After failing to score in the second half of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season-opening 119-107 loss to the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, eight-time All-Star Anthony Davis was the subject of significant criticism. Davis, who holds career averages of 24 points and 10 rebounds per game, went scoreless on six shot attempts in the second half after putting up 17 points prior to intermission.
Davis is no stranger to chastisement, most recently for his lack of consistency during the Lakers’ postseason run to the Western Conference finals this past spring. According to Lakers forward LeBron James, however, none of that talk matters in the slightest.
James gave his opinion on the issue following the Lakers’ 100-95 win over the Phoenix Suns in Thursday’s home opener, in which Davis put up 19 of his 30 points in the second half, to go along with 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. Davis also made four straight free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
“We don’t give a sh– about criticism about AD,” James said. “We don’t care. Nothing bothers us. AD doesn’t care. I don’t know if guys have figured that out. AD does not care. He’s not on social media, so he doesn’t see none of the crap. He rarely talks, unless it’s to us. So, we don’t give a sh– about it, and he definitely doesn’t.”
“We don’t give a s*** about criticism about AD. AD doesn’t care, he’s not on social media.” – LeBron on the criticism of Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/Ut3XFA3EUx
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) October 27, 2023 James, who finished with 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in Thursday’s win, has continued to hype up Davis over the course of their five seasons as Lakers teammates. He even went as far as to call Davis the face of the franchise on media day at the beginning of October, a couple of months after Davis signed a three-year, $186 million max extension that will keep him with the Lakers through 2028.
NBA analysts have grown frustrated with Davis’ play over the years, as in certain stretches he looks like the best two-way player in the league, but in others — like the second half against Denver — he seemingly disappears from the court.
That being said, when Davis is healthy, there’s no denying that he’s one of the NBA’s few elite game-changers.
The first weekend of the 2023-24 NBA season is almost here and Friday’s main slate is jam-packed with action. Twelve games will tip-off, so fantasy managers will have a lot to take in. Looking to sort through the mess and build an optimal DFS lineup? We’ve got you covered with a trio of top stud, mid-tier, and value options on DraftKings here.
Jimmy Butler ($8,500) Butler returned more than 5X value in his 2023-24 debut despite shooting an abysmal 6-for-18 from the floor against the Detroit Pistons. He scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the contest to go along with four assists and a pair of steals. He’ll face the Boston Celtics on Friday after averaging 24.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.1 assists against them last postseason. Boston has added Jrue Holiday to bolster their perimeter defense, but Butler torched his Bucks for 37.6 points per game in a five-game playoff series last season. Miami is short on reliable forward, so DFS managers should expect a healthy workload for Butler ahead of the weekend.
Jalen Duren ($5,600) Duren was dominant against the Heat earlier this week despite getting matched up with an elite defender in Bam Adebayo. The second-year big man scored 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and swatted four shots. Charlotte is a little undersized in the frontcourt behind Mark Williams and the Detroit Pistons don’t seem intent on giving James Wiseman much time. The former Golden State Warriors center notched a DNP in the season opener. Duren averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks against the Hornets as a starter last season. Expect another big night from him in this matchup.
Caris LeVert ($4,900) LeVert logged 31 minutes off the bench in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ opening-night win against the Brooklyn Nets. He chucked up 17 shots on a poor shooting night and could see similar shot volume if Darius Garland (hamstring) sits out. LeVert averaged 16.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game without Garland last season. Those figures could easily make him one of the best value plays on the slate.
NBA players will constantly look for ways to improve their game. For Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, he’s drawn inspiration from some of the WNBA’s top players in an effort to have even more success.
Earlier this week, Leonard revealed that he watches a ton of film and noticed that WNBA players pick up their pivot foot since it’s a legal move.
“I think a lot of WNBA players do it,” Leonard said, via Law Murray of The Athletic. “I thought it was just an NBA rule at first, but like I said, I realized you could pick up that back foot.”
