NFL Week 2 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

The 2016 NFL season is rolling right along. The bulk of the first week of action is already in the books, and Week 2 is mere days away. When it comes to playing against the lines, however, we're still in relatively fresh territory.

The good news is that Week 1 gave us a sizable glimpse into the coming season and what we might expect from teams. For instance, we've learned that the Minnesota Vikings might just have enough talent to overcome the absence of Teddy Bridgewater and still be a playoff contender. We also learned that the Cleveland Browns defense is bad enough to make a rookie quarterback look like a future Hall of Famer in his NFL debut.

Oh, and we learned that the Denver Broncos are still pretty darn super, even with Trevor Siemian at quarterback.

Of course, while we've learned a little bit more about the looming NFL landscape, so, too, have NFL coaches. Though there is still plenty of mystery to be had, teams should be a bit more prepared for their opponents in Week 2. This fact, along with a real semblance of league-wide parity, makes Week 2 nearly as difficult to predict as the year's opening slate.

We haven't had a ton of outright upsets so far, but plenty of contests were tighter than one might have expected. Through Sunday, an incredible six games were decided by two points or less.

Will the second week be as competitive? We're going to take an early look at next week's games and make our predictions. As always, all point spreads are provided by Odds Shark.

Week 2 begins with the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Game	Point Spread	Prediction
New York Jets at Buffalo	Buf. -2.5	Jets
San Francisco at Carolina	Car. -13.5	Carolina
Dallas at Washington	Was. -3.5	Washington
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	Pit. -3.5	Cincinnati
New Orleans at New York Giants	NYG -4	Giants
Miami at New England	NE -5	New England
Kansas City at Houston	Hou. -1.5	Kansas City
Tennessee at Detroit	Det. -5.5	Detroit
Baltimore at Cleveland	Bal. -3.5	Baltimore
Seattle at Los Angeles	Sea. -3.5	Los Angeles
Tampa Bay at Arizona	Ari. -7.5	Tampa Bay
Jacksonville at San Diego	SD -2.5	Jacksonville
Atlanta at Oakland	Oak. -6.5	Oakland
Indianapolis at Denver	Den. -4	Denver
Green Bay at Minnesota	GB -2.5	Green Bay
All predictions are against the point spread.

Panthers Find Redemption in Home Opener

The Carolina Panthers didn't find a way to avenge their loss in Super Bowl 50 in Week 1. Instead, the team watched as Graham Gano's late field-goal attempt sailed wide and the Broncos escaped with a one-point victory.

Now, the Panthers get an opportunity to avenge their latest loss, and they will get to do so at home and against the new-look San Francisco 49ers.

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

This early pick is a little tricky for a couple of reasons. For one, the 49ers are getting a ridiculous line bump of nearly two touchdowns, and we haven't even seen them in action yet. With new head coach Chip Kelly bringing his offensive creativity to the party, San Francisco might just prove to be a competitive force.

We're not buying that the 49ers are going to find their groove in Week 2, though. Blaine Gabbert doesn't benefit from the same supporting cast Siemian does, and the San Francisco defense is far from championship-caliber.

Though the 49ers may be on the rise, they're still a rebuilding team. They're also taking a difficult cross-country trip in order to face a Panthers team looking to learn from its mistakes.

"The thing I love about this football team is that it's a mature group, a group that can look at the tape, figure out what we can get better at and move on to the next game," Panthers center Ryan Kalil said, per Bryan Strickland of the team's official website.

The Broncos battered Carolina with a strong running game—and a strong ground attack may be San Francisco's one real offensive strength. If the Panthers can figure out how to tighten up their run defense, the 49ers could be in real trouble.

The Panthers won six regular-season games by at least two touchdowns in 2015. This seems like the perfect time for them to grab their first two-touchdown victory of this season.

Patriots Continue Marching Without Brady

Even though we've grown accustomed to the New England Patriots winning on the field, the team's Week 1 victory was still an impressive surprise. Not only did New England travel to face the Arizona Cardinals, they did so without suspended quarterback Tom Brady.

Star tight end Rob Gronkowski (hamstring) wasn't on the field, either.

It did require a missed field goal at the end of regulation to win, but the Patriots won nonetheless.

Though he might have been seen as a liability coming into the game, interim quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was one of the Patriots' strengths. He finished the game a solid 24-of-33 for 264 yards and a touchdown.

Garoppolo will be more experienced and presumably more confident when the Miami Dolphins roll into town for Week 2. Heck, he might even have Gronkowski back in the lineup. This is why the Patriots have a good chance of handling a rival Dolphins team that gave the Seattle Seahawks all they could handle this past weekend.

Miami held a 10-6 lead over Seattle in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to a dominant defensive line and some timely big plays. The Seahawks rallied with a late touchdown and the win, but it wasn't easy.

This is definitely a Miami team that can be a threat to New England. If the Patriots can win by two points on the road against the Cardinals, though, they should be able to win at home by at least five against the Dolphins.

This isn't meant as disrespect to Miami. It's just that traveling across the country to face Seattle and then north to face New England is a daunting challenge for any team. The Dolphins don't have the overall talent on both sides of the ball that Arizona does, and the Patriots have essentially owned the AFC East since Garoppolo was in grade school.

The Rams Continue Their Strong Play in the NFC West

The Los Angeles Rams get their first taste of 2016 NFC West action on Monday night. What we know from recent history, though, is that the Rams are strong against divisional opponents. Last season, four of the Rams' seven wins came against division rivals—and two of those came against Seattle.

This might be the biggest reason to like L.A. in its Week 2 game, but there are others.

Star running back Todd Gurley will test a Seattle defensive front that was good but not great in Week 1—Pro Football Focus rated Seattle 17th in run defense among the 28 teams to play through Sunday. The Rams also possess an incredible defensive line that will be going against an evolving blocking unit for Seattle.

The Rams won't be starting rookie Jared Goff against the fearsome Seattle pass rush, either. While Case Keenum isn't an intimidating gunslinger, he is an experienced pro who won't be as rattled by Seattle's game plan. On top of that, the Seahawks might be dealing with their own quarterback injury.

Russell Wilson, who was sacked three times against Miami, appears to be dealing with an ankle issue, according to Gregg Bell of the News Tribune:

If Wilson is still having ankle problems next weekend, he could have real issues avoiding the Rams' pass rush.

The Rams will be making their L.A. regular-season debut, so expect a strong home crowd to add to the team's advantage. The Seahawks may well steal this game, but it's hard to imagine them winning by more than a field goal.