NFL Picks Week 2: Predicting the Safest Bets of the Week

Week 1 of the NFL season was very telling for many teams. The key is using this information to help make the right picks in Week 2.

Some squads impressed in their first game while others fell flat. Although it is important to not trust small sample sizes, in some cases the opening week showed more about teams than any other factor.

It is risky to place bets early in the week, but these games look like the safest bets to make money.

Note: All lines are courtesy of Vegas Insider.

Carolina Panthers (+2.5) over New Orleans Saints

Both teams lost in Week 1, but the Saints looked nothing like themselves. They allowed 40 points to a rookie quarterback, and Drew Brees completed less than half of his passes for the first time since 2006. The scary thing is that this took place at home.

Carolina struggled as well, especially running the football, but the team has struggled on the road for a while. The Panthers are 3-13 in the last two years away from home.

They return to Charlotte this week and are given points against New Orleans. The Saints obviously are not the same team without coach Sean Payton, and they struggled defensively against a mobile quarterback in Robert Griffin III. Cam Newton can do anything Griffin can do, and he should be able to lead his team to an upset in Week 2.

Houston Texans (-7.5) over Jacksonville Jaguars

With a 20-point win over the Dolphins, the Texans showed that they are truly Super Bowl contenders this year. They had the No. 2 defense in the NFL last season in yards allowed, and the trifecta of Matt Schaub, Arian Foster and Andre Johnson make the offense as good as any team's in the league.

On the other hand, the Jaguars could not defeat the Minnesota Vikings, who should also be among the worse teams in football this season. Blaine Gabbert seems to have made strides from last season, but there are major holes on both sides of the football.

Jacksonville is not known for its intimidating home-field advantage, so Houston should be able to coast to a victory in this game.

San Francisco (-6.5) over Detroit Lions

Few teams made a bigger statement win in Week 1 than the 49ers. They went into Lambeau Field, controlled the Green Bay Packers for most of the game and left with a 30-22 win. They showed the ability to slow down arguably the best offense in football and outscore them on the other side of the football.

The Lions are not as bad as they played against the St. Louis Rams. Matthew Stafford threw three interceptions and he needed a last-second touchdown to escape with a victory. However, there is little chance the offense can struggle so much against the Rams and then succeed in San Francisco one week later.

Unless Detroit's defense can shut down Frank Gore like they did Steven Jackson and put pressure on Alex Smith, the Lions do not even have a chance in this game.

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