Week 1 NFL Picks
I don’t have to start with the obvious question, are you ready for some football? Clown question, bro. I already know you’re ready for damn sure. It’s been a long and painful offseason, but it’s all over now. Football is back. Blue skies from here on out. You can cross Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays off your calendar for the next few months. We got work to do, so let’s get to it…
At Denver -7.5 Baltimore
The Ravens don’t tend to lose in Week 1. I still think they will, though,Broncos start the season off right and avenge their playoff loss against last year’s champs.
Pick: Broncos -7.5
New England -9 At Buffalo
The good news for Buffalo is they get to start EJ Manuel over Jeff Tuel at QB. The bad news is that the Pats are 13-4 against rookie QBs since 2000. Don’t be scared by the big spread. It won’t be close.
Pick: Pats -9
At Pittsburgh -7 Tennessee
I wish the spread was a bit smaller, but the Steelers should be able to contain CJ2K and take advantage of a Titans defense that ranked 26th in the league against the pass a year ago.
Pick: Steelers -7
At New Orleans -3 Atlanta
This should be a fun game to watch. Touchdowns galore. The Saints ranked last in the league against the run last year, so if S-Jax is ever going to show up this season, week 1 should give him plenty of opportunities to shine. New Orleans is coming off their first normal offseason in years though. With Sean Payton back in the mix and a new found respect for the running game, the Saints will start off on the right foot at home.
Pick: Saints -3
Tampa Bay -3.5 At NY Jets
The Bucs made some serious upgrades on defense this offseason, and the Jets, well they’re still the Jets. Sure, New York fans won’t have to worry about Sanchez tossing this one away, but Geno, Bilal and maybe Santonio doesn’t instill a ton of confidence.
Pick: Bucs -3.5
Kansas City -4 At Jacksonville
These two teams can’t keep sucking forever, right? My guess is the Chiefs start sucking less a whole lot sooner, starting this week.
Pick: Chiefs -4
At Chicago -3 Cincinnati
This is going to be a true test for the Bengals, the new darlings of the AFC North. The Bears and Bengals both finished 10-6 last season, but Marvin Lewis still has a job cause his team made the playoffs. I want to lean on the home team here, but I think this will be one of the most interesting matches of the week.
Pick: Bears -3
At Cleveland -1 Miami
This one’s a pick’em for good reason. Both teams look poised for big improvements, with young skill players littering the field for both squads. I think the edge goes to the Browns though. Unless Mike Wallace has a monster game in his first Dolphin start, the Browns are going to grind this one out on the ground.
Pick: Browns -1
Seattle -3.5 At Carolina
The Seahawks were the only team in the NFL that went undefeated at home last year. They were an abysmal 3-5 on the road though. Seattle is the better team, but the Panthers ended last season strong and won’t be bulldozed at home. The game should be close either way.
Pick: Panthers +3.5
At Detroit -5 Minnesota
The Lions could be scary if they can do anything to stop people. I feel like AP could have the greatest running back season of all time and Vikings would still miss the playoffs. AP goes bananas and the Lions still win.
Pick: Lions -5
At Indianapolis -9.5 Oakland
Yes the season is just getting started, but one thing is clear: the Raiders are an exceptionally bad football team.
Pick: Colts -9.5
At St. Louis -4.5 Arizona
So Jeff Fisher has been sitting on Tavon Austin all preseason, eh? Well Austin will be fully unleashed in Week 1. I think the Cards will be surprisingly competent. This one likely comes down to which B-grade QB makes the most mental errors. Edge goes to the younger, better Rams D.
Pick: Rams -4.5
At San Francisco -4.5 Green Bay
The Niners are a scary bunch, yes, but Green Bay is a well-coached team that will be up for the challenge. The McCarthy-led Pack attack is 5-1 in Week 1 contests over the last six seasons. That first loss came a year ago against the Niners. Green Bay gets revenge.
Pick: Packers +4.5
At Dallas -3.5 NY Giants
Yea yea, the Cowboys are good. Okay. We’ll see. I think Murray will have a great season, but I like the G-Men’s aerial assault and upside of David Wilson better. The Giants haven’t lost in Dallas’ new stadium yet.
Pick: Giants +3.5
At Washington -3.5 Philadelphia
RG3 gets his first action in a long time against the new, Chip Kelly-led Eagles. Haslett says his D can handle Philly just fine, but will the Skins pick up right where they left off last season? I think the Eagles will be able to answer on offense, but that D is just too suspect against the balanced attack of DC, even with RG3 coming out raw.
Pick: Skins -3.5
Houston -4 At San Diego
Don’t believe all this Arian Foster isn’t a badass mumbo jumbo. Texans roll and San Diego sputters to get points on the board.
Pick: Texans -4
Last Year: 136-121-5 ATS
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| Print article | This entry was posted by Chris Stout on September 5, 2013 at 4:43 pm, and is filed under Sports. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |
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