The Latest Buzz Around Odds, Spreads and Lines for NFL Week 2

Jeff GrantJun 7, 2018

The 2012 NFL regular season is big business for Las Vegas sports books, and plenty of frequent visitors are looking over last week's box scores in preparation for another round of action that begins on Thursday night.

One of the biggest mistakes a sports bettor can make is to overreact to how a team performed in its season opener, which seems to always make the Week 2 NFL betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum) one of the more interesting sets of numbers all year.

The New York Jets gained the betting public's attention in scoring an eye-catching 48-28 victory over the Buffalo Bills as three-point home favorites, which will cause many to jump on the current number that's being offered against the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday.

Let's take a closer look at some of this week's biggest movers and surprises in the pro football betting market.

Week 2's Biggest Line Move

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Playing a road favorite that's coming off an overtime win at home is hardly a recipe for success in sports handicapping, but the public seems to be happy with what they saw from Adrian Peterson against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Minnesota Vikings star running back gained 84 rushing yards on 17 carries, while also reaching the end zone on two occasions.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck suffered a 41-21 setback against the Chicago Bears as 10-point road underdogs in his NFL debut last Sunday, but he should find some open targets this week when he faces one of the league's worst secondaries.

Sports bettors will find that the Vikings are 0-2 against the spread (ATS) off an extremely close home win of three points or fewer in the last two-plus seasons.

Opening Line: Minnesota Vikings Pick

Current Line: Minnesota Vikings -1.5

Week 2's Biggest Total Move

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The Baltimore Ravens looked in midseason form offensively in a 44-13 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals as seven-point home favorites on Monday night, flying over the posted total of 42.5.

I believe an upward movement in the total was warranted from its opening number, but a 3.5-point swing may be a bit much.

There's no doubt that backers will like that the Ravens have gone "over" the total in their last five September games, while the Philadelphia Eagles have managed to climb above the number in each second regular-season game through the past four years.

Eagles signal-caller Michael Vick will need to play much better than he did in his four-interception performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 in order for the early move to cash in in this spot.

Opening Total: 43.5

Current Total: 47

Week 2's Line That Will Surprise

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The Pittsburgh Steelers started out the 2012 NFL campaign with a 31-19 loss to the Denver Broncos in front of Sunday Night Football's far-reaching audience, which may cause an avalanche of money to land on their opponent in Week 2.

Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets offense quickly silenced their preseason critics by finishing with 48 points and 384 total yards against the Buffalo Bills in the season opener.

Before you get scared off with the amount of public action this six-point underdog is receiving, remember that the Jets will be out for revenge after dropping a 24-19 decision to the Steelers in the 2011 AFC Championship Game.

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Week 2 Matchup Receiving the Most Action

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I'm well aware that Thursday night's NFC North matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers has attracted more action than any other, but we're going to stay focused on the other two days of NFL action in Week 2.

The sports betting public is expecting a bounce-back performance from the defending Super Bowl champions, which is a big reason why the New York Giants opened up as 8.5-point home favorites against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tread carefully in this spot. Giants quarterback Eli Manning is 1-4 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 10 points over the last two-plus seasons.

Week 2 Matchup Receiving the Least Amount of Action

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Very few NFL fans outside the state of Ohio are going to take an interest in this contest. The Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals are afterthoughts in the AFC North division.

From a sports handicapper perspective, sometimes these are the best games to wager on, since the oddsmaker is often far more occupied with the rest of the board on Sunday.

The Browns may receive some buzz at the betting window due to getting seven points in this matchup, as the underdog has covered the number in nine of the last 10 series meetings.