Our “Love-in” paid off – Jordan Love and the Packers at plus money traded with the over against the Chargers – as did our side bet, Vikings +7.5 and under 45.5 in Denver.
Our player accessory? Josh Dobbs paced his rushing attempts (5.5), carrying eight times for 21 yards.
With the Taylor Heinecke experiment almost over, the Atlanta Falcons return Desmond Ridder as they host the New Orleans Saints.
Can Ridder become more useful with a break/bench in his rearview mirror?
Check out how the main game developed, as well as a bonus game and player accessory below.
Saints at Falcons, 1 p.m. ET
The line: Falcons -1.5, total 42.5 (FanDuel)
Ridder has likely found some potential answers to the details that have tortured him – and Falcons fans – for most of this season.
The question is whether he can apply these lessons and execute the plan successfully. In this scenario, he will get help from a New Orleans defense that is showing signs of wear and tear.
The Falcons defense is seventh in yards allowed per game (308.8) but just 18th in points allowed (21.7). This is largely due to Ridder’s early season mistakes that allowed his opponents to have a short field.
Ridder was 4-4 as a starter before being evaluated for a concussion in Week 8 against Tennessee. Taylor Heinicke replaced him to start the second half and started the next two games, both of which Atlanta lost.
In Atlanta’s most recent game, Ridder replaced the injured Heinecke and completed 4 of 6 passes for 39 yards against Arizona.
“We have a lot of confidence in Des,” Atlanta coach Arthur Smith said. “In the last two weeks he has handled the situation very well. I think the time (as a substitute) has been very beneficial for him.
“Des did a lot of good things (during his time as a reserve). In Arizona, you could see how prepared he was. We had confidence in Des then and we have confidence in him for the future .”
Smith said he plans to keep Ridder as the starter for the remainder of the season.
The Saints are equally confusing, having seen improvement in offense but attrition in defensive numbers.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who was in concussion protocol but officially cleared it Thursday, is a solid, if not stellar, veteran. Coach Dennis Allen said he “would like to see more consistency in the passing game.”
This is a battle for first place in the NFC South, so the stakes remain quite high.
The Falcons continue to rank among the unluckiest teams via Action Network’s Luck Rankings, and we’ll give in to the temptation to believe – just a little – in Ridder this week.
The game: parlay in the same game teasing the Falcons +3.5, with an over teased at 36.5 (at odds of +100, per FanDuel).
“You get a different perspective on not only yourself but the offense as a whole. There’s a lot of things I wish I could have gone back and done better. I could have protected the ball better, but there’s a lot of (cases) where I could have done things to not end up in those situations, whether it’s the footwork, your reads or your progressions.
–Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder opened up about his time on the sidelines.
The Buffalo Bills were finished, right? Dead and buried and likely to struggle against the Jets.
This does not happen. Is Buffalo back?
Bills at Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET
The line: Eagles -3, total 48.5 (FanDuel).
This is not an indictment of former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey – but rather a vote in favor of the Bills’ new offense.
No longer as dependent on Stefon Diggs, Buffalo QB Josh Allen is ready to continue spreading the wealth.
The Eagles’ victory in Kansas City was more the result of a tough passing game by the Chiefs — and bad weather.
We like the Bills to exploit a sagging Eagles secondary and hold it to a basket – or even an outright victory for a desperate team.
The Game: Two-game parlay in one game teasing Bills +7.5, with an overrun at 41.5 (+105, per BetMGM).
Let’s stick with the Bills offense for this one.
Conventional wisdom might view the reduction in Diggs’ usage as something that is here to stay. We are not conventional.
The Allen-Diggs combination should be able to make some big plays on Sunday, which would result in a good receiving number for Diggs (and his backers).
Prop Game: Bills WR Stefon Diggs 80 or more receiving yards (+110 at DraftKings).
