NFL Week 2 best bets: One wager to make for every team

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings: Under 49.0 (-110)

Unlike last season, the Vikings look to have a good defense. Brian Flores’ first game saw his unit allow only 90 yards in the first half and 242 yards overall. Of the 20 points they allowed to the Buccaneers, the defense was directly responsible for only 13 points allowed with a field goal gifted to them by a Kirk Cousins strip sack and a special teams’ offsides accouting for a field goal turning into a touchdown. With how much Bill Belichick’s cover 0 looks hindered Jalen Hurts, that will carry over on Thursday and this game will be a close, lower-scoring game. – Tyler Forness, Vikings Wire

Eagles: Kirk Cousins under 268 passing yards (-115)

Cousins historically struggles in prime time, and in 2022, the Eagles secondary held Cousins and the Vikings passing game to 27-for-46, for 221 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Philadelphia will be without three defenders, but it won’t matter as the Philadelphia pass rush is set to feast on a Vikings offensive line that’ll be without center Garrett Bradbury, while offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw is questionable. All eyes will be on CB Darius Slay and WR Justin Jefferson, and DC Sean Desai will scheme to limit the Minnesota passing attack. – Glenn Erby, Eagles Wire

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

Packers: Jordan Love: Over 1.5 touchdown passes (+145)

The Falcons did some nice things defensively in Week 1, but consider this: Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes in the season opener, including two in the red zone, and he had at least one red-zone touchdown pass in all three of his brief preseason appearances. While the Packers might not be living inside the 20-yard line on Sunday, Love has made the most of his scoring opportunities through the air to begin his starting career. Expecting him to throw a couple more touchdown passes on Sunday seems reasonable enough, especially if Christian Watson can return. – Zach Kruse, Packers Wire

Falcons: Jessie Bates: Over 5.5 total tackles+assists (+105)

Bates took home NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after forcing three turnovers in his Falcons debut. The play-making safety also recorded 10 combined tackles in the team’s Week 1 victory over the Panthers. Even if he doesn’t stuff the stat sheet quite as much, Bates feels like a good bet to go over 5.5 total tackles + assists in Atlanta’s Week 2 matchup against the Packers at home. – Matt Urben, Falcons Wire

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders: Josh Jacobs under 68.5 rushing yards (-120)

The Raiders would nothing more than to run the ball and control the clock against the Bills on Sunday. And there is a possibility that they could accomplish that after the Jets essentially did the same thing in Week 1. However, expect the Bills to load up against the run and dare Jimmy Garoppolo to beat them with his arm. It could be tough sledding for Jacobs in Week 2 and if the Raiders get behind early, look for them to abandon the run. – Marcus Mosher, Raiders Wire

Bills: Dalton Kinciaid over 29.5 receiving yards

After a frustrating Week 1 loss, the Bills are going to be motivated to make up for it. Plus it’s a national holiday in western New York on Sunday: The home opener. Expect QB Josh Allen to keep putting the ball in the air, which could mean a huge game for WR Stefon Diggs. However, Kincaid’s mark of 29.5 is much more attainable than Diggs’ 74.5. Kincaid had four catches in his NFL debut, but really didn’t muster up much after the catch. If he can slightly add to that, which it’s expected he should, this is close to a lock. Plus, Kincaid featured in 80 percent of the snaps on offense. He’s out there a lot. – Nick Wojton, Bills Wire

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Ravens: Lamar Jackson over 46.5 yards rushing (-115)

Jackson led Baltimore with 38 yards on six carries in the season opener, and with J.K. Dobbins out with an Achilles injury, the star quarterback will likely shoulder a bulk of the rushing load on Sunday. Cincinnati allowed 206 yards rushing to the Browns in Week 1, and Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson logged five carries, for 45 yards and a touchdown. – Glenn Erby, Ravens Wire

Bengals: Cincinnati -3.5 (-110)

