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callum squires

Week 6 Review

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The final London NFL game is done and dusted, as we big a fond farewell to week 6 in the NFL.

It was an epic matchup between the Dolphins and Jaguars at Tottenham on Sunday, with Urban Meyer able to slow grind out a ‘W’ to save his job.

Ryan Cull is off to Canada, as Wade is joined by our pal Callum Squires, in this Week 6 Review Podcast.

Among some of the things that the guys chat about in this podcast includes;

London Games

Callum breaks down what the atmosphere was like at Tottenham Stadium, and what it felt like to watch his Dolphins collapse against the feeble Jags.
He also talks beer snakes, the rain of plastic cups, and what it’s like to party around Tottenham stadium.
Did you go to the game? How was your experience?

Chief Concern

Kansas City was able to eek out a win against the struggling Washington FT over the weekend, but there are still major concerns over their team, and in particular their D.
Patrick Mahomes was able to sneak out a win, but Kansas City did not look pretty in doing so. This team is going to struggle when they face some of the better teams in the league.

Viking Fun-eral

What’s going on in Minnesota?
You can’t trust the team to win, and you can’t trust the team to lose!
The Vikings are inconsistent this season, with teams either getting trampled by Dalvin Cook, or ripping holes through their porous secondary.
Minnesota has the squad and the ability to cause some havoc amongst the Packers, it’s just a matter of whether or not they can get their act together.

‘Dem Boyz

Dallas continues to punish teams they face with a relentless attack, and a D that swoops and scoops like a seagull.
The Cowboys continue to push up big points each week, while allowing their defence to swarm opposing QBs as well as create disruptions and picks a plenty.
The real concern here is that former Patriots fans are now emerging from the bushes as Cowboys fans. God help us all.

Packing it Up

Aaron Rodgers continues his cheese head farewell tour by pissing off fans around the league.
With his departure from Lambeau now a mere formality, Aaron is having fun playing the game again, despite not having the same Packers team(s) he has had in the past.
Green Bay was only able to put the game out of reach against the Bears in the last 7 minutes of play, which doesn’t bode well for upcoming Green Bay games against far superior squads.

Sport Bar and Grill

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Sports Bar and Grill Clapham and Old Street last week for an amazing night of NFL games.
The place was rocking until 4am, as fans sunk into buckets of wings, towers of beer, and comradery of meeting new friends.
The Sports Bar and Grill Old Street is open until 12:30am every Sunday (monday), so make sure that you book ahead to get a great spot for all the games.
We will be back with Callum and another podcast this week, as we look ahead to all of the exciting Week 7 games.

Picks Six-AFC & NFC

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THE PICKS SIX – CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY

Well, here we are. After a week of uncertainty, following an exciting divisional weekend, it looks like all things are set, and Championship Sunday is set to go off with only one big name injury – but thank god it’s not Patrick Mahomes… it’s a bit hard to create six categories of picks and tips with only two games to choose from, so let’s just have a look at both Championship games and then just a few tips as to what I think might happen on Sunday. It’s time for the Picks Six for the AFC and NFC championships.

Buccaneers vs Packers

The two best quarterbacks of the past decade? One storied franchise, and one loaded upstart? The Frozen Tundra? This has ALL the ingredients to be an absolute barnburner of a game. I’m so excited for this one. Hearing Aaron Rodgers jokingly suggest he was looking forward to seeing “Tom playing safety against me” this week shows how nonsensical the “Rodgers vs Brady” take on this game really is. They’re never going to be going one on one… and yet this game STILL feels like a duel between the two quarterbacks. The defenses – especially Tampa Bay’s – will play a huge role in the outcome of this, but the ball will still touch the hands of two of the greatest to ever do this on almost every play. 

