Thursday, November 29, 2012

NFL Week 13: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Welcome Back to The Sports Savant's Weekly NFL Picks, Week 13 Edition!


Week 12 was a regrettable week of picks to win for The Sports Savant.  With a 8-8 record picking the winner last week, it ties the worst mark I've had in my time picking every NFL game, but thankfully it continued my streak of never having finished under .500 in any week of picks to win since I began picking NFL games.  What was most disheartening about Week 12 was a number of very close games that went against my picks including a one point loss for the Bucs vs. the Falcons and that ridiculous 4th and 29 that the Ravens converted with two minutes left in regulation to extend the game and eventually win against the Chargers in OT who I had picked to win.  

The silver lining though was a nice record with the spread.  9-5-2 is a real solid record against the spread and makes lots of money if done consistently.  I'm proud to say my spread picks have been over .500 for several weeks in a row so if you've been playing my spread picks, you've been doing quite well.  A fair showing at 8-8 in the over/under was good enough to keep my red hot 56.2 percentage on the year, but I'm always looking to improve and improving is the plan for Week 13!


Before we look at my picks for Week 12, let's take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season...


*WEEK 12 RESULTS*

Winner: 8-8 
Winner w/ Spread: 9-5-2
Over/Under: 8-8
---------------------------------------------
Trifecta: 3
Strikeouts: 4
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 1 (San Francisco)
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0
___________


*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 114-61-1 (.651)
Winner w/ Spread: 90-81-5 (.526)
Over/Under: 95-74-7 (.562)
--------------------------------------------

Trifecta: 48
Strikeouts: 30
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 21   [Week 1]: New England  [Week 2]: Indianapolis, San Francisco [Week 3]: Chicago, Washington, New York(A)  [Week 4]: Cleveland, Philadelphia  [Week 5]: Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego  [Week 7]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay  [Week 9]: Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arizona  [Week 11]: Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis 
[Week 12]:San Francisco
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 2   [Week 9]: Arizona @ Green Bay  [Week 11]: Carolina v. Tampa Bay

NOTE: The team with a negative number in parenthesis "(-3)" next to their name is the favorite to win the matchup and the number represents how many points the favorite has to score more than the underdog to count as a winning bet.  The over/under for the game is represented by a number in parenthesis with the letters o and u "(o/u 46)".  The number represents the amount of points you are wagering whether or not the two team's combined score will be in excess of or short of.  Official betting lines courtesy of www.footballlocks.com

LOCKS: Games that have a "*LOCK*" logo next to the score are my spread lock picks of the week.  I choose four games each week that I feel will be a lock to win the spread bet.  If I have an underdog winning against a favorite and it is a *LOCK* pick, it means it is a lock that the favorite will not cover the spread, not a lock that the underdog wins the game.

Don't forget to visit therealsportssavant.blogspot.com to check my game picks or right here on lastwordonsports.com at The Sports Savant channel.  And now for my Week 13, NFL picks...





New Orleans @ Atlanta(-3.5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: New Orleans to win ~ 27-24
Over/Under Pick: Over









Seattle @ Chicago(-3.5)  (o/u 37.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Chicago and the points to win ~ 17-10
Over/Under Pick: Under








Minnesota @ Green Bay(-8)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Minnesota with the points; Green Bay and the points to win ~ 27-20
Over/Under Pick: Over








St. Louis v. San Francisco(-7)  (o/u 40)
Savant Spread Pick: San Francisco and the points to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Over








Arizona @ New York(A)(-4.5)  (o/u 37)
Savant Spread Pick: Arizona to win ~ 17-16
Over/Under Pick: Under








Kansas City v. Carolina(-3)  (o/u 40.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Carolina and the points to win ~ 20-13
Over/Under Pick: Under








Indianapolis @ Detroit(-5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Indianapolis with the points; Detroit to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Under








Jacksonville @ Buffalo(-6)  (o/u 44.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Jacksonville with the points; Buffalo to win ~ 21-17
Over/Under Pick: Under








Miami v.  New England(-7.5)  (o/u 51.5)
Savant Spread PickNew England and the points to win ~ 31-20
Over/Under Pick: Under







