It’s time for Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season. I strongly suggest you check out the Week 2 NFL Betting Hub, where you’ll find all of the features and picks from my talented co-workers. On top of that, we never stop pumping out good NFL content on our live shows. That’s the beauty of being a subscriber. As a company, we’re relentless in our effort to get you prepared for these games. With that out of the way, let’s get into the fun stuff. Keep reading for my Week 2 NFL best bets and Week 2 NFL predictions. Last year was another profitable one for me, and I’m hoping to keep things rolling in 2024. I’m off to a solid start and am hoping to build on it.

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2024 NFL Best Bets Record: 4-2 (+2.58 units)

Seattle Seahawks at New England Patriots – 1:00 pm ET

The Patriots were able to upset the Bengals last week, but let’s not overreact because of that one result. This is still a New England team that many hammered to go Under its regular season win total, with some even playing alternate Unders at plus-money odds. And Cincinnati has actually gotten off to some very slow starts in recent seasons. The Bengals don’t take the preseason very seriously, and Joe Burrow hasn’t had many healthy summers throughout his career. This one wasn’t any different. The star quarterback didn’t look 100% after last year’s wrist injury.

New England’s defense might be a decent unit this season, but that always seemed like a possibility. It’s the offense that is an issue, making this matchup with Seattle a tough one. The Seahawks defense looked the part in Mike Macdonald’s first regular season game as head coach. Seattle was fifth in the NFL in Week 1 in EPA per play allowed, finishing fourth in Dropback EPA per play allowed and ninth in Rush EPA per play allowed. Sure, that’s a one-week sample size and the Seahawks were facing the Broncos, who were starting a rookie quarterback. But it’s not like New England’s offense is any better. Jacoby Brissett is a more experienced player than Bo Nix, but he’s hardly a starting-level talent. And the Patriots might have less weapons at wide receiver than any team in the league. So, the Seahawks will have a pretty easy job here. If they can slow down Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots running game, New England won’t put many points on the board.

The Seahawks should also look better offensively than they did in Week 1. Seattle’s day looked a lot worse because the team took two safeties when getting backed up near its own goal line, but the Seahawks should be able to get that sorted out. And overall, expectations are high for this offense. Geno Smith might be nothing more than an average NFL starter, but new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is a brilliant play caller and Seattle has a ton of talent at wide receiver. That’s not to say that the Seahawks are going to explode offensively here. As previously mentioned, this Patriots defense is solid. But the Seahawks should be able to score enough points to cover this small spread.

Also, while this Patriots team will be fired up to be playing its home opener, it is worth noting that they were just 1-7 straight-up and 1-6-1 against the spread at home last season. They also didn’t perform well in home games that were expected to be close, going 0-3 both SU and ATS as home ‘dogs of 7 points or less. I don’t buy the new coaching staff fixing that.

Bet: Seahawks -3.5 (-105)

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars – 1:00 pm ET

Last season, the Jaguars finished the year 10th in both Defensive DVOA and Dropback EPA per play allowed. This season, despite a below-average performance against Miami in Week 1, Jacksonville is expected to take a step forward defensively. That said, this isn’t exactly a get-right opportunity for Deshaun Watson, who threw for just 169 yards with two interceptions last week. Watson also took six sacks in the game. That might not seem like Watson’s fault, but most of the other quarterbacks that have started games for Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland have looked better behind this offensive line. And this isn’t a Week 1 overreaction. Watson has looked terrible since he was traded to the Browns. So, I like this matchup for the Jaguars defense, especially with Travon Walker likely to be on Watson’s tail all game. Walker had two sacks against the Dolphins last week. He has been freed up a bit with Arik Armstead causing problems along the defensive line.

The Jaguars offense should also be able to score enough points to cover this small spread. Jacksonville’s running game left a lot to be desired in Week 1, but everything should look a little better with this being the first home game of the season. Trevor Lawrence should especially be in for bigger things in Week 2. Lawrence was actually fine in Week 1, throwing for 162 yards with a touchdown and no picks. However, the Jaguars got a bit conservative in the second half and never quite recovered. Jacksonville should learn from that, if the team does go up early.

All in all, it’s just hard to imagine the Browns offense finding its way in this tough road spot. Jacksonville will be hungry for a win and the team is actually 4-3 both SU and ATS when coming off a road loss under Doug Pederson. Meanwhile, Cleveland is 7-14 SU and 10-11 ATS as a road underdog of 7 or less under Stefanski.

Bet: Jaguars -3 (-105)

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos – 4:25 pm ET

This is a game that I’m not going to overthink. Bo Nix was miserable in his first start, completing just 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions against the Seahawks. Nix is now going up against one of the best defenses in football, as Pittsburgh was sixth in the league in Defensive DVOA and seventh in EPA per play allowed. Pittsburgh’s secondary should be able to blanket a relatively lousy group of Denver wide receivers, and T.J. Watt will likely put a ton of pressure on Nix. Sean Payton is a great play caller, but it’ll take a miracle for the Broncos to efficiently move the ball down the field.

Of course, the Steelers offense also has its issues. But Justin Fields didn’t make any mistakes in Week 1, and he did a good job of using his legs to give the Falcons trouble. In this game, Fields should be more effective through the air and on the ground. This is a completely different supporting cast, but Fields threw for 335 yards with four touchdowns and only one pick against the Broncos last year. That should give him some confidence heading into this game, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will surely look at that film for ways he can put the talented dual-threat signal caller in favorable situations.

It should also be pointed out that these are the games in which Mike Tomlin thrives. Pittsburgh is 14-8 SU and 14-7-1 ATS in games with lines of +3 to -3 since the start of 2022. In that same timeframe, the Steelers are 3-1 both SU and ATS as road favorites.

Bet: Steelers -2.5 (-110 – 1.5 units)

Additional Best Bets

Dolphins ML (-120) – Click here for my Bills-Dolphins TNF analysis!

6-Point Teaser: Texans -0.5 vs. Bears + Eagles -0.5 vs. Falcons (-120)

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