NFL PICKS: Philadelphia Eagles will ground Atlanta Falcons

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The lines are from Covers.com and the home teams are in CAPs.

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Buffalo +2.5 over MIAMI

The Dolphins just can’t seem to perform against any team that is above average. Tua Tagovailoa looked bad before he suffered that apparent concussion and, considering his history, who knows how long he will be out of action for. Miami’s season might’ve just gone off the rails.

DALLAS -6 over New Orleans

Both teams scored big wins in Week 1 against some weak-looking opponents, but we’re a lot more optimistic about the Cowboys. The Saints still have a bevy of foundational problems with their roster while the Cowboys seem to keep building strong rosters – for the regular season, at least.

BALTIMORE -8.5 over Las Vegas

The Ravens have had to time to mull over that loss in the opener, falling short by a toe against the champs. The Raiders didn’t show very well against the Chargers in what amounted to a home game. They won’t be welcome at all in Baltimore and have an early start for their liking.

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New York Giants +1.5 over WASHINGTON

There’s not much to like about Daniel Jones or the New York Giants in general these days, but there’s one thing that we do like: Jones is 5-1-1 in his career against Washington. Of course, he hasn’t faced Washington since Dec. 2022, but it looks like both of these teams are quite flawed.

L.A. Chargers -6 over CAROLINA

Oh man, did things look bad for the Panthers in Week 1. And not just lose-a-blowout-bad, like ‘maybe Bryce Young is irredeemable and getting bench in a few weeks’ bad. Carolina also lost its best defensive lineman Derrick Brown, which doesn’t bode well against a team intent on running the ball, like the Chargers.

Indianapolis -3 over GREEN BAY

The Packers will have their work cut out for them with Malik Willis starting at QB until Jordan Love recovers from his knee injury. The Colts showed some real potential against the Texans and will look to carry it over against a weakened host.

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San Francisco -5.5 over MINNESOTA

The 49ers actually lost this matchup last year in the midst of a mid-season skid. But this time around they’ll get some vengeance, even without Christian McCaffrey. Considering the Niners are very familiar with Sam Darnold, they might just be able to pick him apart.

JACKSONVILLE -3 over Cleveland

Deshaun Watson plays like he spends more time practicing fending off sexual assault allegations than he does at football practice. He became the first QB on record to have a game in which he attempted at least 10 passes more than 15 yards downfield and completed none. The Browns are worse on the road and will have a tough time dealing with the heat and humidity in Florida, too.

NEW ENGLAND +3.5 over Seattle

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All that hand-wringing over the Pats this entire off-season turned out to be a bit much. This could be an average team instead of league-worst. The Seahawks have a long flight and an early start, plus mediocre offensive lines don’t travel well, which is bad news.

New York Jets -3.5 over TENNESSEE

Expecting a lot out of Aaron Rodgers in what essentially was his Jets debut, on the road against the defending NFC champions was a bit much. Gang Green did show some flaws across the board, but should bounce back against a much-weaker Titans team.

DETROIT -7.5 over Tampa Bay

The Lions get another playoff rematch to open the season and, like last week, the line doesn’t totally make sense. The Lions were favoured at home over the Bucs by 6.5 points in January and this time around are giving just one more point despite Tampa being much worse off. The Bucs played well in that playoff game, but lost their offensive coordinator in the off-season and essentially lost their entire defensive backfield to injury last week. The Lions may have been a bit lucky to cover with the touchdown in OT against L.A., but should be able to score an easier win this time out.

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L.A. Rams +1.5 over ARIZONA

For getting as beat up physically as they did against Detroit, the Rams managed the game very well. The Cards had some highlights against the Bills, but ultimately couldn’t hang on. This could be the case again vs. their NFC West rival.

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KANSAS CITY -5.5 over Cincinnati

The Bengals have plenty of concerns after dropping the opener to the Patriots. While the offence missed several opportunities, it’s the defence that’s a big worry – especially against the run. The Chiefs looked solid beating Baltimore and have had extra rest to prepare for their rival.

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Pittsburgh -2.5 over DENVER

The Broncos should have a pretty decent home-field advantage this early in the season at Mile High, but Bo Nix is going to have his hands full trying to figure out this Steelers defence. With Pittsburgh’s offence seemingly operating on field goals, being up in altitude won’t hurt, either.

HOUSTON -6.5 over Chicago

Caleb Williams had a fairly rough debut and the Bears befitted from one of the worst QB mistakes we’ve ever seen by Will Levis. Houston didn’t get the cover in Week 1 but showed us what we needed to see in beating the Colts. The addition of Joe Mixon gives Houston a dangerous running game that makes the offence an even bigger threat.

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PHILADELPHIA -6.5 over Atlanta

The Eagles come in with a big rest advantage having played last Friday night, even if it was on that terrible turf in Brazil. Kirk Cousins very rusty and the offensive gameplan didn’t work either. When your team doesn’t run playaction at all, you’re at a massive disadvantage even worse, Pittsburgh was jumping the snap count and Cousins wasn’t able to play under centre, taking every snap out of shotgun or pistol formations. It gets even worse, too! The Falcons passed out of every shotgun snap and ran out of almost every pistol snap. Surely they’ll adapt, but the Eagles surely have this well-scouted. And, finally, Cousins is terrible in prime time, going 3-10 on Monday night football in his career and 13-23 in prime time.

Last week: 5-10-1

This season: 5-10-1

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