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

Houston's rough start to the NFL season could continue with another matchup against one of the AFC's top quarterbacks on the docket after Week 1's loss to Kansas City.

The Texans will enter their Week 2 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens as a home underdog. 

Houston opened as one of five home underdogs. Miami, Las Vegas, the New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers are the others. 

The Chargers could face the toughest test of that group since they struggled to produce points in Week 1 and face a Kansas City offense that again looks like the best in the NFL. 

NFL Week 2 Schedule and Odds

All Times ET

Thursday, September 17

Cincinnati at Cleveland (-6) (8:20 p.m., NFL Network) (Over/Under: 44.5)

Sunday, September 20

Buffalo (-5.5) at Miami (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 42)

Denver at Pittsburgh (-6.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 43)

Jacksonville at Tennessee (-10.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 43)

New York Giants at Chicago (-5.5) (1 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 43)

Atlanta at Dallas (-7) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 50)

Carolina at Tampa Bay (-8) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 48.5)

Detroit at Green Bay (-5.5) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 46.5)

Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia (-2.5) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 48)

Minnesota at Indianapolis (-3) (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 47)

San Francisco (-7) at New York Jets (1 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 43.5)

Washington at Arizona (-6.5) (4:05 p.m., Fox) (O/U: 45.5)

Kansas City (-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 50)

Baltimore (-6.5) at Houston (4:25 p.m., CBS) (O/U: 52.5)

New England at Seattle (-4) (8:20 p.m., NBC) (O/U: 44)

Monday, September 21

New Orleans (-5.5) at Las Vegas (8:15 p.m., ESPN) (O/U: 50.5)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Projections against the spread in bold

Projections

Baltimore (-6.5) at Houston

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The Baltimore-Houston spread will be worth monitoring for the entire week.

The Ravens opened as a 6.5-point favorite, but if that number goes above a touchdown, it may be worth looking at Houston as the underdog. 

In 2019, five of Houston's eight regular-season home games were decided by one possession, and three of its six losses were by seven points or fewer. 

The main reason to have confidence in the Ravens as a one-score favorite is how well their offense looked in Week 1 against Cleveland. 

The Ravens delivered the high-quality performance that was expected of them by putting up 38 points and recording 377 total yards. 

John Harbaugh's team added a new wrinkle to its offense with rookie J.K. Dobbins thriving in the red zone with a pair of touchdowns. 

In Week 1, Houston struggled to contain Kansas City's rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who put up 138 yards and a score on the ground. 

If Houston refines a few parts of its offense from Thursday, it could remain close with the Ravens, even if Dobbins, Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson achieve success on the ground. 

Deshaun Watson formed a solid connection with Will Fuller V, and David Johnson provided a nice complement in the ground game with 77 yards on 11 carries. 

If Johnson produces at a similar clip and Watson picks out one or two more receivers to support Fuller against Baltimore's secondary, the game could remain close. 

Since Houston's entire offensive unit does not compare to Baltimore's, especially at tight end where the Ravens have a significant advantage with Mark Andrews, the Texans may not be able to get too close to the AFC North side. 

If the line grows in favor of Baltimore in the coming days, it may be worth considering Houston as a larger underdog, but for now, the opening line seems right in favor of the Ravens.

Kansas City (-8) at Los Angeles Chargers

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

Kansas City had a combined margin of victory of 17 from its two meetings with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019. 

Four of the Chiefs' seven victories away from Arrowhead Stadium would have covered the eight-point spread set for Sunday's trip to Los Angeles. 

Additionally, Andy Reid's side won two other road contests by seven points, which suggests a two-possession win is not unlikely for the Super Bowl 54 champion.

Edwards-Helaire could once again be the X-factor to Kansas City cruising to a double-digit victory.

The Chargers did a decent job containing Joe Mixon in Week 1. The Cincinnati running back had 69 yards on 19 carries, but the AFC West side could have prepared more to stop the run since Joe Burrow was making his first-career NFL start. 

The level of experience for the opposing quarterback significantly rises for Week 2, and if Mahomes carves up the Chargers defense, Anthony Lynn's side could drop to 1-1. 

Mahomes is 12-1 with 27 touchdowns and six interceptions against AFC West opposition. He has eight passing scores and has been picked off twice in four games versus the Chargers. 

Mahomes' 213.8 yards per game against the Chargers is the lowest against any AFC West foe, but now that he has an explosive running back who commands more defensive focus than Damien Williams, there could be more gaps for the quarterback to exploit.

The lack of success from Los Angeles offense could also play a role in Kansas City potentially covering by eight or more points. 

Tyrod Taylor completed 16 of his 30 passes against the Bengals and failed to get Keenan Allen involved on a consistent basis. 

If no improvements are made in the Chargers' passing game ahead of Sunday, they could be stuck looking for answers at .500.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com and Pro Football Reference