Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books. It was a wild one with a tie, a number of surprises and an incredible Aaron Rodgers miracle. As sports bettors and fantasy football fans begin looking forward to Week 2, we took our time reviewing the season openers in order to pull out five interesting betting trends that might help you make some decisions. Let’s take a look at five key betting trends for NFL Week 2.
The Browns will be underdogs for the 27th time in 29 games since 2003 when they visit New Orleans. Cleveland is 3-25-1 straight up during that stretch.
Although the sharp action was steady on the Browns all week, they still shocked the football world with a 21-21 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. However, while the main narrative has been that they avoided another loss, the fact that they somehow didn’t win despite a plus-five turnover differential should be a major concern.
Cleveland is now 3-25-1 straight up as underdogs since 2003. The Browns will be an eight-point underdog on the road in New Orleans this week. The Saints are coming off their fifth-straight season-opening loss but are still 8-2 SU over their last 10 home games. Expect New Orleans to bounce back with a win in Week 2.
New England is 19-0 straight up and 14-5 against the spread in its last 19 games against AFC South opponents.
The Patriots have absolutely dominated AFC South opponents over the years, including a 27-20 win over the Houston Texans in Week 1. That record includes five straight wins against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are this week’s opponent.
New England opened as a one-point favorite in Jacksonville this week. The Patriots are 16-1 SU in their last 17 road games. There is a good chance those trends continue if running back Leonard Fournette isn’t 100-percent after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1.
Houston is 11-3 against the spread in its last 14 games against Tennessee. The Texans are 5-1 SU and ATS in the last six games that Deshaun Watson starts.
The Texans are coming off a tough road loss to New England but they should be in a favorable spot against the Titans in Week 2. Houston is 11-3 against the spread in its last 14 games against Tennessee.
The task should be much easier this week as the Titans are banged up. Quarterback Marcus Mariota injured his elbow in the opener and left tackle Taylor Lewan suffered a concussion. Both are questionable. Meanwhile, Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker broke his ankle and is out for the season.
The total has gone UNDER in eight of the last 10 games between Carolina and Atlanta.
The Panthers defense shined in 16-8 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1. Meanwhile, the Falcons defense also had a strong outing despite falling short in an 18-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener.
The strong defensive play should be a familiar theme when these teams meet in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon. It should also help that the Falcons can’t seem to figure out the red zone.
Carolina and Atlanta combined to score 37 points and 32 points in their two meetings last season. The total has been set at 44 for their Week 2 matchup.
The total has gone UNDER in five straight games for Dallas. The total has gone under in seven of the Giants’ last eight games.
Speaking of unders, the total has gone under in five straight Cowboys games and seven of New York’s last eight games heading in to their Sunday Night Football matchup in Week 2. Neither team is considered an offensive juggernaut this season so that trend of low scoring games should continue.
The Cowboys and Giants combined to average 31 points in their two meetings in 2017. They combined to average 28 points in their two meetings in 2016. The total has been set at 44 points for their Sunday Night Football matchup this week.
