These are my picks to win every Week 2 NFL game, ranked by confidence level. You can bet on any of these games at DraftKings Sportsbook.
NFL Week 2 Confidence Picks
These are picks to win every NFL game straight up, tiered by confidence level and ranked within each tier.
High Confidence
Ravens over Raiders- The Ravens are deservedly the biggest favorite of the weekend. They were a toe away from having a two-point conversion attempt to beat the Chiefs in Week 1. Now the Ravens are at home, on extended rest and playing a Raiders team that looked bad in Week 1. The Raiders couldn’t run the ball on offense or stop the run on defense. That is a very bad combination when facing the Ravens, one of the best running teams in football. The Ravens should win comfortably here.
Lions over Buccaneers- The Lions won in a tight game in Week 1 against the Rams, while the Bucs won convincingly against the Commanders. That game was at home for Tampa Bay, and they were facing a rookie quarterback at the start of his first career. This test on the road against the Lions will be much tougher. Baker Mayfield had a great game to carry over the momentum from last season, but this Lions defense is much tougher against the pass than Washington. The Bucs’ defense will also be tested by one of the best offenses in the NFL, and the Lions should come out on top.
Cowboys over Saints- Both teams looked fantastic and got big wins in Week 1. However, the Cowboys’ win was much tougher on the road in Cleveland against one of the league’s top defenses. Carolina looks to be one of the worst teams in the NFL again this season, and New Orleans will need to play well again in this spot for me to believe the hype on them. The Cowboys’ offense was out of this world when playing at home last season, and that should carry over to this season.
49ers over Vikings- The 49ers were incredible in their Monday Night Football win over the Jets. Despite Christian McCaffrey not playing, they moved the ball effortlessly on offense through the air and on the ground. Top to bottom, this is probably the most talented team in the NFL, and they will win a lot of games. The Vikings and Sam Darnold played great in the opener against the Giants, but this will be an infinitely tougher test. The 49ers should take care of business.
Chargers over Panthers– In their Week 1 win over the Raiders, the Chargers looked like one of Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan teams. They ran the ball down their throats and played physical defense. They won at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and ground out a tough victory. Based on what the Panthers showed in Week 1, they still have a long way to go, and the Chargers should have too much offense for them.
Texans over Bears- The Texans and CJ Stroud looked fantastic to start the year. The offense looks improved from last season’s great group, and the addition of Stefon Diggs was an immediate success. The Bears won in Caleb Williams’ first start thanks to a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown. Those things are hard to replicate, especially with CJ Stroud on the other side instead of Will Levis. The Texans should handle their business and win the game, although the Bears could keep it tight with their good defense.
Eagles over Falcons- Kirk Cousins looked shaky in his first game for the Falcons, and this offense could take some time to gel with their new quarterback and coach. However, the Eagles were really sharp in Week 1 and should be able to pick up a home win on Monday Night Football.
Medium Confidence
Seahawks over Patriots- The Patriots pulled off the biggest upset of Week 1 by beating the Bengals on the road. They have a good defense, and when Jacoby Brissett plays mistake-free football, they can be a hard team to beat. That said, the Bengals were all kinds of banged up offensively in that game, whereas the Seahawks looked sharp in their first game. Seattle should just have too much offense for the Patriots.
Chiefs over Bengals- As I just mentioned, the Bengals are really banged up offensively between Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. The Chiefs looked like their old selves in their opening win, and they will have ten days of rest going into this game. Andy Reid is great on extra rest and while the Bengals may keep it close, Mahomes will find a way to win.
Jets over Titans- San Francisco overpowered the Jets in their opening game. However, there may not be a tougher opponent to face in the entire NFL. The good news for the Jets is Aaron Rodgers made some throws where he looked like his old self and played a full game with no injury issues. Will Levis looked bad in Week 1, and the Jets’ defense should have a bounceback performance after struggling against the league’s best offense. The Jets should get their first win with Aaron Rodgers in this spot.
Jaguars over Browns- The Browns looked horrible on offense in their first game of the season. Their defense is still great, but they got no help from Deshaun Watson, so the scoreline got out of hand. The Jaguars don’t have as good of a defense as Dallas, nor do they have as good of an offense to force the Browns’ offense to keep up with. This game should be much closer for Cleveland, but ultimately, Jacksonville has the better quarterback and should find a way to win at home.
Giants over Commanders– Daniel Jones is 5-1-1 against the Commanders in his career and 18-37 against everyone else. Jones should play better against this defense, which looked really bad in Week 1. The Commanders don’t have the type of weapons the Vikings do, so the Giants’ defense should also look much better. This could be a bit of an ugly one, but the Giants pull it out in the end.
Coin-Flip Games
Dolphins over Bills– This Thursday Night Football matchup should be really tight, but the Dolphins should win with the home-field advantage. It is going to be hot and humid in Miami, and the Bills could struggle in weather they are not accustomed to. The Bills have a lot of weaknesses in the secondary, and the Dolphins should be able to exploit that to find a big play or two to make the difference.
Broncos over Steelers- The Steelers found a way to win in Atlanta in Week 1 despite a lack of offense. Bo Nix had to play in tough conditions in Week 1, but he will be back in Denver for his first home start in this game. Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to travel for the second straight week and play at elevation, which is always tough for teams. This is a true coin-flip game, but I will back the Broncos to find a way to win at home.
Packers over Colts– Everyone is picking the Colts with Jordan Love out for this game. However, I am willing to pick the upset here. The offense could look much different with Malik Willis, which will make it harder for the Colts to prepare their defense. The Packers have the better team, but this line has shifted dramatically because of Love’s absence. Despite that, the Packers should step up everywhere and pull out this win for their quarterback.
Rams over Cardinals- This is an incredibly tight divisional matchup. Both of these teams played well in close losses against good teams in Week 1 and will be desperate to pick up a win in Week 2. Both of these offenses should have a reasonable amount of success moving the ball, and it will be a good game to watch. Ultimately, I lean toward the Rams because of their coaching advantage with Sean McVay, but this is a true coin flip.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and cannot access any non-public information.
