Against a background of the highest daily COVID death numbers to date and a political crisis in the Washington D.C. the National Football League will stage its first-ever "Super Wall Card Weekend."
As in years past I am going to use The Times' Benjamin Hoffman's predictions as a baseline. Hoffman's picks include the point spread. I think it is hard enough to pick games straight up. So I ignore the point spread. I am going to pick Saturday's games this morning and then Sunday's games tomorrow because I am running short on time and need to leave soon for the office.
Colts vs. Bills. (1:05 PM EST, CBS)The first of the Saturday games features the Indianapolis Colts traveling to Orchard Park to take on the sizzling Buffalo Bills. The line is Bills minus 6.5. I thought it would be more. I guess touts have faith in the Colts ground game and the vaunted Indianapolis defense. All I know is what I witnessed in the second half of the Colts recent game in Pittsburgh. A complete and total bed-shitting. I also know that Buffalo QB Josh Allen is super-impressive, possibly the most impressive quarterback in the NFL. Imagine a 6'5" Russell Wilson, in other words a mobile, strong-armed quarterback who can actually see down the field.
Buffalo's running game has tailed off from last year but that's because the offense is much more dangerous with Allen running the empty set. That's how you beat the Bills. You have to smother their empty-set offensive. Can the Colts do it? It's possible. Will they do it? It's unlikely. Take the Bills.
Rams vs. Seahawks. (4:40 EST, FOX) As someone who watches every snap of every Seahawks game I could go on and on about this matchup. Seattle is favored by four points. The teams split the two regular season games they played. The Seahawks have key injuries on defense and the Rams have quarterback problems due to Jared Goff's injured thumb. Seattle's offense has been spotty for months. Nonetheless in that timespan Russell Wilson had one of his best games when the Rams were up here a couple weeks back. Take the Seahawks.
Buccaneers vs. Footballers (8:15 PM EST, NBC) I suppose an upset is possible here with an 11-5 Tampa team led by GOAT Tom Brady suffocated by Washington's fast, agile, young defensive line. I am a Ron Rivera man, having gone to the same university and shared a bench with him one sunny morning in 1982 while he sang a Clash song. Tampa is too strong. Take the Buccaneers.
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