NFL Week 2 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

There have been some significant developments in Week 1 of the NFL season. It started on banner-raising night, when the Kansas City Chiefs went into Foxborough, Massachusetts, and scored 42 points on defending Super Bowl champions New England Patriots, registering an eye-opening upset.

There's a tendency to overrate what happens in the first week of the season, but sharp handicappers know they should not change their overall opinions of teams or players based on one week of action. It requires discipline and patience to avoid knee-jerk reactions, but it's the only way to go.

That means the Patriots have not lost their way, nor does it mean the Chiefs should be anointed. Kansas City has made the playoffs the last two years, and Andy Reid has a strong team but not necessarily one that is at a championship level.

With that in mind, we offer these early selections for Week 2.

Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs return to their raucous home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium for a date with the Eagles. Philadelphia opened the season with a 30-17 road victory over Washington Redskins, and beating its division rivals should increase the confidence level for Doug Pederson's team.

The Eagles seem to have matured on offense, as Carson Wentz started his second year by completing 26 of 39 passes for 307 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He received solid contributions from new teammates LeGarrette Blount and Alshon Jeffery, while Nelson Agholor made a huge contribution with six receptions for 86 yards and a 58-yard TD catch.

The Eagles were aggressive on defense as well.

They will need at least as strong an effort against the Chiefs, who showed more explosiveness against the Patriots than they have in recent years. 

Quarterback Alex Smith has the reputation of a conservative game manager, but he took advantage of speedy wideout Tyreek Hill and rookie Kareem Hunt for a pair of 75-plus-yard TD receptions.

The Chiefs are 4.5-point favorites in this game, according to OddsShark. We like the Eagles to stay close for at least a half, but Kansas City's aggressive defense will take over in the second half. Look for pass rusher Justin Houston to put consistent pressure on Wentz.

The Chiefs will win and cover the 4.5-point spread.

Week 2 Point Spreads and Predictions

Matchup, Point Spread, Prediction

Houston at Cincinnati, Cin. -3, Houston

Philadelphia at Kansas City, KC -4.5, Kansas City

New England at New Orleans, NE -4.5, New England

Cleveland at Baltimore, Balt. -7.5, Cleveland*

Buffalo at Carolina, Car. -7, Carolina

Arizona at Indianapolis, Ariz -7.5, Arizona

Tennessee at Jacksonville, Even, Tennessee

Minnesota at Pittsburgh, Pitt. -7, Minnesota*

Chicago at Tampa Bay, TB -5.5, Chicago*

Miami at Los Angeles Chargers, LAC -3, Los Angeles

New York Jets at Oakland, Oak. -13.5, Oakland

Washington at Los Angeles Rams, LAR -3, Washington

San Francisco at Seattle, Sea. -12.5, Seattle

Dallas at Denver, Dall. -1.5, Dallas

Green Bay at Atlanta, Atl. -2.5/53.5 (over/under), Atlanta/Over

Detroit at New York Giants, NL, New York

*-Will cover the spread but fail to win

(Point spreads courtesy of OddsShark)

Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers

Both the Bills and Panthers were victorious in Week 1, but the Bills don't appear to have an offense that is going to be threatening to many teams this year.

The Bills curiously traded Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams during the preseason, and that move came after fellow wideout Robert Woods signed with the Rams as a free agent. As a result, quarterback Tyrod Taylor doesn't have many big-play receiving options.

They do have running back LeSean McCoy, who is one of the most versatile and talented players in the league. The hard-hitting and physical Carolina defense is likely to make stopping McCoy its No. 1 priority.

The Bills defeated the Jets 21-12 in the opener at home, while the Panthers came away with a hard-hitting 23-3 road win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Panthers were the NFC champions in 2015 but slumped to a 6-10 record last year. They are focused on getting back to the form that allowed them to dominate the NFC South two years ago.

A win over the 49ers does not indicate that they are close to that form, but the defense was sharp, and quarterback Cam Newton had a decent showing by completing 14 of 25 passes for 171 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. 

While it wasn't a big day, it's a decent jumping-off point for Newton. Look for him to build on that against the Bills.

Carolina opens as a seven-point favorite, and the belief here is that the home team will be able to win and cover the spread.

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons

The Packers recorded an impressive home victory over the hard-hitting Seattle Seahawks, while NFC champions Falcons had to hold on to edge the Chicago Bears.

This game marks the NFL opening of the Falcons brand-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the home team is a 2.5-point favorite with an opening total of 53.5 points.

The Falcons will try to put on a show for their home fans, while the Packers will be looking for revenge on the team that beat them in last year's NFC championship game.

That game was a 44-21 Atlanta runaway, and the belief here is that another offensive show will follow. Look for both Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan to be on top of their games. 

The 53.5-point total is high, but these teams will get past that number and give the over bettors a strong return on their investments.