This feels like a bounce-back game for a Bengals team giving off deja vu after last year’s slow start. The opponent is a Ravens team missing key players due to injury (also deja vu) that feasted last week against a rookie quarterback. Joe Burrow’s offense has another week of reps it missed during training camp under its belt and won’t be facing a Browns team that has felt built to beat them in recent years. It’s the inverse here — the Bengals are 4-1 over the last five encounters with Baltimore, all four of the wins by at least seven points. – Chris Roling, Bengals Wire

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Seahawks: Detroit -5.5

These two teams played a thrilling shootout last season, with the Seahawks coming out on top. However, Seattle may be short-handed at two critical spots with both of their starting offensive tackles possibly sitting out this week. The Rams ate through the Seahawks’ OT backups like butter, and Aidan Hutchinson is a lot more dangerous on the edge than anyone LA has on their roster. In the bigger picture, if we go back to last season, the Seahawks have lost seven of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Lions have won eight of their last 10. – Tim Weaver, Seahawks Wire

Lions: Geno Smith over 0.5 INTs thrown

This matchup features two of the more careful passers in the league, which leads both QB to have over/under marks of 0.5 for thrown interceptions. Geno Smith will play this game without both of his starting offensive tackles and do so on the road against a Lions team that figures to put up some points early. Detroit has playmakers on the back end in C.J. Gardner-Johnson (6 INTs tied for the league lead in 2022), Kerby Joseph (4 INTs in last 10 games) and Brian Branch, who scored a pick-six off Patrick Mahomes in Week 1. It’s easy to see Smith having to force more throws under pressure than he typically does, and that will lead to an opportunistic Lions defense taking advantage. – Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Chargers: Chargers -3 (-110)

The Chargers had no problem lighting up the scoreboard against the Dolphins, finishing with 34. While they surrendered 36 points to Miami, the Titans don’t present an offense anywhere near as explosive as them. Ryan Tannehill struggled against the Saints, throwing three interceptions on the day. I expect Los Angeles’ pass defense to bounce back and for their offense to continue to put up big points. – Gavino Borquez, Chargers Wire

Titans: Titans over 20.5 points (-130)

The Titans got just about as bad a performance from quarterback Ryan Tannehill as they’ve ever gotten, yet still managed to muster up 15 points in Week 1 against a good Saints defense. Tannehill should bounce back in Week 2 against a less-talented Chargers defense that gave up 36 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.– Mike Moraitis, Titans Wire

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Bears: Justin Fields over 59.5 rushing yards (-115)

Following a brutal Week 1 offensive game plan where Justin Fields was told to play from the pocket, look for the Bears to get Fields on the move again to contend with a dominant pass rush that will be consistently bringing pressure. Fields remains the biggest threat in this Chicago run game, and he led all rushers in last week’s game between the Bears and Packers. Whether it’s more designed quarterback runs from offensive play caller Luke Getsy or Fields being in his element when things break down, eclipsing 59.5 rushing yards seems like a safe bet. – Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire

Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield under 223.5 passing yards

Tampa Bay’s offense took a while to get cooking against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday, and while quarterback Baker Mayfield ended up finding a rhythm after halftime, he’s still likely getting used to proceedings only two games into the regular season. Mayfield only threw for 173 yards on Sunday, and it’s unlikely he finds his groove immediately and tosses for a ton of yards against the Bears. The reality will probably be somewhere in the middle, which is why this bet could work out well. – River Wells, Bucs Wire

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr.

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes over 37.5 yards longest completion

Patrick Mahomes is going to be out for blood against the Jacksonville Jaguars after the Kansas City Chiefs lost their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions to kick off the NFL season. Rest assured, the reigning MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion will do everything in his power to get Kansas City a convincing win. He is likely to try leveraging his big play ability to gash Jacksonville’s stout defense whenever possible and, for Mahomes, a 38-yard completion is a walk in the park. His uncanny acumen for finding open receivers when plays break down is well documented, and even against a defense as good as the Jaguars’, Mahomes should have no problem converting this prop, assuming his pass-catchers show up ready to play.

