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Best Bet
1. New England Patriots (-7) vs. San Diego Chargers – Any other time of year and we’re betting the underdog in this match-up.
But San Diego ALWAYS starts slowly under Norv Turner and Tom Brady will eclipse the 39 passing yards Donovan McNabb had last week on his 1st series.
He’ll probably end up with 300 + yards more and 3 TDs. We like the Patriots to pull out the double digit win and they are our top NFL bet in Week 2.
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2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) vs. Minnesota Vikings - While QB Donovan McNabb will certainly improve, we don’t think his poor passing day last week was an aberration. He’s become a liability in his old (football) age and we expect the Bucs’ D to make RB Adrian Peterson their No. 1 priority and force McNabb to beat them.
He can’t at this stage in his career.
Expect QB Josh Freeman and Co. to bounce back after a poor Week 1 to cover the point spread on the road.
3. Chicago Bears (+7) vs. New Orleans Saints – The Saints are dangerous heading into their home opener but the loss of WR Marques Colston is big. It changes the dynamics of their passing game and will force QB Drew Brees to constantly spread the ball around, which he’s excellent at.
The problem with the point spread is the Bears feature a solid D and their offense will put points on the board against the Saints.
Figure Chicago to keep this one close throughout.
4. Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – See Money Line Bet.
The Rest
Dallas Cowboys (-3) vs. San Francisco 49ers – The Cowboys are clearly the better team. The tricky part becomes the back to back coast trips to start the season. We don’t think that’ll be enough to keep them from winning by more than a FG.
Tennessee Titans (+6) vs. Baltimore Ravens – This is a classic trap game for the Ravens. Coming off an emotional home whoopin’ of the hated Steelers, it’s not likely that they’ll be able to carry over that intensity when they head to Tennessee.
Detroit Lions (-8.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs – The Lions will be the talk of the league after starting out 2-0. And we bet it will be in impressive fashion as they put away the Chiefs by double digits to cover the point spread.
Money Line Bet
Atlanta Falcons (+115) vs. Philadelphia Eagles - Expect to see a completely different Falcons team when they face the Eagles in their home opener on Sunday Night. They were embarrassed by the Bears and can ill afford to drop to 0-2 to start the season.
The final score will be close, but we expect Atlanta to control the tempo throughout. You’ll see a heavy dose of RB Michael Turner as the Eagles were abysmal against the run in Week 1. The front 7 is undersized, DC Juan Castillo has never called a game before, and it’ll take time before the young LB’ers learn how to read run block schemes in the NFL.
Once the run is established, which eats away at the clock, Matt Ryan will attack the middle of the field, avoiding the CB’s on the outside, and finish with a few TDs.
On the other side of the ball, QB Michael Vick will provide plenty of highlights, but the Falcons time of possession will far outweigh the Eagles and keep their offense from finding a rhythm all evening.
The end result will be a 24-20 Falcons win.
