thependulumswings

Abby was taking some grief down at the doggie parlor yesterday morning.   Enough already, she barked.  Growing tired of getting hounded about her refusal to allow her expertise in NCAA football to bare its teeth in the NFL, she relented.

So, with her winter coat coiffed just so, here are the picks that you can bank that will make your stimulus check look like the measly dog treat that it is.

LA Rams at Green Bay -6 and 1/2–  The most important benefit to getting the no. one seed in the NFL playoffs is actually two-fold.  One, at the most important time you get a week off to heal your aching bones.  Two, you get to stay home and tackle a team that just laid it all out there the week before and now must travel.  The Rams have the best D in the NFL.  The Packers statistically have the best O.  In these days and times great O beats great D, especially if it’s on the frozen tundra.

          Baltimore + 2 and 1/2 at Buffalo – Buffalo will be a tough home team out.  They’re more talented 1-45 than most people realize.  And, they are having fun and playing loose.  Abby says that Lamar Jackson will make just one more big play than Josh Allen.

          Cleveland +10 at Kansas City – No one believes in the Browns except their fans.   The Chiefs’ last six games have been decided by 6 points or less.  They’ve won all six.  Cleveland is playing much like Buffalo.  They’re having fun.  Ole’ Andy Reid will dial up a special play for Mahomes and the Browns will lose a heartbreaker to add to the lore of being the Browns, but expect a cover.  Double-digit NFL dogs have a way of doing that.

Tampa Bay v New Orleans -3 –  It’s well-known that the Saints view this year as Super Bowl or bust.  They haven’t lived up to their season-long excellence in the last three years in bad playoff losses.  The Bucs are playing better than they have all year and it’s tough to beat a team three times in one year as the Saints will need to do.  It’s also tough to beat Tom Brady.  But, this is Brees’ last year and the Saints D will gift wrap him a win late.

As a public service announcement please know that Abby wore a mask and socially distanced at all times at the parlor.