Of all the picks you’ll see for the NFL this week, this is the most definitive list. All lines come from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Thursday 9/15.
OVER – Rams vs. Falcons over 46.5
I really have no justification for liking the over in this one. I feel like the Rams are due for a bounce back game after the stinker they laid in the opener against Buffalo. Matthew Stafford was close pals with the Queen (and Clayton Kershaw…did you guys know that they played little league together), so I’m sure his mind was elsewhere while the Bills were running roughshod on Cooper Kupp’s stunt doubles. https://twitter.com/NFL_Memes/status/1568605521019559936?s=20&t=rSEATB3fyadXSWdfvwglVQ Falcons played decent against a pretty good Saints defense a week ago, so…maybe points will be scored. I don’t know man…bettor beware
UNDER – Broncos vs. Texans under 46
I do not think the Texans are a very good football team. Finagling a tie against the Colts might be more of an inditement on Indy than a sign of tings to come for Houston.
I also don’t think that the Broncos are all that good either. Mustering a measly 16 points against a rebuilding Seattle team with a newly acquired “elite” quarterback and offensive minded new head coach left a lot to be desired.
I see this game going one of two ways:
- An affront to the beautiful game of football that leaves all parties, fanbases, and viewers in collective disgust
- The Broncos come to life and show that they’re capable of generating an offense attack that seemed like a forgone conclusion when Russell Wilson was acquired.
FAVORITE – Bucs -2.5
I’m taking the Bucs -2.5 here and not feeling particularly great about it. New Orleans has beaten the Bucs in 3 out of 4 regular season meetings since Brady arrives to Tampa in 2020. Those include a couple of embarrassing loses along the way (38-3 Saints in 2020, 9-0 Saints in 2021).
These two teams don’t seem to particularly like one another, and this is a classic “throw out the record book when these two teams get together” matchup (shoutout PFT Commentor). Still, I’m comfortable betting on Tom Brady and not thinking twice about it.
UNDERDOG – Miami +3.5
Fresh off a wire-to-wire victory over the Pats in Week 1, Miami heads up to Baltimore for a matchup with the 1-0 Ravens. Lamar Jackson lead his squad to a 24-9 win over the Jets on the road, but a lot of questions still remain for the Ravens offense. Running back J.K. Dobbins sounds like he may be ready to give it a go after sitting out last week, but he remains questionable. Coupled with questions marks at wide receiver, Baltimore replicating it’s performance against a much better Miami defense is no sure thing. Miami dominated the Patriots all game long, particularly on defense. If Miami can find a way to contain Jackson inside the pocket and force him to throw into their talented secondary, I like their chances of starting 2-0.
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