Week 2 of the NFL season is coming and there's some exciting match ups in store for your viewing, fantasy and fake betting pleasure. As always, we don't encourage you to gamble your kids' lunch money but making picks against the spread and trying to outguess the lines set in Vegas is just another way to have fun with football. Understanding what the odds makers think is also a good way to handicap the Week 2 games and get a read on which are expected to be close and if your favorite team is an underdog or favorite.
We'll share the games and lines and give you our "expert" picks for the week. You can also play along with our weekly Pick 'Em league: (ID: 55411, PW: arizona). Today we will review the NFC West picks and give you our upset of the week and look at the best game of the week.
Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers (-15): The Steelers are going to be seriously pissed after getting their butts kicked in Week 1 by the Ravens and the Seahawks have a much better chance at getting Andrew Luck than making the playoffs again. Picking the Steelers to win is a no-brainer but those Vegas smart guys gave us a very difficult spread to work with. 15 points is a lot despite the Steelers obvious advantages in the game. We think it's too much and expect Seattle to cover (and lose the game). Pick: Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins (-4.5): The Redskins got a big win in Week 1 against the Giants and the Cardinals weren't exactly impressive. Call us homers, but we see the Cardinals defense improving and the offense under Kolb already looks good. Besides, does anyone think Rex Grossman can have two good games in a row? We don't. Pick: Cardinals
Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (+3): The Cowboys came really (REALLY) close to being the Jets in Week 1 and the 49ers needed two special teams plays to beat the Seahawks. We think Vegas is giving the 49ers way too much credit here. Picking the Cowboys to win by more than three points is an easy choice. Pick: Cowboys
St. Louis Rams at New York Giants (-4.5): This is probably the toughest pick in the NFC West for Week 2. The Rams are beat up with Sam Bradford's status still unknown. If anything official comes out on him not playing we would expect this line to move several points more in the Giants favor. Bottom line, don't pick on this game until the last minute. But assuming Bradford plays, we're still going to go with the Giants at home to avoid going 0-2 in their tough division. Pick: Giants
Upset pick for NFL Week 2
Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (+10.5): This will be a very interesting game to watch. Having seen Cam Newton up close in Week 1, we think he's legit and at home is going to keep his Panthers in the game. We understand why the Packers are so heavily favored but think there's some opportunity here and bet on a closer game. The Pack should win, but not by this margin. Pick: Panthers
Best game for NFL Week 2
San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots (-6.5): This should be a very entertaining game between two AFC powerhouse teams. The Chargers defense dismantled the Vikings in Week 1 and Tom Brady put up video game numbers against the Dolphins. Being at home obviously helps the Patriots but the Chargers defense has looked better so far in the season and we know San Diego can put up points with anyone. Pick: Chargers
Let us know what you think and be sure to join our Pick 'Em league: (ID: 55411, PW: arizona).