NFL Picks Week 2: 6 Underdogs Sure to Cover the Spread

Between a thrilling Thursday night opener, huge offensive blowouts, a remarkable end to Sunday night's game and Tom Brady throwing the ball for 517 yards, the opening week of the NFL seemed to have it all.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, football is back, and it returned in a big way this week. The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints put forth an instant classic in the Packers' 42-34 win. You had shocking performances such as the Baltimore Ravens blowing out the rival Steelers 35-7, and the Buffalo Bills, a team many felt would be a bottom feeder, beating up the Kansas City Chiefs 41-7.

You had Tony Romo's usual antics which cost his team a win on Sunday night. Then you had Brady's fireworks, followed by the Oakland Raiders' kicker Sebastian Janikowski tying an NFL record by nailing a 63-yard field goal.

The question is, what's next? With Week 2 now just five days away, we have much to look forward to. One of the more interesting lines you'll see this year is during this week as you get to see what Las Vegas thinks of some winning and losing teams. 

Despite a win in Week 1, some teams are huge underdogs this week while some other more disappointing teams are still yet favored. In a week like this, it's easy to find a few underdogs who will exceed expectations. 

In fact, here are six teams that will surely cover the point spread in Week 2. 

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-15.5)

This may be the first time in NFL history that a team that lost by 28 points is favored by two touchdowns the following week. This is what happens, though, when a traditional NFL powerhouse like the Steelers play against a Seahawks team that laid an egg the week before.

The people setting the line obviously feel like the Steelers' embarrassing 35-7 loss was an aberration. However, being favored by over 15 points is a lot for a team that had seven turnovers and looked completely out of sync against the Baltimore Ravens.

Make no mistake about it, the Seahawks didn't exactly look good in their 33-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Then again, no one stood out in that game except for Ted Ginn Jr., who returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the space of 56 seconds. 

The two teams combined for nearly 100 yards less offense than Tom Brady passed for against the Miami Dolphins. Ultimately, though, the Seahawks' loss was much closer than their 16-point margin.

The Steelers should be quite angry as they host the Seahawks in their home opener. However, I think this will be a very physical, low scoring game as the Steelers will look to improve a running game that went nowhere last week. If there was one thing Seattle did well last week, it was the fact they only gave up 124 passing yards against the Niners.

Final Score: Steelers 20, Seahawks 10. 

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets (-10.5)

Considering the Jets looked like they committed highway robbery with their 27-24 win against the Cowboys, it's perplexing how they'd be favored by 10 points against a team that beat the Tennessee Titans 16-14 last week.

Yes, the Jaguars are led by a quarterback who'd be a third stringer on some rosters in Luke McCown. Yes, the Jaguars have a roster that pales in comparison to that of the Jets.

However, these two teams always seem to play each other tough. In fact, since 2001, the Jaguars are 4-1 against the Jets, with two wins coming at New York. The Jaguars also have Maurice Jones-Drew, who is still one of the more dangerous running backs in all of football.

Also consider the fact the Jets had a very emotional win on Sunday, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat on a night they honored the victims and heroes of September 11.

Take all of this information, and you can envision yet another close encounter between these two teams. The Jets should emerge victorious, but this also has all the makings of a let-down for New York. 

Final Score:  Jets 20, Jaguars 16. 

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at San Francisco 49'ers

On paper, you can understand why the Cowboys are a favorite in this game despite the fact that the 49ers won their Week 1 encounter with the Seahawks. 

For much of the game, the Cowboys controlled a New York Jets team that many believe could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Tony Romo held the vaunted Jets' pass defense in check, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

The problem is, the team had a meltdown of epic proportions, and Tony Romo, as seems to be the norm, was right in the middle of it. His fumble in the fourth quarter started a chain reaction of misery for Dallas. They gave up a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 24.

Then, with just a minute remaining, Romo threw a great pass...to Darrelle Revis, the Jets Pro Bowl cornerback. That pass led to the loss for the Cowboys as Jets' kicker Nick Folk hit a game-winning 50-yard field goal. 

This gut-wrenching defeat is the kind from which teams can take weeks to recover. Combine the fact that it's a short week for Dallas and that have to travel two time zones to get to San Francisco, and you can easily see the 49ers winning this game. 

While the 49ers were not exactly impressive last week, I don't expect Dallas to be mentally ready for this game.

49ers 17, Cowboys 14. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-3)

This is a line I don't understand. 

I understand the Vikings are at home in a stadium that gives opponents nightmares. But the performance Minnesota put forth in San Diego should inspire absolutely no confidence that they can defeat a Tampa Bay team that narrowly lost to the Detroit Lions 27-20.

Percy Harvin started the year off on the right foot by returning the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. Everything went downhill after that moment, though. 

Donovan McNabb completed only seven passes for a paltry 39 yards, while Adrian Peterson was held to under 100 yards rushing. The team gained less than 200 yards of offense and was out-possessed by nearly 15 minutes in a 24-17 loss to the Chargers in a game that wasn't as close as the score.

Despite all of this, the Vikings are favored in this game. Not only do I think the Bucs will cover, but I expect them to win fairly easily.

Buccaneers 28, Vikings 13. 

Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-4)

So, how many people predicted that the Bills and Raiders game would be one of only three contests between 1-0 teams?

The Raiders put forth a solid, if not unspectacular, performance with their 23-20 win in Denver late on Monday night that was highlighted by Darren McFadden's 150 rushing yards and Sebastian Janikowski's record 63-yard field goal.

The Bills, meanwhile, shocked everyone by not only beating the Kansas City Chiefs on the road, but destroying them 41-7. Ryan Fitzpatrick continued to prove doubters wrong with four touchdown passes, and their defense created turnovers and kept the Chiefs offense off-balance.

That win was one of the more exciting moments Bills fans have enjoyed in some time. Coming home to play Oakland should be a great opportunity for them to go 2-0. This game will be a very close contest, though, despite the fact the Raiders are traveling east. 

This game could very well come down to the last possession, and I see the victorious team winning by a field goal or less.

Bills 23, Raiders 20. 

San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots (-7.5)

This is a game that could be an AFC Championship preview. Both teams are coming off a weekend in which the Chargers won an ugly game against the Minnesota Vikings and Tom Brady led a 500-plus yard aerial assault on the Miami Dolphins.

If you look at the Patriots' high-powered offense, you'd assume that they will win this game by more than seven points. However, these two rivals always seem to play close games, and the fact is, while New England had a ton of offense, their defense is a cause for concern.

They surrendered over 400 yards passing to Chad Henne, a quarterback whom Dolphins fans don't even want to see on the field. Meanwhile, the Chargers' defense only gave up 10 points and allowed just 39 passing yards and fewer than 200 offensive yards overall.

The Patriots will be facing a much more challenging team on Sunday, one that has a better offense and defense than Miami. While people will have lasting images of Wes Welker's 99-yard touchdown reception, people won't forget the Patriots were on the one because the Dolphins nearly scored a touchdown. 

I believe the Patriots will win on Sunday, but it won't be near the blowout that the line is predicting.

Patriots 27, Chargers 24