– John Dillon, Chiefs Wire

Jaguars: Travis Etienne over 58.5 rushing yards

The high-flying Jaguars offense has a ton of weapons at Trevor Lawrence’s disposal, so it can be a little easy to forget about the team’s running game. Last week, Jacksonville leaned on Etienne to the tune of 18 carries for 77 yards against the Colts. While Kansas City expects to have Chris Jones back on Sunday, the Jaguars will still undoubtedly give Etienne a fair amount of touches. The Chiefs gave up 118 rushing yards against the Lions and Etienne should be able to get at least half that total.– Adam Stites, Jaguars Wire

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Colts: Michael Pittman Jr. over 51.5 receiving yards (-115)

There is a clear hierarchy within Indy’s passing attack, and Pittman Jr. is at the top. During the Week 1 opener, Pittman Jr. saw 11 targets and turned them into eight receptions for 97 receiving yards. Over his last four games against the Texans, Pittman Jr. has averaged 65.8 receiving yards per game. The Colts proved they’re not afraid to let rookie Anthony Richardson air it out, and chances are Pittman Jr. will be the one to receive the majority of those pass attempts. – Kevin Hickey, Colts Wire

Texans: Game goes to overtime (+800)

Last year had two nail-biter finishes with Week 1 ending in a tie and Week 18 with a Houston win. Both clubs are rebuilding teams with rookie quarterbacks getting on-the-job training. Don’t be surprised if this battle of who makes the last mistake needs an extra period. – Mark Lane, Texans Wire

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49ers: Brock Purdy over 1.5 TD passes (-105)

At some point Purdy will have a game where he doesn’t toss multiple touchdown passes. However, it hasn’t happened yet in the regular season since he took over for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 last season. He’s thrown two TD passes in all but one of his regular-season starts, and the one he didn’t was when he tossed three touchdowns in Week 18 vs. the Cardinals last year. The Rams’ defense held a talented Seahawks offense to just 13 points and 95 passing yards in Week 1, but the 49ers pose a bigger threat on that side of the ball and Purdy should continue his multi-TD streak. – Kyle Madson, Niners Wire

Rams: Puka Nacua to score a TD (+188)

The Rams were pretty run-heavy in the season opener against Seattle, trying to milk the clock in the second half after they got a lead. Against the 49ers, the game script is likely to be much different. If Nacua can get 15 targets in a run-heavy game, he could be in for another big day in a matchup where the Rams could very well be playing catchup. He came close to scoring in his debut, too, getting knocked out at the 1-yard line on his second NFL catch. These odds seem short for a rookie in his second game but Matthew Stafford trusts Nacua so he’ll get plenty of opportunities again. – Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Giants: Daniel Jones over 35.5 yards rushing (-115)

Why Vegas continues to underestimate how much Daniel Jones will run the ball is beyond me but as long as they keep doing it, you can keep cashing in. Similar to Week 1, they’ve set the over/under in the mid-30s and that’s an easy bet. With a terrible offensive line and LT Andrew Thomas likely to sit this one out, Jones will be running for his life again. He should have 40-plus rushing yards by the third quarter. – Dan Benton, Giants Wire

Cardinals: Daniel Jones OVER 0.5 interceptions (+155)

Jones threw two interceptions in the Giants’ 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. He has thrown one interception in two career games against the Cardinals and the Cardinals picked off a pass in Week 1, forcing three total turnovers. Jones has been turnover-prone his whole career, especially when pressured. He was sacked seven times last week. The Cardinals had six sacks in Week 1. – Jess Root, Cards Wire

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Jets: Jets +9 (-110)

Yes, the Jets lost Aaron Rodgers. Yes, Zach Wilson is now the starting quarterback again. And yes, the Cowboys looked absolutely dominant Sunday against the Giants. But the Jets can be just as good on defense. They made Josh Allen look below average on Monday, forcing four turnovers including three interceptions. Why can’t they do that to Dak Prescott? Sauce Gardner will be begged than he was against Stefon Diggs. Watching him against CeeDee Lamb will be a treat. The Jets should do well enough on defense to not let this game get out of hand, allowing them to cover. – Billy Riccette, Jets Wire

Cowboys: Tony Pollard over 92.5 Yards from Scrimmage (-115)

