By: Nick Radivoj
NFL Week 1 comes to a close and leaves fans drooling for more as there was plenty of excitement to go around. We had multiple underdogs win outright as well as a couple games needing extra time to decide a winner… or not? We leave opening week of football with a 9-7 record and up 1.3u taking into account the juice. I believe a lot of meat was left on the bone and very well could have had a better week so let’s pick up where we left off and dive into Week 2!
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
When: 8:15 PM on 9/15
Line: Chiefs -4
O/U: 54.5
No Tyreek Hill? No problem. Patrick Mahomes came out last Sunday with an absolute masterpiece totaling 5 TDs on the day. More impressively, Kansas City held Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to 1 TD over 3 quarters as they tacked on 2 more in mop up duty in the final quarter. Chiefs’ new look defense held up against Arizona but will be faced with a tougher task Thursday night as one of the best young QBs in the league comes to town. Unfortunately, it looks as if Herbert won’t have one of his top options in Keenan Allen as he left Sunday’s game early with a hamstring injury. Mike Williams underwhelmed with only 2 catches in his Week 1 debut and will need to have a bigger game if Chargers expect to win. Key matchup to watch is versatile Safety Derwin James against TE Travis Kelce as he led Kansas City in receiving last week. I may be getting too cute with this play here but both defenses are mproved from last year and I’m not expecting the shootout that most are predicting.
The Play: Under 54.5
New York Jets (0-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-0)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Browns -6
O/U: 40
Ugly is the best word to describe these two passing offenses in Week 1. Both QBs averaged under 5.2 yards per attempt in their Week 1 performances. Cleveland is rather lucky to have secured a win last week as they landed 2 rather questionable flags on their game winning FG drive. We quickly glance at the line as there’s a close to zero percent chance I will lay a TD with Jacoby Brissett at QB for the Browns. Cleveland illustrated how their offense will run as they patiently wait for Deshaun Watson’s suspension to run its course. My suggestion to teams facing Cleveland Is to load up the box to stop Cleveland’s 2 headed monsters at running back and make Jacoby beat you. Begrudgingly, I will take Jets to cover here with a strong defensive game plan and signs of hopeful life from their offense. It can’t get any worse for Flacco, can it?
The Play: Jets +6
Washington Commanders (1-0) at Detroit Lions (0-1)
When: 1 PM on 9/15
Line: Lions -2.5
O/U: 48.5
Commanders’ fans got the full Carson Wentz experience in Week 1 as he turned over the ball a few times on some rather ugly plays. With that being said, he still led Washington in a 4th quarter comeback to prevail against the Jaguars. This offense could be explosive with playmakers on the outside if Wentz is able to minimize his mistakes over the course of the season. Meanwhile, a track meet took place in Detroit last week as the Lions lost a close one to Philadelphia 38-35. Lions HC Dan Campbell may have had one of the more intriguing introductory press conferences to date but he truly inspires his team to play hard until the clock shows 0’s. Detroit will be a tough out in almost every game this year and if they are able to hold off Washington’s pass rush I love their odds in covering here but landed on the total instead.
The Play: Over 48.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-0)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Buccaneers -3
O/U: 44
Tampa Bay showed why they are one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl Sunday night against Dallas as the contest was never really in doubt. Tom Brady’s birth certificate shows that he’s 45 years of age but still has the arm of a 25 year old NFL QB. Brady connected with new weapon Julio Jones multiple times in Week 1 as the former All Pro WR looks to have regained some of his youth as he’s partaking in the TB12 method himself. Remarkably, WR Chris Godwin started Week 1 on the field as opposed to the PUP list as he recovered quickly from a torn ACL last year facing this Saints’ team, but unfortunately left Sunday’s contest early with a hamstring injury. Since his time coming to Tampa Bay, Tom has controlled the NFC South but has had his issues with New Orleans time and time again. New Orleans started the year off with a win as they managed a second half comeback against Atlanta. They welcomed back WR Michael Thomas, and he welcomed them with 2 receiving TDs in the victory. This line feels about right and with two strong defensive teams I found myself on the probable too cute side of this total.
The Play: Under 44
Carolina Panthers (0-1) at New York Giants (1-0)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Giants -2.5
O/U: 43
How long has it been since the New York football Giants have had a winning record? My fuzzy memory wants to take me all the way back to 2016 with the boat picture playoff team. Plenty of similarities with these teams as they both had pedestrian offenses in the first half last week but opened up in the second half as both teams took late leads. New York was on the receiving end of a missed game winning FG while Carolina was defeated on a last second field goal of their own. Baker Mayfield was facing heavy pressure all day from Cleveland but luckily for him this week he will not see Myles Garrett lining up opposite of him. Most of me wants to play the over here but if Carolina is able to bottle up Saquon Barkley they are live to take this one on the road.
