The 2^nd game Sunday has Dak Prescott lead “America’s Team” into the ultra impressive SoFi Stadium to take on the Chargers. The ‘Boys are coming off a heartbreaking game in the league opener vs the defending SuperBowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers where they somehow managed to snatch a defeat from the jaws of victory. While the performance was admirable, The Cowboys have been threatening to contend for far too long without delivering, so moral victories are worthless at this point. They play the Chargers, who themselves have long been a team who seem to be geared up to have a good go at challenging but without ever managing to do it. The hope is high that Justin Herbert is the guy to lead them to that next level and he is coming off an outstanding rookie campaign. They are looking to add a 2^nd straight win to start the season after overcoming Washington last week.

Key Battles:

Ezekiel Elliott vs The shell of Ezekiel Elliott: While Dak Prescott had what was by far his most impressive showing in his Cowboys career, being asked to throw the ball 58 times is not sustainable over the course of a season if Dallas are to have any success. He needs Ezekiel Elliott, the old Ezekiel Elliott, back to strike fear into opposing defenses. We were all told he had trimmed down, and he does look in much better shape this year, but struggled to get anything going again last week. Granted Against that Tampa defensive front, there is no shame in that. But he really needs to step up this week.

Dan Quinn’s Defense vs Herbert and Co.: As a defensive co-ordinator in Seattle, Quinn oversaw one of the most fearsome secondary’s the NFL has ever seen in the Legion of Boom. This Cowboys secondary are a far cry from what he had at Seattle and are in need of real leadership if they are to even be a reliable unit. The Chargers will look to test them out as much as they can and if the Cowboys aren’t up to it, it could be another embarrassing night for Jerry Jones’ product.

Chargers Defense vs Dak’s All Stars: Equally on the other side of the ball, this Cowboys offense is absolutely loaded with weapons. While I mentioned having to pass the ball 58 times isn’t a recipe for consistent success, having a receiver corps boasting the likes of Cooper, Lamb and Gallop is a frightening prospect when they do go to the air. The Chargers are also without the experienced Chris Harris at corner and have their work cut out for them to keep Dak from firing bombs at will.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline: Dallas 11/8 Los Angeles 6/10
Over/Under: 54.5
Spread: Los Angeles -3

23/10 for both Herbert and Dak to throw for 300+ yards seems to be too good to be true. Prescott is also 11/1 to have 2 passing TD’s in each half. Given Mike McCarthy’s love of passing the ball, that’s excellent value.

I’d lean heavily on there being more than 55 points here too.

VERDICT:

Both these teams are in the ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ bracket as far as I’m concerned. I don’t have a lot of trust in either. I have long been a doubter of Dak Prescott’s ability to elevate the Cowboys, and while the Buccs game was his best by a country mile, I need to see him do that more consistently before I change my tune. Chargers flatter to deceive nearly every year too, especially with their inability to stay clear of crippling injury issues. This is really a toss up. I’ll take the Cowboys to do what they do best and find a way to lose. Chargers by 4

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WEEK 2: 6:00pm: San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles

We had a predictably unpredictable week 1 in the NFL last weekend now we roll on to week 2. The 6pm game live on Sky Sports this Sunday sees the San Francisco 49ers travel to the Philadelphia Eagles, with both aiming at starting out the season at 2-0. The 49ers had a late scare after taking a convincing lead against the Detroit Lions last week and Kyle Shanahan will hope for a more complete performance this time out. No such drama for the Eagles who took care of a poor Atlanta Falcons effort with ease.

Key Battles:

Eagles Defensive Line vs Niners Offensive Line: The 49ers Offense have made their living out of getting top production out of a stable of almost random running backs. Along side Shanahan’s creative genius, another big reason for this is the platform their Offensive Line provides them. They face an experienced and talented Eagles Defensive line who won’t be in any mood to take a backwards step. This could be a really enjoyable battle for those who love some good old fashioned trench warfare.

The Turnover Battle: I think this will will feature in my game previews quite regularly over the course of the season, for obvious reasons. Turnovers can win/lose you games and can provide massive momentum shifts when needed. While Philly played a relatively mistake-free game in week 1, they didn’t manage to produce a turnover. Against what should be much stiffer competition this time around they may need to engineer opportunities through turnovers.

The Eagles Offense vs the Chains: Jalen Hurts looked pretty comfortable in Atlanta. But rest assured, if the Eagles fall behind the chains and give the Niners pass rush opportunities to come after him in long distance scenarios, he will have a much more stressful afternoon that last Sunday. If they can stay on track and be able to have a healthy balance of pass and run to keep the San Fran pass rush guessing, they have a chance in this one.