Tampa Bay rode their luck slightly last week, as Brady definitely started off shaky and grew into the contest. I’m not sure they can afford a slow start this week. Green Bay’s 1st half offensive production has been incredible and has allowed them to play from a lead most of this season. Antonio Brown is definitely a big miss for Tampa Bay, but he barely played last Sunday either and the Buccaneers defense still stepped up big time to knock out the New Orleans Saints. Devin White? Unbelievable. Insane. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will carry the load down the field. Can “Playoff Lenny” Fournette continue to find the endzone with regularity? Maybe. Green Bay’s defense has improved vastly the last six to eight weeks, and have filled the holes that were being run through with ease earlier this season. And when they have the ball? Rodgers to Davante Adams is of course the main threat, but Robert Tonyan, Allen Lazard, and even Marquez Valdes-Scantling are further threats down the field. Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon and even Jamaal Williams could ALL end up as starting running backs in the NFL, maybe as early as next season. These are two absolutely stacked teams, and it’s absolutely no surprise to see them vying for a place in SuperBowl LV.

Speaking of which… There’s never been a “home team” in a SuperBowl, and I don’t think that streak is getting broken this year. What Brady and the Bucs have achieved in their first year together is very impressive, but I just don’t see how they’re beating this Packers team, with THAT quarterback playing this well. I love my man Stephen A. Smith, and I have to agree with him – Aaron Rodgers is a bad bad bad man. Sorry not sorry TB12, I’m riding with A-A-Rod. The Pack will go back to the biggest game of the season, with hope of bringing another championship back to TitleTown.

Bills vs Chiefs

Let me just say this… if you thought, for one second, that Patrick Mahomes wasn’t going to be playing in this game… you’re absolutely crazy. The face of the NFL? He would’ve needed a rather more significant injury than the reported “nerve in his neck” injury to stop Showtime from playing in his third straight AFC Championship game. It would have been somewhat of travesty in all honesty had this Chiefs team not been at full strength as they try to “run it back,” and defend their crown. But – even though he’s cleared concussion protocol – will Mahomes be 100%? He was already struggling with turf toe last weekend against the Browns. I have to assume that he’s going to be able to play through the pain barrier and lead his team into battle. His supporting cast as well all seem to by flying at the right time. It feels almost impossible for Travis Kelce to fail to have about 8 catches, around 100 yards, and a Touchdown every week. He’s just incredible. And when they needed him most, who made the play (with the help of Chad Henne) last weekend? Tyreek Hill. The run game is definitely somewhat lacking, but it wasn’t all the impressive with Damien Williams last season before his explosion in the playoffs. The Chiefs somehow took a SuperBowl winning team and somehow became even better. 

On the other side, I absolutely love this Bills team. What Sean McDermott has done in a relatively short space of time to turn this franchise from the Patriots’ whipping boy into the 2nd best team in the AFC is incredible. In a similar vein to Travis Kelce, it’s seemingly impossible for Stefon Diggs not to end each game having scored and earned triple digit receiving yards. The rapport he and his QB have has been a true gamechanger. Josh Allen has EARNED his right to be considered one of the four best QBs in the league; that’s what we’ve got on show this weekend. Brady vs Rodgers, Mahomes vs Allen. For me, they’ve been the four best pass throwers in the league this season, so it’s great to know that we’re going to get two of them in the SuperBowl two weeks from now. That said, I do think this will be the ceiling for Josh Allen and #BillsMafia. This Chiefs team is so impressive. I haven’t even mentioned the performance that Tyrann Mathieu turned in last weekend. He’ll need to be in that mood again this weekend to stop Buffalo from upsetting the odds and heading to Tampa with a chance. But as impressive as Buffalo have been, I just can’t go against Andy Reid and this offense. So, it might be the boring and obvious pick, but I’m taking the Chiefs here too. 

Cheeky Bets

Both Players to score a Touchdown Double:

Robert Tonyan & Rob Gronkowski both to score

Travis Kelce & Josh Allen both to score

£10 on this double pays about £340 depending on your bookmaker.

Parlay

Chiefs -2.5 & Over 54.5

Packers -2.5 & Over 52.0

£10 on this double pays about £120 depending on your bookmaker.

I’ve already apologised, so I won’t do it again, but I have to favour the two favourites AND both points totals going over. I think this will be a shootout sunday for the right to compete for the Lombardi trophy in 14 days. Thank you all, whether it was once, twice, or every week, for taking the time to read my thoughts. Hope it’s brought some enjoyment to this insane few months we’ve had. Stay safe, and come chat with me on Twitter or Instagram at @CallumJDSquires. Enjoy the games. Peace.

