13 Titles: Vegas Bets on NFL Week 2

Here we are, back for Week 2 after the first column I wrote went better than expected. Majority of my picks were correct, some were downright wrong, but on the bright side, we beat the ever polarizing Colin Cowherd. Not the most difficult thing to do many would say, however that man gets paid a lot of money to tell you all his Blazing Five, when more often than not he’s going to be flat out wrong. Both of us picked Tampa Bay (+3), New York Giants (PK), and Seattle (-10.5). We went 2–1 together due to the 12th man not looking sharp and Russell Wilson getting banged up behind the worst offensive line in the league. Brutal 1-pt. loss by the New York Jets, but the Bengals not covering the 2.5 pt spread gave me the win, Cowherd the loss. Finally, to give me a 4–1 record in the picks Colin Cowherd chose, the Bears failed to cover as Lamar Miller was one of two runners to eclipse 100 yards this weekend and led Houston to a home victory. Never trust the Bears (Rule #1 of every Packers fan and NFL gambler). You lose Colin Cowherd, and we get a 4–1 clip in his chosen five bets, and finish 9–7 total. Thank you all for reading the first column, I never thought over 200 people would read that, especially being my first one. I probably accounted for 190 of them, but who’s counting. Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field gets the banner photo for being the most impressive team of Week 1. So thank you all for the read, let’s get on with Week 2, and let’s keep this 9–7 record rolling.

New York Jets (PK) at Buffalo

Why NYJ wins: What a brutal Week 1 loss for the Jets. They already have the most difficult first 6 games possible, and they let this one slip through their fingers. AJ Green not only visited Revis Island, but bought it and turned it into his vacation home like billionaire Richard Branson. With that said, this defense didn’t look terrible. Yes, Andy Dalton and AJ Green did whatever they wanted, but they still had a league high 7 sacks, all without Sheldon Richardson. Cincinnati is much better than Buffalo, especially with Sammy Watkins possibly out. Let the defense shut Buffalo down like Baltimore did, and for the love of god, Ryan Fitzpatrick, stop turning the ball over………

Why Buffalo wins: For Buffalo to win, Tyrod needs to play like the man he was last year, not the 100 some odd yards and no touchdowns Tyrod we saw at Baltimore. Unfortunately, Sammy Watkins may be out, so expect Shady McCoy and Charles Clay to get some extra targets. Neither of these teams can afford to start 0–2, and the seat only grows hotter for the Ryan brothers with every loss. They need to step it up and get the job done. THE PICK: NYJ (-1).

Tennessee at Detroit (-6)

Why Tennessee wins: 6 points seems kind of high doesn’t it? This Tennessee team isn’t “that bad”, they just tried running against a top 5 defense last week versus Minnesota. They go up against a much friendlier Detroit defense this week. They’ll get back to establishing the run, and Mariota won’t have multiple turnovers, let alone have them be returned for touchdowns. At least Mariota got in sync with his new #1 target, Tajae Sharpe, who carried his preseason performance with him for 7 catches for 76 yards. If they win, he gets a touchdown and the tandem running back set of Murray and Henry get 1 or 2 more………Why Detroit wins: JIM BOB COOTER. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but there’s two Matt Stafford’s. One is the interception machine who throws for a million yards, and the other version is his current form under Cooter. He has 22 TD’s and only 2 INT’s since Cooter took over OC and the Lions are 7–2 in that span. Roll with the hot hand, at home, against an average defense. THE PICK: TENNESSEE (+6).

Kansas City at Houston (-2.5)

Why Kansas City wins: How about that comeback by the Chiefs!? I thought they weren’t capable of speeding up the tempo and playing catch-up, but they pulled out the largest comeback in Chiefs history. However, the jury is still out on Kansas City. They were supposed to dominate San Diego, and if Keenan Allen hadn’t gotten injured, the Chargers would’ve probably won the game. The game did a complete 180 at that point, and the Chiefs barely slipped by. This is a much better team in Houston, and the Chiefs need to get some sort of pass rush and keep the chains moving without Jamaal Charles. Spencer Ware should get a lot of touches again to take advantage of Brian Cushing’s absence……….

Why Houston wins: Houston’s defense sacked Cutler 5 times last week, none of which registered by JJ Watt. That’s a good sign that everyone else contributed while JJ Watt didn’t have a stat other than 1 tackle. Will Fuller looks like the guy to pair with Deandre Hopkins after his 100 yard performance in his debut. Osweiler runs a balanced offense and spreads the ball out. This team should start out as the pace setter atop of the AFC South. THE PICK: HOUSTON (-2.5).

