by John Fredericks, Jack Fredericks and Nate Perry
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Lines by Draft Kings as of 11-07-21 9:00 AM
Well, we knew there would be one week where I took the proverbial pipe. Last week was it, when I posted an abysmal 4-7-1 record, getting blown out of several games. Like my late dad Sam always said: “Better to be blown out by halftime than lose in the last second. The money lost is the same, but at least you saved time.”
He was a die-hard New York Jets fan, so we know he got blown out a lot. My boys are off this week, as my son Jack’s girlfriend Kristi is dealing with some health issues and they are all still recovering from the Astros World Series implosion. So I’ll go it alone. This is redemption week, I feel a 9-3 coming on. My total record for the season ATS is still a stellar 54-32-2, a full 22 games over .500. I’ll put that up against any of the Vegas wise guys that charge you a fee for football picks. Mine are free! Maybe I have a new career in the making? Oh, I also predicted the Youngkin win in Virginia and plus eight House seats. So I nailed that one, too.
The Derick Henry-less Titans travel to Tinsel Land this week to take on the Rams Sunday night, and the Left-coasters added another a Hall of Fame defensive gem in Denver’s Von Miller. My 17-year old son Joe calls the Titans QB: “TanneGoat.” We’ll see if he can step up the road, handing the ball off to 37-year old Adrian Peterson, who spent the last 10 months on the coach.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys continue to roll. They are now my NFC Super Bowl pick. The team is gelling. And Dak is back.
So here we go with NFL week 9:
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-7)
OMG, the Atlanta Clown Show (ACS) brought out the dancing elves last week and stunk up the place in typical Ringling Brothers fashion. The team is a complete cluster-you know what. The Falcons are going to be without Calvin Ridley for the foreseeable future, which really hurts. The on-, off-again Saints turn to Taysom Hill at quarterback with Jameis Winston ruled out the rest of the year with a torn ACL. I thought Hill was a tailback? Or a defensive back? Or a wide receiver? Who knows. The Saints are in the dome sitting only a game back of Champa-Bay. Here is the bottom line: this is a New Orleans win, it’s a matter of by how many. A touchdown here and a pick there and you cover. Pick: Saints -7
Denver Broncos at Dallas Cowboys (-10)
This line opened at 4.5 and exploded to 10 when Mike McCarthy said Dak was back this week and the Denver’s jettisoned Von Miller to LA for future draft picks. Basically the Bronc’s threw in the towel for the season.
The Cowboys’ offense has been a light show on turf all year and the Denver defense just got that much worse. No-Brainer cover in a Dallas blow-out. Pick: ‘Boys -10
New England Patriots (-3) at Carolina Panthers
It’s hard to believe, but here we are in week nine and the Patsies are very much in the AFC playoff hunt. The Billy B mythology is now cemented in NFL lore. How does he do it? Like Big Tuna, he wins games. Mac Jones gets better every week. I am done betting against them, they just seem to win games.
The Cats are my new Vikings. I bet on them, they poop in the litter box, I bet against them, they play like the ’68 Green Bay Packers. I’m closing my eyes and betting New England. Yikes. Pick: Pats -3
Minnesota Vikings at Baltimore Ravens (-6)
Who are the Vikings? In the infamous words of Bill Parcells: “You are what your record says you are.” The Nordics are 3-4, going on the road to face a very angry Ravens team that got blown out by the Bungles coming off a bye-week.
