NFL 2022 Week 2 Prequel
Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 8pm.
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-4) — The Chargers are a good football team. The Chiefs are a great football team. Last week on the road the Chiefs looked unstoppable. They lose key pieces and keep rolling because Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are that good. The Chargers barely won last week in an imperfect game. They would need a perfect game to win this one. Chiefs cover
Sunday, September 18 at 1pm.
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) — The Dolphins looked surprisingly above average last week in an efficient home win. The defense was solid. Nevertheless, the Ravens are the superior team, especially at home. Lamar Jackson is on a mission and the Ravens can run the ball. This should not be a close game. Ravens cover
New York Jets at Cleveland Browns (-6)
New England Patriots (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers — Nobody gets more out of less than Mike Tomlin. Yet Bill Belichick consistently consistently out-coaches Tomlin. The Steelers showed character, heart and guts in a road win at Cincinnati last week. The Patriots lost, but Mac Jones is a better quarterback than Mitchell Trubisky. In a close game, go with the Evil Hoodie. Patriots cover
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (-4) — Last year the Colts needed to beat the 2-14 Jaguars to make the playoffs. The Jaguars humiliated the Colts and sent Carson Wentz packing. The Jaguars showed signs of life in a loss last week while the Colts inexcusably fell behind 20-3 at Houston before eking out a tie. The Colts are the better team. Doug Pederson will turn the Jaguars around, but it will take time. The Colts will get their revenge as Jonathan Taylor runs wild. Upset special, Colts win outright.
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (-2.5) — The uninspiring Panthers found a way to blow a home game against lowly Cleveland. The Giants won a shocker at Tennessee. Neither team is any good. Go with the home field. Giants cover
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at New Orleans Saints — The saints showed tremendous resilience in overcoming a 16 point fourth quarter deficit to win at Atlanta on the final play. The Buccaneers are the better team, but Dennis Allen’s defense schemed brilliantly against Brady in a 9-0 Monday Night Football win that had Brady cursing and throwing his helmet. The Buccaneers have more weapons on offense but Todd Bowles has not proven himself as a head coach. Jameis Winston would love to beat the guy who took his job, but there is a reason Brady did. This could be close, but go with the better team. Buccaneers cover
Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions (-2) — The Lions went decades without beating the Redskins, but the minute the Redskins became the No-Names two years ago, the Lions beat them. Now the Redskins are the Commanders, and the Commanders have never lost a game. The Lions do not get the benefit of the doubt until Dan Campbell’s fiery speeches turn into wins. Ron Rivera has already done that. Upset special, Commanders win outright
4pm
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (-10) — The 49ers are not nearly as good as advertised and the Seahawks are not as bad as advertised. Benching Jimmy Garoppolo for Trey Lance may prove effective, but it has not yet. Lance was awful last week, but in miserable weather conditions. Pete Carroll’s defense showed plenty of grit in preserving a one point win. The spread is simply way too high. 49ers win but fail to cover
Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams (-10.5) — The Falcons blew a 16 point fourth quarter lead that cannot be blamed on Kyle Shanahan. The Rams looked awful in their home opener, but Buffalo is a much better team than Atlanta. This is the week an angry Rams team rights the ship. The spread is high, but the talent level merits it in a game that should not be close. Rams cover
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos (-10) — The texans bungled a 20-3 lead at home and settled for a 20-20 tie. The broncos bungled away their game with 2 fumbles at the opponents one yard line in a one point loss. The Broncos will improve . The Texans probably will not. The spread is high, but Russell Wilson should soon start gelling with his new team. Broncos cover
Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders (-5.5) — The Raiders were inept for large stretches last week on the road. They still almost won. The Cardinals at home were awful the whole game. The spread is high, but the Raiders deserve one chance at home to prove they are a legitimate football team. Derek Carr will correct his mistakes and the running game should take some of the pressure off of him. Raiders cover
Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5) at Dallas Cowboys — The defending AFC champions were awful last week. They failed in all 3 phases at home against a Pittsburgh team starting over. The Cowboys looked lifeless at home and lost Dak Prescott for several weeks with a bad thumb. Cooper Rush won his only start last year, but the offense was terrible even before Dak got hurt. Joe Burrow will want to redeem himself after his miserable performance. The spread is too high on the road for a team that has Super Bowl hangover. Bengals win but fail to cover
8pm
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-10) is the Sunday night game. The Bears won last week in a torrential downpour. The Packers were blasted at Minnesota in a game that was never competitive. The Packers are the far superior team. Aaron Rodgers will be angry. Forget the high spread. This should be a blowout that could be over by halftime. Packers cover
Monday, September 19th at 7pm
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (-10) is the early Monday night game. The Titans were pathetic in blowing a 13 point lead at home against the lowly Giants. The Bills looked like a Super bowl contender in going on the road and throttling the Rams. The Titans had the top seed in the AFC last year. Unless they have truly regressed, they should still be competitive. The Bills could win big but a garbage touchdown is certainly a possibility. Bills win but fail to cover
8:30pm
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles (-2) is the late Monday night game. The Vikings looked spectacular at home in demolishing Green Bay. The Eagles barley survived woeful Detroit. Nevertheless, this game is ripe for Minnesota to have a hangover after their emotional win. Neither team is that big a deal, so go with the home field in this one. Eagles cover
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