
Welcome back to another year of the Upside Play Weekly Pick 'Em. Each week our brilliant team here will pick winners from 3 of the best games of the week. We decided to add a little more this year and we will give out 2 more picks per person each week. Last year RaiderVince (aka me, I’m RaiderVince) took home the Pick 'Em Title in impressive fashion. We love doing this each week so 2023 figures to be a fun year for the Pick 'Em so we hope you follow us along the way and maybe even ride some of our picks.
For even more picks follow us on Twitter @TheUpsidePlay.
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Lines: Bengals -2 || o/u 48
I love a divisional match up in week 1 and we get a good one from the AFC North. Joe Burrow, fresh off his new mega-deal, looks to lead the Bengals to a win in Cleveland against a Browns team with some real bounce back potential. The Bengals will have the first opportunity to see if Deshaun Watson's 2022 performance was just shaking off some rust or if he actually is washed. We know the Browns will have their hands full with the star power of the Bengals offense but with their revamped defensive line they should be able to generate pressure on Joe Burrow who did miss the entire preseason due to a calf injury. This match up doesn’t short us on star players and this is a great match up to kick off the tight race that the AFC North projects to be.
Vince: Browns
Maher: Browns
Ryan: Bengals
Zach: Bengals
Pat Bengals
Nick: Browns
James: Bengals
Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers
Lines: Chargers -3 || o/u 51
The Dolphins were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last year and the MVP-like play from Tua was a major part of that. The injuries to Tua were deadly to their Super Bowl chances but he’s healthy now and ready to show the NFL that he can lead this team deep into the playoffs. The Dolphins season will rely on the health of Tua, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb. The Chargers believe they had the talent last year to make a run at the title but gave up a 27-0 lead to the Jags. Now in 2023 they bring almost the same roster back and hope that another year in Brandon Staley’s system will get them over the hump. Justin Herbert had a down year in 2022 as he played hurt for most of the year but is in a prime spot to return to his high TD numbers with the addition of Quentin Johnston and an overall healthier year.
Vince: Dolphins
Maher: Dolphins
Ryan: Chargers
Zach: Chargers
Pat Chargers
Nick: Chargers
James: Dolphins
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Lines: Bills -2.5 || o/u 46
The New York Jets had an off-season to remember. Aaron Rodgers came out of his darkness retreat and gave them a Christmas list of players to sign before he committed to playing there. The Jets did just that by signing Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Mecole Hardman and Dalvin Cook as well as hiring his buddy Nathaniel Hackett as OC. This Jets defense is legit and has dogs at every level. This defense led Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White to 7 wins, what can it do for Aaron Rodgers? The Bills enter yet another season with Super Bowl expectations with Josh Allen at the helm. Will this finally be the year Stefon Diggs hoists the Lombardi or will we get another picture of him watching the trophy presentation from afar? The Bills still have an elite offense and should have a top 8 defense so they are built for a deep run but in a deep AFC anything is possible. We should see plenty of fireworks on Monday Night Football.
Vince: Bills
Maher: Bills -2.5
Ryan: Jets
Zach: Bills -2.5
Pat: Jets
Nick: BILLS
James: Bills
The Teams other Week 1 Picks:
Vince: Raiders +4 // Seahawks -5
Maher: Eagles -3.5 // Texans +9
Ryan: Eagles -3.5 // 49ers O20.5 Points
Zach: 49ers o20.5 // Eagles ML
Pat: Jags -4.5 // Saints -3
Nick: Falcons ML // Chargers/Dolphins u50.5
James: Giants +3.5 // 49ers vs Steelers o41.5
Image credit: AP Sports
Comments