THE BEST GAMES TO BET
JETS at BUCS
1 p.m., Bucs by 6 ½, 44 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Jets take to the road for the first time this year in the Bucs’ home opener with Tyrod Taylor filling in for Justin Fields at QB. Maybe the only reason to take the Jets is because it seems too easy to take the Bucs. But they’re just better. Baker Mayfield is playing great football and the Jets defense that was supposed to be so tough has allowed 64 points in two games. Maybe Taylor will be able to do a few things with his legs but Todd Bowles is going to have fun coming after his old team. He’ll be able to stack things up to take away the run and come after Taylor with the blitz. We can’t see how the Jets are going to put up many points.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Bucs and the under.
CHIEFS at GIANTS
8:20 p.m., Chiefs by 5 ½, 45
HANK’S HONEYS: Yes, there are reasons to pick the Giants in this battle of winless teams but home field isn’t one of them. The Chiefs, always a good bounce back team under Andy Reid, are going to be desperate. The Chiefs may have slipped from the ranks of the elite but not necessarily on defense. You’re not going to see Russell Wilson dropping dimes on receivers downfield because those guys aren’t going to be open against Steve Spagnuolo’s stop unit. The man who confounded Tom Brady when the Giants won Super Bowl XLII is 4-1 SU against Wilson in their last five confrontations. The points are tempting but we’re making this a lean K.C.’s way.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chiefs and the under.
STEELERS at PATRIOTS
1 p.m., Steelers by 1 ½, 44 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Bottom line: in spite of the Patriots’ recent home record, the Steelers are getting too much respect as a road favorite. Their beat-up defense has been getting hammered by the run and making things too easy for opposing QBs. Drake Maye is certainly as capable as Justin Fields and Sam Darnold, and you know that Mike Vrabel will put him in good situations. The Steelers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games, including their failure to cover in Week 1 against the Jets. Aaron Rodgers looked good in that one before reverting to old man form last week. The Pats can bring pressure off the edges, the best way to frustrate him.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Patriots and the under.
PACKERS at BROWNS
1 p.m., Packers by 8 ½, 42
HANK’S HONEYS: The public has the Packers in the Super Bowl after two weeks. They’ve been great, especially QB Jordan Love. The Browns, meanwhile, look to be set up as a second straight punching bag after their abysmal trip to Baltimore. Nevertheless, this could be a flat spot for Green Bay in its first road game of the season against an easily-overlooked opponent. They could be looking just to get in and out with a W. The Pack has O-line injuries and Myles Garrett may have a say in the outcome.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Browns and the under.
RAMS at EAGLES
1 p.m., Eagles by 3 ½, 44
HANK’S HONEYS: The Rams gave the Eagles their toughest playoff test last year and we love them to at least stay within a field goal here. L.A.’s defense is legit. The Rams are getting to the quarterback with a four-man rush, allowing their DBs to blanket receivers. Granted, Philly’s O-line is a lot more formidable than the Texans’ or Titans’ but the Rams did get to Jalen Hurts seven times in that game. The Eagles have yet to play at a Super Bowl level in their first two games but a big win over the Chiefs might find them feeling too good about themselves and ripe for an upset.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Rams and the over.
RAIDERS at COMMANDERS
1 p.m., Commanders by 5 ½, 44
HANK’S HONEYS: The Commanders haven’t played since last Thursday. The Raiders are on a short week after playing on Monday night. Now they have to make their second coast-to-coast trip in three weeks in a 1 p.m. start. It’s just an awful spot for Pete Carroll’s team. The Commanders didn’t look good in Green Bay but that was a tough spot for them. Expect Dan Quinn to have worked out the kinks with the extra time and Jayden Daniels to escape Maxx Crosby enough to find receivers downfield. This will be the easiest defense he’s seen so far.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Commanders and the over.
TEXANS at JAGUARS
1 p.m., Jaguars by 1 ½, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Early season games don’t get bigger than this for the Texans, desperate at 0-2 and going into a place where they have won and covered five straight times. The Texans (5-1 SU against divisional opponents last season) had chances to win both of their games late against playoff teams — and the Jags are not a playoff team. They are still making mistakes and Trevor Lawrence is still throwing the ball up for grabs. An inspired Texans pass rush should be all over him here and lead the way to an easy win.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Texans and the over.
