Football is back, baby! Let’s hop right in to the Week 1 Picks:
Matchups To Watch
1. Lions @ Chiefs // TNF – This is a game that can very easily turn into a shootout. You’ve got two prolific offenses with middle of the road defenses. As much fun as it would be to take the Lions in this one, it goes against logic to bet against Patty Mahomes in Arrowhead.
2. Niners @ Steelers // Sun – On the other side of the spectrum, this matchup could end up being a real defensive battle. Both of these offenses have question marks, and both boast a stout D. Two iconic franchises, only one can win. It’s not easy to win in Pittsburgh, so give me the home team in this one.
3. Dolphins @ Chargers // Sun – For our next highlighted matchup, we’ve got two teams with tremendous upside and a reputation for falling short. This is another game that I think will be heavy on the offense (seems to be a trend here). Because of that, I’m gonna take Miami on the road in a shootout.
4. Bills @ Jets // MNF – Nothing like a Week 1 game that could have serious playoff implications. Getting a leg up early on will be huge for whoever is able to come out of this matchup victorious. In my opinion, that’s gonna be Buffalo. Their defense is sure to give the shaky Jets O-line trouble and make Rodgers uncomfortable. Overall, I think they’ve just got better chemistry compared to this Jets team that has a lot of recently acquired pieces.
The Other Games
Just some quick points about the other Week 1 Games:
Texans @ Ravens – The Texans will be outmatched in almost every aspect of this matchup. I’ll take Baltimore.
Bengals @ Browns – Classic Battle of Ohio. Could go either way but I think the Bengals are just better. Gimmie Cincy.
Buccaneers @ Vikings – Yawn. Maybe the Bucs will be less sad than I anticipate. Probably not. Vikings take this one easy.
Titans @ Saints – Yawn Pt. 2. Battle of Mediocrity. I’ll take new-look Derek Carr and the Saints.
Panthers @ Falcons – This whole division is pretty bland and as such, this game isn’t doing much for me. I’ll go with the Falcons, I guess.
Jaguars @ Colts – Colts losing in Week 1 is a tale as old as time. History repeats itself. Taking the Jags here.
Cardinals @ Commanders – Yawn the Third? Hopefully we’ll see some spark from Washington. Reminder: the Cardinals are bad. Washington it is.
Raiders @ Broncos – Certainly has yawn possibilities. A little more exciting than some of these matchups as we get to see if Sean Peyton can right the ship in Denver and see how Jimmy G looks in black and silver. I usually regret this, but I’ll take Vegas.
Eagles @ Patriots – The only thing this matchup is good for is discourse on Pardon My Take. Will the Eagles come out strong? Can Belichick work some magic to bring the Patriots back to life? I think Philly takes this easy.
Bears @ Packers – We’ve moved into a new era of the Chicago-Green Bay rivalry, an era that may actually turn this into a proper rivalry again. I liked what I saw from Justin Fields down the stretch last year, and I just can’t put any faith in Jordan Love at this point. I’ll take Da Bears.
Rams @ Seahawks – Seattle is a tough place to try to get back to form for LA. I’m going with the Seahawks in this one.
Cowboys @ Giants – Despite how much I like to see Dallas suffer, I don’t think the G-men are necessarily going to be able to recreate last year’s success. Begrudgingly, I’ll take the Boyz.
Final Notes
Well, sheesh, that’ll just about do it for Week 1. I know I said I wouldn’t be focusing on gambling this go around, but let’s be honest, I’m really good at throwing away money. So each week, I’ll drop 3 bets down at the bottom of the Picks article: a money line, a spread, and a point total. Here we go:
Money Line: Steelers (+112)
Spread: Vikings -5.5 (-115)
Point Total: Lions/Chiefs Over 53.5 (-105)
And that’ll conclude this Week 1 preview — results out on Tuesday next week!
Strong Side Sports 