Week 2 Picks Against the Spread for Every NFL Game

Sports bettors need to be very careful in placing too much emphasis on last week's results when making their Week 2 NFL picks, as one round of action is a very small sample size for any team playing a 16-game schedule.

The Dallas Cowboys are going to receive a tremendous amount of action as three-point road favorites (courtesy of SBR Forum) against the Seattle Seahawks, as they come off a season-opening win over the New York Giants.

It's important to note that the action may be warranted, considering the Cowboys have failed to live up to lofty expectations for years, while the Seahawks are going to be led by a rookie quarterback making just his second start as a professional.

Let's take a closer look at this week's games and fire off some against-the-spread picks along the way.

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

This is a very important game for both sides, as the Green Bay Packers try to avoid an 0-2 start, while the Chicago Bears try to prove they belong among the NFL elite.

Due to last week's results, the Bears are receiving a good amount of betting action, but I also feel a majority of NFL fans believe there's no possible way that Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers loses two consecutive home games after going 15-1 during the regular season in 2011.

I'm going to back the road underdogs in this spot, as I feel the Bears are one of the more balanced teams in the NFL this year. 

Pick: Chicago Bears +6

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills had arguably the most disappointing season-opening experience in the league, as they were handed a 48-28 blowout loss by the New York Jets as three-point road underdogs. A disappointing effort for one of the more heavily-backed underdogs in Week 1.

Running back C.J. Spiller finished with a career-high 169 rushing yards last week, but the Bills suffered a couple of key injuries last week, including the loss of Fred Jackson for at least three games.

You don't have to tell the Kansas City Chiefs about early-season injuries, as they were devastated by them in the early going last year. Jamaal Charles has returned to the backfield after missing the last 14 games in 2011.

Sports bettors will have a hard time laying this number due to the Bills going 0-4-1 ATS in their last five opportunities as a home favorite, especially with the Chiefs being 8-5 ATS as a road underdog.

I'm actually going to recommend a play on the host, considering the visitor has failed to cover its five games against AFC East opponents since 2010. 

Pick: Buffalo Bills -3

Minnesota Vikings vs. Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has a great opportunity to earn his first NFL victory on Sunday due to facing one of the league's worst secondaries, but I believe the Minnesota Vikings running game will be too much to overcome.

From a technical standpoint, it's also important to point out that the Vikings quickly jumped from a pick 'em to one-point road favorites in the betting market.

I'm expecting the sports books to take a position in this game, as the casual bettors will love taking the home underdog in this spot.

Pick: Minnesota Vikings -1

Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have compiled a 13-5 record against the Cleveland Browns under head coach Marvin Lewis, but I'm not about to lay this type of number on a youthful roster that's accustomed to winning games by a small margin.

Sports bettors will find that the underdog in this series is 9-1 ATS in the last 10 meetings, which fits perfectly with the Browns covering their last six games as road underdogs with revenge when facing AFC North opponents.  

Pick: Cleveland Browns +7

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New York Giants

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers shocked a lot of people by capturing a 16-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers as three-point home underdogs last week, especially considering they were playing their first game under Greg Schiano.

I believe the buildup of that situation will lead to a major letdown in this spot, while the New York Giants have been stewing over a season-opening setback to the Dallas Cowboys.

Sports bettors will find that the Buccaneers have failed to cover their last two games off an upset win over a division rival, which will help the Giants improve to 10-3 ATS in the second week of the regular season.

Pick: New York Giants -7.5

Oakland Raiders vs. Miami Dolphins

The Oakland Raiders land in one of the worst scheduling spots in Week 2, traveling across the country after dropping a 22-14 decision to the San Diego Chargers as one-point home favorites on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

Miami Dolphins' rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be making just his second NFL start but should come in with confidence knowing his new team rushed for 209 yards in last year's 34-14 win in this series as 3.5-point home favorites.

Gotta go with the home team in a battle of first-year coaches, especially with the visitor on a short week after facing a divisional opponent.  

Pick: Miami Dolphins +3

New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers

I wasn't surprised that the New Orleans Saints failed to win their home opener, but many will be surprised when they start the 2012 campaign with an 0-2 record.

As a sports handicapper, I can't get the vision of how shocked Drew Brees looked in the fourth quarter when his team couldn't make up a double-digit deficit.

The Carolina Panthers forgot to run the football in last week's disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—something they will get back to in order to keep a high-powered offense off the field. 

Pick: Carolina Panthers +3

Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Houston Texans figure to be the class of the AFC South division and have an opportunity to take an early two-game lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a victory on Sunday.

