Update September 17th, 2023 at 11 PM ET: If you are looking for scores for completed games, then go down to the table below. Also, there are betting tips for the games that are still upcoming. As of late on Sunday night, Week 2 is almost over. Please note that there are two recommendations remaining in the table below for the Monday night games.
Week 2 NFL Preview
Welcome to our page for NFL Week 2 predictions and picks. This is the page to visit to stay on top of the betting odds and spreads (all from bet365) for the games that will be played between September 14th and September 18th inclusive. Our focus here is on main markets, meaning moneyline bets, point spread recommendations, and predictions for total points.
NFL fans should note that Week 2 is a non-standard week for scheduling. There will be a Monday night doubleheader in the upcoming week. As for the Thursday game, it is now over with the Philadelphia Eagles emerging victorious. They won 34-28 in a game result that helped our tipsters start the week off right. All the results will be in the table below as the games are finalized.
Check on our NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: We Dropped the KC Chiefs Down
NFL Week 2 Picks and Predictions: All Games
The chart below is for 2023 NFL Week 2 games. The recommendations are for main markets or popular markets only. This means it focuses on spreads, moneylines, and total points (ie. no prop bets or peripheral markets). Last week, we went 19-15-1 for Week 1 recommendations.
One change we are making to NFL Week 2 is that we will now be highlighting "BEST BETS" recommendations. These are games where we feel a betting line stands out. They are bolded below. As always, we do make changes as the news forces new opinions on games. However, we don't delete previous recommendations but use the cross-out feature instead for the sake of transparency. When we compile stats at the end of the week, all bets count -- whether crossed out or not.
Table of Predictions for NFL Week 2
| Date | Away vs Home | The Pick (as of) |
| September 14th, 2023 | Vikings vs Eagles Outcome: Vikings 28, Eagles 34 | OVER 48.5 (Sep 12) (WINNER) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Packers vs Falcons Outcome: Packers 24, Atlanta 25 | OVER 40.0 (Sep 16) (BEST BETS) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Raiders vs Bills Outcome: Raiders 10, Bills 38 | Bills -8.5 (Sep 16) (BEST BETS) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Ravens vs Bengals Outcome: Ravens 27, Bengals 24 | UNDER 46.5 (Sep 15) (BEST BETS) (Loser) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Seahawks vs Lions Outcome: Seattle 37, Detroit 31 (OT) | Lions -220 (Sep 14) (Loser) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Chargers vs Titans Outcome: Chargers 24, Titans 27 | Chargers -2.5 (Sep 14) (BEST BETS) (Loser) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Bears vs Buccaneers Outcome: Bears 17, Bucs 27 | Bucs -2,5 (Sep 16) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Chiefs vs Jaguars Outcome: Chiefs 17, Jaguars 9 | Chiefs -175 (Sep 14) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Colts vs Texans Outcome: Colts 31, Texans 20 | Texans -120 (Sep 15) (Loser) |
| September 17th, 2023 | 49ers vs Rams Outcome: SF 30, LA 23 | Rams +7.5 (Sep 15) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Giants vs Cardinals Outcome: Giants 31, Cardinals 28 | Cardinals +5.5 (Sep 12) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Jets vs Cowboys Outcome: Jets 10, Cowboys 30 | Jets +9.0 (Sep 15) (Loser) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Commanders vs Broncos Outcome: Commanders 35, Broncos 33 | OVER 38.0 (BEST BETS) (Winner) |
| September 17th, 2023 | Dolphins vs Patriots Outcome: Miami 24, New Engand 17 | Miami -135 (Sep 11) (Winner) |
| September 18th, 2023 | Saints vs Panthers Outcome:Saints 20, Panthers 17 | Saints -3.0 (Sep 12) (Best Bets) (Push) |
| September 18th, 2023 | Browns vs Steelers | UNDER 42.0 (Sep 11) |
Packers vs Falcons: NFL Week 2 Predictions
Anyone looking to follow up Green Bay's Week 1 win with a moneyline bet in Week 2 should be on alert with Green Bay's injury report. They had nine different players on the injury report this week. Four of them ended up questionable after Friday's practice. That included Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, and David Bahktiari.
The Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 38-20 in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to open the season. Between those two results, you would put more stock in Green Bay's. They had only a slightly better spread but Green Bay also posted a road victory in Week 1. Furthermore, the Bears, the team GB beat, are considered to be a better team than the Panthers, the team the Falcons beat.
Neither the Packers nor the Falcons made our Top Ten NFL Power Rankings for Week 2. However, the winner in this game promises to either round out the Top Ten or bubble it with a 2-0 record next week.
Green Bay opened as favorites to win this game (bet365). However, the injury report changed everything. Atlanta is simply in much better shape. They are small favorites in a game that will put Jordan Love to the test.
This game has a lot of promise for an OVER bet. The total points is set at 40.0. You have to like the QB match-up for such a low total. Both of the QBs, Jordan Love and Desmond Ridder, are emerging quarterbacks in the league. But neither can be disregarded. Take the OVER in this game at -110 with bet365.
Seahawks vs Lions: NFL Week 2 Prediction
We're taking the Lions on the moneyline in this one at -220. For details as to our reasoning, follow the webpage dedicated to the injury report for this game.
Raiders vs Bills: NFL Week 2 Prediction
September 14th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ET (this section)
The Bills have a really favorable injury report for this game. They are returning home after a bad Week 1 game at the New York Jets. For details regarding our recommendation for this game, see our injury report article for the game. Originally, we backed Vegas at +9.5 but this was a game that flipped after the injury report release. Buffalo should win this one by double digits. We have a +140 recommendation on the Bills for bettors that like adjusted spreads.
Dolphins vs Patriots: NFL Week 2 Prediction
The Miami Dolphins are the best bet to win this game on the moneyline. They will be on the road in Week 2. You could argue that the Dolphins beat a better team than New England on the road in Week 1. After all, Miami went into Los Angeles and posted a hard-fought two-point victory over the LA Chargers. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami's QB1, had 466 passing yards in the game. When he is passing like that, then he opposing defensive coordinators are in for a nightmare.
Tyreek Hill has picked up where he left off last season. He had 215 receiving yards. Jaylen Waddle had fewer targets but still received for 78 yards. That kind one one-two punch will make them dangerous again. This is a team that crumbled if Tagovailoa can't stay healthy but right now he's in tip-top form.
The Patriots continue to be that team that flirts with being competitive but just doesn't get over the hump. They were a bubble team for the playoffs last season and missed. The previous season, they were a bubble team for the playoffs and barely got in. They are looking like a 7-win to 9-win team this season.
In Week 1, the Patriots entered the week as five-point underdogs. They lost by 5 points to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots prove their doubters wrong about as much as they prove them right.
You can only have confidence in Miami for this game. Take them on the moneyline at -135 for what will be the Sunday evening game in Week 2.
Browns vs Steelers: NFL Week 2 Prediction
The Cleveland Browns won in Week 1 as small home underdogs against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers lost in Week 1 as small home underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns certainly looked like the better team as they posted a 21-point spread in their victory. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh suffered a discrediting loss, falling by 23 points.
You could be skeptical of each team's offense. The Browns did not get a great QB performance out of Deshaun Watson, which was basically what we saw of him last season as well. Meanwhile, the Steelers managed just seven points on offense. Cleveland's defense was great in Week 1, holding the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals to just 3 points. From most perspectives, the Browns vs Steelers game in Week 2 is one for the UNDER for total points. Our recommendation is to take UNDER 42.0 total points in the game at odds of -110.
Ravens vs Bengals: NFL Week 2 Prediction
The Bengals had a poor game in Week 1. Joe Burrow had the worst statistical game of his career. Cincinnati punted the ball ten times in the game and had just three points. They fell 24-3 to the Cleveland Browns in a game where the Browns did not get a great performance out of their quarterback, Deshaun Watson. At first glance, you have to think that Cincinnati is overrated as a -3.5 favorite against Baltimore in Week 2.
The Baltimore Ravens did not have a tough game to open their season. They faced the Houston Texans. However, Baltimore posted a 25-9 victory at home. The score and result were about what most would have expected. Baltimore was one of the heavier favorites in Week 1.
