Follow along with Philly Sports Network this season as I try to beat Las Vegas and the spread each Sunday, and hopefully, won't embarrass myself too much along the way.
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Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Football Team (+6)
In classic Eagles fashion, the team will be without key starters to open the season including Brandon Brooks and Andre Dillard. However, the Birds finally added some much-needed speed on the outside with Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and a healthy DeSean Jackson. Carson Wentz has proven how he raises his game to another level with legitimate deep threats on the outside. As an added bonus he won't have Nelson Agholor dropping the deep ball anymore too. The team is also 4-0 on opening day under Wentz winning by an average score of 10.75 points per game.
On the other side of the field, the newly named Washington Football Team added Chase Young to a now ferocious front seven. Rookie QB Dwayne Haskins also looked the part in the final two games of the season. But outside of the improved defence, the team will trot out a putrid offence once. This is a unit that finished dead last in passing yards and offensive touchdowns last season while not improving. It will have to be the Terry McLaurin show but with Darius Slay zeroed in on the rising star, they won't have much else to throw the Eagles way.
The Pick: Eagles -6
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (+2)
The big move of the summer for the Seahawks was adding All-Pro Jamal Adams to the secondary for a few first-round draft choices. Which is good news for Hawks fans as they usually burn those picks for guys going in the fourth round anyways. Now the team adds a bonafide star alongside Bobby Wagner on the defence. The team might have problems rushing the QB, but they still have Russel Wilson who won 11 games a season ago.
On the other hand, the Falcons are a trendy pick to have a big year, but lateral moves to the roster have me skeptical. A.J. Terrell for Desmond Trufant, and Hayden Hurst for Austin Hooper are a few examples. Although Todd Gurley II and Dante Fowler Jr. could be the difference makers for the Falcons this season. I'm not sure I trust the Falcons yet and it's hard to bet against Wilson and the Seahawks when they only have to win by three.
The Pick: Seahawks -3
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-7.5)
Lamar Jackson starts his MVP title defence and Super Bowl chase with a meeting vs. the Browns. Oddly enough the Browns split the season series despite the Ravens losing twice all year. The Ravens did improve by shoring up the linebacker position and gaining Calais Campbell on the defensive line. They also added J.K. Dobbins to split carries with Mark Ingram II making an already potent offence that more dangerous. Although the team did cut star safety Earl Thomas III, they probably still got better this offseason.
Meanwhile, the Browns finally invested in the offensive line for Baker Mayfield. Signing Jack Conklin and drafting Jedrick Wills Jr., allowed Joel Bitonio to kick back inside to his more comfortable guard position. The team then added tight end Austin Hooper after a breakthrough year with the Falcons. Meaning the Browns will likely feature more two tight end sets with new head coach Kevin Stefanski running the show. Which might've actually been their most important decision of the offseason moving on from Freddie Kitchens. If they can finally unlock the talent on this offence the Browns will be a tough out this year and I expect them to keep it interesting on Sunday.
The Pick: Browns +7.5
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-6.5)
Stefon Diggs lands in Buffalo to finally give them the number one receiver they've been so desperate for. Diggs is a game-breaker for Josh Allen and rounds out a solid receiving core. The defence added A.J. Epenesa in round two of the draft to an already stacked defensive front seven. Some talent evaluators even thought he was a first-round talent. All in all the Bills will be eyeing their first AFC East Division crown since 1995 with Tom Brady finally out of their division.
The other New York team is still bad and likely will still be bad. They lost their best player in Jamal Adams in a trade to Seattle. While Le'Veon Bell looked like a shell of his former self last season. Who knows though. Maybe Sam Darnold puts this team on his back and into relevancy again. Maybe Bell rediscovers his All-Pro form? Highly unlikely and I doubt they keep this game close on the road.
The Pick: Bills -6.5
Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers (+3)
The inaugural season for the Las Vegas Raiders will kick off against one of the worst teams from last season. The Raiders will be rolling out a pair of rookie wide receivers in Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards after losing Tyrell Williams for the season. Las Vegas did upgrade the position but Williams was a pleasant surprise last year and will be missed. Although they will get an injured player back in Jonathon Abram after getting just one game from the first round safety a season ago. They'll also get help on their front seven signing linebacker Corey Littleton to a big contract in the offseason. Overall it was a solid offseason for a club looking to improve upon their 7-9 record.
