Andrew Wilsher
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NFL Week 2 has arrived and we saw the Chiefs continue their hot start with victory over the Chargers, although there will no doubt still be plenty of optimism in Los Angeles after the Bolts’ battling performance. We cashed our 3-star best bet in that game, and now we have four more NFL Week 2 best bets. Our NFL best bets have gotten off to the best possible start, as we currently boast a perfect 5-0 record! Let’s see if we can keep it rolling this week.
Here at Pickswise, we’ve got the opinions of our sharpest NFL experts and brought you their top picks for Week 2. So that’s four NFL Week 2 best bets, all in one place! Let’s take a look and break down each of the picks from our analysts.
Don’t forget to read our NFL picks for EVERY Week 2 matchup
Jared Smith: 49ers -9.5 over Seahawks (-110)
This game looks the ideal “buy low, sell high” opportunity on the board in Week 2. The 49ers melted in the second half against the Bears and Trey Lance did not look the part, grading out as the second-worst QB in Week 1, just behind Dak Prescott. Lance’s -19% CPOE (completion percentage over expectation) was the worst mark of his career. The good news is he’ll be back at home this week facing a Seahawks defense on short rest and without their best player, Jamal Adams. Despite holding the Broncos to just 16 points on Monday, the analytics were ugly and Seattle’s defense had the 4th-lowest EPA per play of any team in Week 1.
Outside of wide receiver DK Metcalf, there isn’t much firepower in this Seattle offense, and rookie LT Charles Cross looked overmatched against Denver’s Bradley Chubb on the edge, which is great news for 49ers pass-rusher Nick Bosa who was relatively held in check by the Bears. Take the 49ers to secure a strong victory and prove why they should be deemed Super Bowl contenders.
Be sure to check out our full Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers predictions
Howard Bender: Broncos -9.5 over Texans (-115)
Your first order of business here is to forget everything you saw from these two teams in Week 1. Forget about how tough the Texans played the Colts and forget about how bad the Broncos looked in Seattle. The Broncos are clearly the better team and while Nathaniel Hackett will forever be vilified for playing for the field goal in their Week 1 loss, you cannot let it cloud your judgment when matching them up against a team whose win total was 4.5 heading into the season.
The Broncos are one of the best teams against the spread in their first home game of the season. They are 7-1-2 ATS over their last 10 seasons and that winning percentage stays up no matter how far back you want to go. The Broncos have a strong, well-balanced team, and let’s not forget what last week’s score would have looked like had they not twice fumbled the ball at the goal-line. Russell Wilson is still working out the early-season kinks and will have a much better rapport with his receivers this time around. Denver should win this game handily and right the wrongs of Week 1.
Be sure to check out our full Houston Texans vs Denver Broncos predictions
Andrew Ortenberg: Colts -4 over Jaguars (-110)
Now is the time to buy low on a very good Colts team that underwhelmed in Week 1. They may have tied the game with the Texans, but they dominated the box score. If you look at total yardage, the Colts out-gained the Texans by an eye-popping 517-299. It’s not often that you see a team go for 500+ yards, hold the opposing team to less than 300 yards, and still not win.
The Colts just had some sloppy miscues, including the recently released Rodrigo Blankenship missing an easy field goal for the win. Matt Ryan took a little bit of time to adjust to his new team, but I walked away still mostly impressed by Frank Reich’s unit. Michael Pittman put up 121 yards and I don’t think a Jaguars secondary that just got shredded by Carson Wentz will be able to cover him. The Jags and Trevor Lawrence have potential, but it clearly isn’t fully realized. It looks like the Colts also may get Shaq Leonard back for this one, which would be a huge boost for the defense.
Be sure to check out our full Indianapolis Colts vs Jacksonville Jaguars predictions
Andrew Wilsher: Vikings +2.5 over Eagles (-110)
Minnesota secured a huge Week 1 win over NFC North rivals Green Bay, and the Vikings are more than capable of following that up with another big performance against the Eagles. Minnesota’s offense showed plenty of ability last season and has all the potential in the world this year after Justin Jefferson looked virtually unplayable against the Packers. The LSU product caught 9 passes for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns against Green Bay. But Jefferson is just one facet of this stacked Vikings offense. Adam Thielen remains a dangerous WR2 for Minnesota, while Dalvin Cook continues to be one of the best running backs in the league. Given the Eagles allowed D’Andre Swift to run all over them in the season opener, Cook should give the Philadelphia defense all it can handle.
The key to victory for the Vikings is giving Kirk Cousins the time he needs to find his receivers. He was sacked just once against the Packers and the Eagles’ pass-rush is unlikely to perform much better – they sacked Jared Goff just once last week and had the 2nd-fewest sacks in the NFL last season. I’m expecting a close game between these two teams who will know they have very realistic chances of winning their respective divisions this year. Take the Vikings +2.5 to at least push the Eagles all the way.
Be sure to check out our full Minnesota Vikings vs Philadelphia Eagles predictions
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