NFL Picks Week 2: Breaking Down the Lines for Each Game
NFL Week 1 offered a handful of surprises in Vegas, and Week 2 promises to be no different.
The Packers and the Cowboys are the biggest early favorites, according to Sportsbook.com.
Other notable favorites include the Patriots, who visit the embattled Jets at the Meadowlands.
With Michael Vick likely to make the start at quarterback, the Eagles are also a popular pick in Vegas as they prepare to visit the Lions in Detroit.
Here's a look at which teams will cover and who could move the lines in Week 2.
Kansas City at Cleveland
1 of 16
Line: Cleveland at -2
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Browns are playing at home in a game featuring two teams that have struggled in recent years.
Who Moves the Line For the Browns: In a battle featuring two running backs who finished last season strong, Jerome Harrison figures to be the best chance for the Browns' offense to wake up in Week 2 as Jake Delhomme makes his regular-season home debut in Cleveland.
Harrison should get plenty of touches against a Chiefs defense that struggled against the run last season.
Who Moves the Line For the Chiefs: Jamaal Charles and Dexter McCluster have breathed life into the Chiefs' stagnant offense, but Matt Cassel is the key to Kansas City's chances.
The veteran didn't look very good in the season opener and needs to begin showing improvement. His failures can no longer be attributed to a lack of weapons on offense.
Will Kansas City Cover? No. Both Cleveland and Kansas City should be better than last season, but the Browns still don't have enough talent on offense.
Buffalo at Green Bay
2 of 16
Line: Green Bay at -13
Is the Line Right? Yes. It might seem a bit generous, but Buffalo's offense has little chance to hang with Green Bay Sunday.
Who Moves the Line for the Packers? Brandon Jackson will be thrust into the spotlight with Ryan Grant out for the season with a torn ligament in his ankle.
Jackson, a second-round pick out of Nebraska, has never lived up to expectations in Green Bay thanks largely to injury problems. Anything he contributes on the Bills should be icing on the cake.
Who Moves the Line for the Bills? C.J. Spiller needs to get the ball early in often in his second regular season game as a pro.
Spiller's speed gives the Bills a dangerous weapon and would make it more difficult for the Packers' pass rush to tee off on Trent Edwards in the pocket.
Will Green Bay Cover? Yes. The Packers simply have too many weapons.
Baltimore at Cincinnati
3 of 16
Line: Baltimore at -1.5
Is the Line Right? No. The Ravens are coming off a win over the Jets, but can that really be considered an accomplishment given how both teams play Monday night?
Who Moves the Line for the Ravens? Ray Rice is the most valuable player on the Ravens. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield should make life easier for Joe Flacco as he continues to develop chemistry with his new receivers.
If Rice is able to run the ball, Baltimore could come away with another road win.
Who Moves the Line for the Bengals? At some point, Carson Palmer is going to have to put it all together.
The Bengals have given him a variety of weapons, and he should find the going good against the Ravens injury-riddled secondary.
Will Baltimore Cover? No. The Bengals will be excited and ready to go, and the Ravens didn't look much better than the Jets in the season opener.
Baltimore remains a nice Super Bowl pick, but a Week 2 loss appears likely.
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Pittsburgh at Tennessee
4 of 16
Line: Tennessee at -5
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Steelers aren't playing in Pennsylvania anymore.
Who Moves the Line for the Titans? Chris Johnson will do his thing no matter what, but Vince Young still needs to prove he can perform through the air on a weekly basis.
Young will need to take care of the ball against a Steelers secondary that looked good in Week 1 against Matt Ryan and the Falcons.
Who Moves the Line for the Steelers? Since the quarterback output for the Steelers is anything but a sure thing, the running game could be the difference between winning and losing.
Rashard Mendenhall will need to do his best Eddie George impersonation Sunday, grinding out tough yards on an abundance of carries against a tough Tennessee run defense.
Will Tennessee Cover? Yes. The Steelers' offense simply isn't very good without Ben Roethlisberger under center.
Philadelphia at Detroit
5 of 16
Line: Philadelphia at -4
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Lions are playing without Matthew Stafford and will have to scrap and claw to hang with any team, even the injury-riddled Eagles.
