Chicago Bears @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Bears 23.18555 – Buccaneers 18.52264

Washington Redskins @ Carolina Panthers: Redskins 20.93795 – Panthers 18.83872

Seattle Seahawks @ Cleveland Browns: Seahawks 19.56502 – Browns 21.18917

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Arizona Cardinals: Steelers 21.31028 – Cardinals 16.486

Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans: Texans 19.45904 – Titans 21.20014

Atlanta Falcons @ Detroit Lions: Falcons 17.56672 – Lions 32.7658

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders: Chiefs 15.33188 – Raiders 34.61589

St. Louis Rams @ Dallas Cowboys: Rams 10.53784 – Cowboys 29.21914

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings: Packers 32.42156 – Vikings 18.55227

Indianapolis Colts @ New Orleans Saints: Colts 18.76741 – Saints 39.59327

San Diego Chargers @ New York Jets: Chargers 19.96875 – Jets 26.24908

Denver Broncos @ Miami Dolphins: Broncos 22.71929 – Dolphins 20.63871

Baltimore Ravens @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Ravens 28.76889 – Jaguars 9.900965

Plays resulting from scores:

TOP PLAY (off the Vegas line by the most points):

Raiders (-4) L

OTHERS:

Lions (-3.5) L

Panthers (+3) W

Jets (+2.5) W

Cowboys (-11.5) W

Saints (-14) W

Ravens (-8)

Let’s hope for another successful week!

1.) Detroit Lions – Over/Under 7.5 wins – Over (-190)  - I am high on the Lions this year.  I believe they’ll have a top 5 offense provided that Matthew Stafford avoids injury. With Calvin Johnson, Jahvid Best and Brandon Pettigrew, this team will put up points. I’ll also be curious to see how WR Titus Young from Boise State has an impact on this team. The next DeSean Jackson anyone? Although the preseason doesn’t mean squat, the Lions are the 1st ranked overall offense and passing offense.  I can almost guarantee that the Lions will not finish the season with a losing record this year.  Their defense will also be legit this year too. In the top 50% of NFL defenses for sure. They drafted DT Fairley to help out Suh on the line, added DE Vanden Bosch last year, and then his teammate LB Tulloch from that tough Titans D. Some people are even predicting that they’ll win the NFC and stamp their tickets to the Super Bowl.

The Schedule: The Lions schedule does not look too bad. Assuming the Lions split games with the Bears, Vikings, and maybe Packers, we’re looking at about a 3-3 conference record. They may even sweep the Vikings and Bears. You can then count on wins against Carolina, Oakland, San Francisco, and Denver.  Now that we’re at 7 wins, the Lions should be able to pull one or two off against Tampa Bay, Kansas City (at home), Dallas, or San Diego (at home). I think you’re looking at a 10-6 team in the Lions. Out of all the team props, this is my favorite.

The Play: Lions Over 7.5 Wins (-190) Confidence 4/5

2.) Arizona Cardinals – Over/Under 6.5 wins – Over (-200) – With Fitzgerald getting a new contract and having Kevin Kolb throwing to him (rather than the awful QB carousel the Cardinals had last year), I think the Cardinals offense should rebound a bit from theie 2010 woes.  I also expect WR Early Doucet to blossom in his 4th year similar to Sidney Rice blossoming in his 3rd year. I am not expecting the Cardinals to make the playoffs, but an 7-9 or 8-8 season seems quite likely, especially since they’re in the easiest division in the NFL. The Rams are getting stronger though and will make a push to win the division this season.

The Schedule: The Cards have an easy schedule. They should have two wins over Seahawks, one or two wins against the 49ers and Rams, wins over the Browns at home,  at Bengals, and Panthers at home in week 1. Other sources for wins can include games against the Redskins and Vikings, but those games will be on the road. I think you see the Cardinals finish the season 7-9, but a 6-10 season is certainly within the realm of possibilities.

