Get the edge on the Top 5 games of the week
Philadelphia Eagles (-192) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+156)
Did the Eagles’ offense finally come to life last week in the second half against the Rams? Or is it still limping along? They better hope it’s the former. They barely got by the Rams last weekend, needing a blocked field goal to avoid taking the L.
We like Baker’s ability to come back in any game late in the 4th, so Philly better hope to have the game out of reach by then. Mayfield has the league’s 2nd best fourth-quarter passer rating since last season, and he started the year off with win margins of 3, 1, and 2 points – all three games being come from behind wins.
With A.J. Brown finally getting some love thrown his way by Jalen Hurts, and Saquon still looking for his breakout game, this could be the game where the Eagles shake off their unimpressive start to the season. And end that tightrope act that Tampa Bay is walking at the same time.
Betting-wise, the Eagles-Bucs game could offer some solid first half props. Philly has started super slowly, including 33 total yards in last weekend’s first half.
Overall, you have to figure the Bucs have been playing it a little too close to the edge. If they’ve almost used up their nine lives already, the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles would be a good choice to be the team that hands them their first loss.
Baltimore Ravens (-152) @ Kansas City Chiefs (+124)
Weird stat from a normally rock-solid player: Derrick Henry has fumbled in the 4th quarter in both the Ravens’ losses this year, more of less costing them the game each time.
That’s equal to his 4th quarter fumbles in the past nine seasons. So we know that the Ravens are better than their 1-2 record shows. And we can expect Henry to come back with a vengeance in the Ravens-Chiefs game that could be a playoff preview.
Then again, the Ravens’ D isn’t doing them any favors. They gave up 41 and 38 in those two losses.
But the Chiefs aren’t the Bills or Lions. They’re limping on offense, averaging 20 points a game. And don’t put too much stock on the possible return of WR Xavier Worthy. Even if he’s active, he’s wearing extra gear to protect his shoulder.
The X factor could be between the ears of the Ravens’ QB. Lamar Jackson is 1-5 in his career facing Patrick Mahomes. If it’s close late, Jackson might have some old ghosts making noise at Arrowhead.
Cleveland Browns (+380) @ Detroit Lions (-550)
The Browns’ defense is surprising the league so far this year. They’ve given up just 10 and 16 in two of their games so far, including last weekend’s shocker over the Packers.
They’re going to need all hands on deck to handle the Lions though. Detroit is on a tear after a rough Week 1 outing. They put up 52 against the Bears and followed it by hanging 38 on the Ravens last week.
The X factor here could be Joe Flacco. How long can the 40-year-old QB keep his team in games? We think this is the weekend where he doesn’t. The Lions have a healthy Aidan Hutchinson tearing it up again, and they sacked the elusive Lamar Jackson 7 times last weekend.
If they can get to Lamar seven times, what are they going to do against Flacco? Check the props and load up on defensive ones for Detroit in the Browns-Lions game. And that -9.5-point spread looks like a relatively easy home cover by the Lions.
Los Angeles Chargers (-305) @ New York Giants (+235
Tough loss for the Chargers last weekend, losing RB Najee Harris to a season-ending injury. This comes after their O-line was exposed by the Broncos last weekend, putting QB Justin Herbert on his back 5 times and pressuring him 29 times.
On the plus side for LA in the Chargers-Giants game, the QB on the other side of the field will be playing his first-ever NFL game. Jaxson Dart showed some stones in the preseason and beat out Jameis Winston for the backup QB job, but now it’s for real.
He’ll have to lean on running back Cam Skattebo, another rook. Skattebo isn’t playing like one though. He’s got two TDs and close to 200 all-purpose yards on limited snaps so far this year, and with Tyrone Tracy now out, Skattebo will get much more action.
Enough to keep the 0-3 Giants close? Possibly. At least closer than the current -6.0 spread for the Chargers. LA is crossing the country to play an early game, which is 10am LA time. Skattebo’s angry runs might just be a rough wakeup call for the Chargers’ D.
Green Bay Packers (-345) @ Dallas Cowboys (+260)
ALL eyes will be on this game. Not for either team’s stellar record (neither has one so far), but for Micah Parsons suiting up against his former team.
Expect Parsons to go nuts chasing Dak Prescott down all game. And while they put extra focus on him, expect that to create other opportunities for his defensive teammates. All that adds up to finding some value in the defensive and points props for the Packers-Cowboys game. On the other side, it’s the Dallas defense that has the Cowboys at 1-2. The loss of Parsons is huge. Caleb Williams just threw for 4 TDs against the ‘Boys last weekend, and that followed a 450-yard outing by Russell Wilson against them.
The X factor this weekend is Jordan Love. He got rocked by the Browns last Sunday and still looks like he’s a week-to-week, hot or cold player. If there’s ever a team to play that will help him regain his groove though, it’s the Cowboys. Expect a bounce-back effort that piggybacks on the energy of what will be known as the Revenge of Parsons game.