Plenty of reasons to pick New England
The NFL is back, and so are weekly predictions
New England wasn’t the only entity with a strong performance in the post-season last winter. Pro Picks did well enough to finish four games over break-even against the spread for the season.
As this season starts in Foxborough Thursday, question marks surface everywhere. There’s Ezekiel Elliott’s availability, short term and beyond, though he will play Sunday. There’s the malaise that often plagues Super Bowllosing teams that the Falcons must fight.
How much does Adrian Peterson have to offer the Saints? Can Tom Coughlin, from the front office rather than the sideline, make much difference in Jacksonville? And what in the name of Weeb Ewbank are the Jets doing?
More certainty comes out of Massachusetts, where some folks are expecting the Patriots to challenge the team’s 2007 edition that swept through the regular season and AFC playoffs before losing in the Super Bowl to the Giants.
The Patriots are eight-point favourites. But look for Kansas City to get better as the schedule progresses — if they stay healthy. Patriots, 28-17
Arizona (minus 1.5) at Detroit
We must be missing something here because we think the Lions should be favoured. Best Bet and Upset Special: Lions, 26-21 Atlanta (minus 7) at Chicago
No matter how much of a Super Bowl hangover the Falcons have, they should handle the Bears. Falcons, 30-14
Seattle (plus 3) at Green Bay Look for these two to meet up
again in January. Seahawks, 24-23
Jacksonville (plus 5.5) at Houston Houston strong. Texans, 20-10
Oakland (plus 2) at Tennessee We like both teams to make the post-season. Raiders, 27-24
New York Giants (plus 3.5) at Dallas Zeke will play, OBJ might not. We still like the Giants. Giants, 28-27
New Orleans (plus 3.5) at Minnesota, Monday
Welcome back, Adrian. Now run wild. Saints, 23-21
Philadelphia (pick-em) at Washington
Eagles could be the surprise team this season, though they appear to be a year away from contention. Eagles, 23-20
Baltimore (plus 3) at Cincinnati Few teams were damaged in preseason
like the Ravens. Bengals, 21-20
Pittsburgh (minus 9) at Cleveland The Browns are better than in 2016. So are the Steelers. Steelers, 26-20
Indianapolis (plus 3) at L.A. Rams The Colts are plain out of Luck. Rams, 14-13
Carolina (minus 5.5) at San Francisco
The Panthers have a lot to prove, can’t stumble here.
Panthers, 27-24 L.A. Chargers (plus 3.5) at Denver, Monday
The Chargers have a better QB and RB. Beyond that, it’s a mismatch. Broncos, 20-13
New York Jets (plus 7.5) at Buffalo The Jets might just cover because the Bills have a weak offence aside from LeSean McCoy. Nah. Bills, 14-3