The Play: Cardinals Over 6.5 Wins (-200) Confidence 3/5

3.) St. Louis Rams – Over/Under 7.5 wins – Over (-110) – Speaking of the Rams, I’m expecting an awesome sophomore year for Sam Bradford. The Rams have added WR Mike Sims-Walker from the Jaguars and drafted a slew of wide receivers to be future contributors for their young franchice QB. With Sims-Walker as the deep threat, look for Danny Amendola to be this team’s Wes Welker, while Steven Jackson pounds it out on the ground and also contributes in the passing game. Cadillac Williams will also be Jackson’s backup, which was a nice pickup. Although WR Austin Pettis and WR Greg Sallas may not contribute much this year, in two to three years, this Rams passing attack could be very dangerous if those young wide outs develop. I was very high on Greg Sallas in the 2011 draft, who is similar to T.J. Houshmanzadeh, and would definitely want him on my team. He could be one of top slot receivers in this league for years to come. He was a great 4th-round steal for the Rams.

The Schedule: The Rams are in for a rough start to the season facing Philadelphia, New York Giants, Baltimore, before the Redskins. Then they come out of their bye week at Green Bay, at Dallas, and then New Orleans. That looks like 5-6 losses to me. However, the second half of their schedule will be a breeze with their only tough opponent being the Steelers. If the Rams could sweep the NFC West or at least get 5 wins, wins over the Bengals, Browns, and Redskins will get them to the magic number of 8 wins. It’ll be a tough start and a rocky road to finish .500 for the Rams. Seeing how their schedule lines up, I’m expecting  2-6 start and a 6-2 finish. I would pass on this play due to the tough schedule.

The Play: Rams Over 7.5 Wins (-110) Confidence 2/5

4.) Miami Dolphins – Over/Under 7.5 wins – Under (-150) – Last year the Dolphins finished 7-9, which is surprising. They’re questioning whether Henne is their guy. Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams are gone, being replaced by Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas, who could be a real steal in this year’s fantasy drafts. However, with two games against the Patriots and two games against the Jets, they’ll be extremely lucky to win 1 of those, so you can chalk up 4 losses right there.

The Schedule: Miami’s schedule starts off with New England, Houston, Cleveland, and San Diego. Expect a 1-3 record out of the gate leading into the bye week. Tough non-conference road games include Kansas City, New York Giants, and Dallas, while tough non-conference home games include San Diego, Houston, and Philadephia.  I see at least 9 losses on this schedule putting their record at 7-9.  The Dolphins could stand to top the Bills twice, Browns, Raiders, Broncos, and Redskins, but I don’t see them getting 8 wins.

The Play: Dolphins Under 7.5 Wins (-150) Confidence 3/5

Miss me?

Chemistry is the key word tonight for the Vikings, and I see it happening between Moss and Favre tonight. Moss, who has been able to catch anything within reach, and Favre loving to throw the ball deep, should be the perfect match and potentially a win tonight for Minnesota. Moss will be able to stretch the field for Minnesota, therefore giving

He's back..

opportunities to Adrian Peterson all night long to run the football. Tampa Bay took advantage coming off their bye week by upsetting the Bengals, let’s see if Minnesota can take advantage of coming off theirs.

Minnesota has definitely been looking for someone like Moss to be acquired to their team. They have only four passes for 20+ yards this season, and that’s the fewest in the NFL. The Jets are ranked fourth in rush defense, but will have their work cut out for them tonight with Peterson, who ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards per game.

Minnesota is 5-0 ATS in their last five week five games, as well as 4-1 ATS in their last five against a team with a winning record.

Prediction: Vikings 24 – Jets 17

Pick Against the Spread: Minnesota +5

New Orleans Saints (-7) @ Arizona Cardinals

The key for the Saints this week is to slow down on their turnovers. In their last two games they’ve fumbled the ball four times, still managing to stay in the plus column in that department. The one good thing is that their about to face a

Drew Brees has accumulated 1131 passing yards so far this season.

Cardinals team who allows 29.5 PPG and 388 yards per game. The Saints are still without Reggie Bush. Since Arizona has such a sad defense allowing 155 rushing yards per game, maybe the Saints will get their running game going finally.

New Orleans has won the past two meetings, but fell 34-10 in their last meeting in Arizona in ’04. I like that the Saints are 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings with Arizona.

Prediction: Saints 34 – Arizona 13

Pick Against the Spread: New Orleans -7

San Diego Chargers (-6.5) @ Oakland Raiders

The Chargers head into this game coming off two regular season wins last season winning 24-20 in Oakland and 24-16 in San Diego. Not only did they sweep the series last year, but also the five years previous to that. The Raiders have lost the four of their games by a combines 93 points.

I think this game has the making of being close most of the way, with San Diego pulling out some late offense to cover the spread. San Diego is 7-1 ATS in their last eight meetings in Oakland and 11-3 in the last 14 meetings.

