Shea Matthews the Senior Writer at CP. Lives and breathes sports. He made the transition from athlete to sports journalist at a young age, writing in TV & national papers. Shea applies his knowledge to sports betting + handicapping daily, and shares winning picks with the world.
OK, Washington. I’m finally ready to take you seriously. For years under coach Bruce Boudreau, you’ve had the league’s most exciting offense. But, for years, you’ve failed to address glaring needs at goaltender and defense.
NFL Gambling Online – Week 3
WEEK 2 ATS PICKS RECORD: 1-3
SEASON ATS PICKS RECORD: 7-3
After a powerhouse first week, I came back to Earth on my ATS picks in Week 2. The supposed “slam dunk” Ravens game reminded me that anything can happen in the NFL. Let’s look at four more games for Week 3 and bounce back. The speciality this week: the always-tricky “big spreads.”
Sunday, September 25, 1:00 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Patriots -9
Who could’ve imagined just a few weeks ago that Patriots/Bills might be Week 3’s most exciting game? I’m sure everyone knows what Tom Brady has done through two weeks. He’s averaging 470 passing yards per contest thus far, he has seven interceptions versus one pick and he’s completed 71.6 per cent of his passes. Just hand him the MVP award already.
However, we can’t lose sight of what Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick has done in 2011. Once again flourishing in head coach Chan Gailey’s quarterback-friendly system, he’s been as impressive as any signalcaller not named Brady, tossing seven touchdown passes of his own. The Pats are allowing 381 passing yards per game so far this season; I don’t think they’ll slow Fitzpatrick down.
I still like New England to win but the Bills should keep it relatively close in what should be a shootout in Buffalo on Sunday. Yes, I’m aware that this is essentially the same situation New England faced in San Diego last week, and that it’s against an inferior “D,” but divisional games often play closer.
Pick: Bills +9
Sunday, September 25, 1:00 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Panthers -3.5
Cam Newton’s epic rookie debut against the Arizona Cardinals was the talk of the town. But he was supposed to fall flat on his face against the defending champion Green Bay Packers last week. He didn’t, again topping 400 passing yards. This time, he made a few bonehead mistakes, but that was partly because he was so fearless and unflappable. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
In Jacksonville, he gets a front seven as toothless as any in the league. Newton might be in for another huge day. While the Panthers defense is just as much of a joke as Jacksonville’s it may feast on another rookie quarterback: Blaine Gabbert.
Obviously, if Newton could be so successful, we can’t write Gabbert off entirely, but the situation is different. Newton is getting by on a level of athleticism Gabbert doesn’t possess. He should experience growing pains on Sunday.
Pick: Panthers -3.5
Sunday, September 25, 4:05 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Chargers -14.5
Here’s another scary spread to contend with. The Chiefs have been epically bad, outscored 89-10 so far. It doesn’t seem like a trip to San Diego, a team with the NFL’s No. 1 offense and defense in 2010, will remedy their problems. I know there’s the divisional-game factor to worry about, as I explained above with Buffalo. But the Bills are at home. They’re also not missing their best offensive player (Jamaal Charles, out for season) and defensive back (Eric Berry, out for season), as the Chiefs are.
I have to think the Chargers make this one ugly as they try to bounce back from the beating Tom Brady gave them.
Pick: Chargers -14.5
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, September 25, 8:20 p.m. ET
NFL betting favorite: Steelers -10.5
A double-digit spread on the road is usually frightening. But you know what’s more frightening? Kerry Collins against the Steelers’ front seven. Will they literally murder him on national TV? At least there won’t be too many eyes glued to this dud of a game. I’ll be watching the season premiere of Boardwalk Empire instead. Then again, we may see more blood and death if we watch Indy try to move the ball on Pittsburgh. Tough decision.
Pick: Steelers -10.5
This is the Week 3 series of free NFL Pick articles by our experts here at CappersPicks.com. Check back with us all NFL Betting season long, and keep on winning those NFL Bets folks!
Cappers Picks Golf handicappers have all your latest golf news and information so be sure to make us your trusted source for up-to-the-minute golf details. PGA Golf betting fans will also have plenty golf action to focus on as this year’s Fed Ex Cup Championship is here.
