by Bob Gaughan, Buffalo Sports Page
2020 record 9-0-1
2019 Record 62-41-2
2018 Record 72-50-3
Mr. Over/Under: Arizona -5.5 over Detroit
Minnesota, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Houston were all expected to be pretty good teams this year and possibly make the playoffs. They’re all 0-2. The Raiders, formerly of Oakland, have scored 34 points in each of their first two games. Are they really that good? New England’s defense may bring them down to earth. So what have we learned after two weeks in the NFL? Not much. Denver has yet to win but has covered the odds in both games. The Jets have yet to win and yet to cover. It’s too early to find trends. However one team is beginning to take off where they left off last year and that’s the Arizona Cardinals. Their offense keeps getting better. I like Arizona -5 1/2
Man in Stripes: Atlanta -3 over Chicago
Sometimes early in the season records can be deceiving. First we have the 2-0 Bears that got an early Christmas gift by the Lions and then win a tight one over the injured Giants. The Falcons played a tough opener against Seattle and then somehow lost a brutal one to the Cowboys. The Falcons dominated the Cowboys game and would have won if the kick-off team would have recovered an onside kick. I am not a fan of Mitchell Trubisky and sorry, not a lot of weapons for him to throw to. The Falcons are playing for their season and their coach’s job. Khalil Mack is questionable. I will take Matty Ice over Trubisky and I’m only giving a field goal. They take their frustration out on the Bears.
Mono: Houston +4 over Pittsburgh
This is a tale of two teams in opposite spots record wise. Pittsburgh is 2-0 while the Texans are 0-2. Although the Steelers are 2-0 I’ve not been impressed with them. They beat a bad Giants team and then the Broncos lost their starting QB and WR. The Broncos managed to outscore the Steelers 18-9 in the second half. The Texans are 0-2 as a result of playing the Chiefs and the Ravens. I don’t see them starting 0-3. Watson should be able to find holes in the Steelers secondary. The Texans take advantage of playing a over confident Steelers team that has played weak competition.
Brutal: Arizona -5.5 over Detroit (Double Down)
The Cardinals are so much better than people give them credit for. Stay with the hot team. This should be a touchdown or more. Cardinals are not getting enough respect. Detroit hasn’t looked good at all. After a strong first quarter the Lions fell apart last week in Green Bay. The Cardinals dominated the Washington football team last week. The game was never in doubt. Murray to Hopkins is already the best duo in the league.
Bob Gaughan: Ravens -3.5 over the Chiefs
Baltimore is the best team in the NFL right now. That doesn’t mean they will be the best team come February, but today they are dominate. The Chiefs on the other hand looked weak to me last week against the Chargers. They barely beat a team that had a rookie QB starting with about 30 minutes of notice. The Chargers dominated the Chiefs on the lines. I can see Baltimore doing the same this week. I just don’t see any weaknesses from this Ravens team at this point. Mahomes has never lost a game by two scores. I think it will happen this week on Monday Night Football.
For more picks and analysis, check out Bob’s Bets video segment on Buffalo Sports Page.
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