Week 2 NFL Lines

Written by Jack Jones

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books! There were a few surprises and plenty of close-calls. Let’s take a look at what’s going on odds-wise in the NFL in Week 2! For full betting lines be sure you check our live odds feed. You can also click on each matchup for a more detailed preview (these are updated throughout the week).

Sunday September 18, 2011

1:00 PM EST | Jaguars at Jets (Jets -9, O/U 38.5) – The Jags eeked past the Titans last week, while the Jets needed some breaks to best the Cowboys in New York. Jets are a heavy favorite, and rightfully so. NY passed a lot against a banged-up Dallas secondary, but I’d expect them to pound it on the ground more often than not this week as Sanchez is prone to make mistakes.

1:00 PM EST | Bears at Saints (Saints -7, O/U 47) – There’s still no love for the Bears, even after their beat-down of the Atlanta Falcons last week. Granted, that game was at home, but still kind of a high number versus the Saints in my opinion. Everyone saw what the Saints are capable of against the Packers last week, though, so I do get the reasoning behind them being a TD favorite Sunday.

1:00 PM EST | Raiders at Bills (Bills -3.5, O/U 43) – The Bills notched a big win over the Chiefs in their season opener. The Raiders are also 1-0 after a big division win at Denver. Probably the most shocking meeting of 1-0 teams this week.

1:00 PM EST | Cardinals at Redskins (Redskins -4.5, O/U 44) – Kevin Kolb looked pretty good in his debut for the Cardinals last week, who squeaked out the victory despite giving up over 400 passing yards to rookie Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile Redskins looked a lot better than expected against the Giants, pulling off the 28-14 upset.

1:00 PM EST | Ravens at Titans (Ravens -6.5, O/U 38) – Baltimore turned in one of the most impressive performances of the week, rolling over division rival Pittsburgh 35-7. Going into this week’s game against the hapless Titans, who lost 14-16 at Jacksonville, be sure to keep in mind that the Steelers turned the ball over a whopping seven times, the primary reason for the lopsided score.

1:00 PM EST | Seahawks at Steelers (Steelers -15, O/U 40.5) – Oddsmakers clearly think that the Steelers performance last week was a fluke as they are more than a two-touchdown favorite at home against Seattle. The Seahawks really struggled offensively in their first game against the 49ers, but two kick returns made the 17-33 final look worse than it was.

1:00 PM EST | Packers at Panthers (Panthers -10.5, O/U 46) – The Packers couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start with their win over the Saints in their season opener. Speaking of getting off to great starts, Cam Newton had an amazing performance in his first regular season start, albeit in a losing effort. Not much love for Carolina here as double-digit home dogs.

1:00 PM EST | Bucs at Vikings (Vikings -3, O/U 40.5) – Both Tampa Bay and Minnesota lost in their season openers. Minnesota nearly knocked off the Chargers despite having just 28 passing yards. Tampa battled it out with the Lions, but two turnovers were the difference in a 20-27 loss.

1:00 PM EST | Browns at Colts (Browns -3, O/U 38) – We found out last week just how much the Colts will miss Peyton Manning. This is even further illustrated by the fact that the Browns are three-point favorites in Indianapolis, despite the fact that Cleveland lost to the Bengals in their season opener.

1:00 PM EST | Chiefs at Lions (Lions -9, O/U 38) – The Lions impressed with a big road win over Tampa Bay last week. In one of the biggest surprises of the week, the Chiefs were manhandled in Kansas City by the Bills. Can anyone remember the last time the Lions were this big of favorites in any game (answer: 2000 at home vs the Bears)?

4:05 PM EST | Cowboys at 49ers (Cowboys -3, O/U 43) – One of the best rivalries of the nineties hasn’t had as much of a kick in recent years, but both teams seem to be headed in the right direction with the Cowboys nearly knocking off the Jets at in New York and the 49ers winning 33-17 over the Seahawks.

4:15 PM EST | Texans at Dolphins (Texans -3, O/U 47.5) – Houston had no problem getting past the Manning-less Colts last week, but they’ll face a much more difficult task against the Dolphins, who showed their new-look offense could keep pace with just about anyone after their performance against the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

4:15 PM EST | Chargers at Patriots (Patriots -7, O/U 54) – The Patriots looked just about unstoppable in Miami Monday night, but their defense looked pretty vulnerable, giving up over 400 yards. The Chargers game wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated, but injuries and turnovers cost San Diego in key situations. This is probably the best matchup of the week, despite the line.

4:15 PM EST | Bengals at Broncos (Broncos -4.5, O/U 40) - Neither one of these teams looked very impressive in their openers, though the Bengals did walk away with a victory. Denver had plenty of chances to get past the Raiders on Monday night, but dropped passes and penalties were a real problem. It looks like oddsmakers expect them to get some of the kinks worked out this week.

8:20 PM EST | Eagles at Falcons (Eagles -3, O/U 49.5) – The Falcons will try to get back on track in a big home game against the Eagles after a terrible showing in Chicago last week. Meanwhile, the Eagles try to keep up with their expectations after looking solid in their first road game of the year in St. Louis in week one.

Monday September 19, 2011

8:30 PM EST | Rams at Giants (Giants -4.5, O/U 43.5) – There are still some questions about this line with both teams dealing with injuries to key players, so be sure to keep an eye on that. Both teams lost last week, but neither really looked bad. The winner here gets a big confidence boost.

Additional Resources:

Vernon Croy: Short summaries on all of this week’s odds.

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