Road to 272 Bets - NFL Week 2 Picks for Every Game

The 2023 edition of the Road to 272 Bets has got off to a hot start!

If you don't already know, I am betting on every single NFL game for the fourth year in a row. 272 games, 272 bets. If you want to know the full list of rules and my past records doing this, head back to the Week 1 edition and check them out.

At the conclusion of Week 1 action, I'm sitting at 11-5 for (+6.23 units). My only four losses on the week were Chiefs -6.5, Steelers +2.5, Saints -3, Giants +3.5, Bills -2.5.

Now, we move on to Week 2.

If you plan on tailing any of my bets, it's important to know that you should have accounts at several sportsbooks to make sure you're getting the best odds possible. That's why you should sign up at Caesars Sportsbook, which is where I place several of my bets each week. For a limited time, if you click the link below and sign up for an account, you'll receive $250 in bonus bets once you place your first $50 wager.

It's time to dive into my best bet for all 16 NFL Week 2 games.

NFL Week 3 Best Bets for Every Game

Vikings +7 (-110) vs. Eagles

Betting on Week 2 is all about not overreacting to Week 1 results and sticking to your offseason projections for each team. Even though I bet against the Vikings last week and bet on the Eagles, I think a seven-point spread is too many points between these two teams so I'm backing Minnesota with the point.

Even though the Vikings lost to the lowly Bucs, they out-gained them 5.9 yards per play to 3.6 yards per play. In fact, only the Browns and Cowboys defense allowed fewer yards per play than the Vikings. So, let's not completely count them out just because they lost in an upset.

With all of that being said, there's a very real possibility that I regret betting on Kirk Cousins in a prime time slot.

Lions -5.5 (-108) vs. Seahawks

The Rams were my upset pick of the week on Sunday and they came through for me in relatively easy fashion. The bet wasn't solely me having a ton of faith in the Rams. It also had to do with how little faith I have in the Seahawks. Everything went right for them in 2022, and I expect a regression to the mean in 2023, which will result in them having a sub-.500 record.

Their woes will continue against the Lions, who are coming off a mini-BYE week after beating the defending champs on opening night. I was impressed by what I saw from the Lions defense against Patrick Mahomes and company. They still won't be a top tier unit, but they're no longer the worst defense in the league.

I think the Lions roll the Seahawks on Sunday.

Chargers -3 (-110) vs. Titans

I was low on the Titans heading into the season so I'm going to continue to bet on them until I feel the odds properly reflect how good they actually are. Their defense allowed the Saints to gain 5.5 yards per play in Week 1 and Tennessee was lucky to have a chance to win the game.

The Chargers defense got exposed against the Dolphins in Week 1, but this is going to be a significantly easier offense they'll face this week. Ryan Tannehill was the 26th-ranked quarterback in Week 1, according to PFF.com. It was an ugly performance by him and as long as the Chargers can slow down the Titans rush attack, Justin Herbert should be able to go to work and lead LA to the win and cover.

Jaguars +3 (-110) vs. Chiefs

The line was set at 2.5-point favorites as of Monday morning, but has since grown to the magic number of three, which is enough for me to pull the trigger on the Jaguars +3.

I felt the Jaguars played much better against the Colts than the final score indicated. They had +0.9 net yards per play and Trevor Lawrence was the third highest-ranked quarterback, according to PFF.com, behind only Tua Tagovailoa and Matthew Stafford.

The Chiefs wide receivers looked completely lost against the Lions and even if Travis Kelce is back in the lineup, Kansas City needs to figure something out at the wideout position.

I'm still extremely high on the Jaguars so I'll trust my preseason evaluation of them and take the field goal at home.

Falcons +106 vs. Packers

Yes, the Packers looked extremely good against the Bears in Week 1, but I think that was more a sign of how bad Chicago is this season than anything else.

Jordan Love threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns, but completed just over 50% of his passes and PFF.com has him graded as the 19th-best QB in Week 1 action. I think it's best not to overreact to the final score from that game when we head into Week 2.

The Falcons won their game, and people are after Desmond Ridder for throwing for just 115 yards and Drake London not recording a single reception. But, that's the kind of offense Arthur Smith plans on executing. Run the football, don't turn over the ball, make plays when they need to, and win football games.

Atlanta averaged 5.0 yards per carry against Carolina and now face a Packers defense that ranked 28th in opponent yards per carry last season and allowed the Bears to average 4.2 yards per rush last week.

I'll back the Dirty Birds as slight home underdogs.

Ravens +3.5 (-110) vs. Bengals

I had two predictions for these teams heading into the season. I thought the Ravens would win the AFC North and I thought the Bengals would get off to a slow start through the first few weeks. We saw the same thing from Burrow and the Bengals last season when he missed the preseason with appendicitis. He might just be a guy that needs a few games to find his stride.

It's hard to take much away from the Ravens after they took care of business against one of the worst teams in the NFL in the Texans.

I'm surprised we're able to get 3.5-points on the Ravens this week so that's exactly the direction I'm going to go.

Bears +3 (-110) vs. Buccaneers

There's a general rule I follow when betting on the NFL and it's that when two really bad teams play each other, take the team that's getting points, especially when they're getting a field goal or more.

The Buccaneers managed to upset the Vikings last week, but they still had an abysmal -2.3 net yards per play. They gained just 3.6 yards per play on offense and gave up 5.9 yards per play on defense. Those are some pretty bad numbers.

The Bears, while bad, had a net yards per play of -1.1. Not nearly as bad as Tampa Bay's.

I think Justin Fields and company can keep this game close.

