NFL Week 2 Betting Recap
NFL Week 2 Betting Recap
This was an incredible week for highs and lows when it comes to betting and quarterback injuries. Let’s take a look at each game from Week 2 and look at the betting implications that occurred and may also affect the line in Week 3 and beyond.
(closing lines) (Home team in caps)
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NFL
Thursday, Sept. 14
PHILADELPHIA (-6/6.5/49) over Minnesota 34-28
Another wild one on Thursday night. The Eagles led most of the way, but they took over the game on the ground as D’Andre Swift had a monster game with 175 yards on 28 carries with a TD. The Vikings could not stop the run, allowing 259 yards on the ground. Kirk Cousins did his best to keep his team in the game with 364 yards and four TDs with no picks. Star WR Justin Jefferson caught 11 passes for 159 yards. The Vikings fell to 0-2, but after being down 20-7, give them credit for cutting the lead to six points with 7:41 left.
Sunday, September 17
TAMPA BAY (-2.5/41) over Chicago 27-17
The Bucs improved to 2-0 thanks a solid performance over the woeful Bears. Chicago can’t stop the pass, throw the ball and run the football. Other than that, they are great. Tampa Bay outgained the Bears 437-236 and used a balanced attack of 34 rushing plays and 34 passing plays. The Bears have now lost 12 straight games since last season. Justin Fields was sacked six times and threw for 211 yards. Rashad White led the Bucs with 73 yards on 17 carries with a TD.
Kansas City (-3.5/50) over JACKSONVILLE 17-9
The Chiefs got DT Chris Jones and TE Travis Kelce back from a holdout and a knee injury respectively. Kelce did catch a TD pass, but just four passes for 26 yards overall. Patrick Mahomes threw for 305 yards, but also had a pick. Jones made an impact by recording 1.5 sacks, the same number for George Karlaftis. The Chiefs have now defeated the Jags eight straight times. Trevor Lawrence completed 22 of 41 for 216 yards but had two potential TD passes to Zay Jones and Calvin Ridley that didn’t connect because each failed to get both feet down. Christian Kirk grabbed 11 receptions for 110 yards apiece to lead the Jags. The good news for Kansas City was that Kadarius Toney caught all five targets for 35 yards, after having a horrible game in the opener against Detroit.
Baltimore (+3.5/45.5) over CINCINNATI 27-24
The Bengals dropped to 0-2 as Joe Burrow struggled to connect anything downfield. He was 27 of 41 for just 222 yards with two TDs and a pick. Lamar Jackson finally got into a groove with 237 yards passing, two TDs and 54 rushing yards. But it was the defense that slowed down a powerful offense, despite several key injuries in the secondary. Cincy scored on a 81-yard punt return for a TD from Charlie Jones in the second quarter, but did not score an offensive TD in the first half. The concern for the Bengals is Burrow and his calf, which could cost him this week’s game, which is on Monday against the LA Rams.
Indianapolis (+1/40) over HOUSTON 31-20
This was a battle of two rookie quarterbacks, but when Anthony Richardson suffered a concussion early in the second quarter, the Colts went with veteran Gardner Minshew who led Indy with two long scoring drives to help his team go up 28-10 at the half. Minshew was nearly perfect in the second quarter, going 11-of-13 for 114 yards, including a 4-yard TD pass to Kyle Granson. Houston rookie C.J. Stroud completed 30 of 47 for 384 yards with scoring passes to Nico Collins and Tank Dell. But Stroud was also sacked five times and now has been sacked 11 in the first two games.
BUFFALO (-7.5/47) over Las Vegas
Josh Allen and the Bills took out some frustration on the Raiders after getting shocked by the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets last Monday night. After throwing three picks and fumbling the ball away late in the game, Allen completed 31 of 37 for 274 yards with three TDs and no picks. James Cook had a big game for Buffalo with 123 yards for 17 carries. The Raiders fell to 1-1 as Jimmy Garoppolo struggled with 185 yards with a TD and two picks. Davante Adams caught six passes for 84 yards and a TD to led Vegas, but he was injured late in the game after a helmet-to-helmet hit.
TENNESSEE (+2.5/45) over LA Chargers 27-24ot
The Chargers are going to Charge. They found another way to lose a game that was basically in their hands. They also slowed down Derrick Henry somewhat (79 yards), but allowed Ryan Tannehill to throw for 246 yards and a TD. Justin Herbert did his job, completing 27-of-41 for 305 yards and two TDs. But he missed RB Austin Ekeler (ankle) as a runner and receiver. The Chargers managed just 61 yards on 21 carries.
Green Bay (+2.5/40.5) over ATLANTA 24-25
Atlanta won this game somehow thanks to two field goals from Younghoe Koo. The Falcons running game was the key as they rushed for 211 yards on 45 carries. Rookie Bijan Robinson was the star with 124 yards on 19 carries along with four catches for 48 yards. Desmond Ridder completed 19 of 32 for 237 yards and a score. He also added a rushing score. The Packers missed Aaron Jones (hamstring). Jordan Love threw for three TDs, but just 151 yards on 14 of 25. AJ Dillon rushed for 55 yards on 15 attempts in place of Jones.
