I went into normal operating mode of posting on Sat, then I realized the 1[SUP]st[/SUP]gms are Sat, moron! My apologies, I should’ve posted on Thurs, when I had already made up my mind for the most part. To recap WC weekend for me, IND hit in my POW & PHI also won SU. My leans were also LAC & DAL, so too bad I didn’t put that on my teaser instead of IND/HOU Over, which lost by 7 pts. Sigh. Otherwise it would’ve been a perfect weekend. I hope my Luck (pun intended) continues here.
Regular Season POW 12-5, Teasers 11-6, GOY 1-0, Overall 49-33-1 (55-35-1 undocumented).
Playoffs POW 1-0, Teasers 0-1, SB 0-0, Overall 2-1.
IND +5 is still the hottest team in the NFL. Winners of 10 of their last 11 gms, including 4 wins on the rd & back to back wins @ div rivals TEN & HOU the last 2 wks, & you would be hard pressed to find any team in history w/a similar run (NYG in ’08 comes to mind). There isn’t any 1 reason for their exceptional play either, which is a good thing. It starts (as always) in the trenches. LT Castonzo & C Kelly were starters last yr, however the development of LG Nelson & RT Smith (IND’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP]2 draft pix this yr) has made this the best oline in the POs. Not only are they talented, but they play w/a nastiness that only developed once RG Glowinski got starting time w/Smith. IND’s oline is in perfect sync & this will travel well @ 1 of the loudest stadiums in the league. They should also help negate 1 of the best pass rushes in the NFL, led by Houston, Ford & Jones. Marlon Mack & Ebron will also keep this KC “D” on its heels all gm. Along the front 7, IND has found success stopping the run & pressuring the QB w/Hunt & Autry in the middle, & uber talented LBs Leonard & Walker stuffing gaps & helping contain both Hill & Kelce. Their team discipline & speed should be effective against this Andy Reid misdirection “O” & scrambling QB. A lot is being said about weather (should snow) & how it will affect IND who play in a dome. I would argue that bad weather will heavily favor IND. Because of the grit both the oline & “D” front 7 are currently playing with, IND will undoubtedly win in the trenches on both sides of the ball. So it will take mental errors & TOs by IND for KC to win this gm. KC runs a finesse “O” that relies on timing & good throws/catches. A bad field & cold hands will affect KC much more than IND, who rely on play-action & running between the tackles. The loss of Kareem Hunt was huge. W/him, I believe KC beats both SEA & LAC. Williams has been effective, but he is a long way away from Hunt’s explosiveness. And the kicking gm? Who better to kick in snow than Adam Vinatieri? Much is being said about Andy Reid in POs, but I will mention them again. Reid has lost 7 of his last 8 PO gms, is 11-13 in his career (3[SUP]rd[/SUP]most PO losses in NFL history), has 5 one & done exits, & became only the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]HC to lose a PO gm w/an 18+ pt lead, last yr vs TEN. To say that isn’t a factor here would be ignorant. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Andrew Luck is their QB, who is one of the best in the NFL, on top of everything mentioned above.
IND 26
KC 23
5 Units
1 Unit ML +175
GL to all & comments are most welcome.
Regular Season POW 12-5, Teasers 11-6, GOY 1-0, Overall 49-33-1 (55-35-1 undocumented).
Playoffs POW 1-0, Teasers 0-1, SB 0-0, Overall 2-1.
IND +5 is still the hottest team in the NFL. Winners of 10 of their last 11 gms, including 4 wins on the rd & back to back wins @ div rivals TEN & HOU the last 2 wks, & you would be hard pressed to find any team in history w/a similar run (NYG in ’08 comes to mind). There isn’t any 1 reason for their exceptional play either, which is a good thing. It starts (as always) in the trenches. LT Castonzo & C Kelly were starters last yr, however the development of LG Nelson & RT Smith (IND’s 1[SUP]st[/SUP]2 draft pix this yr) has made this the best oline in the POs. Not only are they talented, but they play w/a nastiness that only developed once RG Glowinski got starting time w/Smith. IND’s oline is in perfect sync & this will travel well @ 1 of the loudest stadiums in the league. They should also help negate 1 of the best pass rushes in the NFL, led by Houston, Ford & Jones. Marlon Mack & Ebron will also keep this KC “D” on its heels all gm. Along the front 7, IND has found success stopping the run & pressuring the QB w/Hunt & Autry in the middle, & uber talented LBs Leonard & Walker stuffing gaps & helping contain both Hill & Kelce. Their team discipline & speed should be effective against this Andy Reid misdirection “O” & scrambling QB. A lot is being said about weather (should snow) & how it will affect IND who play in a dome. I would argue that bad weather will heavily favor IND. Because of the grit both the oline & “D” front 7 are currently playing with, IND will undoubtedly win in the trenches on both sides of the ball. So it will take mental errors & TOs by IND for KC to win this gm. KC runs a finesse “O” that relies on timing & good throws/catches. A bad field & cold hands will affect KC much more than IND, who rely on play-action & running between the tackles. The loss of Kareem Hunt was huge. W/him, I believe KC beats both SEA & LAC. Williams has been effective, but he is a long way away from Hunt’s explosiveness. And the kicking gm? Who better to kick in snow than Adam Vinatieri? Much is being said about Andy Reid in POs, but I will mention them again. Reid has lost 7 of his last 8 PO gms, is 11-13 in his career (3[SUP]rd[/SUP]most PO losses in NFL history), has 5 one & done exits, & became only the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]HC to lose a PO gm w/an 18+ pt lead, last yr vs TEN. To say that isn’t a factor here would be ignorant. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Andrew Luck is their QB, who is one of the best in the NFL, on top of everything mentioned above.
IND 26
KC 23
5 Units
1 Unit ML +175
GL to all & comments are most welcome.