What Has Eli Done For You Lately - NFL 2015 TNF 3

Eli Manning and the New York Giants are on the ropes but it truly feels like Ali's rope-a-dope strategy gone wrong. The Giants should be 2-0 going into tonight's matchup against the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins should have the same record, instead of being 1-1. At Giants (-3.5; 44), something's got to give when two NFC East stalworths that have fallen on hard times vie for a division championship.

The NFC East division will be contested until the final week of the season, partly and mainly due to the injury suffered by Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo and the Philadelphia Eagles being in a somber slumber.

The Cowboys will patch holes. The Eagles will rise. For the Redskins to keep pace, they have to maintain their conservative, ball control approach.

The Giants, on the other hand, have to put it all on the line and open up the offense even more, relying on their star Quarterback Eli Manning.

The Defensive edge goes to the Redskins, though they have faced two lesser offenses, both games at Home. This is a tough pick no matter how you slice it.

The Giants won both meetings last season, which keeps them as a Home favorite, where the Redskins can lose by 7 points or the Giants lose by 1 point.

So, I go with Giants (Under).  Pick wisely, come back for Sunday's picks and enjoy this playlist.

Peyton's Last Rodeo - NFL 2015 TNF 2

This AFC West Division game will decide one thing: Are the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning done as Super Bowl contenders? This has as much to do with a great showing by the Kansas City Chiefs and amazing comeback by the San Diego Chargers, as it does Peyton Manning and retirement.

The Denver Broncos offense never really got started against the Baltimore Ravens. This happens to many teams when they face the Ravens defense. But there was a bit more to it, a lack of sync, a lack of crispiness. Peyton Manning completed 60% of his passes for just 175 Yards and 1 INT.


They managed to pull out a win because it was a sloppy offensive game for both teams.

Heading into tonight's game, that is not something the Broncos can count on. Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs demolished the Houston Texans in the first half and coasted to an easy victory. That is why Smith was under three hundred yards (243yds), while completing 66.7% of his passes, with 3 Touchdowns, ending with a QB Rating of 118.6.

The current lines are Kansas City (-3; 42.5) while I have the numbers as two strong teams where the Broncos can win by 6 or the Chiefs can win by 3, and the Over at 45. In a high scoring affair at Arrowhead Stadium and short week for both teams, I go Chiefs (Over).

Pick wisely, come back for Sunday's picks and Enjoy this playlist.

Patriots: "It Wasn't Me..." NFL 2015 TNF 1

The revival! It has been a long time since I crunched the numbers here or at Gather. What better time to start as we head into a new NFL season and a game where the recent Super Bowl Champions, New England Patriots are giving 7 points to the always battle-ready Pittsburgh Steelers.

This is a tough game to pick mainly because the Steelers don't care about the spread, your office pool or your couch. They're either going to win or lose badly; for them that mean is by at least 7.

I have the numbers as Patriots (-8.96) and Steelers (-3.24). Though there's a wide gap between these two things happening, this is a game that will be played on the margins. Will all the controversy surrounding the Patriots make them tentatve, will they come out to prove a point and put up 30+ points or will they be on the edge, rusty and primed for an upset by the Steelers -- something along the lines of giving up 27 points and losing by 3?

Lastly, consider that out of the 5 recent season openers, the HOME team has lost on1y 1 time and covered the other 4 times. Three of those winners were the defending Super Bowl Champions, with the Baltimore Ravens losing on the road.

Pick wisely, come back for Sunday's picks and Enjoy this playlist.