Be sure to check any relevant information before game time as this article is written days in advance and picks may be subject to change!
Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints
The Packers offseason was rife with speculation on whether or not one of the top gunslingers of the past decade would come back to Packers or retire. Well, it looks like Packers fans got their wish and get Aaron Rodgers back into the fold. The Packers also helped ease tensions by going out and returning wide receiver Randall Cobb to Rodgers. After finding connections with WR Lazard, Cobb adds to Rodgers WR depth.
The Packers offense is as deadly as ever, but the Packers defense was relatively solid last year which helped propel them to the NFC Championship last year. However, a big question mark is if they can improve their run defense which finished 23rd in the league last year. The Saints will look to take advantage of this as this is the key to winning the game. Shutting down the run combination of Hill and Kamara will be their path to a blow out as star receiver Michael Thomas is out for the game.
The Brees era for the Saints is over and his presence will be missed. Neither Hill nor Winston has the capability to keep up with Rodgers through the air.
The Saints get home field advantage which is the only main advantage they have besides Kamara. The Packers are the -3.5 and -185 ML favorite. I have no doubt the Packers win this game making the ML favorable. The Packers should also cover the -3.5 spread considering that Rodgers came back because he wants to win a ring which outweighed his hate for the front office.
Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
The Seahawks come into Hoosier territory that has had quarterback problems all season. The Colts were trying out different QBs all preseason not knowing who to start week 1. However, after recovering from foot surgery, Carson Wentz has been confirmed the starter for week 1. Wentz starting is being treated as good news for many Colts fans despite his lack of production in recent years. Many have lost faith in Wentz, especially when Hurts took the starting role. Honestly, Wentz has been bad as much as he has been good. It’s hard to trust him. To be fair, he will get a fair shake with a decent Colts team with a solid defense. If he can’t win here, he can’t win anywhere.
The Colts defense is solid but will be missing a key piece in his secondary in Xavier Rhodes which Russell will be keen to exploit. A key piece out for the Colts offense is T.Y. Hilton which allows the Seahawks defense to focus their pressure else where. Hines will need to break ankles and do well on the ground to help his team win.
Russel Wilson has been a solid QB since he has entered the NFL and gives the Seahawks the advantage at QB over Wentz, especially since his offense is healthy. The defense for the Seahawks is also healthy.
The Seahawks are the -3.0 favorite with a ML of -155. Kind of surprising the line is this low considering Wentz appears to be coming off an injury and his unknown factor is high which is why I suggest betting with Russel to outperform and get the W. Take the ML.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills
The talk of the town has been how far will the Bills go with many analysts having them going to the Super Bowl behind Josh Allen who has improved year in and year out. The hype is understandable as the Bills are solid on both sides of the ball. Allen will certainly be in the running for MVP as he is a touchdown machine and has a variety of weapons. The Bills are definitely Super Bowl Contenders.
The Steelers have more unknowns than the Bills. The Steelers were the best team in the league last year, until they weren’t. They couldn’t lose, and then suddenly they couldn’t win. Big Ben is back in the fold after refusing to retire as he joins a chorus of old QBs who refuse to retire and why should he retire? At 39 years old, Ben threw for 3,800 yards and 33 touchdowns, 11 INT, and a 94 rating. Most QBs can’t reach those numbers at a younger age. Big Ben still has some left in the tank.
Coupled with an offense that isn’t the best but can explode on a dime, the Steelers defense still remains their strong suit. The Steelers recently signed holdout TJ Watt to a 4 year mega contract for a cool 112 million. The Steelers offense and defense is no slouch.
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The Bills are the obvious favorite given home field advantage among other factors. It’s not a surprise since they will win this game, that’s not in question as the Bills will only most likely lose 4 games this season. However, Vegas has given the Bills a -6.5 spread which throws things into question. The Steelers aren’t the best best team but they are better than average suggesting Vegas has fallen into the Bills Mafia hype. I like the Bills to win but the Steelers to cover.
Honorable Mentions
Chargers +1
Chiefs ML
Dolphins ML
Bears +7.5
Titans ML
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