The Daily Three 1/13

 Hello,

 So, I guess we can say boom and boom again. A third straight undefeated night, albeit it was a push, and we are rolling. The Badgers and Warriors took care of business, while thanks to a late Oilers goal in the third period, we were guaranteed a push in Edmonton. One of the reasons that Drew loves the o/u of 5 is that a 2-2 game guarantees a push. We got that last night and are now 8-0-1 in the past three nights. We are going to do something today that will make your Friday night more enjoyable. All three of the picks tonight will be on games that should be on at your local watering hole. This way you can cheer on a team while drinking some brews with some friends and use the money won from these games to pay for said brews. So let's do it. 

NCAAB

Detroit Mercy Titans at Oakland Grizzlies -16.5 (7 pm Eastern - ESPNU)

Yeah, Horizon League basketball isn't that appealing and you may be hard-pressed to find this on the television at your bar. However, ESPNU is always one of those generic channels that tend to be on, and this gives me the chance to talk about the 2015-2016 Oakland Grizzlies basketball team, one of my favorite college sports teams of all time. Yes, it is weird that a small school outside of Detroit would capture my imagination, but Oakland did just that. It was really thanks to two guys. The first, Kay Felder, was a 5' 9'' guard that constantly got triple-doubles. The guy was electric, always had the ball in his hands, and made everyone around him better. The man is so talented, he is currently playing with LeBron in Cleveland. The other guy was Max Hooper. He literally only shot three pointers, like actually. He took over 200 field goal attempts last season, and they were all three pointers. What a boss!! Both are great players that won't be playing tonight, but their spirit lives on at Oakland U, take the Grizz tonight. 

NHL

Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals (-1.5, +200) (7 pm Eastern - NHL Network)

Really not too much to say here. It is an overhyped January hockey game in Washington, so you know the Caps are going to show up. So far this month, the Caps have played Stanley Cup contenders Columbus, Montreal, and Pittsburgh and have won each game by multiple goals. This is not a knock on the Hawks at all, however, they show up in June no January. Take the great value and go Caps. 

NBA

Detroit Pistons at Utah Jazz -11 (10:30 pm Eastern -ESPN)

Bang bang, bang bang, bang bang. Hmmm, what is that noise? Oh, I know what that noise is. It is our late night hammer!! And look who is going to take the brunt of that hammer, our least favorite car part. The poor Pistons are going to go down again tonight, but I will spare them in this write-up. I am going to talk about the ridiculousness of their opponent's nickname. The Jazz came to be when they were playing in their original city, New Orleans. As you can tell, the name made a lot of sense in New Orleans. However, they moved to Utah, which has no association with Jazz what so ever, but the owners decided to keep the name. So, yeah, they disrespected New Orleans and their own citizens by not changing their name to something more geographically relevant. Despite this awry reality, jazz is still cool. It is a great genre of music and damn it, Ryan Gosling does an amazing job trying to revive the jazz scene in La La Land (No, John Legend, we don't need auto tune to make jazz more relevant, it is great the way it is. You're still awesome John, Ordinary People is a wonderful song). So, take the free space on your bingo board and go with Jazz.

Yesterday: 2-0-1
Overall: 19-9-2

The Daily Three 1/12

  Hello,

  Boom and Boom. That is our second straight day with a 3-0 record. The college basketball slate was one of the easier ones we will play, while we were bailed out by the Knicks. New York had a ten point lead with seven minutes left. Of course, they blew it, and TJ McConnell drained a game winner as time expired for the Sixers win. Tonight, we are going to back to the NHL slate, while doing our typical NBA and NCCAB pick. Short write-ups again today, but it should be enough.

NHL 
New Jersey Devils at Edmonton Oilers (Over 5 goals)

Taylor Hall revenge game!!!!!! That is all I need to say, but I will add a little more. Honestly, I was shocked when I saw this at just 5 goals (click for shocked face). Yes, I have been told I look like Joey from Friends before. Anyway, hockey games with an o/u of 5 are a favorite of my good friend Andrew Montesantos. He always loves to take the over in these games. Although I will stop short of saying always, I think we are in a good spot. Corey Schneider has really been having a down year and flying cross country to freezing Alberta to play Connor McDavid and his crew should not help his cause. Also, like I mentioned earlier, Taylor Hall is returning back to Edmonton for the first time since his infamous trade for Adam Larsson, seriously Adam Larsson. I would expect the revenge narrative to hold up here and for Taylor to fill up the stat sheet. Take the over and watch the goal sheet fill up.

