Editor’s note: NESN.com’s Mike Cole, Ricky Doyle and Andre Khatchaturian deliver their NFL picks every Thursday of the season, and here’s who they like in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Arizona Cardinals Giants Week 2 game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at (-6.5) Arizona Cardinals (0-1), 4:05 p.m.
Mike: Bucs. I’d rather have Tampa +7, but 6.5 still is a lot of points for a Cardinals team that didn’t look very good Sunday. They lost Frostee Rucker and might be without Evan Mathis, two potentially very big injuries.
Ricky: Cardinals. Tempted to take the points because the Bucs’ offense could hang and make things interesting. But I have to think Bruce Arians will have his team more prepared in Week 2 after a very disappointing loss to the Patriots in Week 1. Tampa Bay’s defense leaves something to be desired, too, so this could be a breakout game for the Cardinals’ high-octane offense.
Andre: Bucs. This spread is too large, since these two teams are eerily similar. They both have quarterbacks who perform at a high level when they have solid protection, and they both have elite running attacks, a bevy of wide receiver threats and solid defenses. The Bucs are for real and should play the Cardinals close and maybe even eke out a win.
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Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
