NFL SpreadSHREDDER, Final Week: All Hail The Kings of the Upset
__________________________________________________________________________ SpreadSHREDDER Week 16 ATS: 1-3
SpreadSHREDDER Overall ATS: 24-23-1
SpreadSHREDDER Overall vs. The Total: 2-1-1
The final week of the NFL season always presents some wacky point spreads, but only a select few are worthy of making you money in the final week of the NFL season, and we’ve found them.
Oakland (+10.5) over Baltimore
Before the season started, The Baltimore Ravens (12-4 ATS last year, 8-5-2 ATS this year) were one of three teams we hated Against The Spread based solely on their turnover differential. The other two teams were The Miami Dolphins (8-8 ATS last year, 8-7 ATS this year) and The New York Giants (12-4 ATS last year, 6-9 ATS this year). All three teams are either fighting for a playoffs spot, or have already been (or will soon be) eliminated from playoff contention coming off of double digit wins last season.
The Oakland Raiders have had some huge underdog wins this season.
So let’s get this straight: We’re GETTING points as the 3rd most penalized team in The NFL travels across multiple time zones to play what has been a proud Oakland Raider team that has covered multiple times this season as a double-digit dog at home?
Oakland will not take kindly to bee looked at as a stepping stone to the postseason as Baltimore will clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday. Nothing would make The Gritty Raiders more proud than to stand in the way of The troubled Ravens and cost them a coveted playoff berth, so don’t think Oakland will come out flat as they have ‘nothing to play for’.
Did you consider it an upset when the Raiders beat The Bengals (East-to-west trip) at home? We didn’t. Did you consider it an upset when The Raiders beat The Eagles (East-to-west trip) at home? We didn’t. Fooled ya once, fooled ya twice, but don’t let the spread fool you again. The Raiders kill another Goliath. OAKLAND, 17-14
Tennessee (-6) over Seattle
The Tennessee Titans are lethal against the spread as long as they stay away from the elite quarterbacks in this league (Peyton Manning twice, Phillip Rivers, and Tom Brady are just a few examples of elite QB’s who picked that secondary apart).
Matt Hasselbeck was not considered an elite quarterback in his prime, and his Seahawks’ porous run defense must now deal with the best running back in the NFL in Chris Johnson. Johnson will be running with purpose as his team will look to feed him the rock at incessantly as he tries to reach 2,000 rushing yards for the season (he needs 108 yards to do that) and then break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (he needs 234 yards to do that).
Despite getting exposed by yet another elite quarterback last week and having their playoff hopes shattered, the Titans DO have something to play for. History. The possibility of being part of a historically significant event during the last week of The NFL season will produce an inspired, talented, and proud Tennessee Titans team going up against the uninspired, injury-rattled, and blowout-prone Seattle Seahawks. Titans win, and Chris Johnson (somehow) gets the record. TENNESSEE, 34-14
Atlanta (-1.5) over Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay’s value is extremely inflated after back-to-back wins over the dead-in-the-water Seahawks and a win last week, inspired by a special teams touchdown and a missed field goal, over the already exposed Saints.
The Atlanta Falcons (8-7) have never had back-to-back winning seasons in the franchises long and embattled history, and this team has been playing hard to finish with a winning record regardless of their playoff hopes going up in smoke.
The Falcons will be healthier than in weeks past, as quarterback Matt Ryan is expected to start, and a talented Falcons team will look to establish an unprecedented streak of winning seasons to make their Jerry Jones-like owner Arthur Blank content going forward. ATLANTA 26-10
[SpreadSHREDDER Point Spreads and wagering totals brought to you by Sportsbook.com by way of Vegasinsider.com. Lines and totals subject to change.]
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Tags: Atlanta Falcons winning seasons, Chris Johnson Rushing Record, Most Penalized Team in NFL, NFL, NFL Against The Spread 2008, NFL Against The Spread 2009, NFL Week 17
