It was finally a great week, going 9-6 against the spread, 11-4-1 straight up and 3-2 on best bets. Maybe you don't consider that a "great week," but this season has been tough. The 9-6 record was actually tied for the best mark at CBS Sports last week, and the 37-41-1 overall ATS record ranks third.
A lot of time to bounce back. Last week, we knew the Pittsburgh Steelers would easily cover against the Indianapolis Colts, the Cincinnati Bengals took care of business against the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants covered 3.5 points in a weird tie with the Washington Commanders. However, the Cleveland Browns let us down in a gross matchup dominated by bad weather, while the Jacksonville Jaguars struggled against a short-handed Philadelphia Eagles squad.
Don't overlook that result. Here's a look at what I'm thinking this week. As always, credit to the CBS Sports research team for making me sound smart.
Top five picks ATS record: 13-12Overall ATS record: 37-41-1Straight-up record: 46-32-1 Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network, Stream: Fubo, try for free) The Houston Texans finally got that elusive first victory against the lowly Tennessee Titans, and then scored another victory directly after the game by trading for Arizona Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. -- reuniting him with his college quarterback, C.J. I'm calling my shot here: Take the Texans to build on their momentum against the Jaguars in London.
The Jaguars are one of the best teams in the NFL, but it's hard to ignore last week's struggles. Jacksonville went 0-3 in the red zone against the Eagles, including two trips where the Jags failed to score any points from the one-yard line. As for the Texans, maybe this defense tightens up with DeMeco Ryans calling the plays again.
Houston is also 14-2 straight up and 11-4-1 against the spread in its last 16 divisional games away from home. The pick: Texans +2.5Projected score: Texans 21-18 Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Stream on Paramount+) The reports of the New England Patriots' demise have been greatly exaggerated.
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