NFL Picks Against the Spread 2017: Week 2 Games

Before the second Sunday of the 2017 NFL regular season kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for today’s games. (Click here for NFL Week 2 picks without regard to the spread.)

Here are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more via SB Nation. My regular season record after the first week is 7-5-1. Let’s get to the picks.

NFL Week 2 Games

Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers (-7): Yikes. Sam Bradford is already dealing with knee pain after Week 1. The Vikings’ starting quarterback is reportedly going to be a game-time decision. Minnesota promoted their practice squad quarterback to the active roster on Saturday, so that doesn’t seem like a great sign for Bradford’s availability. The Vikings have a good defense but the Steelers play well at home. Whether Minnesota has their starting quarterback or not, I’m going with the home team. PICK: Steelers -7

Arizona Cardinals (-7.5) at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are just awful. They’re so, so bad. Starting Jacoby Brissett at quarterback instead of Scott Tolzien is preferable but it might not make much of a difference. The Cardinals may be missing David Johnson, but I think Indy is so bad that it doesn’t really matter. PICK: Cardinals -7.5

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-7.5): Baltimore’s defense is pretty good. Dean Pees’ unit held the Bengals to zero points in Week 1. There’s a chance the Ravens beat up on DeShone Kizer in the rookie quarterback’s first road start of his career. But I think the Browns will at least keep this game respectable. The Ravens’ offense isn’t particularly explosive and this is a division game. The Browns kept things close against the Steelers last week. I like Baltimore to win but Cleveland has a shot to cover. PICK: Browns +7.5

Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs (-6): This is a tough one. It would not totally shock me to see the Eagles win or cover. With that said, I think the Chiefs are the safer bet. Kansas City is 12-3 in their last 15 home games. Andy Reid has had extra time to prepare for this game after his former pupil. Ronald Darby was a big loss for Philly’s defense — especially when it comes to trying to keep Tyreek Hill in check. I don’t think this game will be something like a 40-10 blowout, but I do see the Chiefs winning by seven or more. PICK: Chiefs -6

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7): The Buccaneers are an easy pick here. The Bears are missing a few key starters, including left guard Kyle Long. Tampa Bay didn’t play in Week 1 so they’ll be well-rested. They also have familiarity with Mike Glennon and should be able to exploit that knowledge. I like Tampa Bay to beat the Bears comfortably. PICK: Buccaneers -7

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-3): The Titans with the points are a tempting pick here. Most would rather bet on Marcus Mariota than Blake Bortles. But I don’t know. I think Week 1 might have changed my mind on the Jags. Leonard Fournette looked really good against the Texans’ defense. Jacksonville’s defense also showed me something. I’ll take the Jags and then probably regret it later. PICK: Jaguars -3

Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers (-7): An 8-point win at home over the Jets in Week 1 shouldn’t let us forget the Bills probably aren’t very good. I’ve long said that I don’t know what to make of the Panthers, so I’m not super confident in them either, but I’m going with the home team here. PICK: Panthers -7

New England Patriots (-7) at New Orleans Saints: The Patriots are an easy pick here. I don’t care that the Saints are home. New Orleans looks bad. Their defense is still awful as ever. The offense is hampered by a lackluster running game and the absence of Brandin Cooks (traded) and Willie Snead (suspended). There’s no way the Patriots are losing this game after starting out with that loss on Thursday Night Football. PICK: Patriots -7

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers (-3): Usually the Chargers would be a slam dunk here with the whole travel factor. Miami didn’t play in Week 1, however, so I think that might be negated a little bit. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is playing on short rest after losing to the Broncos on MNF. I like the Dolphins enough to take them outright for the upset. PICK: Dolphins +3

New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (-14): The Jets are bad at football. Need more than that? They have no shot in Oakland. Which is why the Raiders will be everyone’s suicide pick this week. PICK: Raiders -14

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Denver Broncos: Lol, come on. The Cowboys are favored in Denver? I know Trevor Siemian isn’t the most inspiring starting quarterback, despite a good Week 1 performance, but again ... come on. Dallas did not look very good in Week 1. My advice would be to bet on the Broncos. Since I plan on trying to jinx the Cowboys, however, I’m picking them in the hopes that I’m wrong. PICK: Cowboys -3

Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Rams (-3): Hmmm. Take away Kirk Cousins’ best wide receiver weapons (DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon) and he suddenly looks a lot more mortal. The bad news for Washington’s offensive line is they’re set to face another tough front in L.A. Aaron Donald has returned to the Rams and he’ll be starting on Sunday. I trust Wade Phillips to keep Cousins quiet for the second week in a row. PICK: Rams -3

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-14): Seattle’s going to win this game. The only challenge is figuring out by how much. Given that the Seahawks’ offensive line situation is pretty gross, it’s hard to feel great about them. But then you look at the 49ers and you realize they’re starting Brian Hoyer and they suck. I’d stay away from this line, personally, but I’ll side with Seattle since their home field advantage virtually ensures a win. PICK: Seahawks -14

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (-3): These two teams last met in the NFC Championship Game earlier this year. The Falcons won that game 44 to 21. It’s a new season, so that game doesn’t necessarily mean a lot for Sunday. But with Atlanta opening their new stadium, I’m not betting against them. That’ll be a tough place to play for Green Bay. PICK: Falcons -3

Detroit Lions at New York Giants (-3): I guess I missed the rule where you get to be favored by the total amount of points you scored in the previous week. (Ohhhhh, snap!) But for reals, I think the Giants might just suck. It sounds like Odell Beckham Jr. might return, which obviously helps, but OBJ alone doesn’t save the Giants’ season. First, he might not even be 100%. Second, NYG’s offense was still crappy in 2016 even when OBJ was playing. Detroit isn’t a flawless team but I like the Lions with the points here. They should be the favorites. PICK: Lions +3