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Over Weight
by Dennis Ranahan

Day three of the National Football League four day showing for the Christmas holiday continues today with ten games on the schedule. Three contests will be played on Monday, beginning with a 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time AFC West Division encounter in Kansas City, followed by a 1:30 start in Philadelphia, and completing this weekend with a possible preview of Super Bowl LVIII when the San Francisco 49ers host the Baltimore Ravens.

At today’s seven outdoor venues, weather is not a major factor. It will be rainy and windy in Miami for the Dolphins versus Dallas Cowboys contest at Hard Rock Stadium and that could cause a concern for the passing games. Tonight, when the Denver Broncos host the New England Patriots at Mile High Stadium, some snow could fall and it will be cold. But, all-and-all, pretty good football weather for this late in December.

A few years ago, there was a rash of balcony collapses in the Bay Area. Most were caused by partiers jamming on the structures that just weren't strong enough to hold the weight.

It is somewhat like that in the NFL. When teams attract too much attention, particularly squads not used to winning, they usually collapse under the weight. The three most-bet teams by the public today are not their normal collection of heavy favorites and elite teams, like the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens.

Today, the three most-bet teams by the wagering public are the Seattle Seahawks, who are on the road to meet the Tennessee Titans; Green Bay Packers, who visit the Carolina Panthers; and Denver Broncos who host the New England Patriots.

These three favorite plays appear to be more a wager against their opponents than on the teams they gravitated to. Nothing is less successful for a bettor than wagering on a team simply because he thinks their opponent is worse.

Still, they’ve trapped me on jumping against them because I too don’t want the Titans, Panthers or Patriots … but I warn you, don’t get caught today on their opponents during this 16th week of NFL action.

Here is another game I skipped yesterday even though it had some factors that favored the Los Angeles Chargers against the Buffalo Bills following them getting pummeled by a 63 point barrage from the Las Vegas Raiders. Teams that score 50 or more, or allow 50 or more, have a very bad and good record the following week respectively. Tomorrow, we have to decide if we want to go against the Chargers slayers from last week? We certainly don’t want Las Vegas off that offensive explosion, but giving double-digits with the Kansas City Chiefs doesn’t appear the brightest idea either.

Still, there are three games today and two more tomorrow that strike a winning chord from both sides of the proposition. The three games for today are now posted on this site and if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour leading up to today’s first kickoff, that game will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.