BETSMART Fleur-D-Bliss
VSiN’s NFL experts dig into some betting angles on Sunday’s NFL playoff games: Bears at Saints (-10, 47.5) Tuley: Regular VSiN readers probably are assuming I’m taking the Bears — and not just because I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and have a daughter named after Walter Payton, but also because they’re the biggest ’dogs on the board. However, though most others are passing on the Bears because of a lack of faith in Mitchell Trubisky, the thing that keeps me off them is that the better defense is actually on New Orleans’ side — which adds to the lack of faith in Trubisky.
I think the Bears’ defense will also step up and give Chicago its best chance, which is why I think the best play is on the Under. If this line weren’t quite so high, I’d recommend a teaser on the Saints, but I don’t like -3.5 and I’m not crazy about paying extra juice to buy seven points to get it under a field goal. Ravens (-3, 53.5) at Titans Hill: About a month ago, I gave out Ravens +1,400 to win the AFC on “My Guys in the Desert,” and I bet it at that number as well. Though I feel even better about that ticket now, this line seems a tick high, especially at such a key number.
These teams have met twice in the past year. The Titans shocked the Ravens as double-digit underdogs last January in one of the biggest playoff upsets of all time. They played again in the regular season, and the Titans won, 30-24, in overtime as 6-point ’ dogs. Both games were at Baltimore, while Sunday’s game will be at Tennessee.
Establishing the lead will be crucial — neither team plays as well as a dropback passing team, both excel off play action. I’d make a large wager that whoever wins the coin toss will take the ball first to try to make the other team play from behind.
The Ravens are playing incredibly well and lead the league in point differential, but they have feasted on the underbelly of the league recently. Blowing out the Jaguars, Bengals and Giants does not justify this high of a line over a Titans team that has had their number. Take the points in what could be another classic and maybe the best game of the weekend. Browns at Steelers (-6.5, 47.5) Tuley: When I originally submitted my plays for the VSiN NFL Best Bets page in Point Spread Weekly, I included Browns-Steelers Over 46.5, then the total was bet to 47 and even 47.5 on Tuesday, and I changed it to BearsSaints Under 47. My trust in the Over also took a hit when it was announced Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski will miss the game after a positive COVID-19 test. I expect this game to be more like the Steelers’ 38-7 rout on Oct. 18 and less like the Browns’ 24-22 win this past Sunday, in which Pittsburgh nearly rallied to win despite being shorthanded. I’m not laying the points, but I’m including the Steelers in teasers, as they just have to win the game.
IWAS born and raised in the Smokey Blue Ridge Mountains of Staten Island, where my pappy years ago taught me that you don’t keep your best huntin’ dog chained to the bumper of the Chevy El Camino. You gotta let that dog hunt! To that end, the indefatigable and reliable creator, curator, content supplier and chief sniffer for the Twitter site Funhouse — also known as @BackAftaThis — is back, whatever his name and wherever he lives.
And the fellow who daily tracked Mike Francesa’s self-serving deceits and baseless boasts using only facts as recoded off TV and radio, now seems unable to ignore the self-revisionism regularly spoken by FS1’s Colin Cowherd. Francesa and Cowherd both seem to disregard the truth as far beneath them.
Don’t know why he does it, or how he does it but Mr. Funhouse is good at it. He simply can’t suffer the dishonest treatment of the public by broadcast media. We’re kindred souls.
The Packers aren’t playing this weekend by virtue of their 13-3 record — a genuine bye as opposed to those the NFL and compliant media reference during the regular season. But next week, presuming the Packers play on Fox, we have an intro in mind — inexpensive but appealing, as it’s already in the can via the work of Funhouse.
Two clips, the first from January 2019 when Cowherd authoritatively responded to the hiring of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur as the work of imbeciles:
“So the Packers have hired a coach, Matt LaFleur.” He then threw an exaggerated French accent on LaFleur, as if the name Cowherd is a trip to Paris. “LaFleur called plays for one year.
What did I miss? Tennessee got worse offensively. Points, pass offense, all down.
“So congratulations on hiring someone who people question whether he has the stature and gravitas, the alpha, the it to even run a coordinators’ meeting! Good luck to Matt LaFleur.” And again with the mocking French accent.
Yes, the Packers had hired a rank incompetent.
Last week, sans mocking accent, the second clip: Cowherd complimented LaFleur as the prefect hire, the one who could and would “tweak” the Packers to make them better.
Yes, just a few tweaks, enough for them to grow from 6-9-1 before LaFleur to 26-6 under him.
Funhouse, post-Francesa, is drawn to Cowherd — for example, chronicling Cowherd’s assertion that he didn’t like QB Vince Young when he was drafted out of Texas because his throwinging motion re-reminded him of Tim Tebow’s.
“One problem” wrote Funhouse, “Tebow was in high school when Young was drafted.”
And even if Cowherd, same as scores of radio and TV know-it-all tough-talkers, is never held accountable for his words spoken on a national stage, it’s sure good to have that good ole hunting dog, Funhouse, off his leash and back in the hunt.