Who Moves the Line for the Eagles? Michael Vick is likely to get the start against Detroit Sunday and looks to continue the second half magic that nearly rallied the Eagles past the Packers Sunday.
Who Moves the Line for the Lions? Jahvid Best can't throw the ball to Calvin Johnson, but he could be able to run the ball as he makes his home debut in Detroit Sunday.
Best is a dangerous weapon the Lions haven't had in recent years, and he should make Shawn Hill's job as the starting quarterback much easier.
Will Philadelphia Cover? No. The first big upset of the day comes from an unlikely source. The Lions are headed in the right direction, and a win in the opener might be just be good karma after last week.
Chicago at Dallas
6 of 16
Line: Dallas at -8.5
Is the Line Right? No. The Bears have a horrible offensive line, but the Cowboys do too and shouldn't be getting quite this much love in Vegas.
Who Moves the Line for the Cowboys? Besides the offensive line, Dallas needs the running game to produce.
That means Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, and Marion Barber need to establish something on the ground against Chicago's tough front seven.
Who Moves the Line for the Bears? If Jay Cutler can figure things out in Mike Martz's offense, the Bears could challenge the Cowboys Sunday.
With Matt Forte apparently back to his rookie form, Cutler has a nice outlet valve he was lacking last season.
Will Dallas Cover? No. The Cowboys should win, but it probably won't be easy. Dallas just isn't a safe bet right now.
Tampa Bay at Carolina
7 of 16
Line: Carolina at -2.5
Is the Spread Right? Yes. Despite last week's results, the Panthers are the better team and also playing at home. It makes sense.
Who Moves the Line for the Panthers? DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are the best weapons the Panthers have with the quarterback position not set heading into Sunday's meeting with the Bucs. Both players should find room to run and help John Fox eek out a win.
Who Moves the Line for the Buccaneers? Just how much have the Bucs improved? Tampa looked good against the Browns, but the Panthers are a much better team. If Josh Freeman takes care of the ball, his team will have a chance to steal one on the road.
Will Carolina Cover? Yes. The Bucs are young and don't have many sure-things. Carolina has two talented running backs, and that will be the difference.
Arizona at Atlanta
8 of 16
Line: Atlanta at -6.5
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Falcons should find the going considerably easier this week than it was last week.
Who Moves the Line for the Falcons? Michael Turner needs to have a big game to jump start Atlanta's offense. The stage is set for that to happen Sunday.
Who Moves the Line for the Cardinals? Derek Anderson's bipolar tendencies at quarterback make it possible for anything to happen Sunday.
The Falcons are somewhat vulnerable in the secondary, and the Cardinals are loaded at receiver.
Larry Fitzgerald's health remains a bit of concern, but he should be able to be effective even at less than 100 percent.
Will Atlanta Cover? Yes. The Falcons need a win, and it's difficult to see the Cardinals winning a second consecutive road game after barely beating the Rams last week.
Miami at Minnesota
9 of 16
Line: Minnesota at -5.5
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Vikings weren't very good against the Saints, but are still one of the better teams in the NFL.
Who Moves the Line for the Vikings? Adrian Peterson will need to be the leader of the Vikings offense this season, including Sunday in the home-opener against the Dolphins.
Who Moves the Line for the Dolphins? Chad Henne should be able to make it through the season without being much more than a glorified game-manager this season. If he finds a way to connect with Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins will make things interesting.
Will Minnesota Cover? No. The Dolphins have all the makings of a sneaky upset pick this week, especially if Brett Favre isn't quite ready to perform at a high level.
St. Louis at Oakland
10 of 16
Line: Oakland at -4
Is the Line Right? Yes. Oakland might have the worst offensive line in the NFL, but the Rams are the Rams.
Who Moves the Line for the Raiders? Jason Campbell is eager to prove he can be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL, and he doesn't have much help around him to make his dream become a reality.
But an easy home-opener against the Rams could provide him with more reasons to be optimistic.
Who Moves the Line for the Rams? Sam Bradford did some good things in his pro debut, but didn't get much help from his receivers. Now the task gets tougher against a strong Oakland defense.
Will Oakland Cover? Yes. The Raiders need a win in the worst way, and get it against the woeful Rams.
