Week 2 NFL Picks: Favorites Who Are Locks to Cover the Spread

When it comes to the NFL, sure things are hard to come by.

Every week we see underdogs that surprise us and favorites that under perform and disappoint us. What the betting public wants know is, "Who can we trust?"

Looking at Week 2's slate of games, the lines are fairly close across the board, so we should see plenty of close matchups. With that in mind, there are a few teams that are favored who should have no problem covering the spread and then some in the season's second week. (All lines courtesy of Bovada).

Houston Texans (-7.5) over Jacksonville Jaguars

The Houston Texans had one of the most impressive season debuts, opening the season with a 20-point victory at home against the Dolphins, 30-10.

The Texans go on the road this week, opening divisional play with a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Vegas sees them as 7.5 point favorites.

Although it's one of the biggest lines of the week, 7.5 doesn't seem quite big enough. The Texans looked really impressive against the Dolphins and figure to be head-and-shoulders above everyone else in this division.

Blaine Gabbert showed improvement from last season in the opener against the Minnesota Vikings, but the Jaguars still came up short in overtime.

Keeping the game close against an elite Texans team could prove to be much more difficult. The Texans should win this game by ten or more, making the Texans a pretty safe bet to cover the spread on Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers (-7) over Detroit Lions

The San Francisco 49ers established that their breakout 2011 campaign was no fluke with a 30-22 win over the Packers in Green Bay last week. Expect the momentum to keep rolling for the 49ers as they get the Detroit Lions at home this week.

All eyes will be on this Sunday night game, and the Lions certainly have the odds stacked against them in this road game. Detroit will be looking to show that their near-loss to the St. Louis Rams was a fluke, but judging from Week 1, the Niners should have no problem winning big in this one.

The Lions possess one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL, but with this Niners defense, that won't matter much. The Rams were able to force Stafford to throw three interceptions, as the Lions needed a touchdown with ten seconds left to secure the come-from-behind victory against the Rams.

St. Louis may have an improved defense, but the San Francisco defense is on another level. After holding the Packers offense to seven points through three quarters, it's clear that points will be at a premium and the Lions defense will have to keep them in the game.

Look for the Niners to play just as well, if not better, than they did last week and win this one by 10 or more.

Atlanta Falcons (-3) over Denver Broncos

Monday Night Football should offer plenty of excitement this week as two of the more surprising teams from last week will play each other in prime time.

The Denver Broncos looked great in the first game of the Peyton Manning era, but it seems a bit surprising that the Falcons aren't a bigger favorite at home after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 40-24 on the road last week.

Matt Ryan looked as sharp as ever and could be in for a career year. Roddy White and Julio Jones provided a dynamic one-two punch on the perimeter and should be able to provide quick safety valves for Ryan against a Broncos pass rush that racked up five sacks against the Steelers last week.

After such a dominant performance on the road, the Falcons should be able to open up at home with a win. This one could be close in the early going, but expect the Falcons to pull away late and win by at least seven points.