Monday Morning Moment of Clarity

• The Patriots continue to struggled against defenses with elite pass-rushers. Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer struggled to contain Aldon Smith and Justin Smith, before the latter left with an injury. Funny how the NFL works sometimes, the Giants and Niners both of the Patriots number, but the Niners can’t beat the Giants, and Giants consistently beat themselves.

• Is there anyway they don’t split this year’s MVP vote between Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson. Have you ever been more excited to here “now we’re going to Minnesota with a game-break“.

• Detroit is going to be in tough position when they have to re-sign Matt Stafford. Being one of the last QB’s to get a huge rookie contract, he’s going to demand to be paid like a former No.1 pick. After a performance like yesterday, three seasons later you’re still wondering what you have in this guy. While his numbers are great, they are such empty numbers, it’s kind of like Brad Pitt in “Moneyball” “No one gives a shit if you lose the last game of the season“, no one gives a shit if you throw 400 yards in a loss with 4 picks. What is even worse is they lost to team starting a rookie drafted in the 6th round out of San Diego St.

• I’m not seeing the logic of the Bucs trading CB Aqib Talib with no one on the roster even close to replacing him. Drew Brees took them out to the woodshed and beat them like the NFL’s ugly red-headed step-child, throwing 26 of 39 for 307 and 4 TD’s

• Mike Shanahan is quickly regaining back his reputation as a football genius, winning games starting two different rookie quarterbacks in the same season. Has anyone ever done that?

• Kirk Cousins made himself some Matt Cassel/Matt Flynn money yesterday, 329 and 2 TD’s.

• Who would have guessed that the Week 16 San Francisco versus Seattle game was going to be the premier game of the week.

• How bout those same Seahawks posting back to back 50 spots. Typical Pete Carroll trying to drum up attention for his teams anyway he knows how.

• Yesterday’s Oakland/ Kansas City game went exactly how a 2012 Raiders/Chiefs game would play-out, five Sebastian Janikowski field goals, with the Chiefs going to 0-3 on fourth down, twice in the Raiders end.

• Big fan of the Josh Hamilton signing for the Angles. First, who really cares about the contract numbers anymore in baseball, everyone is getting paid like a lotto winner, get over it! Secondly, you’re like holy crap they just teamed up Albert Pujols and Hamilton, then you remember that Mike Trout was the best player in the game last year, it has the potential of the best 3-4-5 of all time.

• Baseball has resumed becoming an arm’s race again. Kind topsy-turfy when you think about how it was only two years ago the wide success of the movie “Moneyball” and that Oakland just made the playoff again last season with the payroll of what the Angels are paying Hamilton and Pujols combined.

• Adding R.A. Dickey to the Jays is going to be a nightmare for opposing managers. Toronto is going to force opposing teams to use their entire bench’s when they play the Jays, you start with a big lefty in Johnson, right-handed flamethrower in Morrow, then a knuckleballer in Dickey, another lefty in Romero, then soft tossing Buehrle. Seems like the Jays are hoping that a more than few managers are going to over-manage prepping for the Jays.

NFL Sunday’s Easy Pickin’s

Baltimore Ravens (9-3, 5-6-1 ATS) vs Washington Redskins (6-6, 7-5-1 ATS) @ FedEx Field, 1 PM

Line: WSH by 2.5

Total: 47.5

Nobody can really understand the 2012 Baltimore Ravens. Losing to a Charlie Batch led Pittsburgh Steelers is unacceptable. In the last three season the Ravens record is 35-13, but 23-22 ATS. If there has ever been an indicator of how a team can be good yet so unpredictable, this is it. Take away the Houston loss (43-13) and wins versus Oakland (55-20) and Cincinnati (44-13) the rest of Baltimore’s games have been decided by 5 points or less.

Part of why the Ravens are so unpredictable is because of their enigma of a QB Joe Flacco. Flacco started the season pounding his chest for a contract extension that would make him one of the highest paid players in the league. His performance this season has been nowhere near elite, Flacco’s completion percentage is Vick-esque at 59.2% and after throwing multiple touchdowns in three of his first four games, he’s only had one multi touchdown game since, that came against a dreadful Oakland defense.

Expect Torrey Smith to have a big afternoon, Washington’s pass defense as mentioned here before is one of the worst in the league, Smith should be able to make life miserable for former teammate Josh Wilson, who will have the task of covering the Maryland product.

Even with all the injures to the Ravens, I’m very surprised to see the line favoring the Redskins. Even though this is technically a road game for the Ravens, FedEx Field is in the state of Maryland and is as much of a home game for the Ravens as it is for Washington. I’d take my chances on the 9-3 Ravens as an underdog in basically a home game.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-9, 2-9-1 ATS) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6, 8-3-1 ATS) @ Raymond James Stadium, 1 PM

Line: TB by 7

Total: 48

Tampa has been taking care of business against bad teams this year. While Tampa is on a two game losing streak, they lost to two Super Bowl contenders in Atlanta and Denver, only losing by a combined 8 points. The Bucs are really starting to develop a real rhythm on offense, with an opposing defense having to respect the run and pass, making a lethal play action attack.

The Bucs defense has been playing better of late too, not allowing a 100 yard rusher in the last three weeks. With DeSean Jackson missing for the Eagles, I can’t see a repeat of Bryce Brown’s 169 yard performance versus the Cowboys.

You have to question how focused Philly is. They fired the defensive line coach, put their best pass rushers on the street and more reports that more players will be looking for new address for next September. The Bucs are a team on the rise and have consistently cover the spread, Take Tampa and the 7 points and don’t look back.

Game of the Night

New York Giants (7-4, 5-5-1 ATS) vs Washington Redskins (5-6, 6-5 ATS) @ FedEx Field, 8.30 PM
Line: NYG by 3
Total: 49.5

While home-field hasn’t been an huge advantage for the Redskins this season, Washington is 3-0 against the spread versus the NFC East this season. In Robert Griffin III first meeting against the reigning champs, New York need three forced fumbles and a 77 yard Eli to Victor Cruz pass with less then two minutes to beat the impressive rookie from Baylor 27-23.

The Redskins offense ran the ball 38 times for 248 with Alfred Morris getting career highs in carries (22) and yards (120).

The Giants have struggled when their opponent gains 100+ rushing yards against them (2-4, but really 1-4 last week Green Bay gained 100 mercy yards in a blow-out).

RGIII went 20-28 with 2 TDs and 1 INT, this time he’ll have favorite target Pierre Garcon who missed the last meeting. The only thing really holding the Redskins out from a big blow-out is that Washington’s secondary is one of the worst in the game. Washington linebacker London Fletcher-Baker, who originally got hurt in the first game, may miss his first game in like two decades.

Take Washington and the over.