Pro-Line Picks Oct 07, 2011

Week 3 of the pro-line blog see's our attention switch codes from English Soccer to NFL Football... I did visit many sources for information for my picks this week and hope that the research will be worthy of a nice ticket coming our way! We have experienced 2/3 on the soccer tickets and whilst that is none too shabby, it does not bring home the bacon and leaves our followers at -$40.

Lots of interesting action scheduled for this weekend and I perused long and hard before making the final picks.

Good luck folks, see ya at the windows! :)

Denver Broncos vs San Diego Chargers

For the Denver Broncos, things might just get worse before they get better.

John Fox's debut season as head coach in the Mile High city is already heading for free-fall at 1-3, and now the San Diego Chargers come a calling this Sunday.

Fresh off a shredding at the hand of Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers is not exactly the perfect antidote for a porous Broncos secondary that gave up 408 passing yards in the 49-23 loss to Green Bay.

Once again a leading MVP candidate, Rivers has yet to hit top gear but has still thrown for almost 1300 yards in the first four weeks of the season. And he must be smacking his chops at the prospect of facing the Broncos on Sunday.

Rivers has feasted on Denver in recent years, going 8-2 as a starter with a 112.4 passer rating. Those numbers include a 33-28 decision at Mile High last season.

One boost for the Broncos this week is the likely return of Champ Bailey at corner, but that's unlikely to stop Rivers and his multi-talented offense.

Vincent Jackson - Rivers' favorite target - is averaging almost 19 yards a grab and could be set for a big day, while last year's first-round draft pick Ryan Mathews appears to be finally hitting something like top gear in the backfield.

Mathews has rumbled for 179 yards in San Diego's last two games, and his emergence takes some of the pressure off Rivers and the passing game.

On the offensive side of the ball for Denver, Kyle Orton remains the starter but the calls for Tim Tebow will surely start again if he struggles early against the Chargers.

So far in 2011 the Chargers have gone 3-1 without really exploding - expect that to happen this Sunday. It could be a shootout early, but I confidently expect Rivers and co to overcome both a 3.5-point handicap on the spread and a 4 point victory on pro line to push the Broncos deeper into despair.

Verdict - Game 28- Visitor 1.6

Buffalo Bills vs Philadelphia Eagles

Our 2nd featured game see`s Philadelphia bid to finally live up to that 'Dream Team' moniker and start waking from a nightmare 1-3 start.

All the Super bowl talk has ended for now in the City of Brotherly Love after Andy Reid's men somehow blew a 23-3 lead at home to San Francisco, eventually losing 24-23.

Things don't exactly get easier for the Eagles this week, and they head to Buffalo to face the free-scoring Bills in what is now pretty much a must-win game for them.

Two games at Ralph Wilson Stadium this season have produced a total of 138 points - heart-stopping Buffalo victories over Oakland (38-35) and New England (34-31).

The Bills came within an ace of going 4-0 last week before eventually falling 23-20 in Cincinnati, but I expect normal offensive service to be resumed this week.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's reputation is growing weekly and with star Eagles pass rusher Trent Cole set to miss the game with a calf injury, the Bills should again put up some pretty offensive numbers.

Vick meanwhile runs a high-powered and well-balanced Philly offense, with an array of potent aerial weapons complimented by the terrific LeSean McCoy on the ground because of this we expect Vick to come out on top this weekend.

It's difficult to see anything but another high-scoring affair in Orchard Park and a confident selection of a visitor win and a total points score of over 49.5 is expected to pay dividends.

Verdict - Game 20 - Visitor 2.0

Verdict - Game 20 - Over 49.5 points 1.7

Recommended wager -

$20 Double Play ticket

Game 20 - Visitor and Over

Game 28- Visitor

= $108.80       (presently -$40)


Scott Roberts