The 2024 NFL season kicks on into Week 3 and we’ve got five of the best bets from around the league headlined by the New Orleans Saints.
Philadelphia Eagles @ New Orleans Saints
How can you trust the Philadelphia Eagles right now?
One moment, it looked as though their NFL season was back on track. The next, they’re giving up a game-winning drive to Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons. Questions around the offence and how Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni can work together suddenly resurfaced.
Take win probabilities with a grain of salt. Still, the Eagles were close to 100% in beating the Falcons before Sirianni failed to call a running play late. Instead, he opted to throw a pass to Saquon Barkley which was dropped, giving Cousins plenty of time to move up the field.
Is Siranni leaving the speaking to Hurts post-game a good thing or a sign he doesn’t have the ear of the locker room?
Nick Sirianni confirms he did not address the team after Monday night's loss, Jalen Hurts did:
"He spoke from his heart. I thought his message was right on, dead on…When a player is saying what I would say, there is no reason for me to speak afterwards. That was perfect." pic.twitter.com/ePcuZRl3eo
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 18, 2024
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints can do no wrong. They’re the hottest team in the NFL and now $1.62 to go Over their 9.5 win total and $1.47 to make the playoffs.
Derek Carr is on fire for the Saints to rank 1st in the NFL in scoring at 45.5 points per game. He, at one stage, led the Saints to 15 consecutive scoring drives. Ranked 1st in offensive DVOA and 3rd in defensive DVOA, the Saints are on another level.
There is an angle to sell high here, but not just yet against this struggling Eagles team. We will look at their Week 4 matchup with the Falcons for that where they’re currently +1.5 underdogs.
Bet Now NEW ORLEANS SAINTS -2.5 @ $1.84Los Angeles Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Both the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-0 to start the season.
The Chargers took care of the Raiders and Panthers across the first two weeks – not a huge surprise. The Steelers, on the other hand, earned wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos on the road. We know the Falcons are a decent team and Denver is a difficult place to go regardless of how well the team is playing leading in.
These 2-0 records aren’t created equally, and the Steelers look good to make it 3-0 in their home opener.
Pro Football Focus ranks the Steelers defence as the 8th-best in the NFL right now. While the Chargers have performed well early, they’ve relied heavily on their rushing game to average 197 rushing yards per game – 2nd in the NFL. It’s an area the Steelers defence has dominated in allowing only 76 rushing yards per game (4th).
The @Steelers defense seals it! pic.twitter.com/7cnwoMJaQt
— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024
Adding further to the importance of LA’s rushing game, Justin Herbert is under an injury cloud. He’s not certain to play. The best case is he takes to the field hampered by an ankle injury.
We’re going with the Steelers in what could end up as a slugfest.
Bet Now HEAD TO HEAD - PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ $1.82Carolina Panthers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Cake, meet face.
“Antonio Pierce is not a good coach. We knew it before the season started and confirmed it in Week 1.” – Red Zone Returns Week 2
Still, the Las Vegas Raiders completed an incredible comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens to win straight up as the biggest underdogs of NFL Week 2.
So, we’re going back to the fade!
This feels like a good spot to sell high on the Raiders. They won a game they shouldn’t have, and now they get home to play what is comfortably the worst team in the league. The Carolina Panthers have barely been watchable over the first two weeks, unless you like horror shows.
As a result, Bryce Young has been benched in favour of Andy Dalton. The experiment is over.
“He posted a career-low 6.4 QBR against the Chargers and became the first quarterback selected No.1 in the common draft era to be benched for noninjury reasons in only their second season.”#NFL https://t.co/CBFL9MFFg7
— Jason (@SportsJO13) September 17, 2024
Carolina’s offensive line is still a major concern. They did Young no favours in the first two weeks of the season. This is the worst offence scoring the fewest points per game in the NFL. Still, Dalton can help. The 36-year-old might not have too many explosive plays in him, but he will know where to get the ball and when despite the poor offensive line.
If nothing else, it’s simply the right move to take the Panthers here.
Bet Now CAROLINA PANTHERS +5.5 @ $1.92Detroit Lions @ Arizona Cardinals
We’re still getting a solid read on the Detroit Lions. Hyped up to no end throughout the preseason, they’ve not convinced across the first two weeks.
They finished with double the total plays to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and did little with it. Jared Goff could only turn one of his seven trips past the 20-yard line into a touchdown. For all the talk about indoor Goff, he ranks 25th in success rate and 26th in passer rating following two games at home. The Lions rank a lowly 26th in pass EPA.
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals, however, have been superb.
Kyler Murray is having an incredible start to the season.
– 73.1 completion %
– 428 passing yards
– 4 TDs
– 0 INT
– 116 rushing yards
pic.twitter.com/4RC24euFiV— A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) September 18, 2024
In contrast to Goff, Murray ranks 3rd in success rate and 4th in passer rating. He’s playing at a high level to be among the contenders for the Most Valuable Player award at $26.
Detroit will likely rely heavily on its rushing game, which could be enough on its own to secure the win. Still, Murray is playing at a level that will keep the Cardinals in the game and should cover as home underdogs. Keep an eye out for +3 as kickoff approaches.
Bet Now ARIZONA CARDINALS +2.5 @ $2.04Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons
There is always a sense of unease when betting against Patrick Mahomes.
This isn’t the Patrick Mahomes we’ve come to know, though. He’s struggled to start the NFL season by his standards.
While the Falcons earned a surprise late win over the Eagles last week, the Chiefs got lucky. They looked to the officials on 4th-and-16, and the call went their way. With it, they pinched a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season ranked 5th in DVOA. They currently rank 18th in total DVOA in large part to their 22nd-ranked defensive DVOA. Kansas City managed only 286 total yards last week and will be without workhorse back Isiah Pacheco in this one. We know better than to look past the Chiefs as contenders, but they aren’t playing their best football right now.
Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins looked a lot better in Week 2.
This may be dramatic, but I genuinely think this singular play changed the course of Atlanta’s season.
Kirk Cousins looked like a completely different player after this throw, going from an indecisive and irresolute mess to a brass balled gunslinger.pic.twitter.com/KBAL6E9elX— Adnan Ikic (@SayWhichWay) September 17, 2024
Playing at home following a big win and with cohesion clearly developing based on that final drive in Week 2, the Falcons should have more than enough on both sides of the ball to keep close to the Chiefs, if not win straight up.
Bet Now ATLANTA FALCONS +3.5 @ $1.88