NFL: Week 1 Gambling Picks
By Phil Bausk
Sep 4, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks sea gals cheerleader pose during the game against the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
It is early September which mean it is officially time to lose some money gambling on NFL football!
Below will be each game with the spreads, as well as the team highlighted in BOLD, which will be my pick for this Sunday. There will be a tally of how awful I do and then when I write an article begging for more money, everyone will have a point of reference as to why.
Week 1:
New Orleans Saints (-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (+3)
Minnesota Rams (+3) vs. St. Louis Rams (-3)
Cleveland Browns (+7) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (+10.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-10.5)
Oakland Raiders (+5) vs. New York Jets (-5)
Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (-1.5)
Buffalo Bills (+6.5) vs. Chicago Bears (-6.5)
Washington Redskins (+3.5) vs. Houston Texans (-3.5)
Tennessee Titans (+3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-3)
New England Patriots (-4) vs. Miami Dolphins (+4)
Carolina Panthers (+2.5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5)
San Francisco 49ers (-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (+4)
Indianapolis Colts (+7.5) vs. Denver Broncos (-7.5)
It is hard to bet against the Saints in any dome, but Atlanta could certainly take this opener from New Orleans. Truthfully, I would just bet on the over for this game and avoid picking a team. Matt Cassel vs. Shaun Hill….just give me the home team points. The Steelers defense isn’t very good, but the Browns offense can be historically bad, so this one could have blowout written all over it. Nick Foles and company will struggle in the first half against the Jags, but expect a big second half from that offense against a team that may not score 10 points in the game. Jets Vs. Raiders…both teams appear like a mess from the outside, but the Jets look to be a sleeper team to push for an AFC playoff spot. Three straight road teams to cover in the Bengals, Bills, and Redskins as all of their opponents are known to throw up stinkers in their openers. Alex Smith and the Chiefs are big regression candidates, even though their defense struggled in the second half of last year. Look for the D to come out fast with the hopes of making a statement. Rob Gronkowski is healthy so as of today the Patriots should beat the Dolphins by say….17. The “Nobody believes in us” team this year is surprisingly the Carolina Panthers. Josh McCown is not the QB he was with the Bears last year and the Panthers defense will show that to the world today. It doesn’t matter how good the Cowboys offense is on Sunday, their defense is atrocious and the Niners may run for 300 yards against the Boys. Peyton Manning at home in a prime-time game…Broncos by at least 14.