The Dog’s Week 2 Recap

I called it Road Team Dream Week before games kicked off Thursday and it did not disappoint. My only regret is that I didn’t play them all. We’d have been sitting pretty at 11-5 with wins ATS for Tampa, San Fran, Indy, New England, Buffalo, Seattle, Dallas, AZ, Jacksonville, KC, and Cleveland. The Dog went 11-11 starting hot in the early slate and giving it all back in the afternoon under some bizarre circumstances. The good news? My Dog Pound picks went 4-1. This Dog pounded those picks this week and I hope you did too.

Arizona & Baltimore was an exciting game down to the finish.  Unfortunate The Dog didn’t cash that one. A Baltimore TD late would’ve sealed the deal on a 2 for 2 pick. Instead it went the other way.  However, the way the game played out, The Dog is excited to be looking at playing Arizona in overs going forward.

Jacksonville at Houston was a nail biter for the game, but you shouldn’t have ever broken a sweat if you were looking to cash in on JAX @ +8.5.  If they continue to hold opponents to scores in the teens, The Dog will be looking to Pound It with JAX more and more. The wrinkle will be how Jalen Ramsey’s public announcement wanting out of Jacksonville will impact the Jags D. 

Falcons Home Dogs against the Eagles.  The +3 was the result of the majority of the public thinking the Falcons wings were clipped for the season after the slow start in Minnesota during Week 1.  The Dog doesn’t expect to see a tasty line like this in Week 3.

Both Brees and Roethlisberger get knocked out of their games in the first half. Saints & Stillers are both now looking at the backups to come in and steady the ship for 5-6+ games and the season, respectively.  We’ll have to wait and see how Mason Rudolph and Teddy Bridgewater being the locked in starters will impact the lines.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers

TB 20 CAR 14
CAR -7 ❌
UNDER 46.5 ✅

This was a sloppy game and it came with sloppy bets to boot. The Dog was happy to come away with cashing 1 of 2 bets here. Weather was certainly at play in this one as it bogged down both offenses.  

The Dog wasn’t pleased with the ineffectiveness of the Carolina running game, especially their inability to punch it in with the game on the line. 

They couldn’t punch it in, PERIOD. 

It certainly makes me think twice going forward how much faith to put in a Cam Newton led Panthers team until they prove otherwise. It’s hard to say what makes this team so different from the 2015 NFC champs, but something is off.

None much to say on Tampa, they got the job done and spoiled The Dog from opening Week 2 on a high note.

San Francisco 49ers @ Cincinnati Bengals

SF 41 CIN 17
SF pk ✅

Garoppolo & Company are starting to show some semblance of the 49ers of yesteryear.  The game played out as expected, with SF putting up more points than they know what to do with and to make this an easy lock in a pick’em type matchup.

The Dog says the jury is still out on the 49ers Defense – certainly played well and got the job done but having gone against Tampa Bay and Cincinnati thru Week 2, we just haven’t seen them tested yet.

What this does tell me is I’m confident in the 49ers going with the Overs down the road. Who is with me?

Los Angeles Charger @ Detroit Lions

DET 13 LAC 10
LAC -3 ❌
UNDER 47.5 ✅🐾

24 Points UNDER. The Dog hopes you all got in on this Dog Pound pick (Under 47.5) and took it to the bank. 

After 2 quick touchdowns, this game was riddled with WR dropped passes, TDs called back (more on that later), Redzone turnovers, and missed FGs (3 & and a PAT), leading to an easy Under.

Really expecting the Chargers to also get the Win and Cover, this one left The Dog puzzled beyond belief how it didn’t cash.  Watching the replay again. Still in disbelief. However, I wouldn’t bet this one any differently.

If you didn’t catch the action, Chargers had 2 touchdowns called back on their first drive of the 2nd half due to offensive penalties.  

The Dog has some questions on how to play the Chargers ATS after the way they showed here.

  1. At his advanced age, is Rivers too much as a senior Dog?  Doggy don’t think so. He led a fantastic opening drive with some good throws that led to a touchdown leap (see #2). And despite the 2 TDs called back mentioned above, he showed the resilience of a junkyard dog to lead his team down to the Lions 1 before a 2nd Ekeler lead was spilled and recovered by the Lions.  Aside from the one sack he took and the late INT, he navigated the pocket like a old hound with the spring of a young pup. WOOF WOOF. 
  2.  Melvin Gordon out for the indefinite future, how likely is it that the running back tandem of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson can fill the void? The Dog says no problem.  These two shifty pass catching backs are perfect for the screen and scamper system which Rivers likes to operate.

