Week one of the 2019 NFL season will wrap up on Monday night, and will feature a pair of games. Playing two games on Monday Night Football in week one has been the tradition of late, and that won’t change this season. The New Orleans Saints host the Houston Texans in the first game, and the Oakland Raiders are hosting the Denver Broncos in the finale. Game one will feature a pair of playoff teams from a season ago, and the night cap will have a few teams who are looking to improve greatly in 2019. Let’s take a quick look at each of these games, with a betting prediction and pick for each of them.
Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints:
The first game of the night should be the best one of the two. Both of these teams reached the playoffs a season ago, and they are both heavily favored to win their division this season. The Saints want to play fast, and score a ton of points, and the Houston Texans have one of the most feared defenses in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints are -7.0 point favorites over the Texans in this game.
The Saints have one of the all-time great quarterbacks in Drew Brees, and a pair of talented weapons in Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. Kamara is a terrific dual-threat on offense, and he should have the ball in his hands a ton in this game. Thomas is the top receiving target, and has been putting up eye popping numbers. New Orleans gave up a ton of passing yards a season ago, but their rush defense was one of the best in the league. The Saints will give up some points, but their offense will score as well.
Houston also has a talented offense led by quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Texans suffered a tough blow in the preseason when running back Lamar Miller went down with a knee injury. The Texans still have a great defense led by JJ Watt, but they will need to put up plenty of points in this one. Bet the Saints -7.0 over the Texans in the series opener. When betting the Saints; check out our favorite pay per head bookie site at https://www.a1pph.com/.
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders:
The second game of the doubleheader is likely to be a lot sloppier in the first, but it should be every bit as competitive. Neither of these teams is expected to make the playoffs this season, but crazier things have happened in the National Football League. The Oakland Raiders are slim -1.0 point favorites over the Denver Broncos in this game.
Denver has had all kinds of trouble finding a quarterback in the last few seasons, and so they changed their strategy. The Broncos brought in veteran Joe Flacco from the Baltimore Ravens, and he should have an impact on the offensive side of the ball. The Broncos will also have a new head coach in Vic Fangio, and he is known as being a great defensive mind. Denver has the talent and personnel to really put some pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and Derek Carr better keep his head on a swivel in this game.
The Oakland Raiders were a mess on both sides of the ball a season ago, and weren’t even able to manage one sack per game. Oakland let Khalil Mack go before the start of the 2018 season, and it killed their chances of being a solid team. The Raiders also struggled mightily on offense, averaging just 18.1 points per game. Bringing in Antonio Brown should help out a ton, but they still have several roster spots that are question marks. Oakland playing at home will make all the difference in the world in this game, and betting the Raiders -1.0 over the Broncos is the smart play here.
Bet the Raiders -1 over the Broncos at our favorite pay per head bookie site at https://www.a1pph.com/.
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