Hey, look at that. I got the Thursday night game right straight up and against the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s see how much of a mess I can make of a solid start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NY Giants<\/a> (+5.5) at<\/strong> Chicago<\/a><\/strong> Atlanta<\/a> (+3.5) at<\/strong> Dallas<\/a><\/strong> Detroit<\/a> (+6) at<\/strong> Green Bay<\/a><\/strong> Jacksonville<\/a> (+7.5) at<\/strong> Tennessee<\/a><\/strong> Minnesota<\/a> (+3) at<\/strong> Indianapolis<\/a><\/strong> Buffalo<\/a> (-5.5) at<\/strong> Miami<\/a><\/strong> San Francisco<\/a> (-7) at<\/strong> NY Jets<\/a><\/strong> LA Rams<\/a> (+1.5) at<\/strong> Philadelphia<\/a><\/strong> Denver<\/a> (+7) at<\/strong> Pittsburgh<\/a><\/strong> Carolina<\/a> (+8.5) at<\/strong> Tampa Bay<\/a><\/strong> Washington<\/a> (+7) at<\/strong> Arizona<\/a><\/strong> Kansas City<\/a> (-8.5) at<\/strong> LA Chargers<\/a><\/strong> Baltimore<\/a> (-7) at<\/strong> Houston<\/a><\/strong> New England<\/a> (+4) at<\/strong> Seattle<\/a><\/strong> New Orleans<\/a> (-5) at<\/strong> Las Vegas<\/a><\/strong>
I don’t think the Bears are quite in regular season form yet. But that’s mostly because I don’t think any team is really in regular form yet. Except maybe the Giants. It’s possible that what we saw Monday night against the Steelers<\/a> is about what the 2020 Giants are going to be able to bring to the field. Chicago by a touchdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This matchup at this point in this season goes to the home team. Cowboys by a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Division games are often closer than the relative strengths of the teams would otherwise suggest they should be. And still six doesn’t strike me as half enough. Packers by 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Jaguars might not be so bad after all<\/a>. Then again, they might. In any event, the division rivalry factor keeps this one closer than it ought to be. Titans by six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of these teams has to be better than it looked in its opener. Maybe. Vikings by three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bills are the better team. But Miami isn’t an easy place to play, particularly early in the season when it’s 90 degrees at game time. Buffalo by a field goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hold on a second. I just need to check on something real quick. … Yeah, works out the Jets are still the Jets. Niners by four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t think there’s any way any NFL team’s defense is playing its best football after a single game in a pre-seasonless season. But the Rams D certainly appears to have come strong out of the gate<\/a>. I like what that says about the team. Los Angeles by three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of these teams are playing on short rest. The better of the two \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and, one suspects, by no small margin \u00e2\u20ac\u201d is hosting. Steelers by 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think we might see a more typical game from the Bucs’ new quarterback<\/a> this week. Three TDs and 350-ish passing yards, maybe. Something like that. Enough to fuel a comfortable win by the home team. Tampa by two touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand X looked better than expected last week at home<\/a>. I’m not counting on them to keep it up. Cardinals by five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can’t imagine anyone needs me to say anything about this game. Since it’s in Los Angeles, maybe the Chiefs only win by, like, 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 2020 Texans can’t catch a break, can they? Ravens by three touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not that I don’t think the Patriots can<\/em> win this game. They can. If it were in Foxborough, they probably would. (And if they meet again on a neutral field in early February, when the Patriots offense has had more time to come together, I suspect they will.) But in Seattle, even without the usual noise conditions, I just think it’s a lot to ask. Seahawks by a field goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New Orleans by 14. I don’t know what else there could be to say.<\/p>\n