Callum Squires is a London based NFL writer, and former US college athlete. 

Picks Six-Divisionals

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Hello there and welcome to another edition of The Picks Six, back again for (super) Divisional Weekend. Sadly, only four games this weekend and, horrifyingly, only 3 more after sunday night. That said, it does mean we’re coming to the business end of the season, and the remaining 8 teams all know they’re just 3 wins away from the ultimate goal of lifting the Lombardi trophy in SuperBowl LV. This weekend’s matchups are absolutely mouthwatering, with one-on-one spectacles like Jalen Ramsey vs Davante Adams, ultimate draft comparison with Lamar and Josh Allen, two of the greatest QBs ever going up against each other… oh and Tom Brady vs Drew Brees. You will all respect Baker vs Mahomes. You will. Let’s talk briefly about each game, and my pick for each of them.

Rams @ Packers 

The headline grabbing matchup between star cornerback and star receiver aside, this still feels like the ultimate game of offense vs defense. Despite the Packers’ alleged struggles against the run, they haven’t allowed a 100 yard rusher in almost two months at this point, and have tightened things up significantly on the back end, whilst their fearless leader continues to shred opposing defences en route to his MVP award. Rodgers has truly been peerless, and enjoyed his bye week whilst Aaron Donald was slightly injuring his ribs against Russell Wilson. You can probably guess where I’m leaning with this one: I just can’t see the Rams being able to score enough to beat this Packers team. If they get another defensive score – like the Pick 6 last week – they’d have a shot, but Rodgers has Adams, Tonyan, Jones, and the deep-threat of Valdez-Scantling and for me those weapons are too many to defend. Cam Akers has given the Rams some nice late season production in the latter stages of the season, and Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are a great pair of receivers, but is Jared Goff 100%? Surely he can’t be. If Blake Bortles had been there more this season, he might be given a shot, but it feels unlikely they’ll throw him in unless Goff’s thumb is really struggling. 

Therefore, I ask the question: can you beat Aaron Rodgers without a QB? Maybe. I saw this week that Aaron Rodgers is 0-2 in the playoffs against the number one ranked pass defense… which this season is the LA Rams. Jalen Ramsey’s stats are insane, but will need every bit of his smarts to stay with Davante Adams. I think the Packers will find special ways to get Adams the ball – he’s too good to not be involved, despite Ramsey’s attention. I don’t think this will be a back and forth shootout and if I wasn’t morally opposed to betting the under, I would suggest doing that. However, as it stands, with the line at -6.5, I like Green Bay to win and move on to the NFC Title game.

Ravens @ Titans 

Ooooooh this game. Saturday night football is electric. Lamar finally got the playoff monkey off his back with the revenge victory against Tennessee, and the Ravens will ride into Buffalo high on confidence and with a mean streak in tow. However, this isn’t the same old Bills team. This is Josh Allen’s Bills team. His partnership with Stefon Diggs is truly Box Office, and that Bills D is showing up late in the season like it should. Buffalo’s run game took a bit of a hit with the injury to Zack Moss, but really Buffalo’s most dangerous runner is… their main passer. Allen is so dangerous in the RedZone, and can create hell for defensive coordinators. That said, the Bills have struggled against the run, and the Ravens seem to want to run over everyone that’s put in front of them, and have done so successfully for about 6 weeks now. I love the one-two punch of JK Dobbins and Jackson in the backfield with their speed and shiftiness, and the threat of Mark Andrews and Hollywood Brown down the field. Baltimore are flying right now, but Sean McDermott has something special cooking in Buffalo.

I do feel that Buffalo wins this game, and I like a lot of points to be scored here. Bills Mafia will show up and be loud and I think will help propel Josh Allen to his second playoff win in two weeks. I think this will be a great game, with these two young star QBs showing why they are two of the new faces of the league. MVP Lamar will have his moments here, but I think the quality of Diggs down the field, with the underneath ability of Cole Beasley and (potential breakout star) Gabriel Davis, will give the Bills what they need to win this shootout.

