After perhaps the NFL’s most impressive performance in the opening week of the season, the Arizona Cardinals are the top consensus pick in Week 2 of the 2021 Bookies Battle, with 36 of 49 contestants* laying 3.5 points against the visiting Minnesota Vikings.
Since our contest lines closed Tuesday, action on this game pushed the number up to Cardinals -4.5 and then back down to -3.5, where it sits market-wide Friday morning.
Arizona was tied with two other teams as the least popular pick in Week 1, as about two-thirds of the Bookies Battle field laid a field goal against them with the Titans. The Cardinals dominated in a 38-13 road win, enough to convince contestants to back them at home this week against a Vikings team coming off an overtime loss in Cincinnati.
The Bengals, 27-24 victors over Minnesota in that game, come into Week 2 garnering the second-most picks among our bookmakers. Cincy is catching 3 points at Chicago on the contest line, and the number has moved in the underdog’s direction this week, listed at Bears -2.5 on most oddsboards Friday.
Rams -4 at the Colts is the books’ third most popular pick, despite bettors on the other side of the counter taking the points and the line tightening to 3.5 during early wagering.
The consensus fourth choice surprises, as contestants are on the lightly-regarded Lions as 11.5-point dogs at the Packers. While Detroit’s wild comeback at home against the 49ers fell short last week, Green Bay offered little resistance in a 38-3 loss to the Saints in Jacksonville.
The Panthers, +4.5 at the Saints, are another popular puppy this week.
Here are the top consensus Week 2 Bookies Battle picks:
| Team | Number of picks (out of 49 accounted for) | Contest line (Tuesday) | Market line (Friday morning) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 36 | -3.5 | -3.5 |
| Bengals | 33 | +3 | +2.5 |
| Rams | 32 | -4 | -3.5 |
| Lions | 31 | +11.5 | +11 |
| Panthers | 30 | +4.5 | +3.5 |
| Broncos | 30 | -6 | -6 |
| Bucs | 30 | -11.5 | -12.5 |
Looking Back To Week 1
It was a rough start for much of the field, as the three most popular picks all failed to cover – the Bucs (-7.5 vs. Cowboys), Jaguars (-2.5 at Texans), and Titans (-3 vs. Cardinals).
The top seven picks, in fact, went 2-5, with wins on the Seahawks (-2.5 at Colts) and the fortuitously-lined 49ers (-7.5 in their 8-point win at Lions), and losses on the Packers (-4.5 vs. Saints) and Washington Football Team (+1 v. Chargers). While Washington went off the favorite and offered good closing-line value, Green Bay closed -3.5.
Mike Lewis from Suncoast stayed above the losing fray, picking 11 winners to take sole early possession of the lead. Three others – BetMGM’s Jason Scott, Meadows Casinos’ Atif Chaudry, and last year’s Bookies Battle champ, Randy Madayag, now at Mandalay Bay, going 10-5-1.
Check out all the picks and current standings here.
*As of this writing, 49 sets of picks have been accounted for.
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