Last week Red was 4-2 on the straight up picks.  Red is now 12-6 for the season.  The money act ion was a different story last week and Red extends apologies to anyone foolish enough to follow his advice.  Out of five money bets, Red only scored on the Jags to cover 4.5 points.  The main problem was excessive scoring as Red like the under on the Pats/Texans and Titans/Seahawks and those teams scored 69 and 60 respectively.  You don’t see O/U’s in the 60s much in this league.  The Raiders collapse was unexpected and the Eagles failed to cover by .5.  Oh well.

Answer to last week’s trivia question:  Tony Dorsett had a 99 yard run from scrimmage in the Cowboys game against the Vikings in the last game of the 1982 season.  The Cowboys lost the game but had already secured a playoff spot.  The victory put the Vikings in the playoffs.  After the game, it was revealed that the run came on a broken play where the Cowboys had only 10 men on the field.  The handoff was supposed to go to RB Ron Springs, but Springs misunderstood the play call and ran off the field.  Dorsett alertly took the handoff and set a record that can never be broken.

This week’s trivia question:  Only two original teams from the founding of the NFL (then called the American Professional Football Association)  in 1920 are still in existence.   Can you name them.

Hint:  Both teams are no longer in their city of original and one has changed its mascot.  More obvious but not necessarily true hint:  Both teams are in the NFC.

Your Illinois Pick of the Week – Packers over Bears.  The only real surprise here is that the Bears could be sitting atop the NFC Central at the end of this game.  And the Bears typically play the Packers tougher than expected.  But a Thursday night game in northern Wisconsin is a tough challenge for any team.  At least it’s short flight for the Bears.  But sadly, it will be a long flight home.  Neither one of these offenses is generating much right now.  Take the under at 45.5.    Green Bay 24 Chicago 14

Your Stale Pick of the Week  – Titans over Texans.  If you are a Texans fan and at any point last Sunday thought the Texans actually were going to beat the Patriots (or if you thought that Donald Trump as president would be anything short of great but amusing national embarrassment), there is a word for you.  Fool!  There are no moral victories in the NFL.  Had the Texans won that game, they might have had some momentum against a Titans team that Red is still picking to finish 13-3.   After stumbling out of the gate against the Raiders, the Titans offense is moving fast at the quarter-pole.  Expect Mariota to use the mass of talent around him to average about 30 points per game the rest of the way.  Meanwhile, the vaunted Texans defense is giving up 25 points per game.  Texans simply cannot keep up with Titans this week.  Take the over at 44 or the Titans giving up 1.5.  Tennessee 35 Houston 27

Your Avian Pick of the Week – Falcons over Bills.  Bills may be the biggest surprise of the season so far as they could easily be 3-0 but for inability to cross goal line against Panthers in Week 2.  Falcons are playing to form and are 3-0 thanks to replay which negated the Lions last second touchdown last week.  That call confirmed that the Falcons are on a mission from God to make up for the second half of SBLI.  The Bills have a good defense but  are merely in the way this week. Take the Falcons giving up a hefty 8 at home.    Atlanta 31 Orchard Park 17.

Your WTF Pick of the Week – Rams over Cowboys.  A man can dream can’t he?  The Red rule comes into play this week.  That is “score 14 points and beat the Cowboys.”  Take the Rams and 7.5.  Los Angeles 14 Arlington 13. 

Your 1920 Pick of the Week – Cardinals over 49ers.  Two troubled franchises right now.  The Cards’ offense is troubled without David Johnson and even though Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald have defied Father Time for a couple of weeks that simply can’t last.  Niners showed signs of life last week in close loss to the Rams – but those were the Rams after all.  This would be a good call for this week’s Shit Bowl – but see below.  Red hesitates, but takes the Niners to cover 7 against a leaky Cards defense.   Arizona 23 Santa Clara 18.

Your Shit Bowl Pick of the Week – Browns over Bengals.  It’s just too easy to put the Browns in the Shit Bowl week after week.  Please Browns win a game so Red can move on to something more interesting – like picking the Giants to stink it up.  Browns could not handle the pressure of being a road favorite against the lowly Colts last week.  It might get to them again this week except they are predicted to lose by 3 at home to a pathetic Bengals team..  If you feel even slightly inclined to bet on this game, Red has some advice.  Take that money and donate it to one of the many relief funds set up to help folks in Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico.  They need it more than your bookie.  And lastly, clear the Man Cave of all belts, sheets, ropes or other items that could be used to string yourself up in front of the 70 incher before tuning in to watch this turgid turd tussle.  Cleveland 15 Cincinnati 8.