Welcome back you Degenerates to Week 2 of the NFL season!!! It’s only been a couple days but boy, have we missed you! For those of you joining us today on 2021’s maiden voyage of the Weekly Six Pack, welcome. Each week, your favorite Co-Host of Betting the Diagonal will share with you his top picks in both the NFL and, soon to come, College Football. I don’t know about you, but I am ecstatic to win some money this year courtesy of your favorite teams. Week 1 was awesome! My Eagles somehow looked good and we are talking about the Super Bowl here in the Delaware Valley (just kidding, but not really). The champs looked great against the Cowboys and the Chiefs did Chiefs things coming back to beat seemingly everyone's AFC pick, the Cleveland Browns. We had to wait until Monday though for the game of the week as the constantly overrated Ravens blew yet another game to the Raiders thanks to two costly turnovers from running back Lamar Jackson.
The best part about this season is that it will finally feel like a normal NFL season again. From the rambunctious fans I call my brothers here in Philly to the 12th men and women of Seattle, fans will be back to cheer, or boo their favorites teams as they allow the backdoor cover with less than two minutes in the fourth quarter. Truly, a glorious sight. Remember to always gamble responsibly and to not gamble on your favorite teams, as it hurts like Hell when they break your heart. Best of luck to everyone gambling this season, and to all of your teams (unless you are a Cowboys fan). Without much further ado...as my man Hank Williams Jr. said so beautifully...ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!!
Buffalo Bills -3.5 vs. Miami Dolphins: 1:00P in Miami
Buffalo is coming off of a tough loss to Pittsburgh after dominating the majority of the game, a game where they outgained the Steelers in total yards 371-252. But big sacks and turnovers ultimately killed the Bills and let an early season win slip through their grasps. Miami comes into this game after a tough win against divisional rival New England and will see a shift in dynamics, from a conservative offense that averaged 5.6 yards per play week 1 to a team that averaged 6 yards per play over the course of the 2020 season (though they only averaged 4.7 yards per play in week 1). Buffalo will look to reestablish their dominance in the AFC East with arguably their closest competition so look for Josh Allen to come out firing against a strong Miami secondary. The ‘fins allowed 51 plays in the air of over 20 yards last season and that is exactly what Josh Allen needs to kickstart his season. Buffalo is 8-2 straight up and 6-4 ATS in divisional games as a road favorite over the course of the last two seasons.
Copyright: USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs -3 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 8:20P in Baltimore
Every year there is a talented team that is just ravaged with injuries. Last year it was the 49ers, this year it is the Ravens. The injury report reads like a wedding invitation list and just keeps growing. Turnovers are a real issue for Baltimore, more specifically Lamar Jackson whose two late fumbles proved to be fatal in Baltimore’s efforts to win in Vegas. The vaunted Baltimore defense gaver up big play after big play when it mattered most and are now expected to stop a Chief offense that has big play weapons at every position. Baltimore gave up 6.1 yards per play in week 1 and the Chiefs came in putting up over 6.5 yards per play, and had 69 plays of over 20 yards through the air last season (with 4 in week 1). These two teams usually lead to a good matchup but with the uncertainty of the health in Baltimore and the costly turnovers, look to take Kansas City, who is also 4-1 ATS in its last five head to head matchups with Baltimore.
Copyright: Kansas Star
Minnesota Vikings/Arizona Cardinals Over 50.5: 4:05P in Minnesota
What Kyler Muray did to the Titan defense last week was disgusting to watch as a Titan fan, but also somewhat expected. We are talking about the ultimate weapon at quarterback, a guy Lamar Jackson only wishes he could be. Murray went for 289 yards through the air and another 20 on the ground, while having a direct tie in five touchdowns for the Cardinal offense (4 passing/1 rushing). Minnesota gave up 261 yards to a young QB coming off an ACL injury so Murray should be a good bet to put up big numbers again. On the other side, Captain Kirk Cousins put up big time passing numbers in a losing effort and will need to do the same this week to keep up with an explosive Arizona offense. While Chandler Jones had 5 sacks last week, this defense is still susceptible and can be exploited. Minnesota will need to do so for any chance at winning this game, so expect a shoot out. Minnesota was 8-1 over/under last season coming off a loss and will look to match Arizona punch for punch.
Cincinnati Bengals ML vs. Chicago Bears: 1:00P in Chicago
This has ugly game written all over it. The Bears are coming off an ugly performance against the Rams where they lost by 20 points to a very talented Rams team. The play of Andy Dalton defined who the Bears are as a team, a team devoid of legit talent with their best young talent glued to the pine aside from a few plays here and there. On the Cincinnati side, it was great to see Joe Burrow come out and play well following last season's devastating ACL injury and he took advantage of a Viking team early in the game and was able to lead his team to the win at the end of the day. The Bengal offense put up a combined 366 yards of total offense against the Vikings and needed every bit of them to get away with a win. Chicago put up a paltry 4.7 yards per play in week 1 and just does not have the weapons or protection to allow Andy Dalton or Justin Fields the tools to succeed. Run with Cincy to win a slop fest as they have the better weapons and can attack an aging Bear defense on multiple levels on offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers -12 vs. Atlanta Falcons: 4:05P in Tampa Bay
Listen, the Eagles just convincingly beat the Falcons by double digits so it’s not a stretch to think the reigning champions will do the same. The Bucs offense looked like a well oiled machine against Dallas and that was with Mike Evans contributing nearly nothing. The Falcons do not have the player on the defensive side to match up with the Bucs weapons and do not have the pass rush capabilities to put enough pressure on Tom Brady to slow him down. Tampa was 12-8 ATS last season while Atlanta was only 5-7 ATS last season and 2-4 ATS against their own division last season.
Copyright: Getty Images
Dallas Cowboys/Los Angeles Chargers Over 55: 4:25P in Los Angeles
Yes, Michael Gallup just went down but the Dallas aerial attack is possibly more deadly than ever this season and Dak Prescott looked like the guy who will throw for 450 yards each game. Coming off an impressive game against the champs, Dallas threw for 403 yards and the duo of Ceedee Lamb and Amari Cooper combined for 20 catches and 243 total yards...oh, and three touchdowns. The Chargers passing attack is no slouch either and brings in the trio of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Eckler who will all put up big numbers in the passing game. These defenses aren’t that great against the pass so there will be plenty of opportunity for both of these teams to chuck the ball around. Both of these teams were 9-7 over/under last season and can cook when they have the ball.
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