But Baltimore had a bad week on the injury report. They will be missing two starting offensive players, Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum. The latter is the team's center -- considered to be one of the better centers in the NFL. With Cincinnati struggling on offense last week, the total points of 46.5 looks really high. Our recommendation is to take the UNDER as one of our best bets of the week (-110).
Chargers vs Titans: NFL Week 2 Prediction
This one has to be all about the LA Chargers winning and covering a -2.5 spread. The Chargers are -110 to cover that small spread with bet365.
These two teams were both losers in Week 1. The Chargers lost to the Miami Dolphins 36-34. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans lost to the New Orleans Saints 16-15.
The big question that came out of these results is: What in the world will the Tennessee Titans do in their QB position? Ryan Tannehill recently turned 35 years old and he turned in the worst game possibly of his career in Week 1.
Tannehill was 16 for 34 on passing attempts for just 198 yards. He did not connect for a TD pass but threw three interceptions. His passer rating was just 28.8 and his QBR was 10.3, both egregious. It's not an understatement to say that this might be the beginning of the end of Tannehill.
The Titans have nowhere to go to get a quality quarterback in time for Week 2. They need the Tannehill fiasco from Week 1 to be a one-off anomaly. Malik Willis is the QB2 and he's not that good. The Chargers winning on the moneyline at -165 and covering a -2.5 spread look very reasonable. Don't be surprised if those odds shorten during the week. This is definitely a betting line for the early birds.
Bears vs Buccaneers: NFL Week 2 Predictions and Picks
The Chicago Bears are underdogs in Week 2. They are +3.0 on the road as they head into Tampa Bay. The Bears are coming off a 38-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers to open the season. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers were one of the surprises in Week 1. They were +6.0 underdogs but posted a three-point win on the road against the Minnesota Vikings.
TB backers will be very happy with the performance of Baker Mayfield from Week 1. He made his debut as a Buccaneer and, while his performance was short of spectacular, his performance suggests that he's a perfectly acceptable NFL starter. Mayfield passed for two touchdowns, he was 21 for 34 on passing attempts, and he only took one sack. If he keeps up a passer rating in the 90s and a QBR in the 60s, then Tampa Bay should be in the mix for a playoff spot this season.
The Bucs are favored at -3.0 but there is a chance that they do a number on Chicago in this game. Justin Fields remains one of the more overrated quarterbacks in the NFL. While the Bears are only 0-1, let's not forget that this is a team that went 3-14 last season. It's not clear where the upgrades are yet. Also, last season the Bears went just 1-7 on the road. +3.0 handicap helpers are not enough for Chicago. Take the Bucs to cover -3.0 at odds of -110.
Chiefs vs Jaguars Prediction and Pick
The 0-1 Kansas City Chiefs are -3.5 favorites against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. The Jags will host the game looking to improve to 2-0 on the season. In Week 1, KC lost to the Detroit Lions 21-20 in the Thursday night game. Jacksonville played on Sunday when they won on the road, 31-21, against the Indianapolis Colts.
KC made recent news. They worked out their problems with Chris Jones, a defensive player who had a long holdout during training camp. You have to wonder if the fact that they lost in Week 1 factored into the resolution.
This is going to be a difficult game for the Jaguars. The two teams will meet on Sunday, meaning that KC will have had ten days between games. That should bode well for the team's injury news. Our recommendation is to take the Chiefs to win this game, priced at -175 on the moneyline straight up.
Jets vs Cowboys Prediction and Pick
The Jets lost Aaron Rodgers for the season following the injury updates from Week 1. That, in turn, will have everyone reaching for the "against" button when it comes to the Jets and their aspirations this season. However, the handicap of +9.5 is still coming in way too long for the upcoming game between NYJ and Dallas.
Yes, the Jets should be considered underdogs. But we're talking about +4.0 underdogs in this game for a true spread. The Jets still have a strong defense in place, they have a special teams that walked off the Bills in overtime on MNF, they have a team that came out determined in the second half last week despite losing Rodgers, and the Jets have two viable running backs. Also, their new QB1, Zach Wilson, is a little underrated.
