Here’s some irony for you. Last week I picked four games that were possible upsets for the Best NFL Underdog picks, and in my FAQ pick column, I didn’t go with any of them. Of the four underdog suggestions I made last Monday, two panned out. Other dogs seemingly came out of nowhere to either play well, or win outright. We still have two games to go in Week 1 and the league has already been ruled by chaos.
Can we learn anything from it? I’m not sure. It’s always a mistake to get too excited or too down in the dumps early. What looks great in September wilts in October about half the time, especially when it appears a team is a significant surprise. I’m looking at you, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
All that being said, we only have the information available to us and the games we watched and followed. Here are three more games to seriously look at as underdog picks for Week 2.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-5)
The Falcons managed a total of 12 points last week against a superior Philadelphia Eagles defense. The Panthers don’t field that kind of unit, but they’re solid. More than that, they have an offense that can move the ball consistently against Atlanta’s defense. Considering how bad the Falcons looked in the opener, with the entire offseason to prepare for it, I’m shocked they’re favored here.
Carolina didn’t light up the scoreboard either in their 16-8 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, but after watching both games, I’m convinced that the Panthers have an edge. And that edge is Falcons playcaller Steve Sarkisian. My favorite twitter gag of the week came on Thursday night from the NFL Network’s Adam Rank. He posted that “Sarkisian is the NFL’s first shutdown offensive coordinator.” I owe him a high five.
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-2)
Regardless of Aaron Rodgers’ heroics Sunday night against the Chicago Bears, asking him to do the same against a far superior Vikings defense is a little much. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this line go the other way by the end of the week, so if you’re thinking Minnesota, you better grab this early.
If the Bears had mustered even one touchdown drive in the second half, the Packers would be 0-1. The Vikings should have significantly less trouble moving the ball against Green Bay’s defense. Rodgers won’t be 100 percent. Honestly, we really won’t know how bad his knee is until Wednesday at the earliest. Minnesota is just the better team and Lambeau Field doesn’t become a serious home-field advantage until later in the season.
Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins (-4.5)
I warned you about September Alex Smith last week and after a dominating victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the oddsmakers appear to have caught on. So, why have I added this game to my underdog suggestions? Because Andrew Luck was fantastic in his 2018 debut against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Luck finished 39-of-53 for 319 yards, two touchdowns and one pick. He was leading the Colts on what looked like a game-winning drive when a Jack Doyle fumble was returned for a touchdown by Cincinnati’s Clayton Fejedelem. It was one of many heartbreaking endings to Week 1, but one the Colts can build from. Luck looks like the Luck of old and how likely is he to lose two games in a row?
