Week 1’s selection of games ended with a solid performance for me, which is a change from recent NFL years. It’s a challenge picking games early in the season, especially in the first week, but I somehow managed to go 10-6 against the spread of our CBSSports.com expert picks and 9-7 outright.
It’s a little strange to get a better ATS than straight, but I’ll take it.
This week could be a compensating week for many teams that lost in Week 1. For some of the teams that looked dominant in their first game, it could also be a week where they come back to reality a bit.
So be careful, there are some pitfalls. There are excitements lurking.
I’ve picked some absolute underdogs to win here and several to cover. The dogs will be barking this week.
Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, fubo)
The Eagles didn’t look good in their win over the Patriots last week, but that will change here. They’re back home and playing a game to get rid of the rust. The Vikings lost at home to the Bucs in a game where they moved the ball but turned it over just too often. This is a primetime game, which isn’t good for Kirk Cousins. Eagle big.
Choose: Eagle 30, Viking 16
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
Both teams are undefeated after the first week – and both performed well. The Packers are playing back-to-back road games, which isn’t easy. But they are the better team. The defense will limit Atlanta’s offense while Jordan Love will continue to play well. The Packers move to 2-0.
Choose: Packers 27, Falcons 21
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Bills are playing on a short week, but they will be angry after blowing Monday’s game to the Jets. Expect Josh Allen to find great success again at home against the Raiders. He’ll throw for 340 yards and three touchdowns to quiet his critics as the Bills get back on track.
Choose: Bills 33, Raiders 23
Well, well, well… it looks like it SportsLine projection model agree with me that the Bills will have a big comeback game against the Raiders. However, overall it has an even larger lead Visit Sportsline to see which side has all the value.
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Bengals had a terrible performance in their opener in which Joe Burrow looked bad. That will change here. The Bengals will get the offense going here. The Ravens have some injury issues on offense, which could be a problem. Division games are always tough, but I don’t think Cincinnati will start this season 0-2 like it did in 2022.
Choose: Bengals 27, Ravens 20
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The Lions impressed with their first road win over the Chiefs, while the Seahawks lost at home to the Rams. They also need to keep an eye on some injuries on the offensive line that will impact this game. The Lions will take on Geno Smith and Jared Goff will put up some good numbers while Detroit is 2-0.
Choose: Lions 29. Seahawks 20
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
This is a battle of two rookie quarterbacks who didn’t play well last week. Anthony Richardson had some moments for the Colts, but not enough. CJ Stroud was bad. But he’s back home here and I think that will help him move on. The Texans take it.
Choose: Texans 19, Colts 16
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
It’s a tough road game for Kansas City after not playing well in the opener. They’ll have Chris Jones back, and that’s important. The Jaguars had issues on the interior of the offensive line last week, which is big against Jones. But I think Trevor Lawrence and the offense are going to play a lot better than they did a week ago. This is a shootout. The Jaguars narrowly win.
Choose: Jaguars 31, Chiefs 30
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox, fubo)
The Bucs are playing their first home game after a tough road win in Minnesota. Chicago was terrible in its home loss to the Packers. That will carry over here. Chicago’s defense has issues that Baker Mayfield will take advantage of to get the Bucs to 2-0.
Choose: Bucs 28, Bears 16
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Chargers put on a terrible defensive performance while the Titans put on a terrible offensive performance. Something has to give. I think the Chargers defense will play better against a bad offensive line. This will again lead to turnovers for the Titans and short fields that Justin Herbert will take advantage of with his arm. Chargers take it.
Choose: Chargers 25, Titans 17
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The Giants had a terrible performance at home as they were shut out by the Cowboys. Now they face a tough trip west to play the Cardinals, who performed well in their opener. The Cardinals had six sacks, which isn’t good for a Giants line that was brutalized against Dallas. It will now be a tougher game than expected for the Giants. The Cardinals are hanging around.
Choose: Giants 23, Cardinals 21
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox, Fubo)
The 49ers looked like the best team in the league last week when they eliminated the Steelers on the road. Now they’re back on the road against a division opponent that caused an upset last week. The Rams will play a lot of games this season because of Sean McVay – and this will be one of them. The 49ers will win, but it will be closer than expected.
Choose: 49ers 24, Rams 22
New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys (-9.5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
This will be Zach Wilson starting for the Jets after Aaron Rodgers lost the season to the Bills. All he gets is to face a nasty defense that was as good as any last week. This Cowboys front will cause major problems for the Jets offense. The Jets defense will have to keep them in this game, but the offense will give Dallas short fields that they will exploit to score points.
Choose: Cowboys 26, Jets 13
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS, Paramount+)
The Commanders won last week, but didn’t look good doing it. Denver lost at home to the Raiders. The problem with Denver’s offense was that they didn’t drive the ball down the field. That will be a challenge here against a good Washington defense. The Commanders struggled to defend last week, but the Broncos are not a great pass rush team. This allows Sam Howell to play better. Commanders take it.
Choose: Commanders 23, Broncos 17
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (+2.5)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, fubo)
Miami is coming off a high-octane offensive win against the Chargers. Tua Tagovailoa was outstanding in this game. The Patriots lost to the Eagles, but the defense played well. This defense will keep them in this game as they can slow down the high flying Dolphins and win the game late. Angry Special.
Choose: Patriots 24, Dolphins 23
Monday, 7:15 p.m. ET (ESPN, fubo)
The Saints come into the game 1-0, while the Panthers lost to the Falcons last week. Bryce Young struggled and now faces a Saints defense that shut down Ryan Tannehill three times. Young will struggle again while Derek Carr is playing well. The Saints are 2-0.
Choose: Saints 24, Panthers 16
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC, fubo)
The Browns are playing on the road this week after a big home win, while the Steelers are trying to shake off their terrible performance against the 49ers last week. They were dominated. The Browns’ defense was impressive in the win over the Bengals, while the Steelers’ offense struggled mightily last week. That carries over to 2-0 for the Browns.
Choose: Browns 23, Steelers 17