Bet on Broncos: If they look nice, of course
by Gridiron Guru
The Green Side of Life
Article Last Updated; Thursday, October 15, 2009 1:08AM
Laura Jaramillo has just one rule guiding her Gridiron Green picks: Denver has to win.
Her husband, Floyd, pours over the attributes of each team, carefully considering all tangible variables before making his choices.
Meanwhile, Laura chooses affable mascots, pretty colors and desirable locales.
“And I consistently beat him,” she said.
Although Floyd is an admirable pigskin pugilist who owns Broncos season tickets and has won the Green before, both he and I (8-6 last week, 7-7 against the spread) have to bow to his indiscriminate wife, who was 13-1 and put her lone loss – Washington at Carolina – on the final line.
Monday
Broncos at Chargers – Phillip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson are the acid test if Denver wants its critics to accept it as the No. 1-rated defense in the league. The good news: The Broncos are one of the league’s top rushing teams, while the Chargers linebackers are a veritable turnstile.
Guru: Denver 24-21;
Vegas: Chargers by 4.
Sunday
Texans at Bengals – Little more than a curiosity at the time, Cincinnati’s 12-7 loss to Denver in Week 1 pitted two franchises most notorious for offseason tumult. Now both are AFC division leaders, and Cedric Benson, with 487 yards, is the NFL’s leading rusher for a team that has survived its share of “Hard Knocks.”
Guru: Cincinnati 31-21;
Vegas: Bengals by 5.
Lions at Packers – How sad is it that Detroit’s offensive line couldn’t hear the snap count during the fourth quarter of last week’s 28-20 loss to Pittsburgh? They were in Detroit! At least they can false start with dignity at Lambeau.
Guru: Green Bay 42-14;
Vegas: Packers by 13.
Ravens at Vikings – Incredibly, Benson was the first running back to break 100 yards in 40 games against Baltimore. The NFL’s No. 2-leading rusher, Adrian Peterson, will need to be similarly exceptional to keep Brett Favre from forcing passes into the Bermuda Triangle that is the Ravens secondary.
Guru: Minnesota 20-19;
Vegas: Vikings by 3.
Giants at Saints – Two teams 4-0 against the spread give the Guru pause for thought: Outperform the popular notion of your ability for a mere moment and a cacophony of TV analysts, newspaper pundits and blathering bloggers proclaims you “underrated.” The effect is that most teams currently accepted as “underrated” are rather appropriately – if not exhaustively – rated.
Guru: New Orleans 27-17;
Vegas: Saints by 3.
Browns at Steelers – The Browns snapped a 10-game losing streak with last week’s 6-3 win over the Bills, but Derek Anderson’s 2-for-17, 23-yard performance doesn’t exactly inspire confidence against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Pittsburgh has won this supposed “rivalry” 11 times in a row.
Guru: Pittsburgh 33-6;
Vegas: Steelers by 15.
Panthers at Buccaneers – Poor Steve Smith – he’s not even the best receiver named Steve Smith, as the Giants’ version currently leads the NFL in yardage (481). The Panthers need their forlorn star to remake a name for himself if they hope to deal Tampa Bay its 10th consecutive loss.
Guru: Tampa Bay 23-16;
Vegas: Panthers by 3.
Chiefs at Redskins – Another team on the verge of double-digit doldrums, Kansas City has a fighting chance of avoiding that fearsome fate against a Washington team that has finished within a touchdown of its opponent in eight consecutive games.
Guru: Washington 37-34;
Vegas: Redskins by 7.
Rams at Jaguars – The list of languishing losers continues, although St. Louis can take solace in dodging an ownership bid from deep-pocketed windbag Rush Limbaugh.
Guru: Jacksonville 22-0;
Vegas: Jaguars by 10.
Cardinals at Seahawks – A healthy Matt Hasselbeck spells doom for Arizona, which has conceded 303 passing yards a game in 2009. Seattle is prone to an effective rushing attack, but at 57 yards per game and no clear starting tailback, it’s safe to say the Cardinals will stick to the air.
Guru: Seattle 34-19;
Vegas:
Seahawks by 3.
Eagles at Raiders – In 1906, after president Teddy Roosevelt’s threat to ban football, the legal forward pass was introduced to open up the field and reduce the growing number of deaths and casualties in the sport. Al Davis – owner of a team that averages just 108.6 yards in the heyday of the passing offense – apparently is nostalgic for the days of his youth ...
Guru: Philadelphia 52-7;
Vegas: Eagles by 15.
Titans at Patriots – Remember the Titans? Jeff Fisher’s team started 10-0 in 2008, and everybody thought it was just smoke and mirrors. Everybody was right.
Guru: New England 31-13;
Vegas: Patriots by 10.
Bills at Jets – The Jets went from 3-0 to 3-2 in a New York minute with road losses at New Orleans and Miami. Matt Sanchez and Thomas Jones will feel revitalized facing a shaky Buffalo defense in the Big Apple.
Guru: New York 30-10;
Vegas: Jets by 10.
Bears at Falcons – Atlanta annihilated San Francisco in the bay last weekend, but Shaun Hill couldn’t make it pay for shoddy pass coverage. Jay Cutler, as Broncos fans well know, has the ability to stretch the field.
Guru: Chicago 28-24;
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