Alright, back to the real sports breakdowns after a very silly breakdown of a game show contestant yesterday. I love this time of year where I can choose a game from many different sports and give my two cents. That's exactly what I'll do this afternoon as I break down my favourite picks for the NFL tonight, an NHL matchup and even an NBA game.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Atlanta Falcons (pick)
It's a true toss-up according to the people in Vegas as the 6-2 Ravens take on the 6-2 Falcons. I agree that you have two really good football teams facing each other for the first Thursday night game of the season, but I think there's one major difference between the two that will allow me to be comfortable in choosing Baltimore.
Both teams have a good power running attack as the Ravens rely on Ray Rice/Willis McGahee and the Falcons look to Michael Turner. They both have young and talented quarterbacks with Joe Flacco passing for the Ravens and Matt Ryan in the ATL. Both even have a game-changing wide receiver as Flacco will look to Anquan Boldin and Ryan's favourite target is Roddy White.
But to me, the Ravens have the distinct edge when it comes to the talent level and experience of their defence. You can say that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are past their prime, but when the Ravens need a big play, these two still have the ability to deliver in the clutch. The Falcons just don't have that game-changer on defence. Ravens win a physical, hard-fought battle.
Minnesota Wild (+105) vs. Atlanta Thrashers
On paper, there's not much to choose between the two teams, except for the edge that the Wild have in the goaltending department. While the Thrashers struggle to find some consistency with either Chris Mason or Ondrej Pavelec, the Wild can be comforted in knowing that Niklas Backstrom will always be there to give them solid play.
Backstrom is 5-1-1 with a 1.41 GAA over his last seven games for Minny. On the other side, Mason is 3-3-1 with a 4.23 GAA in his last seven. Mason's play may give us a big indication as to why the Thrashers have given up the most goals in the Eastern Conference. Take the more consistent team in the Wild.
Los Angeles Lakers (-3) vs. Denver Nuggets
Lakers haven't played well lately and neither have the Nuggets. The difference is that the Lakers are still finding ways to win, while the Nuggets are struggling at 4-4 to start the year after losing by 31 to the Indiana Pacers. In that game, the Nuggets gave up 54 points in the third quarter alone in allowing Indiana to shoot 20-21 from the field.
The Lakers simply have too much talent for any opponent they take on this year. More often than not, the reason they will lose games is not because their opponents beat them, it will be because they beat themselves.