Apologies for not posting this yesterday
I asked Kawhi Leonard yesterday about a move that is quickly becoming a signature for him, where he finds a way to legally pick up his pivot foot.
Kawhi mentioned watching @WNBA players take advantage of the rule and watching his own 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/tWWNdzpyVx
— Law Murray 📱 (@LawMurrayTheNU) October 25, 2023 Over the years, Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike has patented the move, but it’s also become more prominent throughout the league. In fact, WNBA Finals MVP and Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson used it during the WNBA Finals earlier this month when she was able to get past New York Liberty power forward Breanna Stewart as a result.
Leonard has established himself as one of the top players in the NBA over the course of his career. However, it’s certainly never too late to add another move to your bag of tricks.
The Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks will face off in an Eastern Conference clash on Friday night. Atlanta is 0-1 overall and finished last season 41-41, losing in the NBA Play-in Tournament. Meanwhile, New York is 0-1 overall and finished last season 47-35, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The teams split their four regular-season matchups last season, but the Knicks have won five of the last six meetings in Atlanta.
Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Hawks are favored by 1 point in the latest Knicks vs. Hawks odds. The over/under for total points is 229.5 points. Before entering any Hawks vs. Knicks picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model entered the 2023 NBA Finals a stunning 72-38 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,900. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Hawks vs. Knicks. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Knicks vs. Hawks:
Hawks vs. Knicks spread: Hawks -1 Hawks vs. Knicks over/under: 229.5 points Hawks vs. Knicks money line: Hawks: -112, Knicks: -108 Hawks vs. Knicks picks: See picks here What you need to know about the Hawks It’s hard to win when you don’t work as a unit and post 10 fewer assists than your opponent, a fact the Hawks found out the hard way on Wednesday. They took a 116-110 hit to the loss column at the hands of Charlotte. The Hawks didn’t live up to their potential and found themselves falling short of the advantage oddsmakers thought they had coming into the game as 4-point favorites. Jalen Johnson put forth a good effort for the losing side as he earned 21 points along with seven rebounds.
The Hawks revolve around Trae Young, who finished ninth in the NBA in total points last season while leading the league in total assists for the second straight season. He is complemented in the backcourt by Dejounte Murray, who averaged 20.5 points, 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. The Hawks let longtime starting power forward John Collins leave to Utah via trade, and they’ve elevated Saddiq Bey to the starting lineup. He scored 15 points in the team’s opener and swiped a career-high of five steals. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Knicks Meanwhile, the Knicks couldn’t capitalize on their home-court advantage in their season opener as they fell to Boston 108-104. The Knicks’ defeat came about despite a quality game from Immanuel Quickley, who earned 24 points along with six rebounds. Even though they lost, the Knicks were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds, easily outclassing Boston in that department as the Celtics only pulled down seven offensive boards.
New York had one of the most efficient offenses last season, ranking third in the NBA with a 117.8 offensive rating. Julius Randle led the team with 25.1 points per game and 10 rebounds per game, while Jalen Brunson added 24 PPG and a team-high of 6.2 assists per game. Josh Hart knocked down 52% of his three-point attempts after being acquired in a midseason trade, while new addition Donte DiVincenzo converted on 40% of his three-pointers last year with Golden State. See which team to pick here.
How to make Hawks vs. Knicks picks The model has simulated Knicks vs. Hawks 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick where one side hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The Golden State Warriors look to continue their recent dominance over the Sacramento Kings as the teams face off on Friday night. The Warriors opened the 2023-24 regular season with a 108-104 loss to Phoenix on Tuesday, while Sacramento defeated Utah in its season opener, 130-114 on Wednesday night. Last season, Golden State won three of four regular season meetings between these two teams before winning a dramatic first round playoff series in seven games.