Prediction: Chargers 27 – Raiders 20

Pick Against the Spread: San Diego -6.5

Tennessee Titans @ Dallas Cowboys (-7)

Dallas better be able to contain Chris Johnson. I think Vince Young’s best option this week is to spread the ball out. Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last six when coming off a bye week. The Titans have won 10 straight against NFC opponents and 15 of their last 16. With the Cowboys playing a 3-4 defense Johnson must have a breakout game. The only thing holding back the Titans are that they are the league’s most penalized team along with Detroit, costing them 344 yards.

I like the NFC stat too much though. Tennessee has just dominated the NFC and I see them covering this spread handily.

Prediction: Titans 24 – Cowboys 20

Pick Against the Spread: Tennessee +7

Atlanta Falcons (-3) @ Cleveland Browns

Cleveland hosts Atlanta Sunday afternoon with both teams coming off a win. Cleveland has been one of the best teams ATS this year as well as last year. An offense lead by Matt Ryan was supposed to be the Falcons strength coming into this season, but their defense has been why they’ve won three in a row. Jake Delhomme isn’t the for sure starter yet, but he is going to have his hands full with this Falcon defense. The Falcons offense ranks sixth in the NFL averaging 389.3

Arian Foster has emerged as one of the league's best backs.

yards a game along with 23.3 points per game. Delhomme, if named the starter, had success against the Falcons last year throwing for 589 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in two games against them with Carolina. Peyton Hillis has been a key to the Browns even hanging around in all of their games, and was a huge key in their win last week against the Bengals. He is ranked 11th in the NFL against the run with 96.3 yards rushed a game.

I think Cleveland is going to come ready to play at home coming off a win. They are 5-1 ATS in their last six at home, and 7-1 in their last eight as a dog. Peyton Hillis is going to have another big game going over 100 yards rushing with at least one touchdown.

Prediction: Falcons 21 – Browns 20

Pick Against the Spread: Browns +3

Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens (-7)

The Ravens are coming off a huge win against the Steelers in Week Four. The Ravens have the #1 defense when it comes to yards per game only giving up 247.5. The Ravens running game led my Ray Rice isn’t doing too hot. Rice has yet to score a touchdown this season! On the other hand, the Broncos are averaging a league leading 354.8 passing yards a game. After a 6-0 start for the Broncos last year, they faced Baltimore going for their seventh straight and got annihilated 30-7. Denver went 2-7 for the remainder of the season. Denver better not even think about putting the ball on the ground on Sunday, through four games they’ve only totaled 220 rushing yards, and only 19 against Tennessee last week. That’s horrible.

The home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five matchups between these two teams, and the Broncos are 0-4 ATS in their last four in Baltimore.

Prediction: Ravens 31 – Broncos 17

Pick Against the Spread: Baltimore -7

New York Giants @ Houston Texans (-3)

The Giants, coming off a win against Chicago, hopes to start a winning streak coming to Houston. They actually sit in first place in the NFC East. The Giants have the third best overall defense in the NFL. Their defense has been key in their two wins thus far. Houston, however, is very offense oriented. Not so much their passing, but their rushing game is what has been getting them any success. Might as well just call it the Arian Foster show. The Texans have the worst defense in the NFL, even though they are ranked third in rush defense. Brian Cushing returns to the Texans defense.

Although the Giants haven’t been all too impressive on the road, I see them taking advantage of the Texans weak defense and being able to make a couple stops late in the game to seal the victory. I like the Giants outright.

Prediction: Giants 34 – Texans 31

Pick Against the Spread: Giants +3

Chicago Bears (-2.5) @ Carolina Panthers

Chicago is coming off a loss due to the fact the offensive line couldn’t protect Jay Cutler. Therefore, Cutler will be out for Sunday’s game for the first time since acquired by the Bears. The Bears allowed Cutler to get sacked nine times in the first half! Todd Collins took the place of Cutler and would eventually leave the game due to injury, and he was replaced by Caleb Hanie. Collins will start on Sunday against the Panthers. They will have a big change this week though shifting from the Giants pass defense, over to the Panthers, who have the second worst pass defense in the league. With Peppers leaving Carolina and joining Chicago, the defense has only gotten worse. The Panthers look to start Jimmy Clausen Sunday. They have scored five touchdowns and committed 13 turnovers, not the start one looks for.

