Joe GavazziFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Philadelphia Eagles -9FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Last year's Dream Team was among the biggest underachievers in the NFL with a 8-8 SU record. That came despite a team whose offense and defensive yardage were in the top 10. Much to prove this year in a season where HC Reid must put up or shut up. A 4-0 SU August, outscoring the opposition 27-15 speaks to their focus. So does the fact that they led the NFL with 50 sacks last year. Cleveland's rookie QB Weeden will not be kindly welcomed to the league. Cleveland's potential improvement from their 4-12 SU season of last rarely expresses itself in this role. They are just 2-10 ATS home and Cleveland is 0-7 SU ATS in Wk #1.
Ross KingFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
Play: Green Bay Packers -5FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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San Francisco is 6-10 on the road the last 3 seasons while Green Bay is 12-5 at home and since 1992.Green Bay are 10-2 versus the 49ers.Packers are 2-0 versus NFC West opponents the last 3 seasons as well and 30-16 since 1992.Take Green Bay and lay the points as your freeplay winner.
David ChanFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Dodgers vs. GiantsFOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw (12-8, 2.79 ERA) is set to square off against the Giants' Barry Zito (10-8, 4.51 ERA) on the mound this evening.
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Kershaw gave up one run off five hits over seven frames of work vs. the Padres on Tuesday; his bullpen let him down, and he had to settle for a no-decision; he struck out nine and walked three. The southpaw is now 5-2 with a 1.97 ERA over his last eight starts, posting a fantastic 65 to 12 strikeout to walk ratio over his last 59 1/3's innings of work.
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Zito gave up four runs off seven hits over six frames vs. Arizona on Monday, earning a no-decision for his effort; he stuck out six and walked no one. In three starts vs. the Dodgers this year though, the resurgent veteran hurler is 1-2 with a 3.44 ERA.
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Note that LA has seen the total dip below the posted number in 28 of 51 vs. left-handed starters, while San Francisco has seen it dip below the number in 36 of 65 in front of the home town crowd this year.
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Note that the Dodgers will be without slugger Matt Kemp in this one, injuring his shoulder once again. And that's bad news for an LA team which which has failed to score more than three runs in nine of its last 13 games.
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In this important divisional matchup, expect these two veteran hurlers to duel each other into the latter innings, and as a result, all signs point to a low-scoring affair!
Scott SpreitzerFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Prediction: New England Patriots
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Jake Locker may not be a rookie, but he has very few starts. I have no problem backing a Bill Belichick defense against an NFL neophyte at QB. The Patriots will bring several different looks for young Locker. New England also has serious run-stuffers up front, putting more pressure on the passing game if Chris Johnson is unable to bust plays outside on a consistent basis. The "problem" people tend to point to when talking about New England is their offensive line. We have heard non-stop that the unit failed to impress in preseason, while the Titans defense did impress. But that was preseason. And the fact is, I'm not yet "buying" Tennessee's pass rush. The Titan stop unit is young and I believe the Patriot offense will be able to exploit Titan weak spots. Add in a line that has dropped quite a bit and I believe the Pats are the right side. I'm recommending a play on New England, minus the points on Sunday.
Kyle HunterFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Rams vs. LionsFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
Play: Over 45½FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Detroit Lions should have one of the best offenses in the league this year. Detroit has the best receiver in the league in Calvin Johnson, and Matt Stafford is really turning into a star at quarterback. St. Louis has quite a few holes on defense, and the secondary is pretty weak. The Rams should have an improved offense. Sam Bradford is better than he showed last year, and the team got him some extra weapons on the outside in the offseason. Look for a high scoring contest here. Take the over.
Rob VincilettiFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Buffalo Bills vs. NY Jets
Play: NY Jets -2½FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Jets fit a nice 29-8 system that has cashed to a 6-0 record the last 5 seasons.We want to play on Game one division Home dogs or favorites of less than 4, if they won 8 or more games last season. The Jets were winless in preseason and the Bills were hideous in a few of their games. The Jets appear to be offensively challenged but may not have let the "wild cat" out of the bag and were running a very vanilla offense in preseason. The Jets will likely be more potent today. They also have a better defense and could do a nice job on a Buffalo offense that looks very average. The Jets have much of the same personnel from their AFC Championship seasons and will not be as bad as most suggest they will be. The Jets have covered 4 of the last 5 in the series and Buffalo has dropped 10 of their last 12 divisional games. Look for the Jets to soar today.