The game from Golden 1 Center in Sacramento is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Sacramento is a 3-point favorite in the latest Kings vs. Warriors odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 238. Before making any Warriors vs. Kings picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five seasons. The model finished the 2022-23 NBA season on a 72-39 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning nearly $2,800. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Kings vs. Warriors, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Warriors vs. Kings:
Warriors vs. Kings spread: Kings -3 Warriors vs. Kings over/under: 238 points Warriors vs. Kings money line: Kings -143, Warriors +121 Warriors vs. Kings picks: See picks at SportsLine Why the Warriors can cover Golden State looks to avoid its third 0-2 start to a season in the last four years but it won’t be easy against a motivated Kings team. The Warriors are 9-2 in their last 11 regular season games against Sacramento and won the last two playoff games played in the Golden 1 Center last April. The Kings were only 23-18 at home last season and lost their final three regular season games on their home floor.
Star point guard Stephen Curry lit up the Kings last season, averaging 33.0 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, and 5.0 assists per game while shooting 50% from 3-point range in four regular season games against their in-state rivals. In Game 7 last season, Curry hit 20 of 38 shots for 50 points in the Warriors’ 120-100 victory. For Golden State to have a better result than it did against Phoenix on Tuesday, Curry and Klay Thompson must shoot better than 7 of 25 from behind the 3-point arc. As a team, the Warriors were 10 of 43 (23.3%) from 3-point range on Tuesday. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Why the Kings can cover Only one team had a better record against the Western Conference last season than Sacramento’s 32-20 and Denver used that momentum to propel itself to an NBA Championship. The Kings started the 2023-24 regular season on a high note, blowing out Utah on the road by 16 points. Forward Harrison Barnes had 33 points on 11 of 16 shooting, the most points he has scored in a game since October 2021.
Will Golden State have any answers for the Kings’ dynamic duo of point guard De’Aaron Fox and center Domantas Sabonis? Against the Warriors in the seven game playoff series, they averaged a combined nearly 44 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds per game. Fox especially has been a thorn in the Warriors’ side, scoring at least 22 points in nine of the 10 games he played in against them last season. See which team to back at SportsLine.
How to make Warriors vs. Kings picks SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 250 points. The model also says one side of the spread is the better value. You can see the model’s picks at SportsLine.
Deion Sanders, also known as “Prime Time,” has swept the sports nation as head coach at Colorado. That nickname isn’t for everyone. Namely, Daniel Jones. The QB affectionately known as “Danny Dimes” probably won’t be touching the “Prime Time” nickname anytime soon.
Jones and the Giants hosted the Seahawks in the national spotlight on “Monday Night Football.” Jones entered with a 1-11 record in his career in prime time, the worst record of any QB with at least 10 starts since 1970. The second-worst? Andy Dalton. Worse yet: things didn’t get any better for Jones and the G-Men in Week 4. Here’s an updated look at his record, with Seattle securing a blowout win:
Jones’ only win in prime time was against the Commanders last December: A 20-12 victory that ended on a questionable non-call — potential pass interference on the Giants in the end zone on fourth down with the Commanders driving to tie the game.
That win snapped Jones’ nine-game losing streak in prime time to begin his career. It’s also been long forgotten, especially after the Giants opened the season with an embarrassing 40-point loss on “Sunday Night Football” against the Cowboys.
Any Daniel Jones apologist might point to the fact that the Giants were not expected to win many of these games. They have been a betting underdog in 11 of his 12 starts in prime time. You can’t expect him to have a winning record in those situations. He’s played on a losing team for most of his career, up until last year, and he’s often matched up with a much better opponent on national TV.
There’s some truth there. My counter, though: Jones’ numbers in these spots don’t help his case. He has 12 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions in 13 prime time starts, compared with 50 touchdowns to 22 interceptions in all other games.
Monday could’ve been Jones’ best chance to end his horrors in prime time, as the Seahawks had been lit up by opposing QBs this season. That is, until Monday’s matchup, when the Seattle defense sacked him time and time (and time) again.
