[bigboydan]

**Tampa Bay at New England**



-- Tampa Bay (9-4 straight up, 7-6 against the spread) won and covered its second straight road game last Sunday by humbling Carolina 20-10 as a 6 ½-point underdog.



-- Keep in mind that this will be the third straight road game for the Bucs, joining Jacksonville and San Francisco as the only teams to face this stretch during the season. The Jaguars went 3-0 both SU and ATS, while the Niners (0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS) are playing the middle game at St. Louis this week.



-- The Bucs have seen the ‘under’ go 9-4 on the year, including 6-1 on the road.




Tom Brady was fortunate to beat John Gruden and Oakland in the tuck game back in 2001.(Getty Images)
-- The last visit to Foxboro for Jon Gruden came in 2001, when Chucky was roaming the sidelines for the Oakland Raiders. The Silver and Black faithful still remember losing to the Patriots 16-13 in the infamous tuck game.



-- John Gruden’s team holds a 5-2 SU and 4-3 ATS mark away from home this year.



-- At this point, the NFC South is still up for grabs. T-Bay holds the tiebreaker over Carolina at this point with division record, but a loss on Saturday would hand the edge back to the Panthers. The Falcons play both Carolina and Tampa to close the season, making every game more important as the next.



-- New England (8-5 SU, 6-7 ATS) moved another step closer to winning the AFC East after demolishing Buffalo 35-7 last Sunday as a four-point road favorite.



-- Bill Belichik’s club will clinch the division with one victory or one Miami Dolphins’ loss. After this contest, the Pats meet the N.Y. Jets on Monday Night Football before a home finale against the Dolphins.



-- The Patriots have been shaky at Gillette Stadium, going 4-2 SU, but only 2-4 ATS. The ‘over/under’ is all square at 3-3.



-- Quarterback Tom Brady (shoulder) was banged up last week and is listed as “questionable” for Saturday and according to our injury reports, he’s one of many.



-- TB and New England haven’t squared off since 2000, but the Bucs are 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS in the previous three meetings. The ‘under’ is 2-1.



-- Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EST, with Fox providing national coverage.



**Kansas City at New York Giants**



-- Kansas City (8-5 SU, 8-4-1 ATS) had its three-game winning streak snapped last Sunday as a three-point road underdog against Dallas, 31-28. The Chiefs had an opportunity to send the game to overtime, but kicker Lawrence Tynes missed a 41-yard field goal.



-- Despite the loss, the Chiefs control their own destiny and will clinch at least a wild card spot if they win out. After this game, the club finishes with a two-game homestand against San Diego and Cincinnati.



-- Kansas City’s offense is averaging 381 YPG, ranked first in the league. The squad lost All Pro running back Priest Holmes, but backup Larry Johnson has tallied six straight 100-yard games, including 143 yards in last week’s loss.



-- Even though the offense is the best in the league, the ‘under’ has prevailed to a 7-6 mark, including 4-3 on the road.



-- Dick Vermeil’s team has been inconsistent away from home, going 3-4 SU and 3-3-1 ATS.



-- The Chiefs are 1-2 both SU and ATS versus the NFC East this season, but the ‘over’ has marched to a 3-0 run. KC has lost seven of its last eight road games against NFC teams.



-- New York (9-4 SU, 8-4-1 ATS) finally won an overtime game last Sunday by defeating Philadelphia 26-23 in the extra session. The Giants failed to cover as nine-point road favorites, while the combined 49 points jumped ‘over’ the closing total of 36 1/2.



-- Quarterback Eli Manning has been as cold as the weather in New Jersey these days, tossing six picks in his last three games and completing just 45 percent of his passes.



-- The Giants sit in first place of the NFC East with a one-game lead over Dallas. This will be the third game against AFC West opponents, seeing the team go 1-1 both SU and ATS.


-- Injuries have taken a toll on New York this week. Linebacker Antonio Pierce (ankle) and defensive tackle William Joseph (ankle) are both “out”, while offensive tackles Kareem McKenzie (hamstring) and Luke Petitgout are “questionable”.



-- Following this game, the G-Men have a big NFC East battle at Washington next Sunday and then a road finale against Oakland in Week 17.



-- These two teams haven’t met sit 2001, but the Giants have won and covered five of the last six meetings against the Chiefs. The ‘over’ is 4-2. Also, K.C. has never won at The Meadowlands/Giants Stadium.



-- CBS offers national coverage of this game at 5:00 p.m. EST.



**Denver at Buffalo**



-- Denver (10-3 SU, 8-4 ATS) remained perfect (7-0) at Mile High Stadium last Sunday by holding off Baltimore, 12-10. The Broncos failed to cover as 13 1/2-point home favorites.



-- The Broncos can clinch the AFC West by winning Saturday and losses from both Kansas City and San Diego this week.



-- All three of Denver’s losses have come outside of Colorado. Two of the setbacks to the N.Y. Giants (24-23) and Kansas City (31-27) could’ve easily been victories.



-- Denver’s duo of Tatum Bell and Mike Anderson has led the ground game to an average of 158 YPG, ranked second in the league. You can only imagine how many carries these guys will get, considering the Bills are allowing 142 YPG on the ground, ranked 31st.



-- The Broncos have won three in a row against the Bills, but are only 1-2 ATS dating back to 2002.



-- After this game, Denver host San Diego next Sunday before a road trip to San Diego in the season finale.



-- Buffalo (4-9 SU, 6-7 ATS) suffered its fourth straight defeat last Sunday after getting whipped as a four-point home underdog to New England, 35-7. ‘Over’ backers were greeted with a late score in the fourth quarter, helping the combined 42 points skip past the closing total of 35 ½.



-- It’s safe to say that head coach Mike Mularkey and his troops have packed in the season after blowing a 21-point lead in a 24-23 loss to Miami on Dec. 4. I guess that’s why Mularkey has been rumored to get his walking papers come January.



-- Quarterback J.P. Losman (shoulder) is listed as “questionable” this week, but Kelly Holcomb has already been given the nod to start. Holcomb isn’t the savior in upstate New York either, but the club is 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS when he’s under center.



-- The Bills are allowing 30 PPG during their current four-game losing streak, helping the ‘over’ go 3-1 during this stretch.



-- Buffalo is 4-3 both SU and ATS at Ralph Wilson Stadium this year. The ‘under’ stands at 4-3 as well. This is the last home game for the Bills. The club is 0-2 both SU and ATS the past two seasons in this spot.



-- Not that it matters, but the Bills end the year with a two-game road trip against Cincinnati next Sunday before meeting the Jets in the finale.



-- Game time is set for 8:30 p.m., with ESPN offering national coverage.

[Illusion]

dan, next time you post one of these can you get rid of the gaps between paragraphs please, thanks.