Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
It has been another wild week in the NFL. You can say that about every week when you have 16 games to work with, but this time it really is true…
On Sunday afternoon we had a little bit of everything: blowouts, thrillers, upsets, an overtime, a record-breaking kick, and much more. Let’s break down what happened during the 1pm and 4pm time slots.
Matthew Stafford is who the Rams thought he was
The Los Angeles Rams shipped off Jared Goff, bringing in Matthew Stafford for one reason: to win a Super Bowl. Goff led them to the NFC title a couple of years ago but couldn’t go all the way. Now it’s up to Stafford to lead them one step farther.
But they also brought in Stafford for another reason: to set them up for a Super Bowl run by winning huge regular-season games, such as Sunday’s against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is exactly what the former No. 1 overall pick did, leading the Rams to a 34-24 victory as +1.5 underdogs. Stafford completed 27 of 38 passes for 343 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.
LA is now a +400 second favorite behind Tampa Bay to win the NFC, and you can be sure Stafford will be in the mix in the MVP odds when they come back on the market.
Are Raiders the best bet in the AFC?
Gosh, the AFC is wild. Through 3 weeks, the Kansas City Chiefs are 1-2 and already 2 games out of first place in the AFC West. The Raiders, who have compiled a winning record once in the last 18 years and haven’t won a playoff game since their run to the Super Bowl in 2002, are 3-0. The Denver Broncos are also 3-0. If you had Las Vegas and Denver being the last two undefeated teams in the AFC, you won — and won big.
Not far behind are the Baltimore Ravens, who lead the league in thrilling finishes. Yes, they could be 3-0; but they also could be 0-3. After losing to the Raiders in overtime, the Ravens have pretty much saved their season with back-to-back victories over Kansas City (36-35) and the Detroit Lions (19-17). Sunday’s defeat of Detroit came at the last second thanks to the longest field goal in NFL history off the foot of Justin Ticker —a 66-yard behemoth.
HISTORY!
Justin Tucker with an NFL record 66-yard field goal to beat the Lions 😱 pic.twitter.com/ObnrUNSNEI
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 26, 2021
The Ravens will eventually have to be better than messing around for four quarters with the Lions, but a win is a win in the NFL. Baltimore is +700 to win the AFC, while Las Vegas is still down at +1800. Is it time to get on the Raiders bandwagon? At 3-0, with an easy upcoming schedule, and the Chiefs struggling, I’d be inclined to take a nibble…
New York state of disaster
As for teams that definitely aren’t good bets to win anything, look no further than the New York Giants and New York Jets.
The Jets are the absolute worst of the worst, as they are 0-3 and have lost their last two games by a combined score of 51-6 following Sunday’s 26-0 setback against Denver. No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson has been a complete disaster, with zero TDs and 6 INTs over the past 2 weeks. With Wilson reeling and Sam Darnold thriving so far in Carolina, you already have to wonder if the Jets are going to doom another highly-drafted quarterback.
As for the Giants, they have a decent QB in Daniel Jones but have no one to protect him. In a battle between the two of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, New York’s was even worse than that of the Atlanta Falcons during a 17-14 Falcons win. That will help the Giants compete with their city-mates for the No. 1 pick in 2022.
Pickswise is the home of free NFL Predictions and NFL Odds. Check out the latest NFL Prop Bets and NFL Parlays as well as expert NFL Underdog Picks and NFL Computer Picks.