NBA
Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors -13

Our disdain for the Detroit Pistons has been heavily documented. We share this hatred with the many members of the NBA from the early 90s. We share this hatred with the Amish. Why the Amish do you ask? Well, one would think a Piston would be a horse, considering the Pistons' logo is a horse. However, it is not a horse, but rather, it is a car part that helps create force in the engine and thus, get the car going. The strength of the piston translates to the level of horsepower in the car. So, great job Pistons, way to represent Motown. I honestly would be more impressed with the logo if it was actually a piston, not some stupid misrepresentation. The Amish are not accepting of the piston and think it makes a mockery of their form of travel (I do not know this for fact, I am just inferring this. The Amish are a good people). Anyway, the game is on national TV, so the Pistons may be hyped up and keep it up in the first half. However, Klay is back for the Warriors, and they should pull away late to cover the spread.

NCAAB
Ohio State Buckeyes at Wisconsin Badgers -11

Badgers are playing at the Kohl Center. That is it. If you don't like it, don't do it.

Yesterday: 3-0
Overall: 17-9-1

Daily Three 1/11

  Hello,

 Boom, we went 3-0 last night. The best part was that it was never in question. West Virginia handed Baylor their first loss in convincing fashion. Florida State upset Grayson Allen and Duke, and our boy Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a big night. And the Jazz got the win at home against Lebron just like predicted. Tonight, we will go the way of two college basketball games and one NBA game again. There will be no write-ups, just a little statement for each of the picks.

NBA
New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers +1.5

Fairly simple, the Knicks are a mess as Monday night showed. Trust the process and take the Sixers.

NCAAB
South Carolina Gamecocks -1.5 at Tennessee Volunteers

Last week, we took Tennessee -3 at home against Arkansas, and the Volunteers went on to lose that game. South Carolina is a significantly better team than Arkansas. Take the Gamecocks in Knoxville.

Butler Bulldogs at Creighton Bluejays -5.5

Here, Butler and Creighton are very good on their courts, not so much on the road. Creighton is playing in Omaha, take them.

Last Night: 3-0
Overall: 14-9-1

Daily Three 1/10

  Hello,

   So, obviously the big game last night did not go the way that I planned. It got off to a great start. Alabama got off to a quick 14-0 start, Bo was running all over the Clemson defense and using up clock. Things seemed to be going the right way. However, Clemson executed a wonderful game plan and kept the Bama defense on the field for 99 plays. The Alabama defense has never played that much in their history. Also, Bo went down in the third quarter, and the Tide were no longer able to play the bruising style of football that worked in the first half. Although I am disappointed with the result, I have no regrets making that pick and am fully confident that it was just a bad break. Anyway, we march on as we still have a winning record and split the other two games last night. Tonight, we are going to skip out on pucks and add an extra NCAAB game, as there are two primetime showdowns that I am looking forward to watching.

NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers at Utah Jazz +2

Tonight, the Lebron and the Cavs roll into Salt Lake City to take on Gordon Hayward and the Jazz. Although initially, it may seem like the Cavs are an easy bet to roll here, I am going the other way and taking Utah tonight. An astounding 86% of spread bets so far in this game are going towards the Cavs. Even though such heavy action is currently coming in on the Cavs, the spread has actually dropped from Cavs -2.5 to Cavs -2. One reason for this would obviously be that sharp money is on the Jazz. Clearly, it did not work for us last night. However, over the long run, following the sharp money will lead to more victories than losses. Also, Salt Lake City is an incredibly hard place for any opposing NBA team to come into and get a victory. Just ask the Golden State Warriors, who have played many close games with the Jazz over the past three years. At home, the Jazz are able to really slow down the pace of the game and grind out victories against teams that are really more talented than they are. I think they are definitely capable of doing that, but just to be safe, we will take the two points the Cavs are giving us anyway.

