NFL
Betting: Best NFL Plays Against The Spread For Week One
The
long wait is over and week one of the NFL regular season is finally
here, with a full 15-game slate scheduled for this weekend. The NFL
schedule offers some excellent value with a trio of road teams that
are being a bit undervalued, so it makes sense to make the plays on
visiting teams that would be much bigger favorites if they were
playing at home.
Notable
Play #1: Patriots (-9.5) @ Bills
The
Patriots dealt with as much or more adversity than any other NFL team
this past offseason, but the one constant that matters is that Tom
Brady is the quarterback and Bill Belichick is the head coach, which
means New England has a chance to go to the Super Bowl. The Patriots
lost a ton of weapons on offense, but no quarterback has done a
better job adjusting to new weapons from year to year over the last
decade than Brady, who has put up Pro Bowl-caliber numbers with Jabar
Gaffney and Reche Caldwell as his top two receivers before. Danny
Amendola, Aaron Dobson, Kenbrell Thompkins are an underrated trio of
receivers and rookie tight end Zach Sudfeld has really emerged as a
legitimate threat as the No. 2 behind Rob Gronkowski. The defensive
front-seven is very talented as well, and New England matches up well
against a Bills’ team that is missing the top two quarterbacks on
its depth chart in Kevin Kolb and rookie EJ Manuel. That leaves
undrafted rookie Jeff Tuel and journeyman veteran Matt Leinart to
compete for the No. 1 job week one, and neither will have much of a
chance to trade scores with Brady and an underrated offense that will
be looking to make a statement.
Notable
Play #2: Buccaneers (-3) @ Jets
Speaking
of injuries, the Jets signed Brady Quinn after he was cut from the
Seattle Seahawks earlier in the week and could end up needing him if
Mark Sanchez can’t play and rookie Geno Smith struggles. Smith is
clearly not ready to be an NFL starter, but has been thrust in to the
spotlight thanks to a shoulder injury that could keep Sanchez out in
week one. New York was already an underdog heading in to week one
against the Buccaneers even with Sanchez, and as bad as he was a year
ago this game could be even worse for the home fans if Sanchez
doesn’t start. Tampa Bay did an excellent job addressing its
deficiencies on defense by trading with New York to acquire
cornerback Darrelle Revis and signing Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson,
and they should have no problem opening with a statement road win
against a Jets’ team that has far too many holes.
Notable
Play #3: Seahawks (-3) @ Panthers
Seattle
is listed as the No. 1 team according to some NFL power rankings, so
opening on the road against a Carolina team that didn’t do much to
upgrade a roster that failed to make the playoffs a year ago
shouldn’t be an issue. The Seahawks have Super Bowl aspirations and
that will likely require a first-round bye and home field advantage
for the playoffs, so look for them to come out close to perfect in
week one, led by a stifling defense that will be all over Cam Newton
from the outset. Russell Wilson is poised to be even better in year
two as an NFL starter, and the Panthers’ defense is not good enough
to contain what the Seattle offense brings to the table.
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