2013 Point Spread Picks
NFL – An Early Look at Some Week 1 Games
The NFL schedule has been released, the Draft is over and the offseason workouts are in full swing as the sports world eagerly awaits the start of the 2013 football season. A look at the Week 1 docket reveals some quality games and some interesting Betting opportunities.
Let’s take a look at a few to wet your whistle.
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Baltimore Ravens +6½ -110
Denver Broncos -6½ -110
Life without Ray Lewis and Ed Reed begins for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 when the defending champs are forced to head out on the road to take on a team that will have a bitter taste in their mouths after getting eliminated by the Ravens in the playoffs last year. The oddsmakers love the Broncos in this one and so do I.
There is bound to be a period of adjustment for Baltimore. They lost inside linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, outside linebacker Paul Kruger and starting safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard to free agency. Future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis retired. I think that a Super Bowl hangover might exist for the beginning of the season as well.
Peyton Manning has a new toy in town in the name of Wes Welker who should be a huge difference maker. Denver’s solid defense will do enough to slow what was an average Baltimore offense last year and the Broncos offense will be in mid-season form early.
Pick: Denver Broncos -6 1/2
New England Patriots -5 -110
Buffalo Bills 5 -110
In my mind, the only question is how much the Patriots will win by in this game. There are a ton of question marks in New England as to who Tom Brady will be throwing the ball to but Brady could make Chris Berman look like an All-Pro wideout. On the flip side, Buffalo will certainly enter Week 1 with a lower tie QB in charge – no matter who emerges in Camp.
Neither team did a ton to improve themselves during the offseason but only 1 team needed to improve! This may be the easiest of the Week 1 games to call.
Pick: New England Patriots -5
Atlanta Falcons 2 -110
New Orleans Saints -2 -110
Coach Sean Payton returns to the sidelines for the New Orleans Saints against an Atlanta team that made moves in the offseason but ones that appear may take some time to pay off. In are New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and former St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson and out are Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson and Michael Turner. The jury is out on whether or not the team really got better with these moves.
The Saints on the other hand took some OK steps to improve their awful defense. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis and former Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Victor Butler were brought in to shore up what was a brutal Saints D.
But the determining factor in this one will be Drew Brees and the New Orleans offense. Simply put – they will score more than the Falcons with the X-Factor Sean Payton pushing all the right buttons. The NFC South gets interesting in Week 1! [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Pick: New Orleans Saints -2
Seattle Seahawks -3½ -110
Carolina Panthers +3½ -110
The Seahawks have traditionally been a terrible road team and the 1:00 EDT start has been murder on this team the past couple of seasons. While I expect the Seahawks to win this game, I see a close one against what should be an improved Carolina team.
Seattle is a favorite to win it all this year but it may take some time for the team to gel, the players to catch up to the expectation and for this team to learn to win on the road. I see a 21-20 game here and unless it becomes a pick-em game, I think Carolina covers.
Pick: Carolina Panthers to cover the 3 1/2 points
Green Bay Packers +4½ -110
San Francisco 49ers -4½ -110
Two of the best teams in the NFL battle right out of the gate when the Packers travel to San Fran to take on Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers. The last time these two teams met was in the divisional round of the playoffs when the Niners won 45-31. Colin Kaepernick rushed for a quarterback-record 181 yards in that game – remember?
The 49ers will still have Kaepernick behind center and although he may not go off to the tune of 181 yards again, he will prove to be a nightmare to defense once again. And with Frank Gore’s history against Green Bay, you have to think that the Niners offense should at very least keep up with the Packers.
The difference will be on defense! San Francisco still owns perhaps the best unit in the NFL while the Packers still look average on paper. It’s won’t be as close as some think. The Niners are that good!
Pick: San Francisco 49ers -4 1/2
New York Giants 3 -110
Dallas Cowboys -3 -110
A lot of expectations follow the Dallas Cowboys into the 2013 season as always but the Boys always seem to let their fans down. The new Cowboys Stadium has been anything but a home-field advantage for Dallas since it opened and the G-Men have gone 4-0 there since it opened.
There are still too many question marks on the Dallas Cowboys to earn my trust. I like the Giants to win this game so covering the 3 points shouldn’t be a problem.
Pick: New York Giants +3
Here is our latest article with picks on NFL Week 1 action (after the NFL Draft has been complete)
