Welcome to overreaction week. Every year, we go crazy over week 1 results, only to be shocked when that same team that looked unstoppable in week 1 didn’t necessary perform to that same standard in week 2.
That means to be careful of favorites and not to trust everything you saw last week. I don’t love all favorites this week, but I have a few I’m focusing on for my best bets. Here’s 3 favorites that will cover the spread in the week 2 NFL picks.
Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Oakland Raiders
Don’t trust the Raiders. And don’t forget how unstoppable that offense by Kansas City can be on a weekly basis.
The Raiders looked good in the late Monday night game in week 1. But don’t take that results to heart. It is customary for the home team in that late Monday night game to win the week 1 game. And that doesn’t always translate into continued success.
In fact, that win may be more of a hindrance for the Raiders. Oakland had plenty of drama leading up to that game, so that win could be more about motivation and less about actual ability. Meanwhile, the Chiefs dominated right out of the gate in week 1 on offense, so I don’t look for the offense to take much of a step back in 2019.
Don’t worry about the cross-country road trip for the Chiefs. It’s early, so fatigue hasn’t set in yet for Kansas City. Trust your gut and give away the points. — Go Chalk with Kansas City
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals (-2)
I’m a little disappointed I have to give away points in this circumstance. I didn’t understand why people were completely selling the Bengals in the first place. Cincinnati still has some talent on defense and the offense shouldn’t be considered that much of a downgrade from last season.
This team has been decimated by injuries in years past, and with a healthy roster, the Bengals shouldn’t be considered too much less than a .500 team.
That means the Bengals should take care of business in week 2 against a San Francisco team that is in the midst of back-to-back road games, both being played out east. The 49ers looked better on defense in week 1, but I anticipate San Francisco will teeter closer to their level of last year as the season progresses.
San Francisco is better than last year, but this is not a good situation for San Francisco. — Go Chalk with Cincinnati
Cleveland Browns (-3) at New York Jets
I love getting the Browns at this reduced number in week 2. There was no reason why people should have jumped to the conclusion of a Browns win in week 1. The Titans were one game away from the playoffs in 2018 and won a playoff game in 2017. They did it with the same offensive gameplan and the same defense.
So why were rushing to crown Cleveland?
This week, though, offers the Browns a better chance to get into the win column. The Jets were terrible in week 1 against Buffalo. Even when New York was leading by 16 points in the third quarter, the Bills should have been considered the better team. They were much better on defense and had the better offense. It took awhile for Buffalo to prove it, but when they did, the Jets completely collapsed.
There won’t need to be a collapse in this game. The Jets are worse than the Browns and it will show in this contest. The Browns don’t have to worry about a young offensive line since New York doesn’t have a good enough defensive line to make any noise.
Expect the Browns to dismiss a few critics with a convincing Monday night win in week 2. — Go Chalk with Cleveland