Look for a tasty matchup next week for the Chargers at home against the Texans.

Onto the Lions – not a whole lot to say.  The Offense under the Patricia is just too plain vanilla. 

The Dog is looking forward to fading the Lions

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

GB 21 MIN 16
GB -3 ✅

The Dog’s head was spinning over this one, and when things look confusing, STOP THINKING. 

The Dog said K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple stupid In hindsight this was a Three-Woofs-no-brainer. 🐶🐶🐶

Rodgers or Cousins? 

Lambeau home field or A dome team on the road outside? 

Turn that brain off and collect on your bets. 

Rodgers looked phenomenal out the gate – leading the Packers to 3 scores in the first quarter and some change.  

Packers ultimately held on for the cover but boy did The Dog start to sweat.  

Jumping out 21-0 and then not tacking on a point in the final 44 minutes is usually the perfect recipe for the disastrous backdoor cover.  Good thing the Packers D nailed down the doggy door the last 24 minutes to lock in the -3.

When you can’t be smart, be good. Kiss It! 😘💵

Unfortunately this one left me with more questions than answers:

  • Are the Packers going to figure out how to play a whole game?
  • Is the  Packers defense for real?
  • Is the Vikings offense going to have this split personality all season?

This Dog may just stop thinking for a while on these two.

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans

IND 19 TEN 17
TEN -3 ❌

Indianapolis took this one by a narrow margin.  Brissett is no Andrew Luck, but The Dog bit too much on the Colts downswing.  

As I said during last Week 2 picks, Colts have some talent but are still unproven.  This might have just been their first proving game of many. A little coming out party for them so to speak. 

If Brissett can game manage, they should have a nicely rounded offensive attack and looking forward to playing this coming Week 3 home opener against ATL.  Check back for how The Dog will play that one. 

Still love what I’m seeing out of Vrabel’s boys in Tennessee and still standing by calling them a top money maker for the year.

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

NE 43 MIA 0
NE -19.5 ✅🐾

Hope you were a Pound Hound on this Dog Pound Pick of the Week.

Two pick 6’s were just a little insurance in this one, but Tommy took care of business in Road Team Dream week.  Three Woofs all-the-way. 

We know New England will be putting up points, eager to see how many they’ll hang on the Jets in Foxborough.  I’m thinking 38 WOOF WOOF.

Even though we are likely seeing some record setting lines as Miami sells off their entire team, fading Miami ATS looks to be pretty safe until further notice.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Giants

BUF 28 NYG 14
NYG +1.5 ❌

Didn’t get to catch much of this one at all and didn’t play out as planned.  Saquon put he NYFG up 7-0 early as expected. He had a respectable 18 carries for 107 yards, but was denied the ball in the passing game.

I said before this one that the G-Men have an easy problem to fix. Just feed Saquon. This squad might be further off than that.

Buffalo did more than enough to put this one out of reach for the Dog.

Josh Allen and Buffalo look to be an interesting offense.  He’s always a threat on the ground, which will open up his passing attack. Really looking forward to their home opener in Week 3 against Cincinnati.

Seattle Seahawks @ Pittsburgh Steelers

SEA 28 PIT 26
SEA +3.5 ✅

This was another unofficial Road Team Dream week pick.  Unfortunate for Big Ben to go down and out for the season, which helped The Dog.  But in all honesty, this Dog doesn’t think it mattered.

Seattle game-planned to victory and Russ delivered.  He’s just a bulldog of a QB that gets it done. The Dog loves a bulldog. 🐶

Pittsburgh is trending down, but is for some reason shedding assets like they can actually win now. We’ll see if Mason Rudolph has what it takes as he’s now the defacto Big Dog in the Steel City and the future heir apparent for Big Ben.

This Dog doesn’t see it.

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins

DAL 31 WSH 21
DAL -6 ✅ 🐾

Dallas was the #1 Dog Pound Pick of Week 2. 

Dak & The Gang Clocked In and The Dog was happily Locked In.  Dallas got up and ahead early and never let this one in jeopardy. 

Nice to see Dak Prescott completing a high rate percentage of his passes and another strong ground game out of Zeke.

Arizona Cardinals @ Baltimore Ravens

BAL 23 ARI 17
BAL -13 ❌
OVER 46.5 ❌🐾

Football is a game of inches, and betting on football is…. frustrating. 

