NFL
4 Picks.
1:00PM EST: PIT/ATL Under 42.5 (2 Units).
Fields at QB for the Steelers today. Whether it was him or Russ, neither provide + QB play, and this Steelers offensive line is not great. They drafted a pair of Rookies to help out but their 1st round tackle couldn't win the starting job. Rookie Center Zach Frazier will start but he's welcomed to the NFL with one of the best interior defensive linemen of the past decade + in Grady Jarrett. Atlanta's also down their best starting OL, Guard Isaac Seumalo. With the addition of Matthew Judon on the Edge, advantage Falcons up front. The Steelers also traded Diontae Johnson and drafted WR Roman Wilson out of Michigan, but Roman's ruled out for this game.
The Falcons offense struggled much of last year and they'll certainly improve with QB Kirk Cousins but he's fresh off a torn Achilles. It's a brand-new offensive system with quite a few new faces to gel with. The Steelers also boast one of the best defenses in football and they're healthy up front. They had one of the best front 7's in football led by the edge rushing duo of TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith with big Cam Heyward inside, but they went out and added ILB Patrick Queen in Free Agency. It was the one weak spot, and they filled it with one of the league’s best. Their young secondary's gotten experience and they've signed veteran depth. They also enter year 2 under defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Pittsburgh was the 8th ranked scoring defense last year and all signs point towards another top 10 finish. They'll likely finish top 5 if they can finally get some sort of complimentary play from their offense.
1:00PM EST: Saints -3.5 (3 Units).
We like what Carolina's done to get Bryce Young some help, but he was sacked 62 times last year and singing a couple league average guards isn't going to fix that. The Saints were the 6th ranked scoring defense in Joe Woods first season as defensive coordinator and they've done nothing but add that defense via FA and the draft. The Superdome has always been a tough place for teams to go and visit and that trend will continue this year.
Defensively Carolina was the 29th ranked scoring defense a season ago. They did acquire Jadeveon Clowney in Free Agency but that was after trading away their best defensive player, Edge Brian Burns. The Saints offense was inconsistent at times last year, but they still finished Top 10 in PPG despite it being Derek Carr and OC Klint Kubiak's first season in New Orleans. Their OL play wasn't always great last season, but they did go out and draft an OT 14th overall. The Panthers ranked dead last in sacks last season and the Clowney addition's a wash after trading away Burns.
Carolina won just 2 games last year and Bryce Young really struggled. They did get him some help as the WR position, but the offensive roster still isn't great. Young also tasked with learning a brand-new offense against as Brad Idzik enters year 1 at the helm.
4:05PM EST: LV/LAC Under 40 (2 Units).
With Gardner Minshew at the helm this Raiders offense won't be great. They'll run plenty of two TE sets with Brock Powers and Michael Mayer and try to run the football. The Chargers will operate similarly under Harbaugh. It's no secret he wants to run the football and develop a physical identity. They went Tackle round 1, signed 2 run blocking tight ends, and got a bruiser for a RB in Gus Edwards. They have a young and inexperienced WR, and they'll lean on the ground game. The Raiders were the 7th ranked scoring defense a season ago. The Chargers group struggled but it's a much different look in 2024. For one their offense will help them out but DC Jesse Minter is one of the brightest young defensive minds in the game. They don't lack talent on that side of the ball.
8:20PM EST: Lions -4.5 (4 Units).
This Lions offense is absolutely stacked and it's got nowhere to go but up in Ben Johnson's third season as OC. They return all key pieces and added 2023 Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler in Free Agency. They get an LA Rams team that ranked 18th in scoring defense last season but much has changed. For starters they just lost arguably the best interior defensive lineman of all time in Aaron Donald to retirement. They also lost their 3-year Defensive Coordinator to the Falcons. They did draft a pair of defensive linemen from FSU but it's a young DL going up against the best offensive line in the NFL. Detroit averaged 29.9 points per game at Home last year and there's no signs of that slowing down.
The defense is what held Detroit back last year. They were significantly better at Home compared to on the road but not great nonetheless. They addressed it in the off-season by signing DE Marcus Davenport and DT Dj Reader. Two quality defensive lineman to pair with Aiden Hutchinson. They traded for CB Carlton Davis and drafted two of the best cornerbacks coming out of College. They're ceiling is quite high but so is their floor. This defense will be much better than it was a season ago. They'll be tested early but the Rams are without their starting LT and their starting RT is questionable.
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