*NFL(1u): Cardinals/Titans OVER 53.5(-110)–Sunday Noon CT
I fully acknowledge that this is a square play, but I’m still going to jump on this Over. Put simply, I believe there is too much offensive talent for each of these defenses to deal with. The Titans were already really good on offense last season, and now that they’ve added a truly elite WR in Julio Jones to pair with all-pro RB Derrick Henry, the sky is really the limit for Tennessee. The Cardinals defense is set up well for the future at the LB position, but the additions of JJ Watt and Malcolm Butler aren’t going to pay off the dividends most people think. With that said, this Titans defense is totally untrustable and will likely be in the bottom-third of the league once again this year. Kliff Kingsbury has a dynamic QB to work with in Kyler Murray as well as a star WR in Deandre Hopkins, so paired with Kingsbury’s genius offensive mind, the Cardinals should have a great gameplan here in Week 1. I acknowledge this is square, but I think we’ll see even more of a shootout than this total implies.
*NFL(1u): Vikings/Bengals OVER 47(-110)–Sunday Noon CT
There are many questions surrounding Joe Burrow’s effectiveness coming off a torn ACL, but I tend to think he’s going to be just fine. The Bengals wouldn’t be putting their franchise QB at risk in Week 1 if he wasn’t ready to go. While there’s questions surrounding the weapons around Burrow, it helps that the Vikings are nothing more than a mediocre defense. Luckily for the Vikings, the Bengals defense will feature a ton of new faces and shouldn’t provide much of a threat to their uber-experienced offense. Kirk Cousins gets a lot of hate, but he is plenty capable of managing an NFL offense, especially considering the amount of talent he has around him. I expect the Vikings to come out strong in this one, forcing the Bengals to go on the offensive when they have the ball. If the Bengals keep it close from the start, I still trust the Vikings offense down the stretch. There are too many situations in which the Over hits at this number, so I will play the value.
*NFL(1u): Packers -3.5 “@” Saints–Sunday 3:25 PM CT
If you noticed, I put quotations around the “@ Saints” because this game will not be played in New Orleans. Rather, due to the hurricane that ravaged NOLA, the Saints will play this game in Jacksonville. Sure, Saints fans will likely travel pretty well, but they simply won’t enjoy the same home-field advantage that they would’ve in the Superdome. I’m all for second chances, but I have serious questions about Saints QB Jameis Winston entering this season. The talent has always been there, but INT’s have absolutely crippled the former #1 overall pick. The Packers defense isn’t great, but I would still consider them above average; they are more than capable of making a fool out of Winston on Sunday. While there was a ton of drama between Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this offseason, I don’t see that carrying over to the field. Plenty of guys have had bad relationships with management only to see it have no impact once the helmet gets strapped on. Rodgers has a great connection with Davante Adams, and there is enough around him to expect a good Week 1 performance. This line is begging you to take the 3-and-a-hook with New Orleans; I’m going to put my faith in one of the greatest QB’s off all time and take the Packers to win this game by a TD.
