Culture of Hoops

Steve’s Weekly NFL Bettor’s Guide: Week 2

Image courtesy of Craig Hawkins/Flickr.

Image courtesy of Craig Hawkins/Flickr.

So about last weekend. Things started off great and then went downhill. Luckily, three prime time games helped me make it to the mediocre mark of 7-9. Not a horrible start, but not a great one. The Oakland Raiders took the New York Jets by a half-p0int, while I foolishly thought the Green Bay Packers could overtake the Seattle Seahawks with a six-point advantage.

It may seem like I am being hard on myself, but it is because I am in one of the most high-stakes NFL picks competitions ever to exist. Myself and Sonny Giuliano are in a head-to-head competition where the loser must make their Twitter avatar whatever the winner chooses. This is do-or-die, people. 7-9 just won’t cut it for me. If I lose I will have college professors asking me why my avatar is something NSFW or unbearable for any human to lay eyes on.

The good news is that I captured a win in the BMF fantasy football league, so my credibility isn’t entirely lost. I now have more victories than the New England Patriots this season. Just a quick fact.

Unfortunately, this week’s news has been dominated by talk of Ray Rice and the potential coverup by the NFL that is being investigated further. The action in Week 1 was brushed aside when it should have been celebrated, even with my 7-9 record. The collective focus has gone to Rice so dynamic story lines have yet to emerge from the league. They are there, but must be uncovered and focused on as opposed to talking about an obviously botched situation by The Commish, The Judge, The Jury, The Executioner, Roger Goodell.

The second week of games is far easier than the first because there is at least some evidence of how teams will play this year. That does not mean to doubt the Patriots or Saints going forward, but taking them as heavy favorites might not be a great idea.

This week I am avoiding the biggest favorite, the Denver Broncos, due to them being 13-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs had a rough outing last week losing 26-10 to the Titans, but they should be able to bounce back and show some resemblance to the team who made the playoffs last year.

I am also taking the Browns once again because they were able to cover last week against the Steelers, and another seven-point spread seems manageable, even for the Browns.

On to the picks!

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (-3): Steelers +3

Detroit Lions vs. Carolina Panthers (-3): Lions +3

Miami Dolphins (-1) vs. Buffalo Bills: Dolphins -1

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Washington Redskins (-6): Redskins -6

Dallas Cowboys vs. Tennessee Titans (-3.5): Cowboys +3.5

Arizona Cardinals (-3) vs. New York Giants: Cardinals -3

New England Patriots (-3) vs. Minnesota Vikings: Patriots -3

New Orleans Saints (-7) vs. Cleveland Browns: Browns +7

Atlanta Falcons vs. Cincinnati Bengals (-5): Falcons +5

St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No odds provided at time of writing): Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Seattle Seahawks (-6) vs. San Diego Chargers: Seahawks -6

Houston Texans (-3) vs. Oakland Raiders: Texans -3

New York Jets vs. Green Bay Packers (No odds provided at time of writing): Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos (-13): Chiefs +13

Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers (-7): 49ers (-7)

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Indianapolis Colts (-3): Colts -3

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