Rex has bill to pay with Jets in town
NFL PICKS: Buffalo’s Ryan beat his former New York team twice last year and knocked them out of playoffs
So you think this is easy? Here’s what Pro Picks was up against on opening weekend: Road teams going 9-7, nine teams trailing in the fourth quarter before winning.
We’ll take our 13-3 straight up, not publicize barely breaking .500 against the spread and look to Thursday night’s Jets vs. Rex, Part 3.
Rex Ryan’s current club, the Buffalo Bills, swept his former team, the Jets, in 2015, including keeping New York from making the playoffs with a victory in the season finale.
“I think when you put everything you had into a place and then you leave it, it was more emotional,” Ryan said of being fired after the 2014 season, then landing immediately in western New York.
“But now it’s been a year away and I’m firmly, well, firmly, maybe some people don’t think I’m firmly situated here. But I feel that I’m firmly grounded here and this is my new team and my new home in Buffalo. All the other stuff I think is not in play as much as it probably was last year.”
While Buffalo’s offence was invisible in a 13-7 defeat at Baltimore, New York fell 23-22 to Cincinnati in part because its always-reliable placekicker Nick Folk missed a field goal and, for the first time in his nine-plus NFL seasons, an extra point.
The Jets are three-point underdogs at Buffalo.
That’s the value of a Folk field goal. He’ll actually make more than one — and all his extra points.
JETS, 20-10 KNOCKOUT LEAGUE TIP
We’re not very prescient when it comes to these picks, as our choice of the Chiefs last week showed. But they survived in overtime, which leads us to selecting Carolina this week. Atlanta (plus 4½) at Oakland Jack Del Rio won’t need to go for the two-point conversion to win at the end of this one. BEST BET: RAIDERS, 30-21 Kansas City (plus 2) at Houston K.C. nearly burned us in knockout pool last week. We didn’t learn. UPSET SPECIAL: CHIEFS, 24-23 Indianapolis (plus 6) at Denver Tempting to make this the best bet. BRONCOS, 22-13
Green Bay (minus 2½) at Minnesota
New stadium, but Vikings need some old-fashioned Adrian Peterson, who wasn’t there versus Titans.
PACKERS, 27-23 San Francisco (plus 13) at Carolina
A huge spread, but Niners come off Monday nighter for cross-country journey.
PANTHERS, 30-12 Miami (plus 6½) at New England Dolphins will test the Patriots. PATRIOTS, 17-14 Seattle (minus 3½) at Los Angeles
If the Rams play in their return to L.A. like they did at the 49ers, SoCal might boot them back to St. Louis.
SEAHAWKS, 19-13 Dallas (plus 3) at Washington
If Washington plays in its second home game like it did versus Pittsburgh ...
REDSKINS, 17-16 Tampa Bay (plus 6½) at Arizona
After winning at Atlanta, the Bucs could make a real statement here. Nope.
CARDINALS, 30-23 Cincinnati (plus 3½) at Pittsburgh short-handed.Both teams are Both 1-0 have despite plenty being left.
STEELERS, 24-23 Philadelphia (plus 3) at Chicago, Monday night
These aren’t the Browns that Philly is facing.
BEARS, 16-14 New Orleans (plus 5) at New York Giants
Drew Brees will pile up more yards, TDs, points — and another loss.
GIANTS, 33-30 Tennessee (plus 6) at Detroit
Titans showed little at home against Minnesota. Lions showed plenty at Indy.
LIONS, 31-17 Baltimore (minus 6½) at Cleveland
Ravens used to call Cleveland home. It will feel comfy Sunday.
RAVENS, 18-6 Jacksonville (plus 3) at San Diego Each team performed decently in opening defeat. CHARGERS, 28-26 2016 RECORD: Against spread: (8-7-1). Straight up: (13-3) Best Bet: 0-1 against spread, 1-0 straight up. Upset special: 1-0 against spread, 1-0 straight up.
“I feel that I’m firmly grounded here ... in Buffalo. All the other stuff I think is not in play as much as it probably was last year.” — Rex Ryan