Jim Feist

I like the Saints and Ravens to go OVER here on Sunday. Both teams have shown some explosive points production in week 1.

Baltimore scored 41 points and gained 506 yards against the Colts to start the season. Derrick Henry went off for 144 yards and 3 TDs and Lamar Jackson added more rush/passing threat as well. With Zay Flowers listed as questionable with a hamstring, Baltimore should still be able to gain a lot of yards especially if they can control the line of scrimmage.

The Saints offense was able to score 30 points as well against the Lions. Tyler Shough threw for the most yards in the NFL last week and Chris Olave went for 10 receptions and 182 yards. Olave is listed questionable due to a hamstring injury so we will see. But Alvin Kamara did practice in full and will be good to go.

Ravens have some injuries on their defense that could lead to the over. DT Nnamdi Madubuike and LB Teddye Buchanan are out and TREY Hendrickson is listed as questionable. They also will be missing CB T.J. Tampa. This could allow the Saints to rack up more points and maybe get to the low 20's.

Take the OVER here on Sunday!

Jim’s Play: 263. Saints/Ravens OVER

Take the New Orleans Saints against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. This is a large number for a Saints team that played scrappy and had some offensive juice in Week 1. New Orleans nearly beat Detroit, losing 31-30 in OT after overcoming a 21-point deficit. Quarterback Tyler Shough threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns, while Chris Olave snagged 10 passes for 182 yards. If Baltimore jumps out to a score or two early, New Orleans should have enough in the passing game to hang around.

The Ravens also have some significant injuries heading into Week 2. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, linebacker Teddye Buchanan and cornerback T. J. Tampa will miss this game, while pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is questionable to play. That may allow Shough to buy time and pick apart a Baltimore secondary that’s already without a starter.

Baltimore’s offense has questions as well. Zay Flowers is doubtful to play, and starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley and left guard John Simpson are questionable. The Ravens scored 41 points against Indianapolis in Week 1, but losing its top receiver and potentially losing key players up front could slow down Baltimore’s attack.

The current line is sitting at roughly Baltimore -8.5. This means New Orleans can lose by a touchdown and make money. I think Shough will have another big day in the air, and with Baltimore hurting on both sides of the ball I see New Orleans covering.

Jim’s Play: 263. Saints

I like the Vikings-Bears OVER on Sunday as I look for a real shootout today.  Chicago tallied 59 points and 552 yards against Carolina last week. Caleb Williams passed for 269 yards and 2 scores, and the Bears’ backs ran for 291 yards against the Panthers. Williams should have everything he needs to have plenty of options against Minnesota’s defense, which allowed 419 yards last week against Green Bay.

Minnesota will have some offense as well. Carson Wentz is slated to start in place of an inactive Kyler Murray. Wentz entered Week 1’s game and finished it 12-of-19 passing for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns as Minnesota overcame a slow start to defeat Green Bay 39-22. Minnesota still features Justin Jefferson as well as weapons to produce against Chicago’s defense, which allowed 37 points against Cleveland in its season opener.

The OVER hit easily in both teams’ Week 1 games. Chicago’s game produced 96 total points with Carolina. Both games easily cleared this distance, as Minnesota’s game finished with 61 points. The OVER opened around 45.5 and is currently floating around the upper-40s after market adjustments.

Weather will obviously play a factor, as there’s potential for wind and rain in Chicago on Sunday. But both teams have capable run games that can alleviate pressure from having to pass perfectly. Sit back and enjoy the show today as the points fly. 

Jim’s Play: 253. Vikings/Bears OVER (NFC North Total of the Month)

There are a few reasons I like Washington and Dallas OVER the total this Sunday.

Jayden Daniels vs the Dallas defense that allowed New York's Jaxson Dart to go off in week 1. He was able to throw for 23/29 with 3 TD's and no interceptions. Dallas allowed 28 points that day and Daniels is a bigger threat out of the backfield as well. Washington was able to get 132 yards from the ground in their first game. They will be missing LB DeMarvion Overshown and S Malik Hooker as well. So it should be tough to stop Daniels from running and throwing the ball.

Dallas should have their offense clicking more as well compared to their week 1 loss to the Giants 28-20. They have Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens out wide. Washington allowed some big plays against the Eagles. Which should allow Dak Prescott to make some plays as well. They will be missing LB Frankie Luvu who was one of there better defenders last week and DT Javon Kinlaw is questionable with a back injury.

Both teams are 0-1 coming into this NFC East matchup and their defenses left a lot to be desired. There games combined for 94 points last week with both offenses not playing that great. So if they can play better and their defense continues to struggle we should see a score in the low to mid 50's at least.

Jim’s Play: 271. Commanders/Cowboys OVER

I like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cover their game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. The first reason being that the match up is favorable on both ends of the field. Cleveland was blown out in week 1 by Jacksonville, 34-10. They only managed to gain 272 total yards on the day and were unable to move the ball effectively. Watson only managed to throw for 205 yards and was not able to create any big plays.