NCAAB
Baylor Bears at West Virginia Mountaineers -6

What a slate of college basketball games tonight. People like to bash how meaningless the regular season is in college basketball, but I disagree. Going into hostile buildings and playing competitive games against even-matched teams build you for March. Also, they are incredibly exciting. One of these matchups tonight comes in the Big 12 as the number one ranked Baylor Bears go into Morgantown to face West Virginia.  For the first time in program history, Baylor is the number one team in the country. Quite the accomplishment for coach, Scott Drew, who took over the team as it was struck in turmoil resulting from poor performance and the ongoing murder trial of one of its own players killing a fellow teammate. Unfortunately for Drew, Baylor's first game at the top of the rankings is probably going to end in a loss. As I'm sure many of you can recall from last year, each and every week it seemed like there was a new number one team. Constantly after reaching the top, teams just constantly blew their chance and fell right back down the ladder. The main reason for this is that the sport severely lacked a true number one team. I think that is also the case this season. Currently, Baylor is ranked 7th in the Ken Pom efficiency poll. Although that is obviously a very good, they are ranked below their opponent who is currently ranked at #2. Also, an interesting metric that Ken Pom uses it Luck. Luck is apparently evaluated by rating a team's actual record against it's expected record based on Ken Pom ratings. This could possibly explain why an undefeated Baylor team would fall all the way down to 7. Baylor ranks 81st in the luck category, which is actually considerably high for a team of their caliber. Consider tonight to be the night that their luck runs out, as Bob Huggins will have his squad controlling the pace with their high-intensity press and deep roster.

Duke Blue Devils at Florida State Seminoles -1.5

 In this one, Duke will be without its coach and senior leader Amile Jefferson as they head to Tallahassee to face the surprisingly good Florida State Seminoles. I'm sure I will get many opportunities to talk about Duke, so I will talk about Leonard Hamilton's squad. The Seminoles just hit the top ten this week and are ranked #19 in the Ken Pom rankings. Hamilton's teams usually are very defensively-minded, however this squad has found a very nice balance and strike fear in their opponents from both side of the court. The Seminoles are led by Dwayne Bacon, who made the surprising decision to return for his sophomore year. Bacon was part of a huge recruiting class along with Terrance Mann and Malik Beasley, who did leave after his freshman year. Despite little spurts of success, the Seminoles were unable to find any consistency and struggled to a 20-14 record and second round loss in the NIT. Now, Bacon leads the team in scoring with 18 points a game and the Seminoles appear to be a lock to make the tournament already, barring a late season collapse. Their X-Factor is junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes. During his freshman year, Rathan-Mayes straight up balled and almost led the Seminoles to a NIT title. However, last season with the additions of Bacon, Mann, and Beasley, Rathan-Mayes struggled to adapt to his role of facilitator and the Seminoles struggled as a result. This season, his minutes are down, but he has started every game and has career highs in assists and assist-turnover ratio. In order for the Seminoles to pull it out tonight, Rathan-Mayes will need to able to control the pace and limit turnovers. I think he is more than capable, as he is a great player, and the Blue Devils have historically struggled playing in Northern Florida. The Seminoles will take advantage of some of the Blue Devils' losses and get the home victory to continue their winning ways.

Last Night: 1-2
Overall: 11-9-1

Daily Three (1/9) NCAAF Title Game (Lock of the Month)

 Hello,

  Unforunately, Saturday resulted in the first losing day for the picks I have given out. Despite, a 2-1 record in college basketball, the Wild blew an early 2-0 and lost to the Kings, while my bold proclamation about the Seahawks did not hold up. So, Saturday ended up being a 2-3 day (Pistons/Blazers game was postponed, so the play becomes invalid). Tonight belongs to college football as the Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will go head-to-head for the right to be called national champions. I will have a pick for each the NHL and the NBA with no write-up as I'm sure all of the focus will be on the big game tonight.

NHL 
Washington Capitals EVEN at Montreal Canadiens (Caps are underdogs, take them)

NBA
Dallas Mavericks +4.5 at Minnesota Timberwolves (Public is with the Wolves and the spread went down from -5 to -4.5)

NCAAF
Clemson Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5 (Lock of the Month)

