With a typical offseason this year, full training camps, and a preseason of three games, there will be a number of quarterbacks who come out of the gate in Week 1 with a hot hand.
Tyrod Taylor – Over 208.5 Passing Yards
The move from Deshaun Watson to Tyrod Taylor is a significant drop for the Texans. And overall, Houston may find itself battling for the number one pick in next year’s draft. But the Jaguars gave up at least 209 yards to 14 quarterbacks last season, and with an improved offense in 2021, even more teams will be passing against them late.
Taylor’s last start was Week 1 last season, and he threw for exactly 208 yards. In three of his five starts before that, he also went over 209 yards.
He’ll hit that total against Jacksonville in one of the tighter games of the opening Sunday.
Lamar Jackson – Over 226.5 Passing Yards
What has happened to Baltimore’s running game over the last two weeks is almost hard to fathom. Number one running back J.K. Dobbins is lost for the season, number two back Gus Edwards is lost for the season, and number three back Justice Hill is lost for the season.
Le’Veon Bell has signed this week, but he’s hardly ready to be a feature of the offense.
That leaves the offense almost entirely up to Lamar Jackson. He will throw the ball for more than usual, and since it’s against the Raiders, he will find more success than expected. The Raiders gave up at least 227 yards to 11 quarterbacks in 2020, and they will give up at least that much in the first game of 2021.
Kyler Murray – Over 266.5 Passing Yards
Kyler Murray hitting the over is as much about the Cardinals’ offense as it is about the Titans’ offense. Tennessee is going to score, and score often. Derrick Henry and Julio Jones will have big days against an outmanned Arizona defense.
That means that the Cardinals’ offense will have to try and keep up. Head coach Kliff Kinsbury will be aggressive, and the Cardinals group of wide receivers – DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Rondale Moore, and Christian Kirk – will be a problem for a bad Titans defense.
Before Murray got hurt last season, he was over 270 yards in five of eight games. He’s healthy in Week 1, and will hit over 266.5.