The last four regular season meetings between these two teams has ended with the home team coming out victorious in each. Carolina won the last matchup 20-17 in 2008. The Panthers are 1-5 ATS in their last six as a small home dog. The Bears are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five meetings with Carolina.

Collins will choke under the pressure of being on the road with little experience. Carolina gets a huge win.

Prediction: Panthers 17 – Bears 14

Pick Against the Spread: Carolina +2.5

St. Louis Rams @ Detroit Lions (-3)

Here we have a match-up of two teams that combined for three wins last year. While the Rams hunt for a possibly playoff berth, the Lions are still seeking out a win this season, coming very close last week losing to Green Bay 28-26. St. Louis came out on top last year winning 17-10. The Rams look to win three in a row and haven’t done so since they won the last three games of the 2006 season. The Lions have lost three of their four games by a combined ten points. They really could be 3-1 and contending for first place. The replacement for Stafford, Shaun Hill, threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns last week against Green Bay. What is hurting Detroit are their eight turnovers and 30 penalties over the past three weeks. They have their hands full with St. Louis who loves forcing turnovers, forcing 10 which is fifth in the NFL. Sam Bradford has had a great rookie year for the Rams. He passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns, similar stats to Hill, last weekend.

The Rams are 3-0 ATS when a road dog of 0.5-3.0 points. The Lions lose another one Sunday.

Prediction: Rams 24 – Lions 21

Pick Against the Spread: Rams +3

Green Bay Packers (-2.5) @ Washington Redskins

Green Bay travels to Washington and faces the worst pass defense in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers attempted the fewest amount of throws last week against the Lions. The Packers offense did not score a point in the second half of that contest. Washington’s defense has allowed 305 yards per game, second worst in the NFL. All of the sudden the Redskins are running the ball with success. Although Clinton Portis will be out for the next four to six weeks, him and Ryan Torain have taken a lot of pressure off of QB Donovan McNabb. Green Bay is allowed 120 rushing yards per game.

I like Washington here even without Clinton Portis. I think the offensive struggles will continue over from the second half of last week’s game against the Lions.

Prediction: Redskins 24 – Packers 20

Pick Against the Spread: Washington +2.5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5)

Cincinnati is coming off a game where they handed the Browns their first win. I mean, they didn’t play terrible. Carson Palmer threw for 371 yards and had two touchdowns. The running game must step up for them. The Buccaneers have their hands full yet again with Ochocinco, Owens, and Palmer. Tampa Bay has beat Cincinnati five straight times since 1995. The key to the Bengals offense is the running game. Look for Cedric Benson to get a lot of carries in this one. Tampa Bay will look to throw the ball a lot with their rushing game struggling big time.

I see Cincinnati winning, but not covering the spread. The Bengals are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games. The Buccaneers are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games.

Prediction: Bengals 21 – Buccaneers 17

Pick Against the Spread: Tampa Bay +6.5

Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts (-7)

The Kansas City Chiefs are the only team remaining in the NFL without a loss. They will have their work cut out of them though when they travel to Indianapolis on Sunday. They move the ball, eat up the clock, and Matt Cassell hasn’t thrown too many ill-advised passes. Indianapolis has been exposed on both sides of the ball. They made Jacksonville look like the mastermind of the NFL. They can’t stop anybody. They are completely relying upon Peyton Manning to carry them, which he pretty much has done. They give up 149.5 yards on the ground, and they are about to face a top 5 rushing team in the Chiefs.

I see this one being very close. Colts win, but Chiefs cover. Chiefs are 5-0 ATS in their last five as a dog.

Prediction: Colts 27 – Chiefs 21

Pick Against the Spread: Kansas City +7

Jacksonville Jaguars (-1) @ Buffalo Bills

One key for Buffalo this week is to get better at stopping the run. They allow 174 yards on the ground per game. The Jags are absolutely full of confidence after coming off an upset win against the Colts. I don’t have much to say about this game except that if the Bills want to win, it has to be now and while they are at home. If the players have any pride left, they’ll play their ass off this game and come out with a victory. Why aren’t the Jags favored more after just beating Indianapolis and playing against a poor 0-4 Bills team? I’m going with Las Vegas here. I like the Bills.

The Jags are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. They are also 2-6 in their last eight meetings with the Bills. The underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these two teams.

