Another big week for underdogs (10-6 against the mid-week point spreads) meant another strong week here as we notched our third straight winning weekend with a 3-0 mark.
As expected, one of my three Week 14 underdog selections won outright with the host Los Angeles Rams beating the favored Seattle Seahawks 28-12 on Sunday night, despite being 2.5-point home ‘dogs midweek.
But we saw TWO of our underdogs win straight up as rookie quarterback Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos dominated the host Houston Texans (7.5-point favorites) in a shocking 38-24 win.
The third of our three picks, the 12.5 -point underdog Washington Redskins, hung tough as expected in a 20-15 road loss on the frozen tundra of Green Bay.
That all ups our season record here to a nice, shiny and – best of all – profitable 26-16.
Now we move on to a Week 15 slate that doesn’t appear as promising at first (or even fourth) glance, looking like a rare 2019 week of favorites. Regardless, we’ve found three ‘dogs to back, utilizing, as usual, Wednesday’s posted point spreads at BetMGM.com.
Here goes …
Chicago Bears (+4½) at Packers
Don’t look now but Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears have rebounded from a 3-5 start to win four of their last five and inch onto the fringe of the crowded NFC playoff chase.
The 7-6 Bears are 4-9 against the spread, but seven of those losses have come as favorites. Now they’re getting the third-most points they’ve received all season.
The Pack? They’ve won two straight since coming out on the wrong side of a 37-8 beatdown against the 49ers in Week 12 and, at 10-3, are fighting for the NFC North title and a possible first-round postseason bye.
Green Bay, though, is 4-3 ATS as a home favorite this season. And despite the Packers’ 10-3 win in Chicago in the season opener, Trubisky & Co. should be able to keep the rematch within the number, even if they wind up falling short in the latest installment of this storied rivalry.
Dallas Cowboys (+1½) vs. L.A. Rams
Yeah, we’re going against all the momentum and trends on both ends and side with embattled coach Jason Garrett and the ‘Boys here.
Dallas has dropped three straight, four of five and seven of 10 overall since a 3-0 start, but the club is still somehow tied for the NFC (L)East lead.
It goes against all logic to take that resume over that of the suddenly surging Rams, who have won three of four to move to 8-5 and into the wild-card hunt, but sometimes the ugly ‘dog is the right ‘dog, and we’ll bank on the Cowboys avoiding a third straight home loss.
Buffalo Bills (+2½) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The 8-5 Steelers are a truly impressive 7-1 since a Week 5 overtime home loss to the Ravens dropped them to 1-4, and they’ve done so with the backup-QB combo of Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph at the helm.
Still, only one of Pittsburgh’s eight wins – a 17-12 Week 10 triumph over the visiting Rams – has come against a team currently sporting a winning record.
The 9-4 Bills own a rather similar resume with only one of their nine wins – a Week 5 victory over the then-Marcus Mariota-quarterbacked Tennessee Titans – coming against a team currently sitting above .500.
But in a Sunday night matchup of AFC wild-card front-runners possessing strong defenses, we’ll take the better QB (Josh Allen) and the points on the road in a mild upset.
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