It only makes sense that the Lock of the Month would take place in the National College Football Championship game. Clemson is looking for payback against the Bama team that ended their championship dreams last season. Clemson was able to cover the 7 point spread in last year's championship game thanks to a late score with twelve seconds late in the game. Yes, Clemson did cover, but that is definitely a flukey way to cover a game. As we get into this year's version, we are going to look at some betting trends. In their past ten games, the Tigers are 5-5 against the spread, while  the Crimson Tide are a remarkable 8-2. Usually, the trend in Vegas tends to be "Never bet against the Tide." However, the public has seemed to abandon this principle in the lead-up to this game. As of time of this writing, 61% of spread bets are on Clemson, according to Sports Insights (all betting percentages are according to Sports Insights). One of our main principles is that the public is normally wrong and in some cases, stupid. In this situation, I think the public is being stupid. What could possibly lead to 3/5th of bettors to be all over the Tigers. Well, one reason is probably recency bias. The last time we saw these two teams play, the Tigers absolutely man-handled the number 3 seed Ohio State Buckeyes, while the Crimson Tide struggled with a stingy Washington Huskies team and managed to get by with a 24-7 (worth noting, Alabama covered). The Tigers' offense was very efficient and their defense was dominant. The Tide's D was business as usual, while the offense was stagnant at times and struggled to move the ball against a solid Washington D. It would make sense for people to side with the Tigers, if they had only watched these two teams played on New Year's Eve. However, we have an entire season of football to evaluate these two teams, and the Tide were consistently dominant throughout it. The Tigers definitely had their moments, but also lost a game at home to an average Pitt team, and they really should have lost a second game at home to NC State (NC State missed game-winning field goal as time expired). Also, I think the results of the semifinal games actually benefits Alabama. Do you think that Nick Saban is going to allow his team to be disorganized, inefficient, and sloppy for a second consecutive game, let alone a second consecutive playoff game. Saban is probably reminding his players every single morning about their performance in Atlanta and will be ready to go in Tampa. Clemson, on the other hand, played a phenomenal game in Glendale and definitely exceed expectations. Coach, Dabo Swinney, will need to keep his players his players grounded and not let them get too cocky. Obviously, these players believe in their head coach, but college athletes are way different than professionals. The media have been talking them up for the past week and a half, and they are definitely listening to it. We shall see if they can drown out the noise and just play their game, however, I think it will definitely have some effect on them. Also, the public is probably concerned about the sudden departure of Lane Kiffin. I wouldn't look too much into it. Steve Sarkisian has been a successful offensive coordinator in the sport and has been around the staff all year. His role as offensive analyst did not allow him much contact with players. He will most likely use a game plan that is basically cut from the same cloth as Kiffin's game plans all year, and the offense will run smoothly. Now that we have exposed the public for its foolish logic, we can look at our other betting principle, sharp money/reverse line movement. Is there any reverse line movement going on this game. Boom, we can confirm that there is some reverse line movement. The line opened up at -6 and has since moved to the aforementioned -6.5, despite 61% of spread bets being placed on the Tigers. This reverse line movement has been triggered by sharp money, as the Tide have received 47% of the money wagered despite only getting 39% of the bets. Even though, Clemson has received more money at 53%, it does not mean the sharp money is on them. Since, more bets have been placed on Clemson than money wagered on them, it more or less proves the point that they are being backed by the public, which we do not like. Lastly, if you want to get behind a narrative in this game, don't fall for the obvious ones that actually have no merit. Obviously, Clemson wants revenge over Bama, but it doesn't mean that they are going to try harder than a Nick Saban coached team. The junior Heisman candidate QB vs the true freshman QB narrative is also very overhyped. Jalen Hurts didn't seem to phased winning the Iron Bowl, SEC Championship, or National Semifinal games (although he did struggle in the National Semifinal). The real narrative to get behind is this historically good Bama defense. Although, they ended up winning the game last year, this defense got shredded apart by Deshaun Watson. For the the past week and a half, this defense has been watching tape of Watson easily dissecting their defense and dropping 40 points on them. There is nothing that this defense would like to do more than shut down this explosive Clemson offense and cement themselves as one of the greatest defenses in college football history. So, there it is, the lock of the month. The Crimson Tide will take care of business tonight in Tampa and will continue the legacy of the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport.

