Ricky Dimon
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Week 2 of the NFL season kicked off on Thursday night with the Chiefs getting the best of a crucial AFC West contest against the Chargers. The remaining slate also offers plenty of intrigue, with more division rivalry games and not one but two installments of Monday Night Football. The Sunday night showdown is one of those divisional battles, as the Packers are hosting the Bears.
Here is this week’s mega parlay:
Colts -5.5 alternate spread (+110)
Bengals -7 (-110)
Cardinals ML (+190)
Parlay odds: +1083
For this parlay, we are going with two favorites against the spread (one on an alternate number) and one underdog on the money line. Let’s break down each of the three legs one by one.
Get our NFL picks for every Week 2 matchup
Indianapolis Colts -5.5 alternate spread over Jacksonville Jaguars (+110)
The Colts endured a weird opener, tying the Texans in a game in which they were large favorites. Now is the time to buy low on a very good Indianapolis squad that underwhelmed in Week 1. Despite tying, Indy dominated the box score. If you look at total yardage, the Colts out-gained the Texans by a ridiculous 517 to 299 margin. It’s not often that you see a team go for 500+ yards, hold the opposing team to less than 300 yards and still not win. The Colts just had some sloppy miscues, including the recently released Rodrigo Blankenship missing an easy field goal for the win.
Matt Ryan took a little bit of time to adjust to his new team, but otherwise Frank Reich’s team looked good. Michael Pittman amassed 121 yards and the Jaguars’ secondary – which just got shredded by Carson Wentz – probably won’t be able to cover him. With the game under their belt, the Colts should make strides in Week 2 against another unspectacular opponent. I would play this line to -5.5.
Be sure to check out our full Indianapolis Colts vs Jacksonville Jaguars predictions
Cincinnati Bengals -7 over Dallas Cowboys (-110)
As bad as things were for the Bengals in Week 1, no team endured a disaster quite like the Cowboys. Not only did Dallas lose to Tampa Bay 19-3 at home, but quarterback Dak Prescott also went down with a broken right thumb. That means Cooper Rush will be under center, which probably isn’t a great thing. Rush’s body of work is small; he has thrown only 63 passes in his entire NFL career – including 13 after he replaced Prescott last week (7-for-13, 64 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions). Even when Prescott was in the game, the Cowboys’ offense did next to nothing. As for the Bengals, Joe Burrow turned the ball over 5 times last weekend and they still came within an extra point of winning. Cincinnati is simply a far better team than an undermanned Dallas squad.
Be sure to check out our full Cincinnati Bengals vs Dallas Cowboys predictions
Arizona Cardinals ML over Las Vegas Raiders (+190)
Both teams could really use a win, as 0-2 is not the best way to kick off your season. The key here is the struggling offensive line of the Raiders, who are coming off a loss to the Chargers. The Cardinals don’t have a killer pass-rush like the Chargers and they continue to line up in a wide-nine formation, but with a weak offensive line and a somewhat anemic Raiders ground game it may not matter. Offensively, the Cardinals are going to come at the Raiders from all angles. They will utilize James Conner early and try to establish more play-action downfield. Also look for Kyler Murray to get a little more creative and extend plays with his legs. This is a very winnable game for the visitors, so the value is great.
Be sure to check out our full Arizona Cardinals vs Las Vegas Raiders predictions
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