Last season was brutal. A ton of money could have been made picking against me.
Week 1 is notoriously tough. How things finished last season is basically meaningless. The preseason is even more meaningless. This particular week 1 seems even tougher than usual. Nothing jumps out. I'll take a stab at a trio of home favorites playing against teams I think are going to end up being pretty bad.
home team in bold
Best Bet
Detriot Lions (-5.5) over New York Giants
Eli Manning and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo were out of synch against lackluster crowds and scheme less defenses in the preseason. Expecting the light to come on in the opener in a dome on the road seems unrealistic. The Lions weakness in the defensive backfield is unlikely to be strongly tested. Their explosive offense traditionally gets off to a hot start.
Others
New York Jets (-5) over Oakland Raiders
Jets corners are in shambles. Shouldn't matter against the Raiders. Derek Carr is the first rookie to start the opener for the Black and Silver since the merger (1970). Rex Ryan and the Jets defensive front 7 are salivating. Improvement of Geno Smith plus addition of CJ2K and Eric Decker should at least give the Jets an adequate offense.
Chicago Bears (-7) over Buffalo Bills
This is a lot of points to give up. Bears are going to score like crazy, but also give up a ton of points. I just don't think EJ Manuel and the pathetic Bills offense can hang with them.
Super Bowl
Denver Broncos (-2.5) over Seattle Seahawks LOSS
2013 Final Regular Season: 21-30-1 Best Bets: 6-11 Playoffs: 2-8-1