OUT OF THE BLUE
Desperation will fuel Giant effort in Tampa
DON’T get too caught up in the statistic that says since 1980, just five of 168 teams that started 0-3 made the playoffs. Or the one that says not one has done it since the NFL switched to eight divisions in 2002.
Many of the 163 teams that failed were just terrible teams on their way to 4-12 or worse. And three teams did it in a seven-year span in the 1990s in a slightly different format. Yes, there were three wild cards in each conference then, instead of the current two, but that factor didn’t actually come into play.
The 1992 Chargers started 0-4 and won the AFC West at 11-5. The 1995 Lions went from 0-3 to 10-6, but got the second wild card ahead of the 9-7 Falcons. And the 1998 Bills went from 0-3 to 10-6 and scored the second wild card ahead of the 9-7 Patriots.
A good team can do this. Question is, are the Giants a good team?
Everyone’s down on them right now, for everything from the offensive line that wasn’t repaired to the running game that ranks last both offensively and defensively, to Odell Beckham Jr.’s dogpee celebration. And Tampa’s a tough place to go, with the Buccaneers coming off a blowout loss in Minnesota.
Still, there’s a little voice whispering the Giants will be heard from. They need one game in which the offense puts up points and the defense creates a few turnovers and starts the roll going. Willing to take a shot that game comes now. The pick: Giants +3.
Jaguars (-3) over JETS: Blake Bortles gets bashed in this space regularly, but hats off to him for his four-touchdown masterpiece in the stunning rout of the Ravens in London. Their players are going to want to make Tom Coughlin look good in his old home, and coach Doug Marrone has a revenge motive against the Jets.
Saints (-3) over Dolphins (in London): Jay Ajayi, Miami’s Londonborn running back, had just 16 yards on 11 carries in the loss to the Jets and came out of the game with a knee injury. Saints showed some better resolve defensively in winning at Carolina.
PATRIOTS (-9) over Panthers: The Patriots failed to cover double-digits vs. the Texans at home last week and barely won on a Tom Brady last-minute drive. Going with their No. 1 offense vs. the Panthers’ No. 1 defense. Expect Brady to get his points, while Cam Newton is without Greg Olsen and possibly Kelvin Benjamin.
Rams (+6) over COWBOYS: Who would have predicted after three weeks the Rams would have the most points in the NFL (35.6 per game)? And they have a strong defensive line that may be able to replicate what Denver did to shut down the Da l las running game. Lions (+2) over VIKINGS: What a tough way for the Lions to lose last week, seeing the winning touchdown vanish on review, then the remaining seconds run off by rule. Not a lot of big names beyond Matthew Stafford, but this is a tough bunch that can rebound. TEXANS (+2) over Titans: Deshaun Watson and the Texans had the Patriots beat before they got Brady’d. Looking for J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney to clamp down a little tighter on Marcus Mariota when it matters. Bengals (-3) over BROWNS: The Bengals were looking great at Lambeau, then blew a 21-7 halftime lead and lost in overtime. Expecting them to get their first win against struggling rookie DeShone Kizer, who’s been under 50 percent with three i nterceptions each of the past two weeks. R AV ENS (+ 3) over Steelers: The Ravens will be hell-bent to try to quickly erase the taste of their 44-7 loss to the Jags in London. The Steelers had a close call at Cleveland and lost in Chicago in their two road games.
FALCONS (-7¹/₂) over Bills: Buffalo comes in having allowed the fewest points in the NFL (12.3 per game). But this Falcons offense is by far the best the Bills will have faced, and the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium looks as if it will carry a nice home edge.
CHARGERS (-1) over Eagles: Philadelphia lost a huge weapon in Darren Sproles, who will be hard to replace on the fly. They go cross-country to face a winless team after a huge win over the Giants. Letdown?
49ers (+6¹/₂) over CARDINALS: Like in Rams-Cowboys, 49ers have big edge in rest, having played last Thursday night, while the Cardinals played Monday.
BRONCOS (-3) over Raiders: Derek Carr had been 7-1 on the road in the past two seasons before the Raiders got crushed in D.C. on Sunday night. This is a tough place for them to have to go for the second of back-to-back road games.
Colts (+1 3) over SEAHAWKS: Seattle is averaging just 16 points per game, so that makes it tough to justify laying almost that many. In Jacoby Brissett’s games, the Colts have lost by three and won by three.
MONDAY
Redskins (+7) over CHIEFS: Kirk Cousins was 25-for-30 for 365 yards and three touchdowns in the rout of the Raiders. So the ’Skins are coming in hot, and will make the Chiefs work if they hope to get to 4-0.
BEST BETS: Jaguars, Texans, Falcons. LOCKLO OF THE WEEK: Jaguars (Locks 1-2 in 2017).
LAST WEEK: 6-10 overall, 0-3 Best Bets.
THURSDAY NIGHT: Bears (L).