Week 2 NFL Betting Lines
Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season is in the books. It wasn’t the crispest start to a new year of pro football, but chalk it up to opening day sloppiness. There were an uncharacteristic nine road favorites n Week 1 and four failed to cover: Indy, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Minnesota, all four of whom also lost straight up. Only six road teams have been installed as favorites in Week 2, although two of them are basically pick ’ems. Only one matchup is in double-digit range with New Orleans giving 9.5 to the hapless Bucs. Here’s an early look at the Week 2 NFL betting lines.
Denver at Kansas City -3 – The Chiefs thumped Houston for one half before Andy Reid took his foot off the gas and allowed the Texans to get back in it. Denver’s offense was abysmal in beating Baltimore at Mile High Stadium. Like down the stretch in 2014, Peyton Manning was less than sharp. It’s too soon to suggest he made a mistake by holding off retirement, but it’s fair to wonder if his aging body is nearing meltdown. Denver is 7-3 ATS in the last ten meetings in the series.
San Francisco at Pittsburgh -5.5 – The Steelers looked subpar versus New England and will again be missing Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant. Meanwhile, the 49ers did what they always seem to do by pounding the rock and playing stout defense on their way to victory. And yet the Steelers are giving 5.5? Home field advantage is significant as Pittsburgh is 5-2 ATS in their last seven at Heinz Field.
New England at Buffalo +1 – The Bills shutdown the mighty Colts in Week 1 and now draw the defending champs, who toyed with Pittsburgh’s suspect defense. Obviously the Pats present a much more difficult challenge for Buffalo’s stifling defense. It will be interesting to see what Belichick and Co. have cooked up for quarterback Tyrod Taylor. New England is 5-5 ATS in the last ten meetings, but just 1-5 ATS in its last six division tilts.
Miami at Jacksonville +6 – The Dolphins didn’t play well enough in defeating Washington to warrant this number. The Jags are still the Jags, but they are showing glimpses of not being completely awful. As long as Joe Philbin is manning the sidelines in Miami, the Fish will continue to underwhelm. Jacksonville is 4-2 ATS in its last six games overall.
Dallas at Philadelphia -5.5 – The Cowboys are 1-0 because Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, who have won two Super Bowls together, forgot how to milk the clock when holding a lead. The Sunday night debacle was only slightly better than Philly’s lackluster effort on Monday night in Atlanta. Dez Bryant’s absence with a busted foot has much to do with this spread. These bitter NFC East rivals have split the last ten meetings ATS.
Seattle at Green Bay -3.5 – Like a lot of supposed contenders, Green Bay was flat in the opener. Jordy Nelson’s big play speed was definitely missed, but Aaron Rodgers remained calm and collective. Seattle’s atrocious offensive line and the void left in the secondary by Kam Chancellor’s holdout led to the ‘Hawks flop in St. Louis. Packers are 5-3-2 ATS in the last ten tussles with Seattle.
