We are now two weeks into the NFL season. Some have reasons to panic after getting off to 0-2 starts while others are sitting pretty at 2-0. Nevertheless it is still early in the 2016 with plenty of time to go. I will now attempt to pick the winners of each game based off of the spreads. If you agree of disagree tweet at me @treydaubert to let me know where I’m wrong for my NFL week one predictions. *All spreads are courtesy of oddsshark.com
Thursday Night: Patriots At Texans (Even)
The Pariots are down to their third quarterback in Jacoby Brisset for this Thursday night affair. The bad news for the Texans is it likely won’t matter. New England looks as good as ever even without Tom Brady. I fully expect them to be 4-0 by the time Brady returns. The Texans will be a tough task as they are also 2-0. Head coach Bill O’Brien knows the system, as he was a former quarterback coach for the team. I’ll take the Pats in a close game.
Patriots defeat Texans 17-10
Sunday at 1 ET: Browns At Dolphins (CLE +10)
This is a battle of 0-2 teams yet Miami is still ten point favorites. That’s when you know Vegas can tell how bad the Browns truly are. One reason for this is Cleveland is starting rookie third round pick Cody Kessler at quarterback. Kessler is nowhere near ready and will struggle considering the team was planning on red-shirting him the entire season. Dolphins not only win but cover the points.
Dolphins defeat Browns 31-6
Sunday at 1 ET: Vikings At Panthers (MIN +7)
The Vikings have looked impressive in back to back weeks despite a shaky quarterback situation. This time they will face the Panthers without Adrian Peterson. I don’t like their odds. Carolina is a real defense; Sam Bradford is likely in for a bad day. The Panthers do enough offensively to get the job done on a extremely talented Viking defense.
Panthers defeat Vikings 24-21
Sunday at 1 ET: Ravens At Jaguars (EVEN)
The Ravens are 2-0, the Jaguars are 0-2, and the spread remains even……. I think Vegas might be trying to tell us something. Baltimore’s two wins are over the Bills and Browns so Ravens fans can’t get too excited yet. I’ll take the Ravens to take this one as well. The Jags were my pick to win the AFC South this year but they seem to be a team that lacks leadership from their head coach.
Ravens defeat Jaguars 38-30
Sunday at 1 ET: Redskins At Giants (WAS +4.5)
Washington is the defending NFC East champs and are in must win mode against the Giants. New York on the other hand is 2-0 and easily could be 0-2 winning by a combined 4 point margin in two games. Things appear to be going a bit too well for the Giants as one of those typical Eli games seems inevitable. I like Washington to get on the board with their first win. Getting 4.5 points is just an added bonus.
Redskins defeat Giants 23-14
Sunday at 1 ET: Raiders At Titans (OAK +1.5)
This spread kind of took me by surprise as I did not expect the Raiders to be underdogs. When you go through the positions the Raiders have the edge at just about everything. Oakland has the much stronger roster and get the job done here with a nice bounce back win.
Raiders defeat Titans 41-10
Sunday at 1 ET: Lions At Packers (DET +7.5)
The media has been all over Aaron Rodgers this week for a bad performance against the Vikings Sunday night. Maybe the Vikings defense is just really good and people shouldn’t panic. The Lions seem destined to fall a part after losing a one point game to the Titans. These are the typical things that happen to the Lions. I’ll take Green Bay to have a strong performance.
Packers defeat Lions 38-21
Sunday at 1 ET: Cardinals At Bills (BUF + 4.5)
The Bills appear to be heading on a downward spiral fast. Buffalo has already canned offensive coordinator Greg Roman who I thought did a fantastic job with Tyrod Taylor a year ago. Total panic move by Rex Ryan to try to save his season. The Cardinals are a class up in competition and destroy the the Bills in this one after doing so a week ago to the Bucs.
Cardinals defeat Bills 41-6
Sunday at 1 ET: Broncos At Bengals (DEN +3)
Denver has escaped thus far and have gotten pretty solid quarterback play. Denver looks like they are in it to win it again in 2016. Cincinnati is a tough defense and held the Steelers to only 17 points despite the loss. I don’t see Siemian putting up more than that. Cincy gets the win in a defensive showdown at home.
Bengals defeat Broncos 27-20
Sunday at 4:05 ET: 49ers At Seahawks (SF +9.5)
Seattle was just embarrassed when they lost to Los Angeles last week only putting up 3 points along the way. Now Seattle goes back home where you figure they will be geared up to right the ship. Blaine Gabbert will probably struggle to move to ball in Seattle but I do expect them to cover. Chip Kelly offenses always find a way to make things interesting. I’ll take Seattle in a one score game.
Seahawks defeat 49ers 24-17
Sunday at 4:05 ET: Rams At Buccaneers (LA +4.5)
The Rams are coming off a shocking win at home over Seattle. The Bucs are coming off a terrible performance against the Cardinals. Something will meet in the middle here. Both running backs Doug Martin and Todd Gurley have gotten off to shaky starts and need to improve to help their quarterbacks. Both teams are pretty similar so I will go with the points. Winston gets it done by a field goal, Rams cover.
Bucs defeat Rams 31-28
Sunday at 4:25 ET: Chargers At Colts (SD + 2.5)
The Chargers took me by surprise last week when they laid a beating on the Jaguars. Both teams organizational have not been run well recently despite having good quarterback play. In this battle I’ll take the Colts to get their first win of the year. I’m concerned about San Diego offense now after losing Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead in back to back weeks.
Colts defeat Chargers 28-27
Sunday at 4:25 ET: Jets At Chiefs (NYJ +3)
This is another game that is close to call. Both teams are actually pretty similar. Plus defenses, good quarterback game managers, and superior running teams. Vegas is calling this basically a pick em game since the home team normally gives up 3 against the spread. Tough game for me to call but Kansas City is always a tough place to play. Chiefs get the job done after Alex Smith recovers from a poor showing last week.
Chiefs defeat Jets 35-30
Sunday at 4:25 ET: Steelers At Eagles (PHI +3.5)
It’s the battle of Pennsylvania. Both teams come into this game at 2-0 making this game even more important. Both offenses have come in hot. With the Eagles at home I actually like the upset. Doug Pederson looks like one of the best play callers in the league as this game will cement Carson Wentz as a franchise quarterback. The difference in this one could come down to offensive line play where the Eagles look outstanding thus far. A late Fletcher Cox sack fumble decides this one.
Eagles defeat Steelers 24-17
Sunday at 8:30 ET: Bears At Cowboys (CHI +7)
It appears Monday night that the Bears finally gave up on Jay Cutler for good. Cutler will miss the game with an injury but it appears his time is up in the windy city. Brian Hoyer leads the Bears in this one and actually gives them a better shot to win. 7 points is to much to give up with a rookie quarterback on the other team in Dak Prescott. Thus far Ezekiel Elliot hasn’t showed an elite burst yet that we have been waiting for. Dallas wins but not by 7.
Cowboys defeat Bears 27-24
Monday at 8:30 ET: Falcons At Saints (ATL +3)
It’s a shootout in the Superdome. This game could be one of those that decides who is playoff contenders in the NFC South. Neither team has a defense and is expected to be high scoring. I like Atlanta in this one as New Orleans will be missing their top 2 corners for the game. Expect a Julio Jones field day.
Falcons defeat Saints 38-28