The offensive madness continued in Week 2. Once again, Tom Brady and Cam Newton were the stars, as they each set new records for the most passing yards ever in the first two weeks of a season.
The Baltimore Orioles will do their best to play spoiler on Wednesday evening as the Boston Red Sox scramble to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays over the American League Wildcard lead.
MLB Betting – Orioles vs Red Sox Preview & Pick
Date: Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, MA
Broadcast: MASN, NESN
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Money Line: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
Baltimore Orioles (63-90 through September 19)
Tommy Hunter (4-4, 4.81)
The Baltimore Orioles will do their best to play spoiler on Wednesday evening as the Boston Red Sox scramble to hold off the Tampa Bay Rays over the American League Wildcard lead. Through Monday, they’d won five of seven, all against the Rays, Angels and Red Sox, so they’ve been pesky for the contenders.
Tommy Hunter starts Wednesday. His skills are quite ordinary and it’s shown in his numbers since he arrived from the Texas Rangers earlier this season. Hunter has a 5.31 ERA and .300 opponents’ batting average since he became an Oriole. He’s allowed two or more homers in three of his last five starts, though he did throw seven shutout innings against the Angels his last time out.
Boston Red Sox (88-66 through September 19)
Josh Beckett (12-5, 2.50)
The Red Sox have to take advantage with the easy matchup against Baltimore this week since Tampa gets the Yankees. Through Monday, they’d lost seven of 10 and split the doubleheader to open the Baltimore series. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
Josh Beckett returned last week after missing a start with an ankle injury and was fairly sharp against Tampa, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven over six innings. He’s slowed ever so slightly since the All-Star break but he’s still been very effective, going 5-2 with a 2.88 ERA in the second half. Boston needs him now more than ever with so many of its other pitchers injured and/or struggling.
The pick:
The Red Sox have had plenty of scares lately but nothing about Wednesday’s matchup looks scary. Beckett is comfy at home this season, going 6-1 with a 2.30 ERA over 13 starts. Also, Hunter has an awful track record against Boston. The Red Sox have smoked him for 16 runs and seven homers in just 17.1 innings over his four starts against them. Watch out for David Ortiz, who has tagged him for two homers in 10 career at-bats.
The Red Sox have a tough road ahead but they should hit a smooth patch on Wednesday.
Orioles vs Red Sox prediction: Red Sox 7, Orioles 2
Jonny “Bones” Jones defends his UFC light heavyweight title for the first time this Saturday at UFC 135. In Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, he faces the toughest, meanest, most experienced opponent of his career.
It seems an eternity ago that the Ottawa Senators were one of the NHL’s best teams, year-in, year-out. Now, wallowing in at the bottom of the Northeast Division, they look more like the laughing stock they were as an expansion team in the mid 1990s.
Date: Sunday, September 18, 2011
Venue: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast: ESPN
St. Louis Cardinals at Philadelphia Phillies Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Money Line: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
St. Louis Cardinals (81-68 through September 15)
Chris Carpenter (9-9, 3.80)
They’ve flown under the radar of late but the St. Louis Cardinals still have potential to sneak into the National League playoffs through the back door. They’re 5.5 games behind Milwaukee for the NL Central lead and 4.5 games back of Atlanta for the NL Wild Card through Thursday night. The key was going 5-1 during a six-game stretch against both of those teams last week.
On Sunday Night Baseball, they’ll try and improve on their 40-34 road record with a tough trip to the City of Brotherly Love. Chris Carpenter handled the Phillies the last time he faced them, striking out seven over seven innings of one-run ball to get the win. He has a 4.66 lifetime ERA against the Phils but is 6-2 over 10 starts. He’ll hope to right the ship after a four-start stretch this season in which he allowed four-plus runs three times.
Philadelphia Phillies (97-51 through September 15)
Cole Hamels (14-8, 2.71)
The Phils clinched a playoff berth earlier this week and their magic number for the NL East sat at one game through Thursday, so they’ll probably have the division locked up by the time Sunday night’s game arrives.
Cole Hamels has been outstanding this season but his last few starts after a brief DL stint show a few concerning trends. A key to Hamels’ success in 2011 had been curbing his always-high homer rate but he’s allowed five long balls over his last three starts.
