Week 2 of the NFL season begins on Thursday with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers.
That should tell us a lot of how the AFC West is going to go. The Chiefs are favored by four points at home.
The rest of the schedule has some intriguing games as well. We take a look at some of them and make some predictions that can help your bet slips.
Raiders Get Past Struggling Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals +5.5 at Las Vegas Raiders: Total 51.5
Over the last two seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have had strong starts, followed by the bottom completely falling out, including a 7-0 start last year before finishing the rest of the season at 4-6.
This season, however, they opened by picking up right where they left off last year, getting a complete whooping at the hands of the Chiefs, 44-21, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score shows. That has them inching closer to an 0-4 longshot bet that feels more possible by the day.
The Las Vegas Raiders also head into Week 2 looking to rebound from a season-opening loss, although 24-19 to the Chargers is far less alarming compared to Arizona’s situation.
Las Vegas is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games against Arizona, and there was just too much overwhelmingly negative play from Arizona in Week 1 to have much confidence in them here on the road.
Prediction: Raiders -6 at BetMGM
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Titans Challenge Bills
Tennessee Titans +10 at Buffalo Bills: Total 48.5
The spread of 10 in this game may be a bit of an overreaction after the Tennessee Titans lost to the New York Giants in Week 1. They outplayed New York for most of the game, but blew it in the end.
That is something we have come to expect for Mike Vrabel teams recently, and to be honest, I’m really starting to sour on him as a head coach. Derrick Henry ran for almost four yards per carry but only had 21 carries and didn’t break any massive gains down the field.
Ryan Tannehill is having to adjust with life without A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. Instead, he has Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as his top receivers and both had just one catch in Week 1.
The defensive line of the Buffalo Bills will be challenging for the Titans to deal with, to say the least. The Bills sacked Matthew Stafford seven times and forced three interceptions in their first game against the Los Angeles Rams. The good news is the protection was great for Tennessee in Week 1, so if they limit their mistakes, I think they can stick around here.
Despite how much love I have for the Bills in 2022, I think this number is a bit crazy. Tennessee actually beat Buffalo last year, and while I don’t think that happens again, laying 10 points is just not something I am willing to do.
Tennessee has a solid pass rush that can get to Allen, and I think the Titan offensive line can hold their own against the Bills. If Tennessee can win in the trenches, they certainly can cover this number, especially if they can figure out how to do anything in the passing game to get receivers more involved.
Prediction: Titans +10 at Caesars
Rams Rebound Against Falcons
Los Angeles Rams -10.5 at Atlanta Falcons: Total 46
The Rams looked flat and lost offensively in their 31-10 loss to the Bills to open the season. One week into an NFL season, even with very small resumes, we still tend to form at least some semblance of an opinion, and it’s not a good one with the Rams.
They obviously can’t afford to come out flat against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that held a 16-point lead to the Saints, before blowing it in a 27-26 loss.
Seven of the Rams’ last nine games against Atlanta have gone over, and with a massive opening spread in favor of L.A., it’s better to count on both offenses finding a rhythm than taking the Rams -10.5.
Atlanta showing it could hang with a Saints defense that was fourth in points allowed last year gives enough confidence that both teams could come out firing and hit the over.
Prediction: Over 46 at Unibet
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Patriots Hit Historic Low
New England Patriots -2 at Pittsburgh Steelers: Total 40.5
The New England Patriots opened the season with a 20-7 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and now Mac Jones is dealing with back spasms, with his status up in the air for Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers came away with a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime, but Najee Harris left with a foot injury, so Pittsburgh is dealing with their own injury issues to a key piece of their offense.
Oh, and let’s not forget TJ Watt suffering a torn pectoral, which is a major blow to that Steelers defense.
It’s hard to be overly confident in the Patriots after what we saw last week, and if Jones isn’t healthy, it could be even worse for New England against this Steelers defense.
We could see a rare moment in Week 2, with an 0-2 Patriots team.
Prediction: Steelers +2 at Golden Nugget
Colts Rebound in Jacksonville
Indianapolis Colts -4 at Jacksonville Jaguars: Total 45
No team in the AFC South has a win, and two of those teams, the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, even played each other in Week 1, yet all they could come away with was a 20-20 tie. The Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to steal a win in Washington, but a late touchdown sent them home with a 28-22 loss.
So here we are, with both teams looking for their first win, and obviously praying for no more ties in the process, which is something we all would probably rather not see again.
Sure, they had issues against the Texans, but let’s also remember the Jags were the ones that knocked the Colts out of the playoffs the last year. There’s extra motivation here, and the division-favorites in Indy should come out looking sharper against Jacksonville.
Prediction: Colts -4 at BetRivers
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