Tennessee v. Houston(-6)  (o/u 47)
Savant Spread Pick: Tennessee with the points; Houston to win ~ 24-20
Over/Under Pick: Under








Tampa Bay @ Denver(-7)  (o/u 50.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Denver and the points to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Under









Pittsburgh @ Baltimore(-8)  (o/u 39.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Baltimore and the points to win ~ 23-13
Over/Under Pick: Under








Oakland v. Cleveland(-1.5)  (o/u 41.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Oakland to win ~ 16-13
Over/Under Pick: Under









San Diego v. Cincinnati(-1.5)  (o/u 46)
Savant Spread Pick: Cincinnati and the points to win ~ 24-19
Over/Under Pick: Under








Philadelphia @ Dallas(-10)  (o/u 43)
Savant Spread Pick: Philadelphia with the points; Dallas to win ~ 26-17

Over/Under Pick: Under







Washington @ New York(N)(-2.5)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread PickWashington to win ~ 27-26
Over/Under Pick: Over

Thursday, November 22, 2012

NFL Week 12: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Welcome Back to The Sports Savant's Weekly NFL Picks, Thanksgiving Weekend Edition(Week 12)!


I'm right back on track to reach my annual goals in my NFL picks for 2012.  After a scorching hot Week 11, I've got the most accurate NFL prognosticators on notice.  With a blazing 12-2 record, I've got the hot hand once again, but in an even more superfluous note, I eclipsed double digit wins against the spread and maintained a nice 8 win record against the over/under.  Additionally, I landed FOUR more perfect team score predictions and nabbed my second perfect game score prediction in consecutive weeks, a feat that has odds well over 200 to 1.  The week was capped with another record tying 7 trifectas and only 2 strikeouts, putting me close to where I want to be at the end of the year in terms of trifectas to strikeout ratio with 45 trifectas to 26 strikeouts on the year.  I've also become one of just a handful of NFL experts to eclipse 105 wins by the end of Week 11.

This week may very well separate many of the experts.  This is one of the most unusual weeks of NFL games to pick considering there are a very rare 9 home underdogs this week and many are underdogs by a single point.  This is a week that is shaping up to be one that even 10 wins will be on the high end with so many very close games to choose from.  It's weeks like these that you'll be glad you turned to The Sports Savant for your game picks!

Before we look at my picks for Week 12, let's take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season...


*WEEK 11 RESULTS*

Winner: 12-2  
Winner w/ Spread: 10-4
Over/Under: 8-5-1
---------------------------------------------
Trifecta: 7
Strikeouts: 2
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 4 (Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis)
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 1 (Carolina v. Tampa Bay)
___________


*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 106-53-1 (.667)
Winner w/ Spread: 81-76-3 (.516)
Over/Under: 87-66-7 (.569)
--------------------------------------------

Trifecta: 45
Strikeouts: 26
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 21   [Week 1]: New England  [Week 2]: Indianapolis, San Francisco [Week 3]: Chicago, Washington, New York(A)  [Week 4]: Cleveland, Philadelphia  [Week 5]: Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego  [Week 7]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay  [Week 9]: Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arizona  [Week 11]: Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 2   [Week 9]: Arizona @ Green Bay  [Week 11]: Carolina v. Tampa Bay

NOTE: The team with a negative number in parenthesis "(-3)" next to their name is the favorite to win the matchup and the number represents how many points the favorite has to score more than the underdog to count as a winning bet.  The over/under for the game is represented by a number in parenthesis with the letters o and u "(o/u 46)".  The number represents the amount of points you are wagering whether or not the two team's combined score will be in excess of or short of.  Official betting lines courtesy of www.footballlocks.com

LOCKS: Games that have a "*LOCK*" logo next to the score are my spread lock picks of the week.  I choose four games each week that I feel will be a lock to win the spread bet.  If I have an underdog winning against a favorite and it is a *LOCK* pick, it means it is a lock that the favorite will not cover the spread, not a lock that the underdog wins the game.

Don't forget to visit therealsportssavant.blogspot.com to check my game picks or right here on lastwordonsports.com at The Sports Savant channel.  And now for my Week 12, NFL picks...








