Week 1 ATS Recap: Back In the Saddle Again

It seems that I should just pick games week 1 every year, especially against Dre. We have disagreed on 18 games the last two NFL week 1s and I'm now 15-1-2 in those games. Something tells me this year wont be as easy as last because, at some point, Dre is going to get sick of being behind me in the picks and just GO OFF! For now, I'll enjoy the fact that he hasn't been ahead of me in the overall standings since he won the pick for the Ravens/Niners Super Bowl. That's a LONG time ago, folks.

Picks We Both Won (3)

• Falcons (+3) 37, Saints 34 (OT) - Atlanta shredded the Saints newly "improved" defense to the tune of 568 yards of total offense. Matt Ryan set the Falcons single game passing record, completing balls to NINE different receivers in the contest. Yet it took some late game Ryan heroics and two long Matt Bryant field goals to seal this one for the Falcons. Because, really, that Falcon defense still stinks. Can't rush the passer, can't stop the run, can't much stop the pass, either. Look for a lot of Falcon games to go like this. The Saints should be fine. Atlanta just had an all-time game. I was impressed with the Falcon running backs though, which I plan on hitting on tomorrow night on our recap show.
• Eagles (-10) 34, Jaguars 17 - There was a theme in many of the games this last week. That theme was teams getting killed in the first half, and completely turning it around in the second. This was a case of Philly majorly underestimating their opponent, allowing the Jags to get out to a 17 point lead at the half. The Eagles then remembered they were playing the Jacksonville Fucking Jaguars and scored 34 unanswered in the second half. The only people worried about this game were degenerate gamblers and survivor pool players.
• Cardinals 18, Chargers (+3) 17 - The second half of the Monday Night opening doubleheader is always a snoozefest. Literally. I fell asleep. Maybe it was the crazy sleep schedule of having a newborn, but I don't think I've ever made it through the nightcap game in Week 1 since the NFL went to this format. Arizona made a nice comeback, but we still got the cover. It made up for the cheap Indy cover on Sunday night.

Picks We Both Lost (5)

• Seahawks (-6) 36, Packers 16 - Seattle set the bar high for the rest of the league Thursday night with the throttling of a sloppily coached Packer squad. Green Bay made some out of character decisions, especially on special teams, and the Seahawks opportunistic offense responded with touchdown drive after touchdown drive. Aaron Rodgers never got going, and if that happens, the Packers don't have a chance.
• Vikings (+3½) 34, Rams 6 - We severely overestimated the Rams chances with Shaun Hill at quarterback. We also neglected to anticipate that Cordarrelle Patterson would turn into Percy Harvin-lite and abuse the Rams defense and special teams to a combined 176 yards. 67 of those yards came on a dazzling play-of-the-year type play, where he made almost the entire Viking D miss him en route to the end zone.
• Bills (+7) 23, Bears 20 (OT) - Wow, I just can't wait to hear Dre's take on this game on the Wednesday recap show. The Bears showed you how maddeningly frustrating they can be, and how supremely talented the offense is, but could never put it all together. Jay Cutler threw two hideous picks and Fred Jackson went full on Beast Mode on Poor Chris Conte on his very own play-of-the-year style play, setting up the Bills at the Bear 1 in overtime. A quick Dan Carpenter boot later, and the Bills stunned the Bears in Chicago. Is E.J. Manuel one of those players that's just better in games and horrible when it doesn't count? After a disastrous preseason, Manuel acquitted himself well in a hostile environment. Maybe he's not so awful afterall?
• Titans (+3) 26, Chiefs 10 - Dre picked the Chiefs. Sunk them and took me right down with him. A lot of people were down on the Chiefs after so much went their way in 2013. A lot of people look smart right now.
• Broncos 31, Colts (+7½) 24 - Ugh, I warned Dre on the show that this was the pick that would come back to bite us in the ass. Sure as shit, Andrew Luck pulled off a Sunday Night comeback, just like he did last year in Houston, to get a cheap-ass cover. Sure, the Colts didn't win this time, but if they had shown up at all in the first half, they very well could have.

