NFL Week 2 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

The first week of the season should not be overblown.

Whether you got off to a 12-2 start against the number or 2-12 (there are two games remaining Monday night), a smart player won't give it a second thought. The best way to go about this business is for a handicapper to follow the Bill Belichick routine. "We're on to Week 2."

It's certainly better to get off to a winning start than a losing one, but it's not wise to start counting money just yet. Stick to your budget and don't start chasing. If you're already feeling the pressure as you contemplate the second week of the season, perhaps you should focus all of your attention on your fantasy team.

There are usually golden opportunities in the second week of the season, as the sharps who make the line still don't have all the teams figured out completely at this point. It's our job to figure out where those opportunities are. 

Once again, we will make selections on all games this week. Even when Odds Shark has not listed an opening line, we will still offer our predictions.

Game	Line	Prediction
Denver at Kansas City	KC -3	Kansas City
New England at Buffalo	Even	Buffalo
Houston at Carolina	Car. -3	Carolina
Arizona at Chicago	Even	Arizona
San Diego at Cincinnati	Cin. -3.5	San Diego
Tennessee at Cleveland	Cle. -1	Cleveland
Detroit at Minnesota	Minn. -3	Minnesota
Tampa Bay at New Orleans	NO -11	New Orleans
Atlanta at N.Y. Giants	NYG -2.5	N.Y. Giants
San Francisco at Pittsburgh	Pitt. -6.5	Pittsburgh
St. Louis at Washington	St. L -3	St. Louis
Miami at Jacksonville	Mia. -6	Jacksonville
Baltimore at Oakland	NL	Baltimore
Dallas at Philadelphia	Phil -4	Philadelphia
Seattle at Green Bay	GB -3.5	Green Bay
N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis	NL	Indianapolis

Chiefs will show Broncos who's in charge now

The Chiefs opened the season in fairly impressive fashion as they picked up a 27-20 victory over the "Hard Knocks" Houston Texans on the road. The Chiefs rolled to a 27-9 lead by halftime, then lost their focus after putting the game away in the first 30 minutes.

That's nothing for the Chiefs to worry about. While they were a winning team last year, they blew winnable games throughout the season, and Andy Reid knows that can't happen this year.

The Broncos outlasted the Baltimore Ravens at home in Week 1, picking up a 19-13 victory. However, the offense could not get going, and Denver's go-ahead touchdown came on an interception returned to the house by Aqib Talib.

Peyton Manning is just a shell of his former self at this point. He can't throw medium- or long-range passes with any zip, and the Chiefs will take advantage.

Kansas City has the home-field edge, a devastating running attack led by Jamaal Charles and a nasty defense led by Justin Houston. They should easily cover the small impost.

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Rex Ryan takes it to Belichick

It seems like every team in the league wants to take on the Patriots and teach them a lesson, but Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is obsessed by this team.

After coaching the Jets and playing the Patriots twice every year, he has stayed in the AFC East and will continue to play them two times a year.

Like his old Jets teams, the Bills are much more powerful on the defensive side of the ball, and Ryan will try to come up with a scheme that will at least slow down Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, if not stop them completely.

The difference between these Bills and his old team is on the offensive side. The Bills have excellent talent in LeSean McCoy and Sammy Watkins, a solid second receiver in Robert Woods and an overlooked tight end in Charles Clay.

But the real difference may be quarterback Tyrod Taylor. He emerged as the starting quarterback during training camp, and he had a sensational opening game against Indianapolis. Taylor completed 14 of 19 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, and he did not throw an interception. We don't know whether Taylor will make it in the long run, but he looks like a hot quarterback right now.

The Patriots will give a solid professional effort, but they played an emotional game in their opener in Week 1. They won't be able to match the Bills in that area in Week 2, and the Bills will beat their old rivals at home in front of their raucous fans.

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Speeding Rams will run right by Redskins

This game has opened up with the Rams as a three-point favorite, and that number seems likely to go up as 98 percent of the early wagering has been on St. Louis.

Washington was fairly effective in its opener against the Dolphins, dropping a 17-10 decision when Miami scored the winning touchdown on a punt return in the fourth quarter.

The Redskins have many issues, including poor quarterback play, but an even bigger problem may be the lack of team speed on offense, defense and special teams.

This problem area is one of the Rams' strengths. Tavon Austin returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown against a fast Seattle team, and he may run circles around the Redskins.

It's just difficult to see Washington staying in this game for 60 minutes. The Rams are coming off a confidence-building win over the Seahawks, and they won't let it slip away against struggling Washington.