Miami at New England (-6.5)

Why Miami wins: Their defensive line played really well, although it may have been accentuated by the fact that Seattle’s O-line is downright terrible. This game came down to the wire and Miami let victory slip through the cracks after leading for 55 minutes of a 60 minute game. The D-line needs to get after Garoppolo and make him uncomfortable, something Arizona didn’t do enough of. Maybe if Kenny Stills can catch a ball they win this game………Why New England wins: Same reason as always (they always win). New England has dominated this division for a countless amount of years now. They’re riding high after pulling out victory in Arizona, and now have 3 straight home games before the return of the Dark Lord, I mean, Tom Brady. They continue to beat people with personnel nobody’s heard of. Julian Edelman is a feisty little badger, Garoppolo limited his mistakes, and Gronk is possibly returning this weekend. THE PICK: NEW ENGLAND (-6.5)

Baltimore (-6) at Cleveland

Why Baltimore wins: Baltimore shut down Buffalo, limiting them to 7 total points. Their defense did a fantastic job getting off the field as Buffalo only converted 2 third down attempts out of 13. And now they play against Cleveland. If Baltimore can beat Buffalo, they should whoop Cleveland, a team constructed of injuries, disappointment, and the tears of its fans……….

Why Cleveland wins: Not one game. Not a single game. RG3 can’t get through 1 game. His mind is telling him yes, and his body is telling him find another profession. The team doesn’t have anything it can feel proud of. They’re lucky if they win more than 2 games this year. THE PICK: BALTIMORE (-6)

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (-3.5)

Why Cincinnati wins: This matchup is always gritty, messy, and ugly football. It’s one of the game’s best rivalries, one of the weekend’s best game to watch, and seems to turn into a physical bloodbath every time. Cincinnati could escape Pittsburgh with a win if AJ Green repeats last week’s performance. They also need to keep Andy Dalton upright for his health’s sake, and because Pittsburgh will bury them if they get 7 sacks, unlike the Jets being unable to finish them off………

Why Pittsburgh wins: Pittsburgh shredded Washington’s defense, but Cincy’s should be a little better. Deangelo and Antonio Brown do as they please, and as I said last week, this Pittsburgh offense is not to be messed with. Roethlisberger has a ton of weapons that he spaces out and uses effectively. Death, taxes, Antonio Brown gets 100 yards and a touchdown. These are just the facts of the NFL now. They are doing all of this without Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, and that guy by the name of Le’veon Bell. Watch out, this offense ruins people’s day, and Antonio Brown is about to twerk all over you. THE PICK: PITTSBURGH (-3.5)

Dallas at Washington (-3)

Why Dallas wins: Dak was actually pretty solid in his debut. He limited mistakes, made some good throws, and almost led them to a last second win. Terrance Williams apparently has no time awareness and cost them a play by letting the clock run out. But Dak can’t be the guy to throw 45 times like he did this past week. Dallas won’t win many games if he throws that many times. They need to pound the rock with Alfred Morris (5 yards per carry) and Zeke (2.5 yards per carry…..interesting). Dez needs to get more involved in the offense because 1 catch by your biggest playmaker simply doesn’t win in the NFL. Run the ball, move Dez around and give him more personnel packages to up his touches, and limit Jordan Reed to win this game. Hint Cowboys, apparently Josh Norman doesn’t shadow the #1 wideout, so motion Dez away from him…………. Why Washington wins: Dallas double teamed Odell with a corner pressing and safety over the top all day last week. We can assume they will do the same either to Jordan Reed or Desean Jackson. If it’s Desean, then Jordan Reed will be open all day in the middle of the field. If it’s Reed, then Kirk Cousins better be prepared to launch some deep ones to Desean. He’s not a good deep ball thrower, but if Desean is burning people left and right in single man coverage, you got to sling the rock. Washington should try speeding up the tempo because they don’t run well and some deep shots should be there for the taken. THE PICK: DALLAS (+3)

New Orleans at NYG (-4.5)

Why New Orleans wins: New Orleans looked absolutely lethal on offense, and whoever had the ball last was going to win that game against Oakland. We’d crucify Jack Del Rio if Oakland didn’t convert that, but they did and now Jack Del Rio looks like a genius. New Orleans needs to actually play defense or Drew Brees is going to have repeat last week’s performance just to make the game close. Their secondary is thin, banged up, inexperienced, or all the above. Limit Odell’s touches, and maybe they have a shot like Dallas did against the Giants……..

