New York Giants (+6) @ Washington Commanders- The Commanders closed last season strong but somehow struggled against division opponent. The Giants only had 3 wins. That being said, the Commanders were never able to beat a division oppoenent by more than 5 points.
There is hope that the Washington Commander's defense is improved. However, the Commanders offense still appears to have some kinks to be worked out especially since Terry McClaurin was a late addition to the team due to a contract dispute.
The Giants front seven may present problems for Washington although Washington has upgraded their offensive line with the addition of Jeremy Tunsil and the drafting of Connerly. Plus Amos and Lattimore are much better corners than what Washington threw at Malik Nabers last season who only had 59 yards in his last game. I could see a close game since Washington looked rusty although maybe they can get their running game going with Ekeler and "Bill" Croskey Merritt seeing a bigger role with the departure of Brian Robinson to the 49ers.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) @ New York Jets- Aaron Rodgers has been quiet this offseason as both teams will have former quarterbacks playing one another. The advantage may slightly favor the Steelers since Tomlin is a returning coach whereas the Jets will feature Aaron Glenn. This could be a low scoring ugly game that could favor the team that makes less mistakes which could be Aaron Rodgers although I am skeptical of him being consistent. Although Rodgers could be improved with more time coming off an Achilles, his age makes me nervous and could hesitate under pressure which was the case last season.
Carolina Panthers (+3.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars- The Panthers closed last season strong even though the Jaguars have the potential to improve their offense from last season/
Arizona Cardinals (-6.5) @ New Orleans Saints - The Cardinals are going against hte Saints who could be more energetic out the gate at home but still may need to overcome their quarterback room which seems like one of the worst from last season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-2.5)(LOCK) @ Atlanta Falcons- The Bucs could have easily beaten the Commanders in the playoffs. They go against an inexperienced Penix who had some decent moments last season but could struggle against a stingy Tampa defense who did a good job defending the run. Bijan needs to get going otherwise it could be a long day for the Falcons who struggled to defend the pass. Mike Evans could have a big game assuming he can still keep playing well in his 30s.
Cincinnati Bengals (-5.5) @ Cleveland Browns - The Bengals want to avoid getting out to a slow start as they have the past couple of seasons. The Browns are a well coach team under and Joe Flacco did have his best stretch recently with the Browns when he won comeback player of the year a few years ago. That being said, the Bengals should not be rusty given that they played most of their starters in preseason and I would expect the Bengals to pounce on the Browns at least on the offensive side of the ball. With Hendrickson back in the fold, it is imperative for the Browns to get their running game going with Ford.
Las Vegas Raiders (+2.5) @ New England Patriots- Expect a low scoring game between the Raiders and Patriots. The Drake Maye hype train meets reality when the Raiders will likely throw some interesting looks at the 2nd year players way. Henderson will be future heavily with the Pats. Homefield should allow the Pats to come out ahead but I expect a close game especially since the Raiders have upgraded the quarterback postion from Minshew to Geno Smith as well as Bowers the tight end looking like the best offensive weapon that both teams have. It will be interesting to monitor how much Steffon Diggs can add to the Patriots passing game.
Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos (-8)- The Titans will feature rookie Cam Ward. It appears that he will be a massive upgrade but the Broncos have been one of the most improved teams once Sean Payton got his QBof the future in Bo Nix. Although many are prediciting that the Broncos could make a super bowl run, I wonder if anybody is expecting a regression from Bo Nix throughout the season. Still JK Dobbins will likely have a featured role with the Broncos early and it could spell trouble for the Titans on the Road.
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers (-2.5)- It looks as if the Packers are the offseason winners with the Micah Parsons addition but as a Washington fan I have been dissapointed several times from winning the offseason under Dan Snyder. Still the Packers appear to be the most stable organization in football and many are predicting a potential Super Bowl run. Perhaps the Lions have try to force the runnign game down teh Packers throat as many have been critical of Parson inablity to stop the run at least that's how Cowboys fans are coping with this trade. Still, the Lions may look a bit shaky with the departure of their offensive coordinators, although they may be significantly healthier than the last time we saw them in the playoffs.
Houston Texans(+3) @ Los Angeles Rams- This is an intriguing matchup given that the Rams have essentially swapped Cooper Kupp for Davante Adams, although Adams looks slightly worse, granted he did have subpar QB play with both the Raiders and the Jets. Stafford looks to be less than 100 percent given the reprots. It feels like CJ Stroud could bounce back from a relatively dissapointing season for himself given the showing he had in 2024. Although the Rams running game may give the Rams in this one. It will be interesting to see which running back emerges with the lion share of the carries after week 1.
Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills (-1.5) - This could a future playoff matchup. Either team could come up on top. The Ravens are looking to shake off a dissappointing loss while the Bills are still rueing over the spot that they got in the Chiefs game that could have put them in the Super Bowl. For now I am favoring Allen and the homefield advantage although Lamar Jackson putting up an MVP like performance or Derrick Henry dominating the running game is also in the cards.
Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) @ Chicago Bears- It looks as if the Caleb WIlliams may struggle out the gate with Ben Johnson as a head coach at least in the first couple of weeks. The Bears offense could be more diverse but it may struggle against a Vikings defense that knows how to pressure QBs.
2024 Straight up- 109-58
2024 Against the Spread- 78-77
