NFC East Weekly NFL Betting Picks: Week 2
by Dave Schwab - 9/11/2013
The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles carved out the early edge in the NFC East title race with key divisional victories on opening day, so heading into this week it is up to Washington and New York to try an avoid a dreaded 0-2 start as underdogs against two tough opponents.
Each week of the season I will briefly preview all the games in the NFC East and highlight my top play with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. I will be tracking the results as the season progresses with the goal of making at least $1000 profit with my picks.
Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers (Sunday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m.)
All the talk in Washington leading up to last week’s home opener against Philadelphia was the return of Robert Griffin III to starting lineup after recovering from offseason knee surgery. For the first two quarters of Monday night’s game, most of the fans at FedEx Field were probably thinking that he should have taken another week to get ready. He played a bit better in the second half, but the Redskins still lost 33-27 as three-point favorites at home.
Green Bay knew it has a battle on its hands heading into San Francisco as a five-point underdog. And while it was able to keep the game fairly close until the final gun, it could not cover in a 34-28 loss.
This week the Packers return home as 7.5-point favorites with the total set at 49.5.This series has been pretty one-sided in recent years with Green Bay holding 4-1 straight up edge in the last five meetings and a 5-1-1 record against the spread in the last seven.
San Diego Chargers vs. Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, Sept, 15, 1 p.m.)
The Chargers did everything right for the first three quarters of this past Monday night’s game against Houston, but it all unraveled in the fourth to result in a 31-28 loss as six-point underdogs at home. They now have to head all the way to the East Coast on a short week to try and avoid a 0-2 start.
Like a new toy on Christmas morning, Chip Kelly was finally able to take the wraps off his up-tempo offense and take it for a ride. The result was an incredible first half of football in which the Eagles ran 53 plays on their way to a 26-7 lead that they never relinquished. The big question is how well will this engine hold up with Kelly running it at NASCAR speeds.
These two teams are not that familiar with one another, especially with two new head coaches at the helm, but past betting trends favor San Diego as an eight-point underdog on the road. It is 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m.)
The Cowboys were in desperate need of a fast start. And while they did not look in top form, they were able to capitalize on a number of New York mistakes to beat their rivals 36-31 last Sunday night as 3.5-point home favorites. They come into this game with some injury concerns for both Dez Bryant and Tony Romo, but both are expected to play.
The Andy Reid era in Kansas City got off to a solid start with a lopsided 28-2 victory over Jacksonville as a 3.5-point favorite on the road. The only problem is that it is way too early to tell if the Chiefs are that good or is Jacksonville that bad. They should get a solid test this week on both sides of the ball.
Dallas may not be that familiar with Kansas City, but it is extremely familiar with its new head coach, who patrolled the sidelines for Philadelphia over the past 14 seasons. The Cowboys come into this matchup as three-point road underdogs but holding a 4-1 SU edge over the Chiefs in the last five meetings.
NFC East Pick of the Week
Denver Broncos vs. New York Giants (Sunday, Sept. 15 8:30 p.m.)
The Broncos started the season as just about every major sportsbook’s odds-on-favorite to win it all this season. And if last Thursday’s 49-27 beatdown of Baltimore as 7.5-point home favorites is any indication of how this team will play all season long, look for Denver to be making a return trip to MetLife Stadium in early February. Not only did Peyton Manning tie an NFL single-game record with seven touchdowns throws, the offense amassed a total of 510 yards while scoring at will.
I was all over the Cowboys last week as a 3-Unit play of the week not because I thought they looked good in the preseason but because of how bad I thought the Giants looked heading into the new season. Against Dallas, Eli Manning threw three interceptions and David Wilson led the way to six total turnovers with two fumbles. New York has always been a streaky team that waits until it is in dire straits before righting the ship. It is in dire straits against a vastly-superior team at this moment of time, but I do not see it righting the ship this Sunday night.
Denver comes into MetLife Stadium as a five-point favorite and sporting a perfect 5-0 SU record in its last five games on the road. Add in the fact that the Giants have failed to cover in four of the last five meetings against the Broncos, and that makes this week’s NFC East pick rather easy.
4-Unit Play Take Denver -5 over New York
YTD Earnings +300
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Read more articles by Dave Schwab
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