Seattle at Denver
11 of 16
Line: Denver at -3.5
Is the Line Right? Yes. Denver is playing at home, and Seattle's win over San Francisco last week shouldn't be enough to move the money.
Who Moves the Line for the Broncos? Kyle Orton looked good in the season opener and still has a firm hold on his job.
Until the Broncos figure out who exactly is going to run the ball, putting the ball in Orton's hands gives Josh McDaniels the best chance to win.
Who Moves the Line for the Seahawks? Matt Hasselbeck might be 34, but he isn't done yet. His steady leadership was apparent against the 49ers, and could help the Seahawks' offense at noisy Invesco Field.
Will Denver Cover? Yes. Denver isn't in great shape, but optimism can only carry Seattle's weak roster so far. The happiness subsides after a road loss to the Broncos.
Houston at Washington
12 of 16
Line: Houston at -3
Is the Line Right? Yes. Houston looked great against the Colts, and the Redskins benefited from numerous mistakes by the Cowboys to steal a win Sunday night.
Who Moves the Line for the Texans? Arian Foster was the key to last week's win, but the Texans need Matt Schaub to stay healthy and take care of the football.
Who Moves the Line for the Redskins? Mr. McNabb is in the building, and the Redskins couldn't be happier.
Washington got away with a sub-par performance by the offense Sunday night, but that won't be the case against the potent Houston attack.
Will Houston Cover? No. The Texans are going to get over the hump this season, but road wins in the NFL are difficult to come by.
Jacksonville at San Diego
13 of 16
Line: San Diego at -8
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Chargers should be able to figure things out and are playing at home.
Who Moves the Line for the Chargers? San Diego needs to run the ball while the receivers continue to adjust to their new roles in Vincent Jackson's absence.
Ryan Mathews showed flashes against the Chiefs, but also had a costly fumble. He needs to shine against the Jags.
Who Moves the Line for the Jaguars? Maurice Jones-Drew is the best thing Jacksonville has going for them Sunday.
If MJD can run the ball, the Jaguars could control the clock and slowly squeeze the Chargers' offense out of the picture.
Will San Diego Cover? Yes. San Diego has an easy schedule, but can't afford to start the season 0-2 and fall behind in the AFC race.
New England at New York Jets
14 of 16
Line: New England at -1.5
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Jets need a quarterback and aren't likely to have an easy time unless Mark Sanchez suddenly figures things out.
Who Moves the Line for the Patriots? The Patriots' young defense will be the key to the season, and if New England stacks the box and shuts down Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson, Tom Brady will do the rest.
Who Moves the Line for the Jets? Mark Brunell. Just kidding. The much younger Mark needs to be patient and let his game come to him.
Sanchez wasn't great last season, but he wasn't visibly nervous. He looked uneasy from the opening kickoff Monday night. Can he handle the pressure?
Will New England Cover? No. The Jets find a way to win and the panic settles down in the Big Apple, at least for one week.
Indianapolis at New York Giants
15 of 16
Line: Indianapolis at -5.5
Is the Line Right? No. The Giants were winners in Week 1 and are playing at home.
Who Moves the Line for the Colts? Peyton Manning needs to play well for the Colts, perhaps more than ever, as the defense looks for answers.
Who Moves the Line for the Giants? Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are perfectly capable of running wild against Indianapolis.
If it happens, New York has an excellent chance to prevail.
Will Indianapolis Cover? No. Eli Manning and the Giants offense will shine and pull off an upset, at least in the eyes of Vegas.
New Orleans at San Francisco
16 of 16
Line: New Orleans at -4.5
Is the Line Right? Yes. The Saints have an identity, and the hosting 49ers don't.
Who Moves the Line for the Saints? Pierre Thomas and the Saints' running game would be a valuable weapon against a 49ers' defense anxious to unload on Drew Brees.
Who Moves the Line for the 49ers? It's time for Alex Smith to make his statement. Sure, his receivers didn't help last week, but he made poor decisions and was inaccurate with his throws.
If he can turn the page, the 49ers should at least stay in the game.
Will New Orleans Cover? Yes. The 49ers aren't ready to start beating superior competition quite yet.
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