Week Four

I'm recovering from a Root Canal, so just the picks today. I'll come back Friday with commentary and additional thoughts.

Introduction to the Picks for first-timers: Each game is listed, and the spread shows in parenthesis after the team listed as the favorite. Spreads are usually taken from usatoday.com on Tuesdays. At the end of each narrative, you'll see my selection for "Straight" and "Spread." My Straight selection is my pick of the game winner, and my Spread selection is my pick of the winner, plus or minus the points. I indicate my strongest confidence in "BET" picks. It is important to understand that I believe only the BET picks are worth truly engaging. In the final analysis, I will rate my own success or failure by my BET pick overall record. Lastly, I offer a "Suicide Pool" pick (in red) and the weekly parlay/teaser at the end of the column.


Arizona at Atlanta (-7.0)
Straight: Atlanta
Spread: Atlanta (BET)

Dallas (-9.5) at Tennessee
Straight: Tennessee
Spread: Tennessee

Indianapolis (-9.0) at NY Jets
Straight: Indy
Spread: Indy

Miami (-3.5) at Houston
Straight: Houston
Spread: Houston

Minnesota at Buffalo (-1.0)
Straight: Minny
Spread: Minny

New Orleans at Carolina (-7.5)
Straight: Carolina
Spread: New Orleans

San Diego (-2.5) at Baltimore
Straight: San Diego
Spread: San Diego

San Francisco at Kansas City (-7.5)
Straight: Kansas City
Spread: San Francisco

Detroit at St. Louis (-5.5)
Straight: St. Louis
Spread: St. Louis

Cleveland (-2.5) at Oakland
Straight: Cleveland
Spread: Cleveland (BET)

Jacksonville (-3.0) at Washington
Straight: Washington
Spread: Washington (BET)

New England at Cincinnati (-6.5)
Straight: New England
Spread: New England

Seattle at Chicago (-3.5)
Straight: Chicago
Spread: Chicago

Green Bay at Philadelphia (-11.0)
Straight: Philly
Spread: Philly
Suicide Pool Pick