Xam’s Gem(s):
Vikings/Bears Over 44.5 Points -110
Both teams have dynamic offensive talent and leave something to be desired on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears have scored 68 points in their last 2 games, and have had 10 days to prepare for this game. The Vikings will be without Justin Jefferson for the foreseeable future, but Kirk Cousins has been putting up good numbers ever since Head Coach Kevin O’Connell walked through the door. The Bears have given up 27 or more points in 4 of their 5 games to start the year. Even without Jefferson, the Vikings should find success offensively, and for the Bears, Justin Fields is starting to find a rhythm in the passing game.
Bengals Money Line -158
The Bengals played their most complete game of the year last week and seem to be getting even healthier coming into this game against Seattle. Tee Higgins didn’t play last week but is expected to play in this game. Seattle’s defense has been up and down this year, surrendering 27 or more points in 3 of their 4 games this year. Joe Burrow has had another week to rest up his calf. The Seahawks have been susceptible through the air this year, and a healthy Burrow and Higgins will go a long way to getting Cincinnati’s passing game going. The Seahawks have been up and down offensively this year, and that can be a problem for them in this game.
Raiders -2.5 -122
Simply put, the Patriots are a mess right now. They’re 1-4 and have lost their last 2 games by a combined score of 72-3. The losses by 35 and 34 points are the two worst losses by deficit in Bill Belichick’s career. Now they have to travel across the country to play in a hostile environment. The Raiders are coming off a short week, but their defense had their best game of the year, forcing Jordan Love into 3 interceptions. The offense has been more of a work in progress, as they have yet to score more than 18 points in a game this year. However, head coach Josh McDaniels is an offensive guy, and with Josh Jacobs, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Devante Adams leading the way, they’re too good to continue struggling this much. The Patriots are also missing key defensive pieces in linebacker Matthew Judon and cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Josh McDaniels would just love to get back to .500 against his former mentor.
Lions/Buccaneers Over 43.5 Points -105
The Lions are just rolling offensively. They’ve scored 31 or more points in 3 of their last 4 games. Last week, they were missing wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and their first round pick in running back Jahmyr Gibbs. All they did was drop 42 points. St. Brown is back and healthy this week, which can only help the offense. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have had 2 weeks to prepare for this game. The Lions have been susceptible on defense this year. Tampa Bay has talent on offense with Baker Mayfield, Rachaad White, Mike Evans, and Chris Godwin leading the way, and they will need to score in this game to keep up with Detroit.
Cardinals/Rams Over 47.5 Points -115
Both offenses have been clicking throughout the early part of the season. Matthew Stafford has regained his old form and Cooper Kupp is finally back and healthy. Sean McVay and Stafford know how to make an offense run, and the Cardinals defense hasn’t shown an ability to stop anybody. They’ve given up 31 or more points in 3 of their last 4 games, and 69 in the last 2 games. This will come down to whether or not Josh Dobbs can get the Cardinals going offensively. They’ve only scored 36 points in their last 2 games, but scored a combined 56 points in Weeks 2 and 3.
Eagles/Jets Over 42.5 Points -115
Both teams are missing key defensive pieces for today’s game. The Eagles are without starting corner Darius Slay and standout rookie lineman Jalen Carter. The Jets, meanwhile, are without their top 2 cornerbacks in Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and DJ Reed. The Eagles have been flying on all cylinders offensively this year, scoring no less than 23 points in every game this year. They should have no issues against a depleted Jets secondary. The Jets, meanwhile, have shown life offensively the last couple of weeks. Breece Hall is finally back and healthy, and Zach Wilson has shown increased command of the offense. The Jets have put up 44 points in the last 2 weeks (excluding a defensive TD for the Jets last week). With the Eagles scoring points, it’ll force the Jets to keep up. Either Wilson will make plays on offense, or he will likely turn the ball over, leading to short fields for the Eagles.
Giants/Bills Over 43.5 Points -115
The Bills have been a juggernaut offensively this year, and especially so at home. In 2 home games this year, the Bills have dropped 86 points! They also scored 37 points on the road in Washington. They’re coming off a rough loss last week where the offense seemed out of sync, so expect them to be in top form tonight under the bright lights. The Giants haven’t shown no ability to stop anyone on defense for much of this year, and there’s injuries the Giants are dealing with on defense. Daniel Jones is out, but Saquon Barkley may come back from an ankle injury. Darren Waller is also expected to play, which is a boon for the Giants offense. This will come down to whether or not the Giants can muster anything on offense with Tyrod Taylor. The Bills should do most of the heavy lifting here, so if the Giants can be competent on offense, we should be able to get over the point total here.