+9.5 handicap points on the Jets next week is among our BEST BETS recommendations for main markets in Week 2. It's just a knee-jerk reaction to think that everything turned south with Rodgers going out. There's a lot more to the team.
Colts vs Texans Prediction: NFL Week 2
The worst game of the week might be between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. This is a game that takes on some betting significance for those who bet in the "Worst Teams" markets.
The Colts enter Week 2 at 0-1, as do the Houston Texans. Both teams are among the favorites to have the NFL's worst regular season in 2023-24. Currently, the Texans are 5 to 1 to be the worst while the Colts are 10 to 1. The favorite in the market is Arizona at 7 to 4 (all odds bet365).
Colts vs Texans: A Coin Toss
This game is nearly a pure coin toss by betting odds. The hosting Texans are just -1.0 favorites.
This is a battle between two rookie quarterbacks. CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson had QBRs of 21.2 and 23.4 respectively in Week 1. Neither has proven that he is a legitimate QB1 yet.
But one thing you have to like about this game is Houston's defense. They were not that bad against Lamar Jackson in Week 1. The Baltimore QB didn't get his rushing game going. He passed for a high percentage but he had an INT. Also, Houston sacked Lamar four times. For games where he played a meaningful number of snaps, that's a low QBR dating back to November 1st, 2020. Houston had just one quarter where the game got out of hand against Baltimore.
The Texans at -120 odds is the play to make in this game. Take them with bet365 to win.
49ers vs Rams Prediction: NFL Week 2 Picks
This isn't going to be a complex game to analyze. Bettors should be going with the LA Rams on the spread in this game. They are at +8.0 (-110) and have to be considered underrated in the contest.
Matthew Stafford played refreshingly well in Week 1. He was second in the league in QBR. Yes, the one QB that beat Stafford was Purdy. However, Purdy's team is -8.0 in Week 2, not +8.0. The Rams put up a 17-point spread in Seattle's house. That's a good enough reason to take them at +8.0, even when hosting a really strong team in San Francisco. The Rams at +8.0 is among the best bets for popular markets in Week 2.
Giants vs Cardinals Prediction: NFL Week 2 Picks
The New York Giants suffered the only goose egg in NFL Week 1. To make matters worse, the team lost at home to the Dallas Cowboys. The final score was 40-0. Daniel Jones was the worst QB of the opening week. He has two INTs, zero TD passes for touchdowns, and just 104 yards in the air. He also took seven sacks, which is a problem that is going to be difficult to solve if you are NYG. Jones is an average starter at best. Without an offensive line, the Giants are going nowhere this season.
Arizona is available at +5.5 at home in this game (-110). That would have done the trick last week against Washington, a team that the Cardinals played to within 4 points of in a game that the Commanders hosted. Arizona also kept Sam Howell in check in the loss.
Arizona vs NYG in Week 2 looks like it could be in the teens or low 20s for each team's scoring. Our recommendation is to take the points on the Cardinals.
Commanders vs Broncos Prediction: NFL Week 2 Picks
The Denver Broncos started the season with a loss, falling 17-16 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Russell Wilson's offense managed just 16 points in the game. Washington only had 20 points in their own game, one that was against the Arizona Cardinals. At first glance, Washington vs Denver looks like a game for UNDER bets on total points.
However, the game total has come in at just 38.0. That's the lowest point total for the week in NFL Week 2. You have to think that bettors and oddsmakers have little faith in Russell Wilson to dare set a points total that low in a game where he's the starting QB.
There is plenty of upside to this game for the points total. Bettors should be expecting a score that adds up to about 44 to 46 points. Accordingly, we are recommending the OVER for total points, 38.0 at -110. This is among our best bets for the week.
Saints vs Panthers NFL Week 2 Picks
The New Orleans Saints are just -3.0 to beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. This is a game that will be played on Monday night as part of a double-header for the week.
Derek Carr had a decent debut for the Saints in Week 1. He threw for 305 yards in helping the Saints edge the Tennessee Titans. If Carr is playing well, then the Saints are never just -3.0 favorites against a Carolina team with an ineffective rookie QB in Bryce Young. Take the Saints at -3.0 and odds of -110.
