The NFL game schedule at 1:00 p.m. this Sunday afternoon features several fascinating competitions that will serve to paint a clearer picture of what each team is made of.
Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens
- Miami Point Spread: +3.5
- Miami Money Line: +155
- Baltimore Point Spread: -3.5
- Baltimore Money Line: -180
- Over/Under: 44.5
With the Friday before the start of the second week of the NFL, opinions are high on the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens. Miami has a new head coach and a revamped roster with many new faces.
The Dolphins covered the New England Patriots with a final score of 20-7 last weekend, but the oddsmakers are less confident about their chances against Baltimore following the return of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Historically, Baltimore has owned Miami, often beating them by multiple touchdowns whether at home or away. However, last year was an outlier when the 3-6 Dolphins managed to defeat the 6-2 Ravens 22-10.
Still, we tend to bet the Ravens to cover this weekend as Miami is likely to experience some growing pains against Baltimore’s strong defense.
New England Patriots @ Pittsburgh Steelers
- New England Point Spread: -2.0
- New England Money Line: -130
- Pittsburgh Point Spread: +2.0
- Pittsburgh money line: +110
- Over/Under: 40.5
As previously mentioned, the Patriots fell to the redesigned Miami Dolphins last Sunday, and now they’ll be looking to even their record 1-1 after visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field this weekend.
There will likely be several lines for betting on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022-23 which will draw interest because they are a franchise in flux following the departure of Ben Roethlisberger but still have enough core depth on either side of the ball to them to keep games.
That was evident last weekend when the Steelers defeated the Bengals in a thrilling AFC North overtime clash. The Patriots’ offense looked unsuitable against the Dolphins last weekend, but should provide more spark after an extra week of practice.
We tend to bet on the New England Patriots finding cover against the Steelers, but we’ll wait to see if the line changes by 1 p.m. Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Point Spread: -2.5
- Tampa Bay Money Line: -145
- New Orleans Point Spread: +2.5
- New Orleans Money Line: +125
- Over/Under: 44.5
The winner of the Saints and Buccaneers secures an early lead in the NFC South Division, but the margin seems a bit too narrow.
Consider this – Tampa Bay comes from a Sunday Night Football loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The final score was 19-3, and one of two things happened. Either Dallas’ offense is completely out of sync, or the Bucs’ defense is already in championship form.
Now consider that in Week 1 the Saints were barely able to weather the humble Atlanta Falcons. We tend to bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover against the Saints.
Underdog NFL Pick of the Week
Seattle Seahawks (+320) @ San Francisco 49ers
Seattle defeated the Denver Broncos at Monday Night Football earlier this week, and now they face their fierce NFC West Division rival, where win-loss records can be ignored.
The 49ers are in a similar position to Denver as they attempt to establish an offensive identity under a new QB. While SF gets through those early struggles, they are prone to losses, as illustrated in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears. We’re not yet convinced that the 49ers are in full swing yet, so consider doing something about the underdogs Seahawks and their +320 moneyline at Bovada.
Week 2 NFL betting odds: Bovada
Source: The Baltimore Sun