Carolina to Bounce Back Strong
Best Bets
2 Pts Carolina Panthers (-3 Handicap) to beat the Denver Broncos (20/23 Coral)
2 Pts Oakland Raiders to beat New Orleans Saints (21/20 Paddy Power)
1 Pt Arizona Cardinals to beat New England Patriots by 1-6 Points (7/2 Ladbrokes)
So here we go again! The NFL season starts on Thursday with a Super Bowl rematch between Denver and Carolina. We also have Monday and Tuesday night matches as well as the usual Sunday games, so it really is all systems go. I brought to you my season long tips earlier last month and warned of the risk-reward nature of tipping early. It’s fair to say that it seems we’ve been rewarded for our early tips. JJ Watt is fit for the first game of the season, which now doesn’t seem surprising based on his well-known superhuman recovery powers. Teddy Bridgewater went down injured in training for the Vikings and we feel the Packers are now in an even stronger position to win their division. Arizona have shortened and managed to not go 0-4 in the pre-season, and finally the Raiders look strong and well favoured as we near go time. All in all, we are very happy!
As per usual we won’t go through every game, but will bring to you our fancies for the week along with a bit of analysis. So without any further hesitation on to our tips!
2 Pts Carolina Panthers (-3 Handicap) to beat the Denver Broncos (20/23 Coral)
Our first tip comes in the Thursday night clash between Denver and Carolina. In Super Bowl 50 Defence ruled and Denver came out on top after their pass rush gave Cam Newton all kinds of problems. The two teams will meet at Mile High City on Thursday and Carolina know they have a lot to prove.
We side with the Panthers on this one and feel they will respond with a really strong showing. In a recent poll by the players Cam Newton was voted the number 1 player in the NFL. He isn’t a one season phenomenon that will disappear and although some doubters have recently labelled Cam a tier 2 quarterback it is obvious to us that he is elite and is here to stay. In a lower pressure affair on Thursday Cam will come out strong and should lead his team to victory via the pass and the run.
The Broncos have become weaker in the offseason and even their hallmark defence has taken a hit despite them tying up Von Miller long term. Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan have gone, and this will undoubtedly hurt Denver. Furthermore if rumours are to believed they are looking to trade Aqib Talib which will cause further uncertainty in the defensive ranks.
With regards to the Denver offence, there is uncertainty there also. Peyton Manning was nowhere near his best last year, but he was consistent and was a steady and confident hand under pressure. This is now gone, and by not tying up Brock Osweiler in the offseason Denver enters the season with problems at this position. Trevor Siemian will run the show this year, and it is going to be a baptism of fire this week against the Carolina defence.
Carolina still looks strong and even though they lost star cornerback Josh Norman, this shouldn’t hurt them significantly. Norman often struggled in Man Coverage assignments, and given the amount of salary he has attained in Washington, letting him go was probably the right choice.
Make a play on Carolina and Cam to bounce back strong and win by a comfortable margin on Thursday.
2 Pts Oakland Raiders to beat New Orleans Saints (21/20 Paddy Power)
This matchup pits two teams heading in opposite directions in our opinion. The Saints seem to be on a declining trajectory, and no matter how well Drew Brees plays he just doesn’t have the weapons necessary around him. The Saints Defence will struggle again massively this year and they often give up huge point totals to the opposition. At best New Orleans can look to maintain this season and although there will be some Brees heroics at certain points of the season, this won’t be enough to allow them to mount a playoff challenge.
On the other hand the Raiders are really exciting! We have tipped them to win their division this year and their young group of stars are certainly on the up. Derek Carr is a classy quarterback and with Cooper and Crabtree to aim at, he will again run up good numbers. With Latavius Murray leading the Raiders rushing attack they have a well-rounded offence that will be looking to build on last year. With regards to the Raiders defence they have Khalil Mack leading their pass rush attack who is an unbelievable talent. Look for Mack to push JJ Watt close for defensive player of the year, with his tenacity and athleticism on defence. A couple of additions have bolstered the Raiders defence further and they look a strong all-round team this year.
All this adds up to a strong start for the Raiders and a win over the Saints in week 1. We are happy to make a play on one of our fancied teams for the season.
1 Pt Arizona Cardinals to beat New England Patriots by 1-6 Points (7/2 Ladbrokes)
We’ve made it no secret that we like Arizona this year for the big prize, but the Patriots are always dangerous with, or without their star quarterback Tom Brady. Arizona are heavy favourites for this one and we do think they will get the job done, but it might not be as easy as some people think. Bill Belichick has been ready for this match and scenario for a long time and the Patriots will be well drilled and prepared.
Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t have much experience in the NFL, but he has some great targets to air the ball out to. Arizona doesn’t have a stellar pass defence and this could allow the Patriots to keep this one close. We see this game being a one possession game late on, and wouldn’t be surprised to see a field goal settle this one. We will side with Arizona for the win as they should have enough to stay ahead for most of the game. They have a solid pass and run attack and have a strong defence (especially against the run). We are going to make a small play on Arizona to take this one by 1-6 points.