A silver lining: Jones proved he could be a one-man band of sorts in Week 2. He became the first player in Giants history with 250 pass yards, 50 rush yards, two touchdown passes and a rush touchdown in a game, and he did that in the second half alone. Michael Vick (2010 at Washington) was the only other quarterback to have a half like that since 2000. That’s really impressive, even if it was against the Cardinals. But other than that, it’s been a nightmare of a start to the season for Jones and the 1-3 Giants.
Devon Witherspoon and the Seattle Seahawks defense had a dominant night against the New York Giants offense, specifically torturing Daniel Jones over the course of the game. Witherspoon had two sacks and an interception return for a touchdown — the first Seahawks player to accomplish that feat in a game.
Witherspoon’s pick-six for a score essentially ended the Giants comeback attempt late in the third quarter and caused a viral sideline moment between Jones and head coach Brian Daboll.
The Seahawks rookie cornerback easily read the route and took the ball 97 yards the other way for the score. Witherspoon admitted after the game it was easy to decipher where Jones was going, and it helped lead to a franchise-record 11 sacks.
“We knew he liked to stare down his first target,” Witherspoon told NFL Network after the game. “We were just trusting the game plan the coaches laid out for us. He had his back turned and a lot of guys were winning the one-on-one matchups up front. Without them, we couldn’t make the plays that we made.”
After spending a day with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their minicamp in May, I left thinking they would be the NFC South winner, even with Tom Brady gone.
They still have a lot of top-tier veteran players, while adding a nice mix of young speed to the roster. They also have Baker Mayfield at quarterback, which I thought would be good enough to get them the division title back in May.
When I went back to visit the Bucs in training camp in July, things changed. Mayfield was in a quarterback competition with Kyle Trask — yes, it was real — and the bright outlook of May seemed to dim, at least in my mind, by late July.
So I picked the New Orleans Saints to win the division before the season.
Now a month into the season, the Bucs lead the NFC South, doing so on the basis of an impressive road victory against the Saints on Sunday in New Orleans. At 3-1, Todd Bowles did a nice job of getting his team to respond against a division rival on a short week after a terrible showing against the Philadelphia Eagles last Monday night.
Mayfield is a big reason why. He was 25-for-32 for 246 yards and three touchdown passes against the Saints. The guy who seemingly always plays with a chip on his shoulder responded in a big way after a so-so showing against the Eagles.
Mayfield was why I thought Tampa Bay could win the division in the first place. But when the competition became a reality, and Mayfield seemed to be pressing when I was there for training camp, that changed my thinking.
Then he bounced back in the preseason to take the job, and now Tampa Bay has won three of four, including two road games at Minnesota and at New Orleans. That has the Bucs up to 10th in my Power Rankings this week as they head to their bye. After that, it’s a big home game with the Detroit Lions, followed by a home game against the Falcons. Is 5-1 out of the question? No way.
The Big Apple had big expectations going into the 2023 NFL season — bigger, perhaps, than at any time in recent history. Despite having a single combined playoff victory over the previous decade, both the Giants and Jets figured to be in the postseason mix, if not compete for a Super Bowl altogether. But offseason dreams have proven to be just that so far.
The Jets made it all of four plays before losing prized acquisition Aaron Rodgers to a severe injury, reverting control of their sudden title aspirations to much-maligned former first-round pick Zach Wilson. The Giants, meanwhile, lost 40-0 in their prime-time home opener, and have seen their biggest stars of 2022 fall back to Earth in additional drubbings since.
So which of MetLife Stadium’s ailing franchises has been more disappointing in 2023? And more importantly, which one has a better chance of rebounding for a potential playoff run down the road? Let’s dive in.
