NFL Week 2 picks against the spread

LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 26: A bettor places wagers on some of the more than 400 proposition bets for Super Bowl LI between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots at the Race & Sports SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on January 26, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons (-5.5)

Week 2’s lines always try to balance preseason expectations with Week 1 performances. This line shows that some teams hold on to those preseason predictions for a few weeks no matter what the performance.

The Atlanta Falcons did not look good in the opening night game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite multiple possessions in the red zone, the Falcons only scored 12 total points. That’s right, the team with the soon-to-be $30 million quarterback, Julio Jones and a two-headed monster of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman came out of Thursday night with 12 points.

Despite that, they are favored by five and a half against the Carolina Panthers. This is a team that has a former MVP at quarterback, that made the playoffs last season and won their Week 1 game. This line seems very high, even with the Falcons being the home team. The Panthers are the pick here, even though the Falcons may win.

Atlanta 23, Carolina 20

Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Redskins (-6)

This seems like one of those games where Week 1 takes precedence over preseason confidence. The Washington Redskins were giving points to the Arizona Cardinals last week. The Colts, on the other hand, still had some hype and was the favorite at home against the Bengals.

This week, on the other hand, has the Redskins favored by six whole points. It shows the Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson show is moving the line. Six is a ton of points. Buffalo is only giving seven and a half points. The fact that the Colts are giving just over one point more than the Bills shows the lines are insane this week.

You cannot give the Redskins that many points yet. The Colts are an extremely flawed team, but we have no idea what a confident Andrew Luck can do. He can carry this team to competitiveness. Even with a porous defense and a offensive line leaving much to be desired. On the other hand, let’s not overreact to the Redskins performance. The Cardinals could be the second-worst team in the league. Until the Redskins prove themselves a little more, go against the points.

Indianapolis 27, Washington 18