Manu’s Week 2 Picks.

Peyton Manning looked great last week, winning and covering for the Broncos.  

Week One in the NFL can be very deceiving for fans, and even more so for sports betters.

It is easy to over react based on such a small sample size, however there were a couple of things that the public can learn from the start of the football season. Peyton Manning is back, and Adrian Peterson defies the rules of science.

Personally, Week 2 is one of my favorite weeks for handicapping, the bookmakers still haven’t had the chance to truly analyze each team in depth, and in some cases opportunities present themselves.

Here are your Week 2 picks, with odds from Pro Line.

Home team in CAPS.

Raiders (-3) over DOLPHINS

If you stayed up late on Monday night to watch the Raiders kick off their season against the Chargers, the name Travis Goethel should ring a bell. The Raiders back up long-snapper almost single-handedly lost the game for Oakland, botching three punts in a game where field position was vital. Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Raiders was the play of running back Darren McFadden who caught a career-high 13 balls. Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill struggled in his NFL debut, look for the growing pains to continue.

BENGALS (-7) over Browns

Cincinnati was dismantled last week by the Ravens, however upon closer inspection I am not convinced that the Bengals are as bad as the 44-13 score line indicated. Brandon Weeden and his 5.1 QB Rating coming to town is just what the doctor ordered. With the Browns’ best player, cornerback Joe Haden still serving his four-game suspension, I foresee Bengals receiver AJ Green taking over this game with relative ease.

PANTHERS (+3) Over Saints

The New Orleans Saints defence had a nightmare game against potential rookie of the year Robert Griffin III last week, and going against Cam Newton this time will be even more difficult. What concerned me more was the lack of fluidity in the Saints offence, Drew Brees had 52 pass attempts to go against just 10 rushes. New Orleans has been known for their high-octane offence, but without play-caller Sean Payton dictating from the sidelines, I’m calling for the Saints to lose outright this weekend.

REDSKINS (-3.5) over Rams

There is still room on the RG3 bandwagon, I would know as I’m driving the bus, hop on. Griffin looks like the real deal, going into the Superdome on opening day and putting up 40 points is a remarkable feat. Griffin lived up to all the pre-season hype, passing for 320 yards and 2 touchdowns, going into St. Louis will be a cakewalk, the Redskins future looks bright.

NINERS (-7) Over Lions

My peers mocked me last week for proclaiming that San Francisco would win outright against Green Bay, despite being 5.5-point underdogs. The 49ers defence may be the best group of players we have seen since the 2000 Ravens. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions against the Rams, he did rally the team to victory in a late fourth-quarter drive, but that simply won’t happen this week. The Lions one-dimensional offence will struggle to put up points against this All-World defence. Jim Harbaugh has this 49ers team fired up. A prime time home opener on Sunday night is the perfect platform for this team to solidify themselves as the Super Bowl favorites.

Last Week (2-3)

This Season (2-3)

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About this article

By: Manu Mand
Posted: Sep 14 2012 6:57 pm
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Filed under: Football Sports
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