Road teams were quite successful in Week 1 of the regular season. Will that continue in Week 2? Here are two pieces of advice for betting this week along with game NFL odds.
Here’s a Closer Look at the NFL Week 2 Valuable Betting Advice
First of many! Great team win! Loved the way the Linc was rockin! #FlyEaglesFly #AO1
— Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) September 11, 2016
Carson Wentz Will Struggle On Road
One of the big story lines of Week 1 was the play of Eagles No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz under center in his NFL debut against Cleveland, the team that opted to not pick him at that spot and instead traded the pick to Philadelphia. Wentz completed 22 of 37 passes (59.5 percent) for 278 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 101.0 passer rating in the Eagles’ 29-10 victory over Cleveland.
He was the first Eagles rookie to start at quarterback in a season opener since Davey O’Brien in 1939. Over the summer, Browns executive Paul DePodesta told ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi that the Browns didn’t take Wentz because they didn’t think he’d develop into a top-20 quarterback. So that win had to feel sweet for Wentz. But let’s not overreact. The guy is a rookie from the Division I FCS level, missed most of the preseason with a rib injury and hadn’t practiced much with the first string before Sam Bradford was traded. It was a great start, but it came against the NFL’s worst team. And the crowd wasn’t a factor for Wentz at home but will be Monday night in Chicago. The Bears are 3-point favorites and I’d take them in NFL betting.
Chicago lost Week 1 in Houston 23-14. Chicago’s season will be a long one if the offense does not clean up the pass protection issues that ravaged the Bears on Sunday. Allowing Houston to sack Cutler five times (the Texans were also credited with 13 quarterback hits) in Week 1 is dangerous. I still like Chicago here.
Don’t You Dare Bet The Browns All Season
So much for the Robert Griffin III experiment with Cleveland, which is a 7-point underdog this week in its home opener vs. Baltimore. RGII broke a bone in his non-throwing shoulder in Sunday’s loss in Philadelphia and has been put on injured reserve. Griffin passed for 190 yards and rushed for another 37 in what could end up being his only start of the season.
If he is designated as the team’s player to return, he could return to practice in six weeks, but he must miss a minimum of eight games. Though surgery is not immediately required on the fractured coracoid bone, the team said Griffin’s shoulder will not be re-evaluated for three to four weeks. The earliest he could return would be Nov. 10 at Baltimore. This is a devastating blow to the Browns. A team so firmly in rebuilding mode had tied its immediate hopes to the chance that Griffin could reclaim his form from an electric 2012 season.
Josh McCown takes over for the Browns. Last season, he was 1-7 as the starter, but had a decent season statistically. He was 186-of- 292 passing (63.7 percent) for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. His quarterback rating was 93.3, 14th in the league. The Ravens are well aware of what McCown can do. He lit up Baltimore’s secondary last year in a 33-30 overtime win for the Browns in Week 5, completing 36 of 51 passes for 457 yards and two touchdowns. It was a Browns franchise record for passing yards in a single game. The Ravens did a much better job against McCown in their second meeting of the season in Cleveland, holding him to 212 yards and one touchdown in a Ravens win.
Baltimore opened the season with a 13-7 win over Buffalo. The Ravens limited Buffalo to 160 yards and sacked former teammate Tyrod Taylor twice. Returning from a knee injury that ended his season last November, Joe Flacco went 23 for 34 for 258 yards, including a long touchdown pass to newcomer Mike Wallace in the second quarter. There were questions whether Wallace could become a legitimate weapon in the NFL again. He turned 30 last month and is coming off a season in Minnesota where he set career lows in receiving yards (473) and touchdowns (two).
Give Cleveland the points here in NFL betting.
