Clash of the Cappers – 2016 Week 1

By Josh Mansilla (@Manzilla36)

Throughout the 2016 NFL season, NFL handicapper Josh Mansilla will be providing his weekly plays, along with a brief write-up on how he sees the games playing out. We’ll track his picks alongside those of other capper, Dan Urda, to see who best assisted our readers throughout the season. Dan’s picks for Week 1 can be found on this week’s podcast.

Texans -6

The X-factor in this game is going to be Jadeveon Clowney, as the key for the Texans will be applying pressure to Jay Cutler. The Bears continue to rely on the same old guy under center, and it has shown in the last few years that he is not able to be a consistent winner in this league. Chicago also lost the backbone to their offense with Matt Forte going to the Jets. The Bears do have WR threats in Jeffrey and White, but they will only be a factor if Cutler has time to throw them the ball. The Bears have a mediocre O-line going up arguably one of the best DE’s in the game in JJ Watt, not to mention one of the better overall defenses and D-lines as a whole in the league. (Ranked Top 3 in yards allowed per game and Top 5 in sacks per game in 2015). The Texans also have veteran play at the cornerback position in Jonathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson, both playing the last 6 years together.

With veterans lining up against Chicago’s only threats and a dominant pass rush, I like Houston to give this Bears offense fits. I look for Houston to have great field position all game long and could even see a possible defensive TD with Cutler slinging the ball for the Bears. Osweiler will need to prove himself, but with his solid preseason, a new more durable RB in Lamar Miller who has a similar skill set to a when-healthy Arian Foster, and a defense that will set Osweiler up for success, I like the Texans to control this game from start to finish and win comfortably, 27-13.

Survivor Pick

Houston is, in my opinion, also the best value for this week’s survivor pick, as I prefer saving Seattle for Week 3 at home vs. the 49ers (-14.5), and using Houston with probably their 2nd-easiest matchup of the season. Seattle also got off to a really slow start last year and are far from a lock at home against a non-conference opponent.