This one was looking to be in the bag with Baltimore driving to go up 2 scores late, but then Baltimore somehow spends 2:57 inside the Arizona 15 to end the game. The Dog still can’t figure this one out, but it cost me the week and was the only Dog Pound bet to miss.

We got to put my theory to work and The Dog is drooling over this one.

Just call me The Bird Dog on this one because I’m pointing you to the AZ OVERs this year. The formula is simple and The Dog is going to take it to the bank. 

The opposing team piles on in the first half while Kliff Kingsberry’s un-special Cardinals’ offense sputters. In the second half, and with a big lead, the Cardinals’ opponent falls asleep. Kyler and co pile on late.

If The Dog’s math is correct Pile A + Pile B = Pound the Arizona OVERs..
🐶🐶🐶

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans

HOU 13 JAX 12
JAX +8.5 ✅🐾

Houston’s offense probably overswung a bit and reverted back to probably below the norm in terms of production.  But in The Dogs eyes, JAX was going to keep it within a TD, which they did, and that’s why we’re proud this was one of the Dog Pound picks of the week.  

20/20 hindsight The Dog wishes to have gotten in on the Under as this one played out pretty close to expected.  But we ain’t gonna complain about cashing 1 of 1. We wouldn’t have played this any other way.

Gardener Minshew Jr. now has to be the guy in JAX, and needs to get all facets of the offense in play.  Just hoping this guy puts on as much of a show during the game as much as he does before kickoff!

Texans at Chargers should be a fun matchup in the mid day games on Sunday. Check back in on Thursday morning for all you need to know about this one and see what The Dog is going to be pounding!

Kansas City Chiefs @ Oakland Raiders

KC 28 OAK 10
KC -7.5 ✅
OVER 53.5❌

The early games were over and The Dog was feeling great. Better than 50% and I felt GREAT about my late afternoon picks.

Early into this one though, The Dog put his tail between his legs and got on the defensive.  

Oakland jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in this one and The Dog was stunned at how he could’ve gotten this one so wrong.  No way were the Raiders going to take it to Chiefs and hold them in check, Right? Right. Woof.

Patty Mahomes and Co. snapped back like a pitbull backed into a corner and went on the offensive, opening up the offense for 4 TDs in the 2nd quarter and The Dog knew the -7.5 was cashed. 

The Chiefs D muzzled the Raiders for 0 points after the 1st Quarter. 

The Raiders D muzzled the Chiefs for 0 points in the 2nd half.

What we would’ve done differently?  Nothing.  

We were 15.5 off the O/U and appeared to miss big time.  But we’re not going to be betting on anyone bottling up the Chiefs offense for 0 points in a half for the rest of this season.

Chicago Bears @ Denver Broncos

CHI 16 DEN 14
CHI -3 ❌

The Dog was right, and still somehow getting it wrong.  

Denver didn’t really have much of an answer to the BEARS! Defense.  

Flacco somehow got the Broncos into the endzone late.  

Bears did what they had to do to get the W, but it wasn’t enough to cover.

A few Dog Biscuits on Mitch “Mitchell” aka Mr. Biscuit Trubisky.

Thru Week 2

  • ZERO TDs
  • 32nd in YDs/Attempt
  • 32nd in YDs/Completion
  • 27th in Completion %age
  • 29th in Passing YDs/Game
  • 31st in Passer Rating.  

Mr. Biscuit & Matt Nagy better get the ball moving!  For now, The Dog is going to have to be looking harder and harder at Bears UNDERS in scenarios when taking them ATS.  

Not covering the 3 points here hurts!

New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Rams

LAR 27 NO 9
NO +2 ❌
OVER 52 ❌

Sucker bets are only sucker bets when you don’t take them… Or when a hall of fame quarterback goes down slapping hands with Aaron Donald.

Brees is out with scheduled surgery on his throwing thumb which will, without a doubt, sideline him for many weeks.

In the interim, Teddy Bridgewater will take over and we’re just waiting to see how much Saints HC Sean Payton will dial back the playbook.

The Brees and Payton combo has been the one consistent down in New Orleans; how seamlessly can Bridgewater step into a complex and timing based offense?

For now, can Kamara shoulder the load of the Saints offense Week 3 on the road against Seattle? The Dog isn’t so sure.

Two young and exciting offenses square off when the LA Rams head into Week 3 at Cleveland. Check back at The Dog Pound to see how we’re playing this one, surely to be a Sunday Night Special at the Cleveland Pound!

