- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
NFL Predictions Week 2: Early Odds, Picks and Projections for Upcoming Schedule
- Updated: September 13, 2016
We probably say this every year, but Week 1 of the NFL season was downright wild.
In the first slate of games to open the season, we saw four games finish with scores within one point, and only one game (Eagles 29, Browns 10) came anything close to resembling a blowout.
We also finally got to see some of the league’s young quarterbacks in action, and in most cases, they were impressive. In New England, Jimmy Garoppolo fearlessly stepped in for Tom Brady and steered the Patriots to a close win over the Arizona Cardinals.
In Philadelphia, Carson Wentz proved that the Cleveland Browns were mistaken to think he wasn’t worth the No. 2 overall pick, shining as he went 22-of-37 for 278 yards and two touchdowns—and no interceptions.
We also got a sense for which teams could have used a little more prep time—or perhaps a few extra draft picks—before starting the season.
Now let’s look at Week 2 and the early point spreads and make some picks and predictions for the upcoming games.
Safest Bets
Carolina (-13.5) vs. San Francisco
The Carolina Panthers fell in a heartbreaker to the Denver Broncos in Week 1, with the game coming down to a kick from Carolina kicker Graham Gano that went wide left.
Wide Left. #Kickoff2016 https://t.co/Qp7D9mzRc0
— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2016
And while many will argue a team that deserves to win will never put its kicker in the position of having to win the game in the final seconds, it added insult to injury that Gano had successfully made an attempt from the same distance (50 yards) just moments earlier, as Denver coach Gary Kubiak had used a timeout.
Gano himself even spoke before the game about how the thinner air in Denver helps kickers with distance, per Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer.
In any case, the Panthers put Gano in a bad situation, but they …