Saturday: 2-3

Overall: 10-7-1

Daily Three 1/7 Part 2

Here is Part 2 of the daily three

NCAAB

Oregon State at Washington -10.5

  This is a Pac-12 matchup between two pretty awful teams. Washington is ranked 122 in the Ken Pom, while Oregon State is all the way down at 232. This is a pretty bad game. However, it gives me an opportunity to talk about Markelle Fultz. Fultz is averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds a game. The 6'4'' point guard has incredible handles and does a great job of creating his own shot. He is able to distribute the ball effectively and really gives it his all for all 40 minutes. He has been one of the best players in the country and is likely going to be a top three pick in this year's draft  if not number one. Unfortunately, his supporting cast has not helped him out all year. The Huskies are 7-7 this year and are really wasting their one year with Fultz. Coach, Lorenzo Romar, has a reputation for recruiting high-level prospects and then underperforming with them. He is said to be a great recruiter, awful coach. This may be the end of the line for Romar if he cannot turn the ship around this season. Today, he should have a good shot at doing so. For how bad the Huskies have been this year, the Beavers have been remarkably worse. According to Ken Pom, they have played the country's 36th easiest schedule, and they managed to finish 4-9 out of conference. 4-9!!! They lost at home to Lamar and Savannah State. Savannah State!!! It is really an unfortunate follow up to their NCAA tournament berth last year. Coach's son Tres Trinkle is also out of today's game, which would have maybe helped this poor team's cause. Take the Huskies today as the Beavers continue their sad fall from grace. 

Mississippi State at LSU -2

This will be a very short write-up. Both teams have the same record. However, LSU is ranked 106 in the Ken Pom ratings, Mississippi State is at 130. Mississippi State lost its first SEC game at home against Alabama. LSU won its last SEC game at Missouri by 11. Yes, LSU is definitely missing Ben Simmons this year, but there is no way they should lose a home game to a team they significantly better than. Take LSU with this very fortunate spread. 

Maryland +8 at Michigan 

 Melo Trimble, Melo Trimble, Melo Trimble. That is all I really need to say. Michigan is a good squad, but they have played two really close Big Ten games against Iowa and Penn State. Maryland is better than both of these teams. These two teams played a great game in Ann Arbor last year, and I expect the same. The Terps should cover the spread very easily in this one. 

Daily Three 1/7 Part 1

  Hello,

  Yesterday, we were once again very close to completing an undefeated day but just fell short. With a late free throw, Dayton just beat the spread and beat Rhode Island by 3 points. I also apologize for some faulty analysis in that game. Star, Charles Cooke, did not play for the second straight game with  a hamstring injury. Fortunately, the Flyers were able to pull through anyway. The Lakers absolutely destroyed the undermanned Heat. We were probably helped by Goran Dragic's ejection in the third quarter, but we take what we can get in this business. Unfortunately, the loss came in the NHL, where the Ducks were only able to win by a goal. This is why the puck line is so risky. The Ducks were clearly the better team on the ice last night, but they needed overtime to get the job done. Also, Mike Smith, I know you are very crafty handling the puck but why are you playing around in front of the goal in overtime.

  Anyway, I am going to try something a little different today. Saturdays are essentially made for college basketball for the first three months of the year. There are so many games, thus, there is a lot of opportunity for value. I am going to do two Daily Threes today, one devoted to college basketball and one normal one with three picks. Fortunately, there is an NFL game today, so I will replace the college basketball pick with football. So, here is the first part, NHL, NBA, and NFL.

NHL
Minnesota Wild +115 at Los Angeles Kings

Today, we will start off in La La Land (great movie) as the Minnesota Wild face off against the LA Kings. This year's version of the Wild are barely recognizable compared to years past. The Wild, who traditionally struggle winning on the road and scoring both at home and on the road, have been exceptional away from Xcel Energy Center and are scoring goals at will. They are currently sporting an 11-5-4 on the road compared to a mediocre 17-17-7 record last year. Also, they currently lead the Western Conference in goals with 118 goals, what? They share the same conference as teams that include Patrick Kane, Vladamir Tarasenko, and Joe Pavelski. Their star, Zach Parise, has missed significant time this year, and they are still scoring at will. This recent surge in scoring and success can in large part be attributed to new coach Bruce Boudreau, who has a reputation for immediately implementing his run n' gun style and turning it into success right away. This style is the total opposite of their opponents who like to clog up the neutral zone and are very reliant on blocking shots. The Kings are much happier with 2-1 victories than 6-5, and at times, they can be taxing for the casual fan to watch. However, I think that the new and improved Minnesota Wild will take it to them today. The Kings have been fighting to keep pace without star goalie Jonathan Quick all year. LA has not announced a starter yet for this afternoon's game, but it should not matter. Both Peter Budaj and Jeff Zatakof are long-time journeymen who do not have the ability to take over games. It is worth noting that the Wild will be starting backup Darcy Kuemper this afternoon. No worries, he is a competent goalie and having some goals in this game may help the Wild play at their pace rather than that of the home team. Also, the Wild are hot. The Wild recently had a twelve game winning streak snapped by the other hottest team in the league, the Blue Jackets. Then thursday night, they went out and beat the Sharks in the Shark Tank, one of the hardest places to win in the league. LA is also a hard place to win, but it can definitely be done, as highlighted by the 4-0 win by the Red Wings on Thursday in the Staples Center. Go bold here and take the Wild on the road to get the job done against LA.

