It’s always great to finish the NFL weekend with a win here in the Tuley’s Takes home office as we nailed the 49ers and the Under in their 31-10 upset of the Rams.
But it’s even more gratifying when the game plays out exactly as we predicted, especially when so many others were calling for a Rams rout. In Monday’s column, I wrote: “If the 49ers, who are 0-4 at home this season, are to have any chance to stay in this game and cover this number, they’re going to have to rely on the run with Elijah Mitchell and a short passing game from Jimmy Garoppolo to keep the clock ticking and keep the ball away from the Rams’ potent offense.”
The 49ers rushed for 156 yards, Jimmy Garoppolo went 15-for-19 for 182 yards (mostly on short passes to keep the clock running) and dominated time of possession 39:03 to 20:57.
Bingo!
Let’s get to the general recaps from Monday’s action betting action (including a peek into Contest Corner) and then make a best bet for Tuesday night.
Monday’s recaps
NFL: 49ers ran over Rams 31-10 on Monday Night Football to wrap up NFL Week 10 as 3.5-point home underdogs and + 170 on the money line as the game stayed Under the betting total of 50.5 points.. Faves went 7-6-1 SU in Week 10, but dogs led 9-5 ATS. Home teams went 8-5-1 SU, but road teams led 8-6 ATS while Unders led 9-5 .
More NFL: Faves now 86-60-1 SU on the season with 3 games closing pick-'em, but dogs lead 85-61-1 ATS (58.2 percent). Road teams dipped to 76-70-1 SU with 3 neutral-site games but still lead 85-61-1 ATS (58.2 percent). Unders lead 82-66-2 (55.4 percent) while primetime Overs are 15-14-1 (9-14-1 since 6-0 start)..
NBA: Favorites went a perfect 11-0 SU on Monday and 10-1 ATS as the Suns, who beat the Timberwolves 99-96 for their 9th straight win, were the only chalk that failed to cover as they closed as 4-point road faves. Overs went 6-5 Monday, but Unders still lead 124-84-2 (59.6 percent).
CBB: Marquette upset No. 10 Illinois 67-66 as 8-point home underdogs and + 305 on the money line. No. 1 Gonzaga (-39.5 in 84-57 win vs. Alcorn State) and No. 2 UCLA (-26.5 in 100-79 win vs. Long Beach State) both failed to cover their huge spreads..
NHL: Favorites went 2-0 Monday with the Lightning (-130 in 4-1 win vs. Islanders) and Blue Jackets (-130 in 5-3 win vs. Red Wings) both not only winning but both also covering -1.5 goals on puck line. Over/Unders split 1-1 .
Contest Corner
Circa Survivor has 173 live entries after 1 was eliminated with the Rams on Monday Night Football, joining those on the Steelers (248), Ravens (187), Cardinals (40), Buccaneers (31), Chargers (5) and Saints (1) in Week 10. Only those using Colts (65), Cowboys (60), Bills (46), Titans (1) and Packers (1) survived
Circa Sports Million Top 5 Most-Selected went 2-3 in Week 10 (29-21 on season) with the Rams -4 losing on MNF. Titans -3 and Browns 2.5 also lost; winners were Packers -3 and Eagles + 3. We used Eagles as the No. 5 pick, @CircaSports used Saints (both covered).
SuperContest Top 5 Most-Selected went 2-3 in Week 10 (25-24-1 on season) with the Rams losing on MNF, along with Titans -3 and ATL + 9.5. The Lions + 8.5 and NE -1.5 won. SuperContest Gold Top 5 went 4-2 (28-22-2) with 49ers + 4 winning (49ers and Raiders tied for No. 5).
Tuesday’s Take
Eastern Michigan + 5.5 vs. Western Michigan: We have MACtion! This is basically taking the points with a game that should be closer to pick-’em. Both teams are 6-4 overall and 3-3, tied for the last two spots in the MAC West (that sounds odd for last place to be .500, but the three worst teams in the MAC are in the East Division). These teams are pretty much mirror images of each other – though Eastern averages 34 points a game vs. 30.7 for Western while allowing 28.2 per game compared to 30 for Western – yet we’re getting nearly a touchdown in a game that should come down to one score? Thank you!
Good luck today (and every day!).