After an interesting Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season, we turn our attention to Week 2 this week. Here are five best bets heading into this weekend’s games.
It’s great to have NFL football back in our lives. Week 1 was excellent. Can’t wait to see what the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are about, as they make their 2017 debuts in Week 2. Our thoughts are with the people in Florida and the Southeast effected by Hurricane Irma.
We had some great television games and a few upsets. Who saw the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars winning in routs on the road in Week 1? Well, we did take the Chiefs getting 8.5 points on the road in Week 1. Overall, it was not a great week for me against the spread, going 2-2-1.
Kansas City and the New York Jets covered, but the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers did not. The Los Angeles Chargers pushed against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. For a first week of the NFL season where we aren’t entirely sure what all the teams are about, we’ll take 2-2-1 for now.
Here’s to being ahead of the curve going forward. With Week 2 beginning in Cincinnati on Thursday Night Football when the Houston Texans come to town, here are the five best bets for this second week of NFL action.
All lines are courtesy of SportsBook Review.
5. Minnesota Vikings (+7) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Monday night was not a good homecoming for New Orleans Saints running back Adrian Peterson in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings handled the Saints 29-19 in their home opener at U.S. Bank Stadium in primetime. We’ll get to the Saints’ next game in a little bit, but let’s talk about the Vikings getting points at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
Pittsburgh held on to beat the Cleveland Browns on the road in Week 1, 21-18. Cleveland was feisty enough to cover the spread. Though the Steelers may have the best offense in the AFC, they will have to deal with a ferocious Vikings defense that kept the high-powered Saints offense in check in Week 1.
Don’t expect Sam Bradford and the Vikings offense to put up a ton of points in this game, or in any game for that matter. Just look for the Vikings defense to minimize the effectiveness against Pittsburgh to some degree.
Pittsburgh should win this game, as the Steelers have the higher ceiling of the two teams, plus it’s at Heinz Field. However, this may be more of a game decided by a field goal than a touchdown. Take the Vikings getting points, as long as the line doesn’t drop below Minnesota +4.
4. Denver Broncos (+1) vs. Dallas Cowboys
Though the Denver Broncos managed to hold off a fourth-quarter come back from the division rival Los Angeles Chargers in the second of two Monday night games, Denver isn’t getting the respect it should playing at home on Sunday.
Sure, they host the Dallas Cowboys and that complete offense, but definitely take the Broncos getting points. Denver is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. Mile High Stadium will be rocking in this mid-afternoon game against a strong NFC team in Dallas.
That might make it a bit tougher for Dallas to run the football with the amped up crowd noise. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will get his yards, but Dallas won’t be able to run all over the Denver defense like it did to the rival New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
This line could change throughout the week. Denver as a home underdog historically feels like a really good play. Dallas could definitely win this game, but for whatever reason, the Cowboys could potentially end up overlooking this feisty Broncos team. The Cowboys are the better team entering Week 2, but Dallas should be on upset alert in this one. Take Denver getting any points.
3. Buffalo Bills (+8.5) at Carolina Panthers
Though the Carolina Panthers smoked the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Week 1 23-3, it’s not like the Panthers offense went to town on the 49ers defense. Quarterback Cam Newton struggled with his accuracy. Rookie running back Christian McCaffrey got a ton of touches, but didn’t do much with them.
Carolina may be coming back to Charlotte with a Week 1 road victory, but this one with the Buffalo Bills feels like a definite trap game for the Panthers. Buffalo is getting 8.5 points after beating the New York Jets at home in Orchard Park on Sunday, 21-12. It’s early in the year, but Buffalo matches up well with Carolina.
Not saying Buffalo will win this road game, but the Panthers shouldn’t be favored by more than a touchdown against the Bills. Buffalo will be able to run the football behind that underrated offensive line of theirs. Until Newton proves he can be a more accurate passer, it’s hard to see the Panthers laying more than a touchdown on anybody.
Add in that this will be Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s first game back in Charlotte and that should have Buffalo fired up for this game even more. McDermott was Carolina’s defensive coordinator the last few years. He is well aware of how to put points up on Ron Rivera’s defense, as well as how to limit the effectiveness of Don Shula’s offense. Take the Bills if they are getting more than a touchdown at Carolina.
2. San Francisco 49ers (+14) at Seattle Seahawks
Will the Seattle Seahawks get back to .500 with a win over the division rival San Francisco 49ers on Sunday? That would be a yes. However, are we sure that the Seahawks should be laying 14 points to anybody with that atrocious mess of an offensive line?
Admittedly, San Francisco looked outmatched in Kyle Shanahan’s first game on the sidelines against the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers offense was inert against a strong Panthers defense. That’s not really surprising. Carolina looks to be back to good on that side of the ball.
However, Seattle looked terrible offensively against the Green Bay Packers on the road in Week 1. The Seahawks were one of six teams that didn’t score 10 points on opening weekend. It’s not like Green Bay has world beaters defensively either. That offensive line might end up being the loathsome burden that keeps the Seahawks from getting to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.
Let’s be real. The 49ers aren’t going to light up the score board against this Seahawks defense. Who will this year honestly? However, San Francisco runs the same Cover 3 base defense as Seattle. The 49ers may not be ready to win, but they aren’t going to get embarrassed in two straight weeks. Take the 49ers getting double digits in points this week.
1. New England Patriots (-7) at New Orleans Saints
Okay. Hop on this one as quickly as you can. The spread is growing, so try to get the New England Patriots laying as little points as possible. Originally, they were laying only four on the road to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Now that’s up to seven after the Saints looked lost on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. Both teams need to win this game, but which organizational culture do you trust more in a step-up game: New England’s or New Orleans’?
That would be the Patriots 100 percent of the time. Do you think Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and company will lay consecutive eggs to start the season? No, no they will not. New England will have had 10 days to prepare for this road dome date against one of the worst defenses in football.
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This will be a short week for the Saints after they lost on Monday night to the Vikings. Though the Patriots lost, you don’t see anybody on the team pointing fingers. It’s been one week, but Adrian Peterson and Sean Payton are not seeing eye to eye. Let’s hope that it doesn’t become a Jeff George versus June Jones fiasco in the coming weeks. New England is going to clobber the Saints and there is nothing New Orleans can do about it.