Philadelphia Eagles @ Atlanta Falcons

ATL 24 PHI 20
ATL +3 ✅

The Home Dog in this one was a relatively easy play, especially in a home opener.

Atlanta got back to their bread and butter, with Matty Ice hooking up both of his star receivers with touchdowns and over 100 yards each. If he can limit the INTs moving forward and they can develop any kind of ground game, Falcons will be a Points Hound dream and look to be a more than favorable play in the future.

Not sure how the Wentz injury will impact the Eagles going forward, but if he takes any more licks like he did Sunday night, The Dog certainly doesn’t like the Eagles prospects.

Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets

CLE -7✅
OVER 44❌

I just talked myself into the OVER. Both of these teams have something to prove and we won’t miss Darnold this week anymore than we miss the AAF.

The Dog Week 2

The Dog put himself in the Doghouse for talking myself into the OVER on this one. We may not have missed Darnold, but we definitely missed Darnold and Siemian.

This one just wrapped up as expected and couldn’t have been more confident on The Brownies, My Dogs, at -7. 

The Brownies did exactly what was expected of them, grounding the Jets Offense on the tarmac. 

The Mayfield led Browns offense with a lot of weapons will be exciting moving forward, but in all honesty should’ve been able to pile on more than they did in this game.  

Not a whole lot else to say, the Jets will continue to struggle to put up points all year with anyone under center, especially if Darnold can’t get healthy and back on the field quick.  With an above average defense and an inept offense, we’ll be eyeing some Jets UNDERs going forward.

2019 Record

The Dog Pound🐾 2019 Record: 4-1 🚀

The Dog’s 2019 Record: 11-11 ⚠️

Check back Thursday morning when The Dog will throw you another bone with his Picks, what you need to know and how you should play Pittsburgh @ San Fran, New Orleans @ Seattle, and the rest of the Week 3 plate of games.

SEA @ PIT – Week 2

The Stillers were no match for the Pats last Sunday night. The Dog thinks Yinz be off yer rocker if you think they’ll be able to right the ship since then. Going against an always competitive Seattle, Russ will find a way to keep the Seahawks within 3 if not the outright W.

In tight calls, I always look to the QB. This one is a no brainer. One is expanding faster than Barry Bond’s head and entering the end of his career. The other gets paid just a little bit more.

Clowney should look to apply more pressure in his second week.

These aren’t the Steelers of a few years ago.

The Dog says Pound It!

The Pick

SEA +3.5

UNDER 47

Dog Pound – Week 2

Let’s face it. We’re all in a pinch and crunched for time and sometimes we gotta get in-n-outta Dodge quicker than Barney at the good ole, now defunct (pour one out) Dairyland Greyhound Race Track in the wonderful Cream State of Wisconsin.  That doesn’t mean you should cut out your weekly NFL betting intel. Stop by The Dog Pound for our 5 weekly Picks To Pound.

There’s a lot of noise out there, but these are the bets you need to pound this week. Liquidate the college fund, cash out your 401k, dig up the coin you’ve buried out back and get invested because The Dog LOVES these picks!

Week 2 is shaping up to look like a road team dream.

Three Woofs.

Pound these picks

  1. DAL -6
  2. ARI @ BAL – OVER 46.5
  3. JAX +8.5
  4. NE -19.5
  5. LAC @ DET – UNDER 47.5

JAX @ HOU – Week 2

Foles is out and Gardner Minshew II is in. Minshew was the 2nd rated rookie on PFF last week. Maybe it just looked so foreign to see a Jags QB put the ball in the air, but some of his deeper throws did actually look pretty good.

Houston showed some flashes last week against New Orleans bu the O-Line still isn’t looking any better. And, this week it isn’t New Orleans. It’s Ngakoue. It’s Josh Allen. It’s Campbell. It’s Myles Jack.

Watson is in for a long day.

I Put this as a close Houston win 24-23. When I saw this line, I salivated.

Put this bet in the Dog Pound.

The Pick

JAX +8.5

Three woofs

I blanked my account betting on this one. Who’s going to spot me more?

MIN @ GB – Week 2

Is the Packers Defense good or did the Bear just stink?

Did the Vikings find the recipe for Kirk Cousins? Under 100 yards?

What kind of team are The Falcons? Should we forget about that Vikings win?

Is Aaron Jones going to do anything? At all? Or did the Bears front 7 punish him?

This game confuses the hell out of me. When that happens – I STOP THINKING!