Why NYG wins: They’re at home, where Eli’s performance increases mightily. New Orleans is on the road, where Drew Brees’ performance dips noticeably. Those are just two obvious trends for this game. As mentioned above, Odell faces the worst secondary in the league, and he’s now got assistance by Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard to help carry the load and space the field. This has the making of a shootout, but Drew Brees really isn’t that good outside of New Orleans. THE PICK: NYG(+4.5)

San Francisco at Carolina (-13.5)

Why San Francisco wins: They don’t. If San Fran somehow won, I’d be convinced the earth is coming to an end. Here’s a list of things that must happen for San Fran to even have a remote chance of winning: 1. Cam Newton is actually concussed from the Broncos game and doesn’t play. 2. Kelvin Benjamin’s ACL tears again. 3. Luke Kuechly is too busy saving the world as Captain America to play this game. 4. Ron Rivera can’t find his transition glasses and refuses to coach without them. 5. The whole Carolina team believes they play Denver in another rematch and don’t show up for the game………Why Carolina wins: Literally everything points towards a Carolina win. The scheduling of this game is absurdly advantageous towards Carolina. Carolina last played on Thursday the 8th, giving them 10 days to prepare, compared to San Fran playing Monday night and less than a week. They also lose time traveling from San Fran all the way to Carolina. This is like playing two back to back games for them. There’s also a huge difference between the LA Rams at home vs the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers on the road. Cam Newton is 9132571834523 times better than Blaine Gabbert, and there’s a 0.0000001% chance a team as good as Carolina starts 0–2. THE PICK: CAROLINA (-13.5).

Tampa Bay at Arizona (-7)

Why Tampa Bay wins: 7 points is a lot to give the NFC Offensive Player of the Week Jameis Winston. He just lit up Atlanta, in Atlanta, and looks like he took another jump after a solid rookie season. Arizona’s defense didn’t look as sharp as last season, and this offense is not to be taken lightly……….

Why Arizona wins: Similar to Carolina, a team this talented shouldn’t start 0–2. But this team will start 0–2 if nobody except Larry Fitzgerald shows up like last week. Tyrann Matheiu is being used more as a deep safety than a slot defender like he was last year. He didn’t look 100% and Arizona’s offense is still looking sloppy. Their talent should shine through however. THE PICK: TAMPA BAY (+7)

Seattle (-6) at Los Angeles

Why Seattle wins: If you watched LA’s Monday night game, you know how awful they look. They let up 28 points to Blaine Gabbert. Every single one of LA’s drives ended with a turnover, punt, or end of the game. Seattle’s defense will make this trend continue and spoil LA’s home opener………..

Why LA wins: On the bright side, they can’t look much worse than they did Monday night. But please, someone explain to me how Jeff Fisher is getting a contract extension. This man has never won anything notable. Does he have blackmail or evidence on the Rams owner or the NFL? He somehow leverages himself into a head coaching position in a different place every few years, and gets contract extensions for achieving absolutely nothing. How could the number one overall pick sit on the sideline, inactive, as his offense doesn’t put up a single point. They couldn’t get any worse than what they put on display Monday night. Todd Gurley isn’t going to save them when the box has 8+ guys in it and Tavon Austin is your number one receiver. Even if Russell Wilson can’t play on his bum ankle, this game is still a coin flip. THE PICK: SEATTLE (-6)

Indy at Denver (-6)

Why Indy wins: Indy’s defense needs to actually stop someone. Andrew Luck played great, but not every game can be a shootout. Indy has one of the worst defense’s in the league, and you’re not doing Andrew Luck any favors if he has to try and put up over 30 points against this defense. They only win if Denver has multiple turnovers and the offensive line plays the game of their life trying to protect the most expensive quarterback in football……….Why Denver wins: Their offense isn’t as good as Detroit’s, but they should still be able to run it with CJ Anderson. Indy can’t stop a nosebleed, and Denver’s defense should be able to eat Andrew Luck alive. They’ll get a few sacks, an interception, and a fumble to give their offense great field position against a weak defense. THE PICK: DENVER (-6).