Smellin Pushy (1)

• Jets (-5) 19, Raiders 14 - It took a James Jones circus catch to earn Dre the push on this one, or this week could have been even worse for him. He better be sending James Jones a thank you note or following him on twitter, or whatever people do these days to show their appreciation in a non-stalkerish way.

Picks Dre Won Head To Head (1) - Hey that's 1 more than week 1 last season. Just sayin'.

• Texans (-3) 17, Redskins 6 - This game was seriously ugly. Neither team seemed to want to score, as both teams decided to trade off red zone turnovers for most of the game. The Redskins D decided not to cover DeAndre Hopkins on a 76 yard bomb that ended up being a backbreaker. It may have only made the score 7-6 at the time, but as inept as the Redskins were in the red zone, it felt like game over. Maybe the Skins should stop and the 21 and just kick field goals? Jay Gruden, call me!

Picks I Won Head To Head (6)

• Steelers 30, Browns (+7) 27 - Once again it was A Tale of Two Halves as the Steelers looked to have the Brown Fever routed until Brian Hoyer and the Cleveland D decided it was time to get their shit together. Without many offensive weapons, Hoyer was efficient enough to put down the Johnny Manziel talk at least for one more week. This game left me wondering about the Steelers. Which team are they? The team that looked unstoppable in the first half, or the team that looked old, slow, and done (like I think they are) in the second half? They get a Raven squad dealing with the Ray Rice fallout on a short week, so if they wanted a juicy opponent, here it is!
• Bengals (Pick 'Em) 23, Ravens 16 - The Bengals seemed ready to shit the bed after dominating the Ravens, albeit with field goals, for nearly three full quarters. After Steve Smith Senior Citizen got loose for a Joe Flacco miracle bomb straight out of Denver, it looked like the Ravens would escape with a win. That is until Andy Dalton decided to one up Flacco by throwing a Tecmo Bowl Blake to Pickens bomb of his own to A.J. Green, who danced around a befuddled Ravens secondary to recapture the lead, and the Bengals get out of Baltimore with a hard fought win. They will need wins like this come January.
• Dolphins (+3½) 33, Patriots 20 - Why do I not remember Knowshon Moreno being such a tough runner? The Pats had no answers for the Miami run O at all. Miami took a 23-20 lead into the 4th quarter and proceeded to go on a tough, manhandling drive that featured Moreno running the same play over and over again. New England couldn't stop it, and the Fins showed they might be over their 2013 drama filled debacle.
• Panthers (+2½) 20, Buccaneers 14 - OK, first off, what is up with those hideous new Tampa uniforms. My alarm clock wants it numbers back. Second, I hope this game and the next several shut up all the Luke Cade Josh McClown lovers out there. He's abysmal. Deal. Lovie Smith may someday improve this Tampa team, but it wont be this year. This team allowed Derek "Steaming Pile of Horse Manure" Anderson (quoting Dre) to throw for 230 yards. two TDs, and no picks. Good luck in Tampa, Lovie!
• Niners (-4) 28, Cowboys 17 - The entirety of the second half was garbage time for Dallas, who dug themselves a 28-3 halftime hole and then played against a loose Niner D for most of the rest of the way. DeMarco Murray got stripped on his way to the turf for a 49er fumble return TD and then Tony Romo went all Tony Romo all over the place, throwing three of the ugliest picks west of Eli Manning. There needs to be a serious discussion in Dallas about their ability to win with Romo. It's doubtful it will happen, as the apologists all lined up to say he was doing too much to compensate for a shitty defense. Hey Tony, look what Matt Ryan did. Do THAT!
• Lions (-6) 35, Giants 14 - Sure, the Lions did their usual Lion stuff by allowing the Giants their first TD on a penalty strewn drive, but this time it all looked different. These didn't look like the Stupidest Team In Football Lions I have gotten used to. Looking for more proof, I got it late in the game after the Giants went on a long march to close the gap to 27-14 and you started to wonder if the Lions would implode. Nope. Detroit went on a bruising, time chewing, 12-play, 80-yard TD drive that heavily featured Joique Bell toughing his way through the Giants D line and Matt Stafford converting third down after third down. It didn't look like the Lions, it looked like......a real, actual, GOOD football team. The NFC North is in trouble.

Jason 9-6-1 (.600)

Dre 4-11-1 (.267)