Hamels has a 3.00 lifetime ERA versus St. Louis. Switch-hitting Lance Berkman gives him the most trouble, batting .333 over 18 career at-bats. Despite his homer problems, it’s interesting that Hamels has only allowed two taters to current Cardinal regulars: one to Albert Pujols and one to Ryan Theriot.
[dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The pick:
I expect Pujols to play a major role on Sunday night. Even though he’s just a .150 hitter versus Hamels in his career, that stat is due to change based on each player’s recent trends. Pujols is batting .388 with 13 RBI in 13 games this month whereas Hamels is slumping. A power righty bat like Albert’s in theory should be a threat to Hamels’ gopher-ball ways.
Also considering that the Phillies may not keep Hamels in the game long with the division already clinched, and may throw some long relievers to the wolves, I believe the Cards can pull the road upset.
Sunday Night Baseball prediction: Cardinals 5, Phillies 3
Not that Ralph Wilson is hard to top, but there isn’t a more popular sports owner in Buffalo than Terry Pegula right now. From the moment he bought the Sabres in February 2011, he vowed that the culture would change and that the team would start spending. He delivered on his promise as Buffalo made some serious offseason moves. Where do the suped-up Sabres fit into the Eastern Conference playoff picture?
BUFFALO SABRES
Stanley Cup odds: +1600
The 2011-12 Sabres look on paper like an exaggerated, slightly better version of last year’s team. They improved in the offseason but did so in areas where they already had depth and strength.
Buffalo is built from the back-end out. Ryan Miller regressed in 2010-11 following his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign the year. He’s started 68 and 65 games over the last few seasons; now that Buffalo has a reasonable backup goalie in Jhonas Enroth, it may shrink Miller’s number to 60 in hopes of resting him for the playoffs.
In front of Miller will be one of the league’s most improved, versatile defense corps. Tyler Myers was inconsistent in his sophomore year but the big fella’s strong second half suggests he’ll be a force in year three. He has a great shutdown guy to learn from this season in Robyn Regehr, whom Buffalo acquired from Calgary this offseason. The Sabres will get some offense from Jordan Leopold, another former Flame who enjoyed a career revival last year, plus Christian Ehrhoff. The Ehrhoff signing signalled a changing of the guard: Pegula opened his wallet to land a coveted free agent and wasn’t done after nabbing Ehrhoff.
Buffalo also added free agent Ville Leino. He’s a talented, creative, two way player with good speed and hands who joins many other talented, creative, two-way players with good speed and hands. The Sabres get more of what they already had with Leino but he should be a solid addition nonetheless.
The Sabres have a young, fleet-footed group of forwards with breakout potential. They know what they have with reliable scorers like Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. But tiny Tyler Ennis could take his game to the next level after tallying 49 points as a rookie.
And what about Drew Stafford? Hyped as the power forward Buffalo was waiting for, he disappointed for his first few pro seasons. Then, last season, it all clicked for Stafford. The former first-rounder went off for 31 goals in 62 games, scoring at better than a 40-goal pace. He’ll be a major weapon, especially on the power play, if he can duplicate his performance.
Buffalo’s star power comes from the back, with Miller and Myers emerging as franchise pillars. The rest of its roster is laden with depth and second-tier talent — a lot of it. Buffalo looks like a safe bet to make the playoffs and this young, exciting group has the upside to do a lot more than that. The Sabres are a legit Stanley Cup sleeper.
Prediction:2n, Northeast Division
Toronto Maple Leaf fans have had their faith tested like never before throughout the decade. They last played a playoff game in 2004. The seven-year drought is the longest in franchise history and will extend to at least eight years this spring.
However, the Buds showed promise last season for the first time in the Brian Burke era, going 18-7-6 over their final 31 games. Will they finally put the golf clubs away and play some meaningful April hockey this season?
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Stanley Cup odds: +4500
To assess whether or not the Leafs can take the next step and return to the playoff season, let’s start at examining what clicked in the second half last season and whether or not it’s repeatable.
The single biggest influence on Toronto’s success in 2010-11 was rookie goaltender James Reimer. Optimus Reim looked like a seasoned vet from the moment he took the ice, going 20-10-5 with a 2.60 goals against average and .921 save percentage.
