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We went 2-0 on our opening line picks last week, locking in the Ravens -5 and Browns -7.5 before the lines moved later in the week.
We're back at it this week with two more opening line picks to make now before the lines move. We've got one favorite and one underdog that we expect to win which isn't currently reflected in the spreads.
You can see all of our current and historical NFL picks in our Best NFL Bets & Picks Guide. You can also compare NFL lines and odds by sportsbooks here.
Las Vegas Raiders +2.5 vs. New York Jets – 8:20 pm ET
This is a great scheduling spot for the Raiders, they are coming off an impressive 30-6 win under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. As expected, the team responded very well to him and the change to rookie QB Aidan O’Connell at quarterback.
The Jets meanwhile are in a terrible scheduling spot, they are on a short week after a dismal showing in a 27-6 loss to the Chargers on Monday night football. Now they have to travel across the country to face the Raiders.
The Jets offense continues to struggle mightily. Jets QB Zach Wilson has thrown just 1 touchdown in the Jets last 4 games and he has been sacked 21 times during that span as well. The offensive line issues of the Jets will certainly be in focus again Sunday night when they go up against Maxx Crosby who has 9.5 sacks on the season, including 3 last week against the Giants.
While there is talk about how great the Jets' defense is, the fact of the matter is they are bad against the run, ranking 30th in the league, allowing over 137 yards per game on the ground.
That will set things up well for the Raiders to control game on the ground with RB Josh Jacobs and take some pressure of O’Connell at QB.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see this line move down as kickoff approaches and I definitely don’t see it getting up to the key number of +3. Grab the points with Raiders now as they should cover and likely win outright Sunday night.
Baltimore Ravens -6 vs. Cleveland Browns – 1 pm
The Baltimore Ravens continue to win games and do so in impressive fashion. They have won 3 straight at home by over 24 points per game.
The defense has played extremely well at home, allowing just 11.2 points per game including allowing a combined 9 total points to the Lions and Seahawks in their last 2 home games, not exactly facing bottom feeder offenses.
The Browns have only played 3 road games on the season and they are just 1-2 in those games.
These two teams met earlier this year and the Ravens won easily on the road 28-3. The Browns were without DeShaun Watson in that one, but he is not that big of a difference-maker to make me think he can help the Browns keep it close in this game.
The Ravens have the 6th best offense in yards per game and the best rushing attack in the league, so they should be able to control this game from start to finish. Lamar Jackson has been playing up to the level his contract suggests he should, completing over 71% of his passes and throwing only 3 interceptions in 9 games.
Anything under a touchdown feels light in this one. Grab the Ravens -6 now.
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