Week 2 NFL Picks: Tips, Odds and Over/Under Predictions for Sunday

It wouldn't be a Sunday in an NFL season without some fresh, tricky lines for bettors to play in the hopes of building up a season-long bankroll.

Last week, notable encounters such as a Green Bay Packers victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars went for the over, rewarding those bettors who showed confidence in the eventual loser's ability to uphold their end of the bargain.

The over/under lines always provide an extra avenue for profit. Most understood the Packers would win, but those who acknowledged the growing potency of the Jacksonville offense to help hit the over made an even bigger splash to their bankroll.

As always, pairing an over/under with a traditional line looks smart in several matchups this weekend. 

NFL Week 2 Odds

Matchup	Spread	O/U	Predicted Winner
New Orleans at N.Y. Giants	NYG -4.5	54	NO 30-28
Kansas City at Houston	HOU -2	43	KC 24-20
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	PIT -3	49	CIN 24-17
Dallas at Washington	WAS -3	46	WAS 17-10
Miami at New England	NE -5	43	NE 28-20
Tennessee at Detroit	DET -6	48	DET 33-23
Baltimore at Cleveland	BAL -6.5	42.5	BAL 23-10
San Francisco at Carolina	CAR -14	45	CAR 28-10
Tampa Bay at Arizona	ARI -7	50	ARI 24-23
Seattle at L.A. Rams	SEA -3.5	38.5	SEA 17-10
Indianapolis at Denver	DEN -4	44	DEN 28-24
Jacksonville at San Diego	SD -3	47.5	JAC 27-21
Atlanta at Oakland	OAK -5	49	OAK 28-27
Green Bay at Minnesota	GB -3	43.5	GB 24-13
Philadelphia at Chicago (MNF)	CHI -3	42.5	CHI 24-20

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.

Sunday Betting Tips

San Francisco at Carolina (-14)

O/U: 45

Normally it isn't the wisest move to take such a large spread. 

Luckily for bettors who enjoy such a risky endeavor, the San Francisco 49ers exist.

Bettors shouldn't become fooled by San Francisco's 28-0 opening-week embarrassment of the Los Angeles Rams. That's a case of new location, same struggles. Though the team scored 28 points, the 49ers only got one passing score from quarterback Blaine Gabbert and 88 yards and a 3.8 per-carry average from running back Carlos Hyde.

That won't cut it against the Carolina Panthers defense.

San Francisco head coach Chip Kelly seems to know it, too, as the team captured:

Carolina didn't look amazing in Week 1, but so it goes when playing the defending champs. Cam Newton remains a versatile threat the 49ers won't easily shutter, and stopping rejuvenated wideout Kelvin Benjamin (six catches, 91 yards and a score in Week 1) won't prove simple.

With Carolina well rested after playing the first game of the season and San Francisco on a short week needing to travel across the country, this one has an obvious result bettors can capitalize on.

Prediction: Panthers 28-10

Green Bay (-3) at Minnesota

O/U: 43.5

Those Packers have another strong matchup for bettors this week.

An NFC North clash between the Packers and the Minnesota Vikings isn't the best line to play in most cases, but this isn't most cases as the hosts continue to tout a fat question mark at the quarterback position.

Despite the oddity under center, Minnesota enters this one with a 1-0 record via a 25-16 victory against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. There, Shaun Hill threw for 236 yards and Adrian Peterson struggled to 31 yards on 19 carries—a 1.6 per-carry average.

Win or not, it is a terrible set of numbers going into a game against the Packers. Rodgers accounted for three total scores in the win against Jacksonville, Eddie Lacy looked good on brief chances and the returning-from-injury Jordy Nelson caught six passes.

The biggest wrinkle here is whether the Vikings play Hill again or trot out the newly acquired Sam Bradford. Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy sounds like he has his guys prepared for either option, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

In the end, it won't matter. Remember Peterson's struggles? Also keep in mind he didn't rush for more than 67 yards over two games against the Packers last year, and that was with a starter under center.

Most times, it takes two offenses to make an over happen. In this case, it is more like one-and-a-half, meaning the under in a Packers win.

Prediction: Packers 24-13

New Orleans at N.Y. Giants (-4.5)

O/U: 54

The New York Giants and New Orleans Saints provide bettors with what might stand out as the easiest line of the week. 

Well, from an over/under standpoint, at least. The visitors have Drew Brees at quarterback, who gets to hit weapons such as Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead through the air. The hosts have Eli Manning, who has Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard.

Did anyone mention these two met last year in a 52-49 New Orleans win featuring six touchdowns by Manning and seven by Brees?

Ron Jenkins/Associated Press

Indeed, everyone involved expects another shootout.

"The bunch of times we've played them it's been high scoring. So we've got a new offense. We've got to do our part, protect the ball, sustain drives, convert on third downs. We've got to do our part and try to make sure we're scoring touchdowns," Manning said, according to ESPN.com.

A week ago, the Saints got 423 yards and four scores from Brees in a loss to the Oakland Raiders. That was disappointing, but nowhere near as bad as New York's 20-19 escape of the Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys.

Look for this to translate, alongside the idea Brees is more efficient when things head into shootout territory. Had New York looked good in Week 1, this might seem different. Instead, New Orleans seems ready to play a close one before pulling away late.

Prediction: Saints 30-28

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of Saturday. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.