One moneyline pick, one spread, and one total make up my NFL Week 2 best bets.
The pregame narrative: The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their title defence with a win and I expect them to cover the spread at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Elsewhere, back the Los Angeles Rams to win and fade offence in Jacksonville.
Check out these NFL Week 2 best bets.
NFL Week 2 best bets
Go to full NFL Week 2 betting markets.
Best Bet: Browns/Jaguars under 41.5 points (-112)
I think it’s safe to say the Cleveland Browns are completely screwed under centre.
Deshaun Watson looked horrible against the Dallas Cowboys, completing just 24-of-45 attempts (53.3%) for 169 yards while throwing two interceptions.
He also ranked dead last in average EPA per play for quarterbacks (-0.357), per RBSDM.com.
Any guesses on who was first? How about I just tell you: Baker Mayfield. Funny, isn’t it?
Cleveland took a massive risk signing Watson to a fully guaranteed, backloaded contract and it’s coming back to bite them. The former all-pro hasn’t put together a single decent season with the Browns and I have zero faith in him dialling in on Sunday.
With David Njoku and Nick Chubb out and Jedrick Wills and Tyler Conklin questionable, things could get very ugly.
Fortunately for Cleveland, it still has a strong defence.
The Browns did get torched by the Cowboys at home but I think they can bounce back against the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence didn’t look great (12-of-21, 162 yards) and Cleveland allowed the fewest yards per game last season.
This has all the makings of a slog.
Key stat: Cleveland only had 10 points in Week 1 before scoring a touchdown in garbage time (29 seconds left) to lose 33-17.
Quick picks
Chiefs -5.5 (-110): This feels like a trap line but I don’t care.
Joe Burrow’s ceiling is elite but he’s looked more like Kenny Pickett coming out of the gate lately. The quarterback is 0-5 in his last Week 1 and 2 games and threw for just 164 yards in a shocking loss to the New England Patriots.
Tee Higgins was out and remains questionable this weekend and Ja’Marr Chase looked rusty after holding out of training camp.
Now the Bengals have to go on the road to take down the two-time reigning champs? I don’t think so.
The Baltimore Ravens were an inch away from forcing overtime in the season opener but didn’t get it. Ultimately, KC won 27-20 thanks to another dominant Patrick Mahomes performance.
The Chiefs’ defence is elite and the offence plugged some glaring holes with the addition of Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. Not to mention Rashee Rice looks like a bonafide breakout candidate.
I’ll gladly lay the points with the home team.
Rams moneyline (+100): L.A. forced overtime against a great Detroit Lions team and was a coin toss away from potentially winning the game.
Puka Nacua is out and that’s a big loss but Cooper Kupp looked like the 2021 triple-crown winning version of himself.
I think Matthew Stafford has enough weapons to carve up an Arizona Cardinals defence which looked hopeless against the Buffalo Bills.
Arizona ranked 31st in defensive EPA per play last week after finishing 31st in the 2023 season.
Not to mention Sean McVay has his divisional rivals’ number. The Rams are 13-3 against the Cardinals since he took over as head coach in 2017.
NFL picks made at 11:54 a.m. on 09/11/24.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.