NFL Week 2 Betting Picks & Predictions: One Favorite, One Underdog, and a Total

The race for the Super Bowl has begun. The first week of the NFL was as action-packed as ever with miraculous plays, crazy weather games, upsets, and of course – a tie. As teams gear up for their second game, bettors get more clarity on which teams are contenders and which are pretenders. Here, we look at NFL Week 2 betting picks and predictions to consider.

Sunday features a couple of marquee matchups across the league, including a couple of important early divisional battles. Two sides and a total are a part of our Week 2 predictions.

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers Betting Lines & Pick

The Packers are priced as double-digit favorites in early wagering. Here are live point spreads, totals, and moneylines from around the sports betting marketplace.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers look to bounce back this week after a disappointing 23-7 loss in Minnesota. They look to get right against a Bears team that pulled off an upset win over the 49ers in monsoon-like conditions. The Packers have throttled the Bears over the past few seasons, and this is the perfect matchup for Green Bay to get back on track. Even though it’s a double-digit spread, the Packers at home is one of the best bets of NFL Week 2.

The Packers started off last season poorly as well. They dropped game one last year with a 38-3 loss to New Orleans. After their embarrassing loss in Louisiana, they bounced back with a week two 35-17 beatdown on divisional opponent Detroit.

Aaron Rodgers will play aggressively in primetime, and look for him to continue building rapport with his new receivers. Chicago allowed fewer than 200 passing yards last week to Trey Lance despite its secondary entering the season ranked 31st by Pro Football Focus. The performance, however, was more reflective of the 49ers’ poor game-planning and the terrible weather than that of the Bears defensive backs. They’ll concede considerably more yards and points this week to Rodgers and company.

The Bears won’t pose nearly as big of a challenge to the Pack as the Vikings did. Additionally, the Bears won’t benefit this week from a home field covered in pools of rainwater. A clip of Rodgers screaming to Bears fans “we still own you” went viral last year, but his statement has rung true – beating Chicago by deficits of 15 points, 10, 19, and 16 points the past two seasons. With a national audience on Sunday night football, all signs point to another double-digit victory for the Pack in this NFL week two best bet.

Pick: Green Bay -10

Also read: Early Week 2 betting trends at sportsbooks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Lines and Pick

This NFC South showdown is tightly-priced during early wagering.

The Buccaneers travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints for the early-season lead in the NFC South. Both teams are coming off big wins, as the Bucs crushed the Cowboys 19-3 Sunday night, and the Saints rallied from a two-score deficit to beat the Falcons 27-26.

The Saints have won seven of the last eight meetings against Tampa Bay and have gone 7-1 ATS over that span. Despite the recent dominance by New Orleans in the rivalry, they’re a 3-point underdog in this one. One of the best bets of NFL Week 2 is getting the Saints with a field goal at home. New Orleans may in fact emerge victorious, so consider a bet on the moneyline as well.

Tom Brady didn’t need to do much in the Bucs Week 1 win. Leonard Fournette carried the load and rushed for 127 yards against the Cowboys. He’ll get a much tougher task this week with a potent Saints rushing defense. Brady will have to do more through the air, but he’ll be without receiver Chris Godwin as they face the Saints’ ball-hawking defense.

There are concerns with pass protection for Tampa Bay as well, and Brady was sacked twice in their win over the Cowboys. The Saints’ pass rushers didn’t perform as well as expected against the Falcons, but they’ll have a favorable matchup this week to get back on track.

Dennis Allen and Todd Bowles meet for the first time as head coaches after spending the past few seasons as coordinators. Allen was the defensive coordinator and interim coach during the Saints’ 9-0 win over the Bucs last December. Allen, filling in for Sean Payton who was out with COVID-19, handed Brady his first shutout loss since the Bush presidency. Allen and the Saints will make life difficult for Brady and cover the spread in this best bet of NFL Week 2.

Pick: New Orleans +3

Also read: NFL Week 2 Betting Tips & Strategies

Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams Betting Line & Pick

Another large spread for a divisional Week 2 showdown, but our eye is on the total.

The defending Super Bowl champions dropped their first matchup last Thursday to the Buffalo Bills. They look to get back in the win column in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. Despite the Falcons roster being among the worst in the league, they lost by only one point to the Saints last week. This matchup doesn’t project to be full of scoring, which is why Under 47.5 is one of the best NFL Week 2 picks.

The biggest concern to gleam from the Rams Week 1 loss was the offense. Matthew Stafford didn’t look on point, and there may be more to his elbow injury than the Rams brass is leading on. Cooper Kupp looked great out wide, but the rest of the receiver room, including newcomer Allen Robinson, was invisible throughout most of the game. The Falcons’ secondary, led by corner A.J. Terrell, has quietly become one of the better units in the league.

If the Rams want to move the ball on the Falcons, they’ll likely have to turn to the ground game with Darrell Henderson Jr. and Cam Akers. The Falcons controlled the scoreboard most of Week 1 and didn’t have to rely on Marcus Mariota moving the ball. They likely won’t jump out to a big lead again this weekend, and there’s little reason to put trust in Mariota and this young Falcons team to keep up in a shootout if the Rams pull away.

Los Angeles is still the better team and should get the win, but this doesn’t have the making of a high-scoring affair. The Rams will build a lead, control the clock, and force the Falcons to try and throw the ball. This total is too high when considering the concerns with both teams which makes the under in this matchup one of the best bets of NFL Week 2.

Pick: Under 47.5

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