The Play: Panthers +2.5
New England Patriots (0-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Patriots -1.5
O/U: 40.5
Who’s calling the offensive plays in New England? Both teams come into Sunday’s contest with shaky performances at best on the offensive side of the ball. Patriots barely managed to move the ball in Miami while Pittsburgh turned their defense into offense as they turned Joe Burrow over 5 times in this game. Unfortunately, it looks like Pittsburgh will be losing former DPOY TJ Watt for several weeks if not the year to what seems to be a torn peck. Losing Watt will be a huge blow for this Steelers defense that I’m unsure they will be able to overcome. This one is rather easy for me as New England still has one of the best coaches of all time looking to get them in the win column for the first time this season.
The Play: Patriots -1.5
Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Colts -4
O/U: 47
Matt Ryan led the Colts to an unprobable 4th quarter comeback with 17 points but came up short as they ended with the first tie of the season. Colts, funny enough, sit atop the AFC South with the Texans even while not having won Week 1. Many people had high aspirations for this Indianapolis team and that will be put to the test Week 2 as they face the music this week returning to Jacksonville after their crushing Week 18 loss that kept them out of the playoffs. Jacksonville looked substantially better as they put their Urban Meyer days behind them, but Trevor Lawrence still does not look like the highly touted QB we loved gcoming out of Clemson. Colts get back on track as their front 7 has a field day in Jacksonville.
The Play: Colts -4
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
When: 1 PM on 9/18
Line: Ravens -3.5
O/U: 44.5
Week 1 was a good weekend to be a first time HC in the NFL as new Dolphins’ HC Mike McDaniel began his tenure off with a division win against New England. This offense showed some of the explosion we were expecting after their offseason acquisitions but played conservatively for a majority of the game as they took a 17 point lead into halftime. Meanwhile, Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson looked every bit of his former MVP status as he easily handled the Jets on the road. This game will show as a marker for Jackson’s improvement as Miami attacked the young QB with plenty of blitzes in last year’s matchup in an effort to have him make a perfect throw. Miami’s defensive game plan worked last year and may provide even more wrinkles this year as the homer in me will be riding with Miami. Hopefully, Tua continues his strong Week 1 start on the road and leads the team to 2-0.
The Play: Dolphins +3.5
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) at Los Anageles Rams (0-1)
When: 4:05 PM on 9/18
Line: Rams -10.5
O/U: 47
A Super Bowl hangover for Matthew Stafford and the Rams? Either that or every team in the league should fear Josh Allen and the Bills. The Rams welcome Atlanta into town as what seems to be a “get right” game indicated by the opening line. Rams WR Allen Robinson signed this offseason for what he hoped would be a breakout season but left oening night with only 1 catch. We all know and trust HC Sean Mcvay to be able to get this eam right and be able to establish the run to set up his play action passing game. Atlanta could very easily be coming into this game 1-0 as they let up a 4th quarter comeback against their division rival Saints. Atlanta’s offense showed off a few wrinles in their opener as they displayed a read option between QB Marcus Mariota and RB Cordarelle Patterson which gashed New Orleans’ defense at times. Going back and forth on this one, I ultimately landed on Rams needing a statement victory along with the fact Atlanta is travelling across 3 time zones.
The Play: Rams -10.5
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
When: 4:05 PM on 9/18
Line: 49ers -10
O/U: 42.5
Standing atop the NFC West after the first week of football is none other than… the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle won a huge contest as they welcomed former QB Russel Wilson into their stadium and sent him packing with a loss. San Francisco lost a slip and slide of a football game in Chicago as the field was less than desirable to play on. Quite difficult to judge Trey Lance with all of the given weather conditions so this should be a game to see how the second year QB has progressed. 49ers should be able to move the ball on Seattle’s defense as they lose leader Jamal Adams for what looks like a lengthy amount of time. 49ers take this game, but with Geno Smith looking serviceable in Week 1 and the back door cover looking alive I will take the over.
The Play: Over 42.5
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
When: 4:25 PM on 9/18
Line: Bengals -7.5
O/U: 43
Joe Burrow with most likely his worst performance as a professional QB and still the Bengals should have won against Pittsburgh. A missed PAT at the end of regulation and missed FG in overtime are a few reasons they start off with a loss rather than a win. Dallas looks like they missed WR Amari Cooper Sunday night as their offense was pedestrian outside of their opening script. Dak had no help outside of CeeDee Lamb and also got hurt in this game most likely missing several weeks. Backup QB Cooper Rush seems to be the new man under center. I usually love the trend of riding with backup QBs as the team as able to rally behind them but with the offense put on display Week 1 by Dallas I’m left with no choice but to lay the points.
