Cal’s Hot Lines – Week 2:

Every week I’ll give you my 5 NFL hot lines to bet heading into the weekend. We started the season hot, going 3-2. All betting lines are courtesy of Vegas Insider.

Carolina Panthers (+8.5) @Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cal’s Pick: Carolina

Tampa Bay is coming off a rough debut to the New Orleans Saints. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers get to come home for this inner division matchup with the Panthers. The Bucs offense looked out of sync against the Saints. A lack of continuity showed in the season opener. I expect that to change over the course of the season. We will see some improvements in Week 2.

Carolina looked very solid in a loss to the Raiders in Week 1. Teddy Bridgewater came in and managed the offense and Christian McCaffrey had a big day. Although the Panthers have a new head coach and quarterback in 2020, they don’t lack the same continuity the Bucs do. Teddy Bridgewater and Offensive Coordinator Joe Berry worked together in New Orleans for a few years. There is familiarity.

I like Carolina in this line because the Buccaneers are clearly not ready to dominate. Carolina does not lack talent or offensive fire power. They will win the battle of possession powering the offense through McCaffrey. The Buccaneers will look better in Week 2. The Panthers defense looked like the Matt Rhule/Baylor Bears defense in Week 1, which was non-existent. These factors lead me to believe that Tampa Bay wins the football game but Carolina covers.

Baltimore Ravens (-7) @ Houston Texans
Cal’s Pick: Baltimore

The Baltimore Ravens are coming off an absolute drubbing of the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. The running game is as vaunted as ever and it looks like Lamar Jackson may have improved his passing accuracy some more over the offseason. Even more so, the Ravens’ notoriously good defense was able to handle a loaded Browns offense with ease. This does not bode well for the Texans.

The Houston Texans are coming off a loss to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. The game was never close despite the final score. The Texans will try to pound the ground game. The offense struggled, especially without a true No.1 Receiver. Houston clearly missed the presence of DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans defense got ran over by Clyde Edwards-Elaire in Week 1. This week they get Lamar Jackson, Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins.

Ultimately no one in the league has a tougher opening schedule than the Texans. This team isn’t built to keep up with the likes Kansas City or Baltimore. The Ravens have seen the week 1 game tape. They are going to run the ball up and down the field against the Texans. Houston’s offense doesn’t have enough juice. Baltimore covers comfortably.

LA Rams (Pick Em) @ Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: LA Rams

The Rams and Eagles meet in a battle that will say a lot about the second tier of teams in the league. The Rams looked solid in their Week 1 win vs the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams’ defense stood out, coming up big in crunch time. Meanwhile, the offense played perfectly to the strength of their personnel.

The Eagles meanwhile blew a 17-point lead to the Washington Football Team in Week 1. The offense shriveled up and the defense could not make stops. There is no reason to panic in Philly yet but there is cause for concern.

Vegas has this game as a pick’em. With that in mind, I like the Rams in this one. They travel to Philly to play in front of no Eagles fans in September. The Rams looked more consistent and game ready. That should carry into this week. The Eagles are still figuring themselves out. Rams win by 3.

Detroit Lions@ Green Bay Packers (-6)
Pick: Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers came off an impressive victory vs the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Aaron Rodgers threw for 4 TD’s and over 300 yards in the win. Green Bay’s offense looked balanced and effective against a short-manned Vikings defense. The Packers defense gave up quite a few points in the victory but still made the big plays when necessary.

The Detroit Lions had a tough Week 1 loss to the Bears. Chicago made a fourth quarter comeback and DeAndre Swift dropped the game winning TD in the endzone. Like I said, it was a tough loss. There were bright spots though. The Lions defense looked improved and effective for MOST of the game. Matt Stafford looked fantastic after missing significant time in 2019. The offense utilized a solid running game behind Adrian Peterson and DeAndre Swift.

This Lion’s team has the fire power to keep up with the Packers offense. I love the Lions from a fantasy football perspective this weekend. BUT this is about betting lines. The Packers defense is about making plays and the Lions offense tends to indulge defenses in such matters of the heart. Rodgers has historically played well against the Lions and I don’t see anything changing this weekend. Packers win and cover.

New England Patriots @ Seattle Seahawks (-4)
Pick: Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks came out looking solid in a Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Russell Wilson looked fantastic and the rest of the league has finally accepted him as simply one of the top 5 QB’s in the league. Wilson’s talent, leadership, and mobility have allowed him to carry a Seahawks offense lacking offensive gusto in years past. With the addition of TE Greg Olsen and the emergence of D.K. Metcalf have given the offense a boost in 2020.

The Cam Newton Era in New England took off in a Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots offense looked completely different, utilizing the strengths of their new signal caller. The running game looked spicy and creative, utilizing Cam Newton in a variety of ways. The defense, while lacking depth, looked capable against a struggling Ryan Fitzpatrick. Belichick was very complimentary of Wilson this week.

This weekend will be a close game between blue-chip franchises. I give the edge to the Seahawks who have more continuity balance, and talent across the roster. Seattle has no home crowd edge but they will be tough to beat. Seattle wins and Covers.