Well, we had a bad one last week at 1-2. Very unusual for this year. Totally blew it with the Lions and the Colts really let me down. That's what happens when your QB tries to throw the ball from his own end zone with his non-throwing hand. Yikes. Colts still had a chance to cash in there.
Anyway, we can't let one week, halfway through the year, keep us down. There are a few point spreads that look inviting to us in Week 9. Not a ton, mind you. But enough to make a few calculated plays. And in the end, that's what it's all about. We continue to see some exaggerated spreads and some extreme divides between the projected outcomes of these teams from week to week.
But I am rolling with a couple of these games to try to improve on my 13-7 mark.
49ers -1 vs. Cardinals
The Cardinals are reeling a bit all of a sudden. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins haven't practiced this week and the defense fell apart without JJ Watt last week. Arizona is not as good as its record would indicate and did nothing to get better at the trade deadline. The Cardinals have some issues.
And don't look now but the 49ers are starting to run the football again and I believe that will be the case again here. And at some point that pass rush will be a thing again. ... I suppose that starts this weekend. All that missed practice time will be a problem for the Cards. San Fran has a decent enough book on them and this is the 49ers' last stand. They have rediscovered the outside zone secret sauce and Jimmy G will get the job done here knowing that Trey Lance is hanging just behind him. Kyle Shanahan ain't what his rep says he is but he will script a nice first few series to get his team the lead and the Arizona injuries will cause problems.
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Rams -7 vs. Titans
What a boost Von Miller will give to an already-potent Rams defense. Nice chess piece to move around. And the Rams have the passing attack clicking. Not sure who covers Cooper Kupp here, and if you want to play zone all day that's fine, too, because Cooper will find every and any soft spot in that approach. The Titans' defense isn't devised to be on the field all day, but without Derrick Henry controlling tempo on the ground, it just might be, and the Titans have been on a magic carpet ride that seemed destined to slow down even before they lost their best player.
Jalen Ramsey can take care of AJ Brown and the rest of this Titans offense is going to suddenly be more pedestrian than anyone is accustomed to. Leonard Floyd and Miller are going to destroy things on the outside and a so-so Titans line will be leaky on the inside as well against Aaron Donald. Factor in that Jeffery Simmons might have to miss this game as well, and the time he missed this week, and I could see this game getting pretty lopsided and the Titans really struggling in the second half of the season.
