Picks for 9/8/24
NFL
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 459
Vikings -1.5 over Giants (win)
The Vikings look to start their season on the right foot against the Giants. New York doesn’t have the best offensive line and probably has the least talented receiver room in football. Daniel Jones had six years to prove he could be a Tier 1 quarterback; he has yet to do so. The Vikings are breaking in Sam Darnold as their starter. Aaron Jones looks to give the Minnesota running game a boost. Minnesota needs to take advantage of the new Giants defensive coordinator. If the Vikings can improve in the trenches, especially on defense, they can be a playoff team. The Giants lack quality talent and should struggle again this year. Take the Vikings.
NFL
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 464
Bengals -7.5 over Patriots (loss)
The Patriots bring in a brand new staff across the board. There will be growing pains as Jerod Mayo takes over as Head Coach. New England might have the worst offensive line in football, and today, it has a few injuries to make it worse. Sam Hubbard and Trey Henderickson will pin their ears back to get to Jacoby Brissett. Bengals QB Joe Burrow has a large and experienced offensive line in front of him. Look for running back Zach Moss to get off to a good start in his new city. Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo should hold New England to a low-scoring afternoon. Take the Bengals.
NFL
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 467-468
Cardinals/Bills Over 46 (win)
The Bills have new coordinators on both sides of the football, so Arizona’s return of their staff from a year ago could make some noise. Kyler Murray is a dual-threat quarterback, and James Conner is a bull at running back. Murray has decent talent at receiver and must strike quickly to rattle the Bill’s new defensive look. Buffalo has a beefy offensive line that should bully the underwhelming Cardinals’ defensive line. Josh Allen is a duel-threat quarterback himself, and the Bills’ running game will look to soften up the Cardinals’ defense so they can beat them with the pass. The offenses will be ahead of the defenses to start the season. Take the Over.
NFL
1:00 PM EST
Rotation # 470
Colts +3 over Texans (win)
It‘s a critical AFC South matchup on opening weekend. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud was phenomenal last year, but the Texans offensive line returns just two full-time starters. Houston will also be breaking in a new running back, Joe Mixon. The Colts returned QB Anthony Richardson, who was electric last year, before getting hurt. I love the Colts in the trenches, as their offensive and defensive lines are rock solid. Indianapolis returns all five offensive line starters, which is excellent news for Richardson making his return. The starters on the Colt’s defense were there a year ago, so this unit has camaraderie. Take the Colts.
NFL
4:05 PM EST
Rotation # 471
Raiders +3 over Chargers (loss)
Jim Harbaugh was winning a national championship at Michigan just a few months ago and now will make the rugged switch to coaching millionaires in the NFL. The Chargers are a brand new staff across the board. Los Angeles brought in two new running backs from Baltimore, but they still need a true #1 receiver as of today. Chargers QB Justin Herbert isn’t 100 percent and has a new group of skilled players at his disposal. It might take time for the Chargers to gel. The Raiders have a new head coach, Antonio Pierce, but he was in interim last year, so he knows his players well. Vegas returns 4/5 offensive linemen and added Cody Whitehair to the rotation. Gardner Minshew has a lot of talent to throw the ball to. I believe this opening game comes down to which team is more familiar with each other. Surprisingly, that is the Raiders. The Chargers don’t have the best home crowd, with minimal noise. Take Las Vegas.
NFL
8:20 PM EST
Rotation # 480
Lions -4.5 over Rams (win)
In past years, the news was the quarterback swap between Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford. This season, the Lions are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Detroit is solid in the trenches, while the Rams have taken a step back with the loss of Aaron Donald to retirement. The Lions’ coaching staff remains the same, and I expect them to be hungry to get back to live action after their season ended in last year’s NFC Championship Game. The key to this game is the front seven of the Rams and their new defensive look. I believe Chris Shula will have a tough start as defensive coordinator, as the Rams don’t have many pass rushers that scare opposing quarterbacks. The Lions should be able to dominate on the line of scrimmage and have a well-balanced running and passing attack. Take Detroit.