Week 2 NFL Picks: Latest Betting Odds, Vegas Spreads and Projections

Overreaction from the first week of the NFL season allows Week 2 to be one of the easiest slates to bet on all year.

While there are always some major surprises in the opening set of games in the NFL, many teams come back to earth one way or another. The ones who are actually better or worse than originally projected also have easier lines because no one believes in them yet.

In both cases, you have to go with what you know and place a bet on the best team.

Here is a guide to the second week of games with odds courtesy of OddsShark.com.

Date	Away	Home	Time (ET)	Pick
Sept. 11	Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	8:25 p.m.	BAL -2.5
Sept. 14	New England Patriots	Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	NE -4.5
Sept. 14	New Orleans Saints	Cleveland Browns	1 p.m.	NO -6.5
Sept. 14	Atlanta Falcons	Cincinnati Bengals	1 p.m.	CIN -5
Sept. 14	Jacksonville Jaguars	Washington Redskins	1 p.m.	JAX +4.5
Sept. 14	Detroit Lions	Carolina Panthers	1 p.m.	DET +1
Sept. 14	Dallas Cowboys	Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.	DAL +3.5
Sept. 14	Miami Dolphins	Buffalo Bills	1 p.m.	MIA PK
Sept. 14	Arizona Cardinals	New York Giants	1 p.m.	ARI +1.5
Sept. 14	St. Louis Rams	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4:05 p.m.	TB -4.5
Sept. 14	Seattle Seahawks	San Diego Chargers	4:05 p.m.	SEA -4.5
Sept. 14	New York Jets	Green Bay Packers	4:25 p.m.	GB -9
Sept. 14	Houston Texans	Oakland Raiders	4:25 p.m.	HOU PK
Sept. 14	Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos	4:25 p.m.	DEN -12.5
Sept. 14	Chicago Bears	San Francisco 49ers	8:30 p.m.	SF -7
Sept. 15	Philadelphia Eagles	Indianapolis Colts	8:30 p.m.	IND -2.5

Best Picks

Arizona Cardinals (+1.5) at New York Giants

The Cardinals were dealing with a number of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but the unit came together to slow down a versatile San Diego Chargers offense on Monday Night Football.

Arizona continued to prove its strength against the run while also creating a lot of pressure with various blitzes throughout the game. If this unit plays the same way against the New York Giants, it is hard to imagine the home team scoring too many points.

Gary Myers of the New York Daily News breaks down the problems for the Giants in Week 1:

"

It was the Same Old Eli on Monday night, but unfortunately for the Giants, not the one who pulled off thrilling last minute drives to win two Super Bowls.

It was the Same Old Eli of 2013, who threw a career-high 27 interceptions, and the Same Old Eli who has showed up for too many games of his 11-year career with the Giants.

"

Eli Manning had two interceptions in the loss, although the struggles were not all his fault. The offensive line was virtually nonexistent, while the receivers also did not provide much help. Still, those problems are not going away in a week.

The Cardinals do have to travel across the country on a short week, but they should be able to move to 2-0 on the season with a win.

Prediction: Cardinals 20, Giants 14

Miami Dolphins (PK) at Buffalo Bills

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

The Bills have improved a great deal from last season, as evident from their opening win over the Chicago Bears. However, the Dolphins proved they could be a legitimate contender in the AFC with their first game.

Miami defeated the New England Patriots in a game that surprised quite a few experts:

Tony Dungy described the dominant win:

There were certainly mistakes, like three turnovers and a few missed throws by Ryan Tannehill, but the Dolphins were impressive throughout.

The most notable difference from last season was the rebuilt offensive line, which allowed only one sack all game. Considering the squad was worst in the league in this category in 2013 with 58, this is a major improvement.

Buffalo had an impressive road win over what many thought were one of the top teams in the NFC, but there are still questions at quarterback and other areas of the squad.

Miami is dealing with some key injuries on defense, but this team should improve to 2-0 with a win Sunday.

Predicted Score: Dolphins 27, Bills 21

Denver Broncos (-12.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

After losing linebacker Derrick Johnson and defensive tackle Mike DeVito for the season with identical ruptured Achilles tendons, head coach Andy Reid attempted to stay positive:

"

The guys that got hurt, our heart goes out to them for the work they put in, but we also have some good players that can step up in and do the job and that's what we expect of them.

We've still got a lot of good football players on this football team, and you have the personnel department looking at options. We still have a lot of games left.

"

While this is a good thing to rally his troops, the team will really miss Johnson in the middle of the defense. The three-time Pro Bowler was the heart and soul of the unit and extremely valuable for Kansas City, as Bleacher Report's Christopher Hansen notes:

There is certainly a chance the Chiefs can overcome this loss with time, but allowing 26 points to the Tennessee Titans does not bode well for a road game against the Denver Broncos.

Peyton Manning is as good as he was last season with Emmanuel Sanders stepping up in place of the departed Eric Decker and suspended Wes Welker. Meanwhile, Julius Thomas is still a matchup nightmare as Demaryius Thomas remains a go-to option.

Manning will be able to expose the Chiefs defense and run up the scoreboard. At the same time, the improved defense will keep Kansas City out of the end zone for most of the game. This divisional battle could get ugly in a hurry.

Predicted Score: Broncos 38, Chiefs 13

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