NBA
Detroit Pistons at Portland Trail Blazers -3.5

The Portland Trail Blazers did not have the best December. They really faltered with a 4-11 record for the month and lost Damian Lillard for a period of time. However, with the change in the calendar, it seems that is back to business as usual in Portland. Dame is back, and the Blazers have started the new year off right with wins over Minnesota and the Lakers and a hard fought loss in Golden State. They also managed to cover all three games. Detroit is also off to a 2-1 start to the year, however as we witnessed the other night, this team appears to be mess on the defensive end of the floor. In blowing an 18 point quarter lead to the Hornets (only to win on a questionable call), the Pistons gave up 43 fourth quarter points, 43!!! If they had allowed that many points in the other three quarters, they would have allowed 172 points. In the game before Charlotte, the Pistons gave up 121 points to a Pacers team that is not known for their offensive prowess. Now, they have to fly across the country to play against what is arguably the best offensive backcourt in the league (Dame and C.J. Mccollum). Also, the Pistons are 7-12 against the spread on the road and 4-9 as road dogs. The Blazers aren't exactly impressive with an 8-9 record against the spread at home. They make up for it as home favorites as they are 7-5, and they have also covered 5 of their last 6 games. The Pistons have covered in 2 of their last 6 games. I think this line is completely ludicrous. I am all over the Blazers, and you should be too.

NFL
Detroit Lions +9 at Seattle Seahawks

As the NFL playoffs begin today, I will take my first foray into the NFL. I am going to start by saying something wildly unpopular. Ready, the Seattle Seahawks are overrated! I can picture you spitting out your coffee onto the screen and screaming "Whoa, he is crazy." Guess what, I am not. Since Thanksgiving weekend, the Seahawks are a medicare 3-3 with bad losses to the Bucs and to the Cardinals at home. Yeah, the vaunted 12th man can be silenced. In all of these games, with the mere exception of the Carolina game, the offense has been rather blasé, and they have struggled to get any running game going at all. Also, the injury to Earl Thomas has been devastating to their defense. The only game he played in during this stretch, they won 40-7 over aforementioned Carolina. Since the injury, their two victories have come over two of the three worst teams in the NFL, the Rams and the 49ers (the Niners game was even close). In their two losses after the Earl Thomas injury, the defense has been absolutely flattened to the tune of 38 points from Aaron Rodgers and the Packers and 34 points from Carson Palmer and the Cardinals. Who can tell me the difference between Green Bay and Arizona compared to LA and San Francisco, oh wait, I know, the former have competent offenses and the latter are incompetent messes. That sounds about right. Detroit would fall into the category of competent offense. Although, Detroit does have a competent offense, I would be remiss to not mention some of their issues. Detroit is coming to Seattle having lost their last 3 games and Matthew Stafford not playing his best (most likely due to a finger injury that has bothered him the last three weeks).The Lions, also, really struggle getting to the quarterback. The Lions are tied for second to last in sacks in the league. It will be interesting to see if the Lions D-Line can take advantage of the weak Seahawks O-Line and get to Russell Wilson. It is has been happening all season, so I think Haloti Ngata and his teammates can do it. Despite the recent struggles, it is important to note that the three teams the Lions lost to are not on the same level as the Bucs or Cardinals. Since Thanksgiving, the Green Bay Packers were the one common opponent for each of these teams. These three teams would be fellow playoff contenders, New York (NFC), Dallas, and Green Bay.  The Lions lost by a touchdown, the Seahawks lost by four touchdowns. The last note I will bring up is that these two teams played in a thriller last year on Monday night, in which, the Seahawks barely came away with victory. The result would have most likely changed had the referees called a fairly obvious illegal batting on linebacker KJ Wright. However, they missed it, and the Seahawks were victorious. I see this game being very similar. It will be hard-fought and exciting, and the Seahawks will most likely end up on top, but only by a small margin.

  Last Night: 2-1
  Overall: 8-4-1