Dave CokinFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Atlanta Falcons vs Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Kansas City Chiefs
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The Falcons are one of the hot picks to make big noise this season. I'm still not sold. Meanwhile, I see the Chiefs a bit underrated. Value looks to be with the home dog here, so Kansas City is the choice.
Bryan LeonardFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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San Diego -115FOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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The Padres continue to play well while it's been a struggle for the Diamondbacks. Andrew Werner goes to the mound and he's been the poster child of consistency in his three starts, going six innings and allowing two runs in each of them. He has 17 K against just 5 BB in those 18 innings and the Diamondbacks will be getting their first look at him. The Padres have had Arizona's number this season, winning nine of the first 13 meetings entering Saturday's game. Arizona's offense has really struggled over the last four weeks, batting just .237 with a .295 OBP.
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Patrick Corbin heads to the hill for the D-Backs, having struggled in his last four outings. Corbin has allowed 15 runs over his last four starts, spanning 22.2 innings. He has already faced the Padres twice and the Padres have had success against him, scoring six runs in 8.1 innings on 13 hits. The Padres have been hitting well for the last two weeks, batting .284 and scoring 51 runs in their last 11 games Saturday night's late game on the west coast.
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There's a lot of confidence in the Padres dugout right now.
JR O'DonnellFOR THE LARGEST SELECTION OF FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Carolina -2.5FOR FREE SERVICE PLAYS VISIT THESPREAD.COM
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Let's get after the Carolina Panthers today @ 4 pm as we will lay the points with the "New Look" & defense minded Carolina Panthers.... Newton is now super comfortable with O C.. Rob Chudzinski's system. These C Panthers need to have Cam hold onto the rock as they were a perfect "6-0" when Newton didn't turn the ball over last season but 0-10 when he did. All World place kicker j Medlock will be the key here with the placekicking duties.... Panthers Roar
Bob Balfe
Bears -10 over Colts
Chicago was a good football team before all of the injures last year. Once a lot of their key players were lost and the season went down the drain the defense actually got a lot of work and stepped it up the last few weeks of the year to make up for a weak offense. This year both units are healthy going against a Colts team with a brand new QB in Andrew Luck, two new tight ends and a young offensive line on one side with a brand new offensive line on the other. This will be a work in progress for the Colts. The Bears have the much better special teams and play makers and should win this game with ease at home. Take the Bears.
Chuck O'Brien
My early free winner for Sunday is going to be on the over in the San Francisco 49ers-Green Bay Packers showdown, as I think we're going to see an incredible display of offensive fireworks here in Week 1 with these two playoff contenders.
I know the 49ers won primarily with defense and a rushing attack last season, and that's a mix for ball-control offense and lots of unders. But I also know when facing a team like thee Packers, you're forced into a high-pressured, fast-tempo, action-packed game. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be looking to strike fast, and strike often, putting Niners QB Alex Smith on his heels.
Thing is, for as bad as Green Bay's defense was last season, I'm not giving the Pack any benefit of any doubt until I see improvement. Fact is, Smith should be excited about playing uptempo since the Niners upgraded their receiving corps with the likes of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. As close as the Niners came to the Super Bowl last season, there are huge expectations for the wide-receiving unit this season.
The test comes today, as we already know what Rodgers and receiver Greg Jennings plan on doing as much as possible.
You want an entertaining game? This is the game to watch, cause there's going to be a whole lot of points scored today. Play this one high.
1♦ Niners/Packers OVER
Matt Rivers
11-7 free play run coming into Sunday.
Your Sunday free play comes out of the NFC South as the Panthers and Buccaneers clash on this opening Sunday, and I will side with Carolina to get both the road win and the road cover as the small favorite.
I have a feeling it is going to take former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano a little bit of time to get acclimated to the NFL, and the fact the Bucs are riding a regular season 10 game losing streak - failing 9 of those 10 against the spread - has me siding with the visiting Panthers.
