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

Predicting what will happen in Week 2 of the NFL season is often just as difficult as the first week, so don't be afraid to look for help before placing your bets.

It's obvious you don't want to get sucked into the hype of just one game, but that doesn't mean you should ignore the outcomes from Week 1. Just because a team outperformed expectations or fell flat in a loss doesn't mean it was a fluke.

There is no problem with backing a team well before the rest of the public is convinced.

Although Week 2 has a chance to feature even more surprises, here is an early look at predictions against the spread for the weekend.

Away	Home	Pick ATS*
Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	DEN +3
New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills	BUF +1
Arizona Cardinals	Chicago Bears	ARI -2.5
San Francisco 49ers	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -6
Atlanta Falcons	New York Giants	ATL +2.5
Tennessee Titans	Cleveland Browns	TEN PK
Houston Texans	Carolina Panthers	HOU +3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	New Orleans Saints	NO -10
Detroit Lions	Minnesota Vikings	DET +3
St. Louis Rams	Washington Redskins	STL -3.5
San Diego Chargers	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -3.5
Miami Dolphins	Jacksonville Jaguars	MIA -6
Baltimore Ravens	Oakland Raiders	BAL -6.5
Dallas Cowboys	Philadelphia Eagles	DAL +5.5
Seattle Seahawks	Green Bay Packers	GB -3.5
New York Jets	Indianapolis Colts	IND -7

Note: All spread info courtesy of Odds Shark.

Best Bets

St. Louis Rams (-3.5) over Washington Redskins

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

The St. Louis Rams are coming off an upset win over the Seattle Seahawks, and it is clear it was not a fluke. The key was the strong play of the defensive line to completely disrupt the opposing game plan. 

ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner explained how adjustments didn't help the Seahawks in Week 1:

This is not good news for the Washington Redskins, who could struggle to move the ball with Kirk Cousins under center. Alfred Morris is coming off a fantastic opening game with 121 rushing yards, but it will be much tougher to find space against the defensive front of Aaron Donald, Chris Long, Michael Brockers and Robert Quinn.

Add in the loss of DeSean Jackson due to a hamstring injury, and it's hard to imagine the Redskins scoring too many points in this one.

Washington did show some promise defensively against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, but the Rams should be able to get enough production out of Nick Foles and whichever running back is healthy to come away with a victory in a low-scoring battle.

Detroit Lions (+3) over Minnesota Vikings

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Both teams are coming off losses in Week 1, but the Minnesota Vikings were much more embarrassing on national television. The team considered a sleeper by many in the preseason came out flat on Monday night, losing 20-3 to the San Francisco 49ers.

Head coach Mike Zimmer didn't hold back in his assessment of his team after the game with some scathing quotes:

The 49ers dominated the Vikings defense on the ground, and Minnesota's offense couldn't get anything going throughout the game. It's hard to imagine this will improve too much against the Detroit Lions in Week 2.    

Despite the loss, the Lions still looked strong against the run even after losing Ndamukong Suh in the offseason. The San Diego Chargers managed just 3.2 yards per carry, which is encouraging with Adrian Peterson up next.

The offense also provided some excitement thanks to young players Ameer Abdullah and Eric Ebron. If Matthew Stafford can avoid turnovers—which is no guarantee—Detroit should be able to easily get its first win of the year.

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) over Seattle Seahawks

It's hard to fathom the Seahawks dropping to 0-2 on the year, but this is how the schedule sets up for the defending NFC champions.

The opening loss to the Rams highlighted a great defensive line in St. Louis but also showed Seattle's major weakness on the offensive line. Russell Wilson had little time to throw the ball, and it resulted in just one offensive touchdown in the game.

Although Wilson should have an easier time against the Green Bay Packers, it still won't be a cakewalk offensively.

Meanwhile, the biggest story in Seattle regards the player not on the field. Kam Chancellor is expected to miss his second game because of a holdout, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

Even with Pro Bowl defensive backs like Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, the Seahawks defense is much weaker without Chancellor. This could give reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers the extra boost he needs to put together another strong showing.

With James Jones' recent arrival combining with Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, Rodgers will have more than enough weapons at his disposal to avenge last year's NFC Championship Game loss.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.