Who’s more disappointing: Giants or Jets? daniel-jones-giants.jpg Getty Images This kind of depends on how we assess Aaron Rodgers’ injury. On its own, it clearly represents the most upsetting turn of either team’s season — and in fact one of the most disappointing twists of the entire 2023 season. Even if you were skeptical about Rodgers’ ability to guide New York to a Super Bowl, he was sure to be an entertaining upgrade for a playoff-caliber roster. No one could’ve predicted he wouldn’t complete even a single pass in his hotly anticipated Jets debut.
But if we expand our view, it’s possible to argue that Rodgers’ injury was/is far more disappointing than the Jets as a whole. Sure, the abrupt change of plans at quarterback was a supreme letdown, but that was at least partially out of the team’s control. (They didn’t exactly give the former MVP a sturdy offensive line, so they don’t get a full pass.) As soon as Zach Wilson took over five snaps into Week 1, expectations were immediately reset.
The Giants, meanwhile, entered 2023 coming off a Divisional Round playoff bid, with Brian Daboll winning Coach of the Year for his rejuvenation of quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley and Co. They committed lucrative money to upgrades on both offense (tight end Darren Waller) and defense (linebacker Bobby Okereke). And yet, even taking into account early-season injuries to key starters like Barkley and left tackle Andrew Thomas, they’ve been just as bad, if not worse, in every respect.
Put it this way: with Wilson still scraping to shake the “bust” label as the Jets’ signal-caller, no one is surprised Gang Green is struggling to keep up in the AFC East. But not even Giants skeptics may have anticipated just how bad Big Blue would be to open 2023. Consider that, four weeks in, only the hapless and headline-stirring Bears have drawn a worse DVOA rating, and no other NFL team has scored fewer total points. That’s right; with 46 points during their 1-3 start, the G-Men have been outscored by:
a flailing Bengals team captained by a one-legged Joe Burrow, a Patriots team that benched Mac Jones out of mercy in Week 4, a Raiders team that’s onto rookie Aidan O’Connell at QB, a Steelers team that has fans far and wide demanding staff overhaul, and oh yes, a Jets team led by Zach Wilson. The Giants’ production hasn’t just been lacking; it’s been historically bad. Behind a shoddy line that’s surrendered more sacks than all but the Commanders, who at least have a young QB who can sling it downfield, the G-Men have been outscored by 68 combined points in first halves alone, which according to The Ringer is tied for the worst mark by any team since at least 2000. A whopping 31 of their 46 total points (67%) came against the rebuilding Cardinals. And even QB Daniel Jones’ best work, as a scrambler, underscores a cold reality: when he isn’t risking his body as a runner, the Giants cannot move the ball.
Their Wink Martindale-led defense hasn’t been remotely good enough to offset this, entering Monday night’s matchup ranked 30th in points surrendered per game, 27th against the run and 18th against the pass. They don’t preserve leads because they never have any; while the Jets have at least stayed in ballgames, edging the Bills and going to the wire with the Chiefs and Patriots, the Giants have been blown out in three of their four matchups. All this to say, while the Jets have endured greater disappointment in the form of Rodgers’ loss, the Giants have easily been the more disappointing team to date.
Who’s more likely to rebound: Giants or Jets? USATSI This one isn’t as difficult to assess. Even if you feel, somehow, that the Jets have been more disappointing, the path ahead looks greener for Robert Saleh’s squad. Let’s start with the talent disparity: despite the star-studded loss at QB, Gang Green boasts superior weapons on both sides of the ball, including the reigning Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year. This has translated on “D,” by the way, where the Jets have ranked 12th in scoring and 15th in passing despite already playing the Bills, Chiefs and Cowboys and barely keeping their own offense on the field.
Speaking of offense, Wilson may deserve most of the flak he gets, but it’s Daniel Jones who actually has more turnovers (8) than Wilson (5) through four games, and the latter flashed elite tools zipping the ball in a near-upset of the Chiefs in prime time. Patrick Mahomes wasn’t completely fibbing when he told Wilson post-game on Sunday night that he’s “got the talent.” Even if he just progresses to something like a mid-tier starter, he’s got the weapons, the defense and the O-line-offsetting mobility to keep New York feisty in close games. Jones, meanwhile, has neither the line nor the pass catchers to truly get out of his rut.
