NFL Picks Against The Spread 2016: Week 2 Games

Photo by: Jeff Fusco.

Before Week 2 of the 2016 NFL season schedule kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for this week’s round of games. (Click here for our NFL Week 2 expert predictions.)

These are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more at Bovada. My record so far this season is 7-7-1. Let’s get to the picks.

2016 NFL WEEK 2 PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins -3: Despite having the so-called greatest offensive line in NFL history, the Cowboys’ offense did not impress in Week 1 against a Giants defense that was historically bad last season. Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott only averaged five yards per attempt while Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a paltry 2.5 average. Washington did not look impressive in Week 1 either, but they could rebound at home against a Cowboys team that struggles to win without Tony Romo under center. It’s hard to see Dallas getting the upset on the road. PICK: Washington -3

San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers (-14): The 49ers didn’t look as bad in Week 1 as many are expecting them to be this season. With that said, playing on the road against an angry Panthers team will be more difficult than facing a lifeless Jeff Fisher team at home. This is a big spread, but Carolina’s defense should be able to shut down Blaine Gabbert. PICK: Panthers -14

Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions (-6): Tennessee failed to even come close to beating the Shaun Hill-led Vikings last week. They hardly inspire confidence against a high-scoring offense on the road in Detroit. The Lions should be able to take care of business here and cover the spread. PICK: Lions -6

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5): Both of these teams are off to surprising starts. The Dolphins went into Seattle and only lost by two, despite being more than 10 point underdogs. The Patriots, meanwhile, found a way to beat the Cardinals in Arizona despite missing Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. New England will be without those players once again but Jimmy Garoppolo should be able to lead the Pats to a comfortable win to cover. PICK: Patriots -6.5

New Orleans Saints at New York Giants -4.5: Counting on the Saints to win on the road isn’t a great strategy, but this is a line that’s showing too much respect to the Giants. New Orleans still might have defensive issues but their offense can still score. Taking the Saints to win outright is tempting. Picking them with the points is an easy choice. Let’s see how the G-Men’s supposedly improved defense does against Drew Brees before crowning them. PICK: Saints +4.5

Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans (-2): Kansas City blew out Houston when these two teams met in the wild card round of the AFC playoffs last season. Brock Osweiler might be an upgrade on Brian Hoyer, but I’ll still take Andy Reid to get the win on the road here. PICK: Chiefs +2

Baltimore Ravens (-6) at Cleveland Browns: The Browns did nothing to shake the perception that they are the worst team in the NFL last week. Robert Griffin III is hurt so Cleveland will be turning to Josh McCown. Whether he fares better than RG3 or not remains to be seen, but it might not matter. The Ravens are a better team and should be able to win. PICK: Ravens -6

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3): The Bengals edged out a one point win over the Jets in Week 1. Now they’re on the road again as they play the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s offense looked really good against Washington so it’s tempting to take them. The Bengals are still good too, though, so I’ll take the points here. It should be a close game between two bitter AFC North rivals. PICK: Bengals +3

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cards (-7): Jameis Winston demolished a bad Falcons squad last week while the Cardinals surprisingly lost at home to the short-handed Pats. It’s hard to see Arizona losing back-to-back games at home. They’ll get back on track this week with a decisive win. PICK: Cardinals -7

Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) at Los Angeles Rams: The Rams looked downright awful in their opening game. It would be so Jeff Fisher of the Rams to somehow win this game, but it’s hard to count on that actually happening. Seattle should be able to get the job done despite the fact Russell Wilson is less than 100%. PICK: Seahawks -6.5

Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers (-3): The Chargers were on their way to a quality, decisive win in Kansas City before blowing the lead. The Bolts also lost Keenan Allen for the season, which is a big hit. Jacksonville looked surprisingly competitive against the Packers in Week 1. The Jags might be on the come up, but they need to show more before they can be picked to win a west coast game on the road. PICK: Chargers -3

Atlanta Falcons at Oakland Raiders (-5): You have to love Jack Del Rio’s gutsy decision to go for two in order to beat the Saints in New Orleans last week. Now the Raiders return home to take on a bad Falcons team. It’s surprising this line isn’t bigger. Atlanta, a dome team, is especially untrustworthy on the road. The Raiders are the easy choice here. PICK: Raiders -5

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-6): Indianapolis is seriously undermanned on defense. The Colts are essentially down to their 100th string corners. Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian should be able to do enough on offense while Denver’s defense locks down Andrew Luck in the one. PICK: Broncos -6

Green Bay Packers (-3) at Minnesota Vikings: Sam Bradford is set to make his Vikings debut as Minnesota and Green Bay square off on Sunday Night Football. It’s hard to imagine the former Eagles quarterback will outshine Aaron Rodgers, but that Vikings defense isn’t too shabby. Minnesota getting points at home likely won’t be too common this season so it could be a time to take advantage. PICK: Vikings +3

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears (-3): Carson Wentz sure looked like the real deal in his first NFL start last week. It remains to be seen how Wentz will follow up his impressive rookie debut. There’s reason to believe he could have success against a Bears team that isn’t too intimidating. Playing on the road could be a challenge. Still, the Eagles are the pick … outright. Pick: Eagles +3