Week 1 Monday Night Football Odds Preview
September 7th, 2018
Players will have two cracks at NFL Week 1 Monday Night Football odds staring down the barrel of a double header. The New York Jets travel to Detroit to battle the Lions in the first game. In the second game, the Oakland Raiders host the Los Angeles Rams. This is a breakdown of the first Monday Nighter.
Edge: Lions
Lions Offense vs Jets Defense Detroit promoted quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator. Both Cooter and quarterback Matthew Stafford want to rush the football this season after almost exclusively leaned on Stafford the past few years. Kerryon Johnson was drafted for this specific reason as Detroit unleashes yet another running-back-by-committee on the NFL. The strategy should work against Week 1 Monday Night Football odds because the Jets not only allowed 118 rushing yards per game, but they also lost one of their top tacklers, Demario Davis.
If the Jets miraculously shut down Detroit’s rushing attack, Stafford can definitely pick up the load. New York’s secondary is good, but the Jets only sacked quarterbacks 28 times last season. Without pressure, Stafford can pick apart the Jets’ defense.
Edge: Lions
Jets at Lions Week 1 Monday Night Football Odds & Analysis Most sports bettors feel this is one of the more difficult games to handicap games in Week 1. The line opened at -6.5 for Detroit and hasn’t really moved since. Some bettors might place too much emphasis on Sam Darnold’s potential and not on how he’s likely to play.
Darnold only completed 8-of-16 in the Jets’ third preseason game. He could have a much tougher time moving the football against a decent Detroit defense that has significant, impactful players at key positions. Patricia will throw looks at Darnold that he’s never seen before.
The Lions won’t have issues moving the football against a Jets team that failed to pressure quarterbacks last season. It's a big spread, but Detroit is a bankable asset against the Week 1 Monday Night Football odds. Darnold could be great, but there's no way to know that for certain just yet.
Week 1 MNF Free Pick - Detroit -6.5 (UNDER)
NFL Week 1 Monday Night Matchups New York Jets at Detroit Lions Monday, Sept 10 - Ford Field - 7:10pm ET Week 1 Monday Night Football Odds: Detroit -6.5 (45.0)
Jets Offense vs Lions Defense The Jets named Sam Darnold their Week 1 starter after an admirable preseason by the former USC quarterback. Darnold and the Jets face a potentially tough defense on Monday. New Lions’ head coach Matt Patricia has more pieces to work with at Detroit than he did at New England. The former Patriots defensive coordinator employs a bend but don’t break 3-4, but he doesn’t stick to any script. At the end of the day, Patricia finds a way to make the pieces work and the end results for New England resulted in just 18.5 points allowed, despite surrendering 366.0 yards per game. Patricia shouldn’t have a hard time confusing Darnold. It's a first for both as Patricia has never been a head coach before. But at least he knows his way around the league. Can't say the same for Darnold.Edge: Lions
Lions Offense vs Jets Defense Detroit promoted quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator. Both Cooter and quarterback Matthew Stafford want to rush the football this season after almost exclusively leaned on Stafford the past few years. Kerryon Johnson was drafted for this specific reason as Detroit unleashes yet another running-back-by-committee on the NFL. The strategy should work against Week 1 Monday Night Football odds because the Jets not only allowed 118 rushing yards per game, but they also lost one of their top tacklers, Demario Davis.
If the Jets miraculously shut down Detroit’s rushing attack, Stafford can definitely pick up the load. New York’s secondary is good, but the Jets only sacked quarterbacks 28 times last season. Without pressure, Stafford can pick apart the Jets’ defense.
Edge: Lions
Jets at Lions Week 1 Monday Night Football Odds & Analysis Most sports bettors feel this is one of the more difficult games to handicap games in Week 1. The line opened at -6.5 for Detroit and hasn’t really moved since. Some bettors might place too much emphasis on Sam Darnold’s potential and not on how he’s likely to play.
Darnold only completed 8-of-16 in the Jets’ third preseason game. He could have a much tougher time moving the football against a decent Detroit defense that has significant, impactful players at key positions. Patricia will throw looks at Darnold that he’s never seen before.
The Lions won’t have issues moving the football against a Jets team that failed to pressure quarterbacks last season. It's a big spread, but Detroit is a bankable asset against the Week 1 Monday Night Football odds. Darnold could be great, but there's no way to know that for certain just yet.
Week 1 MNF Free Pick - Detroit -6.5 (UNDER)
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