NFL Betting Week 2
Power ratings, betting angles for Week 2 in the NFL
We’re breathing a little life back into the Riders’ Up Newsletter. The NFL is the biggest show in town, so moving forward, we’ll be focused on NFL betting as well as sharing some insights around the big Breeders’ Cup prep races over the next few weeks.
I hope you’ll stick around.
Let’s dive in.
Last week in the NFL, we put up a solid 3-1 record. Here are my power rankings for Week 2. *This does not include the TNF matchup between PHI and MIN.
Based on this, there are a few games I see an opportunity.
First, last night on TNF, I liked the Vikings +6.5. It wasn’t the best number all week, but my rankings had both teams mostly even, so I grabbed it before the line dipped even further to +6.
Easy to say I had this after the fact, but I did!
Next, I’m looking at Green Bay -1.5 at Atlanta. Green Bay looked good against Chicago last week, though Chicago probably will wind up being a below-average team this season.
To me, the line should be closer to -3, so I’ll back the Packers. One thing worth mentioning with Green Bay: they were pretty perfect on 3rd Down last week. Atlanta should be better than Chicago on defense, so I doubt they have the same success, but I still believe they’re the more talented team.
Next, I’m on the Indianapolis Colts -1 at Houston. Anthony Richardson played better than expected in his career debut, and Houston figures to be up against it throughout the season. Again, at -1, I believe the Colts present some value.
The Miami/New England game seems fishy to me. Only a 2-point spread, which would suggest New England is more competitive. They certainly showed it against the Eagles last week in a game they probably should have won or at least made more interesting late.
I still think Miami has one of the best offenses in the league, and only giving 2 points seems like a gift.
Cleveland is the other team I’m interested in this weekend. They frustrated the Bengals last week, holding Joe Burrow to under 100 yards passing and the team to just 3 points. Their defense is one of the better ones in the league, so while giving 2.5 points to a Pittsburgh team that got absolutely manhandled last week by San Francisco does strike me as odd, I have to back the Browns.
What I’ll be watching
Seattle and Detroit face off again. Last year the two teams showed off their offenses to the tune of 93 combined points. While I don’t think they’ll hit that again, the game should be exciting with plenty of points on the board.
Plays of the week
I already shared one with you, Vikings +6.5. Here are four more.
Green Bay Packers (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons
Indianapolis Colts (-1) at Houston Texans
Miami Dolphins (-2) at New England Patriots
Cleveland Browns (-2.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
I’m going against three home divisional dogs (HOU, NE, PIT), which hasn’t gone well for the traveling favorite in recent years. Since 2014 home dogs against a divisional opponent are 158-147 (51.8%).