The end of the workweek is here, and for your Friday enjoyment, I have a few preseason NFL picks to tickle your fancy, and possibly add to your bankroll.
Buffalo Bills vs. Minnesota
Vikings
Neither one
of these teams had a great showing in their first preseason games, and both
will try and shake off the cobwebs to get a win against one another on Friday. The
Bills are considered a sleeper team by many including me, while the Vikings
will be measured by when Adrian Peterson comes back, and if he can stay healthy
and be the same player he was before that horrible knee injury.
NFL Odds
are favoring the Vikings at -2 ½. This being said, I don’t know why. I know
they are at home in the dome, but the Vikings are going to struggle this season.
Even after Minnesota lost Peterson, they were still 4th in the
league in rushing last season. However, they were 28th in passing,
and their pass defense wasn’t much better.
Buffalo
has adopted the spread offense. If they run the ball more than 25 or 30 times
in a game this season, I would be surprised. The only way it will happen is if
they are up by three scores. I like the Bills taking points in this one. I
think they fix what was messing them up last week against the Redskins.
My Pick: Bills +2 ½
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New
Orleans Saints
You can
read my full article on this game in the link above, but for those of you lazy guys trying
to beat the clock and get your bets in, I’ll make this short and sweet. I know
that the NFL betting lines are favoring the Saints by -6 ½, and I know that’s a lot in
the preseason. However, in the last three seasons before this season, the
Saints have won their second (third in this case but it’s most team’s second)
preseason game by an average of 23 points.
They
also have scored 36 or more points in their second preseason game all of the
last three seasons. Two of those games, they cracked 40 points. The Saints have
five preseason games this year, so the first two were useless. This is the week
they start blowing people out. Lay the points.
My Pick: Saints -6 ½
Oakland Raiders vs. Arizona
Cardinals
Here’s
one thing to know about the Cardinals, I think they will be one of the worst
teams in the NFL this season. That’s why I see no reason to not love the
Raiders taking points here. Oakland will try out a lot of their players in this
game yes, but Carson Palmer is going to destroy the Cardinals’ soft defense.
Depending on how long everyone plays, I think the Raiders are the pick here.
Even if they lose, it will be close, and +5 is way to many points for the
Raiders to be taking, even if they are on the road, it’s the Cardinals here.
They have been awful this preseason, and they have a quarterback controversy,
which is not that good for winning games.
My Pick: Raiders +5