Week 1 of the NFL season is always a learning process for coaches, fans and gamblers alike. While it’s easy to overreact with only 1/16 of the regular season in the books for each team, it’s also important to glean all of the information possible now that the games actually count.
There were some shockers last weekend, including the biggest underdog on the board (Tampa Bay +10 at New Orleans) winning OUTRIGHT. The Bucs put up a whopping 48 points on the highly-regarded Saints, despite playing with backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
But there were also some things you can always rely on come regular season play. Like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers leading their teams to victories, Doug Pederson figuring out a scheme good enough to win no matter what his injury situation may be with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Kent Elola Sports posting another winning NFL and college football week!
We made it 2-for-2 in winning College Football Saturdays so far this season with easy winners like Alabama (-36) — the Crimson Tide won by FIFTY over Arkansas State — the Oklahoma-UCLA OVER 65, Stanford (-6) over USC, and Arizona State (+7) as an outright underdog winner against Michigan State in a late-night West Coast game.
It was onto NFL Sunday where we used the “Cat Theory,” cashing tickets on the Panthers (who suffocated Dallas), the Bengals (another outright underdog win over the Colts) and the Jaguars (who took care of business on the road against the Giants). We also cashed a patented King Kent 6-point teaser, with Atlanta (+8) and Baltimore (-1.5) coming through comfortably. NFL Week 1 was capped by hitting our highest-rated play of the entire weekend: The Los Angeles Rams over the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football.
I loved the Rams so much I actually gave them out (and bet them) back in APRIL when the schedule (and lines) first came out. While several clients and myself locked in early with the Rams -2, many had to take the inflated line of -6 or even -6.5 by kickoff. It didn’t matter, however, as the Rams shook off the rust after halftime, outscoring Oakland 23-0 in the second half en route to an easy 20-point victory and cover.
While many thought Jon Gruden was going to be an instant savior in Oakland this season, I had my guys wise to the fact that it’s tough to come back to ANY career after a 10-year absence and expect to immediately reach the level of excellence you once had. Throw in the facts that Derek Carr remains one of the most overrated quarterbacks in football (his 3 interceptions were some of the worst you’ll see), the Raiders gave away their best defensive player in decades (Khalil Mack) for a couple of future draft picks, and the Rams have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, and the pick seemed as easy as the final score in retrospect.
It’s clear to me that Raiders owner Mark Davis (and probably Gruden as well) are far more concerned about being good when the team moves to Las Vegas in a couple of years than they are about giving Oakland fans a fond farewell by fielding a competitive team. Don’t be surprised if things get really ugly (and empty) around the Oakland Coliseum by midseason.
So while many bettors are already licking their wounds from a disastrous Week 1 of NFL action for them, the clients at Kent Elola Sports are eagerly anticipating more winning plays for the coming weekend. You, too, can be part of the profits simply by calling/texting Kent directly at 1-510-209-0730. Mention you read this article and we’ll give you an initial week of winners for half-price!
Here are a few of the other things that stood out to The King as we constantly evaluate and re-evaluate play on the field, injuries, line updates and value and any/all other factors that lead to more winning selections:
* Kansas City’s Andy Reid might have the most-talented quarterback of his head-coaching career in Patrick Mahomes — and that’s a scary thought for the rest of the AFC West. While Reid has been able to forge out a tremendous career leading teams to the playoffs (and one Super Bowl) with the likes of Donovan McNabb and Alex Smith (good, but not great QBs) behind center in the past, he now has a truly dynamic, athletic play-maker in Mahomes. With weapons like Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and others at his disposal, Reid will be like a Mad Scientist designing creative plays to get the ball into his game-changers’ hands all season long. Tall, strong and fast with a rocket throwing arm, Mahomes should be able to athletically execute just about anything asked of him.
* How does Dennis Allen still have a job in the NFL? After going 8-28 (that’s 22.2%) as the Raiders’ head coach from 2012-14, Allen managed to hoodwink Sean Payton and the Saints into giving him the defensive coordinator’s job the past few seasons. Yes, that same Saints defense that just gave up over 400 yards passing and 4 touchdowns AT HOME to a backup quarterback in the season opener. If the Saints — who continue to spend money and draft picks attempting to shore up the defense year after year — don’t turn things around in a hurry, look for Allen to (rightfully) be jobless by midseason, if not sooner.
* Le’Veon Bell really doesn’t like the Steelers and they’re not liking him too much either. Bell tweeted a sarcastic emoji after watching his team tie the perennial doormat Cleveland Browns in the season opener while he continues to sit out in a contract dispute. Meanwhile, his offensive linemen went out of their way to congratulate and hug backup running back James “Jimmy” Connor when he made his way into the end zone against the Browns. The message is clear to me: Bell is rooting for the Steelers to lose to increase his holdout leverage, while the team is dying to show it can win without him. Some team may be able to step up and get Bell for a discount price if the holdout lasts much longer. The San Francisco 49ers might be an interesting fit?
* Matt Patricia has one game of NFL head-coaching experience under his belt and he’s already on the hot seat. Patricia was part of a group of first-time coaches (including the return of Gruden) that posted a combined 0-7 record for Week 1. But no team (with the possible exception of Buffalo) looked as pathetic as Patricia’s Detroit Lions. Supposedly a defensive guru who learned from the great Bill Belichick in New England, Patricia saw his Lions (who were 7-point favorites by kickoff) start the season with a Pick 6 for a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead on the very first play. That may have been the highlight of the year for Lions fans, unfortunately. Patricia’s defense went on to get absolutely shredded by a 21-year old rookie quarterback (Sam Darnold) making his 1st-ever NFL start. The Jets reeled off 31 straight points en route to a 48-17 win with Patricia looking a lot like Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennell — two other Belichick assistants who were absolute flops as head coaches.
So we take all of the data we gathered from Week 1 and move forward attacking the Week 2 card which begins with an AFC North doozy. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals face-off for early control of the division after each winning last Sunday. The game is listed as a dead even pick’em, but King Kent knows exactly which way you should go! Call/text 510-209-0730 to get the winner FREE if you mention reading this article.
There are plenty of other massive plays on this weekend’s board for us at Kent Elola Sports, including selections on games involving the Redskins-Colts, Falcons-Panthers, Patriots-Jags, Chiefs-Steelers and more! We look to make it a perfect 3-for-3 in winning College Saturdays with big plays ready to crush on games including Oklahoma State-Boise State, Ohio State-TCU, Arizona State-San Diego State and many more!
I know a lot of you sports bettors got abused by the books this past weekend trying to pick your own games. You don’t try to cut your own hair, do you? Be smart and let a professional who does this full-time for a living do the job for you while you still have a bankroll to play with! Wouldn’t you rather pay a small weekly rate to ensure cashing week in and week out, rather that donking off money week after week to the sports books? Call/text me now at 510-209-0730 and let me lead you through the minefields and take you with us straight to the Cashier’s Window!