Week 2 of the NFL is full of great games and intriguing matchups. Here is how to bet on these games at DraftKings Sportsbook.
NFL Week 2 Best Bets
Cowboys/Texans Moneyline Parlay (-120)
The Cowboys looked dominant in their Week 1 win over the Browns. Their offense was solid on the road against one of the league’s best defenses. However, it was the Cowboys defense that really dominated. They were the best defense in the NFL in opponent success rate and were all over Deshaun Watson. Despite the Saints playing great in Week 1, the Cowboys’ defense should present an infinitely tougher test than the Panthers did. The Cowboys’ offense should be even better at home where they averaged 36.8 points a game last season.
The Texans picked up a big divisional win in Week 1. Their offense is going to be one of the best in the league if last week was any indication. C.J. Stroud picked up right where he left off and most importantly, the Texans’ new weapons looked amazing. Stefon Diggs scored two touchdowns and Joe Mixon ran all over the Colts’ defense, also adding a touchdown. The addition of a great run game will make this Texans offense nearly impossible to stop. The Bears just don’t have enough offensive firepower to keep up.
Panthers +5 vs. Chargers
I was worried when I typed this out as one of my favorite bets that my computer would spontaneously combust… but it survived. After being the worst team in the NFL last season, the Panthers were horrendous last week against the Saints. However, this is the perfect chance to buy low on them against the Chargers. The Chargers need to travel across the country and play at 10 a.m. for their body clock. This Jim Harbaugh offense has made it clear that they just want to run the ball and keep the clock moving, which will always favor the underdog. Despite Week 1, I have faith in Panthers head coach Dave Canales to look at what happened last week and adjust his play calling to make things as easy as possible for QB Bryce Young.
Lions -1.5 /Packers +9 6-point Teaser (-120)
The Lions showed great toughness in their Week 1 win over the Rams. This team picked up where it left off last season and Jameson Williams made a leap at wide receiver for Detroit. This offense should be one of the best in the league again and the run defense also looked like one of the league’s best once again. The Bucs looked good in Week 1 against the Commanders, but they had the benefit of facing a rookie QB in his first start and a bad defense. Things will be much harder on the Bucs against Detroit in their own building and the Lions should get the win.
The Packers lost Jordan Love but this line has gone too far. The Packers went from 4.5-point favorites to 2.5-point underdogs after Love went down. Malik Willis is not a great quarterback, but he has real NFL experience and Matt LaFleur is one of the best offensive play callers in the league. LaFleur should make things really simple for Willis and they will rely heavily on Josh Jacobs running the ball. Last week, the Colts were totally reliant on the deep ball to get any offense. They couldn’t really sustain any long drives. That makes it easy for the Packers to just keep everything in front of them to slow down the Colts’ offense and keep this game close.
Browns +3 at Jaguars
The Browns played a really ugly Week 1 game against the Cowboys, but things get a bit easier for them against the Jaguars. The Browns have a great defense that was put in a lot of really bad spots by their offense last week. The defense should play much better against Jacksonville this week. The Bills ran wild on the Dolphins in Week 2, which raises some eyebrows about the fact that the Jaguars didn’t score a point against that Dolphins defense in the second half last week. The Browns defense should have a lot of success against a Jaguars passing attack that really struggled against a bad defense.
Offensively, Deshaun Watson played terribly last week, but things should be easier on him this week. Last week, Tua Tagovailoa had all day to throw and his receivers got open with ease against the Jaguars’ defense. Against the Cowboys, Watson had no time at all against their elite pass rush. The Jaguars will not give the Browns’ offensive line nearly as many problems and the Browns should be able to balance their run and pass game much better in this game to keep things close.
Rams +1 at Cardinals
Sean McVay has dominated the Cardinals over the years. He is 12-2-1 (85.7%) ATS in games against the Cardinals in his career. Kyler Murray played in 11 of those games and the Cardinals went 1-9-1 (10%) ATS. The Rams’ passing offense looked great against Detroit, even when Puka Nacua went down. McVay will be able to scheme the offense to fit their personnel without Nacua and make life really difficult for the Cardinals’ defense.
Murray played a pretty good game against the Bills but was unable to make winning plays down the stretch. This Rams defense has also dominated him his entire career. The Rams defense was beaten on a couple of deep balls by Jared Goff, but that is an area where Murray has really struggled so that is much less of a concern in this matchup. The Rams should take care of business and get the win in this matchup.
Bengals +6 at Chiefs
The Bengals had some bad breaks, including a fumble at their opponent’s 1-yard line, which led to them losing as big favorites in Week 1. In the NFL, it is important to not overreact to a one-game sample size. This Bengals team is very talented and well-coached and should bounce back in this spot. Joe Burrow will be without Tee Higgins again this week but Ja’Marr Chase should be at 100% after dealing with an illness last week.
On the other side, the Chiefs picked up a huge win in Week 1, but the narrative would be very different if Isaiah Likely’s foot was an inch shorter and the Ravens won that game. The Ravens moved the ball down the field pretty effectively against the Chiefs defense and the Bengals should be able to replicate that success. The Bengals have had very good defensive game plans for Patrick Mahomes in the past, which have contributed to Burrow’s 3-1 SU and ATS record against Kansas City. Burrow is also 14-6-1 (70%) ATS in the game after a SU loss. These two teams should play a close one in this new rivalry matchup.
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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.
