Momentum is on our side as we’ve cashed five of our last six picks over the last two weeks. Our lone miss was the under in the Washington Redskins-Philadelphia Eagles contest. As we shift our focus to NFL Week 2 odds, let’s see if we can keep it going with our winning ways.
Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos
Date: Sunday, September 15th
The Bears put forth an ugly effort in their opener at home as they faced the Green Bay Packers but I expect their offense to be better in Week 2. They’ll have 10 days to prepare for the Denver Broncos, who will be on a short week after playing the late game of the Monday Night Football double-header.
The Broncos offense looked very slow in Oakland, plodding up the field, and the key to their success will be running the ball. If the game is put on Joe Flacco’s shoulder, the Broncos are going to have a tough time winning games. It’ll be tough to run on a good Bears defense.
The other issue here is the Broncos had a tough time protecting Flacco against the Raiders, who only had 13 sacks last season. They might be improved but they’re not the Bears. If the Raiders can get pressure on Flacco, the Bears should have a field day.
Of course, the Bears will be in a tough spot offensively as they’ll be on the road and in the thin air at Mile High. Mitchell Trubisky was quite awful in the opener but with 10 days to scheme for this game, I’m expecting Matt Nagy and company to put him in a better position.
With this game, I like the Bears at -136 Moneyline
Pick: Bears at -136 Moneyline
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
NFL Week 2 Odds at PointsBet:
Date: Sunday, September 15th
The Vikings and Packers both earned wins in Week 1 and with the Bears losing, this now becomes and early matchup for the top spot in the NFC North.
I like the under in this spot as it looks like both defenses are vastly improved from a season ago. The Vikings defense had three takeaways from the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 along with four sacks.
As for the Packers, we saw how different their unit looked as they stymied the Bears on the road, holding them to just three points. New safety Adrian Amos sealed the game with an interception while offseason signings Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith combined for 2.5 sacks.
- The Vikings showed us that they plan to run the ball a lot more in 2019.
- They had just nine rushing touchdowns last season but picked up three in Week 1.
- Quarterback Kirk Cousins had just 10 passing attempts while the Vikings ran it 38 times.
- The Packers offense is also expected to be more run-oriented with more play-action passes as we saw in Week 1.
With two improved defenses and two teams that want to emphasize their ground games, I’m looking for an under in this spot.
Pick: Under at 45
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
NFL Week 2 Odds at PointsBet:
Date: Sunday, September 15th
$150 Bet at PointsBet Sportsbook Online!
I see an early total of 53.5 for the Chiefs-Raiders game and I’m expecting this contest to go over. The Chiefs have one of the most electric offenses in the NFL and even though they might be without Tyreek Hill this week, the Raiders simply don’t have the defensive parts to slow them down.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have one of the most talented defenses in the NFL and the Chiefs scored 40 on them. The Raiders, who just lost a starting cornerback and are on a short week, will have a really tough time here.
However, I do expect the Raiders to move the ball and score points here. We saw an improved cast around Derek Carr in Week 1 as running back Josh Jacobs, wideout Tyrell Williams and tight end Darren Waller all flashed their talent in leading the Raiders to a win.
And the Raiders showed their offensive line is significantly better, which is what gave Carr so much time to make decisions.
The Chiefs gave up 428 yards of to an offense led mostly by backup quarterback (and rookie) Gardner Minshew. The Raiders should do well here.
Overall, I’m expecting 60+ points from the teams, so go over the number in this spot.
Pick: Over at 53.5
Other Things To Watch This Week
Philadelphia Eagles at Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons were embarrassed in Week 1 but will now host the Eagles with a risk of falling to 0-2. Meanwhile, the Eagles got a big win at home after showing up sleepy in the first half. We’ll see if they can play a full 60 minutes on Sunday Night Football this weekend.
Clemson Tigers at Syracuse Orange – There are no Top 25 matchups after the ranked Syracuse Orange got smoked 63-20 at Maryland last week. Is Maryland that good, is Syracuse that bad or were the Orange merely caught looking ahead to this week’s showdown? They’ve played Clemson really tough in recent years but they’re a four-touchdown underdog in this spot.
Philadelphia Phillies – We’re getting close to last call for the Phillies if they hope to make the playoffs this year. This is a team that is now three games out in the Wild Card standings.
It’s a big week for them as they start off with a four-game set with the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves, play the Boston Red Sox for a pair, then visit the Atlanta Braves for three more.
As if that wasn’t challenging enough, they have a six-game road trip that takes them to Cleveland and Washington after this – two playoff contenders.
See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Best Bets Of The Week!
Top NFL Betting Sites For Week 2:
