As our Jonathan Jones wrote today, after another Sunday with missed calls at critical parts of NFL games, it's time to wonder if the league needs to make more changes to officiating to keep things like this from happening. I've heard numerous people say that officiating is "worse than it's ever been before."
But are we sure that's the case? Is it not possible that the officiating has always been this bad? I've been watching the NFL my entire life, and I'm having difficulty remembering instances where I felt the officiating was good. What if we only think it's getting worse because we've become so obsessed with it?
We've also got multiple reviews in every game, leading to the rules and officiating becoming as significant a part of the game as the game itself. Also, what if the primary reason we believe officiating is getting worse is simply because we see more games? NFL Red Zone allows us to know about every bad call in any game, whereas it used to be we were limited to knowing about the games being shown to us in our TV market.
I'm not saying that the NFL can't afford to improve its officiating -- every sport should strive to. I'm simply saying adding more reviewable calls, and therefore putting even more responsibility on the officials, isn't likely to solve problems as much as it'll just create new ones. And if you're interested in solving all your problems, read these stories.
- NFL Week 15 reality checks and overreactions.
- Who is your team taking in Ryan Wilson's latest mock draft?
- The biggest storylines heading into National Signing Day.
Now let's try to make some better calls with our bets than the officials on Sunday.
All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
Rams at Packers, 8:15 p.m. | TV: ESPN
- Key Trend: The Packers are 9-3-1 ATS coming off a bye with Aaron Rodgers at QB
- The Pick: Packers -7.5 (-110)
Listen, if you want numbers explaining why I think you should take the Packers tonight, you know I've got them. Long-time readers understand how happy I am to throw crazy numbers they don't understand at them. Those same readers know I'm not afraid to do a vibe check, either. However, tonight I am not relying on numbers or vibes for this play.
Instead, I'd like to quote one of our greatest philosophers and one of the most innovative football minds we've ever seen. I speak, of course, about Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl Champion Michael Irvin: "Man, when we played in that cold weather, we was cold."
The forecast for Lambeau Field tonight calls for temperatures of 17 degrees, but don't worry. It's supposed to get warmer as the game goes on and could reach 19 degrees in the second half! Either way, the wind chill will feel more like 11 degrees. Oh, and there's a decent chance of snow late in the game, too.
Now, which one of these teams do you trust to perform in these conditions? The one that lives in Wisconsin, and has played games like this every year forever, or the team from Los Angeles that plays in an open-air but indoor stadium in sunny southern California? Also, while Baker Mayfield led an incredible comeback victory in his Rams debut last week, do you remember how the Rams looked for the first 95% of the game? Yeah, take the Packers.
Here's what SportsLine is saying about the game: SportsLine's RJ White is 56-20-2 in his last 78 ATS picks involving the Packers and he has a play posted for tonight's game at SportsLine.
💰 The Picks
🏀 NBA
Blazers at Thunder, 8 p.m. | TV: NBA League Pass
The Pick: Over 228 (-110) -- Overs have been a solid play in Thunder home games this season, as they're 9-5 on the season and covering by an average of 8.2 points per game. I'm not exactly sure why this is the case, but my working theory is that the Thunder have put up solid defensive numbers this season while not actually being all that good at defense. Their defensive efficiency of 112.0 ranks 12th in the league and is ahead of other legit playoff teams. You know, the kind you'd expect to be better defensively.
Tonight that Thunder defense welcomes a Portland squad that I believe has been punching a bit above its weight so far, as the Blazers are 17-13 and in sixth place in the West despite ranking 15th in the league in net efficiency. The Blazers are a score-first team that doesn't defend well, which is why I'm skeptical about them in the long run, but it's another reason I like the over tonight. Because of the defense, it's hard to trust the Blazers to cover as road favorites tonight, as they're likely to let OKC hang around, which only gives me more confidence in the over.
🏈 College Football
Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State, Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. | TV: ESPN
The Pick: Over 53.5 (-110) -- San Jose State's defense was terrific to start the season as the Spartans allowed an average of only 14.5 points per game. That number ballooned to 27.2 points over their final five games, and I don't think the market has quite caught on to the drop off.
Meanwhile, Eastern Michigan's been doing nothing but playing in tennis matches all season long. The average Eastern Michigan game has seen 57.4 points, but more importantly, the Eagles' defense has looked sub-par against bad MAC offenses. San Jose State's offense isn't a juggernaut, but should be able to move the ball against this team effectively.
🔒 SportsLine Pick of the Day: SportsLine's Projection Model has one A-graded play in the NBA tonight, and it's a play on the Cleveland-Utah game.