Then there’s the schedule: whereas the Giants have the fifth-toughest remaining slate, according to PlayoffStatus.com, the Jets clock in at 13th. And while the Jets’ division may be loaded with star power in Buffalo and Miami, the Bills, Dolphins and Patriots hold a combined record of just 7-5 after four weeks, compared to the 9-3 mark held by the Cowboys, Eagles and Commanders in the Giants’ NFC East home.
None of this is to say the Jets are locks to be back in the title mix. We’re probably talking about a wild-card bid at best. But a year after the Ravens made it to the dance with Tyler Huntley starting in place of an injured Lamar Jackson, the Jets seem much likelier than the Giants to remain relevant late in the year. And that’s not accounting for a miraculous Rodgers return in January.
Welcome to the Week 5 picks! At least I think this is the Week 5 picks. To be honest, I’m not sure if we’re even doing picks anymore. Now that Taylor Swift has taken over the NFL, picks don’t matter, the only thing that matters is Taylor.
The Chiefs are now 2-0 when Taylor shows up at one of their games, but more importantly, I am now 2-0 picking the Chiefs when Taylor shows up at one of their games. The only thing more impressive than that streak is that I’m 1-0 when Jake From State Farm randomly shows up at an NFL game.
Jake from State Farm in the building for the Eagles vs. Commanders game. pic.twitter.com/QVOKLTAczG
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 1, 2023 I have no idea why he was sitting next to Donna Kelce. Also, I think I can read Donna Kelce’s face there and I’m pretty sure it’s saying, “This is so awkward. I don’t even use State Farm. Where is Taylor? I miss her.”
OK, that’s enough talking about Taylor, let’s get to the Week 5 picks.
Actually, before we get to the picks, here’s a quick reminder that you can check out the weekly picks from every CBSSports.com NFL expert by clicking here, but you don’t need to click over this week, because we have more important things to go over right now, like why you should sign up for the Pick Six newsletter that we have here at CBSSports.com.
Based on my unscientific research, I’ve found that roughly 57% of the people who read this picks column wish they could get an email from me every day. Well, YOU CAN. I write the Pick Six newsletter and it comes out every week day. If you want it sent to your inbox, all you have to do is click here and subscribe. Once you sign up, you’ll start getting one email per day where I’ll be touching on every NFL-related topic I can think of and even ones that I can’t think of. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, you’ll have to subscribe.
Alright, I’m going to stop with the self-promotion so we can actually get to the picks.
NFL Week 5 picks Chicago (0-4) at Washington (2-2) Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime Video)
It took five weeks, but we have officially hit the part of the Thursday night schedule where the games are so bad that there’s a 40% chance that Al Michaels will retire before kickoff just so he doesn’t have to call the game.
When Michaels doesn’t like an upcoming game that he has to announce, he doesn’t even try to hide it. As a matter of fact, let’s listen to Al as he tried to get the country pumped up for this Thursday’s game.
Al Michaels doesn’t have a whole lot to say on the Bears-Commanders Thursday Night Football promo. #TNF 🏈📺 pic.twitter.com/eMd101dTdJ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 29, 2023 Was it just me, or did Al Michaels not sound enthused about #TNF Bears-Commies Pt. 2?
— David Kroening (@Khrome61) September 29, 2023 It is not just you David, but in Al’s defense, I don’t think anyone is really feeling enthused for this game. There’s no reason for Bears fans to watch because it will just be four quarters of torture and there’s no reason for Commanders fans to watch because then that means you also have to watch the Bears play for three hours, which doesn’t seem worth it.
