Rest of card.
Cardinals +3.5 -105
This is a good spot for the Cardinals I think. Minnesota has done a better job of closing out competitive games -- something they really struggled with a year ago. And 1pm Kirk Cousins is never someone that you should take lightly, but I think Arizona is starting to figure a few things out.
I think Hopkins' return is a lot more significant than people realize, and I think his presence is going to help Arizona out quite a bit against a secondary that isn't bad, but definitely nothing special. Arizona also has been a nice team to bet when they travel East it seems like; that goes against intuition, but I think that is a not a complete non-factor here.
I do think Minnesota will be able to run the ball here, but I view it as a competitive game that could be either team winning by a field goal. So I'll take the 3.5
Patriots -2.5 -115 + Patriots ML -140
I love how New York has played and obviously New England has been underwhelming and kind of a mess at times, but them being favored on the road here should tell you enough. And as the money is starting to trickle in on the Jets, the line still looks bound to get to 3. Good sign
The Bill vs. bad, young QB angle backfired last week, but it should be noted that Bill also really struggles with mobile QB's. Wilson can move, but he ain't no Fields. Breece Hall is a big loss for the Jets, but honestly I don't think New York was going to be able to run the ball much anyway when you have Bill lighting into this defense for a solid week in practice. That unit is going to play better.
The Jets have been a good story, but I haven't seen much to indicate that they can sustain winning football from their offense. They kinda got away with one against Denver given the non-PI call. The Broncos also kind of moved the ball on them if you were watching the game closely.
I don't think it's a pretty game per se, but I think the Patriots get it done.
Dolphins/Lions over 51.5 -105
Taking a trip into the totals market for this one. I went back and forth on the side, but couldn't quite pull the trigger on either one. I do think we see a lot of points in this one though.
While Hill and Waddle are a little bit overhyped as a WR duo, I think they should be able to feast against a Lions secondary that is.....bad. It's a bad match-up for those poor corners.
Miami held Pittsburgh to 10, but the Steelers were able to move the ball pretty well against them. Dolphins got bailed out by some turnovers there. I think the Lions should be able to find some holes in the Dolphins' defense.
Think this is a track meet.
Raiders -1.5 +100
I see a lot of people on New Orleans this week, and I think there are arguments to be made for this being a nice spot coming back home for them, with life in an otherwise lifeless division, but i think Las Vegas is the play here.
I just think this team is pretty damn good, especially offensively. Josh Jacobs and the running game being able to be as efficient as they have these last few games has really opened up a lot for Carr and the rest of the offense. Having that kind of threat makes the play-action so effective, and you can see Carr now playing with a freedom that he lacked in the first few games. New Orleans' defense has truly been in shambles this season, and I don't how they counter a rolling Raiders offense
On the other side, New Orleans offense just seems to lack any sort of consistent rhythm or continuity. A lot of their stats are deceptive -- picking up yardage in games where they are out of it, going against bad defense, etc. They have lot of problems on both sides of the ball.
Despite this being an opportunity for New Orleans to crawl back into the division race, I like Las Vegas a lot here.
Colts -3 +105
There's a weird energy around this Indy team after being swept by the Titans and then making a pretty big switch at this point in the season, given they are very much alive in their division. But I think this is a nice spot for them.
Teams tend to play well in the first game when they have a backup/new QB in....just take a look at the opposing sideline for reference. I think you see a gritty effort from this Colts team on offense for that reason. Washington's defense is playing a little better, but I think Ehlinger's ability to move outside the pocket may give the Colts a nice dimension that the Commanders aren't quite prepared for.
I also think Colts defense should match up well with Washington. They're not stout, or at least haven't been, but they're better than they've shown and I think they can bottle up a Commanders team that I think comes back down to earth a bit after a couple wins. Give me the Ponies.
Seahawks ML -140
This game is a lot more intriguing than we all thought it'd be preseason. We were envisioning two tanking teams fighting for the CJ Stroud sweepstakes. But nope, this is a battle with potential playoff implications
I think this very well could be a close battle, but I think the lack of Giants ability to exploit Seattle's weakness on the backend of their is the difference. Daniel Jones has been productive on the ground and in the sense that he hasn't been turning the ball over to opponents, but he has been an absolute train-wreck when asked to actually read defense and make tough throws. Not having perimeter weapons isn't helping, but Jones' production through the air is not sustainable if the Giants want to actually make noise and be a player in the NFC playoff picture.
I love how Seattle's offense is playing. It's not just Geno -- the running game has really come on and is building out the vision that I think Pete Carroll had when he wanted to get rid of Russ. Awesome to see, and I think at home they have another nice showing.
Honestly I'm just glad this game has some flare to it. Looking forward to it.
Packers +11 -105
Even though I hate Aaron Rodgers, and he has not given me much reason to deviate from that position from either a douchebag standpoint or a betting standpoint, I am going to take his team and the points here.
Buffalo may very well come out and eviscerate these guys, but I think Green Bay bounces back enough to the point where they at least keep this game close. I am waiting for the game that they actually utilize their strength -- the running game, and I think they may be more successful in that area than one might think against this defense.
Some times come out hot after a bye, but I think it's more likely we see a slightly flat Bills team. They will get it going at some point in the game, and I do think they pull out a win here, but I don't think it's going to be a pretty one for them. Green Bay is formidable on the back end that Allen may struggle a bit through the air, so they will need to be reliant a bit more on their RB's than they are used to.
Bengals -2 -130 (buying point)
I know buying points is a hot topic on the board right now, but I think it's a decent idea in a game like this. I think with or without Chase, this game was going to be cautionary for a Bengals team that is starting to figure it out.
I don't think it's necessarily a trap spot, but Cleveland has given them a few issues recently and divisional road games are not easy. Pretty much every great team has clunkers now and then, and this could be it.
Having said that, the way that Burrow has played late in games has been nothing short of awesome (well, he's been awesome in the whole game recently) Even in the 3 losses, Burrow led this team down the field late in the 4th quarter to either tie or take the lead. The guy is just special.
I could see a game where the Browns play with a bit of desperation and they get some nice production out of their running game. They may linger around a bit here, before Burrow leads the Bengals down the field for a McPherson kick at the end. So I do think the key number of 3 could have some significance here, though I normally am not one to bat an eye at that kind of thing.
If Cincy does rattle these boys though, then I'll take it
Probably gonna play a Bengals prop too, but not sure which one yet. Stay tuned
Good luck