Football is back, baby.
It may seem like it was just last weekend that Peyton Manning was raising his second Lombardi Trophy, but we assure you it was not. A fresh season is upon us. How fresh? So fresh even Cleveland Browns fans might be hopeful they can win a handful of games this season. Don’t worry, that’s easy to say when you have 16 shots left at it. That optimism won’t last.
Those of you who have followed LBS through the years know that Doc Brown and Del fancy themselves some NFL pick experts. Will there be bumps along the way? Of course. Will there be weeks where we want to jump off a bridge and never watch a football game again? Yeah, probably a few of those, too. All that said, Doc and Del are confident they can bring you yet another season of picks that are above the 50-percent mark, which is always the goal.
Without further dudes, here are Del’s Week 1 picks against the spread. As always, the picks we feel best about will be highlighted in blue. Those are your money-makers, or so we hope.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Raiders may have as good a chance as any team in the AFC West to win the division this season. If Derek Carr continues to progress like he did last season and Oakland’s defense improves like it should, the Raiders have a shot. Unfortunately, Drew Brees has a ton of weapons this season and has always loved playing at home. After a couple of disappointing seasons, Del likes the Saints to get off to a fast start this year.
Like the Raiders, many expect the Jaguars to be one of the NFL’s most improved teams this season. The spread in this game seems to reflect that, as Del doesn’t see the Packers being only 4.5 points better than the Jags even in Jacksonville. While it’s possible the Jaguars could come out fired up, the return of Jordy Nelson and addition of Jared Cook has given Aaron Rodgers a lot of weapons. The Pack should cover.
Some other thoughts: Isn’t it strange to see the Patriots getting six points in any game? That has hardly ever happened in the Tom Brady era, but Del still doesn’t see it being enough. The Cardinals will be fired up in primetime and too much for Jimmy Garoppolo to handle in his first ever NFL start.
Will preseason Dak Prescott carry over into the regular season? He has a great shot to build his confidence with a home game in Week 1, but the Giants will be ready to go under their new head coach. It’s tough to side with a rookie in a divisional game.
