Baltimore was bound to get me back. During the opening week, I watched with joy as the Ravens - already ahead by 7 with just 36 seconds left - inexplicably went for, and scored, a touchdown on fourth down from the Kansas City 1.
A field goal, which seemed like the obvious move, would have left Baltimore ahead comfortably and its backers just short, but the surprise touchdown pushed the margin of victory to 14 - nudging me past the 13-point spread.
These things come around, of course. Last Sunday, I had Minnesota giving 3 points to Baltimore and the Vikings were up big, 27-10, with 10 minutes to play.
And then Baltimore began lighting up the scoreboard, and Ray Rice broke a 33-yard touchdown run, and then I wanted to bury myself in a snowbank in Foxborough when Minnesota came back to win by 2 - not enough.
The weekend plays (home team in caps):
Indianapolis (-13) over St. LOUIS: Is there a scenario in which St. Louis, which has thus far averaged 9 points per game while allowing 28 per, can stay with the Colts? No. The Rams are home for only the third time this season but it’s not as if they enjoy an advantage in the Edward Jones Dome: Their two losses there have been by an average of 23.5 points. Thirteen is a ton of points to give on the road but the Colts - coming off a bye - have worked through some problems and now have a defense to match their offense. Risking $165 to win $150.
New England (-14 1/2) over Tampa Bay: New England’s big win in the snow and rain over Tennessee probably inflated this line by a couple of points, but what’s the difference? Last week, the winless Buccaneers scored one offensive touchdown - their other two scores came from an interception and a kick return. Can the terrible Tampa Bay offense carry the load when it’s not scoring on defense and special teams? The Patriots will be savvy enough to treat this excursion to London as a business trip, while the Buccaneers must have flown over wondering why they had to travel so far to get pounded. Risking $110 to win $100.
PITTSBURGH (-4 1/2) over Minnesota: The Steelers are only 1-5 against the spread but will control the clock and pull just far enough away against a strong Minnesota club that won’t be able to fashion a fantastic finish on the road. Risking $165 to win $150.
Last week: 2-2, plus $5. Season: 12-11, plus $279. 
