NFL Week 2 Best Bets

It was a solid first week for my NFL best bets. The New Orleans Saints smashed the Carolina Panthers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers went into Atlanta and picked up a win against the Falcons as three-point underdogs per the football betting odds. Choosing the New York Giants to knock off the Minnesota Vikings was a big mistake, but I had a winning week as Miami and Jacksonville combined to score just 37 points and sailed under the total as a result. Here’s to keeping it going in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.

YTD 3-1 ATS

Week 2 NFL Betting Odds and Picks

Under 45.5 in Dallas Cowboys vs. New Orleans Saints 

Dak Prescott signed a four-year contract for $240 million just hours before the Cowboys’ season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Prescott is the newest highest-paid player in NFL history, as he is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, but he didn’t have a lot of success against the Browns’ defense. While Dallas scored 33 points, they finished with just 265 total yards and greatly benefited from defense and special teams.

New Orleans torched Carolina in Week 1, but the Saints are very flawed on offense. Derek Carr is a league average quarterback at best, and the offensive line has some serious question marks. The Dallas defense will have much more success stopping the Saints dead in their tracks. 

Pittsburgh Steelers -3 at Denver Broncos

It wasn’t pretty, but the Pittsburgh Steelers started the 2024 season off with a win. Six Chris Boswell field goals proved to be all the scoring the Steelers needed, and Boswell converted from 51, 56, and 57 yards. They are hoping that Russell Wilson will be able to suit up in Week 2, but Pittsburgh has a good chance of covering even if Justin Fields ends up starting again.

Mike Tomlin has had a ton of success against rookie quarterbacks in his coaching career. Tomlin is 24-6 against first-year signal callers and Denver’s Bo Nix is only entering his second game at the next level. Nix was not good in Week 1, struggling mightily against Seattle. He completed 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards with two interceptions, and Tomlin will fluster him with some schemes the rookie hasn’t seen.

Houston Texans -7 vs. Chicago Bears

Chicago had zero business winning its opening game against Tennessee. The Bears amassed just 11 first downs and 148 total yards as No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams could only complete 14 of 29 passes for 93 yards. For all the talk of the weapons the Bears have now, Williams is still a raw quarterback at this level and needs time to develop.

C.J. Stroud no longer needs any time to become an elite quarterback. Stroud is already one of the top ten signal callers in the game, and his ceiling is as high as any current quarterback not named Patrick Mahomes. The second-year talent was extremely efficient in Houston’s close win over Indianapolis, but the Texans should have a much easier time against the Bears. 

Atlanta Falcons +7 at Philadelphia Eagles

Although Atlanta fell to Pittsburgh in Week 1, the Falcons are going to be a frisky team this season. Kirk Cousins is a massive upgrade under center, and there is a ton of talent at the skill positions. Cousins had some trouble against the Pittsburgh defense on Sunday, but the Philadelphia defense isn’t as formidable.

Additionally, there is likely to be at least a little fatigue after Philly faced Green Bay in Brazil last Friday. The Eagles were able to pick up the win in that game, but Jalen Hurts did not play well. Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Instead, the team had to rely on Saquon Barkley in the ground game. Barkley averaged 4.5 YPC with two touchdowns and added two receptions for 23 yards and a score.

Philly will probably get the win, but this game will be more competitive than the experts believe. Cousins can step into and place and play very well against a defense that is a bit overrated.