Doc had a rough time against the spread in Week 1, but his locks were pretty solid. The Doc went 2-1 for his Top 3, absolutely nailing the Philadelphia Eagles’ stunner over the Washington Redskins on Monday night, and the Miami Dolphins’ road win over the Cleveland Browns. The Oakland Raiders pulled off a stunning comeback that helped them cover the spread even if they lost to the Colts. We’re not so confident they’ll do it again. Picks below, with further analysis after the grid.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
Sure, the Tennessee Titans pulled off a good win at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, but their offense is not very good. We’re expecting them to struggle to put up points at Houston. The Texans started off slowly against the San Diego Chargers and have some shaky pass defense, but Jake Locker isn’t the guy who can expose them. Instead, we think their offense will click. Texans should roll in this one.
The Doc likes the Detroit Lions this season, and it was apparent after Week 1 that Reggie Bush was the missing piece for that offense. They’re going to score a lot of points this season. Sure, the Cardinals are improved with Carson Palmer at quarterback, and Tyrann Mathieu is a great playmaker, but they’re still a sub-par team. It doesn’t help that Larry Fitzgerald has a hamstring injury. Anyway, Doc thinks last year’s down season for Detroit was an anomaly and this season they’re going to put it together. That should start with a win in Week 2.
Doc likes the Saints to cover for two reasons: we’re high on the Saints and down on the Bucs. New Orleans’ offense is back on track now that Sean Payton is around to help, and the defense also looks improved. Maybe Tampa Bay will play well at home, but the Doc doesn’t think this will be a good season for them.
