Cappers Sports Picks - The Experts

Chargers/Texans 8:00: Right now, defenses are significantly ahead of their offenses. Chargers' DC O'Leary, in his first year under Harbaugh, has his men playing at a high level, including the glut of corners on the roster. Texans, on the other hand, remain a physical, stingy unit. Chargers' new offensive coordinator - McDaniel - needs much more time to groom his offense with his complicated motion and new jargon. Projected 36 total. We'll stay "under". 

Steelers/Panthers 7:00:   

Dolphins/Bears 1:00: Early indication on the scrimmage between these teams gives the edge to the Bears' defense, which dominated. And Hill (oblique) will not play while Tua, who struggled (3 INTs) vs the Bears' defense, will see limited, if at all, action. On the other hand, Ben Johnson indicated that he won't play his starters; consequently, 18 Bears' players, including Caleb Williams and other key starters won't see action. Williams is in the early stages of development with the Ben Johnson offense, leaving reserve Tyson Bagent at the controls Sunday. Dolphins' thinning defense far from polished but limited the Bears in big plays during the scrimmage. Despite the lack of defensive starters for Miami, we'll look for them to limit a Bears' offense loaded that's loaded with reserves. "Under" the call. 

Patriots/Commanders 8:00: Both defenses will most likely be respectable under defensive minded coaches Mayo and Quinn. However, as the game progresses, young defensive players filter the field. Secondary issues always play a part in breakdowns in the final week. We'll look for that to materialize on both teams. "Over" the call. 

SF/LV 10:00: SF switched game plans late by electing to play starters; consequently, the line flipped substantially from Raiders at -2' to +9. How long Shanahan plays his starters is not known; however, with this being final game of the pre-season and the season starting in less than two weeks, good chance, we'll see them for only an extended quarter at best; some skill personnel less than that. And SF skill personnel not that deep to begin with as the Aiyuk deal is still in negotiation. Raiders' defense is the strength of the team and depth is decent. Their offense is the problem. Points have been limited in pre-season with Minshew (starter) and O'Connell battling it out at the helm. Bradley and interception king Peterman should struggle mightily against a well-structured defense of SF. We'll stay "under".

Bears/Chiefs 8:20: Overreaction by sportsbooks dropping this total down to 32. Remember, KC backups Oladokun and Book are well schooled and completed roughly 76% of their passes, albeit Book checked down quite a bit for just 5 YPC. Chiefs' HC Reid always a stickler for developing second and third tier players. They should be able to get in the end zone late vs a Bears' defense that is top heavy with starters but light on the back end. On the other hand, Bears' Eberflus continues to be impressive in pre-season at 7-2 SU. Bears have now outscored teams 71-26 this pre-season. Realize that Caleb Williams won't play but Baget and Rypien connecting on healthy 73.7% and 71.4% completions, respectively. We're going "over". 

Chargers/Seahawks 7:05: Again, we're playing the percentages on the "under" here. In Week 1, offenses are struggling and that's holding true this week. And both head coaches are sticklers for strong defensive play. Total adjusted down but we're not flinching. "Under' the call. 

Commanders/Jets Noon: Two teams set defensively. Commanders should be much improved on that side of the ball under the new regime. Meanwhile, Jets still need to develop a rhythmic offense. And one or two drives with Rodgers won't be enough to send this one over the low set 'total'. "Under" the call. 

Baltimore/Washington 8:00: Defenses a bit ahead of the offenses for these teams. Washington is coming off a 17-15 win over Cleveland. Jack Del Rio, in his 4th season as Washington's DC, has some quality young talent to work with late. On the offensive side, Commanders have established Sam Howell as their starter and he most likely will sit. Jacoby Brissett is a solid veteran backup that can set up scoring drives but it will be difficult to deliver explosive plays on the Ravens' defense under Mike MacDonald. And why QB Jake Fromm is still in the league is one of life's mysteries. On the other hand, Ravens' OC Monken, in his first year engineering the offense, will go with veteran journeyman Josh Johnson and second-year man - Anthony Brown. Johnson nor versatile Brown will have the explosive unit of receivers/back: Flowers, Beckam, Andrews, Dobbins - at their disposal. Don't see a lot of scoring here. "Under" the call. 

Texans/Patriots 7:00: Two teams with great defensive minds leading the charge on the sidelines. Belichick is equipped with some solid young talent through the draft while Houston's Demarco Ryans is set with an already great secondary and some extraordinary edge rushers in #1 draft choice Will Anderson Jr. and a steal at #4 in Dylan Horton from TCU add to a respectable line. Can't see a lot of points here as both teams break in new offensive systems with new OCs. We'll stay "under". 

Patriots/Raiders 8:15: Patriots' offense stuck in neutral without McDaniels on their sideline calling the shots. On the other hand, Belichick knows his former OC and what he runs like the back of his hand, And the Patriots' defensive front getting it done - winning battles on the line-of-scrimmage. We'll look for a slugfest here in a low scoring game with limited, if any, explosive plays. 

Vikings/Raiders 4:25: Two offensive minded head coaches in O'Connell and McDaniels seem to have their offenses a bit further along than their defenses. Minnesota will use more 11 personnel (one RB, one TE, 4 receivers) under O'Connell. Raiders' defense under new DC Graham is more complex than it was under Gus Bradley. There are multiple different packages to install and the Raiders currently are a bit banged up on that side of the ball early. Sure, Cousins (Covid 19) won't play, but Kellen Mond and veteran Sean Mannion have multiple skill weapons at their disposal. As for the Vikings, they too have a new defensive philosophy with a bunch of talented but young secondary personnel. These guys only been together for 3 weeks and there could easily be confusion. This series is 3-0-2 O/U. We'll give the offenses the green light here and see this one go "over". 

Giants/Browns 1:00: Browns looked good in Week 1 with a solid win over Jacksonville. Case Keenum did a solid job in directing the offense for most of the game. Mayfield should get some reps. But Giants' defense appears to be upgraded from last season. A week ago, they were solid vs the Jets. Draft choice Ojulari definitely making life easier on DC Graham. And the Giants secondary working well. On the other hand, Browns' defense solid. Looked good last week and should follow up strong vs a Giants' offense that is struggling to evolve. QB Jones should get some reps and will most likely have Slayton, Shepard and TE Engram at his disposal. But vertical threat and one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL -Golladay will not play. NYG 0-7 O/U their last 7 as a dog. Browns 0-5 O/U in Week 2 of Pre-Season. "Under" the call.

Analysis to follow...

Bills/Lions 7:00: Bills 1-5 O/U in Week 1 of Pre-Season. And with a new coaching staff, limited skill talent and lots of injuries, I don't see them putting up points on a determined Bills' defense which is well aware that they took a step backwards last year. Fortunately, Detroit won't see much of the explosive Bills' starting offensive personnel. "Under" the call. 

Cardinals/Cowboys 8:00: A game devoid of offensive star power with top playmakers on both teams sitting. Under the call. 

Bengals/Bills 4:00: Bengals' still trying to rev up their new offense; however, Dalton and company are having trouble grasping it. Bills defense pretty solid and should continue to stall out Cincinnati. On the other hand, we'll look for the Bengals' defense of Week 1 to show up instead of the poor tackling bunch of last week. Bengals are 6-13 O/U as a traveler and we'll stay "under" here.