Week 2 NFL picks

Week 2 of the NFL season kicks off Thursday night with Minnesota travelling to Philadelphia. A new weekly piece on the blog will be me picking every game across the league. The winners are based on who I like against the spread.

Here are my picks.

Vikings at Eagles (-7.5): The Vikings are coming off a disappointing home loss to start the season. Philadelphia looked uneven in their win over New England, helped along by a pick-six on a bad throw from Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

Both teams have injury concerns, and with the short week the home team gets the nod.

Pick: Eagles

Bears at Buccaneers (-2.5) Chicago is a mess offensively with a quarterback unwilling to turn the ball loose to open receivers. Tampa is coming off a week one win on the road and they have the better quarterback.

Pick: Buccaneers

Packers at Falcons (+1.5) Jordan Love had the Green Bay offense humming during its week one win in Chicago. Not sure how the spread on this one is so close.

Pick: Packers

Colts at Texans (+1.5) This AFC battle will feature a pair of rookie quarterbacks making their second start. Anthony Richardson looked good at home in week one, now he will need to face a DeMeco Ryans defense on the road. Advantage C.J. Stroud.

Pick: Texans

Seahawks at Lions (-5.5) The Lions were impressive in their week one victory at Kansas City. Meanwhile the Seahawks looked like a team ready to take a step back after overachieving in 2022.

Pick: Lions

Chargers at Titans (+3.5) These two teams were opposites in week one. Los Angeles couldn’t stop anyone, and the Titans could not get their offense in gear. The Chargers defense will be better this week against a less explosive offense.

Pick: Chargers

Ravens at Bengals (-3.5) The Bengals are coming off a terrible showing in their opener, and Joe Burrow looked bad. That will change and the Bengals will get the offense going here. The Ravens have some injury issues on the offensive line which should help Cincinnati’s defense.

Pick: Bengals

Raiders at Bills (-8.5) The Bills are playing on a short week. Josh Allen was awful in the opener, turning the ball over four times. Las Vegas stayed on the East Coast to get ready for this one. Despite the potential for a blowout, I think the Raiders keep this one close.

Pick: Raiders

49ers at Rams (+7.5) The 49ers looked like one of the best teams in the league in their blowout win over Pittsburgh. Los Angeles matched their NFC West counterparts with 30 points of their own. Matthew Stafford won’t miss some of the throws Kenny Pickett left on the field against the 49ers defense in week one. The 49ers will win, but Los Angeles covers.

Pick: Rams

Giants at Cardinals (+5.5) The Giants were blown out by the Cowboys at home in the opener, and their offensive line struggled. Now they will face an Arizona defense that recorded six sacks in the opener and hung around. This one will be closer than the spread.

Pick: Giants

Commanders at Broncos (-3.5)

The Commanders won on opening weekend, and the Broncos lost a close one at home to Las Vegas. Russell Wilson has become a shell of the guy he was in Seattle. He no longer is able to consistently push the ball down the field.

Pick: Commanders

Dolphins at Patriots (+2.5) The Dolphins offense was explosive in week one. This week they face a Patriots defense that held the Eagles to just one touchdown. New England will do the same in this one.

Pick: Patriots

Saints at Panthers (+2.5) The Saints defense against rookie Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has ugly written all over it. Derek Carr gets New Orleans to 2-0.

Pick: Saints

Browns at Steelers (+1.5) Cleveland’s defense was solid in their week one win over the Bengals. Meanwhile, the Steelers really struggled with the 49ers pass rush. That will carry over this week.

Pick: Browns