Browns @ Chiefs 

The Baker vs Mahomes story has been told a thousand times, but that doesn’t make it any less enchanting. Mahomes visited Texas Tech and stayed with Baker, before becoming the Tech QB when Mayfield had transferred to Oklahoma. Then came the absolutely INSANE 66-59 game in October 2016. The game still holds almost every NCAA record for offensive statistics. The number one pick for Cleveland, vs the man Andy Reid and the Chiefs were so enamoured with they traded up to take him, and eventually pushed Alex Smith aside to complete his ascension. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been an absolute powerhouse for multiple years now, and are the reigning SuperBowl champions for a reason. And, guess what? They’re better than they were last year. However, it’s been two decades since the Cleveland Browns were even approaching being as good as they are right now. Will there be a more confident team this weekend than the Browns? They just beat up their big brother and broke the curse at Heinz Field that’s lasted over 17 years. Not to mention, this is their first playoff appearance in about that long. On the face of it, this is David vs Goliath, and Vegas seems to agree – with the Browns 10 point underdogs. I see two options in this game. Either the Browns control the clock with the two-headed monster in the run game, and keep it close, or the Chiefs offense does what it does and scores 45 points against an under matched Cleveland secondary. Kansas City is so explosive, you can’t rule it out. 

That said, with the momentum from last week, I believe in Baker and the Browns. Do I believe they’ll win the game? … not entirely. But I absolutely believe the game will be close. Baker is playing REALLY well and will continue to put his team in a position to have a chance in this game. Kevin Stefanski’s return to the sidelines will only help the Browns case. The points line is 57!!! Insanely high, so I’ll leave that, but this could well end up being a shootout. That said, Browns +10.0 looks good to me. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if there IS an upset in KC… you’ve been warned.

Buccaneers @ Saints 

Brees vs Brady is a lovely way to end the weekend. Undoubtedly, Brady has been the more successful Quarterback, and yet Brees seems to be the one holding all the individual NFL league records. I saw a stat that says Tom Brady has the same number of playoff wins against the NFC as Drew Brees does… and Brady previous to this year only got to play the NFC in the SuperBowl… Yikes for Drew. Brees’ regular season success has been matched by the levels of playoff heartbreak he and New Orleans have had to endure the past decade. The Minneapolis miracle, the non-call of the PI against the Rams… I feel for the Saints. I really do. And just when they feel like they’ve got everything to make the Super Bowl again… Tom Brady joins the division. Ouch. Credit to the Saints, they’ve beaten these Buccaneers twice this year already, but the old saying goes “it’s hard to beat a team 3 times…” So maybe the Buccaneers can get their revenge? The Bucs are in a much different place now to when the Saints handled them easily around ⅔ of the season mark. Bruce Arians seems to have figured out how to make the most out of the pieces he’s got. I mean, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Scotty Miller, PLUS Gronk and Brate the Tight Ends… The Buccaneers have many different ways they can beat you, especially if they get the “old” Leonard Fournette like they appeared to last week against Washington.

This game is such a toss up for me right now. I’ve been a proponent of the Saints, and a disregard-er of the Bucs for most of this year, but I might have to jump (to the pirate) ship right now. Brady looks good, and the sheer number of weapons the Bucs have is terrifying. The way the Saints win this game is lean on Alvin Kamara, take the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands, and hope their D-Line can wreck the Tampa Bay game plan. That said, I think this is high-scoring and the Buccaneers keep it close. This will be a great Sunday night cap. I would only be surprised if this game was a blowout one way or the other. And whoever wins… gets Aaron Rodgers next week. Oooooooh tasty.

The Parlay

Combining the picks from above, £10 on the following four leg parlay pays about £450 depending on your bookmaker.

Green Bay -6.5

Over 49.0 points & Buffalo -2.5 

Cleveland +10.0

Over 52.0 points & Tampa Bay +3.0

Enjoy the games everybody! As always I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter & Instagram. Come say hey. Let’s get these Championships won next weekend and look forward to the Super Bowl. Stay safe and stay sane. 

Callum Squires is a diehard Dolphins fan, writer, and friend of NFL in London. 

