The opening week to the NFL regular season saw some statement performances, particularly the show that the Arizona Cardinals put on to trounce the Tennessee Titans. And, in what will probably be talked about for weeks to come as a contender for NFL game of the year, the Vegas Raiders kicked off their tenure at Allegiant Stadium with a thrilling overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. Now, it's time to look ahead at the upcoming slate for Week 2 where a few teams will be scrambling not to fall behind 0-2 to start their year.
**All betting lines from bet365.com (updated Sunday)**
N.Y. Giants (0-1) @ Washington Football Team (0-1)
The Giants were in tough against a stout Denver Broncos defense and it showed in the second half of last week's game. The key momentum changing play was a Daniel Jones fumble inside the red zone during the 3rd quarter. Turnovers continue to plague Jones as he's now committed 40 in 28 career games (yes, you read that right). Now, he gets another tough matchup against a strong Washington front seven who will be looking to force Jones into mistakes and shorten the field for their offense. The Giants won both matchups between these two teams last season, but I think Washington's defense proves to be too much in this one. WFT, 20-17.
Line: WFT -3.5
Spread: Giants
ML: WFT
Buffalo Bills (0-1) @ Miami Dolphins (1-0)
The Bills were stunned by the Pittsburgh Steelers in their home opener last week, thanks in large part to T.J. Watt and that front seven dominating the offensive line to put the pressure on Josh Allen. Chalk it up to a bad mismatch or is this a sign of things to come for the highly touted Bills this season? I think the Bills bounce back this week in Miami, despite another decently tough test against a pesky Dolphins defense. Allen is 5-1 in his career against the Fins and I think Leslie Frazier dials up some creative blitz packages to bother Tua Tagovailoa enough into making some mental mistakes. Bills, 27-20.
Line: Bills -3.5
Spread: Bills
ML: Bills
Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) @ Chicago Bears (0-1)
I don't really care for either one of these teams in particular. It's amazing to me how much this Bears defense has fallen off over the last couple of years from when they landed Khalil Mack. Sure, the Bears snuck in the playoffs last year (eventually falling on the road to the New Orleans Saints), but part of me wonders if Matt Nagy is coaching for his job this year? On the flip side, the Bengals have a young, up start offense led by Joe Burrow that will have fans reminiscing about the Palmer, Ocho Cinco, Houshmandzadeh days. The Bengals nearly blew a 7-point 4th quarter lead at home to the Minnesota Vikings last week, but held on in an overtime thriller. This is a revenge spot for Andy Dalton against his former team, but again, I think this is a coin flip. Bears, 24-21.
Line: Bears -1.5
Spread: Bears
ML: Bears
Denver Broncos (1-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
Honestly, this is the classic get right situation for the Jaguars after a dismal performance on the road in Houston last week. But, this is a team that appears to be led by a coach in Urban Meyer that is already showing signs of being out of his depth in the NFL and Trevor Lawrence made some ugly mistakes last week in his regular season debut. Vic Fangio prides himself on strong defensive performances and this Broncos defense might end up being one of the best in the league when all said and done this year. Fangio has a knack for keeping September games much closer than they should be, but I can't invest in the Jags right now. Broncos, 23-16.
Line: Broncos -6
Spread: Broncos
ML: Broncos
Houston Texans (1-0) @ Cleveland Browns (0-1)
The Texans came out swinging last week and looked like a team that seemed just fine without Deshaun Watson under center. Tyrod Taylor looked poised in the pocket, entering his 11th season in the NFL, throwing for 291 yards and 2 TD's, while adding another 40 yards on the ground. For the Browns, they let a 4th quarter lead slip away at Arrowhead Stadium, ultimately falling victim to the powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns are now winless in their last 17 season openers and I have to think if they are the team many think they will be this year, they bounce back in a big way at home to the 'Dawg Pound' this week. Browns, 31-20.