Get back to basics:

Aaron Rodgers or…. Kirk Cousins?

Home Field at Lambeau. or….. A dome team on the road outside?

You don’t win bets by being smart. You win by being good.

The Pick

GB -3

Three Woofs

Let’s take this one to the bank together. Who’s placing this bet with me?

NE @ MIA – Week 2

I’m surprised the Goodell is going to let the Super Bowl champs play an exhibition game against an amateur squad from Miami.

This is going to set a terrible precedent, blurring the lines between professional and amateur athletes. Watch out NCAA.

Since we have to talk about the game let’s keep it brief.

TB12 is working great. Tommy looked good last week.

NE Blew out the Stillers last week by 30.

Ravens margin of victory over their opponent last week, the Fins, was 49. 

-19.5? Are you kidding me? Need more? The Dog Says cash this one by halftime

The Pick

NE -19.5

Three Woofs

Free money bet, and I can’t unlock my phone. Someone put this in for me.

LAC @ DET – Week 2

No! You’re not in the Doghouse going against a home dog.

I’m taking the Chargers in this one. 

Chargers bested the Colts at home last week by 6 while the Lions came away with a road draw to the Cardinals.  The Andrew Luckless Colts are a better team than they get credit for. Lions go home without much of a roar. Chargers by more than 3.

The Chargers did less travel than Detroit for this Road game. Figure that one out.

I don’t see either of these teams putting up points like they did in years past. Go in your junk drawer, find your Men In Black Neuralyzer, and wipe those memories of high scoring offenses.

The Pick

LAC -3

UNDER 47.5

Three woofs

My reverse mortgage took longer than expected. Who can put in the bets for me?

NO @ LAR – Week 2

Certainly the stakes aren’t what they were in last year’s oh-so-controversial NFC Championship bout, but the Saints Come Marching In to L.A with an early season shot at redemption.

Coming off an emotional last drive comeback against a relatively highly touted Texans team, Who Dey Saints have to and will shore up and solidify on the defensive side of the ball to keep the Rams O in check. 

Rams did enough to get the W in week 1, but, they also have a lot of miles and time zones behind them in just 7 days. Don’t forget, Drew Brees started his career in the SoCal sun. We’ve all had those moments where we feel 25 again; Drew gets his today.

That’s right, The Dog doesn’t see the Rams getting it done at home this week.

The Dog likes the Saints straight up in this one

This OVER is a sucker bet.

Dog Pro Tip: a sucker bet is only a sucker bet if you don’t take it.

The Pick

NO

NO +2

OVER 52

Two Woofs

I dropped my phone in the lake. Can you put this bet in for me?

KC @ OAK – Week 2

The Dog is drooling like Pavlov’s pup when the bell rings.  I’m loving this week 2 matchup of AFC West teams in the 2nd helping of games this Sunday afternoon. 

Call 2019 the Summer Fall of Sammy as he’s well on his way to the banner type year everyone has been waiting for ever since he was selected 4th overall in 2014.  He’s got a full year under belt in the Patty Mahomes & Andy Reid offense . With that belt a few notches tighter I see them using Watkins more and more picking up where they left off last week.

The Raiders look good for 21 a game this year. I see that being more like 24-30 this Sunday afternoon as Andy Reid forgets about his defense for 2 or 3 quarters.

But, these are two old-school offensive minded coaches. Neither is going to settle with being outdone. With the Raiders good for 24, I can’t see this staying under.

Put some ketchup on the steak.

Put on your Favorite Sammy Adams song to pair with your Sammy Watkins highlights.

Put it on KC to cover and the OVER.

The Pick

KC -7.5

OVER 53.5

Three Woofs

I know my early bets won’t be paid out for the afternoon slate. Someone please put these bets in for me.

BUF @ NYG – Week 2

Back to back for the Bills @ MetLife Stadium.  Bills Mafia was shut out in the first half last week but had enough fight to come from behind with 17 2nd half points to get the dub. If they can carry some of that 4th quarter momentum into this game, they might be tough to beat.  But The Dog doesn’t see that happening.

Let’s face it, The New York Football Giants have the easiest problem to fix coming into week 2. Feed the most effective player in the NFL. 14 touches for Saquan last week?!?!?! What was that? Who cares, easy fix.

FEED THE BEST PLAYER IN THE NFL….. and feed The Dog.

G men get ahead early and don’t let up.

The Pick

NYG +1.5

Three Woofs. The Dog loves a dog.

Now, who has service? I need you to place this bet for me.