Two weeks left. And they are sure to be unorthodox.
Every year, I get cautious as we approach the last week of the season. We never truly know a team’s intention. Will it rest players? Go the full sixty minutes with them?
Normally, this isn’t a problem in Week 16. It is something we’d have to consider, next time. But, what we’re seeing here isn’t exactly “normal.”
For the majority of the season, I’ve had to question “intent” – I’ll write about it one of this week’s picks directly. We aren’t talking about teams resting starters. We’re talking about teams’ willingness to compete. It’s been a topic-of-conversation for all sports, of late, and we are seeing it firsthand in the National Football League.
Because this year’s Week 16 is baring a closer resemblance to a Week 17 than a ‘regular week of the schedule,’ we are seeing more teams judged based on what just happened than what is expected on Saturday or Sunday. This is not uncommon for a given week, but it’s almost as if the spreads are only looking backward.
Which, of course, means that we have slight advantage looking forward. Over a two-week span.
Note from Mario: I’m leaving this here because it has the best chance of being read. Next week’s schedule is going to be impacted by Christmas, so I wanted to touch base with my readers now.
My plan is to have approximately half of my column written by Tuesday afternoon with the other half finished by Thursday morning. I know, however, that this is a problem for some. If you need the picks early, just send me an email at contact@sporfolio.com and I will respond with whichever picks I have made and the direction in which I am leaning for the rest. I don’t want people to miss anything in the final week of the season. So, I won’t give a writeup, but I can list the picks. Otherwise, it will be Thursday.
But even that presents a problem. Next week is also the final week of the regular season. Which means that teams will not be playing all of their starters, and we will have to dig for information. Normally, I wait longer before posting my Week 17 column and leave a note that I may, for the only time all year, change my mind on a pick. This has happened maybe one or two times, ever, and only in Week 17 where I bold the change. I don’t expect it to, but it’s worth noting.
The bottom line is that I’ll be around to give any insight I can prior to whenever you need picks. I’ll give them if you need them, just understand that they won’t be finalized.
Otherwise, good luck!
Below are predictions for each game against the spread. Spreads have been taken from various websites and are subject to change. The spread in parenthesis denotes the selected team. An asterisk denotes a confidence pick.
*Confidence Picks – 2019 Season: 49-38-3 (Last Week: 4-1)
(2018 Season: 63-48-4) (2017 Season: 53-48-4) (2016 Season: 53-67-3) (2015 Season: 69-45-2) (2014 Season: 61-46-2) (5-Year Total: 299-254-15)
All Picks Against Spread – 2019 Season: 117-101-6 (Last Week: 8-7-1)
(2018 Season: 137-118-12) (2017 Season: 137-119-11) (2016 Season: 123-136-8) (2015 Season: 143-117-7) (2014 Season: 149-114-4) (5-Year Total: 689-604-42)
Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I know that it’s nothing more than scheduling, but I find it entertaining when two teams about which I have strong opinions meet in a head-to-head matchup. Such is the case for the Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, if nothing else, the fact that I have a strong opinion toward each team means that others don’t. At least, not until now.
And that’s a good thing.
Just imagine if the