort from Drake Maye last week against the Rams, look for the Pats to lower the curtain on Miami playing after the regular season ends in 2024.
Bob: New England
Penny: New England
Cassie: New England
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5.5) At New York Giants
The Giants have benched Daniel Jones. This speaks volumes about their offseason plans for the quarterback, and avoiding injury guarantees before they can move on from him. The Bucs are looking to get Mike Evans back and stay within range of catching the Falcons in the division race.
Bob: Tampa Bay
Penny: Tampa Bay
Cassie: New York
Dallas Cowboys At Washington Commanders (-10)
I can’t. Maybe you can. I just can’t.
Bob: Washington
Penny: Washington
Cassie: Dallas
Denver Broncos (-5.5) At Las Vegas Raiders
The Broncos have lost five games this season. Those include games against the Steelers, Chargers, Ravens, and Chiefs. Last week, Bo Nix completed 84.9% of his passes, threw for 307 yards, and had 4 touchdowns. This Denver team is good.
Bob: Denver
Penny: Las Vegas
Cassie: Denver
San Francisco 49ers At Green Bay Packers (-2.5)
There are reasons to be hesitant about Green Bay. Jordan Love has 11 interceptions this season. The team hasn’t been dominant. The Packers still manage to win consistently.
San Francisco is one of the biggest question marks in the league. A talented roster could make a late-season run and be a dangerous opponent for anyone. Brock Purdy’s injury last week, and the team suffering issues with virtually every key player on the roster all year, hints that this could be a club exhausted after multiple seasons of deep runs into January.
It’s time to expect a dangerous San Francisco in 2025. Take Green Bay in this game.
Bob: Green Bay
Penny: San Francisco
Cassie: Green Bay
Arizona Cardinals At Seattle Seahawks (Pick)
The initial reaction to this game being ranked as a toss-up should be to hesitate. Closer inspection reveals the possible truths. Did you know every team in the NFC West has a 5-5 record or better? Did you know that even on top of the division, Arizona only has a one-game lead?
After a 3-0 start, the Seahawks have been sloppy and inconsistent. The Cardinals have lost to the Bills, Lions, Commanders, and Packers. The more I look, the happier I am to take Arizona.
Bob: Arizona
Penny: Seattle
Cassie: Seattle
Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) At Los Angeles Rams
A few games ago, I mentioned that the Packers have moved from game to game and assembled a consistent winning record. The Eagles have done the same. The difference is Philadelphia has done it more convincingly.
Bob: Philadelphia
Penny: Los Angeles
Cassie: Los Angeles
Baltimore Ravens (-3) At Los Angeles Chargers
Last week, the Bengals scored 27 points against the Chargers. No other team had scored more than 20 against Los Angeles.
This week, the Ravens look to get back on track after the loss to the Steelers. They’ll be the second team to score more than 20.
Bob: Baltimore
Penny: Baltimore
Cassie: Los Angeles
Odds sourced from USA Today
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