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Picks Six-Week 17

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THE PICKS SIX

Happy New Year! Welcome back to another edition of The Picks Six.  Please excuse our brief hiatus over week 16 (Christmas got in the way), but we’re back here for a special week 17 column. With a lot of uncertainty over exactly who is or isn’t playing I’m going to change things up and just touch on a few big games before highlighting our Parlay and all our game picks. It’s a bit of a different read than normal, but we’ll be back next week in full for the Wildcard slate of 6 (six!!) games over two days. I can’t wait. Let’s get stuck into the big storylines of this Week 17 Sunday.

The NFC East

The biggest conundrum of this weekend is exactly who is going to be the #4 seed (and receive a HOME playoff game!) in the NFC. The NFC East has been… an abomination at times this year, but in the latter stages of the year you could argue that all four squads have found some legs and improved significantly. Jalen Hurts has given life to the Eagles, despite them now being eliminated from contention. The Giants defense started to show up and Daniel Jones has proven himself to have been a much better choice on draft night than the projected pick for the Giants… Dwayne Haskins. 

Washington have heavily relied on their defense to keep them alive in the playoff race, with injuries to McLaurin and Gibson, combined with utter mediocrity everywhere else leaving them scrambling to stay ahead of the chasing pack. We also have no idea exactly how healthy Alex Smith is, or if it’s going to be at least partially the Taylor Heinicke show… And for the Cowboys, Andy Dalton has found rhythm in Dallas and despite Ezekiel Elliott’s struggles that wide receiver trio of Cooper, Gallup & Lamb is explosive enough to win this division without a consistent running game. Dallas looks perhaps the most complete team, and without ANY doubt if Dak Prescott had not got injured the Cowboys would have WALKED their way to this division title. And I think they still might…

I think the Cowboys will beat the Giants. Joe Judge has instilled a number of good things into this Giants’ team, but largely on special teams and defense. I’m yet to be convinced by their ability to move the ball downfield. The Cowboys are rolling and I think find a way to win in New York and mean all eyes turn to Sunday Night Football. Credit to Ron Rivera for turning this franchise around – I didn’t think they’d win 3 games, let alone find a way to beat the undefeated Steelers amongst others. But I think the dream dies Sunday night. Jalen Hurts is proving himself to be an NFL starting quarterback and will relish his first opportunity under the bright lights of a PrimeTime game. This game will really come down to can the Eagles O-Line stand up to the Washington pass rush. If they can, Hurts can – forgive me – “hurt” them down the field. I’m not convinced Smith will be 100% and I don’t believe this Washington team deserves to be a playoff team. I’m taking the Eagles and, therefore, the Cowboys to win the division.

Prediction:

NFC East Champion: Dallas Cowboys

The AFC Playoff Race

It’s fairly clear cut to me that the Titans will comfortably dispose of the Texans and lock up the AFC South crown, but everything else in the AFC is a bit more confusing. The Browns are struggling to contain COVID within their group as they face a must win against Pittsburgh, the Dolphins have lost their Week 16 Hero as FitzMagic has also tested positive for the virus, and the Colts know they need the Ravens (or others) to lose to have a shot of getting in. The Steelers and Bills themselves are still fighting over who is number 2 and who is number 3 in the seedlings too. It’s a wild Sunday slate. Basically – the short version is, I think all the teams that need to win will win. The Dolphins (my team) are perhaps the most at risk, but I’m hoping the Bills do the nice (and sensible) thing and rest Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs for at least part of this game. Brian Flores’ defense will stand tough regardless, as the Dolphins and Tua find a way to win a very close game and take themselves to Tennessee for wildcard weekend. I see no way the Ravens and Colts don’t beat the Bengals and Jaguars respectively, which leads us onto the big one: Cleveland vs Pittsburgh. The Browns have COVID issues, and the Steelers are resting their starters. This is a game Baker Mayfield HAS to win to end the longest active playoff drought for the Browns. They deserve to get in, and I think they have enough weapons – mainly Chubb and Hunt – to win this game and ensure they do. Sorry Phil Rivers, this ain’t your year. 

