Football expert Phil Steele is the owner and publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, regarded as the college football bible. Get in-depth coverage of college and pro football 24/7/365 at PhilSteele.com.
SAINTS -10 Vikings: This selection was going to be my top play regardless of whether or not Adrian Peterson was playing. The Saints are a dangerous squad at 0-2 and not only have they won 16 straight at home with Sean Payton as their head coach but they have covered the spread in 15 of those games and pushed once. They are even stronger at home when playing off a loss as in their last eight games under Payton they have won by an average of 21 points per game.
SEAHAWKS 5 Broncos: While Seattle disappointed me last week, the Seahawks are now off a loss and at home which is a situation that can’t be ignored. There is also value on Seattle as many are backing Denver because of Super Bowl revenge but with the Broncos on the road, in my mind, that is almost a mute point. Also, since the 2012 season, the Seahawks have gone 16-1 at home in the regular season. Versus upper-tier teams in which the Las Vegas line had Seattle a favorite of under 7 points or an underdog of 7 or fewer points the Seahawks are a perfect 9-0 winning the last six games by 22 points per game. Lastly, there is no denying the Broncos have a potent, record-setting offense but this is their first game on the road in two years facing a defense which ranks inside the top 10 in the league.
Last Week: 1-1
Season: 1-3