The NFL enjoyed a brilliant opening week of the 2022/23 season and now they return for another round of games with great opportunities to make money for all of you.
Among the games taking place are the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Atlanta Falcons, the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Dallas Cowboys, and the Washington Commanders facing off with the Detroit Lions.
We'll take a look at those three games and provide you with our best free NFL picks for the week to see if we can earn you some extra money for the weekend after watching some great games of football.
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Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons - 9/18, 16:05 ET
The Super Bowl 56 champions opened their season with a thumping defeat against the Buffalo Bills 31-10 in the first game of the season, and they'll be going into this home game desperate to make things right.
Cooper Kupp managed to score a touchdown, but defensively, the team got simply run over as Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Isaiah McKenzie managed to put them to the sword, keeping the Rams scoreless in the second half after going in level at half-time.
As for Atlanta, they were also defeated on the opening weekend, but they went down by just a single point against the New Orleans Saints 26-27 in an impressive performance.
Cordarrelle Patterson and Marcus Mariota managed a touchdown each while kicker Younghoe Koo scored 14 points, but it wasn't enough as Taysom Hill and Michael Thomas (2) hit touchdowns for the Saints, and Wil Lutz kicked seven points to give the home side the win.
The last time these two teams met was back in 2019, with the Rams emerging as 37-10 winners.
NFL picks: Back the Rams on the spread
A 10.5-point spread is a lot to cover in the NFL. However, the Rams are furious and embarrassed coming off of an embarrassing loss to the Bills in the season opener, and they are out for revenge. Could they have a better opponent to take out frustrations on than the Falcons? Probably not.
The Falcons scored points early and controlled the game in the first half against the Saints, but New Orleans ultimately pulled off the comeback victory and showed that not much has changed and the Rams are far stronger and more dangerous than the Saints are.
The Rams' defense is so much better than it showed in the defeat to Buffalo, and you have to factor in that the Bills seem capable of doing what they did to anyone on any given day. The Falcons just aren't on that level.
The LA offense looked woeful during the clash with Buffalo, especially along their offensive line with two new starters, but with Atlanta's defense nowhere near as convincing, it's highly unlikely to have that view again after the weekend game.
Once the Rams blow the game open, they will not look back, and they could run up the score, so our NFL picks back them to cover the spread despite how big it is and get back on track for the new season.
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Cincinnati Bengals vs. Dallas Cowboys - 9/18, 16:25 ET
The Bengals were expected to do well against the Steelers in week one, and they took the game to overtime before suffering defeat by three points.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, were smashed by Tom Brady's boys, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claiming a dominant 19-3 win on the opening weekend to send a message to the rest of the NFL.
NFL picks: Bengals to cover the spread!
Considering the Dak Prescott hand injury on Sunday night which has ruled him out for 6-8 weeks, the Bengals should dominate this football game with relative ease.
Even when Prescott was in the game, the Cowboys offense was erratic and weak, even when factoring in how good the Buccaneers' defense has been in recent seasons.
This is because the Cowboys were lazy this offseason when it came to replacing the gaps left by Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson, La’el Collins, and Connor Williams. They have glaring weaknesses that any half-decent team will look to exploit.
Cincinnati had plenty of chances to win despite two missed kicks by Evan McPherson and five Joe Burrow giveaways, so the expectation is they should be able to create enough to win here too.
This Bengals team is the superior unit and looking for revenge, and it will take it out on Cooper Rush and the Cowboys, so the NFL pick is to cover the spread.
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Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions - 9/18, 13:00 ET
The Commanders opened up their NFL season with a big win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 28-22 score, setting the tone for their upcoming season.
The Lions, on the other hand, were part of one of the most exciting games of the weekend but also came up short, dropping a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, who earned a 38-35 win despite the Lions claiming a 14-0 swing in the fourth quarter.
NFL picks: Detroit to cover the spread
Last week against the Eagles, the Lions had to prove that they could hang with an explosive Philadelphia offense, which they did. Led by D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, and one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, the Lions dropped 35 points against a talented Eagles defense, but it still wasn't enough.
Now, they get a Commanders’ defense that held their own against the Jaguars but will also be without stud defensive lineman Chase Young. Young’s absence leaves vulnerability to run up the middle, which plays right into Detroit’s strengths and leaves them vulnerable.
The Commanders looked beatable last week against a side that I'd consider being weaker than the Lions, so Detroit should be able to come into their home stadium and claim a win on the small spread.
