Vic's Picks - Week 2
Enjoy this post from World Champion and New York Giants legend Victor Cruz
New Orleans Saints +2.5
I know, I know. Last week I said I always have to go with the GOAT and he did me right, but unfortunately, I am leaning the other way this week. New Orleans has just had Tampa Bay and Brady’s number during the regular season.
The Saints have covered six straight games against the Bucs and I like them to make it seven. On top of that, Tom Brady has always struggled against the Saints. He’s just 3-6 ATS against them and he has 14 turnovers in just nine games. It’s very uncharacteristic of Brady, but it just seems like the Saints have his number. I am also a little concerned with how the banged up Bucs offensive line will fare against this Saints defense that is loaded, especially up front. The Bucs line struggled a bit on Sunday Night against Dallas, allowing 12 pressures. Per Pro Football Focus, Tampa’s offensive line graded out as the 3rd worst pass blocking unit in Week 1. I expect that trend to continue against a better defense this week. Cameron Jordan, David Onyemata, and Marcus Davenport will be in Brady’s face all day. The Saints D wasn’t itself in Week 1, but it woke up in the 4th quarter.
On the other side of the ball, this New Orleans Saints offense looked rejuvenated in the 4th quarter on Sunday. It took three quarters to get cooking, but Michael Thomas looked like himself again. Jarvis Landry balled out catching seven balls for 114 yards. And Jameis Winston looked great to close out on Sunday. In the 4th quarter last week, Winston was 13/16 for 213 yards and 2 TD. My hope is Jameis funnels that momentum into this week’s revenge game as he looks to improve to 3-0 against the team that drafted him No. 1 back in 2015.
Couple all these things with the Chris Godwin injury and it’s the Saints home opener, so you know the Saints faithful will be rocking the Superdome. I just think it’s a tough matchup for Tampa. I like New Orleans to keep it very close and potentially to even win.
Cincinnati Bengals -7.5
Why fix what’s not broken? I am going back to the well here and once again betting against the Dallas Cowboys. This one feels simple to me. No Dak Prescott should mean no problem for the Bengals. I think Dallas is in some real trouble here considering the fact they’re without their star QB and their offensive line looks weaker than past years. The Cincy defensive front should be able to get home against Cooper Rush.
Plus, I expect Joe Burrow and the Bengals to bounce back after a brutal Week 1 performance. He had a career-high five turnovers in Week 1. I expect my man Joe Cool to have a chip on his shoulder and bounce back in a big way in big D. In his career, Burrow has always performed well on the road as he is 10-4 against the spread with 23 TD and 9 INTs.
The alarms are sounding in Dallas and I am going to take advantage of it.
Green Bay Packers -10
This is another game I will not overthink. Simply put, this is the PERFECT bounce back spot for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I mean, their home opener against their rival, the Chicago Bears, on Sunday Night Football, nonetheless?! It doesn’t get better to bounce back in a big way than that. I fully expect Aaron and company to show the world Week 1 was a fluke like it was last season.
I know the Bears won in week 1, but I just think they will experience some hangover against a hungry Packers team. It’s also Aaron Rodgers vs. the Bears. How many times have we seen this movie before?! He OWNS the Bears. Just ask him. In his career against Chicago, Aaron Rodgers is 21-7 against the spread, 23-5 straight up, and he has a ridiculous 61 TDs and just 12 INTs.
Throw out week 1 here. This Packers team is way too talented to lay another dud, especially in their home opener on SNF. Green Bay by double-digits.
The beautiful thing about all these picks is that I am getting even odds on every single one of them. And you can too! All of these prices are available on Prophet Exchange. Sign up today to receive a 50% deposit match up to bonus of $250.
Must be 21+ and present in NJ. Terms and Conditions Apply for Deposit Match. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER