BumblesBangerz has been a sports wagering consultant for more than a decade, and will be making picks against the spread all season at Compare.bet. Here are his predictions for Week 2 of the NFL campaign.
(Note: This article publishes on Thursday and the weekend picks may be updated based on breaking news or injuries.)
Los Angeles Chargers (+4) at Kansas City Chiefs
Thursday, September 15 at 8:15 p.m. ET
This line has moved in what I think is an overreaction to the Chiefs’ offensive performance in week one along with the Keenan Allen injury. The Chiefs should probably be favored to win in this one but with the line now at 4 from 3 last week, I lean toward the Chargers in what should be a high-scoring back-and-forth game. You could even wait and possibly get Chargers on the moneyline for an even better price if you like them in this spot.
Score prediction: Chiefs 27, Chargers 24
Pick: Chargers +4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at New Orleans Saints
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
This is not a good matchup for the current state of the Bucs team with Chris Godwin most likely out. The line seems fair but Tom Brady and the Buccaneers struggle vs New Orleans. Whichever side you like, I would recommend waiting on this one for the final injury reports to see which way the line moves past the key number of 3.
Score prediction: Buccaneers 21, Saints 20
Pick: New Orleans +3
Miami Dolphins (+3.5) at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
The Dolphins took advantage of the Patriots’ weak secondary last week but I don’t expect it to be so easy for them in this one. Baltimore has a top-5 passing defense in the league and will keep them in check. On the other side of things, the Ravens are built to run the ball which is where the Dolphins struggle. I see an easy win for this Baltimore squad at home. If you take Ravens, I always recommend buying down to 3 which, historically, is the most common win margin in the NFL.
Score prediction: Ravens 27, Dolphins 21
Pick: Ravens -3.5
New England Patriots (-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
The Steelers probably shouldn’t be underdogs against this Patriots team. T.J. Watt was a huge loss for their defense but they still have a solid squad that will cause problems for a New England offense that looked lifeless in week one. To be fair, the Steelers’ offense was a bit uninspiring as well but I trust that Mike Tomlin, who is now 56-23-2 as an underdog including 14-3-2 ATS at home, will take care of business in their first game in the newly named Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
Score prediction: Steelers 20, Patriots 17
Pick: Steelers +2
New York Jets (+6.5) at Cleveland Browns
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
I look to back the underdog against the spread in games with low totals and this one is currently at just 39.5. In fact, in games with a total set under 42, underdogs have covered the spread 62% of the time since 2018. The Browns, to my surprise, outplayed the Panthers in Week 1 but almost blew it by giving up 17 4th-quarter points. Jacoby Brissett is one of the worst starting QBs in the league and giving him this many points doesn’t make much sense to me; take the road underdog and buy the hook up to +7 (2nd most common margin in the NFL).
Score prediction: Browns 23, Jets 17
Pick: Jets +6.5
Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Though I see a lot of value in the home underdog Jaguars at this number, I’m gonna roll with Indianapolis. The Jaguars’ defense just gave up 390 yards and four touchdowns to the Commanders and I think we see this often from them. The Colts missed out on what should have been an easy win for them in Week 1 when they tied the Texans and have a tough schedule ahead and will want this one after dropping six straight to Jacksonville. They are just the better team in this one; look for the Colts to pour it on offensively and get a much-needed win on the road.
Score prediction: Colts 27, Jaguars 21
Pick: Colts -3.5
Washington Commanders (+1.5) at Detroit Lions
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
Quick tidbit of information; this is the first time in 25 games the Lions are the betting favorite, and the first time in 60 games they are favored against a team with a winning record. Is this line justified? The last time was in 2018 when they played the Panthers who were forced to start ex-XFL quarterback P.J. Walker… The Lions lost this game 20-0. I was impressed with their late rally against the Eagles to cover in last week’s game but they still lost 38-35 so I think this is a bit of an overreaction to that. Carson Wentz looked good in his debut and will have another horrible defense to beat up on in this one. Take Washington to cover and win.
Score prediction: Commanders 24, Lions 22
Pick: Commanders +1.5
Carolina Panthers (+2) at New York Giants
Sunday, September 18 at 1 p.m. ET
I don’t feel great backing the Panthers after their abysmal performance in Week 1 but here we are. The Panthers have now lost eight straight games, and are 2-13 ATS in their last 15. They’re due, right? Right? The Giants didn’t look great in their win vs. the Titans while the Panthers got it going in the end and nearly came back to win, scoring 17 of their 24 points in the 4th quarter. Hopefully, this was a sign of things to come. I’m picking the Panthers to cover the 2-point spread and break their cold spell.
Score prediction: Panthers 21, Giants 20
Pick: Panthers +2
Atlanta Falcons (+10.5) at Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, September 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET
This line was -13 to -13.5 last Sunday and is now set at just 10.5 in favor of Stafford and the Rams. Would have loved to grab it at this number but I still see a ton of value in the underdog at this number. Since 2005, underdogs in Week 2 that lost Week 1 straight up have covered 55.9% of games, which is significant, especially when we see this rapid line movement. This also fits the trend we mentioned earlier of underdogs in games with low totals. Yes, the Falcons’ fourth quarter collapse left a bad taste in our mouths but they outplayed the Saints for the majority of the game. I think they’ll do well here if they take advantage of LA’s shaky offensive line.
