'Off A Bye On Monday Night' 2025 Review

Something I pointed out in my book, Taylor's Pro Football Gambling Annual 2025, had its last eligible play for the year last night. It's now time to see how the betting angle panned out.

As you'll see, in the exert below, I singled out six NFL teams that were scheduled to return from their respective bye weeks and play on Monday Night Football. I reasoned that handicappers would consider backing them because the teams would have an advantage of a week and a day of rest and preparation contrasted with their opposition.

Of those six highlighted teams, five won and covered their spreads.

In week six, Atlanta (+4) and Chicago (+5.5) beat Buffalo 24-14 and Washington 25-24 respectively. Arizona, as +3 road dogs against Dallas in week nine, won 27-17. 

Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles had a 10-7 result, as one-point favourites, against the Green Bay Packers.

The betting angle was capped off by the Dallas Cowboys' 33-16 victory in Las Vegas against the Raiders. The visitors closed as -3.5 favourites.

Houston, who lost to the Seahawks with a score of 19-27, was a losing play in week seven. They had been priced up as -3 faves.

The 5-1 record for those eligible games went straight up and against the spread giving the situational plays an 83.3% strike-rate for 2025.

As it currently stands, the against the spread numbers for all teams coming off their bye weeks is 11-7. So, that's hitting at 61% with three more weeks of teams returning from byes still to go.

In this upcoming week, the Indianapolis Colts - who last played a week ten fixture in Berlin - will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs. The Colts are presently listed as +3 underdogs.

The other week 12 returners are the New Orleans Saints who will welcome an Atlanta Falcons team that has been forced to replace their injured quarterback - Michael Penix Jr. - with their former starter, Kirk Cousins, following Penix's potentially season-ending leg injury suffered during Sunday's 27-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Worst. Pringles. Flavour. Ever.

There's a post I published on Sunday November 10th 2013 that always seems to get a lot of views. I doubt it has anything to do with what I wrote, but has more to do with the photograph that appears on the page.

The photo is of a couple of Pringles cans that contained the Christmas-themed potato snacks for 2013. I remember taking the image because of a couple of reasons. The first is because it was the first photo I ever snapped on what was then my new iPad Air.

Reason two - the flavours were grotesque.

After rereading the post, it's quite clear I was far too nice back then. I applauded the idea of a white chocolate flavour, calling it like eating After Eights with Pringles, but then said the sweet cinnamon flavour was the worst Pringles flavour ever.

I retained some of the positivity by stating it was my opinion and to try them for yourselves.

Well, I am twelve years older. If sweet cinnamon was still the worst flavour, it is no longer.

Santa's Secret Flavour now owns the throne.

I opened up the tube of the new mystery flavoured snack yesterday afternoon. I took ONE bite, was hit by a flavour and instantly stopped.

Not one more chip, or half-a-chip in this case, will ever enter my mouth again.

I tasted mushroom. 

I don't know if it is beef wellington, garlic mushrooms, truffle or what it is. All I know is I sensed mushrooms and that was enough for me.

As you're sure to have read in previous posts, in which I've sampled mystery Pringles or any kind of potato snacks or crisps for that matter, I've always kept my guesses guarded and waited until the closing dates of competitions to share what my predictions were. Not in this case. 

It's something mushroomy. 

The post from November 2013 also shows I am fair and urge you to try them for yourself. Well, in this very post - from November 2025 - this older, much jaded blogger shall tell you this: STAY AWAY FROM THEM!

Unless mushrooms are your thing, of course.

I Try Heinz Beans With Pigs In Blankets II

Look what's back in the shops.

Yes, Heinz has reintroduced its beans with pigs in blankets for Christmas 2025.

If you read THIS POST from last year, you'll be aware I wasn't completely impressed when I first tried them. My main gripe focused on the 'Christmas seasoning' not seeming to be strong enough. 

I gave the beans a second go because, earlier this year, I was serving some of the beans from 2024 to a family member. Upon opening the can, I could smell a strong hint of the aforementioned seasoning and thought I must have had a dud can months earlier.

Well - last night's dinner included a few of pigs in blankets with the beans and...

... it was just like last year. I couldn't get the festive flavouring I had hoped for. I didn't even get the scent upon opening the tin, as I had a few months after last Christmas.

I have another tin. I'm considering storing it away for a few months and opening it sometime in the first quarter of 2026 to see if I once again have a strong scent sensation. 

It's worth a try, I suppose.

By the way - last night's meal also consisted of turkey tenders, so it wasn't the pigs in blankets weren't the only Christmassy thing in my bowl.

A College Football Menu

I have just opened the DAZN app to see which college football games I can choose from today.

Wow, what a selection.

Personally, the one which stands out the most for me - from the 5PM GMT offerings - is Notre Dame versus Pittsburgh,

I haven't seen much of the Fighting Irish this season. Therefore, that game will be the first I choose when the time comes.

Other games that will be available to me around that time are Arizona @ Cincinnati, Wisconsin @ Indiana, Michigan @ Northwestern, South Carolina @ Texas A&M.

From 8:30PM, I have a choice of six games. The one I will definitely have on is Oklahoma @ Alabama. 

Unfortunately, the Texas Longhorns' visit to Georgia is on there. That's not the unfortunate part about it, though. The bad news is it kicks off at 12:30AM GMT. With me due for an early start tomorrow, it means I may have to simply have it on with the sound off and hope I catch at least a few plays of it.

We're in the final furlong of college football's regular season. It sure has been fun streaming these games on DAZN this year. Especially the Texas fixtures!

Gronk Retires (Again)

Call me jaded, but I didn't see the point in Rob Gronkowski officially retiring - as a New England Patriot - the other day.

The four-time Super Bowl-winning tight end signed a one-day contract with the Pats to end his playing career.

Here's the thing. Or things, to be precise.

Gronkowski retired in 2019 after spending nine seasons with the Patriots. He unretired in 2020 when Tom Brady moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That lasted two years before Gronk called time once again.

I count that as two occasions when Gronk ended his playing career. 

But, there's more.

Once upon a time, the Patriots were looking to trade Gronk to the Detroit Lions. The 2018 trade would have seen Gronk move to the Motor City in exchange for first and second round draft picks. The tight end nixed such a move claiming he would rather retire than play alongside a quarterback other than Tom Brady.

It's important to this narrative because Brady retired on the first day of February 2023.

So, if we're to believe that Gronk would never play for another team unless Brady was his QB, we have to go with the argument that February 1st 2023 is also a Gronk retirement.

Add this week's news, and I count that as four retirements and four Super Bowl rings.

What a career!

The Camp Of 2025

This year's edition of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here launches over the weekend. 

The campmates have been announced by ITV, so it's time for me to go through each name and group them in my unique way.

Those who have visited these I'm a Celeb posts in the past should know that there are three groups. All are self-explanatory.

I Know This Person

Kelly Brook

Ruby Wax

Martin Kemp

Jack Osbourne

Alex Scott

Shona McGarty

Lisa Riley

I've Heard Of This Person, But Wouldn't Be Able To Identify Them By Photograph

No one

WHO!?

Airch

Angryginge

Eddie Kadi

That's a fairly decent lineup for my bubble. Whether I stick with the programme through it's entire run is still a question, however.

Week Eleven Already

It's week eleven already?

It's week eleven already.

Those were the thoughts I had - a few moments ago - when I realised it was time to look over the games for this week's NFL coverage.

It shouldn't really be a surprise. The NFL season flies by. Always has. Always will.