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NFL Week 2: Early Line Observations

by
Vikas Chokshi
September 15, 2020

Welcome to our new column where we review the previous NFL week and look at the odds and some games for the upcoming weekend.

So, here is the skinny: Favorites and overs went 9-7 in Week 1. Both of those make sense, as the favorites have the more talented football teams and better chemistry. That makes a huge difference in a year that had no preseason and limited camps. Overs also make sense due to poor tackling and offenses being a little ahead of the game, again, due to this past offseason.

When it comes to bad beats, you have to feel for Detroit Lions backers. The Lions were up big in the second half, only to give it all away in the fourth. Even after Chicago’s insane comeback, Detroit had a chance to seal the game after Matthew Stafford led them down the field. There was only one problem, Lions rookie RB D’Andre Swift dropped a wide-open touchdown in the end zone, which would’ve won the game for them. As a Bears fan I’ll take the W all day, but if you had money on the Lions, that was a tough beat.

The Chiefs and Ravens lived up to the hype and are definitely a notch above the rest of the competition.
The Cleveland Browns are still the Browns. No matter what changes they make to their roster or coaching staff, it seems like they are running in sand. They got demolished by the Ravens by doing the same boneheaded things we’ve seen them do in the past.
Aaron Rodgers came out firing for the people who said he was dead. I’m not a Packer believer, but that was a great road win for them to start the season.
The Patriots’ well-oiled machine kept on winning, Tom Brady or not. Great game is coming up this weekend for them against Seattle who also put on a show in Atlanta.
Teams like the Rams and Bears do look back to their old form in some ways, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on both of those teams moving forward.
Big Ben looked good in his return for the Steelers, but that final score isn’t indicative of how close that game really was.
Denver in the first two weeks of the season at home is a good bet. I hit on the Broncos +3 last night, so I’m in a good mood. Altitude early always prevails.
The Eagles and Colts hurt a lot of people in Survivor. Both blew leads and showed a lot of holes in Week 1. Let’s see if they can bounce back.
The Washington Football Team looked good. Shout out to Riverboat Ron Rivera. He is the man.
Lastly, the Cardinals are for real. I expected the Niners to have a little hangover this season, but Arizona showed they can play with the big boys in that game. Hopkins is a huge addition for this squad.

Now, a look at Week 2. First, here are the odds at Caesars:

CIN-CLE -6.5

CAR-TB -7.5

SF -6.5 NYJ

BUF -4 MIA

MIN-IND -3.5

NYG-CHI -5.5

JAC-TEN -9.5

WAS-ARZ -7

BAL -7 HOU

KC -7.6 LAC

NE-SEA -4

NO -5.5 VEGAS

A couple of games stick out right away.

The look ahead line for Rams at Eagles was Eagles -3.5. The current line is Rams -1.5. That is a huge overreaction in my opinion, and of course the public will be on the Rams. I lean Philly in this spot early.
Another game that sticks out is Saints at the RAIDERZZZZ. The line is now up to NOLA -6.5 after they took care of business against Tom Brady and the Bucs. I’m loving the points as of now, and will take the Raiders if the numbers stick to where they currently are.
The last game to keep an eye on is Cincinnati at Cleveland on Thursday Night. I know the Browns look putrid, but a lot of things line up for them this Thursday. If they can’t beat a rookie QB on a short week at home, then this is going to be a long season for Cleveland. The public is on the Bengals as of today, but I’m looking at Cleveland early. But, the Browns burned me in Week 1, so I’ll come back to this game.

Thanks for reading this week’s column, and let’s win some money in Week 2.

Vikas Chokshi

A passion for sports, with experience in writing, podcasting, managing social media accounts, fostering athlete relationships, organizing sporting events and hosting panels.