NFL Odds Week 2: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season is in the books. Teams and fans will have a little time to contemplate the results, but the league will be back in action soon enough. Week 2 is set to kick off on Thursday with a critical NFC showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings.
For bettors, the big Week 2 challenge is deciphering which Week 1 games were an accurate reflection of teams' abilities and which were the results of the opening-game jitters. The Cincinnati Bengals, for example, flopped hard against the rival Cleveland Browns on Sunday. They also struggled in their 2022 season opener but went on to win 12 games.
We'll dive into some of the opening-week action here, try to pull a few truths from the composite and identify a few of the best bets of Week 2.
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Detroit Lions -5.5 Versus Seattle Seahawks
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The Seattle Seahawks should eventually rebound from their dreadful performance against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. However, the defensive issues they exhibited against a Cooper Kupp-less Rams offense won't be fixed overnight.
Los Angeles racked up 426 total yards, 334 passing yards and 30 points on the road.
Seattle has several new pieces on their defense this season, and it also moved defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt to the press box on game days. There's going to be an adjustment period.
The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, have a potent offense that just passed a tough test on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. Their big Week 1 victory gave even more confidence to an already self-assured team, and they'll bring their energy back home for Week 2.
While the expected debut of rookie first round pick Devon Witherspoon—who was inactive on Sunday with a hamstring issue—will help Seattle's secondary, However, it won't be enough against the likes of Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
With a potent offense, a feisty defense and a championship mentality, Detroit should win by a touchdown here.
Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals Under 46.5 Points
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The Bengals offense was in shambles in Week 1, and it finished with just 142 total yards and three points. However, it's not time for Cincinnati to panic just yet.
Several factors went into Cincy's poor performance. Joe Burrow missed the entire preseason with a calf injury. Lake Erie winds and rain impacted the passing game, and the Bengals were up against a new-look Browns defense and a coordinator in Jim Schwartz who hasn't put tendencies on tape since 2020.
That said, I wouldn't expect the Bengals to be back to 2022 form immediately. Their offensive line remains a question mark, and it'll be up against a potent Baltimore Ravens pass rush that recorded five sacks on Sunday.
The Ravens, meanwhile, could struggle to put points on the board without starting tailback J.K. Dobbins, who is out for the year with a torn Achilles. Lamar Jackson is always a threat, and rookie receiver Zay Flowers looks like the real deal. However, Baltimore's new Todd Monken-coached offense only dropped 25 points on the Houston Texans.
With all due respect to DeMeco Ryans and the Texans, Cincinnati's defense is far more complete than Houston's.
Expect a grindy, physical AFC North battle that doesn't quite reach the 46.5-point line here.
Los Angeles Chargers -3.5 Versus Tennessee Titans
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The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a tough shootout loss against the Miami Dolphins. While L.A. didn't get the victory, it did rack up 433 yards of offense and 34 points.
The Tennessee Titans simply don't have the offensive playmakers to keep pace with the Chargers. Tennessee's defense ranked dead-last in passing yards allowed last season, and the Titans did little to upgrade the unit in the offseason.
The New Orleans Saints don't have the skill players that L.A. does, and they still tallied 282 passing yards on Sunday. However, it was offensive mistakes—including three Ryan Tannehill interceptions—that doomed Tennessee.
"I'm not happy about it, but I'll go back to work and be ready for next week," Tannehill said, per Guerry Smith of the Associated Press.
The lack of chemistry between Tannehill and his receivers was palpable, and it's not going away in just a week.
This isn't likely to be the sort of track meet in which L.A. just engaged, and the Titans can keep things close by leaning on Derrick Henry. However, a few more miscues by Tennessee should allow the Chargers to pull away late.
The Chargers should win by more than a field goal.
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