Mike's Picks (2 Live)
Mike's Past Picks
How unusual to feel confidence in an NFL team when a rookie QB who was not a starter at the dawn of the season returns from an injury hiatus. Jaxson Dart has guided the Giants to both SU victories with a LB mentality that has juiced up his teammates. Without him, New York has stayed inside this number in three consecutive outings. The Patriots are dealing with an injury outbreak. OLT Will Campbell went on injured reserve this week, while OG Jared Wilson is out as well. Several teammates sat out Friday's practice. Going against a new defensive coordinator, New England and its makeshift O-line might see new looks from the Giants' D.
Siding with a sizable favorite that wins narrowly will be nerve-wracking. Of the Broncos’ eight consecuive SU wins, here are the margins in six of them: one, two, three, three, three, four. On the other hand, the Commodores have failed to cover once during their current six-game SU slide. While both teams have regained a modicum of health, Washington QB Jayden Daniels remains idled, while Denver All-Pro CB Patrick Surtain II is expected to return after three games out. With the league’s 14-ranked offense, the Broncos should be able to find sufficient points against the No. 31 defense for a cover.
QB Aaron Rodgers appears in for Pittsburgh. (Though, wth A-Rod, one can never be too sure.) OTs Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are confrmed out for Buffalo. With Blls WR Curtis Samuel joining them in street clothes, while WR Joshua Palmer and TE end Dalton Kincaid are questionable, the burden on even QB Josh Allen seems too great. The Bllls have dropped three road games SU, falling short of 20 points in each. Given Rodgers' sore wrist, possible inclement weather and Bufallo's shoddy rush defense, the Steelers can control the game on the ground. They have followed their last 20 losses with 14 ATS victories.
Minnesota's offense is broken, J.J. McCarthy has been the worst QB league-wide, which might have been compounded by a possible concusson Sunday aganst Green Bay. Whether or not McCarthy plays here, the Vikings' offensive outlook is dire. With Carson Wentz done, the starting QB role could fall to rookie Max Brosmer, who has thrown eight passes as a pro. He would face off against the seventh-ranked defense. As for the Vikes' D, it performed admirable Sunday, holding Green Bay to south of 300 yards even though the Packers held possesson for 37 mnutes.
Both teams regularly reach the 20s in points, with the Cardinals falling short just once and the Bucs twice. Each side got welcome news on the injury front. Arizona welcomes back WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and RB Bam Knight. RB Bucky Knight returns for Tampa Bay, while QB Baker Mayfield defied the odds and recovered sufficiently from a shoulder injury. Both squads have .500 records on Over -- 7-4 for the visitors, 6-5 for the hosts.
The Dolphins opened 1-6 straight-up, and there was speculation that coach Mike McDanel might not last beyond midseason. Since, Miami has won three of four outright, twice in convincing fashion, and the bespectacled boss appears off the hot seat. The defense was dinged for just 32 combined points in those games. The Saints threw rookie QB Tyler Slough into the deep end late last month, and he has managed to stay afloat. However, it appears he must go to battle without main WR Chris Olave and fading but still effective RB Alvin Kamara, both injured. The ‘Fins conversely, are due to get reacquainted with OT Austin Jackson, out since early September, as they shoot for their fifth cover in six home gigs.
When we hear fractured fibula, we assume the affected player is on injured reserve. Not only is Colts QB Daniel Jones active, but he will start. Presumably, a player who relies on his legs and has endured 16 sacks in the past four games might be limited against the league’s premier defense. Houston has registered more interceptions than touchdown passes yielded (12-10). While the Texans have notched three consecutive Ws with backup Davis Mills behind center, they will welcome back starter C.J. Stroud with open meaty arms. Stroud was lights-out in the three wins prior to his injury, with seven TD throws against one pick. Indy's all-universe RB, Jonathan Taylor, is unlikely to run wild. Houston ranks 13th for rush yards allowed.
Notre Dame has been on an extended weekly blowout tour, winning nine straight games by double digits -- topped by last Saturday's 70-7 spanking of Syracuse. However, opening kickoff times for those outings ranged from early afternoon to mid-evening. Let's see how they adjust to a 10:30 (ET) start out west. A rough season for Stanford has turned somewhat for the better in November. The Cardinal were competitive in defeats to Pitt and North Carolina before slamming rival Calfornia last Saturday. The Irish's latest win was bittersweet, with LBs Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Chance Tucker lost for the season. This is a sizable number for ND to cover with the body clock set on an early Sunday morning.
Northwestern games lean toward relatvely low scores. The Wildcats do not score in bunches and prefer runnng to passing. With snow and heavy wind in the forecast, this matchup shapes up as points-starved. Illinois likes to air it out more but must alter its game plan to deal with the elements. Harsh weather can drive down the total; this one has dpped a couple of points, not enough to steer us off.
Can't ignore these numbers: 0-4, 6-0. Those are the respective SU records of Wisconsin on the road and Minnesota at home. The Badgers are playing much better than the Gophers but, being run-oriented, seem unlikely to capitalize on a soft pass defense. Wisconsin is on its fourth QB of the season, freshman Carter Smith, and he is not exactly tearing it up with his 53 percent completion rate. The percentage probably will not rise, given the expected unpleasant weather, as the Badgers have little choice but to stick to a ground game. If the home side offense can generate 20 points, that should be enough.
We can't exactly draw a line through Pitt's loss to Notre Dame, but coach Pat Narduzzi appeared to place such relatively little interest in the game in the midst of the ACC schedule that it can be discounted. Otherwise, the Panthers have won six in a row SU, scoring between 30 and 53 points in each. Now they welcome back do-it-all RB Desmond Reid, out last week wth an injury. Temperatures touching the freezng mark is a bonus for the hosts aganst the visitors from balmy south Florida. With an ACC Championship berth on the line for both, there is no motivational edge.
Sore-footed Louisville QB Miller Moss is expected to soldier on, but his usual sidekicks will be absent. It's quite enough to miss your foremost WR (Chris Bell), but your four best RBs (notably the Browns, Keyjuan and Isaac) are gone as well. A promising season has gone to seed with three conseutive SU loss entering the game. The momentum rests wth Kentucky, which was playng well before the schooling from Vanderblt last Saturday and can secure a bowl berth with a W.
The widely held take on Chicago is that of a decent team that wins tight games by, well, a healthy dose of luck. It cannot be ignored that the Bears have won all but one of their last nine games SU and whose stats back up the streak beyond a bit of good fortune. QB Caleb Williams has begun to live up to his billing as No. 1 overall draft pick. Philly managed a combined 26 points in two recent victories, then frittered away a 21-point lead in a defeat to Dallas last Sunday. Chcago welcomes back cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon off injured reserve. The Eagles should not be laying a full TD in these circumstances.