Todd Gurley looks to run over
the 49ers on Monday Night
Minnesota @ Tennessee (+2.5) - Adrian Peterson always scares run defenses and Stefon Diggs is an intriguing prospect at wide receiver; the problem of course is that Minnesota does have a questionable passing attack with Shaun Hill at least until Sam Bradford can get acclimated into the offense. Tennessee bolsters its running game with Chris Ivory
Cleveland @ Philadelphia (-3.5) - RG3 did manage to eliminate the Philadelphia Eagles from the playoffs the last time he played at the Linc, but it might be too much to come away with a victory again even against a Philadelphia team that could start Chase Daniels at quarterback.
Cincinnati(-1.5) @ NY Jets- The Bengals appear to have the advantage at the quarterback with Andy Dalton in the battle of two high quality defenses. The Bengals youth at running back including Jeremy Hill, Bernard, and AJ Green may be slightly better than the Jets older stars in Marshall and Forte.
Oakland @ New Orleans (-2) - It's hard what to make of the Saints, especially with a disappointing season. That being said, Drew Brees can still make the Saint become a high octane offense especially at home.
San Diego (+6.5) @ Kansas City- While the Chiefs feature a strong defense and a coach in Andy Reid that does relatively well on opening day, the Chargers are division rivals and could play the Chiefs close especially if Rivers can repeat his strong play from last season
Buffalo @ Baltimore (-3) - It is hard what to make of the Ravens after a bad season. Buffalo is hoping that Tyrod Taylor an create for deep receiving threats like Sammy Watkins and that LeSean McCoy has some left in the tank. And it will be interesting to see if Steve Smith Sr. has anything left after achilles injury to get back at his former team. We will see if John Harbaugh can help the Ravens rebound especially with a team that plays better at home.
Chicago @ Houston (-5)- The battle between two former Bronco quarterbacks. Brock Osweiler may have learned enough to help the Texans take the next step. Jay Cutler has been relatively solid although the Bears look to sow up their offensive line and look to find an adequate replacement for Mat Forte in Jeremy Langford.
Green Bay (-5) @ Jacksonville - Blake Bortles is an impressive QB with a number of receiving options but Aaron Rodgers also should have a healthy receiving corp including the return of Jordy Nelson. Randall Cobb should also get more with the additional attention that defenses hae to pay and could also open up the running attack.
Miami @ Seattle (10.5) - It is unclear how the Dolphins new coaching staff can repel Seattle's homefield advantage.
NY Giants @ Dallas - Dallas's homefield isn't all that impressive and the Giants should take advantage of the absence of Tony Romo. Ezekiel Elliot could be an x factor although I like the Giants to amend for last season's opening collapse against Dallas in week 1 of last season.
Detroit @ Indianapolis (-2.5) - Luck appears to have more around him offensively especially with the departure of Calvin Johnson.
New England @ Arizona (-7)- The losers of the conference championship face off. The Patriots are without Brady. While Belicheck may coach New England up, the Cardinals have typically done well against teams they are supposed to beat.
Pittsburgh @ Washington (+3) - Washington dodges a bullet given that LeVeon Bell is out with a suspension. Kirk Cousins will try to do well against what many people consider a .500 plus caliber team, although the Steelers were at best average defensively last season. The Redskins also hope Matt Jones and Chris Thompson can at least give Washington a viable running game. Washington may rely more on their receivers including tight end Jordan Reed. One thing to watch for is if Jackson and Garcon can keep up their production from years past. The Redskins will also look for their young receivers like Josh Doctson and Rashad Ross to step up. A big key is if Josh Norman can live up to his salary and slow down Antonio Brown.
LA (-2.5) @ San Francisco - Chip Kelly's offense gets set in motion with Blaine Gabbert, Torrey Smith, and Carlos Hyde. The Rams look to get Todd Gurley going against a 49ers defense that hasn't been the same since Jim Harbaugh left.
1 comment:
Hey, you know Carson Wentz is starting QB for the Eagles, right?
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