Week 3: Football Parlay
We’re just two weeks into the NFL season and the entire landscape of the league has been turned upside down after major injuries and benchings to some veteran quarterbacks.
Last week’s parlay had a good run. The ticket started 3-for-3 as the underdog Indianapolis Colts pulled out the road win over Tennessee, the favorite Dallas Cowboys powered over the Washington Redskins and the underdog Seattle Seahawks won outright against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers.
The lone team to not hit was my early pick of the New York Jets; but in my defense this was prior to the news of starting quarterback Sam Darnold missing the game with mononucleosis.
I’ll look to cash the ticket this time around. Check out this four-team parlay ticket with strong odds and value:
Four Team Parlay Ticket:
San Francisco 49ers Moneyline, -265
Buffalo Bills Spread (-6), -105
Seattle Seahawks Spread (-4), -105
Houston Texans Moneyline, +150
Total Odds: +1185
Potential Payout: $10 to win $128.50.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ San Francisco 49ers (-265), 4:25 PM:
The San Francisco 49ers (2-0) have been a pleasant surprise to start the season, and to most this was expected.
Jimmy Garoppolo is finally healthy and looked sharp last week in the 49ers’ 41-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Garoppolo completed 17-of-25 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
San Francisco’s running back by committee also had success. Matt Brieda rushed 10 times for 121 yards while Raheem Mostert had 13 carries for 83 yards with three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to 0-2 after losing to the Seattle Seahawks 28-26, but the biggest loss came after the game with the news quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury.
Backup Mason Rudolph showed flashes in the absence of Big Ben, completing 12-of-19 for 112 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
San Francisco seems to be clicking on both offense and defense while Pittsburgh has a lot to prove in regards to what type of team they will be without Roethlisberger.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Buffalo Bills (-6), 1:00 PM:
The Buffalo Bills (2-0) completed the New York sweep at MetLife Stadium after running past the Giants 28-14.
Running backs Frank Gore and Devin Singletary had the ground game going for Buffalo. Gore rushed 19 times for 68 yards and one touchdown; Singletary added six carries for 57 yards and one touchdown.
The Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) struggled on both sides of the ball last weekend when losing to the 49ers.
The Bengals’ defense allowed 572 yards of total offense, including 259 team rushing yards. Meanwhile on offense the team allowed four sacks.
My expectation is that Buffalo will exploit a vulnerable Cincinnati run defense with quarterback Josh Allen’s ability to make plays outside the pocket, and the running back duo of Gore and Singletary.
New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks (-4), 4:25 PM:
The Seattle Seahawks (2-0) pulled off the upset road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-26.
Quarterback Russell Wilson was at the top of his game completing 29-of-35 for 300 yards and three touchdowns, adding six carries for 22 yards.
Running back Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny were a true 1-2 punch; Carson had 15 carries for 60 yards with three catches for 27 yards, Penny had 10 carries for 62 yards and one touchdown.
The New Orleans Saints (1-1) fell to the Los Angeles Rams 27-9 - but lost much more than that. Quarterback Drew Brees left the game with a thumb injury which resulted in him requiring surgery and is expected to miss at least six weeks.
Seattle will have home-field advantage and a 12th man, and an offense that seems to be in rhythm. New Orleans’ offense has weapons in Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, but I’m not too certain quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will get the job done.
Houston Texas @ Los Angeles Chargers (+150), 1:00 PM:
The Houston Texans (1-1) picked up their first win of the season after narrowly edging out the Jacksonville Jaguars 13-12.
Jacksonville’s defense held the Texans in check as quarterback DeShaun Watson completed 16-of-29 for 159 yards with four rushes for five yards and one touchdown.
The Los Angeles Chargers (1-1) were also quiet offensively, scoring only twice during their 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Running back Austin Ekeler continued his strong start to the season rushing 17 times for 66 yards and one touchdown, adding six catches for 67 yards.
This game should come down to the wire with plenty of points scored. I like the Texans’ moneyline, but another strong play you might want to take a look at is the over at 47.5 points.