The 2023 NFL season is off and running. Week 1 started and ended with highly entertaining national TV games on Thursday and Monday and, while the early Sunday afternoon window wasn’t exactly an all-timer, the 16-game schedule brought the goods on the whole. In this space, Week 1 wasn’t quite as kind with a sub-standard record but, hey, it’s early.
Week 2 brings more opportunity and, before we unveil the selections, here is the early progress.
- Week 1: 2-3
- 2023 Season: 2-3
Come get these winners.
Teaser: Philadelphia Eagles (PK) over Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills (-2) over Las Vegas Raiders — PointsBet
You’ll need to see the column early to get this one in, but I like it. Admittedly, it’s a little bit square, but I think this is a bargain on both sides. Philadelphia should hold serve at home over Minnesota and, courtesy of a hideous performance from Buffalo on Monday night, the line has dipped enough to get the Bills under a field goal. Home favorites. Better teams. Let’s ride.
Houston Texans (-1) over Indianapolis Colts — Widely Available
This might be a disgusting AFC South battle, as God intended. I do think that DeMeco Ryans will have a potentially scrappy Houston defense ready to flummox Anthony Richardson in his first NFL road start. On the other side, Houston’s offense is a little scary, but this is in a friendly environment and I think this line should be closer to 2.5 or 3.
Seattle Seahawks (+5.5) over Detroit Lions — DraftKings
Buy low. Sell high. That’s the short explanation for this selection on an overreaction basis. Seattle was fairly horrible last week, while Detroit won on the biggest possible stage. Maybe those results are indicative, but I’ll happily grab the 5.5 on Seattle to find out.
Teaser: Green Bay Packers (+7.5) over Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers (+8.5) over Cleveland Browns — FanDuel
The first teaser is favorites. The second one is underdogs. I think Green Bay probably wins outright in Atlanta but, if they fall short, it’s likely to be in a close-fought game against the ground-bound Atlanta offense. The Pittsburgh play is another buy-low, sell-high spot after the Steelers laid an egg and the Browns throttled the Bengals. There is panic about Pittsburgh that I understand but don’t buy into, and I’ll take this across two key numbers at home.
Carolina Panthers (+3) over New Orleans Saints — Widely Available
There are clear similarities with this play and the decision to back Houston. The Panthers weren’t as bad as the final score indicated last week in Atlanta, and Bryce Young should be more comfortable in Charlotte. The Saints defense is the best unit in the game, but this shouldn’t be sitting at a full three in a division game on the road. Take the value on the home underdog.
