Picks Of The Week – January 17, 2008
Loyal reader Matt has asked to write a ‘Picks Of The Week’ segment for the Cleveland Sports Authority, and I decided it seemed like a great idea, so I am pleased to announce the first segment of ‘GAMBLOG’. Once a week Matt will give you his picks of the week against the spread. Enjoy these, and don’t take them too seriously. Matt is not an expert, just an enthusiast. So if you take his advice and lose some money, don’t expect compensation from Matt. Although, if you win some money, Cleveland Sports Authority will gladly take 10% for giving you such great picks. Enjoy, and take these for what they’re worth.
mjgreg’s GAMBLOG
featuring our picks of the week
Championship weekend edition
Sunday, January 20th @ 3:00 PM on CBS
San Diego vs
New England -14 at Gillette Stadium
This week marks two of the larger spreads in recent championship weekend memory. New England could obviously bust out a 14 point victory on any given Sunday; I just don’t see it happening with this much at stake against a pesky San Diego team that has won 8 games in a row. Both teams have distractions this week, the Chargers are suffering from multiple player injuries and the Patriots allegedly have players inflicting injuries on civilians. However, I don’t think either will play a big part on Sunday. I look for the Chargers to make a game out it for three quarters, with the Patriots pulling away in usual fashion winning by 13 points and making most gamblers sweat to the final snap.
Official prediction:
New England 34
San Diego 21
Sunday, January 20th @ 6:30 PM on FOX
New York vs
Green Bay -7 at Lambeau Field
The late game features two teams I never expected to make it to the NFC Championship game at the beginning of the season. The Giants lost their biggest offensive contributor in Tiki Barber to retirement, and the Packers seemed destined for another season hovering around .500. The Packers came flying out of the gates and never let up, and the Giants flew under the radar all the way until week 17 when they gave New England a scare. I have never seen a team gain so much confidence from a loss, but Eli and the Giants have seemed to pull together and are putting together a captivating run. Unfortunately for them, no one is more fascinating than Brett Favre and legend of Lambeau Field. Nobody wins in the playoffs at Lambeau besides the Packers, with the exception of Vick’s Falcons a few years back. Along with the rest of the country, I’m pulling for Favre to get back to the Super Bowl. The cold weather and bruising defenses help keep this a relatively low scoring game, but the Packers prevail with a game winning field goal as time expires. Giants cover, but Eli will have to wait another year to chase his brother’s fame.
Official prediction:
Green Bay 20
New York 17