Line: Browns -13
Spread: Texans
ML: Browns
L.A. Rams (1-0) @ Indianapolis Colts (0-1)
Matthew Stafford couldn't have asked for a better start in his Rams debut -- 321 yards and 3 TD's -- as the Rams rolled the Bears on Sunday night, 34-14. This is going to be the narrative all year (and likely why many consider the Rams as contenders with the Bucs for the NFC crown) as Stafford finally has a defense playing behind him for once in his career. There are a lot of injuries on the Colts' side of the ball this week -- Xavier Rhodes has been ruled out and Darius Leonard seems to be on the wrong side of playing -- that make it difficult to lean in the direction of a bounce back here. If Eric Fisher and Quenton Nelson also can't go, then it's going to be a long day for Carson Wentz in the backfield. Rams, 27-17.
Line: Rams -3.5
Spread: Rams
ML: Rams
Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Speaking of overtime thrillers, what a win that was for the Raiders on Monday night over the Baltimore Ravens as they started their tenure at Allegiant Stadium on a high note. The first half for Derek Carr and Darren Waller was not so glamorous, but both seemed to find their stride when it mattered late in the game. That will be key here as they go on the road to Heinz Field against a tough Steelers defense. The Steelers had some offensive problems of their own in the first half against the Bills, put pulled out the win late. I would imagine they try to get rookie Najee Harris going early in this game and establish the run game. Mike Tomlin will have his defensive unit ready for the home opener. Steelers, 24-17.
Line: Steelers -6
Spread: Steelers
ML: Steelers
New England Patriots (0-1) @ N.Y. Jets (0-1)
Mac Jones and Zach Wilson both handled their pro debuts well last week and gave their fanbases plenty of optimism for the future. Jones looked the part of the true Bill Belichick style of QB, managing the game well and keeping his team within striking distance of the Dolphins. For Wilson, even though the Jets came out on the losing end, he flashed his athletic ability and was calm under pressure in the pocket against a decent Carolina Panthers pass rush. History will not be on Wilson's side in this one however, as Belichick has dominated rookie QB's in his career to the tune of a 21-6 record overall (13-0 at home). Patriots, 23-17.
Line: Patriots -5.5
Spread: Patriots
ML: Patriots
New Orleans Saints (1-0) @ Carolina Panthers (1-0)
The Saints were impressive last week in a blowout win over the Green Bay Packers (who saw that coming?). But, what was even more impressive, was the play of Jameis Winston. I think many people were unsure of who would be leading this team under center to open the year, but based on that performance, I would say Sean Payton made the right call with Winston. Now, the Saints head out on the road to play a scrappy division foe in the Panthers and there is a little bit of uncertainty in this one considering five offensive coaches for the Saints were forced to miss practice time this week due to Covid-19 concerns. It's unclear if any of the personnel will miss this game, but I think Payton will use his creativity to get a victory over his former pupil, and now offensive coordinator in Carolina, Joe Brady. Saints, 24-20.
Line: Saints -3
Spread: Saints
ML: Saints
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
The 49ers jumped out to a stranglehold last week, 41-10, only to soften up and nearly allow the Lions to come back and force overtime. I'm not sure what to make of this as Kyle Shanahan also had some peculiar offensive personnel decisions that saw Brandon Aiyuk go without an offensive target the entire game. For the Eagles, they came out swinging on the road in Atlanta and Jalen Hurts silenced any of his critics with a big time performance. I mean, we can chalk some of this up to the Falcons likely being a bottom feeder this year, but it was impressive nonetheless. I went back-and-forth on this one, but ultimately sided with the home underdog in a game that should have plenty of offensive fireworks. Eagles, 28-27.
Line: 49ers -3
Spread: Eagles
ML: Eagles
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Nobody is seriously considering the Falcons here, right? It's the NFL and stranger things have happened, but trust me when I say that Tom Brady will never forget the 28-3 Super Bowl win. I mentioned it earlier, but I think the Falcons are going to be picking Top 5 in the NFL draft for the second straight year. This should be an absolute beatdown by Brady and the Bucs coming off a seesaw battle with the Dallas Cowboys on opening night. Any time Brady has extra time to prepare for an opponent, the results are typically good and I think he rolls here (just watch the backdoor cover). Bucs, 34-20.