The most important question for the Leafs this season is whether or not Reimer was a fluke. I’m a believer. The key to his success wasn’t scrambling or athleticism. It was maturity, technique and lateral movement. He never overplayed the puck. His calmness reminded me of a young Ed Belfour. I believe his skills are quite sustainable.
It helps that the defense in front of Reimer is an ever-improving group. For all the flak Dion Phaneuf has taken, he was very much the Phaneuf of old in the second half last season, pasting opponents with thunderous hits and taking smarter shots. He’s still only 26 years old and just entering his prime.
Joining him is Luke Schenn, a captain-in-training who showed remarkably improved puck skills and shutdown ability last season. Smooth-skating Carl Gunnarsson returns after a so-so sophomore campaign and Mike Komisarek is still looking for his first good year with the team. Toronto made two key new defensive additions; John-Michael Liles will take over the power-play quarterback vacancy left by Tomas Kaberle and Cody Franson, acquired from Nashville, gives the Leafs another young, underrated guy with top-four ability.
For Toronto to make a playoff push, its scoring must improve. Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Nik Kulemin were a fantastic line last season – by second -line standards. The Leafs need a true first line. Phil Kessel absolutely has the talent to be a front-line scorer; hell be 24 in October and already has three 30-goal seasons in the NHL. For him to break through and hit the 40-goal mark, key offseason signing Tim Connolly has to stay healthy.
Connolly likely won’t stay healthy but, when he does, expect Kessel’s production to spike. Talent isn’t the problem for Connolly; he has great hands and vision. He should help the power play.
The rest of Toronto’s forward corps has plenty of speed and checking ability but lacks true scoring touch. If Joffrey Lupul can build on his resurgent 2010-11 campaign and prospect Nazem Kadri can stick with the big club, the team’s offensive skill level will rise. Otherwise, Toronto will again cross its fingers hoping for overachieving efforts from ordinary talents like MacArthur, Colby Armstrong and Mike Brown.
To me, Toronto is a poor man’s Buffalo. It has an excellent blueline, (probably) good goaltending and lacks elite scoring prowess up front. This season, however, I believe the Leafs’ continued defensive improvement will be just enough to squeak them in as the No. 8 seed.
2011-12 will be the most fun Leafs fans have had in a while. Also, watch for Nik Kulemin as a darkhorse Selke Trophy candidate. He scored 30 goals last season but is also among the league’s most underrated defensive forwards.
Prediction:3rd, Northeast Division
The Montreal Canadiens are the Eastern Conference’s answer to the Nashville Predators. Every year, most pundits expect them to flop; the general perception is that the Habs just don’t have that much talent. However, every year, Montreal finds a way to defy the odds and win. Will 2011-12 be Montreal’s umpteenth Cinderella season or will the bottom finally fall out?
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Stanley Cup odds: +2000
The Habs were among the least active teams in free agency and the few moves they made were widely questioned. Past his prime, injury-prone Erik Cole will give Montreal some badly needed size up front – but for how many games? The Canadiens grossly overpaid for such a high-risk, medium-reward player.
The reward for defenseman Andrei Markov is higher but Montreal paid top dollar to re-sign a guy who has played 52 of a possible 164 games over the past two seasons. Can he still be an elite player at age 33?
The rest of Montreal’s roster to me is Carey Price, P.K. Subban and the other guys. Price became an elite goaltender last season and should stay that way. Subban is a special talent on defense, an intimidator, a hard hitter and shooter, and a real game-changer. He’s just getting started, too.
But where’s the upside on the rest of Montreal’s roster? Mike Cammalleri is in his prime and should chip in 30 or so goals but he’s injury-prone. Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec are second-tier scorers on the wrong side of 30 years old. Max Pacioretty emerged as a scoring threat last season but his ceiling is low. If Andrei Kostitsyn was going to become an elite NHL goal scorer, it would’ve happened by now.
Josh Gorges, Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek and Yannick Weber join Markov and Subban to form a pretty decent defense. The Habs should again be among the league’s stingier teams.
It’s amazing how similar the top four squads in the Northeast are in their approaches (not their skill levels). Boston, Buffalo, Toronto and Montreal all look like they’ll rely on defense and goaltending more than scoring to succeed this season.
