Yesterday’s NFL action provided the entire gambit of emotions to football fans. There was no shortage of awesome plays to keep everyone entertained, including some down-to-the-wire finishes, but there was also a high number of injuries that are going to impact teams for weeks to come. Without the ability to train properly ahead of the start of the season, thanks to COVID-19, players are taking the field in other than optimum condition, and this doesn’t bode well for several teams that are now scrambling to fill unexpected and key vacancies.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to stop a late resurgence by the Denver Broncos to hold on for the win. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was everything Steelers fans expected him to be, throwing for 311 yards and two touchdowns. A single interception was the only blemish on the day, but that didn’t prevent Pittsburgh from taking the 26-21 victory. Things looked a little dicey toward the end when the Broncos mounted a comeback with less than two minutes on the clock, but the Pittsburgh defense sacked quarterback Jeff Driskel on fourth down to seal the deal.
Driskel was only in the game because starting QB Drew Lock exited in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Driskel did what he could to give Denver the advantage, but wasn’t able to overcome a powerful defense. The Steelers were the -334 favorite heading into the game, and they proved why they were getting such good odds with their second win of the season.
The LA Rams didn’t find too much trouble in the Philadelphia Eagles, taking the win 37-19. That’s two in the W column for the Rams and two in the L column for the Eagles so far this season, and the Rams are starting to look sharp. Rams QB Jared Goff had 267 yards in the air with three touchdowns to lead his team to victory; however, he was left without the help of running back Cam Akers, who took a shot to the ribs and was sidelined for the rest of the game. Chalk one up for the underdogs, as the Eagles were the -128 favorite to win against the +110 Rams.
The San Francisco 49ers have a roster that is deep with top talent. That’s a good thing, too, as the team lost four players throughout the game against the New York Jets yesterday. Most notably, QB Jimmy Garoppolo was sent out with a high-ankle sprain, and could miss next week’s game against the New York Giants, as well. Joining him on the sidelines were Nick Bosa, Raheem Mostert and Solomon Thomas; however, the Niners’ strong roster still allowed the -304 favorites to walk all over the +250 Jets, 31-13.
The Miami Dolphins did their best to mount a comeback against the Buffalo Bills late in the fourth quarter, but it didn’t work. Bills QB Josh Allen proved to be too much for the defense, logging 417 aerial yards, no interceptions and four touchdowns. The Fins saw an early exit by cornerback Byron Jones due to a groin injury, but the team still came within three before being stopped permanently. 31-28 saw the -239 favorites take their season to 2-0, while the Fins are now 0-2.
Stephen Gostkowski had a horrible Week 1, missing two field goals and an extra point as the Tennessee Titans almost lost their season opener. He redeemed himself with a game-winning field goal last week, and came back to further prove his value yesterday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. A game-winning 49-yard field goal with less than two minutes in the game gave Tennessee the go-ahead score, and the Jags couldn’t find their footing as the clock continued counting down to zero in their 33-30 loss. The clear favorite at -385, Tennessee made its fans proud.
Somebody must have put something in the LA Chargers’ juice. They took on the Kansas City Chiefs in what many had expected to be an easy game for the defending Super Bowl champions; however, things don’t always work out as planned. It took a 59-yard field goal by Harrison Butker in overtime for the Chiefs to secure their second victory of the season after QB Patrick Mahomes wasn’t able to do better than 302 passing yards. As an indication of how lopsided the 23-20 victory was, the Chiefs were getting -300 before the game – the Chargers were getting +300.
For the most part, the favorites proved why they were chosen to win by oddsmakers yesterday, even if there were a couple of strange outcomes. Scores that were expected to be low this season have surprised everyone, with the Over taking ten of the 15 games. Tonight’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders should prove to be a tight contest, with the Saints currently the favorite at -228. The consensus is that this will be a high-scoring game, and the 50.5 Over/Under seems a little ambitious.