Detroit v. Houston(-3)  (o/u 50)
Savant Spread PickHouston and the points to win ~ 28-23
Over/Under Pick: Over







Washington  @ Dallas(-3)  (o/u 48)
Savant Spread PickWashington with the points; Dallas to win ~ 27-26
Over/Under Pick: Over









New York(A) v.  New England(-7)  (o/u 48.5)
Savant Spread PickNew England and the points to win ~ 31-23 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over






Oakland @ Cincinnati(-8.5)  (o/u 50)
Savant Spread Pick: Oakland with the points Cincinnati to win ~ 26-20
Over/Under Pick: Under






Cleveland v. Pittsburgh(-1)  (o/u 34.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Pittsburgh and the points to win ~ 20-14
Over/Under Pick: Under






Buffalo @ Indianapolis(-3)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Indianapolis and the points to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Under






Kansas City v. Denver(-10.5)  (o/u 44)
Savant Spread Pick: Kansas City with the points; Denver to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Over






Jacksonville v. Tennessee(-4)  (o/u 44.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Jacksonville to win ~ 24-21
Over/Under Pick: Over






Minnesota @ Chicago(-4)  (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Chicago and the points to win ~ 20-9
Over/Under Pick: Under






Tampa Bay v. Atlanta(-1)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Tampa Bay to win ~ 24-23
Over/Under Pick: Under
 






Miami v. Seattle(-3)  (o/u 37.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Seattle and the points to win ~ 20-16
Over/Under Pick: Under
 






San Diego v. Baltimore(-1)  (o/u 47)
Savant Spread Pick: San Diego to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Over






New Orleans v. San Francisco(-1)  (o/u 49)
Savant Spread Pick: San Francisco and the points to win ~ 31-23
Over/Under Pick: Over






St. Louis @ Arizona(-1.5)  (o/u 37)
Savant Spread Pick: Arizona and the points to win ~ 19-13
Over/Under Pick: Under






Green Bay @ New York(N)(-3)  (o/u 51)
Savant Spread Pick: Green Bay to win ~ 27-24
Over/Under Pick: Over






Philadelphia v. Carolina(-3)  (o/u 42)
Savant Spread Pick: Carolina and the points to win ~ 23-19

Over/Under Pick: Under

Thursday, November 15, 2012

NFL Week 11: Win, Spread, Over/Under and Game Score Predictions

Welcome to another week of The Sports Savant NFL Picks, Week 11 Edition!


I survived Week 10 with a fairly standard 8-5-1 record and broke even on my spread picks at 7 a piece.  What continues to surprise is the RED HOT pace I'm on against the Over/Under.  Picking the winner is measured successfully at 63% or better, while the spread and over/under are designed to be 50/50 propositions.  Despite those odds, I continue to pick the over/under at a torrid 56.4% pace.  That doesn't seem like much over 50%, but that 6.4% is the difference of hundreds or thousands of dollars on the season if you've played all of my picks on the over/under in your betting books.  I'm still hovering just 0.3% under 50% against the spread so in just a couple of good weeks, I can be back in the black from the red in those bets.

The upside to last week was my 4 trifectas versus 0 strikeouts, so I didn't pick any game where I missed on all three betting props and picked all three correctly in 4 of the games.  I still need to improve upon my trifecta:strikeout ratio.  I'd like for it to be around 2 to 1, but as it is, it's 1.6 to 1 so it could use some improvement.

This week is mostly chalk, but in an interesting twist, I do have 4 favorites winning the game but not covering their respective spreads.  I think Vegas got a little greedy on a few favorites so we'll see how that ends up playing out.  I'm confident at least two of those games will end up as such, if not all of them. The most interesting of those games is the massive 15 point spread the Texans will try to cover versus the Jags.  They did beat them by 20 in Week 1, but I don't think it will happen twice.  Another I have is Baltimore beating Pittsburgh, but also not covering.  These games usually come right down to the wire and I will not be surprised to see a one point win by either team or at minimum, a FG to break a tie and win for Baltimore, which will not cover the 3.5 points.

Before we look at my picks for Week 11, let's take a look at how last weeks picks shaped up and my overall records for the 2012 NFL season...



