Looking at the landscape of offenses in Week 2, potentially the NFL has never had so many teams with so much firepower, so picking UNDERs as of right now is a very tough challenge. Looking at the ten teams in these five NFL OVER/UNDER betting picks, the Carolina Panthers fell like the only team out of the 10 that do not have the firepower to strike repeatedly from long distance or put points up on the board in a shootout.
Regardless, enjoy Week 2!
New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (1-0)
Time: 10:00AM PST – 12:00PM CST – 1:00PM EST
Place: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
TV: FOX
The Series:
The Saints lead the all-time series, 27-25, as they have swept the Panthers in each of the last two season. New Orleans has also won nine of the last 11 games in this series.
Last Week:
The Saints destroyed the Green Bay Packers and minimized Aaron Rodgers last week as they embarrassed the Packers, 38-3, at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville. The game was moved because of the impact of Hurricane Ida on the New Orleans area. Jameis Winston fired 5 touchdown passes with no interceptions. Juwann Johnson caught two touchdown passes from Winston as New Orleans built a 17-3 lead at halftime and was never threatened.
The Panthers had a solid one-two punch last week as Christian McCaffery rushed 21 times for 98 yards and then Sam Darnold, in his Carolina, debut completed 24 of 35 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown. He found McCaffery as the running back caught nine balls for 89 yards in the Panthers’ 19-14 win over the New York Jets. Darnold ran for one touchdown and hit Robby Anderson on a 57-yard TD pass.
Teams
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Saints
-3.5 (-110)
-190
O 44.5 (-110)
Panthers
+3.5 (-110)
+165
U 44.5 (-110)
When the Saints Have the Ball:
Can Jameis Winston bottle his output from Sunday? He had a two-pronged running back system as Alvin Kamara and Tony Jones Jr. as Kamara carried 20 times for 83 yards and Jones carried 11 times for 50 yards.
The Panthers’ defense held the Jets to 45 yards on 17 carries last week, but New York doesn’t have the rushing presence of the Saints. Shaq Thompson had 10 tackles for Carolina.
When the Panthers have the Ball:
With the way Darnold and McCaffery fed off of each other last week, that dual-threat tandem exists and it will be a tough matchup for the Saints’ aggressive defense.
Zack Baun and Demario Davis led the Saints linebacking corp a week ago and they will have to come up from the linebacker spots to make plays at the line of scrimmage. Marshon Lattimore had a thumb injury but was upgraded to limited practice on Thursday.
Why Bet the OVER 44.5:
The Panthers are going to force the New Orleans defense to make choices on how to cover Darnold and McCaffery and at the end of the day, there should be a couple of big plays come out of there after the course of 60 minutes.
Robby Anderson is a big-time talent that is underrated and should get some run in a Saints secondary that will have Lattimore at less than 100 percent. New Orleans will be able to move the ball with Kamara and Jones and will look for Winston to continue his renaissance after his huge game vs. the Packers.
Houston Texans (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Time: 10:00AM PST – 12:00PM CST – 1:00PM EST
Place: First Energy Stadium, Cleveland, OH
TV: CBS
The Series:
The Texans have a 7-4 lead in the series, but Cleveland’s 10-7 win last season ended a five-game winning streak for the Houston Texans.
Last Week:
The Browns battled toe to toe with the Kansas City Chiefs before Pat Mahomes led them to 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 33-29 win. The Browns led all the way up until the middle of the fourth quarter when Kansas City scored its final touchdown. Baker Mayfield threw for 321 yards and two scores while Nick Chubb had 15 carries for 83 years.
Tyrod Taylor completed 21-of-33 passes for 291 yards and two scored as the Texans downed Jacksonville, 37-21. Houston blew out to a 27-7 halftime lead and was never challenged in the second half. Brandin Crooks led the Texans with 5 catches for 132 yards.
Teams
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Texans
+13 (-110)
+500
O 48 (-110)
Browns
-13 (-110)
-700
U 48 (-110)
When the Texans Have the Ball:
Taylor proved he can still compete as seven different Texans caught passes while Danny Amendola and David Johnson caught TD passes.
Mark Ingram has 90 or more yards from scrimmage in his two of last three games in Cleveland and he is the leading active rusher 7.408 yards and has the most active TDs at 63. The Browns’ defense unraveled last week, but that happens to generally everyone vs. Mahomes. Myles Garrett opened his season with a sack last week and he has three in his last three games vs. Houston.