Carolina won and covered both meetings a season ago versus Tampa Bay, and they also won in their only other try when listed as the road favorite, picking up the 27-19 win and cover at Indianapolis as the field goal favorite.
Cam Newton's second year, and I expect him to be that much better this season.
Go with the Panthers as the small road chalk.
4♦ CAROLINA
Jeff Benton
Your Sunday freebie is the underdog Buffalo Bills to keep it tight at MetLife Stadium as they visit the New York Jets.
Both teams were winless in the preseason - not that any of that matters - but it was the Jets that had the media spotlight scrutinizing their every move. It was the Jets that came up with just one touchdown on offense all preseason long.
Plenty of pressure on Rex Ryan and company, and while I am sure Tony Sparano did not tip his "Wildcat" offense hand this past August, I am going to make the Jets prove to me they can actually score points in this game.
Buffalo was a road dog last year on opening day, and they romped Kansas City 41-7 at Arrowhead. The Bills are looking to end a five game series losing streak, but it should be noted that the visitor in this series is a positive 8-1 against the spread the past nine meetings.
New York was not a very reliable play when listed as the home chalk last season, going just 3-4 against the spread in that role.
I see nothing to lose in backing the Bills, as all the pressure in the world will be on the Jets to show that the preseason truly did mean nothing.
Take the points.
2♦ BUFFALO
Craig Davis
Sunday's free play is the New York Jets over the Buffalo Bills.
Way to go Mack Brown. Way to run up the score with a meaningless late touchdown that not only pissed off the entire state of New Mexico, but cost me another 50-dime winner.
Way to throw the ball with a 38-0 lead and under four minutes remaining!!!
Gotta hand it to the Bills as they did a number of good things during the off-season. Dave Wannstedt was promoted to Defensive Coordinator and Buffalo switched back to a 4-3 scheme. William Inge was hired as the defensive line coach, David Lee was hired as the quarterbacks coach, and Pete Metzelaars was hired as the tight ends coach. Steve Johnson, Scott Chandler, Kirk Morrison, Rian Lindell and Garrison Sanborn were all re-signed while Bryan Scott and Tashard Choice were brought back.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Buffalo is sick and tired of being the laughing stock of the NFL and decided to do something about it finally.
Don't care. It's not going to stop the Jets from pummeling them today in the Big Apple.
But despite all of the changes they made all over the place, the one thing they failed to do was add any depth or talent at WR. Again, it's the same exact crew of average receivers from a year ago.
Steve Johnson, David Nelson, etc. Nothing changed... and nothing's going to change about this offense either.
As much as I like Stevie Johnson, with Darelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the outside the Bills may have more success working the middle of the field.
Week 1 is an extremely important game against a divisional opponent that has beaten the Bills five straight times.
I like what I've seen from the Jets since pre-season concluded (even though they failed to score a TD in pre-season games) and I'm taking them as my free play of the day.
3♦ N.Y. JETS
Scott Delaney
My free winner for Sunday takes us to Glendale, Arizona, where the Seattle Seahawks visit the Arizona Cardinals for an NFC West clash right off the bat, to kickoff the 2012-13 campaign. And my money is on the upstart Seahawks, who are justifiably laying a field goal, probably because the oddsmakers know exactly how good Pete Carroll's offense is going to be all season.
Now I know Seattle is starting a rookie quarterback, and countering Russell Wilson will be the mind of Arizona defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who came from the Pittsburgh Steelers. So you know the Redbirds are going to be a tough, tough unit. However, while the media darlings in Washington D.C. and Indianapolis - ahem, RGIII and Andy Luck - are stealing the headlines, I think Wilson is going to steal the show in the first week.
Carroll has built this offensive unit around Wilson, and he will not be rattled in his domain - bank on that. You want to use that aggressive Pittsburgh mentality and blitz the youngster, you better be prepared to catch him when he takes off. He can do it all, as he'll burn you deep, he'll burn you with craftiness and he'll burn you with speed.
To its defense, Arizona is built around its defense. But Seattle could say the same for his stop unit. Only now, he has a balance with Wilson calling signals.
I just like the make up of the Seahawks to start the season, much more than I do the Cardinals. Lay the road chalk.
2♦ SEATTLE