Mike T's Week 9 Picks: More Dogs Straight Up To Win

by Mike T.

It felt good to get back on the winning track last week. I had two dogs and a total get there for me putting me at 15-9 for the season.
There have been an unusual amount of big favorites covering in blowout fashion all year. This trend is not likely to continue throughout the entire season.I think things are starting to get back to normal where for the first time this season 4 teams that were 10+ point dogs covered last week. With six teams as a 9+ point favorite again this week I think it may be another good opportunity to take some of these over inflated numbers. I'm going with 3 more dogs this week.


Texans +9 at Colts

The hot and cold Texans come into Indy as a 9 point dog against the high powered Colts. Matt Schaub will not be facing CB Marlin Jackson or Bob Sanders as they are both out for the season. Ryan Moats is also getting the start after his 126 yd 3 TD game last week, while Steve Slaton will be on the bench figuring out how to cure his fumblitis. I expect this to be a high scoring game with the Texans winning if they can play two good halves of football.

Texans 34 Colts 28

Dolphins +10.5 at Patriots

Miami heads up to New England to take on their division rival. For the Fish to have any chance in this one they will have to play like they did in the first half against the mighty Saints. That is exactly what I expect them to do. The Pats D should see a heavy dose of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams while Tom Brady waits to get on the field. Should the Dolphins use this game plan I think they can not only cover but win the game outright.
Dolphins 27 Patriots 24

Bengals +3 vs Ravens

It seems a little odd to me that the Bengals (5-2) are home dogs in this one since they've already beaten the Ravens (4-3) on the road this year. I don't know what else they have to do to get the respect they deserve. Wins against GB and Balt on the road and a home win against Pittsburgh should be enough as well as coming off a 45-10 beating they put on Da Bears two weeks ago.The Bengals have had two weeks to prepare for their division rival and I believe they will be fired up to win this one and remain in first place in the AFC North by a half game until the Steelers play on Monday night.

Bengals 31 Ravens 17

Roberts Week 9 Pro Football Picks: Panthers Could Be Upset Of The Year

Cardinals +3 @ Bears: Arizona falls into that category of being to win anywhere, as we a couple weeks ago at New York, and also being able to lose to anyone like we saw last week in their home game against the Panthers.

They may seem like a risky bet, but this is more about going against the Bears who are still trying to figure out their identity with Jay Cutler at the helm. Last week they went to their running game for the first time all season with Matt Forte and didn't let Cutler's interceptions beat them.

This week, they'll get a team who can put points on the board and be forced to use Cutler's turnover machine.

Panthers +13 @ Saints: Why even mess around the Saints? Well, getting four-points of value is a good beginning to the answer. The proper line should be around 9 or 10 at most, but is inflated because of Las Vegas' current losses with bad teams and lovable favorites like the Saints and Colts.

The Panthers have also owned this team over the last four years winning 7 of 8 games. Jake Delhomme should be happier than ever going to his home and getting some good luck Gumbo where he has had some of his best games. In his last 5 games against the Saints he's had 8 TD's and only one pick.

The power running game of the Panthers will not be stopped by the Saints who haven't been put to the test for four quarters against a good running team. The Dolphins had them on the ropes, but let them off the hook with bad play calling in the second half. If the Saints had trouble with Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, then they're really going to love Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.

Not only is the points good value here, but a money line play at +600 is worth a shot.

Dallas-Philadelaphia OVER 49: The last two seasons these two teams have had shootouts in their first meeting. The game has gone over 50 in 3 of the last 4 games. The best sign is that the game is in November where Tony Romo is virtually unbeatable and has his best games statistically throughout his career. If there was a November Hall of Fame, Romo's picture would be the silhouette on the logo.

No worries about Philly scoring either. Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson like to make bigsplays with regularity and with Dallas' weak coverage and suddenly meek pass-rush, they should score big again.

Denver +3 vs Pittsburgh: Everyone knew the Broncos were phony and they proved it at Baltimore, or so the experts are claiming. Doesn't matter that they beat Dallas, New England, and San Diego in a Monday night road game, does it? Those were flukes, and a team like the World Champion Steelers will expose them further, right?

The same argument was made the last time the Steelers had just won the Super Bowl. They strolled into Denver as 3-point road favorites and got beat straight up.

Denver's lapse last week was a mere matter of a team coming off a bye, traveling from the west to play and early game in the east. Western teams traveling east very rarely fare well, no matter what a teams record is. Starting out 6-0 and then having to wait two weeks killed some momentum, but the buildings blocks that got them big wins are still there.

The home crowd will make a huge difference and Denver will win straight up again as a dog like they have done four times already this season.