Sunday Locks (NFL Week 2)
49ers (-3) @ Eagles, O/U 49
Both of these teams looked good in Week 1 wins. The 49ers struggled to stop the run, but were unstoppable themselves on the ground. The Eagles have to be feeling good about Jalen Hurts, but will get a much stiffer opponent, especially on the defensive line, this week. I think this will be a tight one, but ultimately I expect the Niners defense to cause headaches for Hurts in a 49ers win. I’ll lay the field goal.
Picks: 49ers -3 (Padlock), OVER 49 (Padlock)
Bills (-3) @ Dolphins, O/U 47.5
Everyone picked the Bills to run away with this division prior to last week. All of a sudden, this has become a sneaky important game for them, despite it only being Week 2. A road, division game, which, if they lose, would put them 2 games behind the Dolphins, who would not only begin the season 2–0, but with 2 division wins. I’m picking the Bills here laying the field goal. I expect Josh Allen and the rest of this team to understand the urgency of this game.
Picks: Bills -3 (Fort Knox), UNDER 47.5 (Deadbolt)
Rams (-3.5) @ Colts, O/U 48.5
Matthew Stafford sure looked like he was having the time of his life slinging that ball around last week. I expect that to continue here. I’m buying into the hype. The one thing that does scare me is the Rams inability to stop the run last week as they get to face off against Quenton Nelson and this Colts rushing attack. Still, I think the Rams’ offense will put up enough points to cover here.
Picks: Rams -3.5 (Deadbolt), OVER 48.5 (Padlock)
Texans @ Browns (-12.5), O/U 48
The Texans looked awesome in a dominant Week 1 win. But remember, Week 1 is often a lie. Need an example? The Jaguars beat the Colts in Week 1 last year before losing their next 15 games. The Browns looked equally impressive building a double digit lead on the Chiefs in Kansas City before their 4th quarter collapse. I expect the Browns to run it down the Texans’ throat and control this game start to finish in a good ol’ fashioned blowout by the home team.
Picks: Browns -12.5 (Deadbolt), UNDER 48 (Padlock)
Patriots (-5.5) @ Jets, O/U 43
Everyone likes what they’ve seen out of Mac Jones so far in his young career, from winning the QB battle in the preseason to a very solid debut despite the loss. Zach Wilson also showed some flashes in his debut. Unfortunately for him, he goes up against Bill Belichick, who loves making rookie and young QBs “see ghosts”, as Sam Darnold famously once said. Obviously it’s early, but how Zach Wilson looks in this game could go a long way in giving the Jets and their fans confidence that they’ve found their guy. I think that’s more important for them than whether they win or lose. As far as the game, I’ll lay the points with the Pats.
Picks: Patriots -5.5 (Deadbolt), UNDER 43 (Deadbolt)
Saints (-3.5) @ Panthers, O/U 44.5
Did anyone foresee that performance from Jameis Winston and the Saints? I sure didn’t. And while yes, it was super impressive, I’m not yet a believer. And I do like this Panthers team. I like their WRs. I like their defense. Oh, and that CMC guy is pretty good. I’ll gladly take the points with the home team in this division battle.
Picks: Panthers +3.5 (Deadbolt), OVER 44.5 (Padlock)
Bengals @ Bears (-2), O/U 45.5
Following a productive, albeit mediocre, 9 years with the Bengals, we’d expect and hope for the fans to cheer for him as he squares off against his former team with fans in the stands for the first time. Sadly, I don’t think that’ll be the case. That’s because this game is in Chicago and despite Justin Fields’ wishes, the fans want him on the field, not Dalton. Still, the Bears’ offense actually looked pretty good last week. At home, against a bad Bengals’ offensive line, I expect Khalil Mack to get after it and the Bears to cover.
Picks: Bears -2 (Deadbolt), OVER 45.5 (Deadbolt)
Raiders @ Steelers (-6.5), O/U 47
Is it too early to start concerning yourself with Wild Card tiebreakers? Because I think this game will prove to be enormous in that regard at season’s end. The Raiders looked awesome. Their d-line looked great. Derek Carr bounced back late after a rough first half. The Steelers were equally as impressive, particularly defensively. I expect this one to be close, so give me the points with the Raiders.
Picks: Raiders + 6.5 (Padlock), OVER 47 (Deadbolt)
Broncos (-6) @ Jaguars, O/U 45
These two teams couldn’t have looked more different last week, to the point where the Broncos are a 6 point road favorite. I try very hard to not overreact to Week 1, and will go out of my way to try to find opportunities where I feel like there might be an overreaction to exploit it. I see this as one of those games. I’ll take the points with the home team.
Picks: Jaguars +6 (Padlock), OVER 45 (Deadbolt)
Falcons @ Buccaneers (-12.5), O/U 51.5
The Buccaneers began their quest to defend their title with a tight Week 1 victory. Their defense didn’t look sharp, their offense turned the ball over too much, but they got the win. Now they get to beat up on a bad team in the Falcons at home. Not so fast. The Falcons are bad, let me get that out of the way. That being said, this is still a division game. This is still a team early enough in the season that will be giving the defending champs their best punch. This is a team that on paper should have its only strength (passing game) matching up against the Bucs only weakness. And this is a ton of points. It may be backdoor, it may be on “Bad Beats”, but I’ll take the points with the Falcons here.
Picks: Falcons +12.5 (Padlock), OVER 51.5 (Padlock)
Vikings @ Cardinals (-4), O/U 50.5
Here’s another “ overreaction game”. The Vikings looked bad in a Week 1 defeat against the Bengals. The Cardinals looked incredible in a Week 1 victory against the Titans. Those results make me think the spread is going to be off favoring the Cardinals. So I’ll take the points with the Vikings.
Picks: Vikings +4 (Deadbolt), UNDER 50.5 (Deadbolt)
Cowboys @ Chargers (-3.5), O/U 54.5
Points, points, points. That’s what I expect here. Dak and the Cowboys completely abandoned the ground game last week and few would argue that was a bad strategy. While I don’t see that happening again, it showed what this Cowboys explosive offense is capable of. I absolutely love Justin Herbert. He’s going to be a superstar in this league for the next decade +. That being said, I want the points and the Cowboys here.
Picks: Cowboys +3.5 (Deadbolt), OVER 54.5 (Deadbolt)
Titans @ Seahawks (-6.5), O/U 54.5
Overreaction game #3! I get it — the Titans looked awful last week and the Seahawks were fantastic. That’s exactly why I’m taking the Titans with the points here. They may not have a good defense, but their offense can’t be that bad again. And while the Seahawks are a very good team, don’t forget how bad their own defense was for most of last season. Give me the points here.
Picks: Titans +6.5 (Deadbolt), OVER 54.5 (Deadbolt)
Chiefs (-3.5) @ Ravens, O/U 54.5
A Sunday Night thriller! Will Lamar finally beat this team? Or will the Chiefs continue to be his kryptonite? That I don’t know, but I do like the idea of getting more than a field goal here. I’m taking the Ravens with the points. The Chiefs are on a historical streak where for such a good team, they simply don’t cover. I’m rolling with that trend.