The Play: Bengals -7.5
Houston Texans (0-0-1) at Denver Broncos (0-1)
When: 4:25 on 9/18
Line: Broncos -10
O/u: 45.5
Questionable decision by new Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett on Monday night to say the least as he decides to kick a 64-yard game winning field goal as opposed to giving Broncos’ new QB Russel Wilson a chance to win the game late. Denver seemed phased by Seattle’s crowd noise throughout the game as they totaled 12 total penalties giving Seattle a third of their first downs via penalties. Houston came out quick in Week 1 with a 20-3 lead against the Colts in which they ultimately blew resulting in the first tie of the NFL season. Although leading most of the game, Houston was doubled in total yards by Matt Ryan and the Colts. The crowd and altitude will surely have an impact on Houston in Denver’s first home game of the season Let’s see what Chef Russ can do to bounce this team back into the win column with a double digit win in Week 2.
The Play: Broncos -10
Arizona Cardinals (0-1) at Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
When: 4:25 on 9/18
Line: Raiders -6
O/U: 51.5
Difficult to say if these teams have a bottom tier defense or if their Week 1 performances were because of facing Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. Raiders’ fans should be elated of their acquisition of Devante Adams as the star WR doesn’t seem to have missed a beat sporting silver and black this year. Another big game for Adams should be in the cards as this Arizona secondary doesn’t have anyone of major threat to slow him down. Arizona and Kyler Murray look to get their offense back on track as they managed only 1 TD in the first 3 quarters. After Kyler secured a monumental deal this offseason, he needs to come out in Week 2 and show the league why that is. Points won’t be at a premium today in this game and the backdoor is sure to be alive if the Raiders are in control.
The Play: Cardinals +6
Chicago Bears (1-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-1)
When: 8:20 on 9/18
Line: Packers -10
O/U: 42.5
Shaky start for Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers as the plethora of new WRs did not seem to be in sync with the back-to-back MVP. It’s been a while since these two teams squared off with the Bears having a better record and that will be put to a screeching halt Sunday night. Although they ended with a win, Chicago’s offense was putrid against the 49ers and it was not because of the rain either. QB Justin Fields doesn’t have the offensive line in front of him nor the weapons on the outside to help him shine in year 2. Simply put by Aaron Rodgers said to Chicago last year, “I own you”. Offense wasn’t the only thing to underwhelm as Green bay was expected to have one of the top defenses in the league but got torched by star WR Justin Jefferson. Aaron Rodgers and his defense get their season back on track with a dominating win Sunday night over Chicago.
The Play: Packers -10
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (1-0)
When: 7:15 PM on 9/19
Line: Bills -10
O/u: 49.5
Buffalo looked every bit the Super Bowl favorites as they beat the reigning champs by double digits in the opening game of the season (and it could have been worse). Although they lost Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll to New York, Buffalo’s offense doesn’t seem to have missed a beat with Josh Allen under center. Tennessee was a missed game winning FG away from coming in 1-0 as well in this matchup. I don’t fully believe in this offense but HC Mike Vrabelhas my trust from what he’s done since taking this team over. Ultimately, I believe the Bills will win this game but expect the tTitans to keep this one close on the back of Derrick Henry. With long methodical drives and keeping the ball out of Josh Allen’s hands, Tennessee may just have a chance here to upset Buffalo in their home opener. Look ahead line had Bills favored by a TD so I will gladly scoop up 3 more from what could be a Week 1 overreaction.
The Play: Titans +10
Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
When: 8:30 on 9/19
Line: Eagles -2
O/u: 50.5
Star wideouts were on display last week for both teams as Justin Jefferson and AJ Brown put on a clinic in their 2022 debut. Both offenses demonstrated the ability to put north of 24 points up each week. The only question we have here is how will Primetime Kirk Cousins look? My guess is great. A monkey has been taken off Kirk Cousins back now that he has a new head coach in town. Mike Zimmer was a great head coach in his tenure but the open tension between himself and his starting QB had to have played a part in Kirk’s play throughout the season. I know for me I do a tad better with my leaders building me up rather than tearing me down. A tough act for these teams to follow in Week 1 but expect another fireworks show and its not even 4th of July.
The Play: Over 50.5
Thank God It's Saturday 