Sports bettors will notice that the Texans were outgained in last year's 20-13 win as six-point favorites in Jacksonville, but it's important to note that Houston's starting quarterback Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending injury in the team's previous game.

One of the biggest mismatches in the NFL this week will be the Texans' defensive line going against a banged-up Jaguars' offensive front.

Pick: Houston Texans -7

Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles escaped with a 17-16 season-opening victory over the Cleveland Browns as nine-point road favorites, which may have provided them value in the Week 2 NFL betting odds in this matchup.

Sports bettors will jump at the opportunity to play the Baltimore Ravens as underdogs, but that could be a money-burning situation due to their 2-8 ATS mark when playing on Sunday following a Monday night contest.

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick figures to take better care of the football in this contest, while head coach Andy Reid needs to call running back LeSean McCoy's number as much as possible, considering he's averaged 4.8 yards per carry during his career. 

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles -1

Arizona Cardinals vs. New England Patriots

Before the Week 2 NFL betting odds were released to the public, I established the New England Patriots as 14-point favorites in this contest, which happened to be just a half-point higher than the opening number.

Sports bettors are going to jump on the opportunity to back the Patriots at this welcoming price, but I'll be playing the other side before kickoff. It's very telling that some of the sharpest sports books in the industry continue to hold this line at 13.5.

Don't be surprised if the Arizona Cardinals improve to 3-0 ATS as road underdogs of 10.5 to 14 points since 2010.

Pick: Arizona Cardinals +14

Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Dallas Cowboys will benefit from receiving a few extra days off after scoring a 24-17 season-opening victory over the New York Giants, as it will allow the entire franchise to come down from cloud nine and refocus.

Sometimes, you have to ride along with the majority of bettors—even if your side is 1-5-1 ATS as road favorites over the last two-plus seasons.

I'm definitely aware that the Seattle Seahawks are a different team at home, but I believe this is a different America's Team in 2012. 

Pick: Dallas Cowboys -3

Washington Redskins vs. St. Louis Rams

The Washington Redskins were one of my top NFL picks in Week 1, but now, I'm going to back one of my play-on teams during the 2012 campaign.

St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has been one of the league's best options when receiving points over the course of his career, which fits nicely when going against an opponent that's been favored just four times since 2010.

Even though rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III is coming off an incredible performance against the New Orleans Saints, I'm not interested in laying points on a team that's playing back-to-back road games to start the season—especially if they were listed as nine-point road underdogs just seven days earlier.  

Pick: St. Louis Rams +3

Tennessee Titans vs. San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers didn't light the world on fire in capturing a 22-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders as one-point road underdogs, with many sports bettors feeling that they were fortunate to win due to long-snapping issues on the other sideline.

That may be the case, but this Southern California squad lands in a great situation here.

The Tennessee Titans have failed to cover the last seven meetings in this series, which is quite surprising due to the spread success that former head coach Jeff Fisher has enjoyed during his career (now with the St. Louis Rams).

Sunday's host improves to 20-3 ATS in its last 23 opportunities versus AFC South opponents.

Pick: San Diego Chargers -6

New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I've already written that this is the most surprising line on the entire board, which will likely have me researching this contest further throughout the week.

At this time, I'm going to suggest that readers back the New York Jets if cornerback Darrelle Revis makes a full recovery from the concussion symptoms he's been suffering from.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez will build off last week's season-opening win over the Buffalo Bills, as the Jets move to 5-0 ATS in their last five games following a win by 10 or more points over a division rival.  

Pick: New York Jets +6

Detroit Lions vs. San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers could potentially suffer a letdown in this spot, but I believe Jim Harbaugh will have his guys fired up once against due to the "handshake incident" with Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz.

Harbaugh's squad faces a second straight opponent that's unable to run the football, as the 49ers outgained the Green Bay Packers by 141 yards on the ground in last week's 30-22 win as six-point road underdogs.

The Lions fall to 0-7-1 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a winning record.

Pick: San Francisco 49ers -6.5

Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons will enter this Week 2 matchup as a confident bunch, as they captured a 40-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs as one-point road favorites.

I'm still not sold on this team being ready to perform under some of the brightest lights the NFL has to offer, which is reflected in its recent 1-5 ATS mark on Monday Night Football.

Quarterback Peyton Manning is certainly the main storyline for the Denver Broncos, but I was also very impressed with the pass rush they were able to create in last week's 31-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers as 2.5-point home favorites.

I expect Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller to be in Atlanta's backfield all night, which will improve Manning's record to 10-1 in his last 11 opportunities to close out a week of NFL action.

Pick: Denver Broncos +3 

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