Tampa lost their first game by a closer margin and were able to score 27 points. Mayfield went 23/28 for 216 yards and 0 interceptions. Their main downfall was dropping the ball 4 times, 3 of which were attributed to Mayfield. Something that Tampa Bay can correct going into week 2. If they do then they have plenty of weapons to put up points on Cleveland.

Another factor to consider is the injuries to Cleveland's defense. Cornerback Tyson Campbell is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. They also have lost guard Teven Jenkins which can open up more room for Tampa to push up the line of scrimmage. On Saturday Cleveland listed another cornerback, Noah Igbinoghene, with a hand injury.

This can allow Tampa to stay ahead of the game. As long as Tampa Bay doesn't drop the ball like they did in week 1, they should be able to throw the ball on Cleveland and force Watson into short completions. 

We've seen a pretty good line move on to Tampa Bay here in this one, but I believe there's still room for us to get the cover and not take the worst of the number.

Jim’s Play: 260. Buccaneers

I look for the New York Jets to cover the spread and possibly win outright on Sunday at home against the Green Bay Packers.. They showed many favorable matchups against the Titans last week that they can continue to take advantage of.

New York was able to keep the Titans to 23-10 and only gave up 195 total yards on the road. Their defense did a great job against the pass, only allowing Cam Ward to throw for 140 yards on 32 pass attempts. They were also able to record 3 sacks against him. Green Bay was defeated by the Vikings last week 29-22 and relied heavily on their passing game, they only rushed for 66 yards. If the Packers continue to be one dimensional, the Jets will be able to focus more on getting pressure on Jordan Love and limiting big plays through the air.

New York had a good formula going on offense that they can continue to use this week. Breece Hall ran for 102 yards and a TD, Geno Smith went 19 of 24 for 215 yards. Having that balance on offense will allow the Jets to not have to rely on Smith throwing 40 times to be competitive. They can continue to move the ball on the ground, which will keep their drives shorter and easier third downs to convert. With Garrett Wilson on the outside, Smith will have a weapon to throw the ball down field as well.

Another favorable matchup will come from the Green Bay defensive front. DT Javon Hargrave has been ruled out, and Warren Brinson has been ruled out as well. Aaron Banks has been listed as questionable at guard for the Jets. This can allow Breece Hall and the offensive line to gain more yardage against the Packers interior defensive line.

The Jets will not have all their personnel, they are missing Minkah Fitzpatrick, Joseph Ossai, Omar Cooper Jr. and Kene Nwangwu. With no Fitzpatrick, the Jets will have to make some adjustments on the back end of their secondary to match up with Jordan Love. Jamien Sherwood, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and rookie D'Angelo Ponds are expected to play, Will McDonald IV may also play.

With the number being at 3.5, I feel the Jets can give themselves an opportunity to cover this game at home. They can continue to run the ball, showed great defense last week and the Packers have some question marks at running back and defensive line. As long as the Jets don't give up any turnovers, they can have a chance to win this game outright.

Jim’s Play: 252. Jets 

I’m looking at Houston to win this game on Sunday against Cincinnati straight up and take the spread out of the equation.  Two reasons I love Houston most are their defensive line and playing at home.

Bengals starting quarterback Joe Burrow has been dealing with back tightness, and while he was a full participant in practice on Friday, he is still on the official injury report as questionable. This is notable against a Houston defensive line that has Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter at edge. They have two of the best defenders on the perimeter Cincinnati will face this year. If Houston can pressure Burrow and keep him uncomfortable while also not allowing him to find Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins consistently downfield, then the Texans defense can dictate this game.

The Texans were able to put up 31 points against Buffalo last week, and David Montgomery was able to run for three touchdowns on his debut. He gave Houston a physical runner that they didn’t have a lot of last season, so if they are able to establish the run with Montgomery it will force Cincinnati’s offense to spend more time on the sideline and allow C.J. Stroud more opportunities to utilize play-action. 

I do worry about the fact Houston will be without Nico Collins who was ruled out this week with a hamstring injury, but fortunately for Houston, Cincinnati defensive end B. J. Hill is also questionable to play this week with an Achilles injury.

Houston will also have home-field advantage in this game, which is their home opener. If Houston can rattle Burrow, run the ball and control the clock while minimizing mistakes that would allow Cincinnati to have short fields, I like the Texans to bounce back on both sides of the ball and win Sunday.

Jim’s Play: 262. Texans (ML)

Tennessee. Tennessee was held to just 195 yards and 10 points in week 1, as rookie QB Cam Ward struggled against pressure and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. Philadelphia did not blitz often but still had one of the best pressure rates in Week 1.

On the other side of the ball, Tennessee allowed 142 yards on the ground to RBs. Philadelphia should be able to attack this weakness with Saquon Barkley and what should be a better offensive line than last season.

If Philadelphia dominates up front and forces Ward into obvious passing downs, they should win this game easily.