Score prediction: Rams 24, Falcons 17
Pick: Falcons +10.5
Seattle Seahawks (+8.5) at San Francisco 49ers
Sunday, September 18 at 4:05 p.m. ET
The Seahawks surprised everyone when they beat the Broncos in Week 1, while the 49ers were on the other side of an upset, losing by nine to the Chicago Bears. I like the 49ers to bounce back. Though Denver didn’t play their best game in my opinion, it was still one they should have won with ease. Seattle got some lucky bounces and they are underdogs here for a reason. I don’t think they pull it off again. Take San Fran to win and cover the spread at home.
Score prediction: 49ers 27, Seahawks 17
Pick: San Francisco -8.5
Cincinnati Bengals (-7) at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, September 18 at 4:25 p.m. ET
This line skyrocketed after the news surfaced that Dak Prescott would be out indefinitely. I’d say it would be wise to wait to bet this one until the line settles as it has gone from 2.5 to 10.5 now down to 7 in favor of the Bengals in less than a week. If we had to choose a side now though, I like that we’re getting it at the key number of 7.
I could see the Cowboy’s defense causing some problems for the Bengals who struggled in Week 1 and making this game closer than people are expecting. With that being said, their offense looked horrible already and now they are missing their star QB and down a lineman. Expect the defense to get worn down after consistent three-and-outs and the Bengals to pull away in a game they cannot afford to lose after dropping the season opener at home.
Score prediction: Bengals 27, Cowboys 14
Pick: Bengals -7
Arizona Cardinals (+5.5) at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, September 18 at 4:25 p.m. ET
This seems like a classic Week 2 overreaction after the Chiefs defeated the Cardinals in their home opener, scoring 44 points. The Cardinals should have a bit more success against a suspect Raiders defense. Also, are we forgetting the Raiders lost as well? The line is way too high for me to back Las Vegas in this spot. Take the Cardinals to keep it close in a high-scoring offensive shootout.
Score prediction: Raiders 28, Cardinals 24
Pick: Cardinals +5.5
Houston Texans (+10) at Denver Broncos
Sunday, September 18 at 4:25 p.m. ET
Should the Broncos be 10-point favorites against anybody after their performance on primetime? Oddsmakers are predicting a fairly low-scoring game at 45.5, which makes me like the underdog even more. This is a short week for the Broncos after an embarrassing loss Monday night to the Seahawks. I like Davis Mills and Wilson looked uncomfortable in the pocket. I don’t know if it was the coaching, the play calling, or first-game jitters but Denver did not impress me. Could they bounce back here and even cover the spread? Sure, but I’ll take the underdog until they show me otherwise.
Score prediction: Seahawks 24, Texans 17
Pick: Texans +10
Chicago Bears (+9.5) at Green Bay Packers
Sunday, September 18 at 8:20 p.m. ET
Last season, the Packers lost their home opener by double digits. This season they did the same, falling to the Vikings 23-7. Last season they bounced back in a big way and did the same to their opponent in week 2… this year will be no different. I know we discussed the underdog trend in some earlier writeups but there’s plenty in favor of the Packers this week to cancel them out and then some.
You could say this isn’t the same Green Bay we’ve seen in years past, and you’d be right, but it’s still Aaron Rodgers at home and I’m not keen on betting against him in this spot. He has covered 66% of his games as a home favorite, 69% at home in primetime, and 64% of games after a loss. Not to mention he undoubtedly owns the Bears, going 20-7 against them in his career. Teams coming off of double-digit losses in week one are 35-23 in Week 2. Take the Packers in a bounce-back spot to cover.
Score prediction: Packers 28, Bears 14
Pick: Packers -9.5
Tennessee Titans (+10) at Buffalo Bills
Monday, September 19 at 7:15 p.m. ET
We took the Giants last week when they played the Titans but for Week 2 we are leaning Titans as underdogs. They’ll likely lose, but I like them to keep this close enough to cover the 10. Tennessee didn’t show us much in Week 1 but Henry has done well the last few times he played the Bills, putting up a combined five touchdowns. We will hope for them to improve in their second game and try to control the clock by having some success running the football.
Score prediction: Bills 28, Titans 20
Pick: Titans +10
Minnesota Vikings (+2) at Philadelphia Eagles
Monday, September 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Two Monday night games?! This is another one that feels like a coin flip so the underdog it is. Both teams won in Week 1 but the Vikings impressed me far more. I do believe Philly could have success running the football; Minnesota gave up 6.2 yards per carry in Week 1, but I don’t know if it will be enough to win. May see a back-and-forth game that ends up going to whoever scores last. I lean toward Minnesota to cover the spread and would take the money line as well.
Score prediction: Vikings 27, Eagles 24
Pick: Vikings +2
Last week’s record: 8-7
Overall: 8-7
