Week 2 NFL Picks: Final Vegas Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Slate

After a bevy of Week 1 upsets kicked off the 2014 NFL season, predicting the outcome of every Week 2 contest should be much easier, right? Well, while we do have a better idea of what each franchise brings to the table this year, there's a fair amount of what should be highly contested matchups on Sunday's slate.

The New England Patriots will attempt to avoid starting the season with an 0-2 record for the first time since 2001. The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have a chance to gain a significant lead in the AFC South. The Buffalo Bills face off against the Miami Dolphins for the right to sit atop the AFC East. These games and many others figure to provide a compelling day of football on Sunday.

Will the Cincinnati Bengals continue their hot streak at home against the prolific Atlanta Falcons offense? Will the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks move to 2-0 on the season against a San Diego Chargers team that's reeling after a late-game loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1? Here's a look at predictions for all of Sunday's games, followed by the answers to those two questions.

Home	Odds	Away	Odds	Prediction
Minnesota Vikings	+3	New England Patriots	-3	NE, 27-23
Cleveland Browns	+7	New Orleans Saints	-7	NO, 37-16
Cincinnati Bengals	-5	Atlanta Falcons	+5	CIN, 31-24
Washington Redskins	-6	Jacksonville Jaguars	+6	WAS, 23-17
Carolina Panthers	-3	Detroit Lions	+3	DET, 24-20
Tennessee Titans	-3.5	Dallas Cowboys	+3.5	TEN, 28-21
Buffalo Bills	+1	Miami Dolphins	-1	MIA, 23-20
New York Giants	+3	Arizona Cardinals	-3	AZ, 30-24
San Diego Chargers	+6	Seattle Seahawks	-6	SEA, 27-17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	—	St. Louis Rams	—	TB, 23-7
Denver Broncos	-13	Kansas City Chiefs	+13	DEN, 34-20
Oakland Raiders	+3	Houston Texans	-3	HOU, 17-13
Green Bay Packers	-8	New York Jets	+8	GB, 37-20
San Francisco 49ers	-7	Chicago Bears	+7	SF, 23-13

All game odds courtesy of Bovada, via OddsShark.com.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Atlanta Falcons

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Bengals were certainly impressive in Week 1 against the Ravens, and a win on Sunday will give the team sole position atop the AFC North. Coming into their Week 2 contest in Cincinnati, the Bengals are riding a nine-win streak at Paul Brown Stadium in the regular season.

Andy Dalton appeared worthy of his new high-profile contract on the road against the Ravens. The fourth-year player wasn't known for his prowess in Baltimore over his career, but that changed in Week 1 when he passed for 301 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions for a passer rating of 98.7.

A.J. Green was certainly impressed with his quarterback, according to a tweet from Joe Danneman of Fox19 in Cincinnati:

Cincinnati racked up 380 yards of offense; however, it faltered in the red zone on numerous occasions, settling for six field-goal attempts against Baltimore. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals allowed 26 first downs and 423 yards of offense to the Ravens but held them to just 16 points while applying pressure on Joe Flacco and forcing two turnovers.

Atlanta defeated the New Orleans Saints in an all-out aerial dual between Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. Ryan's career game of 448 passing yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 128.8 propelled the Falcons to a thrilling 37-34 overtime win.

While Atlanta's 568 yards of offense was incredibly impressive, the team may have a hard time duplicating that kind of showing against Cincinnati.

After losing left tackle Sam Baker for the season, first-round pick Jake Matthews suffered an ankle injury and has been ruled out against Cincinnati. Last week in Matthews' absence, Gabe Carimi came in and struggled against Junior Galette. Now, he must contend with Wallace Gilberry, who tallied 1.5 sacks in Baltimore in Week 1.

Rotoworld's Adam Levitan noted what the injury means for the Falcons offense:

"

Really rough spot as a whole for ATL's offense. RT @Atlanta_Falcons Jake Matthews ruled OUT for Sunday's game. #ATLvsCIN

— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) September 12, 2014"

Should the Bengals pass rush give Ryan a hard time in the pocket throughout the game—and it looks like they will—the Falcons will leave Cincinnati with a 1-1 record.

Prediction: Bengals 31, Falcons 24

San Diego Chargers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

The Seahawks defense displayed its dominance once again in Week 1. This time, it was against the Aaron Rodgers-led, high-octane Green Bay Packers offense. The quarterback was held to 189 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, while the team recorded just 80 yards on the ground. That's a grand total of 255 yards from one of the league's most prolific offenses.

Perhaps even more impressive was the versatility of Seattle's offense. Russell Wilson was extremely efficient, throwing for 191 yards and two scores. Marshawn Lynch did what he does best, thrashing the Packers defense for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Percy Harvin was a huge factor as a receiver and was also on the dangerous jet sweep.

Here's a telling stat regarding Wilson from For The Win:

So, the question is this: Can the Chargers possibly keep up with this well-rounded team?

San Diego faced off against Arizona on Monday, and it came away with mixed results. Through three quarters, the Cardinals were held to just six points, as the Chargers maintained a bend-but-don't-break defensive style. However, the team allowed a costly 91-yard touchdown drive in the waning minutes of the game to take the loss.

Philip Rivers didn't look nearly as efficient as he was in 2013; however, his offensive line wasn't exactly efficient—Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked San Diego 21st in the league in pass protection with a negative-0.6 grade. Furthering concern surrounding the offense, running back Ryan Matthews didn't look very explosive, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.

ESPN Stats & Info like Seattle's defense in this matchup:

The Chargers were a surprise playoff team one year ago; although, they will have their work cut out to make it back into the postseason after beginning the season 0-2.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Chargers 17