NFL Picks Week 2: Game-by-Game Advice for Current Vegas Spreads

The opening week of the 2019 NFL season had its fair share of surprises. The much-hyped Cleveland Browns laid an egg at home in their opener, while the Oakland Raiders dominated the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.

The Pittsburgh Steelers—supposedly focused and poised after the departures of Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown—looked completely lost against the New England Patriots.

These could be one-off performances, of course, and it's easy to overreact to Week 1. For at least a week, however, several teams were not who we thought they were. This leads to some tough decisions entering Week 2 when playing against the spread.

Here, you'll find the full Week 2 slate along with the latest lines from Caesars and score predictions for each game. You'll also find a closer look at two of the week's most intriguing matchups.

NFL Week 2 Games and Predictions

Thursday, September 12

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5) at Carolina Panthers: Panthers 30-22

Sunday, September 15

Arizona Cardinals (+13.5) at Baltimore Ravens: Ravens 31-21

Buffalo Bills (-2) at New York Giants: Bills 20-17

Dallas Cowboys (-4.5) at Washington Redskins: Cowboys 28-23

Indianapolis Colts (+3) at Tennessee Titans: Titans 31-24

Jacksonville Jaguars (+8.5) at Houston Texans: Texans 33-20

Los Angeles Chargers (-2.5) at Detroit Lions: Chargers 24-23

Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) at Green Bay Packers: Packers 23-20

New England Patriots (-19) at Miami Dolphins: Patriots 30-14

San Francisco 49ers (+1.5) at Cincinnati Bengals: Bengals 26-23

Seattle Seahawks (+3.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers: Seahawks 28-27

Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5) at Oakland Raiders: Chiefs 33-28

Chicago Bears (even) at Denver Broncos: Bears 24-20

New Orleans Saints (+2.5) at Los Angeles Rams: Saints 34-31

Philadelphia Eagles (even) at Atlanta Falcons: Eagles 28-24

Monday, September 16

Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at New York Jets: Browns 27-24

New England Patriots (-19) at Miami Dolphins

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Patriots are giving 19 points to the Miami Dolphins on the road. That seems ridiculous, but after watching both teams in Week 1, it almost makes sense. The Patriots looked like a well-oiled machine while the Dolphins were about as energized as a can of oil.

Miami is clearly tanking this season, even though no one will publicly admit it. Some of the players don't even want to be there. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, at least three of them have made trade requests.

The Patriots, meanwhile, just dropped 33 points on the Steelers. They could also have Antonio Brown in the lineup by Week 2, which would make the offense even more explosive.

However, 19 points is a lot for the NFL, especially in a rivalry game. The Dolphins to tend to get up for the Patriots at home, and the Patriots tend to struggle in Miami. the Dolphins actually beat New England 34-33 there last season.

While the Patriots should still win big in Week 2, expect the game to be relatively close in relation to the Steelers contest.

Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at New York Jets

David Richard/Associated Press

The Browns looked terrible in Week 1. Their offense was out of sync, and their defense couldn't stop the Tennessee Titans when stops were desperately needed. The end result was a 43-13 blowout loss that should temper expectations for Cleveland moving forward.

So, why will Cleveland still win against the Jets in New York? The Browns will cut down on the stupid mistakes that cost them against the Titans.

Cleveland was flagged 18 times for 182 yards against Tennessee. There's virtually no way that happens again. If the Browns can even cut that number in half, they have the offensive and defensive talented needed to handle New York.

The Jets are a good team with a promising young quarterback in Sam Darnold and a premier running back in Le'Veon Bell. However, they don't have a ton of talent at linebacker or at cornerback, and the Browns should take advantage.

Mayfield threw three fourth-quarter picks while pressing to mount a comeback. That shouldn't happen against the Jets, so New York shouldn't be getting any easy points.

Cleveland will be motivated to put together a big performance after falling flat in their opener.

"Everyone is going to throw us in the trash," Mayfield said, per ESPN's Jake Trotter. "And I think that's good. ...I know how we're going to react."

Expect a hungrier, more disciplined Browns team on Monday night.