The Cowboys could have gotten much more out of Pollard in Week 1 if they needed to, they just didn’t need to. The new RB1 had 82 total yards and two TDs against the Giants before turning things over in a blowout win. While the Jets represent a much stouter defense than the Giants, the Cowboys should have more possessions than the did against NYG when the defense and special teams both scored. Pollard will not get an Ezekiel Elliott-amount of touches, but he’ll get his and top 100 yards in Week 2. – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Commanders: Under 39.0 (-110)

These teams combined for 36 points in Week 1. Washington scored 20 points in a win over the Cardinals. They could’ve scored a lot more if not for three turnovers. Meanwhile, Denver didn’t turn the ball over in Week 1, but had just 166 passing yards on 34 attempts against the Raiders. While both teams have the potential to break out offensively, I wouldn’t expect that to happen this week. Expect another low-scoring game, with the winning team maybe getting to 20 points. – Bryan Manning, Commanders Wire

Broncos: Denver -3.5

Denver is coming off a disappointing one-point loss at home and new coach Sean Payton will be eager to have a bounce-back performance with a statement win in Week 2. The Commanders were 7-point favorites against the lowly Cardinals last week and only managed to win by 4. This week, second-year QB Sam Howell will be making his third career start against a stingy Broncos defense. Expect Denver to handle business at home. – Jon Heath, Broncos Wire

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

Dolphins: Miami – 2.5 (-130)

Miami has had New England’s number in recent years. The Patriots have won just a single matchup in their last five meetings, and it just so happened to be the one game that the Dolphins were forced to start seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson due to injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater.

Mike McDaniel’s squad just won a shootout against the Los Angles Chargers in what was the best game of the Week 1 slate, and it just doesn’t seem like Mac Jones and company have the firepower to keep up with this electric offense. – Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire

Patriots: New England +2.5

The Patriots came within a Kayshon Boutte toe inbounds of continuing a potential game-winning drive against the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. This is a different Patriots team than the one that disappointed last season. Mac Jones outplayed Jalen Hurts on offense, and the Patriots defense was lights out. They’ll be at home against a Dolphins team that they always play tough. Coach Bill Belichick will take away the home run passing plays and make Miami play methodical. Give me the points. – Jordy McElroy, Patriots Wire

New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr

Saints: Derek Carr over 240 passing yards (-115)

The Saints didn’t have trouble moving the ball in Week 1. Carr connected with four different receivers on gains of 20-plus yards, and they’re seeking to build on that success against a Panthers defense missing its best cornerback with Jaycee Horn nursing a hamstring injury. Will Carr be able to score points in Carolina? That remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly be able to throw on the Panthers while the Saints continue to figure things out with their running game. – John Sigler, Saints Wire

Panthers: Panthers UNDER 3.5 1st quarter points (-225)

The Panthers are still trying to figure out who they are on offense. They have a rookie quarterback coming off a two-interception debut, an underwhelming crop of pass catchers who failed to consistently separate in Week 1 and a banged up offensive line that’ll be without their usual starting guards. Expect them to take a bit of time to find their footing on Monday night, especially against a formidable Saints defense that kept their opponents out of the end zone in the season opener.– Anthony Rizzuti, Panthers Wire

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Browns: Elijah Moore over 36.5 receiving yards

The Browns have been aggressive at getting the ball into Elijah Moore’s hands already. They gave him two handoffs against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was targeted seven times in the Week 1 win. Even in a rainy, sloppy game a week ago, Moore still eclipsed the 37-yard mark on the day, leading the Browns in receiving with 43 yards. Expecting much better weather, which should increase production through the air, Moore will once again see his fair share of targets against the Pittsburgh Steelers. – Cory Kinnan, Browns Wire

Steelers: Kenny Pickett over 200.5 yards passing

Just listening to Kenny Pickett talk since he’s had time to digest his miserable performance from last week, you can tell this week will be different. Pickett threw for an ugly 232 yards last week against an elite 49ers defense. He will go well past that against the Browns this week with George Pickens and Allen Robinson II leading the way. – Curt Popejoy, Steelers Wire