The problem for Montreal is that its model for success looks like the least sustainable of those four teams. Too many of its most important forwards and defenseman are old and/or injury prone. Markov is a major re-injury risk because his injuries were so severe. Cammalleri is a good bet to miss time again because he’s small and brittle.
Montreal still has enough defensive ability and veteran savvy to be a competitive team this season – but I believe they’ll be a bubble team that eventually finishes on the outside looking in. Fans of the Leafs/Habs rivalry could be thrilled this season, as I see the No. 8 seed in the East coming down to an epic battle between the Leafs and Habs. This time, I think the younger, higher-upside Leafs will finally get the better of their old foes.
Look for 2011-12 to signal the start of what could be a long, painful rebuild for Montreal Canadiens, whose prospect cupboard is pretty bare.
Prediction:4th, Northeast Division
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Venue: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, CA
Broadcast: FOX
Detroit Tigers at Oakland Athletics Betting Lines from Bodog.com
Money Line: OFF
Over/Under: OFF
Detroit Tigers (87-63 through September 15)
Rick Porcello (14-8, 4.83)
The Detroit Tigers have officially graduated from World Series sleeper to World Series contender. A 12-game winning streak will do that. The American League Central is theirs; a 13.5-game lead through Thursday means that the best any team can do is tie them.
But the dominant second half doesn’t necessarily mean Detroit has nothing to fix heading into the playoffs. For one, the Tigers could breathe a lot easier if they got some solid starting pitching from someone other than Justin Verlander and Doug Fister.
Saturday starter Rick Porcello continues to tease with his talent. Still just 22 years old, he’s shown great control this year, walking 40 batters in 162 innings. But Porcello has also been hittable, allowing a .291 opponents’ average.
Porcello is 6-2 in 11 starts since the All-Star break – but with a 4.91 ERA. His success is more the product of run support than anything else. If he wants to help Detroit in the playoffs, he has to curb his homer rate in particular.
Oakland Athletics (68-82 through September 15)
Gio Gonzalez (13-12, 3.41)
The Oakland A’s are just playing out the string, guaranteed another sub-.500 finish after they were hyped as an AL Wildcard sleeper entering the 2011 season.
One of their few bright spots has been Gio Gonzalez, who starts Saturday. However, even he has been a source of stress lately. The All-Star’s overall numbers are strong, fitting the profile of a power pitcher with a high strikeout and walk rate, but he’s struggled mightily in the second half. He had a 2.47 ERA at the break and he sits at 5.00 since.
The pick:
Not only is Gonzalez regularly getting lit up lately, he’s never succeeded against the Tigers, going 0-3 with a 6.87 ERA in four starts against them. In those outings, he’s lasted a combined 18.1 innings and allowed six homers.
A struggling pitcher versus a hot offense that has historically demolished him? Seems like an easy choice to me. Porcello ain’t perfect but the Athletics’ popgun attack isn’t built to hurt him.
Tigers vs Athletics prediction: Tigers 6, Athletics 2
There’s a new sheriff in town atop the MLB power rankings and his name is Justin Verlander.
(Previous rankings in brackets)
1. (3) Detroit Tigers (87-63): Justin Verlander will go for win No. 24 this weekend. Perhaps most impressive is his 13-2 road mark. With him leading the way, not to mention the offensive depth led by Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, you could make a case that Detroit is now the American League Pennant frontrunner.
2. (1) Philadelphia Phillies (97-51): Is there a chance that clinching so early will make the Phillies go soft come playoff time? Nah. I just remembered that Roy Halladay pitches for them. No way Doc lets his teammates rest on their laurels.
3. (2) New York Yankees (90-58): They still have as strong a chance as any team to win it all because their bats are the equivalent of the Phillies’ arms. When will the Curtis Granderson show stop?
4. (11) Tampa Bay Rays (83-66): They continue to make the Boston Red Sox sweat bullets. The Rays have officially clawed their way back into the stretch run. Special props are due for rookie starter Jeremy Hellickson and his nerves of steel.
5. (7) Texas Rangers (86-64): The Rangers keep winning but their rotation looks far less stable than it was entering the 2010 playoffs. What was a strength could be a liability this time.
