Week 2 NFL Picks
The list of home underdogs in Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season is a who’s who of league bottom feeders. Jacksonville, Washington, Cleveland, and Oakland all looked like the 2014 versions of themselves, meaning horrible. And then there are the Bills, who are getting one point from New England after ripping the Colts last Sunday. Meanwhile, New Orleans is giving 10 points at home to the woeful Bucs, despite looking average at best against Arizona in Week 1. And the Dez Bryant-less Cowboys enter Lincoln Financial Field as 5-point dogs to the hated Eagles, who played sloppy in defeat to Atlanta on Monday night. Here are some predictions for Week 2’s matchups.
Houston at Carolina -2.5 – Brian Hoyer, out. Ryan Mallett, in. Does it even matter for the Texans at this point? Mallett will at least launch the ball downfield, which means the Panthers secondary must pay extra attention to DeAndre Hopkins. As for Carolina, Cam Newton has the weakest set of receivers in the league at his disposal, which might explain why he ran the ball 14 times in Week 1. This has the makings of an ugly 12-10 borefest. Texans are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games.
Bet Carolina -2.5
San Francisco at Pittsburgh -6 – The Niners delivered one of Week 1’s most impressive performances, stomping the Vikings 20-3 behind the young legs of running back Carlos Hyde, who rumbled for 168 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers might’ve beaten the Patriots in the Thursday season opener if they converted in the red zone. Even without Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant, they moved the ball with relative ease. Pittsburgh is well-rested, while the Niners are traveling east on a short week for a 1pm start. That doesn’t bode well for the visitors. The Steelers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six overall. San Fran is 3-2 ATS in the last five meetings in the series.
Bet Pittsburgh -6
Arizona at Chicago +1.5 – Oddsmakers clearly bought into Chicago’s inspired effort versus Green Bay. Matt Forte dominated the Packers front seven, but another costly interception by Jay Cutler sealed their fate. The Cards didn’t smash the Saints, but they never appeared to be a threat to lose, either. Andre Ellington is hurt again, so Carson Palmer will be relied on to make plays in the passing game to Larry Fitzgerald and John Brown. Arizona seems overrated, while the Bears might be a bit underrated. Cardinals are 3-2-1 ATS in the last six in the series. Toss-up games go to the team with a better defense and quarterback,
Bet Arizona -1.5
Seattle at Green Bay -3.5 – The Packers controlled Seattle for 55 minutes in the NFC Championship last January. They don’t have Jordy Nelson this time around, but they do have a healthy Aaron Rodgers playing at Lambeau Field, where he’s tossed 36 regular season touchdowns since his last interception, all the way back in December of 2012. The Seahawks have serious offensive line problems and struggled in the secondary against the Rams without safety Kam Chancellor. Green Bay is 5-3-2 ATS in the last ten tilts in the series. Seattle is 1-3-1 ATS in its last five overall. The ‘Hawks are staring down an 0-2 start, so they won’t go down easy.
Bet Seattle +3.5
