Kevin, the host of the D.C. Sports Guys, will start the NFL season with $100 of his own money. The objective is simple: make as much money as possible betting on NFL games. No funds can be added during the season and if the account ever hits $0 Kevin's will have to pack it in and admit defeat.
The first week of the NFL season is always the hardest to judge. Limited play from starters and simplified package sets dominate the pre-season leaving one to look at how a team ended the previous season and guess how roster moves will translate to on field performance. That's not to say you can't make informed decisions on which way games will go, but in a league that has a 50% turnover rate in playoff teams year-to-year it's does make the job a bit more difficult.
Now that I've made plenty of excuses for myself, on to the rest of my picks for Week 1. Check out my first two bets here. Bet #1 is still active and I'm hunting down Garrett Hartley to cover my losses on Bet #2.
I'm keeping the wagers light this week, after all I'm supposed to keep this blog segment going for most of the season. The objective this week is to survive and hopefully crank up the wagers in weeks two and three. Altogether I have $40 on the line to win $87.94.
Here are the teams I'm riding to victory:
| Team | Reason |
|---|---|
Giants | The Giants are out for revenge. On a late season skid, the Giants were dealing with injuries, poor linebacker play and questions at safety when the Panthers rolled out of the Meadowlands with a 41-9 victory. Since then the Giants have added two Pro Bowlers Keith Bulluck and Antrel Rolle to sure up defensive holes. Carolina on the other hand lost 5 starters on defense including the departure of Julis Peppers. Look for the Giants to be active on the defensive line to stop the run and force Carolina to put the ball in the hands of Matt Moore. Moore proved to be better than Delhomme last season but has not shown that he can take over a game. The Giants may not cover the 7pt spread but they should still win the game. Action: Money Line -265 |
Cardinals | The Cardinals lost Kurt Warner to retirement, Antrel Rolle to the Giants and made the right decision in cutting Matt Leinart. Although it's to be seen if Derek Anderson can recapture his magic from 2007 and if Joey Porter will help out a defense that struggled in the playoffs, the Cardinals are a better team than the Rams. The Rams who will be starting rookie QB Sam Bradford are looking to have a season similar to Detroit's first season with Matt Stafford. With Donnie Avery out the Rams did acquire Mark Clayton from the Ravens, but it won't be enough, by a long shot. Action: Money Line -200 |
Packers | The Packers have everything going for them this year and are legitimate Superbowl contenders. The Eagles sent McNabb to Washington and are sticking to their 'staying young' personnel philosophy. The real problem is that the Eagles O-line is already banged up. Center Jamall Jackson, LG Todd Herremans, and RG Nick Cole are all nursing injuries which will lead to a very long day for Kevin Klob. Action: Money Line -150 |
Chargers | Even without Vincent Jackson and Marcus McNeill, Phillip Rivers and the Chargers have enough weapons to give the Chiefs fits. On offense the Chiefs may be able to keep the game close but their D will have no answer for the high powered Chargers offense. Action: Money Line -220 |
Colts | The Colts are still the team to beat in the AFC. The Texans say this will be their year and point to what could be a weak O-line for the Colts. I expect Jeff Saturday to play and that will be enough for the Colts to walk away with the victory. Action: -2.5 |
Browns | This is the upset special of the week. The Brows finished last season on a four game win streak. Since then they got rid of Quinn and Anderson and added Delhome at QB. Now we all know how terrible Delhomme was last year, but he doesn't need to be good to beat Josh Williams. Jerome Harrison is the real deal at running back and should provide enough pop to open up the game in Cleveland's favor. Action: Money Line +130 |
Bet #3: 2 Team Parlay
- New York Giants -265 Sun@1:00p
Competitor: Carolina Panthers
- Arizona Cardinals -200 Sun@4:15p
Competitor: St. Louis Rams
Bet #4: 3 Team Parlay
- Green Bay Packers -150 Sun@4:15p
Competitor: Philadelphia Eagles
- Arizona Cardinals -200 Sun@4:15p
Competitor: St. Louis Rams
- San Diego Chargers -220 Mon@10:15p
Competitor: Kansas City Chiefs
Bet #5: 3 Team Parlay
- New York Giants -260 Sun@1:00p
Competitor: Carolina Panthers
- Cleveland Browns +130 Sun@1:00p
Competitor: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Indianapolis Colts -2½ Sun@1:00p
Competitor: Houston Texans
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