Prediction:

2 Seed – Buffalo

3 Seed – Pittsburgh

4 Seed – Tennessee

5 Seed – Miami

6 Seed – Baltimore

7 Seed – Cleveland

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Out – Indianapolis

Bears, Rams or Cardinals?!

Lastly, the final spot in the NFC is also in a pivotal spot. The Chicago Bears have suddenly discovered they’re allowed to pass the ball accurately, and actually score points on offense. You do wonder what would have happened if the Bears had stuck with Mitch rather than the ill-fated pivot to Nick Foles earlier this season – although admittedly, it was injury influenced. Anyway, just as the Bears have found their rhythm, the Rams have absolutely capitulated and almost thrown away their playoff spot. Defeat to the Jets (incredible) and the Seahawks (reasonable) have seen McVay’s men drop to 9-6, and now cannot feel safe. And NOW Jared Goff appears to be out, leaving John Wolford – who has never thrown an NFL pass before – as the Rams final hope. If the Bears win, and the Rams lose, LA would be on the outside looking in. This is even more realistic when you consider that the Rams opponents are the Cardinals who MUST win to get in. Arizona’s inconsistent season was highlighted by the loss to San Francisco last week, which took their destiny out of their own hands. That said, Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins have already fostered a great connection this year, and even Jalen Ramsey will have to admit how much of a struggle it will be trying to keep Hopkins in check. However, I think the Rams fears will be calmed by the soon-to-be MVP in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers loves beating the Bears, and with the Packers needing a win to secure a bye and the #1 seed, I see no other outcome in that game. Which means the Bears would NEED the Rams to win to keep them in the playoffs. I may be in the minority in this, but I’m a believer in Kliff Kingsbury and his offense. The Cardinals win this game, steal the 6 seed, and eliminate the Bears.

Prediction:

6 Seed – Arizona

7 Seed – LA

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Out – Chicago

———

The Parlay 

Last time out, we won our parlay! One push, 4 correct legs, and a nice healthy profit for anyone who backed it. Let’s end the regular season with a bang. We’re going SIX-fold this week.

Cowboys -1.0

As previously stated, the Cowboys look electric on offense right now, with the Red Rifle firing in Texas. Dalton’s weapons will carry the Cowboys to victory here.

Vikings -6.5

The Lions are really bad and are still missing their main weapon in Kenny Golladay. Also, with Dalvin Cook missing for the Vikings after a family tragedy (my condolences to the whole family), Alexander Mattison has a chance to put himself firmly in the shop window. He’s a talented running back, and with Thielen and Jefferson still catching passes, I see the Vikings running away with this one.

Patriots -3.0

Bill Belichick is not losing to Adam Gase’s Jets. It’s just not happening.

Packers -4.0

See above. The final chapter in Rodgers’ Revenge Tour. Packers all day.

Raiders -3.0

I know Gruden’s guys have been suspect of late, but Drew Lock and the Broncos are flat out awful. Average defensively, abysmal offensively. Raiders a clear winner here. 

Cardinals -3.0

This is maybe the riskiest one, but John Wolford isn’t beating Kyler Murray. I’m sorry. Cardinals win this game.

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The Full English (Season Record: 85-39)

Falcons @ Buccaneers – Buccaneers

Ravens @ Bengals – Ravens

Cowboys @ Giants – Cowboys

Dolphins @ Bills – Dolphins

Vikings @ Lions – Vikings

Jets @ Patriots – Patriots

Steelers @ Browns – Browns

Cardinals @ Rams – Cardinals

Packers @ Bears – Packers

Jaguars @ Colts – Colts

Chargers @ Chiefs – Chiefs

Raiders @ Broncos – Raiders 

Saints @ Panthers – Saints

Seahawks @ 49ers – Seahawks

Titans @ Texans – Titans

Washington @ Eagles – Eagles

——

Next Week: WildCard

I cannot wait for back to back days with NFL playoff triple headers… it’s hard for me to give you a preview with none of the matchups confirmed, but if we go by my predictions, we’d end up with Ravens vs Steelers, Browns vs Bills, Buccaneers vs Cowboys and Seahawks vs Cardinals amongst others. Sounds good to me. As always, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter and Instagram. Hope you all have a great week.