The Carolina Panthers had a massive organizational haul this offseason and lost the face of the franchise in Luke Kuechly. His surprise retirement at the top of his game was a crushing blow to the Panthers. Carolina has high hopes of a quick rebuild under new head coach Matt Rhule and coordinator Joe Brady. It will be a brand new offense with Teddy Bridgewater finally getting another shot as a starting QB with plenty of weapons surrounding him in Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Robby Anderson. The team also used their first two picks to shore up their defensive line and now boast a stout unit of Derrick Brown, Yetur Gross-Matos, Kawann Short and Brian Burns. All in all, I think the Panthers are going to shock some teams this year starting with the Raiders in week one.
The Pick: Panther +3
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-3)
The Bears are now 4-0 against the Lions under Matt Nagy but had an underwhelming offseason to drastically improve his 8-8 squad. The signing of Robert Quinn was the big move for Chicago and shouldn't be undersold though. He'll look to take the pressure off superstar Khalil Mack who had a down year by his standards. The plan should work as Quinn registered 11.5 sacks with the Cowboys last year. That splashy free-agent season could be enough to add a few more wins to the Bears total and send them back to the playoffs.
On the other hand, I don't think playoffs are in the cards for the Lions. Matt Stafford and Kenny Golladay looked brilliant together for stretches of the season. The team also added Deandre Swift and Adrian Peterson to the backfield alongside Kerryon Johnson. Besides making that backfield a minefield for fantasy owners, Detroit made mostly lateral moves. Even though Detroit got younger it will be hard to see a drastic improvement from this 3-13 squad. I think the Bears steamroll past the Lions in week one.
The Pick: Bears +3
Continued on the page below.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (+7.5)
Philip Rivers is extending his career with the Colts who quite frankly weren't getting it done with last year's starter Jacoby Brissett. He'll have the privilege of throwing behind one of the best offensive lines in football which should help. Which is accompanied by a mean ground attack to take the pressure off Rivers. Led by Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathon Taylor Indianapolis will be challenging for the top rushing unit this season. The Colts also added Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round to boost the receiving corps. All of these additions will drastically improve Philip Rivers' ability to win ball games as he tries to prove he's still got it.
"With the first pick, the Jaguars select Trevor Lawrence." Is what the franchise wishes it could do instead of playing this season out. The Jaguars are the reason the NHL and NBA have draft lotteries to try and persuade teams from openly tanking. Jacksonville traded away and cut multiple starters on both sides of the ball to ensure a top pick. The Jaguars will give Gardner Minshew II one last kick at the can before he's the backup. Although it likely won't matter as they've got eyes for Lawrence.
The Pick: Colts -7.5
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5)
This is another spread I'm a little curious about from Vegas. I know the Packers lit their first two draft picks on fire but they still won 13 games last season and made it to the NFC Championship game. Green Bay also won both games against the Vikings and will have a healthy Davante Adams. The Packers are still as balanced as ever. Suddenly their defence is stout and the Packers even lean on their ground attack at times. Green Bay should easily string together another sensational season.
The Vikings got devastating news when star pass rusher Danielle Hunter injured himself and will be out for the next few games. They did, however, trade for disgruntled pass rusher Jaguars star Yannick Ngakoue which will ease the blow early on. They'll form a fearsome twosome once Hunter's back on the field wreaking havoc on opposing QB's. Even with Hunter out, the Vikings would've been up against a tough Packers team. Minnesota can't rely on the raucous energy their fans bring to the stadium for game one and instead it should come down to Kirk Cousins vs. Aaron Rodgers. Who would you take?
The Pick: Packers +2.5
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5)
Last year Miami did what Jacksonville is doing this year, and wanted the chance to snag Tua Tagovailoa first overall. Instead, the Dolphins accidentally ran into some wins courtesy of "Fitzmagic" and fell to fifth. Where they actually still got their guy despite wanting to finish dead last and snag Joe Burrow. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start under center until Tagovailoa is healthy, so who knows, they could run into a win to kick off the season. But the Dolphins will likely be bottom dwellers again, which is fine for a rebuilding squad.
Life without Tom Brady starts now for Patriots fans. However, they do get a solid consolation prize in former MVP Cam Newton taking over the reins of the franchise. But of course the godfather Bill Belichick is still running the show, so life is still pretty good. The Patriots did lose a few key players to free agency but, they get David Andrews back on the offensive line to help offset those losses. Overall, needing the Patriots to win by just one touchdown with an entire offseason to prepare is almost too easy of a choice.