Prediction: Bills 20 – Jags 17 in Overtime

Pick Against the Spread: Buffalo +1

I am not doing every week 5 pick in the NFL, but I will give you some that stick out to me and I like. These will be in order from my strongest plays to my, well I wouldn’t say WEAK, but you get the point.

Get your free ticket

Game 1: Take the Buffalo Bills +1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Buffalo doesn’t even need the points in this game. They get their first win this week against the Jags. The Jags are coming off a huge victory against the Colts and watch them totally overlook this game. Jags rank 30th in opponents passing yards per game, I like Fitzpatrick to absolutely erupt in this game and win by a touchdown.

Game 2: Take the Washington Redskins +2.5 against the Green Bay Packers.

This is a big game for the Washington Redskins coming in at 2-2 and look to stay on pace with the rest of the NFC East. Even thought the Skins have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, the Pack have virtually no run game. Washington will key on Rodgers and the passing game. Now Washington is without Clinton Portis which scares me a little bit, but the offensive line played great against Philly and hopefully they keep that up as Washington will roll and cover the spread.

Game 3: Play on the UNDER 35.5 in the Bears/Panthers game AND Carolina +3

I know Carolina’s defense is terrible this year, but they will put up a fight this week. Carolina only has FOUR sacks this year which is tied with Chicago for dead last. The under is set very low, Vegas knows this game will be low scoring for some reason. Take the under for an easy winner. I ALSO like Carolina ATS in this one and even possibly getting their first victory of the season depending on if Cutler plays or not. If Cutler does not play or is not 100% I like Carolina in their first victory of the season.

Game 4: Play on the Cleveland Browns +3 against the Atlanta Falcons.

This pick may be a tad bit biased because I am from Cleveland and AM a Cleveland Browns fanatic. I took Cleveland last week for BIG and hit, I wish I had time to write about that one. Falcons come in with a fantastic offense AND defense. It looks like the Browns have their hands full. Peyton Hillis has emerged as a game changer for the Brownies and punishes defenses and wears them down. Cleveland’s defense has impressed me as well and they will not back down. I think Cleveland’s defense will blitz from every which way and give Matt Ryan problems and force him into some bad throws. Even though this pick is biased and Falcons should realistically beat them by at least 10, the line is 3, and for what reason Vegas?

Game 5: Take the Dallas Cowboys -6.5 against the Tennessee Titans.

The Cowboys have won 5 straight games coming off of a bye week. I think this will be a close game that comes down to the wire and I see the Cowboys winning by 7-10 points. If I didn’t think Chris Johnson would get back on his game and go for 100 yards, I see Dallas by 15-20 points. CJ will have a tough 100 yards though with a Dallas defense coming in ranked 8th in opponents rushing. Dallas at home and coming off of a by week, will dominate the visiting Titans.

Game 6: Play on the Houston Texans -3 against the New York Giants.

I hope many of you watched last Sunday night’s game when the Giants did anything and everything against the Broncos. Well that is why I am taking the Texans in this one. After everyone watched that prime time game, many of you may think New York should be favored and will win this game outright. But Houston has the second best rush defense in the NFL along with the best rush offense and eighth ranked passing offense. I like Houston at home with the Giants coming in riding the high wave. Houston will put them back in their place this week.

Well, there are my picks for week 5 of the NFL. As you can see I took a bunch of underdogs. I LOVE dogs and I took all dogs last week and won. Although I did not write about these games because I was away on business, I took the Browns (+2.5), Denver (+6.5) and the Redskins (+5). I hope you follow my picks and they deliver for you. BEST OF LUCK!

The Kid

Last Sunday in my ‘Small Play’ article I went 3-1-0 with the only loss coming as the Giants got smacked by Peyton and Co. I feel as if I know the NFL much better than CFB, so I will not make any CFB picks but stay with the NFL. I am putting this article out a little earlier than usual so you can soak in my picks and take some winners. I am most confident in my first two plays, but I like them all.