*WEEK 10 RESULTS*


Winner: 8-5-1  
Winner w/ Spread: 7-7
Over/Under: 10-4
---------------------------------------------
Trifecta: 4
Strikeouts: 0
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 0
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 0
___________


*2012 Overall Record*
Winner: 94-51-1 (.648)
Winner w/ Spread: 71-72-3 (.497)
Over/Under: 79-61-6 (.564)
--------------------------------------------

Trifecta: 38
Strikeouts: 24
Perfect Team Score Predictions: 17   [Week 1]: New England  [Week 2]: Indianapolis, San Francisco [Week 3]: Chicago, Washington, New York(A)  [Week 4]: Cleveland, Philadelphia  [Week 5]: Green Bay, Seattle, San Diego  [Week 7]: St. Louis, Tampa Bay  [Week 9]: Miami, Tennessee, Green Bay, Arizona
Perfect Game Score Predictions: 1   [Week 9]: Arizona @ Green Bay

NOTE: The team with a negative number in parenthesis "(-3)" next to their name is the favorite to win the matchup and the number represents how many points the favorite has to score more than the underdog to count as a winning bet.  The over/under for the game is represented by a number in parenthesis with the letters o and u "(o/u 46)".  The number represents the amount of points you are wagering whether or not the two team's combined score will be in excess of or short of.  Official betting lines courtesy of www.footballlocks.com

LOCKS: Games that have a "*LOCK*" logo next to the score are my spread lock picks of the week.  I choose four games each week that I feel will be a lock to win the spread bet.  If I have an underdog winning against a favorite and it is a *LOCK* pick, it means it is a lock that the favorite will not cover the spread, not a lock that the underdog wins the game.

Don't forget to visit therealsportssavant.blogspot.com to check my game picks or right here on lastwordonsports.com at The Sports Savant channel.  And now for my Week 11, NFL picks...




Miami @ Buffalo(-2.5)  (o/u 45)
Savant Spread Pick: Miami to win ~ 27-23

Over/Under Pick: Over





Philadelphia @ Washington(-3.5)  (o/u 44)
Savant Spread Pick: Washington and the points to win ~ 27-23
Over/Under Pick: Over







Detroit v. Green Bay(-3)  (o/u 52)
Savant Spread Pick: Green Bay and the points to win ~ 28-20
Over/Under Pick: Under






Arizona @ Atlanta(-9.5)  (o/u 44)
Savant Spread Pick: Atlanta and the points to win ~ 27-17
Over/Under Pick: Over






Carolina v. Tampa Bay(-1.5)  (o/u 48)
Savant Spread Pick: Tampa Bay and the points to win ~ 27-21*LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over






Cleveland @ Dallas(-7.5)  (o/u 43.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Cleveland with the points; Dallas to win ~ 20-14
Over/Under Pick: Under






New York(A) @ St. Louis(-3.5)  (o/u 38.5)
Savant Spread Pick: St. Louis and the points to win ~ 19-13 *LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Under






Indianapolis @ New England(-9)  (o/u 54)
Savant Spread Pick: Indianapolis with the points; New England to win ~ 31-24
Over/Under Pick: Over






Jacksonville @ Houston(-15)  (o/u 40.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Jacksonville with the points; Houston to win ~ 27-13
Over/Under Pick: Under







Kansas City v. Cincinnati(-3.5)  (o/u 43.5)
Savant Spread Pick: Cincinnati and the points to win ~ 21-17
Over/Under Pick: Under






Oakland v. New Orleans(-5)  (o/u 54.5)
Savant Spread Pick: New Orleans and the points to win ~ 34-24
*LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over






San Diego @ Denver(-7.5)  (o/u 48.5)
Savant Spread Pick: San Diego with the points; Denver to win ~ 28-21
Over/Under Pick: Over






Pittsburgh v. Baltimore(-3.5)  (o/u 40)
Savant Spread Pick: Pittsburgh with the points; Baltimore to win ~ 17-16
Over/Under Pick: Under






Chicago @ San Francisco(-6)  (o/u 38)
Savant Spread Pick: San Francisco and the points to win ~ 23-17
*LOCK*
Over/Under Pick: Over