Week 1 produced 16 games of evidence, which is the most dangerous sample in football. Arizona beat the Chargers outright as a 9.5 point underdog, Chicago scored 59, and the Super Bowl favorite Rams got run out of Australia by the 49ers. Our Week 2 picks lean on what was true in August rather than what happened last Sunday, with a couple of exceptions. Spreads are from bet365 as of Wednesday.
Week 2 Picks
| Game | Spread | Pick |
|---|---|---|
| Lions at Bills (Thu) | Bills -4.5 | Bills 30, Lions 27 |
| Panthers at Falcons | Panthers -1.5 | Panthers |
| Bengals at Texans | Texans -3 | Texans |
| Browns at Buccaneers | Buccaneers -8.5 | Buccaneers |
| Packers at Jets | Packers -3.5 | Packers |
| Vikings at Bears | Bears -5.5 | Bears |
| Saints at Ravens | Ravens -8.5 | Ravens |
| Eagles at Titans | Eagles -7 | Eagles |
| Steelers at Patriots | Patriots -5.5 | Patriots |
| Jaguars at Broncos | Broncos -2.5 | Jaguars (upset) |
| Raiders at Chargers | Chargers -7 | Chargers |
| Dolphins at 49ers | 49ers -13.5 | 49ers |
| Seahawks at Cardinals | Seahawks -4.5 | Seahawks |
| Commanders at Cowboys | Cowboys -3.5 | Commanders (upset) |
| Colts at Chiefs (SNF) | Chiefs -6.5 | Chiefs |
| Giants at Rams (MNF) | Rams -7.5 | Rams |
Five Games Explained
Lions at Bills. Buffalo opens its new building with Josh Allen coming off a four touchdown game against a Detroit secondary that gave up 410 passing yards and is missing both starting safeties. Detroit is also down two starting linemen. The Lions keep it close with Jahmyr Gibbs, but Buffalo wins. Full breakdown on the Lions vs. Bills prediction page.
Panthers at Falcons. The road team is favored because Atlanta may be starting Cooper Rush again with Tua Tagovailoa nursing an oblique injury. Carolina gave up 59 to Chicago, but Jalen Coker had 138 yards and two scores and is aiming to play through an ankle issue. Take the healthier quarterback.
Jaguars at Broncos. Jacksonville won 34-10 in Week 1 and Denver got handled 31-10 in Kansas City. Denver has RJ Harvey and Marvin Mims out of practice. At a field goal or less, we will take the team that looked better.
Commanders at Cowboys. Dallas lost 28-20 to a Giants team in its first game under John Harbaugh, and Washington lost by two in Philadelphia. Jayden Daniels on the road against a Cowboys defense missing Malik Hooker and DeMarvion Overshown is the upset we like most.
Colts at Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes won his return from ACL surgery on Monday night and the Chiefs looked like themselves in a 31-10 win. Indianapolis lost 41-23 at home to Baltimore. Kansas City covers.
Related
Week 2 odds · Week 2 injury report · Week 2 starting quarterbacks · Week 1 predictions
The Bottom Line
Fourteen favorites and two upsets: Jacksonville in Denver and Washington in Dallas. Results are added to this page as the games finish.