Sean Murphy – Sports Handicapper

My selection is on Seattle plus the points over Tennessee at 4:05 pm et on Sunday.

We won with the Titans last week in Jacksonville but I won't hesitate to switch gears as they host the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. In Week 1, when we backed the Raiders minus the points here in Tennessee I made the point that I didn't believe the Titans were deserving of all the hype. Yes, they play in a watered down AFC South division so there's a good chance they reach the playoffs, but that's where it ends. Here, they'll be up against a highly-motivated Seahawks squad coming off back-to-back less than impressive games to open the campaign. I simply feel that Seattle is more comfortable regardless of the way this one unfolds. The Titans would probably like to turn it into a high-scoring affair, feeling they have the edge on offense, but I'm not convinced it plays out that way on the field. It won't be easy, but I'm confident the Seahawks stay inside the number at the very least and more than likely win outright. Take Seattle (10*).

Sunday NFL free play. My selection is on the 'under' between Atlanta and Detroit at 1 pm et on Sunday.

Here we have a matchup of two teams that are known for their offenses but on Sunday, I'm anticipating a lower-scoring game than the oddsmakers are anticipating.

The Falcons bounced back from an uneven opening week offensive performance against the Bears by lighting up the Packers in front of a national audience last Sunday night. I'm not expecting Matt Ryan and company to enjoy the same level of success against an upstart Lions defense on Sunday afternoon.

On the flip side, the Lions are off to a somewhat surprising 2-0 start (although we've won with them in each of the last two weeks). They are in tough this week, however, even with the Falcons missing one of their best defenders in Vic Beasley.

The betting marketplace is anticipating a shootout in this one but I don't see it developing. Look for a tightly-contested affair with neither team finding much rhythm offensively. Take the under (8*).

Sean has posted back-to-back WINNING weeks to open the NFL season and missed the Thursday 2-0 SWEEP by just a point! Make sure you're on board as he targets SIX 10* TOP RATED winners on Sunday!

My selection is on Denver minus the points over Buffalo at 1 pm et on Sunday.

The Bills are 1-0 at home, but that victory came against the lowly Jets. The Broncos resume is far more impressive as they've reeled off back-to-back home wins over the Chargers and Cowboys. While hitting the road and heading East isn't easy, I expect them to be up to the challenge. Denver is playing with a lot of energy on both sides of the football right now. This is a team that seems to be rejuvenated under the guidance of first year head coach Vance Joseph. As for the Bills, they hung tough against the Panthers last Sunday but that had little to do with their own play and more thanks to the Panthers disjointed start to the season. Things get tougher in this spot and I don't believe the Bills can stick around for four quarters. Take Denver (10*).

NFL Sunday Night Game of the Month. My selection is on Oakland minus the points over Washington at 8:30 pm et on Sunday.

I’ll lay the points with the Raiders in Washington on Sunday night. Perhaps no team was more hyped leading up to the start of the season than the Oakland Raiders. So far, so good as they’re off to a perfect 2-0 start with convincing wins over the Titans and Jets. I like the fact that the Redskins are coming off a road win on the west coast last week as that helps support them as a small underdog in this spot. I simply don’t see this as a favorable matchup for a team that has plenty of flaws. Note that in last week’s victory over the Rams, QB Kirk Cousins threw for only 179 yards and a touchdown. The Redskins ground game ran wild, but that was against the Rams. Here, they’ll face a tougher challenge against a Raiders defense that limited Titans running backs to just 69 yards on 18 rushes two weeks ago (last week’s game against the Jets wasn’t a good comparison). Also note that Redskins RB Rob Kelley was forced to leave last week’s game due to injury. Washington hasn’t had much of a home field advantage in recent years and while the Raiders will get tripped up at some point, I don’t expect to see it happen here. Take Oakland (10*).

My selection is on the ‘under’ between Seattle and Tennessee at 4:05 pm et on Sunday.

I’ll back the ‘under’ in Nashville on Sunday afternoon. Seattle’s offense has sputtered out of the gates this season and until it finds a ground game, it might be a while before it starts scoring points in bunches again. There’s really nothing intimidating about the Seahawks offense right now. The o-line is weak, the wide receiving corps is pedestrian at best, and TE Jimmy Graham is inconsistent at this stage of his career. The good news is, Seattle’s defense is still above average and should be able to handle this matchup with the Titans. We won with the Titans in last week’s rout of Jacksonville. Things really got out of hand for the Jags in that one, but I’m not sure Tennessee was quite as dominant as the final score indicated. I’m still not sold on this Titans offense, which will lean heavily on its ground attack this Sunday. Defensively, the Titans aren’t an elite team, but they’re serviceable, particularly against a Seahawks offense that is still working things out. We’re dealing with a low total but I believe it could be even lower. Take the under (10*).

My selection is on the ‘over’ between New Orleans and Carolina at 1 pm et on Sunday.

Neither of these offenses put forth their finest effort last Sunday but I’m confident we’ll see both units bounce back to a certain extend this week. The Saints aren’t going to win many games on the strength of their defense this season. That may be an understatement. While New Orleans has faced a tough schedule to open the season, the fact is, it hasn’t even come close to slowing anyone down. I expect a similar story to unfold here. On the flip side, the Panthers offense couldn’t have looked much worse last week. Cam Newton is still shaking off the rust and the ground game really hasn’t taken off yet. This looks like a tremendous ‘get right’ opportunity for this unit, however, even without TE Greg Olsen. I believe this total is a shade lower than it should be. Take the over (10*).

NFC South Game of the Month. My selection is on Carolina minus the points over New Orleans at 1 pm et on Sunday.

The Panthers didn’t do their backers any favors last week as they escaped with an ugly home win over the Bills. Despite losing TE Greg Olsen to injury in that game, I expect them to turn in a much sharper performance this Sunday as they draw a favorable matchup against a struggling Saints defense. We’ve cashed tickets fading the Saints in each of the last two weeks, noting that the potential is there for them to be one of the league’s weakest teams this season. The offense is still good, but certainly not great. And here New Orleans will run into a Panthers defense that has feasted on the 49ers and Bills over the last two weeks. Yes, Carolina will be taking a step up in class against Drew Brees and company this week, but perhaps not as significant of one as most believe. Last week’s result may have spooked the betting marketplace when it comes to the Panthers. I’m confident we see them respond favorably here. Take Carolina (10*).