Last week against a Dak-less Cowboys, they somehow managed to let the game slip away with under two minutes left, as usual. Who is John Galt? Who is Kirk Cousins? Who is Marcus Mariota? All the same. Pick: Ravens -6
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-2)
Titans lose to Jets! Bungles lose to Jets! Everybody else blows out Jets! Wow, what a deflating loss the Bungles had last to week to a team that then turned around on Thursday night and gave up a near 50-spot to the anemic Colts offense. So the Browns are becoming this season’s smoke and mirrors rendition of last season’s San Diego Padres: all glitz, not blitz. I love the Bounce Back Bungles at home. Pick: Bungles -2
Buffalo Bills (-14) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer and the kitty cats are a truly pathetic bunch. There will be more Bills fans in Jax-Vegas stadium then Jags fans, so it’s like a home game for the Buff’s. Meyer’s defense is like a San Francisco sink hole, you never really know how bad it is. Don’t look down, either. The Bills are feasting on the NFL’s loser’s bracket and this game is no different. Lay the wood and laugh your proverbial A** off that’s its 14, not 21. Pick: Buffaloes -14
Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins (-5.5)
LMAO! No Pick
Las Vegas Raiders (-3) at New York Giants
Oh, stop! The Giants are a resurgent team like the Democrats are going to win the mid-terms. All nonsense. GOP picks up 70 seats in 2022 and Giants prove who they are today at Jimmy Hoffa stadium in the swamp. I still believe in the Raiders, this is a must win game. Normally they are horrific flying to the East Coast in a 1:00 PM game, but this may be different. The Slots are 5-2, and sit atop their division with a one game edge over the Bolts. If you want to be taken seriously in the AFC playoff hunt, you have to go to New Jersey and win this game. Meantime, the Dems stole the governor’s election in the Garden State, we all know that too. Vegas needs to steal an ugly win–and cover. Pick: Slots -3
Los Angeles Chargers (-1) at Philadelphia Eagles
Why are the Birds 0-3 at home? How many east coast games can the Bolts cough up like a hair-ball? Are the Chargers another Browns mirage? They have lost two in a row. You can’t have three-game losing streaks and make believe you are legit. Don’t over think it. Bolts win one on the east coast and get back to left-wing land. Pick: Bolts -1
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (-7)
This is simple: No Aaron Rodgers, no betting on the Cheese-Heads. No way am I betting the Pack with a first-start rookie quarterback against a desperate Chiefs team at home at Arrowhead. Let me bottom line this: Kansas City wins the game, it’s a matter of how many. Once they get ahead, its pick-six territory. Easy pickings-this is my best bet. Blow Out. Pick: Chiefs -7
Arizona Cardinals (+3.5) at San Francisco 49ers
The crazy Cards could very well be without both Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins today on the road against a very suspect ‘Niners bunch. While I would take a shot with Colt McCoy at the controls, the Hopkins loss is even worse. The line moved 4.5 in San- Fran’s direction in one day when both Hopkins and Murray were announced as questionable. Too much drama, too much cat and mouse. I’ll play with Sammy the Cat instead and take a pass on this one. Did I tell you that I actually walk my cat on a leash like a dog? Yes, I’m a sick-o cat person. I love my cat. No Pick
Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Rams (-7.5)
Well, here we are. The Titans, who sit atop the AFC as the number one seed as of this writing travel to LA to face a ferocious looking Rams defense who have just added potential Hall of Famer Von Miller. And Derick Henry, the Beast, is sidelined with a broken foot for what appears to be eight-weeks (just in time for one game and the playoffs). This should be a blow out, right? Tennessee will have to show they are not a one-dimensional team. It’s Julio Jones time. Bet against the public, who have piled on the Rams. I hear there is almost a 20:1 Rams to Titans bet ratio in Vegas. Has a Vegas hotel ever gone broke? No. Because the public always loses. I’ll take my chances with a motivated Titans team inspired to prove something on national TV. Pick: Titans + 7.5
Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5)
We have had some ugly-looking Monday Night Football games this season. Here’s another stinker. The Bears are really hapless and the Curtains picked themselves of the mat last week with a must-win victory at the dog pound. The terrible towels will be waving like mad and I’ll go the Justin Fields being sacked seven times and a few fumbles mixed in. The Curtain’s D rises to the Monday night occasion. Plus my buddy Jake Rubenstein, who is Terry McAuliffe’s spokesperson and right-hand man, is going to the game to cheer himself up. That’s enough for me! Pick: Steel Curtain -6.5
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John Fredericks, Publisher and Editor In Chief of The Virginia Star.
Photo “Cooper Rush” by Dallas Cowboys.