Week 2 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

The opening games of the 2014 NFL season offered plenty of surprises, but also served as a better indication of what to expect for the remainder of the year.

Selecting the proper teams in Week 2 should be a bit easier to do. However, the unfortunate clubs that started 0-1 will be desperate to get back to .500. Sports tax expert Robert Raiola noted the historical significance the start to a season has had:

Thus, many fanbases may already be cheering in vain for a bounce-back from a Week 1 loss. But for those seeking the latest odds and spread advice for alternative entertainment, there is plenty of material to delve into and a number of marquee matchups to analyze.

Here is a look at the latest odds, projections as to which teams will cover the spreads and predictions for the biggest Week 2 games on tap.

Note: Odds and spread information are courtesy of OddsShark.com.

Away Team	Home Team	Pick
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	Ravens (-3)
New England Patriots	Minnesota Vikings	Patriots (-3)
New Orleans Saints	Cleveland Browns	Saints (-7)
Atlanta Falcons	Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals (-5)
Miami Dolphins	Buffalo Bills	Dolphins (-1)
Jacksonville Jaguars	Washington Redskins	Jaguars (+6)
Dallas Cowboys	Tennessee Titans	Titans (-3.5)
Detroit Lions	Carolina Panthers	Panthers (-3)
Arizona Cardinals	New York Giants	Cardinals (-3)
Seattle Seahawks	San Diego Chargers	Chargers (+6)
St. Louis Rams	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Rams (+6)
Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos	Broncos (-13)
Houston Texans	Oakland Raiders	Texans (-3)
New York Jets	Green Bay Packers	Jets (+8.5)
Chicago Bears	San Francisco 49ers	Bears (+7)
Philadelphia Eagles	Indianapolis Colts	Eagles (+3)

Predictions For Top Week 2 Games

Carolina Panthers (-3) over Detroit Lions

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Two of the most gifted passers do battle in this one, as Matthew Stafford seeks to improve the Lions to 2-0 on the road against counterpart Cam Newton, who will make his 2014 debut.

Stafford carved up a hapless New York Giants team at home in throwing for 346 yards, but now he goes up against an elite defense. Detroit had balanced play-calling in Week 1—not balanced production, as it managed 2.5 yards per rush.

Against a vaunted Carolina front seven, that won't get the job done. At least in this new offense, Stafford showed better initial decision-making, straying away from his past gunslinger tendencies that have caused him to average over 17 interceptions over the past three seasons.

The MMQB's Robert Klemko praised Stafford in that regard:

It remains to be seen how effective Newton is, as he's coming off a rib injury. Hanging in the pocket and taking hits may not be as easy as Newton has made it look as a 6'5", 250-pound presence.

Coach Ron Rivera appears confident in Newton taking the field at Bank of America Stadium, per the Panthers' official Twitter account:

As long as Newton can run well, he may be more liable to escape and use his feet to extend plays and rip off big gains on the ground.

The most intriguing battle to monitor in this one will be how the Lions' thin secondary holds up against the few playmakers the Panthers have in their receiving corps.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Rookie wideout Kelvin Benjamin figures to give Detroit problems, along with possession receivers Jerricho Cotchery Jason Avant, who won't be marked by nickel corner Bill Bentley when they line up in the slot. The Lions' 2012 third-round pick tore his ACL in Week 1 and is out for the season.

No one has a consistent answer to the dynamic passing combo of Stafford and Calvin Johnson, and Golden Tate's arrival as a legitimate No. 2 receiver was a big initial success. Tate had six receptions in as many targets for 93 yards this last Monday.

The Panthers defense will force Detroit to be too one-dimensional, and Newton's dual-threat ability will offset the Lions' advantage as a front four against Carolina's rebuilt offensive line. That will help carry the Panthers to a big early-season win.

