With football season upon us, there are plenty of NFL week 1 odds to choose from, but you have to be careful. Week 1 can sometimes be more of a toss-up than any other week, so we’re selecting two college football games and only one NFL game.
We were hunting perfection and we got it with last week’s Bets Of The Week. With the Atlanta Braves-Toronto Blue Jays (under), the Wisconsin Badgers and the Georgia Bulldogs all getting the job done for us, we went 3-0 with our NJ online sports betting picks of the week.
Let’s see if we’ve got another winning week in us:
West Virginia Mountaineers @ Missouri Tigers
Odds: Missouri -14 at PointsBet
Date: Saturday, September 7th
The Missouri Tigers were nothing short of an unmitigated disaster last week as they went on the road to Wyoming and lost as a favorite of over two touchdowns. They were extremely sloppy as they had a 14-0 lead and were cruising before the wheels came off.
The good news is that this week they’re hosting a West Virginia team that has some issues of their own. The Mountaineers needed all 10 of their fourth quarter points last week as they would have otherwise lost to James Madison. What’s shocking is that they weren’t sloppy (no turnovers and just 35 yards worth of penalties). They were at home and were outgained 328-294 by James Madison.
Missouri is going to win this game as long as they’re not sloppy. Coming off a game where being so undisciplined cost them, I’m expecting a much cleaner effort in their home opener. Missouri should win and cover.
Pick: Missouri -14
Central Florida Knights @ Florida Atlantic Owls
Odds: Central -10.5 at PointsBet
Date: Saturday, September 7th
Florida Atlantic had a strong season a couple of years again but Lane Kiffin’s squad has been crumbling ever since. They were crushed in Week 1 by Ohio State – not a surprise – but it gives the impression that this team really hasn’t made many improvements from last year. They were 28-0 in the first quarter before Ohio State took their foot off the gas.
UCF showed us last week that they’re no joke as they won 62-0 over Florida A&M. Of course, a romp was expected but the offense does not look like it’s going to miss a beat with former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush under center. He was just one of three quarterbacks to play and throw a touchdown as the team finished with 694 yards of offense.
This again looks like a mismatch as Central Florida is much further ahead of Florida Atlantic. I’m not expecting another blowout here but the Knights should win but a couple of touchdowns. The Owls are not well-equipped to handle this team.
Pick: Central Florida -10.5
Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles
Odds: Eagles -9.5 at PointsBet
Date: Sunday, September 8th
As the NFL season gets underway, the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the biggest favorites of Week 1. They’ve made a lot of shrewd moves in the offseason and are viewed as a Super Bowl odds contender. As for the Redskins, they’re in the rebuilding process and will be starting Case Keenum under center.
The question for the Redskins here is will they be able to move the ball? Keenum is a below average starter and has very little to work with in terms of receivers. The Redskins have Paul Richardson and Robert Davis (???) as their starting wide receivers and star tight end Jordan Reed is in the concussion protocol. And don’t forget about Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, who refuses to report back and play for the team.
The Eagles offense might not need many points to win and cover in this spot but they’ll surely be tested. The Redskins defense is one of the most underrated units in the NFL and could be among the best this season. They have a stout defensive line, playmakers like Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat at linebacker, and have a competent secondary led by Landon Collins and Josh Norman.
I’m expecting the Eagles to win this game, but I see this being a low-scoring affair. The Redskins won’t score or allow much, which is why I like the under in this spot. So before you head out to the game or a NFL sports bar in NJ, jump online and go with the under.
Pick: Under 46.5
Other Things To Watch This Week
US Open Final Rounds – The last tennis grand slam of the year has been a wild ride as the No. 1 seed on both sides are out. Novak Djokovic was limited by a shoulder injury while Naomi Osaka was stunned by Belinda Bencic. Will Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer or someone else benefit on the men’s side? And can Serena Williams finally add to her grand slam collection? We’ll find out this week.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears – Thursday marks the start of the 100th NFL season when the Packers visit the Bears. Green Bay has a new head coach in Matt LaFleur, so we’ll see what impact he has on a previously stale offense. Meanwhile, the Bears broke out last year with 12 wins and will try to ride their defense to similar success in 2019.
UFC 242 – It’s the long-awaited return of UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has been absent for a full year after his win over Conor McGregor. Remember, he jumped out of the Octagon after his win and tried to fight some of McGregor’s entourage. Nurmagomedov returns to face a challenging foe in Dustin Poirier, who will look to knock the champ off his throne.
See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Bets Of The Week!