The Pick: Patriots -6.5
Los Angelas Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals (+3)
Tyrod Taylor will get a chance to prove he's a starting calibre quarterback after being the backup last season. Although Justin Herbert will be nipping at his heels to take over the franchise sooner than later after being selected 6th overall. Derwin James will be out for the season but, at least his loss can be somewhat mitigated by the addition of slot ace Chris Harris Jr. Austin Ekeler will also finally get a shot at proving he's the running back of the future with the team letting go of Melvin Gordon III to the rival Broncos.
The Bengals finally get their messiah in Joe Burrow giving the franchise high hopes this season. Expectations are warranted for Burrow who had the most electric college football season we've ever seen. Burrow will also have plenty of weapons in his first year including receiver A.J. Green who's finally healthy. Jonah Williams will also get to prove why he was a first-round pick protecting Burrow's blindside after missing all of last season with an injury. Both teams were pretty bad to watch last year but Burrow has the chance to be special and has the right weapons around him to make it happen.
The Pick: Bengals +3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New Orleans Saints (-3.5)
Life with Tom Brady starts now for Buccaneers' fans. Which probably couldn't have happened sooner after watching Jamies Winston register a 30 interception season. Although Brady's arm strength isn't what it used to be he'll definitely cut down on the turnover numbers and has much better weapons at his disposal. Led by Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, Brady has the best wide receiver duo in the league at his disposal along with Rob Gronkowski coming out of retirement. It's exciting times for Buccaneers' fans and expectations are sky-high. They won't have to wait long for their first test against the Saints who've ruled the AFC South for the last three seasons.
Drew Brees just like Tom Brady is likely at the twilight of his career and his opportunity for a second ring is dwindling down each season. The Saints did everything they could to prolong that window. The 41-year-old signal-caller got offensive line help in the draft and receiver help in Emmanuel Sanders. The Saints are a proven commodity and I think they improved their football team this offseason. Until the Buccaneers prove otherwise, they still just are an extremely hyped up team.
The Pick: Saints -3.5
Arizona Cardinals at San Fransisco 49ers (-7)
Kyler Murray in just his second season gets one of the best wide receivers in the game after the Cardinals acquired DeAndre Hopkins. That alone will make Arizona dangerous each and every week. Arizona also seemed to have fixed their running back problem with Kenyan Drake now in the fold. Taking Isiah Simmons and his defensive versatility completed a pretty successful offseason. But they'll be thrown right into the fire when they travel to the 49ers in a tough first-week matchup.
The 49ers will try and avoid a Super Bowl hangover like the Los Angelas Rams and get back to the dance. Adding left tackle Trent Williams for pennies was an incredibly savvy move for GM John Lynch which significantly upgrades the position. Rookie wideout Brandon Aiyuk will look to be a longterm fit on the outside opposite Deebo Samuel. Overall the Williams move should pay dividends to help lock down Chandler Jones while Richard Sherman will try and slow down Hopkins. The 49ers are still the class of the NFC West. Even if that margin isn't too big anymore.
The Pick: 49ers -7
Dallas Cowboys at Los Angelas Rams (+2.5)
The Sunday nighter will be the debut of Mike McCarthy's Dallas Cowboys and with it comes some mile-high expectations. The Cowboys are being picked by some as a Super Bowl team and McCarthy is expected to push them over the top. McCarthy has to be the missing piece because the Cowboys probably got worse this offseason. Second-round pick Trevon Diggs replaces top cornerback Byron Jones. Everson Griffin replaces Robert Quinn and his 11.5 sacks. Randall Cobb and his quietly productive season are replaced by CeeDee Lamb. But no one replaced All-Pro Center Travis Frederick when he retired. All of those moves are at best lateral moves with most being downgrades to an 8-8 squad.
Even with the Cowboys' personal downgrades, the Rams probably outdid them. Corey Littleton, Todd Gurley III, Brandin Cooks and Dante Fowler are all gone and are massive losses for the Rams. Those are big shoes to fill and it will be a huge undertaking to replace their productivity. Unlike the Cowboys, there aren't sky-high expectations for the Rams even with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey on the roster. Although I don't believe in the Cowboys I really don't believe in the Rams at this point.
The Pick: Cowboys -2.5
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