Boylesports Betting:

Moneyline: San Francisco 13/20 Philadelphia 5/4
Over/Under: 49.5
Spread: San Fran -3

PP are offering 3/1 on the Patriots, 49ers, Browns and Broncos all to win this week. I’ll be having some of that myself.

12/1 on DaVonta Smith for 1^st TD is good value too in my opinion.

VERDICT:

The Eagles were impressive in their first outing under new Head Coach Nick Siriani, and if they can play at anything like the same level again here, this will be a major test for the Niners. For me, that’s a massive ‘IF’ though and I expect the 49ers to expose a lot more chinks in the Eagles armour than the Falcons could. I also expect to see a bit more of Brandon Aiyuk, who was non existent against Detroit. Their Defense come in with a point to prove after that game too and I think they have too much for Philadelphia to handle if they get their you know what together. I’m taking the 49ers by 12

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A Colts loss would open the door for Tennessee to regain control of the division should they beat Baltimore with the 2 going head to head next week. The Packers come into the game with 2 wins more than the Chicago Bears at the top of the NFC North despite having played a game less. A win here leaves them 3 full games clear which would seem an insurmountable gap given how both teams have been playing. So, this game has the lot, motivation for both sides to win, both have plenty of talent but also weakness there to be got at. This is a very intriguing match-up.

Betpat Betting:
Money line: Packers 11/10 Colts 3/4
Points Spread: Colts  -1.5
Over/Under: 51.5

I reckon this is a swing for the fences type game if you’re looking to put money on it. TY Hilton to score a TD in each half is 35/1. I know he hasn’t had a good season so far, but we know he has the talent. And Aaron Jones is 40/1 to score the 1st and last TD.

Fantasy Football Outlook:
Green Bay Packers:
Packers offense has been on fire this season and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who is at the heart of that. Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest to ever strap on a pair of pads and when he is playing with a chip on his shoulder like he has been this season, he usually leads a path of destruction in his wake. But this Colts defense have given up the least amount of fantasy points to Quarterbacks in the league so it’s a clash of the unstoppable force and the immovable object. It would be a big call to not start Rodgers in ant game though.

Rodgers isn’t alone in driving the Packers forward either. Aaron Jones provides the Packers with a very solid run game and the Packers will need him performing at a high level to keep this Colts defense honest.

The holy trinity is rounded out by Devante Adams at WR, legitimately one of the leagues’ elite. Backing them up are Receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Tight End Robert Tonyan. While neither name would strike fear into too many defences by themselves, Rodgers ability to turn players of seemingly modest ability into serious receiving threats makes them viable fantasy options.

The big worry for GB is their defense though who are there to be got at. Stopping the run game has consistently been their Achilles’ heel and given the Colts solid list of Running Backs to choose from, I don’t recommend using the Packers D.   


Indianapolis Colts:
The Colts offense is led by veteran Philip Rivers who has been having an up and down type season. He may have to be content with letting the run game carry the heavier load in this game as the Packers are much better defending the passing game than a ground attack.

Indy are another team with a stable of decent Running Backs and which one provides the bulk of the production on any given day is tough to predict. Rookie Jonathan Taylor is the most talented of the three,  but Hines and Wilkins get their share of carries too and a lot depends on who shows the hot hand early.

At receiver, the Colts have generally struggled to make any impact on the fantasy landscape but there is hope. Rookie Michael Pittman had been frustrated with injury and limited opportunity up until last week, but he finally got to give everyone a glimpse of the potential he has against the Titans. If he can establish himself as a good accomplice for TY Hilton, they could be a very dangerous partnership.

As mentioned already, the Colts defense is outstanding, although they do have a big test on their hands against Rodgers and co. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed that they can be stifled. The slight worry is that they don’t have the pass rush ability to really make Rodgers uncomfortable and if they have to bring extra bodies to apply that pressure, Rodgers is very adept at taking advantage. So that battle will be very interesting to watch.

My Prediction:
I have no idea where to start. There are so many questions to be answered to decide this game. On one hand, I usually favour the teams with the solid defense. On the other hand, the Packers have been overcoming the lack of a defense for donkey’s years. And I just feel that if the Colts afford to fall behind at any stage, they’ll struggle to claw their way back. I’m taking the Packers by 6 but with zero conviction in that prediction

Packers by 6.

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