NFL Week 1 vs. the Line, Week Two Picks

Week one is over and it's time to assess the damage.

This was a very strange week in that there were three pushes: Vikings vs Saints (-5), Cardinals (-4) @ Rams, Bucs(-3) vs. Browns.

For the remainder of the games my record was 7-6 against the spread.

The Highlights
One line upset I called were the Texans (+2) hosting the Colts. Texans took care of business and beat the Colts straight up.

The second upset I picked was the Redskins(+3.5) over the Cowboys. A last second hold to end the game saved bettors that picked the 'skins in this one.

Ravens(+3.5) also upset the Jets. I went Ravens more as a counter pick against the over hyped Jets. That isn't really a good way to pick teams.

The Lowlights
Two teams laid eggs and it hurt the bottom line.

First off the Bengals didn't even bother to show up against the Pats. It was no contest.

The Chargers also left a stinker on the field with the Chiefs pulling off the upset.

Week 2 Picks
Not really much to analyze from last week's picks so I'll just move on to week two picks. Picks are in bold.

The point of making picks is to make money not pick every game. For the last two years, I've picked every game and kept count. After week one, three pushes and other factors, I've decided to a rule change. I can take passes on games if I so choose. I imagine this will be a rarely invoked rule though.

Chiefs (+2) at Browns - pass. Two teams in disarray. No need to waste time or money on this game.

Eagles (-7) at Lions - Lions are improving but both teams starting quarterbacks are hurt. Eagles have a much better back up in Michael Vick. Take the Eagles as the road favorite.

Dolphins (+5.5) at Vikings - Neither team was impressive during the opening week. I'm thinking the spread might be a little to wide. Dolphins lose but take the points.

Cardinals (+6.5) at Falcons - Cardinals defense is better than you might think but Falcons running back is usually a beast at home. Falcons

Ravens (-3) at Bengals - Point spread ranges from Ravens -1.5 to -3 depending where you looked. Doesn't really matter though. The Ravens defense looked solid and the Bengals offense looked like garbage in week one. Ray Lewis looks like an ageless wonder. Ravens

Bears (+7) at Cowboys - Cowboys offense struggled in preseason and carried over into week one. Seven points is a wide spread for a struggling offense. The Bears might lose but they cover.

Bills (+13) at Packers - First double digit spread of the year and usually I warn that it's a sucker bit. The Bills are possibly the worst team in the league so throw your lot with the Packers.

Steelers (+5) at Titans - This is going to be a fist fight. Neither Vince Young or Donald Dixon inspires much confidence to break the game open. Look for Chris Johnson and Rashard Mendanhall to get plenty of runs. I think the the line should be more at Pittsburgh (+3). Take the Steelers and the points.

Buccaneers (+3) at Panthers - I thought about taking a pass on this game. However, I think Panthers will take care of the Bucs at home with the run game. Panthers

Seahawks (+3.5) at Broncos - The Seahawks need to prove last week was a fluke before I start picking them against a team not named the Raiders. Broncos

Rams (+3.5) at Raiders - Same old Raiders, at least Rams have a new quarter back. Rams

Patriots (-3) at Jets - Like the oddsmakers, I give the edge to the Patriots due to the fact that they can stretch the field.

Texans (-3) at Redskins - The gut is telling me to go with the Redskins. Coming off against a win against one Texas team at home, the Redskins welcome the "other" Texas team. These aren't the Cowboys though. Texans

Jaguars (+7) at Chargers - This is one of those iffy spreads. I think it's borderline to wide. Chargers are at home and there is no rain as of kickoff. Charger

Giants (+5) at Colts - Manning vs. Manning is the story line. The mangled Colts run defense is the story. Do the Giants run amok like Houston did last week? Giants

Saints (-6) at 49ers - Last week was a debacle for the niners and the Saints handled the Minnesota Brett Favres. Saints