Sports
Week 2 NFL Picks: Vikings Duel High-Powered Bears Offense
Well, Week 1 certainly could have gone worse in terms of my picks.
I finished the week with a 9-7 record against the spread and straight up, so as long as we do that every week, it’s a winning season. Before we get into the Week 2 NFL picks, here is a look back at how I fared last weekend:
- SEA -3.5 (L)
- SF +3.5 (W)
- NO +6.5 (W)
- CHI -2.5 (W)
- HOU +1.5 (L)
- TEN -1.5 (L)
- TB +3.5 (L)
- JAX -7.5 (W)
- BAL -3.5 (W)
- PIT -3.5 (W)
- ARI +9.5 (W)
- MIA +3.5 (L)
- MIN -1.5 (W)
- PHI -5.,5 (L)
- NYG +2.5 (W)
- DEN +2.5 (L)
Season Record ATS: 9-7
Season Record Straight Up: 9-7
Week 2 NFL Picks
Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills
- Spread: BUF -4.5
- O/U: 54.5
Frey’s Pick: DET +4.5
Both of these teams are coming off wins, but both of those wins were hard-fought battles that went down to the wire. Now, they have just four days to lick their wounds before going back on the field. It wouldn’t be surprising to see both Buffalo and Detroit land among the best offenses in the NFL when the year ends, but I feel like this game is going to be a slog. Buffalo pulls out a win at home, but Detroit keeps it close.
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
- Spread: CHI -5.5
- O/U: 48.5 points
Frey’s Pick: CHI -5.5
The Bears offense looked utterly unstoppable for 60 minutes against the Panthers in Carolina. Minnesota’s defense is better than Carolina’s, but their secondary was getting carved up by Christian Watson for a good chunk of that win against Green Bay. They put 39 points on the board, but the offense left a lot to be desired. I’m picking Chicago to win, and it might be by double digits.
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
- Spread: NE -5.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Steelers +5.5
The Pittsburgh Steelers played a nearly flawless game on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, and we got a full dose of the T.J. Watt experience once again. Granted, it was against the Falcons, and this week features the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots. Still, New England is going to be without A.J. Brown for while, and that offensive line was completely overpowered by Seattle last week. Pittsburgh gets the road win in a close battle.
Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
- Spread: HOU -2.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: HOU -2.5
The Texans lost a heartbreaker to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, and things don’t appear to be getting much easier with a high-powered Bengals offense coming to town. Still, this defense is too talented to get carved up as much as it did last weekend, and Cincinnati’s defense itself didn’t look all that impressive last weekend, either. I’ll bet on Houston’s unit to bounce back first.
Philadelphia Eagles at Tennessee Titans
- Spread: PHI -7.5
- O/U: 39.5 points
Frey’s Pick: PHI -7.5
Looking back on it, it was a little ridiculous to trust Robert Saleh as a head coach again. I’m not making that mistake again. The Eagles are the far more talented roster, and Tennessee’s offense looked abysmal last weekend. Philly’s defense will have a field day here.
Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Spread: TB -7.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: TB -7.5
I’m struggling to think of one thing the Browns did well last weekend. Their offense was horrible, they got dominated in the trenches, and their secondary couldn’t stop Jacksonville’s passing attack at all. With a Buccaneers offense that has Emeka Egbuka, Ted Hurst, and Jalen McMillan potentially returning to the field, this line could be 15 points and I’d take Tampa Bay.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
- Spread: CAR -2.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: ATL +2.5
I saw a stat recently that I can’t get out of my head: the Panthers haven’t covered the spread as favorites in their past 12 games going back to 2021. Obviously, the vast majority of this team has changed since those days, but in a divisional game on the road after giving up 59 points, I don’t know that I can take Carolina to end that streak here, particularly when tasked with stopping Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens
- Spread: BAL -7.5
- O/U: 48.5 points
Frey’s Pick: NO +7.5
The Ravens objectively are the better team in this matchup, but it is entirely possible that they will be without both Zay Flowers and Ja’Kobi Lane this week. That’s a big blow for their passing game. The Saints proved they can at least be frisky against playoff contenders last week, and while they gave up 31 points, there were stretches of dominant defense in there. Ultimately though, Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry, and Lamar Jackson is still Lamar Jackson. The Ravens will put together a dominant rushing attack to pick up this win albeit in a tight game.
Green Bay Packers at New York Jets
- Spread: GB -3.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: GB -3.5
Green Bay had an absolute meltdown in Minnesota last weekend, and pressure on Jordan Love was a major reason for that. Assuming Aaron Banks is back, that shouldn’t be as much of a problem against the Jets. The Packers should come out on Sunday with a little extra motivation after that loss, and they get a big win on the road.
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
- Spread: LAC -6.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: LV +6.5
At the risk of falling into classic Week 1 overreactions, the Chargers somehow looked outmatched by an Arizona Cardinals team that lost 14 of its final 15 games last year. The Raiders also looked pretty good and could be getting their dynamic tight end Brock Bowers back in the lineup. Las Vegas not only covers but gets a win here.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos
- Spread: DEN -2.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: JAX +2.5
These are two very talented defenses, but one of the offenses in this matchup looked much more cohesive than the other. Trevor Lawrence could do no wrong on Sunday while Denver spent most of Monday night looking completely discombobulated. Don’t forget, Jacksonville also picked up a big win at Mile High in Week 16 of last year. Brian Thomas’ injured shoulder will be something to watch closely throughout the week, though.
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
- Spread: SEA -3.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: SEA -3.5
I simply don’t see a way that Arizona recreates last week’s outing against the reigning champs. Seattle’s defense didn’t skip a beat in Week 1, and I don’t think their dominance stops here even if Sam Darnold isn’t under center.
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
- Spread: DAL -4.5
- O/U: 48.5 points
Frey’s Pick: DAL -4.5
Washington’s defense didn’t look all that bad last weekend, but they gave up a number of chunk plays. That could be a nightmare scenario when going up against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. I also don’t trust Washington’s offensive line to keep Jayden Daniels upright. Dallas gets the win here.
Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers
- Spread: SF -13.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: SF -13.5
This spread made me do a double take, but the advantage all lies in San Francisco’s favor here. Better roster? 49ers. Home team? 49ers. Rest? 49ers. It’s that simple for me here, and I’ll risk the backdoor cover from the Dolphins.
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
- Spread: KC -6.5
- O/U: 45.5 points
Frey’s Pick: KC -6.5
The Kansas City Chiefs may be back, and the Indianapolis Colts most certainly are not. Patrick Mahomes was back to his old ways on Monday night, and now, they get to play host to a Colts team that looked like the version of themselves from the second half of 2025 rather than the first half.
New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams
- Spread: LAR -6.5
- O/U: 48.5 points
Frey’s Pick: NYG +6.5
The Giants played some physical football on their way to an impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and the Rams are coming off an atrocious loss in Australia and are without Myles Garrett for at least the next four weeks. I think Matthew Stafford pulls out some magic to get a win, but it won’t be without some serious competition from New York.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article and lines are from DraftKings.
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