Sunday’s NFL action: Joe Burrow may be out for an extended period of time with an injured toe. Overs made a comeback. The Cowboys and Cardinals put scares into almost 50 percent of the Circa Survivor field. A penalty on a last-second missed field goal gave the Colts new life and a 29-28 victory over the Broncos. And the Chiefs are 0-2.
Bucs-Texans and Chargers-Raiders previews
Let’s see what our crew has to say about tonight’s doubleheader . . .
Bucs (+2.5) at Texans (7 ET, ABC/ESPN)
Zach Cohen makes the case for the Bucs (or rather against the Texans):
A decent argument can be made that Houston has the best defense in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Texans, their offense is a mess right now.
Wes Reynolds makes the case for the Texans (or maybe against the Bucs):
Tampa Bay was sloppy last week, especially QB Baker Mayfield, who was just 17-for-32 for 159 yards and threw a few up for grabs that the Falcons could not intercept. The Bucs offense will still be without WRs Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. Last week, they were without LT Tristan Wirfs, who has been limited in practice and now RT Luke Goedeke has not practiced this week.
Steve Makinen has a position on the Total.
Chargers (-3.5) at Raiders (10 ET, ESPN)
Matt Youmans made this game one of his Best Bets:
If the Raiders’ win at New England was any sign of what’s to come, there is some promise with the Pete Carroll-Geno Smith combo. Carroll’s defense produced four sacks, and Smith passed for 362 yards on a day when rookie running back Ashton Jeanty didn’t get much accomplished. I lean Under 46.5, yet prefer to play the live home ‘dog.
Zach previews the game and has a prop bet he likes.
Josh Appelbaum will post his MNF Sharp Report later this morning.
MNF resources
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
VSiN Pro subscribers have access to our NFL picks page with plays from hosts and guests.
NFL recap / lookahead
Dave Tuley’s ATS Report: Favorites still led 9-4 SU Sunday, but just 7-6 ATS; road teams led 7-6 SU & 9-4 ATS; Overs dominated 10-3. Tavorites lead 21-7 SU on young season with 2 pick-’ems (TB-ATL & MIN-CHI in Week 1) but just 15-13 ATS; home teams 15-14 SU with 1 neutral-site game (KC-LAC in Brazil in Week 1, but road teams now lead 15-14 ATS; Unders cling to 16-14 lead
Adam Burke turns the page to Week 3, including the Bengals (+4.5) at the Vikings. Cincinnati was a 1.5-point underdog before Joe Burrow’s injury (and the Vikings’ 22-6 loss to the Falcons):
This is going to be an interesting line to follow. Burrow’s injury is obviously a huge deal, but the Bengals were able to win thanks to Browning. The Week 1 win over the Bears didn’t age super well for Minnesota, as the Lions really put it on them in Week 2. And then a few hours later, the Vikings failed to score a TD against the Falcons. So, this is going to be a rather perplexing handicap. We’ve seen enough of Browning to know that he’s competent. And I think we’re still all wondering that about J.J. McCarthy.
>>More intriguing lines from Adam.
Contest Corner
In stark contrast to last season, 91 percent of the Circa Survivor field remains alive, but contestants backing the Cowboys and Cardinals definitely had a sweat.
With 3,505 entries on them in Survivor, the Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 on Brandon Aubrey’s 46-yard field goal as time expired in OT after a tying 64-yarder to end regulation. The Cardinals, after leading by 24 in the third quarter, needed a defensive stand in the final minute to hold off the Panthers 27-22. Arizona was the top choice this week with 5,169 entries.
The first Circa Grandissimo entry was eliminated, thanks to the Steelers, leaving 68 with two on the Chargers.
The Circa Million top 5 consensus picks went 2-3.
In the Circa Friday Football Invitational, Las Vegas handicapper Doug Kezirian jumped into the lead by one point over Frank Carulli, who still has one bet pending (Chargers-Raiders Over 46). >>Leaderboard.
In the EdgeBoost Average Joe Contest, we have four contestants with perfect 7-0 records in Week 2 with a few more pending MNF. >>Leaderboard.
>>See our contest hub for picks and standings.
If you missed the Average Joe sign-up deadline, good news. You can sign up at any point in the season for a chance to win weekly prizes (up to $1,000) and quarterly prizes (trips to Las Vegas).
Quick Hits
College Football: Adam Burke sorts through the early line moves for Week 4. He also has some bets he likes based on his adjusted power ratings.
MLB: Greg Peterson has Best Bets for today’s MLB menu. Adam and Steve Makinenwill post their contributions later this morning.
