Jess Root sure loves those double-digit H-Bombs.
In three of the last four weeks, he has dropped the bomb on double-digit favorites and won two of those. Jess and I both believed the Panthers would cover the 12.5-point spread in Week 14 and we were right.
The Panthers aren’t involved in an H-Bomb-eligible game (6.5 points or more) this week, but they have covered four of six times this season in those games.
The week before he picked the Raiders to cover the 13 against the Chiefs and they did. In Week 11, the Jaguars failed to cover the 14 in a loss to the Lions.
The question now is whether he will stick with that strategy for this week’s double-digit game.
It was a good thing we both picked the same game last week because the Browns failed to cover the seven points against the Steelers and the Raiders also didn’t cover against the Buccaneers.
The 1-2 record dropped the overall record for the season to 36-22 (62.1 percent). There have been 18 outright wins by the underdogs in the 58 games.
This week is the second straight with only three eligible games:
- Ravens -16.5 at Giants
- Commanders -7.5 vs. Saints
- Vikings -6.5 vs. Bears
And yes, Jess is being bold again, believing that quarterback Tommy DeVito can somehow lead his team to enough points to give the Giants a chance to cover that massive point spread.
I don’t share his confidence, although, admittedly the other two games leave a lot to be desired. The Saints appear attractive, but then comes the realization that Jake Haener will be the quarterback.
Which leads us to the Bears, who had lost three consecutive division games by a total of seven points until going down by 25 at San Francisco last week.
One of those games was an overtime loss to the Vikings, so despite the game being in Minnesota this time, I say Chicago will bounce back and cover.
STANDINGS AFTER 14 WEEKS
Jess: 9-5 (3 direct hits)
Howard: 9-5 (3 direct hits)
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