Seattle (+5/47.5) over DETROIT 37-31ot
The Lions couldn’t take advantage of a few days of rest and having some momentum after an opening-win over Kansas City. Geno Smith threw for 328 yards and two TDs to Tyler Lockett. The Lions amassed 418 yards of offense, but had a pick and lost two fumbles. One of the went to RB David Montgomery, who is considered day-to-day after injuring his thigh. Seattle RB Kenneth Walker ran for just 43 yards on 17 carries, but scored two TDs.
LA RAMS (+9/44.5) over San Francisco 23-30
The Rams lost but covered this game thanks to 28 first downs and 307 passing yards from Matthew Stafford against one of the best defenses in the game. Oh, and for some reason, McVay had Brett Maher kick a 38-yard field goal with no time remaining to ensure the cover. Rookie WR Puka Nacua caught 15 passes for 147 yards to set a rookie record. He now has a rookie record of 25 catches in his first two games. Sean McVay’s offense did fine considering their injury issues, but defensively, they couldn’t slow down Christian McCaffrey, who had 116 yards on 20 carries with a TD. Brock Purdy managed the game with 206 yards passing and he did have a rushing TD.
ARIZONA (+4) over NY Giants 31-28
Arizona covered this game, but they’d rather have won this outright after taking a 20-0 lead in the first half and 28-7 lead in the third quarter. But the Giants scored 24 unanswered points thanks to two Saquon Barkley touchdowns and a 34-yard field goal from Graham Gano with 19 seconds left. Barkley sprained his ankle late in the game and is likely to miss several weeks. Arizona is 0-2, but they’ve covered both games because Joshuan Dobbs has been more than serviceable. He threw for 228 yards, while James Conner rushed for 106 yards and a TD for the Cardinals.
DALLAS (-8.5/38.5) over NY Jets 30-10
The Cowboys got the job done against the injury-plagued Jets after a slow start. Zach Wilson was bad, going 12 of 27 for 170 yards with a TD and three picks against a very good Cowboys’ defense. He also led the team in rushing with 36 yards as Breece Hall had just four carries for nine yards. The Jets aren’t going to beat many teams with their passing game. They also had the ball for just 17:45. Dak Prescot was 31 of 38 for 255 yards and two TDs against a very good defense that was on the field a long time. Dallas has now become the third team to score at least 70 points in the first two games while holding opponents to 10 or fewer since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Washington (+4/38.5) over DENVER 35-33
Look who’s back! It’s Washington and new OC Eric Bienemy who found an offense and possibly a QB in Sam Howell. The Commanders were down 21-3 early in this game, but they erupted in the second half thanks to the passing of Howell and the running of Brian Robinson, who rushed for two scores. However, they were up 35-27 with seconds remaining and Russell Wilson threw a 50-yard Hail Mary TD pass that bounced off a couple of Washington defenders and found Brandon Johnson in the end zone with no time left. On the two-point conversion play, Wilson tried to hit Courtland Sutton, but Benjamin St. Juste broke up the play (possible PI there). Wilson was solid, completing 18 of 32 for 308 yards with three TDs and a pick. But they had no real running game as Wilson led the team with 56 yards on six carries and Javonte Williams was held to 44 yards on 12 attempts.
Miami (-2/46.5) over NEW ENGLAND 24-17
The Patriots are now 0-2 and didn’t play poorly. They held a very strong offense to just 24 points, but offensively, couldn’t get the job done. Mac Jones completed 31 of 42 for 231 yards, one TD and one pick for the Pats, who are 0-2 for the first time since 2001. The Patriots had their chances but just couldn’t put anything consistent together. With 8:45 left, Tua Tagovailoa handed the ball to Raheem Mostert who rushed for 43 yards and his second TD of the game. Essentially, that put the game away. Mostert ran for 249 yards with a TD and a pick. Mostert ran for 121 yards with two TDs on 18 carries.
Monday, September 18, 2023
New Orleans (-3/39.5) over CAROLINA 20-17
The Monday Night game that people may have forgotten about turned out to be a pretty good game. This was not a pretty game, but the Saints apparently have to win that way. RB Tony Jones rushed for two touchdowns and had to carry the ball more due to a hamstring injury to Jamaal Williams. New Orleans was already playing without suspend Alvin Kamara, who will miss one more week. Derek Carr threw for 229 yards with a pick, while rookie Bryce Young completed 22 off 22 for 153 yards and a TD. But Young also suffered an ankle injury and his status is uncertain for Sunday. He did throw a late TD to Adam Thielen with 1:16 left to get the push.
PITTSBURGH (+2.5) over Cleveland 26-22
Where do I start with this game? The Steelers did very little offensively, but managed to scored on a 30-yard interception return from Alonzo Highsmith and a 16-yard fumble return from T.J. Watt (his first-ever defensive TD). The big and bad news for Cleveland came when star RB Nick Chubb was carted off the field with a serious knee injury in the second quarter and is likely out for the season. He rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries, while Jerome Ford came in and rushed for 106 yards on 16 carries (the Browns re-signed Kareem Hunt on Wednesday). On the Chubb play, start S Minkah Fitzpatrick was hurt, but then came back and later left due to a chest injury. Deshaun Watson, who was called for two facemask penalties, threw for 235 yards and also committed two costly turnovers. Kenny Pickett was even worse at QB, completing just 15 of 30 for 222 yards with a TD and a pick. WR Geoge Pickens did have a 71-yard TD catch and wound up with four catches for 127 yards.