Week 2 NFL Odds, Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule

Week 1 wasn't exactly filled with outright upsets, but we did see quite a few finishes that were closer than expected. Of course, as we've seen in years past, the mistake-filled play that inherently follows Week 1 often serves as a great equalizer.

Make no mistake, some of what we saw in Week 1 will prove to be nothing more than a mirage. A year ago, we saw the New England Patriots knock off the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Arizona Cardinals went play-for-play with the Buffalo Bills. Arizona and New England went on to combine for 12 wins.

Some performances, however, can provide an accurate preview of what's ahead. Based on Week 1 results, projected matchups and past trends, let's dive into some favorable early lines for Week 2.

*Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook

Colts +2.5 Versus Broncos

AP Photo/Zach Bolinger

Colts QB Daniel Jones

The Indianapolis Colts provided one of the biggest surprises of Week 1. While seeing them beat the Miami Dolphins at home wasn't shocking, the Colts' dominance in that game was.

New defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo had Miami's offense off-balance the entire game, while new starting quarterback Daniel Jones played like the high-end dual-threat quarterback the New York Giants once drafted him to be.

Of course, it's fair to wonder if the Dolphins have simply regressed that much over the past year. The Denver Broncos, who are coming off a playoff campaign, should provide a much stiffer test.

However, the Colts are enticing as home dogs. Denver made a lot of mistakes against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Its defense derailed the NFL debut of quarterback Cam Ward, but a number of miscues by Bo Nix kept Tennessee in the game.

Expect Indy to make this one extremely interesting and to potentially win outright.

Cardinals -6.5 Versus Panthers

AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Cardinals RB James Conner

The Arizona Cardinals allowed the New Orleans Saints to hang around for most of Sunday afternoon, but they managed to escape with a seven-point win. Now, they'll return to Arizona to host a Carolina Panthers team that appears much worse than the Saints.

Carolina never found any semblance of rhythm, offensively or defensively, against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1. Its defense surrendered easy yards on the ground, while the offense made far to many mistakes to ever threaten Jacksonville.

Quarterback Bryce Young had the sort of bad outing that he had before being benched early in 2024—though he certainly didn't get much help from his receiving corps.

Arizona's defense still doesn't appear great (315 yards allowed vs. Saints), but it should do enough to keep this game out of upset territory. Kyler Murray, James Conner and the Cardinals offense can do enough to pull away and win by at least a touchdown for the second straight week.

49ers and Saints Under 41.5 Points

AP Photo/John Froschauer

49ers QB Brock Purdy

The Saints put up a surprisingly strong fight on Sunday. While their last-ditch comeback attempt failed when Spencer Rattler led Chris Olave out of bounds, they have chances to upset Arizona at home.

In other words, New Orleans did not look like the worst team in the NFL, as many assumed it would coming into the season.

The Saints will be back home in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. While New Orleans might have a chance of keeping things close again, the over/under is more attractive than the line (SF -6.5).

San Francisco has more injury concerns after star tight end George Kittle exited Week 1 with a hamstring injury. That, along with more kicking woes from Jake Moody, makes it hard to believe that the 49ers offense will run wild.

Kittle will miss "a few weeks," according to The Athletic's Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur, while quarterback Brock Purdy could potentially miss the game with toe and shoulder injuries.

It's also hard to envision a Rattler-led Saints attack repeatedly racking up points. With coordinator Robert Saleh back in the fold, San Francisco's defense appears to have returned to playoff form. Sunday's game against the rival Seattle Seahawks included just 30 total points.

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