While Las Vegas sportsbooks killed it the first week of the NFL season, Doc Brown posted a decent .500 week while going 2-1 on his locks. That’s not a bad way to kick off the NFL season.
The Doc knows that a lot changes from the second week to the first. Teams that had fluky victories in Week 1 won’t be as lucky in Week 2. Teams that had the home field advantage in the first week and are on the road in the second week will see big changes. Fear not, however, as the Doc has you covered.
Take a look at the expert picks from Doc and Del in the spreadsheet below, along with analysis of the Top 3 picks after that.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
The Pats lost to the Dolphins in Week 1 and that came as a surprise to many. The Vikings crushed the Rams in Week 1, which was a shocker as well. This week, all gets set right in the world as the Pats will put it together while Minnesota will fall back to the mediocre team they are. Do you really think Matt Cassel will be able to have a strong game against New England? Do you really think Bill Belichick doesn’t know all his tendencies and weaknesses? The Pats will be ready to expose and exploit him.
The Panthers are a very strong team but Vegas and the public are slow to catch on there. Even with Derek Anderson at quarterback, they still beat the Bucs in Week 1. They’ll be able to handle Detroit with a semi-healthy Cam Newton at home in Week 2. The Lions are a very good team, but they’re not as solid outside the dome. And we know Cam won’t let Donkey Kong Suh beat him.
Who would pick against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, coming off a big home win over the Packers on opening night, so early in the season? Someone who believes six points is a lot to cover.
The Chargers blew it against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night and should have won that game. They were the better team. Maybe you figure they don’t make some of the same mistakes they did on Monday and play better at home, and they can compete with anyone. Plus, being on the road and not as pumped for the game is a formula for Seattle to be at less than peak form. They should be able to win it, but the Doc believes it will be a close contest.
And here are the Week 2 picks from Jude, our Week 1 pool winner:
PIT +2.5, PIT
MIA +1, MIA
ATL +5, ATL
CLE +6, NO
TEN -3.5, TEN
MIN +3, MIN
ARZ +1, ARZ
WAS -6, WAS
CAR -3, CAR
SEA -5, SEA
TB -5, TB
DEN -13, DEN
NYJ +8, NYJ
HOU -3, HOU
SF -7, SF
PHI +3, PHI
