Odds against visiting teams
Sulking without the Stillers on TV this weekend? Bummer, isn鈥檛 it?
The recent cold snap will probably curtail running around this weekend, causing many Steeler fans to suck it up and just be football fans for the final three Sundays (well, four if the Pro Bowl is included) of the professional football season.
A season that was just as likely to appear on the national nightly news (Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, etc.) as it was ESPN.
Well, anyway, the games will go on and the visiting teams, at least by the oddsmakers, aren鈥檛 getting much love outside their particular viewing area.
The first game of the 4-game divisional playoffs features the Baltimore Ravens traveling to New England late Saturday afternoon.
The Patriots and the resident sideline genius (said with reverence, Bill Belichick) are a 7-point favorite over the Chesapeake Flaccos.
Ravens or Patriots? That鈥檚 like deciding whether getting hit by a train or bus is the better option. No matter what happens, it鈥檚 going to hurt and the end result isn鈥檛 a welcome option.
I was watching ESPN as I rode 12 miles or so in one place this afternoon and the producers rolled up a stat that said Joe Flacco has a league-leading 15 pass interference penalties called on his prayers, I mean, passes. Plus, the former Delaware (after he left Pitt) quarterback has 10 playoff wins, a record seven road victories and won two of the past three playoffs games in Foxboro.
Can鈥檛 fight numbers like that, right?
I really don鈥檛 care who wins, but, for argument鈥檚 sake, I鈥檓 going with the geniuses, especially now that LeGarrette Blount is off the injury report. Though I鈥檓 not feeling either the 7-point spread or 48 points will be covered.
While the temperature will be dipping into the teens in Massachusetts as late afternoon gives way to early Saturday evening, the same time in Washington will be relatively balmy in the 40s when the Seattle Seahawks host the upstart, they-don鈥檛-belong-in-the-playoffs Carolina Panthers.
Cam Newton鈥檚 boys aren鈥檛 getting much love in the betting parlor with the spread remaining at 11 points and the over-under a paltry 40 points. (Using my knowledge of algebra, that means the score projects to be 25陆-14陆 鈥� x+x-11=40! There鈥檚 a math teacher from my past so proud right now!)
Both teams are on a roll. Carolina has averaged almost 28 points a game while winning its last five games to get to .500 (finally).
Seattle is on a 6-game winning streak and is the first team since the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers to win their final six regular-season games and allow less than 40 total points (39).
This didn鈥檛 look like much of a game a month ago, but will probably be the best of the bunch this weekend. I鈥檓 thinking the difference will be Marshawn Lynch, on the field and in the interview room. (Marshawn needs a new catch phrase. Just one short word, say 鈥渕aybe鈥� or 鈥渟ure.鈥�)
Cue the music and John Facenda voice-over. The Green Bay Packers. The Dallas Cowboys. Steam rising from players. Fans paying for the opportunity to sit in one of most revered stadiums in football with the wind chill dipping well below zero.
Not quite as cold as the final day of 1967 in the famous 鈥淚ce Bowl,鈥� the NFL title game between the Packers and Cowboys. The air temperature was minus-16 degrees. Bad things happen at that temperature.
Take it from personal experience, cold air and a lower leg injury is a bad mix. But, then again, I鈥檓 not Aaron Rodgers. He鈥檚 better on one leg than most QBs are on two.
This is a tough one. QBs playing well (Rodgers-Romo). Strong running backs (Lacey-Murray). Top flight receivers (Nelson-Bryant). Good defenses.
I鈥檓 bucking the trend and going for the upset in a game that won鈥檛 likely make the 40-point plateau.
I鈥檓 exhausted. Sons of former NFL quarterbacks (and former teammates), Denver鈥檚 wily old QB Peyton Manning squares off against Indianapolis鈥� young upstart Andrew Luck.
With high temperatures in the low 40s and lows in the mid-20s in the Mile High City, I鈥檓 just too tired to think this game out, but I think the team with the best defense at the end will win so 鈥� umm 鈥� uh 鈥� the 7-point underdog Colts with the upset.