It's time for the first full day of football games - can't wait! Here are my picks for the week:
TNF
Packers at Seahawks: SEAHAWKS. I picked the defending champs to come out strong in this game, and they sure didn't disappoint. I thought about locking this game to be bold, but regrettably I did not.Sunday 1:00 Games
UPSET: Saints at Falcons: SAINTS. I can't believe the Saints qualify as an upset pick this week. Seriously?? I'll grant that the Falcons will be better this year (they still suck, though), but they're not beating the Saints in week one.
Vikings at Rams: VIKINGS. I'm butting heads with the spread a lot this week, apparently. I like a strong offensive output from AP and C-Pat for a Vikings win.
Browns at Steelers: STEELERS. Steelers will take this one - their experience will prevail in a low-scoring slobberknocker.
Jaguars at Eagles: EAGLES. This is a really bad matchup for the Jags on the road. Not going to use my lock here, though....it'd be awful to lock against my favorite team before the season even starts.
Raiders at Jets: JETS. Their defense will score more than the Raiders' offense. Tough intiation into the league for Derek Carr.
WASH: Bengals at Ravens: RAVENS. The Bengals will take a dip this year, and it will be because of close divisional losses like this one. It's close, though, so I'll use my wash here.
LOCK: Bills at Bears: BEARS. The Bears will be much improved this year, while the Bills will remain one of the league's worst. I like Cutler and Co. for a double-digit home win to start the year.
Redskins at Texans: TEXANS. It's going to take a few games for Jay Gruden to start getting something out out of his subpar offensive talent. I don't buy into the DeSean Jackson hype, and there are serious problems on this Washington team. An improved Texans D takes control of this game.
Titans at Chiefs: CHIEFS. They're going to take a step back from their performance last year, but I like them to win the games they're supposed to win this season. Chalk up a win for week 1.
Patriots at Dolphins: PATRIOTS. No contender improved more in my eyes this offseason than the Pats. The defense is poised to be a top-5 unit in the league, and will wreak havoc on a shaky Ryan Tannehill. Also, a TD or two to Gronk for my fantasy leagues!
Sunday 4:30
Panthers at Bucs: PANTHERS. Wow, division champs are 3-point dogs on opening day? I don't know what the NFC South oddsmakers are smoking, because the Bucs and Falcons battled it out for the cellar in the division last year but are both 3-point favorites this Sunday.
49ers at Cowboys: 49ERS....and this could get ugly if Romo can't put up some early points. If Dallas can get in a shootout, though, they have a shot.
SNF
Colts at Broncos: BRONCOS. What a great game to open SNF with! It's almost as good as our TNF opener. I'll take Denver to eke out a close one. But Luck will be brilliant.
MNF
Giants at Lions: LIONS. This should be a fun shootout to watch. Eli seems confused in the new scheme, so I'll take the Lions to capitalize on some Giants mistakes.
Chargers at Cardinals: CHARGERS. I really like San Diego this year, and I'll going to defy the lines again and take them to get a big road win to open their season.
Switching to Bucs now that Newton is out
ReplyDelete