When the Browns have the Ball:
After last week, Mayfield comes back and looks for his third game in a row vs. an AFC opponent when he registers two or more touchdowns. Nick Chubb had a big game last week as he had 101 yards from scrimmage and he looks for his eighth game in a row with a rushing TD. Texans LB Zach Cunningham had 13 tackles in the last meeting between these two teams.
Why Bet the OVER 48:
The Browns bring to the field plenty of weapons that can open this game up and put points on the board from all portals. David Njoku and Jarvis Landry should make big plays in the passing game and Chubb looks like a good bet to once again score on the ground.
Trevor Lawrence ripped the Texans for 337 yards, but he had three interceptions. Think of this game as Mayfield without the picks. Tyrod Taylor also has the weaponry to put up numbers in this game as he will operate out of the pocket with Cooks and tight end Pharaoh Brown.
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Arizona Cardinals (1-0)
Time: 1:05PM PST – 3:05PM CST – 4:05PM EST
Place: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
TV: FOX
The Series:
The Vikings post a 17-11 lead in this series and they have dominated it of late in winning five out of the last six games and 12 of the last 15. Minnesota took a 27-17 win in the last meeting. The last Cardinals win was in 2015 when they stopped the Vikings, 23-20.
Last Week:
Minnesota rallied from a 21-7 third-quarter deficit to tie Cincinnati at 24-24, but Cincinnati kick Evan McPherson hit a 33-yard field goal as time ran out in overtime to lift the Bengals over the Vikings, 27-24.
Arizona marched into Nashville and blasted the Tennessee Titans, 38-13 behind Kyler Murray who passed for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He threw a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Christian Kirk as Arizona open a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter and was never threatened.
Teams
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Vikings
+3.5 (-110)
+170
O 50.5 (-110)
Cardinals
-3.5 (-110)
-200
U 50.5 (-110)
When the Vikings Have the Ball:
So Kirk Cousins threw for 351 yards, but all of his high yardage totals don’t equate to wins. He has always been way overrated and it makes you wonder how quickly the Vikings brass wants to get Kellen Mond ensconced and ready to start at some point this season.
The Cardinals minimized Derrick Henry last week as he carried 17 times for 58 yards, so now they get Dalvin Cook, who only had 61 yards on 20 carries against the resurgent Bengals defense.
When the Cardinals have the Ball:
Murray is healthy and he seized the Tennessee defense last week as he controlled the game for the Cardinals, start to finish. Finding DeAndre Hopkins twice early in the game for short touchdowns and then Christian Kirk’s pair in the fourth quarter announced Murray in the race for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. And … oh yeah, he ran for one score as well.
Chase Edmonds and James Connor prove to be a nice one-two change up in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and after Joe Mixon ran for 129 yards on 27 carries for Cincinnati, it feels like the Cardinals should be able to win the second game of the campaign rather easily.
Why Bet the OVER 50.5:
Again these come down to offensive weaponry and the willingness to attack throughout a game and not play soft zone defenses to eat up time and control the score. That’s not in Kingsbury’s DNA as he showed last week when he went for the two scores in the fourth quarter. There are also early holes in the Vikings’ defense with which Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon navigated last week. Cousins may throw for another 300-yard game and then absorb another loss.
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
Time: 1:25PM PST – 3:25PPM CST – 4:25PPM EST
Place: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
TV: CBS
The Series:
Seattle leads the all-time series, 10-7, but the Titans have won two of the last three as this is only the fourth meeting since 2010. Tennessee took a 33-27 in the last matchup in 2017.
Last Week:
The Titans’ defense was overwhelmed by the Cardinals (see above) as they flew into Nashville and came away with the 38-13 win that we described above. Tennessee’s Ryan Tannehill who threw for only 212 yards in the loss.
Seattle controlled Indianapolis in a 28-16 win over the Colts as Russell Wilson passed for 254 yards and four touchdowns while a healthy Chris Carson rushed 16 times for 91 yards. The ‘Hawks grabbed a 7-3 lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Tyler Lockett and never trailed again. Wilson found DK Metcalf on a 15-yard TD toss in the fourth quarter to give the Seahawks their biggest lead at 28-10.