1) Play on the UNDER 33 in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers game.Both offenses are terrible and Pitt has their third string QB starting the game. LOSER

2) Play on the UNDER 37 in the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens game. Look for Baltimore to score more points with their defense this week than their offense, especially with Seneca Wallace getting the start. This is one of my most confident picks of the season so far. Me and JOEY G both love this under. Take it. LOSER

3) Play on the Atlanta Falcons (+3.5) against the N.O. Saints. Atlanta’s defense has been very impressive so far this year, look for them to cause problems for Drew Brees and his offense. I bet not too many of you like this pick, and that’s exactly why I do. I just told Joey G about my pick, he gave me the most baffling look I have ever seen. WINNER

4) Play on the St. Louis Rams (+3.5) against the Washington Redskins. I see St. Louis not only covering this spread, but getting their first win of the season outright. Another game that many of you are wondering what the heck I am thinking. Most of you think this line should be at Washington (-10). Well, it’s not. Vegas set it at this spread for a reason. WINNER

5) Play on the Minnesota Vikings (-11.5) against the Detroit Lions. Favre will come out firing on all cylinders and ultimately blow the Lions out of the water. AP will score 2-3 touchdowns and not even play in the fourth quarter. WINNER

I look forward to seeing some of your comments and I encourage you to share your thoughts and picks for the week. Nothing wrong with a little pre-game interaction. I wish you the best of luck this week on the behalf of myself, Joey G, Vegas Martin, and Brandon.

Let’s be serious for a second though, the front runners to come out of the AFC, I would have to say, are the Jets with their ridiculous defense that will give up less than 10 PPG. Add Santonio Holmes, LaDanian Tomlinson, and QB who is no longer a rookie, and I think you’re looking at the Jets as next year’s champs.

Believe it or not, but they’re getting +1200 odds. That looks like a good score to me. In the NFC, I think it will come down to the Saints and Cowboys (I hate to say it as an Eagles fan, but let’s be honest here). The Saints have +900 odds and the Cowboys have +1000 odds. The Colts are favored to win it all at +800 odds. You also have to look at the Chargers in the mix with +900 odds.

As far as an early prediction is concerned, I think you’ll be seeing the Colts and Jets again in the AFC Championship with the Saints and Cowboys in the NFC Championship.  This Dallas sports writer says count on the Cowboys and Jets in Super Bowl XLV next season and I have to agree.

I cannot wait until camps start. I’ll see you soon!

The Indy offence is led by Peyton Manning who, with his ability to reading and react to the defence before the snap, put up a league best 4,500 passing yards while only being sacked 10 times in the regular season. Having already won a Super Bowl in 2006, the four time AP NFL Most Valuable player knows how to deal with the pressure and intensity of the big game and will looked upon as a leader on and off the field. He should have a better chance of connecting with All-Pro wide-receiver Reggie Wayne then he did during the Conference Championships.

Even though Peyton Manning put up great individual numbers last game, he only connected with Wayne and tight-end Dallas Clarke for seven receptions and 90 yards combined. Considering both were over 100 receptions and 1100 yards on the regular season, they should have much more productive games this weekend. This does not bode well for the Saints defence.

The one big question mark on the Colts defence is the health of Dwight Freeney’s ankle.  The All Pro defensive end is one of the best pass rushers in the league and, along with Robert Mathis, will be the key to Indy’s pass defence. Pro Bowler safety Antoine Bethea is expected to be in the line-up as well after seeing limited practice time last week with a sore back. The Indy defence is not overly strong already, ranked 18^th, so they hope both will be back because they need all the help they can get.

The Saints have been carried to their first Super Bowl in franchise history on the arm of Drew Brees. The Purdue product’s 109.6 passer rating was the second best since 2005 and lead the offence to a league best 34 passing touchdowns. The only knock on him is inexperience. Brees has never been out of the conference championship round in his nine year career, but with six touchdowns in his two playoff games this season, the experts at US sportsbook reviews know that his nerves should not be a problem.

Reggie Bush has been on a tear in the post season, making big plays on the ground and as a receiver out of the backfield. The Colts are giving up close to 100 yards receiving to running backs over their two playoff games, none of which had the skill of Bush, so there is the strong possibility of Reggie adding to his post-season totals of 149 combined yards and two touchdowns.

Those making NFL picks know the Saints defence is ranked 25^th in the league, boosted by teams having to throw to keep up with their offence, and will be challenged early and often by this Colts offence. Even though they gave up a large number of yards over the season, the Saints only have up 15 passing touchdowns while snagging 26 interceptions, good for sixth and third in the league. Manning had better be careful if he wants a second ring.

NFC:
East – Philadelphia Eagles (1st Seed)
North – Minnesota Vikings (2nd Seed)
South – Atlanta Falcons
West – Arizona Cardinals
Wild Card – Green Bay Packers
Wild Card – New Orleans Saints