Blazin' 5: Colin Cowherd Gives His Five Best NFL Bets For Week 1 (September 13th)
(Video Segment at Bottom of Page)
Browns at Ravens (SPREAD: BAL -7.5)
“I rarely swallow over a touchdown but I am going to take Baltimore -7.5. Here is a little interesting thing – nobody is worse the last 15 years than the Browns on opening games. Why? Because they’re always changing stuff and they changed stuff again with a new coaching staff. Cleveland beat Baltimore last year, and Baltimore is NOT overlooking Cleveland. The Browns went in there last year and punched them in the throat, and Baltimore is fully aware of it. Not only are the Browns ‘bad’ in Week 1, but they haven’t won in Week 1 since 2005, and are last in wins, point differential, and turnover differential. The Ravens led the NFL in rushing last year and I believe their rushing will be better. This is a testament to John Harbaugh and coaching; the Ravens have held their opponents to 10 points or fewer in the last four season openers. THAT’S what great defensive coaches do all summer, they figure out that opener. I don’t like to swallow a lot of points but I’m taking the Ravens BIG, 33-20.”
Colin's Pick: Baltimore -7.5
Jets at Bills (SPREAD: BUF -6.5)
“I’ll take the Jets +6.5 and here’s why. Josh Allen was BAD last year. He was pretty good against Dallas and that’s the game you watched, right? But Josh Allen was last in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating among quarterbacks the last two years with a minimum 25 starts. He’s been BAD, the coaching staff has been great. He’s not been good and he wasn’t good his last year at Wyoming. The Bills scored fewer than 20 points in each of their last five games last year, including the playoff loss. I don’t like the fact that Jamal Adams is gone, but CJ Mosley was gone last year too. Six and a half points when I get the better quarterback, and there is no question that the Jets have upgraded at wide receiver, tight end, and offensive line. Buffalo may win 24-20, but 6.5 is WAY too many points to give the Jets. Weather won’t be an issue, and they’ve got some new personnel on the outside that I think will be a handful for the Bills. Bills win, LOVE the Jets +6.5.”
Colin's Pick: New York +6.5
Seahawks at Falcons (SPREAD: SEA -2.5)
“Like it? I LOVE it. I’ll take Atlanta +2.5, my Pick of the Weekend. Falcons played really well last year and won their last 4, and won 6 of their last 8 to support their coach. He may get fired but they like him. Matt Ryan has figured out Pete Carroll. They have faced each other 7 times and Matt Ryan is 5-2, his passer rating is over 100, and he has 16 TD’s and 4 picks. Matt Ryan has done REALLY well against Pete Carroll defenses and this is NOT one of Pete Carroll’s great defenses. For all their issues, Matt Ryan is not the problem, it was a top 5 offense last year, and a top 3 offense at home. As much as I love Russell Wilson, it is really hard in the NFL to go on the road, cross country, against a Pro Bowl level quarterback when you, Seattle, have a significantly worse offensive line and defensive line. That’s hard to do in the NFL. They easily have the worst O-Line and D-Line in this game. Atlanta is getting points, and Atlanta is going to win it, 24-23.”
Colin Pick: Atlanta +2.5
Raiders at Panthers (SPREAD: LV -3.5)
“I know, I know, I know, there is a bunch of new stuff for Carolina, but can I just say something? Teddy Bridgewater is good. Best winning percentage as a starting quarterback the last 5 years, minimum 20 starts? – Lamar, Garoppolo, Brady, Mahomes, and TEDDY BRIDGEWATER. He’s 16-6 and also has a history of walking into a playbook and figuring it out. He’s got a lot of college starts, he’s got some NFL starts, and this is a guy they inserted into New Orleans last year and he was ready to go. He does not make mistakes, and now he’s got a world class running back, and I always thought their wide receivers were underrated. Their offensive line is good enough and middle of the pack. Defensively they’re in a rebuild and they put a lot of their draft picks on the defensive side, but the Raiders were a BAD team last year, and not just on defense. Week 12 and on the Raiders were bad offensively with all those weapons. It’s a Gruden-Derek Carr issue. The Raiders were a bad road team, 2-6, and were outscored by 90 points. They had the worst road point differential in the NFL. I don’t like all the change in Carolina, but I’m getting over a field goal from a quarterback that wins, figures out playbooks, and has arguably the best running back, and creative new head coach. I’m taking Carolina to beat the Raiders 28-27.”
Colin's Pick: Carolina +3.5
Cowboys at Rams (SPREAD: DAL -3.0)
“I think the Rams are the better team and they’re getting points at home, so I’m going to take Los Angeles +3. The Cowboys only had 7 defensive interceptions last year – TRANSLATION, they don’t make offenses uncomfortable. The Rams offensive line is healthy, they have the same quarterback, same coach, same system, same left tackle, same wide receivers, same tight ends… This is a good Rams team with a super hyper and creative head coach. Sean McVay in season openers, and this is what creative coaches do, he’s 3-0, averages 36 points, and 2 of the 3 wins came by 20+ points. For all the heat Jared Goff gets, in the last 4 weeks he averaged 330 yards passing, second best in the NFL and higher than Mahomes. Why? Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and good tight ends. By the way, Cam Akers, rookie running back out of Florida State, has been the talk of the camp, as has Van Jefferson, a wide receiver from Florida. Dallas, if they played in a month, might be the better team, but I think this is continuity; it’s been a quiet camp, the Rams are healthy, and the walking on eggshells Gurley thing is gone. I like the Rams to win this game in their new stadium 28-27. A lot of points scored here."
Colin's Pick: Los Angeles +3
***All point spreads are provided by Fox Bet, and are locked in on Friday at 12:00 pm ET/9:00 am PT