First off, I did want to get my thoughts out on the game last night....Like I wrote yesterday, the achilles heel of this team is going to be the defence and it showed last night....if this is a preview of things to come for this team, Pascal Leclaire better be ready to make a bunch of difficult stops each and every night....
Everyone is using the word "scrambly" to describe the effort last night and it was no more apparent than in those three power-play opportunities that the Rangers had in the opening period....it's a minor miracle that the Rangers weren't able to score in the first 'cause they did whatever they wanted with the puck and the Sens were falling all over the place...
However, as much as I harp on the defence, the offence really didn't show all that much either....there was a sense that the Sens might be in the game after Daniel Alfredsson scored to cut the lead to 2-1, but really, there was no life coming from the forwards, particularly the top 2 lines....
I'll give it a few games to see if the lines just need time to gel, but as a team that's destined to be a bubble team already, it will be interesting to see how patient coach Cory Clouston is with letting his lines find chemistry....points are essential in every game and he doesn't have the luxury of a guaranteed playoff spot like Pittsburgh or Washington do with their stacked rosters...
Alright, time for another football Sunday and for me, it will be extra special today because I actually get to stay home and take advantage of having NFL Sunday Ticket for a change...don't get me wrong, I would go to a Bills game over being home every time, but being at home once in a while isn't all that bad either...
Here are my picks for this week:
1) Detroit +10 against Chicago
I don't think the Lions will win this game, but I think they keep it close....as I said on the NFL Preview Show on Thursday, I've really been impressed with the way Matthew Stafford has played in the first three games of his young career....this will be a well-fought divisional matchup and those don't usually see double-digit margins of victory...
2) Cincinnati -5.5 against Cleveland
I also had a good two minute rant on Thursday about how god awful the Browns have been this season....if they continue to play like they have in the first three weeks of the year, the Bengals will win by default...let's not forget, this Bengals team would be 3-0 if it weren't for a miracle tipped pass in the final seconds against Denver
3) Baltimore +2 against New England
Everyone knows about the Baltimore defense and they're doing it again this year as they have the number one rush defense in the league, but Joe Flacco has made this team complete....they already had a great running tandem with Willis McGahee and Le'Ron McClain, but Flacco has been so good and has added that pass attack that they never really had in Baltimore before....
4) Buffalo -2 against Miami
You don't even have to really look at the X's and O's when you analyze this game....you can just look at the overall mood around each team and you should be able to pick the winner....the Bills are hungry to prove that they have a great offense, especially with Marshawn Lynch back....the Dolphins look at the season as a lost cause already with Pennington out for the season....
5) Minnesota -3 against Green Bay
You have two pretty-evenly matched teams....both defences are capable of playing lights-out, so that's a wash....both teams can effectively pass the football, now that Brett Favre is with the Vikes....The difference comes in the rushing attack as the Vikes with Adrian Peterson are much better than the Pack in this category....
Enjoy the games today!