Amazon needs to re-think how they market this game. If they want more than seven viewers, they definitely need to announce RIGHT NOW that they’ll be loading a five dollar gift card into everyone’s Amazon account every time a touchdown gets scored on Thursday. That would actually be a win-win. Amazon would get huge ratings because people would want the free money and Amazon could potentially win again because there’s a 50% chance that there would be no touchdowns scored. I mean, this is the Bears and Commanders.
The Bears have given up the second-most passing yards in the NFC through four weeks and I don’t see them getting much better at stopping the pass between now and Thursday, so I’m going to have to take the Commanders.
The pick: Commanders 27-20 over Bears.
Tennessee (2-2) at Indianapolis (2-2) 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
I’ll be honest here, I don’t even want to pick this game and that’s mainly because I’ve whiffed on every Titans game I’ve picked this season. There are 32 teams in the NFL and through four weeks, there is only one team that I’ve gone 0-4 picking, and yup, you guessed it, that team is the Titans.
I LIVE IN NASHVILLE, I WATCH MORE TITANS FOOTBALL THAN ANYONE BESIDES MIKE VRABEL AND I STILL SOMEHOW CANNOT FIGURE THIS TEAM OUT. I’ve picked them to win twice and they lost both times. I’ve picked them to lose twice and they ended up winning both times. This is maddening. This is clearly a sign that I need to move out of Nashville, I’ll be talking to my wife tonight.
So how have I botched this up so badly? Glad you asked.
In Week 1, I thought for sure that the Titans would win in New Orleans, but then Ryan Tannehill decided to play the worst game of his life. He threw three interceptions, and even with that, they still only lost by one (16-15) to the Saints. I’m still bitter about.
In Week 2, I was going to pick the Titans to beat the Chargers, but Ryan Tannehill played so badly in Week 1 that I talked myself out of it. I literally wrote, “I think Tennesee could pull off the upset, but in the end, I think this game will turn into a repeat of Week 1 for Tennessee where everyone but Tannehill plays well enough to win.” I ended up picking the Chargers to win by three in a game that Tennessee would win by three (27-24).
After watching Tannehill bounce back in Week 2, I thought to myself, “Man, if he plays like that in Week 3, they might be able to beat the Browns,” so I picked them to beat the Browns. Not only did they not beat the Browns, but they got destroyed 27-3.
In Week 4, I picked the Bengals because I’m a Bengals homer, but also because I thought Cincinnati’s defense would give Tannehill fits and that Cincinnati would win a low-scoring game. In the end, the Bengals defense did not give Tannehill fits. As matter of fact, the only fit right now is the one I’m throwing because I’m 0-4 with my Titans picks.
I’m placing 100% of the blame for my 0-4 record on Ryan Tannehill. You never know if he’s going to show up and even if he does show up, you don’t know if he’s going to play like Ryan Leaf, Matt Ryan, Ryan Lindley, Ryan Fitzpatrick or another Ryan that I can’t think of right now. I now know why Titans fans are so frustrated with him. The Titans could literally beat the 49ers one week and then lose to the Bears by 41 the next week and no one would be surprised.
So what am I going to do this week? I have no choice: I’m picking the Titans to win. If there’s one thing I do trust about the Titans every week, it’s Mike Vrabel’s ability to create a good defesive game plan. If you add in the fact that Tennessee gets to play against a rookie quarterback this week, that seems like a major advantage for the Titans.
The only way this will blow up in my face if Ryan Tannehill plays the worst game of his life. And based on my first four Titans’ picks this year, there’s a 71% chance that happens. I swear to Dolly Parton that I will stop making Titans picks if I whiff on their game this week.
The pick: Titans 20-17 over Colts.
Since I’m 0-4 picking Titans’ game this season, I won’t blame you if you want to check out someone else’s pick for this game, and if you do that, I’d definitely click here to check out the SportsLine Model, which is leaning Under on the total, and it also says one side of the spread has better value! You definitely need to see it before locking in your own picks.