6. (4) Arizona Diamondbacks (87-63): If Ian Kennedy wins his next start, he may unofficially become the most under-the-radar 20-game winner in major-league history.
7. (8) St. Louis Cardinals (81-68): Crucial series wins over the Brewers and Braves have vaulted them back into the playoff run. But can this team stay healthy long enough to make any noise come October? I doubt it.
8. (9) Los Angeles Angels (82-67): Their season ends with a three-game set at home to Texas. If Jered Weaver and Dan Haren start during that series, are the Halos the favorite to win the AL West?
9. (5) Milwaukee Brewers (87-63): The Brewers still look like the Phillies’ toughest NL challenger but their recent stumbles have let St. Louis off the mat. The Brewers also aren’t guaranteed home field in the NLDS anymore, which is a major concern given their 52-23 home record.
10. (12) San Francisco Giants (80-70): The five-game winning streak is nice but it’s probably too late. Arizona only needs to play .500 ball to guarantee itself the NL West crown.
11. (10) Atlanta Braves (86-64): They’re no longer a postseason lock, especially with Tommy Hanson still out with an injured shoulder. Even if they reach the big dance without him, can they win a series without him?
12. (6) Boston Red Sox (86-63): Who knew they’d ever fall this far? The truth is that Boston looks like the weakest AL contender at the moment. The pitching staff is too banged up.
13. (16) Toronto Blue Jays (75-74): Note the massive dropoff between the 12th and 13th-ranked teams in the rankings. Only 12 teams in baseball remain in hunt for eight playoff berths. The Jays keep doing their thing, hovering around .500 and giving their fans hope for a better 2012.
14. (22) Cincinnati Reds (74-76): There’s still enough offensive talent on this team that the Reds could contend next season if they bolster their pitching.
15. (26) Washington Nationals (71-79): Five straight wins for the Nats. They’re babying Stephen Strasburg upon his return and with good reason. With him and Jordan Zimmermann as a one-two pitching punch next season, could Washington post a winning record?
16. (20) Kansas City Royals (65-86): The Royals have a five-game winning streak of their own. But should would we put much stock in a team that only seems to play well when the games don’t matter anymore?
17. (21) Pittsburgh Pirates (68-82): It will be interesting to see if next year’s Pirates build on their strong first half or continue with their ugly second-half play from this season.
18. (18) Oakland Athletics (68-82): Josh Willingham’s 26 homers and 91 RBI are respectable given his team and park. Couldn’t a team like Atlanta have used his pop in a trade-deadline deal?
19. (28) Seattle Mariners (62-87): You can’t see it in the standings but the Mariners’ commitment to playing their youngsters could pay dividends next season.
20. (27) Baltimore Orioles (60-88): They’ve quietly been a thorny opponent for most AL teams over the last month. To have any hope for 2012, though, their pitching must improve. Among qualifiers, Jeremy Guthrie leads the team with a 4.22 ERA.
21. (17) Cleveland Indians (72-75)
22. (13) Los Angeles Dodgers (73-76)
23. (23) Colorado Rockies (70-79)
24. (25) Houston Astro (51-98)
25. (15) Chicago White Sox (73-76)
26. (19) Chicago Cubs (65-85)
27. (14) New York Mets (71-79)
28. (24) Florida Marlins (67-83)
29. (30) San Diego Padres (63-87)
30. (29) Minnesota Twins (59-89)
Has there been a luckier sports city on Earth than Boston, Massachusetts over the last decade? World Series titles for the Red Sox in 2004 and 2007. Super Bowls for the Patriots in 2001, 2003 and 2004. An NBA Championship for Boston in 2008. The Bruins were supposed to be the tagalong kid brother but they joined the party with a Stanley Cup victory in 2011.
The Tennessee Titans couldn’t squeak by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. If they had that much trouble with Jacksonville, do they have a prayer against a Baltimore Ravens team that tossed Pittsburgh aside like it was nothing last week?
Week 1 produced a win for N.C. State’s first game in the post-Russell Wilson era but the win over the FCS’ Liberty showcased some red flags. It turns out the concerns were legit. In a game they were favored to win, the Wolfpack fell to Wake Forest last week. Life gets easier again when N.C. State hosts South Alabama this Saturday.
