Author: Cappers Picks

Denver v Tennessee

The Tennessee Titans proved to the football world that they are more than ready to challenge for this year’s AFC South title, and will get another chance to prove they are capable when they host a beat up Denver Broncos on Sunday in Music City.

Venue/Stadium: LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
Time/Date: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 25, 2011
NFL Odds From: 5 Dimes
Spread (ATS): Titans -7.5
Over/Under: 42.5

With the Colts out of the way and probably out of contention for the rest of the season, the Titans followed up its awkward 16-14 loss at Jacksonville, with an extraordinary 26-13 victory over Baltimore last weekend that made the Ravens vaunted defense look like a Pop Warner team.

Quarterback Matt Hasselback proved that there’s still some gas left in the tank, throwing for 358 yards and a touchdown, while Kenny Britt followed up last week’s big performance with nine more catches for 135 yards and a touchdown reception.

Hasselbeck has thrown for 621 yards – third in the AFC behind Tom Brady and Philip Rivers – with three touchdowns and two interceptions. (take that Pete Carroll)

In the meantime, the Titans are still looking to get their running game back in order, as preseason holdout Chris Johnson, rushed for only 53 yards on 24 carries against Baltimore.

The Titans defense outplayed the Ravens forcing two interceptions and collecting three sacks to further establish themselves a formidable foe.

Meanwhile over in Denver, the Broncos also rebounded after losing at home to the Raiders in the season’s first Monday Night Football matchup, sweating out a narrow 24-22 win over the Bengals. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Five Denver starters missed the game, including wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. That left just three receivers, including Eddie Royal, who left the game with an injury in the first half. Denver backup quarterback Tim Tebow was called upon to come in as an emergency wide receiver but did not make any catches in his season debut.

Despite the Broncos dropping like flies, the good news is that running back Willis McGahee, who started in place of the injured Knowshon Moreno, posted 101 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals.

The Broncos will need a repeat performance from McGahee, who will likely shoulder most the load as Moreno, if he returns, will not be 100 percent.

The Denver defense has also suffered its share of knocks, as Pro Bowl corner Champ Bailey is expected to miss his second straight game. They unit has endured however, with a solid rushing defense that allowed just 72 yards against Cincinnati just one week after holding Oakland to under 200.

Matt’s Prediction: Tennessee 21, Broncos 17 – Denver has won three straight over the Titans, including a 26-20 victory at Tennessee for their only road win in 2010. However, I look for Johnson to get back on the rails, making the difference as Tennessee establishes the running game and wears down Denver’s defense.

New York v Oakland

The undefeated New York Jets mauled the Jaguars in their last outing, and now head to the West Coast take on a fiery Oakland Raiders who be focused on erasing a heart wrenching loss to the Bills their last time out.

Venue/Stadium: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, CA
Time/Date: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, September 25, 2011
NFL Odds From: Bet Online
Spread (ATS): Jets -3 1/2
Over/Under: 41

New York’s success on Sunday came primarily from its defense that dominated the Jaguars, holding them to just 203 total yards while intercepting Jacksonville’s Luke McCown four times and dropping him in the end zone for a safety en route to a 32-3 victory on Sunday.

The Jets collected 15 points off turnovers, while they themselves were held to a measly 283 total yards of total offense.

QB Mark Sanchez led the charge, and 17 of 24 for 182 yards with a pair of touchdown passes and interceptions, while the Jets struggled on the ground picking up just 101 yards.

Shonn Greene did cap off a third quarter drive with a one yard touchdown run.

However , those numbers could rise against a Raiders defense that did all but leave the stadium entirely, blowing a 21-3 halftime lead that included the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds remaining, as they fell to the Bills 38-35.

The blame can be solely placed on the Raiders defense in this one, surrendering 481 total yards to go along with 35 second half points. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

In the meantime, the offense held up its end of the bargain, scoring 35 points and 454 yards behind a rock-solid performance from QB Jason Campbell who a career game, completing 23 of 33 passes for 323 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

Darren McFadden continued to be Oakland’s go-to guy, rolling up 143 total yards with both a rushing a receiving touchdown.

These types of matchup are always tough on bettors, as you never really know which team will show up, as both the Raiders and Jets have proven this in the past.

But this is a new season, and Oakland looks to be much-improved from where they were a year ago, while the Jets continue to make their own improvements after a remarkable 11-5, campaign in 2010 that included a magical postseason run that included wins over the Colts and Patriots.

Matt’s Prediction: Jets 28, Oakland 21 – New York did very well on the road last year, and while I expect the Raiders to keep the Jets defense on its toes, I expect New York to grind away at the Raiders defense, snatching this one by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Kansas City vs San Diego

The San Diego Chargers will show no mercy on a Kansas City Chiefs team that has lost three key players to their starting lineup, when the two division rivals meet at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday.

Venue/Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Time/Date: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, September 25, 2011
NFL Odds From: 5 Dimes
Spread (ATS): Chargers -16
Over/Under: 45

Kansas City has gone from first to worst in just one year, and the news from the locker room is that tight end Tony Moeaki and Pro Bowlers – safety Eric Berry and running back Jamaal Charles – are all out for with season-ending left ACL injuries.

That is good news for a Chargers’ team that has all the right ingredients to regain their roost atop the AFC West.

However, they have yet to show it , and their four-turnover performance against the New England Patriots proves the Bolts still have a ways to go.

The Pats simply pushed the San Diego defense around, scoring drives on all four of their possessions before halftime, en route to a 35-21 win.

The lone bright spot for San Diego was Vincent Jackson who had 10 receptions for 172 yards and two TDs for San Diego, while Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates did not have a single reception for the first time in 34 games.

Rivers will need to do a better job of distributing the rock if San Diego is going to make a serious postseason charge. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

And it all starts this weekend against the Chiefs who have lost four straight and have been outscored 130-27 in those games, including 89-10 this season after matching the worst loss in franchise history, 48-3 at Detroit last Sunday. This just one week after suffering their worst season-opening loss, 41-7 to Buffalo.

The Chiefs committed six turnovers against the Lions, including three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Matt Cassel.

Can it get any worse?

Well, without Charles, the already poor play Cassel will only be magnified.

He has throw for just 256 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions this season, after averaging 207.7 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2010.

Hopefully for the Chiefs, running back Thomas Jones, arguably the best backup running back in the NFL, can help fill the void left by the injured Charles and shoulder the majority of the offensive load until Cassel finds his game.

Wherever it is.

But at age 33, the Chiefs must be careful not to overwork Jones, so RB Dexter McCluster will also likely see more time in the backfield. McCluster moved from receiver to running back this season but he’s still seeing time at both positions.

This year, through just two games, he has nine receptions and 12 rushing attempts, but has fumbled twice already this season. McCluster could definitely compliment Jones by creating some confusion for the defense, but only if he holds onto the ball.

Matt’s Prediction: Chargers 40, Chiefs 13- The Chargers won four straight AFC West titles before the Chiefs dethroned them in 2010. However, in the past six games overall against the Chiefs, San Diego QB Phillip Rivers has completed 68.3 percent of his passes with 13 TDs en route to a 5-1 record. I expect Rivers to lead his team to a big win in this one as the Charger cover.