Teams
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Titans
-6.5 (-110)
+240
O 54 (-110)
Seahawks
+6.5 (-110)
-290
U 54 (-110)
When the Titans Have the Ball:
The first thing Tennessee has to do is establish Henry, who rushed for 2,027 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. Henry has scored 45 of his 55 rushing touchdowns in the last three seasons and will be even more motivated and determined after last week.
The Titans need a solid mix of run-pass though against this Seattle defense. You also have to wonder if the Titans could correct the holes in the offensive line that allowed Chandler Jones to sack Tannehill five times last week. If not, Pete Carroll will unleash this solid defense that was led by Bobby Wagner’s 13 tackles last week.
When the Seahawks have the Ball:
Pete Carroll amazingly turned 70 this week and he was having his usual fun as he even eluded to the overused “let Russell cook” adage that follows the dynamic quarterback wherever he goes. Kyler Murray dominated the Titans defense last week and now comes Wilson, who can definitely post a carbon copy of Murray’s out put and even more.
DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are arguably the best one-two combo at wide receiver in the NFL. Throw newly acquired tight end Gerald Everett in there and you have matchup problems across the boards for any defense. Titans playmaking linebacker Bud Dupree is questionable.
Why Bet the UNDER 54:
Throw Wilson and his troop out there against this Titans unproven defense and there is going to be potential for a number. Titans corners Janoris Jenkins and Kristian Fulton will have their hands full with Metcalf and Lockett while they look for a tight end who can cover Everett. If Henry is able to sustain drives, it will lessen the ability for Seattle to play make on offense which will keep the number UNDER 54 although the Seahawks should cover (-6.5).
Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
Time: 10:00AM PST – 12:00PM CST – 1:00PM EST
Place: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV: CBS
The Series:
A storied AFC rivalry, dating back to the 1960s, gets a make-over as the Raiders still hold a 16-13 advantage in this storied matchup. They also have won five of the last seven games dating back to a 2013 win in 2006.
Last Week:
The Raiders won over Baltimore in the craziest fashion possible. After a fumble on the goal line by wide receiver Bryan Edwards although he looked like he broke the plane. Then, Lamar Jackson’s fumble set up Derek Carr’s game-winner to Zay Jones.
ZAY. JONES. BALL GAME. GOOD NIGHT VEGAS! #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/LJrn4EURp0
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 14, 2021
All of this ended a 33-27 win for the Raiders, as Carr completed 34 of 56 passes for 435 yards and two TDs.
Pittsburgh upset Buffalo, 23-16 in Orchard Park, NY, with a stellar defensive effort on Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who did complete 30-of-51 passes for 270 yards, but big plays on third down late in the game stopped the Bills rally.
A blocked punt return by Ulysses Gilbert with 9:15 to play was the turning point for Pittsburgh.
Teams
Spread
Money Line
Total Points
Raiders
+6 (-105)
+220
O 47 (-110)
Steelers
-6 (-115)
-260
U 47 (-110)
When the Raiders Have the Ball:
Carr got hot and stayed hot against Buffalo and found tight end Darren Waller 10 times for 105 yards and a touchdown after targeting him 19 times.
Offensively, the Raiders are coming into this game with loads of confidence in how they were able to pull out the win vs. the Ravens. Las Vegas will need a running game with Josh Jacobs though if they are to pull out the win. Steelers linebacker TJ Watt had two sacks and a forced fumble last week while Devin Bush tied for the team-high in tackles with 10.
When the Steelers have the Ball:
Buffalo bottled Pittsburgh up on offense last week as Ben Roethlisberger passed for only 188 yards. He has unbelievable stats against the Raiders in the last five games as he has averaged 310 yards passing and 12 TD tosses with three interceptions in those five.
Running back Najee Harris and 45 rushing yards in his NFL debut vs. the Bills. The Las Vegas defense needs to shore things up after allowing 416 total yards to Baltimore as the Ravens had a balanced attack. The Raiders had solid production out of their defensive ends as Maxx Crosby had two sacks and Carl Nassib had a sack and a forced fumble.
Why Bet the OVER 47:
Carr is hot for Las Vegas and looks like he can potentially be more productive than Allen did last week, now that the film is out on the Steelers’ defense. Pittsburgh will find navigating the Raiders defense somewhat easier than Buffalo, but Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue. This one seems like it will be won on a late field goal.
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