It's finally football season, and you know what that means! Drinking beer, yelling at the TV, and watching your favorite teams duke it out on the gridiron for three hours. Well, thanks to the highest court in our land, you can add gambling to the mix of your Sunday festivities. I plan to take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity to flush my money down the toilet, and I'll be documenting my week-to-week picks for your entertainment.
I'll be picking five games (or so) a week based on what I feel are the best opportunities. My bets will vary from money line to spread, with maybe a parlay thrown in there just to spice things up every once in a while. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, you can look them up at your leisure.
I must also urge readers to be responsible. Do not go throw away your life savings on these picks, or any bets for that matter. If you're old enough to gamble, you're old enough to use discretion.
With that being said, let's get right into it!
Week 1 Winners:
New York Giants (+144) over Jacksonville
My reasoning is simple: the 2017 Jaguars are eerily similar to the 2016 Giants and the 2015 Broncos. Teams that win games with dominant defenses and in spite of sub-par quarterback play rarely maintain their high level from year to year. As I mentioned on our NFL Preview podcast, Jacksonville is a prime regression candidate. Meanwhile, the Giants have greatly improved on the offensive side of the ball, and while I don't consider them a good team, they deserve more respect than to be catching almost 3/2 odds in a home game against Blake Bortles.
Kansas City (+3) at San Diego
Yes, I'm well aware that the Chargers reside in LA at the moment, but you wouldn't know it with the paltry home crowds they get. That's partially why I jumped on this pick. I consider these teams on fairly equal footing. Most love the Chargers this year, but I don't, especially not in Week 1 against a team they haven't beaten since the days of the All-Sports Crew. I normally would've taken the money line (+160) for this game, but I actually got KC +3 at a +106. Either way, I'm predicting the Chiefs at least cover on Sunday.
Dallas (+125) over Carolina
This is probably my riskiest pick of the week. Dallas has question marks, but I'm more optimistic than most on the Cowboys. I think they'll be able to control the line of scrimmage and I think Dallas can create enough pressure on Cam Newton to at least keep him from going Super Cam. It's an upset pick, but I like America's Team this week, even on the road.
Seattle (+130) over Denver
This line is just disrespectful to the Seahawks. Yes, they missed the playoffs. Yes, Richard Sherman is a 49er and Kam Chancellor is retired. Yes, their offensive line is still weak. But, they have Earl Thomas back. They still have Bobby Wagner. They still have Russell Wilson. While I like Denver's defense, it's not what it once was with the departures of Aqib Talib and other strong talents over the years. Seattle is still a pretty good football team, and Denver still stinks. Give me the Hawks all day.
New England -6 over Houston
I haven't forgotten the game from last season in Foxboro, where DeShaun Watson lit up New England's pathetic defense and almost won the game. That being said, I still think the Patriots are a very good team. Their demise has been greatly exaggerated, while the rise of the Texans has been, as always, overstated. I like Houston as a decent team and as a winner in the AFC South, but New England is going to have something to say after a tumultuous offseason. I'm expecting the Brady Bunch to punch Houston in the mouth and come away with a 10 point win to start their campaign.
That's all for this week, folks! Check back next week for Week 2 as well as our weekly podcast where we'll preview every week's slate of games and other sports news!
-Eric Meyer
-Eric Meyer