FALCONS at PANTHERS
1 p.m., Falcons by 3 ½, 43 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: Everybody is on the Falcons this week after their upset win in Minnesota. They are the better team. The Panthers do not match up well against Bijan Robinson and have a hole at OG with fill-in Chandler Zavala. However, as undermanned as the Panthers are, this is a game between divisional rivals in a series that has been back and forth for several years. Carolina should have some extra juice in its home opener and we’re not so sure how the young Falcons will react in this spot. Bryce Young showed flashes in Carolina’s back door cover in Arizona. We’ll bite on the hook.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Falcons and the under.
BENGALS at VIKINGS
1 p.m., Vikings by 3 ½, 42
HANK’S HONEYS: Two backup QBs square off in this one, which immediately has one asking, which team has the better defense? There is no question that it’s Minnesota’s. Jake Browning may have engineered a comeback win in relief last week but he also threw three INTs. The Vikings will own the matchups up front. They blitz as much as anyone in the NFL and are up against the same O-line that got Joe Burrow injured. Carson Wentz is a veteran but O-line injuries are a concern. Look for Kevin O’Connell to keep things conservative not to expose Wentz and to wait for his defense to control field position and the turnover battle.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Vikings and the under.
BRONCOS at CHARGERS
4:05 p.m., Chargers by 2 ½, 45 ½
HANK’S HONEYS: The Broncos haven’t looked as good as advertised in their first two games against what figured to be easier opponents. Now they are tossed into a key divisional game in what is essentially the Chargers’ home opener. Justin Herbert has been sensational in his first two starts, not surprising since he’s now in his second year with Jim Harbaugh. Defense, which was supposed to have been a Denver strength, has become a concern. Meanwhile, the Chargers D has been outstanding — sixth in the NFL in yards allowed per play. With Bo Nix throwing it up for grabs and the line under a FG, L.A. is a solid choice.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Chargers and the under.
LIONS at RAVENS
Monday 8:15 p.m., Ravens by 5 ½, 52
HANK’S HONEYS: You never know how things are going to go with teams that combined to score over 40 points three times in four games. But look closer at the Ravens’ win over the bumbling Browns. Twenty-one of their 41 points were the result of a blocked punt, fumble and INT. They were actually outgained on the day. The Ravens were already patching holes in the secondary before LB Kyle Van Noy and CB Marlon Humphrey left Sunday’s game with injuries and it looks as though Van Noy is out for sure. That could be in an issue now that Jared Goff has settled in with his new offensive coordinator John Morton. This line could be bet down but at this number, we’ll ride with the Motor City boys.
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Lions and the over.
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LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH
COWBOYS at BEARS
4:25 p.m., Bears by 1 ½, 50
HANK’S HONEYS: These are two of the most unpredictable teams in the NFL. Now you’ve got a Cowboys offense that went wild against the Giants and a Bears team that was blown out by the Lions. How do you figure it? For starters, take the over. The Dallas secondary is a mess and the Bears can’t stop anybody. Dak Prescott has more weapons than Caleb Williams so there’s that. But this is also a big week for Ben Johnson with ex-Bears coach Matt Eberflus returning as the Boys’ defensive coordinator. He needs to assert himself and win a winnable game.
CAN’T HELP YOURSELF?: Cowboys and the over.
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BEST OF THE REST
COLTS at TITANS
1 p.m., Colts by 3 ½, 43 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Titans and the under.
SAINTS at SEAHAWKS
4:05 p.m., Seahawks by 7, 41 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Seahawks and the over.
CARDINALS at 49ERS
4:25 p.m., Niners by 1 ½, 44 ½
IF I WERE A BETTING MAN: Cardinals and the over.
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WEEK’S BEST BET: Commanders. Horrible spot for Pete.
LAST WEEK: 6-10
OVER/UNDER: 5-11
OVERALL: 13-19
OVER/UNDER: 11-21
BEST BETS: 1-1