Atlanta at Oakland (-4.5)

Why Atlanta wins: 4.5 points is a lot to give against a defense that got lit up by Drew Brees. Atlanta is hoping Julio can get back into form and get back on track. Atlanta will play in desperation because they don’t want to fall a possible two games behind Tampa Bay and one game behind Carolina. They should be motivated that if they win, they could be tied for the division lead as Carolina also lost week 1 and Tampa Bay has a tough matchup……..

Why Oakland wins: They went into New Orleans and out dueled HOF’er Drew Brees by converting a gutsy 2-pt attempt. They now have a home opener against an even weaker AFC South opponent that also has a suspect defense. Carr should be throwing missiles to Crabtree and Cooper, much like Jameis did last week. THE PICK: OAKLAND (-4.5)

Jacksonville at San Diego (-3)

Why Jacksonville wins: Jacksonville went toe to toe with an Aaron Rodgers led, playoff-caliber Green Bay team. That should be encouraging for this young and talented Jacksonville team. If they play as good as they did against Green Bay, they’ll easily get the win in San Diego, who’s now fighting without Keenan Allen………Why San Diego wins: The Chargers need to find out how to run their offense without Keenan Allen. Travis Benjamin, Antonio Gates, Danny Woodhead, and Melvin Gordon all will take on more touches without Keenan Allen, who’s a 100 catch per season player. They’ll still pass a lot, but the throws aren’t going Allen’s way anymore. San Diego wins this game if they pick off Blake Bortles, who already threw one interception, and get the mojo back they had before their epic collapse at Kansas City. THE PICK: JACKSONVILLE (+3).

Green Bay (-2.5) at Minnesota

Why Green Bay wins: Green Bay’s defense had a huge confidence boost from the win in Jacksonville. They clinched the win with a 4th down stop, allowed less than 50 yards rushing, had an interception, and recorded a few sacks. They did all that against a good Jaguars offense, and now face an offense whose quarterback situation is unknown, Adrian Peterson is getting older, and their starting left tackle Matt Kalil looks banged up. Minnesota’s two touchdowns were produced by their defense returning an interception and a fumble. That simply won’t happen against Aaron Rodgers, who turns the ball over the least of any quarterback ever. Rodgers had three total touchdowns in Week 1 and still said he was embarrassed by the offense’s display and how there was plenty of work to be done. Davante Adams got his confidence back, reeling in an insane toss by Rodgers for a touchdown. Jordy Nelson also got his first touchdown since the 2014 season after missing a full year. The Packers won last week with an unpolished offense that Aaron Rodgers wasn’t too thrilled about, imagine what they do once all the pieces fall in place……….

Why Minnesota wins: They proved they can win without Teddy Bridgewater as their defense had two scores and shut down the Titans on the road. They get an improvement at quarterback if Sam Bradford gets his first Vikings start. He’s more talented than Shaun Hill, and he’s got a run game for once in his life when he reunites with Adrian Peterson, his old Oklahoma connection. If they ever need to pass, Stefon Diggs looks like a #1 option. He had over 100 yards last week on 7 catches wit Shaun Hill throwing him the ball. If he can do that with Shaun Hill, what’ll he do with Bradford? Diggs also has a favorable matchup as top Packers’ cornerback Sam Shields is in concussion protocol. Shields sat for about a month last season due to a concussion, so it’s doubtful he plays in this one. THE PICK: GREEN BAY (-2.5).

Philly at Chicago (-3)

Why Philly wins: An impressive display by rookie QB Carson Wentz who distributed the ball, didn’t make ill advised throws, and threw an absolute dime for a touchdown. The question is whether or not he can bring that stability to every game, especially when they play a real team, instead of Cleveland. Make the rookie’s life easier by picking off Jay Cutler and giving Philly the early lead. Chicago’s not the most daunting team to play, but they’re better than Cleveland is and John Fox could make Wentz’s life difficult on Monday night………Why Chicago wins: Wentz is a rookie QB who hasn’t played anyone yet. Having a solid game against the Browns means as much as Dak Prescott’s preseason…absolutely nothing. Chicago should dial up some difficult to read defensive looks for the rookie, and for the love of god, stop throwing interceptions Cutler. You have one job. If you don’t throw a single interception, Chicago wins this game. But if you didn’t notice in the intro, what’s the #1 rule? Never trust the Bears. I don’t trust Cutler. THE PICK: PHILLY (+3).