Prediction: Panthers 27, Lions 17

San Diego Chargers (+6) over Seattle Seahawks

Steve Dykes/Getty Images

This could be the barnburner of Week 2. The Seahawks have had extra time to prepare after crushing the Green Bay Packers last Thursday, while San Diego has to be dejected following an 18-17 road loss in Arizona on Monday.

Traveling might usually set the Seahawks back since they're way out West, but they're still on Pacific time in this instance. That's bad news for Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense, who were in surprising disarray against the Cardinals and are in grave danger of another underwhelming start to the year.

Ed Werder of ESPN analyzed the other ominous news the Chargers got after their tough defeat:

Beginning slow has been commonplace for San Diego with Rivers under center. ESPN's Mike Greenberg summarized the Chargers' plight fittingly:

But this is where San Diego often bounces back. Rivers seems to elevate his play when his back is against the wall, in must-win situations to get the Chargers back into the thick of the playoff chase late in the year.

Week 2 happens to be one of those instances in which San Diego has to win to keep up with Denver in the AFC West and to avoid a dangerous, slippery slope. ESPN Monday Night alluded to Rivers' clutch gene:

"

Philip Rivers had 4 4th-quarter comebacks last season. Only Tom Brady (5) had more. #MNF

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) September 9, 2014"

The Chargers fell victim to an Arizona passing attack last week that featured too many weapons to cover. Seattle isn't as stacked with playmakers outside of Percy Harvin, so San Diego's efforts can go more exclusively toward shutting down powerful running back Marshawn Lynch.

There isn't much pressure on the Seahawks to win this one at all, despite how big of a momentum boost it might be. Look for Seattle to come out a little flat and for the already-desperate Chargers to pull out a last-minute win.

Should this be the outcome, those saying these are the same old Chargers will be silenced for now, while there will be increased doubt about the Seahawks' ability to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Seahawks 20

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) over Indianapolis Colts

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Andrew Luck needs some help. For the criticism he deserves for not starting games better and delivering flat-out ugly throws at times, the collective effort from the Colts needs to be better.

Running back Trent Richardson is downright terrible, incapable of being a feature back. Look no further than this from The Dan Patrick Show's Paul Pabst:

Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton wants to build his offense around the run, but that's not possible without a viable ball-carrier.

Cian Fahey of Rotoworld referenced how Luck has had to carry the weight late in games:

"

Basically, the Colts GM is three years in with Andrew Luck and the team is still 90+% reliant on him winning games on his own for them.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) September 8, 2014"

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco feels Luck should be allowed to push the pace more often:

No one plays with more urgency or as quick a tempo as the Eagles. In their second year under innovative offensive coach Chip Kelly, they looked lost in the first half of Week 1, falling behind 17-0 to Jacksonville at home.

Kelly looked to be being outfoxed by Jaguars defensive guru Gus Bradley—until he came out of the locker room and dialed up 34 unanswered points.

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

Eagles QB Nick Foles is far less mistake-prone than Luck and has the benefit of a running game that features superstar LeSean McCoy and newcomer Darren Sproles.

Facing the Broncos last week helped the Colts prepare for the lightning-fast action Philadelphia's offense will deploy at Lucas Oil Stadium. No doubt that venue is a tough place to win, but Indianapolis isn't balanced enough, and didn't come back in Week 1 until Denver got conservative to protect a monster lead.

Week 2 is going to be the sign that the Colts may have gotten a bit lucky in winning 11 games in each of the past two seasons. Luck's heroics have often saved them, and in this edition of Monday Night Football, Indianapolis' slow front seven and suspect secondary will both be exposed by McCoy and Foles.

This tweet from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah summarizes the Eagles' situation well:

In the weak NFC East, Kelly's Eagles will smell blood in the water and take a commanding early-season advantage. They could very well be two games up with how bad the New York Giants, Dallas and Washington have looked at the outset.

Grinding out the win over Jacksonville will keep Philadelphia in attack mode and prevent Luck from staging another epic comeback effort.

Prediction: Eagles 38, Colts 20