By Charles Jay
Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers
You can probably characterize the Seattle Seahawks’ opening-game win over Green Bay as decisive, as they once again proved some superiority on their home field. You can’t win a Super Bowl without being somewhat proficient on the road, but the defending champs will not be as arduous an assignment for the San Diego Chargers (4:05 PM ET) as it would be if this game was being held at CenturyLink Field. In this case, they will play at Qualcomm Stadium. In the NFL betting lines posted on this contest, Seattle is a six-point favorite.
The Chargers endured a little heartbreak on Monday night, as they blew a 17-6 lead and lost 18-17 at Arizona (although they got the cover in the NFL betting odds). There was some indication that this is going to be an efficient offense again, as Philip Rivers can spread it out to a number of different weapons. Seattle not only pounds the ball (Marshawn Lynch had over 100 yards) but is perfectly willing to use that added dimension in Percy Harvin, who is now healthy. Bettors should keep in mind that Seattle covered six of the eight games it played on the road last season. And also keep in mind that they have had four extra days to prepare, since they started the season on a Thursday night.
Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants
The Arizona Cardinals visit the New York Giants at 1 PM ET at MetLife Stadium, and you would have to wonder whether these teams are going in opposite directions at the moment. The Cards made that nice comeback on Monday night to edge out San Diego, while earlier in the evening the Giants were stumbling all over themselves trying to get the hang of the new West Coast offense that may, in the end, prove to be a big mistake. Cross-country trips often prove to be problematic for teams, so bettors should proceed with a little bit of caution, but it is very hard to ignore a situation when a team is outgained by a 417-197 margin, as New York was. Eli Manning needs to get his act together, or some changes in scheme may have to be made. The Cards are favored by 2.5 points in the NFL betting odds.
Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals
The Atlanta Falcons are certainly a team that should be taking some momentum into Sunday’s action, as they line up to play the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium (1 PM ET). The stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” came all the way back to topple the New Orleans Saints in quite unexpected fashion, and they demonstrated that they have a deep receiving corps that is undoubtedly going to give the Bengals more trouble than did the Baltimore Ravens, who were largely dysfunctional last week. For those who like to wager on totals, Cincinnati has played over the number in six of their last seven games at their own ballpark. In this game, the Bengals are favored by five points with an over/under of 48.5 points at BetAnySports.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs meet up at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and there might be a different picture surrounding at least one of these teams as opposed to last season. In their opener, the Chiefs did not exactly resemble the squad that kept turnovers at a minimum last season en route to a 9-0 start, as they were beaten rather handily by Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Broncos nearly blew a 24-0 lead against Indianapolis, as Andrew Luck rallied the Indianapolis Colts back. There is no mistaking, however, that the Denver defense has more personnel, while the Chiefs may still be experiencing difficulties on the offensive line. The good news for KC is that Dwayne Bowe is coming back from his suspension, and that is a great relief for Alex Smith, who has very few targets to throw to. The Broncos are 12.5-point favorites in the NFL betting odds at BetAnySports.
Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers
Could the Carolina Panthers playing host to the Detroit Lions (1 PM ET) be a fabulous matchup? Maybe, because the Panthers have every intention of starting Cam Newton, who sat out last week’s game against Tampa Bay with fractured ribs. Of course, when you have an injury like that, you are one hit away from an early exit, and the Lions have the likes of Ndamukong Suh who can exert plenty of pressure. Carolina’s running game will try to control the ball, but they weren’t exactly dominant against the Bucs (33 rushes for 113 yards). Detroit manhandled the Giants on Monday night, holding them to 197 total yards,. In the NFL football betting odds at BetAnySports, the Panthers are the three-point favorites at Bank of America Stadium.
As the NFL betting season moves forward, you can’t do much better than what they offer at BetAnySports, were you can get reduced juice on games, with the opportunity to place live in-game wagers as well. Sign up for an account today!
