Dawg Pound Daily’s bettor’s guide to the NFL: Week 4
By Roger Cohen
Sep 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is carted off the field after an injury during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Steelers defeated the Rams 12-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
If nothing else, I deserve style points as my first two “Bet EVERY NFL Double-Digit Underdog” picks of 2015 – Jags +14 and +Chicago 6.5 – may have made NFL history in failing to even smell covering their huge numbers. New England never punted, not even a garbage time mercy rule kick, in its 51-17 blowout of Jacksonville while the Bears punted on every possession, not even trying to convert a single 4th down in their 23-0 shutout in Seattle.
Monday Night’s Green Bay 38-28 final score looks more competitive than my Chiefs +7 selection, but it still reads as a 1-3 straight pick bottom line with, sadly, Oakland +3.5 the sole winner. But da’ Raiders combined with my Steelers-Eagles Pennsylvania Polka Parlay breezed to a perfect 3-0 teaser weekend.
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With no double-digit dogs at press time on the Week 4 card, I’m going back to my “Pick Your Own Lines” theory and, scarier still, you’ll never guess the only team that jumped off my board:
- Browns +7.5. Our “D” better have a bounce-back game, or Mike Pettine and the whole coaching staff might just stay on Mission Bay, go the beach bum route. Chargers win 19-17 when Coons misses his first big kick.
- Thursday Night take Steelers if it’s +3 or more. No Big Ben, no problem. This game always comes down to the last possession. Always.
- I like, don’t love, two road dogs: Houston +6 in Atlanta and KC + 4 against the Bengals strictly on another gambling theory that it’s very rare for a team to cover the spread more than three weeks in a row as Falcons and Bengals have each started the betting season 3-0.
For your teaser card, a few bargain basement late afternoon plays, no locks here: Broncos, Cardinals and Chargers to win their home games.
Season Record: Straight 4-6; Teasers 6-3. Mediocre, but more promising than the Browns’ start.