New Orleans +6 & New Orleans ML (+205)
Predicted Score: New Orleans 21, Carolina 18
Look, we all know New Orleans is a bad road team and bad team outside of a dome, but their track record against Carolina on the road makes this line feel a bit inflated. Carolina won by 3 in 2016 and 5 in 2015. Carolina also looks to be vulnerable on offense with Olsen out.
I think Carolina’s defense holds New Orleans in check, but not enough to compensate for their deficiencies on offense. Thinking the Saints steal one on the road to avoid a 0-3 start.
Atl@Det o50
Predicted Score: Atlanta 34, Detroit 27
I’m predicting a shootout in this game, as both teams seem to have figured out their offenses and are averaging 28 points per game. I don’t either defense are going to fully be able to stop the offenses from putting up points on the board - Detroit allowed 23 to a bad Arizona team before holding the hapless Giants to 10, while Atlanta gave up 17 and 23 to Chicago and Green Bay.
Cle@Ind u40 & Indy +1.5
Predicted Score: Cleveland 10, Indianapolis 17
Two of the worst offenses in the league are facing off against mediocre to medium quality defenses. That means scoring is going to be low. Road teams with low offensive DVOA average only 17 points on the road, while the home team averages a TD more at 24 points. This is going to be a low scoring slog - take the under.
In order for Cleveland to cover 1.5 points, they have to win. The odds of that are unlikely...
Miami -6
Predicted Score: Miami 30, NY Jets 13
Always bet against the Jets.
Kansas City -3
Predicted Score: Kansas City 30, LA Chargers 21
Kansas City looks too balanced for a reeling Chargers team to put enough resistance. The recent series between the two teams have turned into shootouts, and I expect the trend to continue with the number of offensive weapons on both teams. The Chargers tend to play both up and down to the ability of their opponents, so while I expect the Chargers to have a strong offensive output, the Chiefs are one of the few teams that seem to pull away from the Chargers.
Oakland -3.5
Predicted Score: Oakland 30, Washington 24
Washington has struggled on offense a bit, but against an Oakland offense that always seems to give up more points than it should, I think Washington will put up a decent number of points. However, the Oakland offense is on a roll, and should outduel Washington.