Eagles (+3 1/2) over REDSKINS: One for the thumb? Went against the Birds for the fourth straight week and cashed another ticket. Should Vic try for five? Nah! Gotta believe that the Green is gonna rally around Nick Foles is his first NFL start. Foles is the first Eagles rookie to start at QB since D-Mac in 1999. And how about this for serendipity. McNabb's first start was against, yup, Washington, and yup, it was a win. (Anyone remember the last rookie to start before D-Mac? Click in to my chat at 2 p.m. on Philly.com for the answer. No cheating.) So, now we turn to Baby Face Foles, look at his effort last week, hitting on 22 of 32 for 219 yards, and there is a glimmer of hope. More good news: The Redskins kinda suck at home against the spread, covering only three of the last 12. This looks like a one-point game, either way. Let's give Foles the slight edge, and call a W for the Birds.
Eagles will rally around Foles for a win
Saints (-4 1/2) over RAIDERS: This all about the quarterback and the calendar. First, the QB . . . Drew Brees. Put aside his NFL-record streak of at least one TD in 52 straight games and look at his career numbers against Oakland. Brees was 26 of 30 for 320 yards and three TDs as New Orleans battered the Silver & Black, 34-3. That was in 2008, but his body of work against the Raiders is ridonkulous, with 13 TD passes, no interceptions and a 6-0 winning streak. Now let's turn to the calendar. When the page flips over to November, New Orleans somehow finds an extra gear. The Saints are working on a 13-0 perfecto in the month of November dating back to the 2009 season. Plus, New Orleans has been phenomenal against the spread, covering 13 of the last 17, while Oakland has covered only one of the last five at home. After mashing it all up, this has all the Best Bet ingredients that Double V looks for each week.
Buccaneers (-1) over PANTHERS: What an about-face for Tampa. First-year head coach Greg Schiano has the Buccaneers sitting at 5-4, which doesn't sound like much, until you look at last year's 4-12 record. The 2012 Bucs have covered seven of nine, which puts them at the top of the NFL spread chart with the Texans. And with Josh Freeman ramping it up the last five games (13 TDs, a 115.9 passer rating and no interceptions in the last 151 attempts), ya gotta sail with the Pirates from Tampa.
RAMS (-3) over Jets: The Jets are a hot mess. Rex Ryan is turning into a crybaby, and he has lost his team. The New Yorkers have won only three of the last 12 on the road, while St. Loo has won three of the last four at home. And after facing the Packers, Patriots and 49ers, the Rams should be thrilled to finally catch a team under .500. Hopefully, the Jets will stick with Mark Sanchez at QB, who has the worst numbers in the NFL (52 percent completion rate).
Colts (+9 1/2) over PATRIOTS: Hall of Fame QB vs. The Young Gun. Tom Brady vs. Andrew Luck. Which way do you turn? Vic will turn to the kid, not so much for his sparkling numbers, but for the ugly numbers the New England defense has posted. The Pats' D is allowing 285.3 ypg passing, among the worst in the league, and this confident rookie out of Stanford should be able to find some gaping holes. And since Indy has covered a moneymaking 10 of its last 14, we'll buy the underdog.
Browns (+8) over COWBOYS: You gonna lay a snowman with a Dallas team that is working on an 0-6 spread run at home and has covered only five of its last 16 overall? No, you are not! Not against a Cleveland squad that has covered 10 of the last 15.
LIONS (+3 1/2) over Packers: Green Bay has covered only one of the last five as a road favorite. Lions might not roar, but will cover.
TEXANS (-15) over Jaguars: Gotta give Jax the nod as the worst team in the NFL, while Houston is quite possibly the best. In the last meeting, the Texans eased to a 20-point win on the road (27-7), and the final margin could hit 30 at Reliant Stadium.
FALCONS (-10) over Cardinals: Atlanta is rocking a 9-0 home winning streak and should get this W by at least a dozen.
CHIEFS (+3 1/2) over Bengals: Rare chance for a KC win here, but even if the Chiefs come up short, it will not be by more than a FG.
BRONCOS (-7 1/2) over Chargers: Peyton Manning is now playing at an MVP level, while Philip Rivers continues to pedal backward.
Ravens (-3) over STEELERS: Not thrilled about this game, but simply cannot get behind Byron Leftwich, under any circumstances.
Bears (+5 1/2) over 49ERS: Can't really make a call, or a wager, on this game until we have definitive info on both starting QBs.