Line: Bucs -12.5
Spread: Bucs
ML: Bucs
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
The Cardinals were very impressive on the road last week, handling the Tennessee Titans with relative ease from start to finish. Kyler Murray was outstanding and looked like a QB that opposing defenses would struggle to contain this season. What's more encouraging here, if you're a Cards fan, was the defensive display led by Chandler Jones and his five sacks. That's something the Cards have lacked over the last few years and if they can keep that consistency, this team will be dangerous on a weekly basis. The Vikings seem to be picking up where they left off last year on the defensive side of the ball, and that has to keep Mike Zimmer up at night. Now, Everson Griffen suffered a fluke concussion while swerving to avoid a deer on his way to the practice facility this week and will miss this game...it just doesn't seem to be going the Vikes' way early on. Cardinals, 28-23.
Line: Cardinals -3.5
Spread: Cardinals
ML: Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys (0-1) @ L.A. Chargers (1-0)
The Cowboys hung with the defending Super Bowl champions on opening night, and if not for some missed kicks by Greg Zuerlein, they could have won that game. Although they executed a solid gameplan, momentum may not be on their side in this one as the injury report appears to be quite lengthy. DeMarcus Lawrence heads the list after breaking his foot, and will miss the next 6-8 weeks following surgery. On top of that, the Cowboys are set to be without Michael Gallup, Randy Gregory and La'el Collins against the Chargers. No matter what type of performance Dak Prescott and the rest of the offense put on Sunday, it seems like too much to overcome. Justin Herbert should have his way with this secondary and I expect Austin Ekeler to be a real mismatch for this front seven in space. Chargers, 35-27.
Line: Chargers -3
Spread: Chargers
ML: Chargers
Tennessee Titans (0-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
The Titans looked very unprepared last week -- which is odd to think about when it comes to a Mike Vrabel coached football team -- and just didn't have any answers on either side of the ball against the Cardinals. Derrick Henry struggled often and Ryan Tannehill looked completely out of sorts, especially with Julio Jones. This is another spot for a get right game, but it's hard to invest in the Titans on the road here, especially since Pete Carroll has never lost a home opener in his tenure with the Seahawks. If we get that same performance as last week from the Titans' secondary, then Russell Wilson and this offense is going to eat...big time. Seahawks, 34-27.
Line: Seahawks -6
Spread: Seahawks
ML: Seahawks
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (0-1)
The Ravens jumped out to a 14-0 lead on the road Monday night, but ultimately fell to the Raiders in overtime. Lamar Jackson lost two fumbles at key points in that game, which was ultimately the difference for the Ravens. Now, it's a familiar scene for Jackson as he goes toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes under the lights. Mahomes is 3-0 against Jackson in his career, averaging 378.7 pass yards with a 9:1 TD:INT ratio in those starts. On the flip side, Jackson has put up mediocre numbers for his career against the Chiefs, averaging 170.3 passing yards, 65.3 rushing yards and adding 4 total TD's. Without Marcus Peters lining up across from Tyreek Hill, I think this creates a big mismatch for the secondary and even if they manage to keep Hill in check, that should leave Travis Kelce to reap the benefits. Chiefs, 27-24.
Line: Chiefs -3.5
Spread: Ravens
ML: Chiefs
Detroit Lions (0-1) @ Green Bay Packers (0-1)
Aaron Rodgers may have played his worst game of football last Sunday since being declared the Green Bay Packers' starter in 2008. Maybe he needed more offseason preparation than expected or maybe he has one foot out the door already in Green Bay? Whatever the case, it was an ugly Week 1 performance and not one we're used to seeing from the reigning MVP. The fortunate part is he gets a bounce back spot against a Lions team he has owned in his career (17-5 lifetime). And, since Matt LaFleur took over as head coach of the Packers, Rodgers is 6-0 in games following a loss. Jared Goff nearly pulled off a miracle comeback last week and should feel a little more at ease with the Packers having placed Za'Darius Smith on IR with a back injury, but this is Rodgers at Lambeau in primetime coming off an embarrassing loss. Packers, 30-17.
Line: Packers -11.5
Spread: Packers
ML: Packers
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