It was a fun first week in the NFL. It was also a prosperous one, as my picks last week went 4-1 (should have known Dallas was a trap). We saw a late Raiders cover, a Cardinals win straight up, and the Seahawks easily handle the Falcons. As we look at Week 2 NFL odds, we may see some trends or things trending in the opposite way. Here are, in my eyes, the five best bets for the week.
Pick 1: BUF (-5.5) at. MIA
Josh Allen OWNS the Dolphins. In four career games, Allen has thrown for 913 yards, 10 TD, 3 INT, completing 61% of his passes. This is good for a 102.8 rating. Not to mention, Allen is coming off of arguably the best game of his career in a win over the Jets. The Dolphins offense couldn’t cash in against the Patriots defense, while the Bills defense looks to be as strong as ever. The Bills should win this one running away.
Pick 2: LAR (-1.5) at. PHI
The Eagles’ offensive line is banged up, to say the least. Furthermore, we really don’t know how ready Miles Sanders will be on Sunday. I’m not completely out on the Eagles after a tough loss to Washington, but Carson Wentz did not look promising. As for Los Angeles, they come off a Sunday Night win against Dallas, where their offense seemed to click. Aaron Donald going against the Eagles offensive line is a scary, scary thought. Although he didn’t put up mind-blowing numbers, I think Jared Goff is a serviceable NFL quarterback. Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers can be a fun one-two punch to watch going forward. Tough to take a team traveling east for a 1:00 kick, but take the Rams here.
Pick 3: SF (-6.5) at. NYJ
The 49ers come off a brutal Week One loss to Arizona, a game I saw coming from a mile away. Now, they head to the east coast to take on a Jets team that looked pretty bad against Buffalo. Jimmy G is the factor here. Against Josh Allen and the Bills, New York’s secondary looked lost. Garoppolo looked okay at times, brutal at others against Arizona, finishing 19-33 for 259 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target, George Kittle, left the game in the first half before returning to play the second half. Clearly not 100%, Kittle was not targeted for the remaining 30 plays the Niners ran. The Jets’ offense is slow, nothing compared to the speed and weapons the Cardinals have. This should be a big bounceback for San Fransisco.
Pick 4: SEA (-3.5) vs. NE
Russell Wilson was essentially perfect in Week One. He went 31/35, 322 yards, and four touchdowns. That’s the same amount of touchdowns as incompletions, for those keeping track at home. The Patriots looked good under Cam Newton, but they have no weapons. The public seems to love their 21-11 ugly win over the Dolphins, but I do not. Newton was effective in the run game, rushing for 75 yards on 15 carries. Jamal Adams is the great equalizer here. After a great game against Atlanta, I like him to disrupt Newton, forcing him to make throws. And look who he completed passes to last week. Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, James White, Ryan Izzo, and J.J Taylor. It’s just not the same offense in years past, especially if they can’t get the running game going. Seahawks win big on Sunday night. Grab this line before the public catches on.
Pick 5: ARI (-6.5) vs. WAS
The Cardinals are going to be a betting favorite of mine this season. They came out firing, taking down the 49ers 24-20. Deandre Hopkins made his debut count, catching a career-best 14 passes for 151 yards. Kyler Murray totaled 321 yards and two touchdowns as well. Their new-look defense looked strong as well, with some wrinkles in the run defense to still iron out. The Washington Football Team did look good in game one under Ron Rivera, but it felt more like an Eagles loss than a Washington win. Both these teams will come out hungry trying to start 2-0. But the Cardinals have too much talent offensively for Washington to hang around.