I'm not gonna lie, last week was rough. I read the injury reports, I checked the lines, and I even debated with myself my faith in Ron Rivera's Washington defense. Regardless, I was wrong, and walked all of you into the biggest upset of Week 1. Unfortunately, that's just the name of the game, and as long as my bad takes don't enter Cowherd or Bayless territory, we should be good. Here's a few games from each Week Two time slot that I think are worth throwing down a couple bucks for.
All game times are listed in EST. All lines and odds are courtesy MGM Sportsbook
1 PM Game: Giants (0-1) at Bears (1-0)
Despite the current records of both teams, I really the Giants are the better team in this matchup. The Giants are 10-2 against the spread as road underdogs, while the Bear are 1-6 in their last seven games as favorites. If you want Trubisky to cover, put your money down when his back is against the wall.
The Giants actually matched up pretty well against a presumably much better Steelers in Week 1, and while Mitch Trubisky had a solid game last week, the victory can be attributed just as much to a total collapse by Detroit's defense. If Daniel Jones can play as well as he did against one of the best Pittsburgh defenses we've seen in this decade, then I'm sure he'll make short work against the Bears. Giants ML is set at +200, which I think is a steal, but if you're unsure, going against the spread is as solid a pick as you can get.
My Pick: Giants +5.5 (-110)
4:25 PM Game: Ravens (1-0) at Texans (0-1)
On a better day for Houston, I would have a bit more trouble making my pick for this game. I will argue that they're the best team to go 0-2 this year due to a tough beginning schedule. However, there's no denying that Baltimore is the better team on both sides of the ball, which could also explain last year's meeting between both teams where the Ravens won 41-9. Baltimore is also much better against the spread at 10-7 last year compared to Houston 8-9-1. I don't expect this game to be that much of a blowout, but putting the Ravens ahead by a touchdown is guaranteed cash Schmoney.
My Pick: Ravens -7 (-110)
Sunday Night Football: Patriots (1-0) at Seahawks (0-1)
It's weird to me that in the lead up to this game, most of the advertising showed us clips of Super Bowl XLIX. That was five years ago, and Brady isn't even in New England, but whatever. You do you, NBC marketing team. This game is actually for the lead in the Pats-Seahawks all time head to head series, so that's pretty cool too, I guess.
Most importantly, this is a crucial game for Cam Newton to cement his place as a starter in New England, but unfortunately, I don't see much success for him in this game considering the amount of Pats receivers on the injury report, as well as Jamal Adams' presence behind Seattle's defensive line. Seattle's defense is going to give Cam a very tough time, but I think the books are being pretty lenient.
On the offense for Seattle, Russell Wilson put up a near perfect performance Week 1 with 322 yards and four touchdowns. The Patriots boast one of the best secondary units in the league, so Wilson will be challenged a lot more than against Atlanta. However, given the players surrounding him, I don't expect Russ to be in too much trouble. Also, just to throw it out there, I won't be surprised if we see Russ hoist an MVP this year.
My Pick: Seahawks -4 (-110)
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