Raiders +10 (-110) vs. Bills

The Bills were originially set as 10-point favorites in this game, but the spread has come down one point to Bills -9. I was lucky enough to bet the Raiders at +10, but I still like them at +9.

I do think the Bills win this game, but a 9-point spread is aggressive. The Raiders are another team that I wasn't as low on as other people were heading into the season, mainly because I'm a Jimmy Garoppolo defender.

It's only been one game, but Jimmy G had a solid performance against a stout Broncos defense and the Raiders kept Denver's offense in check. Are the Raiders a playoff team? No. Do they deserve to be 10-point underdogs? Also no.

I'll take a chance with the 10 points on the Raiders.

Colts/Texans OVER 40 (-105)

I know neither offense showed much in Week 1, especially the Texans who were held to nine points, but I'm going to back the OVER in this battle of rookie quarterbacks.

Let's keep in mind that they both faced two defense who I expect to be top 10 units in the NFL this year in the Ravens and Jaguars. Now, they'll get an opportunity to show what their made of against much easier units.

Let's sit back and root for points in this toilet bowl of a matchup.

Giants -4 (-110) vs. Cardinals

This is the perfect example of not overreacting to Week 1 results. The Giants were on the wrong end of the biggest butt-kicking I can remember in recent history in a 40-0 loss to the Cowboys. I was at the game live and it was the first time I ever left a game early.

But yet here I am, immediately forgiving the Giants already.

Are the Giants as good as their record was last season? I don't think so, but they're a much better team than they showed on Sunday Night Football. Sometimes, everything that could go wrong goes wrong for a team and that's what happened against the Cowboys.

Now, they have a perfect bounce back spot against what might end up being the worst team in the league in the Cardinals. I'll keep my faith in the Giants for at least one more week. Try your best to put their game against the Cowboys out of your mind.

Rams +8.5 (-110) vs. 49ers

The 49ers were one of the most impressive teams in the opening week of the season, but I still think laying eight points on the road is too many against this Rams team that is better than most people expected.

I cashed on the Rams as +200 underdogs against the Seahawks and they showed they still have some bite to them. Cooper Kupp may be out, but Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua are showing they're able to give the Rams plenty of production.

Matt Stafford also had one of the best performances amongst all quarterbacks in Week 1, completing 24-of-38 passes for 334 yards.

I have no interest in laying eight points against this Rams squad until I'm proven wrong about them.

Jets +7.5 (-110) vs. Cowboys

The Cowboys were initially set as 3.5-point favorites against the Jets before Monday Night Football, but after the Aaron Rodgers injury, that line has ballooned up to 7.5. That's enough for me to back the Jets, even without Rodgers at quarterback.

The Jets last season were a sneakily good team at times and it was largely due to their defense. They were a top-three defense in the NFL and they looked just as good on Monday night, completely shutting down Josh Allen and the Bills.

Also, there's nothing I love more than underreacting to games, and not only is this an underreaction to the Rodgers news, but I'm also underreacting to the Cowboys first game against the Giants.

Yes, it was a complete domination by Dallas, but the Cowboys aren't as good as the final score indicated. It was just a comedy of errors by the Giants so I would hesitate to back the Cowboys in Week 2 expecting a similar outcome.

I think the Jets defense alone can keep this game within a touchdown.

Commanders/Broncos UNDER 39 (-110)

I think the spread for this game is set at the exact right number, making the Broncos 3.5-point favorites at home. Therefore, I see no value on either side. Where I do see value is the total and I love the UNDER 39.

The Commanders, who were one of the biggest favorites of the opening week, managed to just barely sneak by the Cardinals, and it was largely due to their poor offense. They gained just 3.8 yards per play, the sixth-fewest amongst all teams. Now, they have to play a much better Broncos defense at Mile High Stadium. That's a recipe for disaster.

Where the Commanders did thrive was defensively, allowing only 3.6 yards per play, the fourth-best mark in the league.

Russell Wilson looked better than he did last year, but he still had a very average performance.

I think the best thing to do in this game is bet on good defense and bad offense. Take the UNDER.

Dolphins -2 (-115) vs. Patriots

This bet is an easy one. While the Patriots looked better than I expected against the defending NFC champions in Week 1, I'm still not high on them. Meanwhile, I was much higher on the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa than most people were heading into the season.

Do the Patriots have the weapons to keep up with Tua, Tyreek Hill, and the rest of the Dolphins offense? I certainly don't think so.

With the spread at less than a field goal, I'll take Miami in this AFC East battle.

Saints -3 (-110) vs. Panthers

I'll back the Saints to win and cover the field goal spread in the first game of the Monday Night Football double-header.

The Saints picked up right where they left off in 2022. They outplayed the Titans, sporting a net yards per play of +0.7, but a couple of ill-timed turnovers and penalties almost cost them the game. If they can limit those in Week 2, they should dominate a Panthers team that looked horrible against Atlanta.

Bryce Young was the worst rated quarterback by PFF.com in Week 1. He completed 20-of-38 passes for just 146 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Things won't get much easier for him against a solid Saints defense in Week 2.

The No. 1 overall pick has some work to do. I'll back the Saints to win and cover.

Steelers +110 vs. Browns

This is yet another case of doing my best not to overreact to Week 1 results. The Browns bested the Bengals and the Steelers lost in a big way to the 49ers. Still, I think Pittsburgh is the better team.

Deshaun Watson did enough to lead the Browns to a win, but he still completed just 55.2% of passes for 154 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It's going to be tough to continue to win football games with that level of play by Watson.

While the Browns defense looked strong, I think it was more of a result of a terrible offense performance by Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense.

I think we'll see a regression to the mean for both teams in Week 2 and I'm willing to make the Steelers my upset pick of the week.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!