Sean Murphy

My selection is on Seattle minus the points over Carolina at 1 pm et on Sunday.

This is a tough matchup for the upstart Panthers as they draw a rested Seahawks team having not played since a week ago Thursday, when they outlasted the Rams in an overtime thriller. Seattle's offense is set up favorably to ultimately salt this game away as it should be able to run the ball at will against the Panthers weak run game defense. On the flip side, the Seahawks defense is truly elite and matches up well in all areas against the Panthers inconsistent offense. While this line may look a little heavy at first glance, I think it's right where it should be and I'm confident Seattle can pull away for the cover. Take Seattle (8*).

My selection is on Detroit minus the points over Los Angeles at 9:10 pm et on Sunday.

The Pistons check in off an 'upset' loss in Utah two nights ago but are still 2-1 on their current road trip. Of note, Detroit has lost consecutive games just once this season. I don't expect it to suffer a similar fate against the Clippers. Los Angeles has reeled off three straight 'upset' victories. Note, however, that the Clips have really struggled offensively, connecting on 40 or fewer field goals in seven of their last eight games. A big reason for their recent winning streak has been their defensive play but they'll have their hands full containing a Detroit team that has really pushed the pace and has made good on 44 or more field goals in five of its last seven contests. Take Detroit (8*).

Sunday NHL Free play. My selection is on New York over Columbus at 5:05 pm et on Sunday.

I think the knee-jerk reaction from most bettors is to fade the Islanders off their big shutout win over the rival Rangers last night. After all, Columbus has a major rest advantage having not played since Monday's 3-1 'upset' win in Los Angeles. With that being said, the Blue Jackets are returning home where they've gone 7-6-3 and have been outscored by an average margin of 0.6 goals this season. New York is 9-6-2 on the road, outscoring foes by an average margin of 0.1 goal. This is one of those difficult one-offs at home for Columbus as it will head to Ottawa to face the Senators tomorrow night. Meanwhile, the Isles will be looking to get this brief two-game road trip off to a positive start before travelling to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Take New York.

My selection is on Louisiana-Lafayette over Norfolk State at 3 pm et on Sunday.

It's been an extremely difficult start to the season for Louisiana-Lafayette as it recently snapped a long 10-game losing streak with a convincing 76-62 victory at Louisiana-Monroe. There's no reason to expect a hangover following that win, however, as it happened over a week ago. I like the way the Ragin' Cajuns have played defensively, in spite of facing a difficult slate of opponents - more difficult than that of Sunday's opponent Norfolk State by most metrics. Louisiana-Lafayette has held seven straight and 11 of 13 opponents to 24 or fewer made field goals this season. Norfolk State has lost five of its last seven contests and while admittedly playing at a faster pace, hasn't been able to contain the opposition in the same way as Louisiana-Lafayette, allowing 36, 27, 25, 26 and 32 made field goals over its last five games. While Norfolk State has been the better team offensively, it's not as if it has been dominant at that end of the floor, making good on 23, 27, 26, 23 and 23 field goals over its last five contests. Take Louisiana-Lafayette (8*).

My selection is on San Francisco plus the points over Seattle at 8 pm et on Sunday.

We'll grab the points with San Francisco on Sunday as I can't help but feel this is a 'wrong team favored' situation. The Dons have put a late November-early December three-game slide in the rear-view mirror, winning three of their last four games prior to the holiday break. While Seattle still owns the superior record in this matchup this season, San Francisco has faced the considerably more difficult schedule by most metrics. I like the fact that the Dons have regained their rhythm offensively, knocking down 26, 25, 27 and 29 field goals over their last four games. Apart from an offensive explosion against little-known Warner Pacific College on December 13th, the Redhawks recent offensive gains have been muted. Of note, Seattle has allowed five straight opponents to get off 57 or more field goal attempts. If given scoring opportunities like that, the Dons figure to go off. Take San Francisco (8*).

Sunday NFL Free play. My selection is on New York plus the points over New England at 1 pm et on Sunday.

It seems that it's probably in both teams' best interest to effectively shorten proceedings in this AFC East matchup on Sunday and that lends itself to grabbing all the points we can get with the underdog Jets. New England is coming off a much-needed primetime win in Baltimore last Sunday night. However, now the Patriots are dealing with a number of injury concerns on both sides of the football. Job one is to leave the Meadowlands with a win but job two is to simply avoid any more key injuries. The Jets hung around for a while but couldn't produce enough offense to avoid a third straight loss last week in New Orleans. They'll be happy to be back at home where they've actually won two of their last three contests. New York will be looking to avenge an earlier 27-14 loss in New England in mid-November. Take New York.

Non-Conference Game of the Month. My selection is on Philadelphia plus the points over Buffalo at 4:25 pm et on Sunday.

Maybe Josh Allen carries the Bills on his back and extends their four-game winning streak on Sunday but I'm willing to pay to see it. Philadelphia was written off by a lot of bettors weeks ago but they've quietly turned things around with consecutive lopsided victories over the Raiders and Commanders. While I realize the Eagles recent strength of schedule leaves a lot to be desired, I do like the way they match up on the road against the Bills on Sunday. Buffalo's defense has fallen off a cliff lately, particularly against the run. That should be music to the ears of Philadelphia RB Saquon Barkley. In fact, I would give the Eagles the edge in virtually every aspect of this game with the exception being the quarterback position. The wrong team is favored with a little too much weight being placed on Buffalo's home field advantage in my opinion. Take Philadelphia (10*).