Putting it on the Line
I emerged from the Week 1 crapshoot with an 8-8 record. You won’t hear me complaining. Of course, it took wins Sunday night (BRONCOS -1 over Steelers) and Monday night (RAVENS -6 over Bengals and Chargers –1½ over Raiders) to get my record to .500.
We know more about teams entering Week 2, but there are some difficult lines this week. In fact, I don’t have a strong feeling on the top pick. I considered several equitable options before choosing the Chargers (-6 over visiting Lions) instead of the Packers (-5 over the Bears) in Thursday night game.
I like the Colts, Dolphins and Rams as home underdogs, but I resisted temptation to put any of them, particularly the Dolphins and Rams, in my “other top picks.” The Ravens don’t have the dominating defense they’ve had in the past, but Michael Vick is a huge question mark.
As for the Eagles, I expect them to play a lot better than they did in their season-opening 17-16 win over the Browns. I’m not sure, however, that they’ll play well enough to beat the Ravens by 2½ points. I’d recommend staying away from the Birds.
The following are my Week 2 selections:
(Home team in CAPS)
(Winning team against the line in bold)
PACKERS -5 vs. Bears
PATRIOTS -13½ vs. Cardinals
COLTS +1½ vs. Vikings
Saints -2½ at PANTHERS
Chiefs +3 at BILLS
Ravens +2½ at EAGLES
Giants -7 vs. Bucs
DOLPHINS +2½ vs. Raiders
Browns +10 at BENGALS
Texans -7 at JAGUARS
Cowboys -3 at SEAHAWKS
RAMS +3 vs. Redskins
CHARGERS -6 vs. Titans
Jets +5 at STEELERS
49ERS -6½ vs. Lions
FALCONS -3 vs. Broncos
Best bet: CHARGERS -6 vs. Titans
Other top picks: PACKERS -5 vs. Bears; GIANTS -7 vs. Bucs; Texans -7 at Jaguars; 49ERS -6½ vs. Lions
LAST WEEK
Overall: 8-8
Best bet: 0-1
Other top picks: 2-2