The Picks Six-Week 15

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Welcome to another edition of the Picks Six! We’re about to get rolling on Week 15, as the climax of the NFL regular season rolls on. However, to be honest, I would be completely doing this wrong if I didn’t talk about the absolute masterpiece that was last week’s Monday Night Football. I didn’t get to sleep until gone 5am in London, but it was 100% worth it. What a game. I need to thank both the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns for that absolute rollercoaster ride. It was fantastic to see both Lamar (cramps aside) and Baker both looking back to their best, and whilst it was hard on the Browns not to win that game after such a stellar comeback, you have to respect the Ravens’ ability to withstand that and keep their playoff hopes alive. Let’s hope we get another game of that quality somewhere in this week 15 slate.

This week, I love, and I mean LOVE, like looooooooooove, this slate of games. I think there are numerous teams who should have way bigger margins of victory, and I am very happy to take those favourites. Let’s have a look!

1st and Goal from the 1yd Line

This is my nailed on – has to happen – pick of the week. 

I’m trying not to just pick on the hapless Jets this week (it feels too easy at this point), so we’ll look beyond the obvious LA Rams pick, and trek to the AFC South for our winner.

The Tennessee Titans are on the verge of claiming a second straight AFC South crown, but with the Indianapolis Colts breathing down their neck, they can

scarcely afford a slip up. Luckily for Mike Vrabel, he’s got Tractorcito and THIS – mid-December NFL Football – is #TractorcitoSzn. Derrick Henry looks unstoppable right now, seemingly rushing for 150-250 yards and 1-2 TDs every single week. The man is a machine, and correctly getting plaudits that are even suggesting he should be in the MVP conversation. I don’t think there’s any chance he can win it, because Mahomes and Rodgers are who they are, but King Henry deserves his respect, and I think he – and the underrated Ryan Tannehill – can take the struggling Detroit Lions to the cleaners this week. The line is Titans -11.0, which is a lot to cover, but I do expect Tennessee to take control early and feed Derrick Henry down the stretch. They need it way more, and the Lions are in absolute disarray.

Titans to win.

45yd Field Goal

This is my toss up, but likely winner. Odds around evens.

Chiefs -3.0

This line makes no sense to me. Yeah, fine, Drew Brees is back. Yes, I get it, the Saints defense is very good. BUT COME ON. This is Andy Reid’s Chiefs offense. Patrick Mahomes’ offense. The Legion of Zoom and Travis Kelce. I can’t grasp how the chiefs aren’t favoured by more. It’s the game of the week – without question – and I just can’t see a way that KC don’t continue their charge towards the #1 seed in the AFC. I’m taking the Chiefs.

TD Treble

Mark Andrews – Lamar looked electric on Monday running the ball, but when he needed a big play, he still looked more often than not towards his big Tight End. Andrews is an exceptional receiver and I think he’ll have a good chance of finding the endzone. 

Rashard Higgins – Higgins has become Baker’s favourite endzone target, as we saw on Monday night. The Browns must win against the Giants and I think they’ll have to throw a couple times – despite the bad weather – as the Giants seek to stop the run. 

Justin Jefferson – This is the risky one, because I’m trusting Kirk Cousins against the Bears defense, but Jefferson has been so electric this year – surely offensive rookie of the year?! – that I think he has enough to find the endzone this week. Chicago are on the brink of official elimination and I’m sure Minnesota would love to finalise that this week.

£10 on this treble pays about £130 depending on your bookmaker. At this price, I think this treble is well worth it.

If you don’t like the above options, I think Travis Kelce & Cam Akers are equally good options, but with considerably shorter odds.

The Overs

This week’s totals are a bit tricky. As much as I think there are numerous games that are very straightforward in terms of their outcome, there are a number here where I have no idea how many points will be scored. I’d say these two are the best of a bad bunch. 

Over 52.0 – Chiefs @ Saints – Brees is back, so even though Michael Thomas is out, the Saints should be able to get some points on the board. And they’ll need to, because Patrick Mahomes is 31-1 against teams who score less than 28 points… The Saints defense is no doubt an impressive crew, but nobody is better than the Chiefs offense. I think they Chiefs win this game and score a lot of points whilst doing it. 

Over 48.5 – Buccaneers @ Falcons – This one is weird because of how streaky the Falcons are… some weeks, they look like a team stacked with first round talents, and some weeks they look like the New York Jets. Makes no sense. Similarly, some weeks the Bucs look unplayable, and some weeks they look anaemic. But both offenses are explosive enough that I think this line should be a little bit higher, and as such will take the over. 

The Parlay

Not a great Paay last week, as the Bears decided to remember how to play offense, and the horrible Broncos and Washington teams disgustingly stole another win each. The good news? I might have mentioned this before… but I LOVE the board.

Bills -5.0 – I cannot fathom why Buffalo are not larger favourites here. Is it because it’s IN Denver and the altitude could play a part? Maybe. But still. This Bills team are 

Packers -8.0 – Aaron Rodgers wants a bye. Aaron Rodgers needs a bye. The Packers won’t let him down.

Titans -11.0 – See above. #TractorcitoSzn. It’s a big line, but they should run all over Detroit.

Dolphins -1.5 – You either believe that the Dolphins are for real, or you don’t. This game is everything to Miami. If Brian Flores’ upstarts are going to sneak into the playoffs, they’re going to need either the Ravens to lose (unlikely), or to win out themselves. That starts here. The Patriots ran all over the Fins in week 1, but this is a different Dolphins team. The 2nd ranked defense in the league is raring to go, and it’s a revenge game for so many former New England employees who have sensibly moved southeast to a nicer climate. I think now is the time for the Dolphins to finally slam the door shut on the Patriots dynasty, and start building their credentials to challenge the Bills for AFC East supremacy. They have to win on Sunday.

Browns -6.0 – Baker is cooking. You all saw that on Monday Night. I’m a big believer in Stefanski and this offense. Yep, the defense needs work, but the Browns rushing attack can control this clock and grind down the (actually quite good) Giants D. Colt McCoy cannot win this game. Browns.

£10 on this five-fold returns about £250 depending on your bookmaker.

(If you’re reading this after the two Saturday games have happened, I’d suggest adding Ravens -13.0 & Chiefs -3.0 in place of the Bills and Packers)

The Full English (Season Record: 74-35)

9-6 again last week; a number of ridiculous upsets in my opinion. Washington continue to steal wins at an alarming and outrageous rate. Here’s hoping that ceases this week. We’re still above 67% picking for the season – not bad at all – so let’s keep it rolling with this weekend’s slate. 

Bills @ Broncos – Bills

Panthers @ Packers – Packers

Bears @ Vikings – Vikings (Sorry Mitch)

Lions @ Titans – Titans

Texans @ Colts – Colts (I still don’t trust the Colts, but hard to believe in the Texans right now)

Jaguars @ Ravens – Ravens

Patriots @ Dolphins – Dolphins

Seahawks @ Washington – Seahawks (Washington are frauds, Haskins is starting, Seattle need to win… it’s clear for me)

49ers @ Cowboys – 49ers (This is maybe the tightest game of the week. Complete toss up for me. The Niners defense should be good enough to stifle Andy Dalton, but their offense is bad… hard to say, but I’m going 49ers, led by their defense)

Buccaneers @ Falcons – Buccaneers

Jets @ Rams – Rams

Eagles @ Cardinals – Cardinals (Hurts did great last week, by Kyler and the Cards need this for the playoff push)

Chiefs @ Saints – Chiefs

Browns @ Giants – Browns

Steelers @ Bengals – Steelers

Week 16

Next week is Fantasy Football championship week so here’s hoping my three semi final teams are still alive and playing for the money… 

We get Christmas Day football, a Boxing Day triple-header, and a Sunday slate including Seahawks vs Rams & Packers vs Titans. Tasty! I hope you’re all staying safe amongst this insanity of a festive period. Whichever Tier you’re in, stay safe this Christmas. As ever, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter and Instagram if you wanna hear more from me. Have a great week.

Callum Squires is a safe distanced friend of NFL in London and a great Dolphins fan.