NFL picks against the spread, Week 2: Building on a decent SuperContest start

Welcome back for Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season. The return of the NFL means gambling is back in our lives. The NFL might frown upon it, but gambling and fantasy football are two of the biggest reasons for the NFL’s insane level of popularity. I think they’ll put up with it.

The contest involves picking five games each week, for 17 weeks. You get to choose which five games you will pick. The lines are locked in Wednesday evening, and picks are submitted by the end of the week. I managed to open the season with decent success, putting together a 4-1 performance out of the gate. I would imagine a nice little 1-4 will follow that, but maybe I’ll get lucky! Here are my five picks for Week 2.

I’m sticking with the public on this one. The Bills are coming off a big Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts, in which they thoroughly dominated. That created some movement on this line, with some sports books even going pick ‘em. I would have loved to grab that, but I’ll live with the Patriots at -1. The Patriots are 1-5 ATS in their last six divisional games, but they are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 against the Bills. Tyrod Taylor looked great in Week 1, but I think Bill Belichick has a little something up his sleeve.

While I will go with the public on the Patriots, I’m rolling the dice against them with the Browns. Cleveland looked brutal in Week 1, and is rolling out Johnny Manziel to start in Week 2. The Titans looked fantastic against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Marcus Mariota looked like the real deal. I’m looking for a bit of a letdown game for the Titans. The Browns do not boast many offensive weapons, but I think they can get it done. And if it turns out Tennessee is legit, well, so be it.

This is as much a bet against Washington as it is on the Rams. I am usually skeptical betting on a Jeff Fisher team. And yet, that defense, coupled with an offense that seems to be showing signs of life under Nick Foles, makes me a big fan of them in this one. St. Louis is 6-1 ATS in its last seven against Washington. While Washington did almost manage the cover against Miami in Week 1, I think it once again comes up short in Week 2.

The Dallas Cowboys fell ass-backwards into a win against the New York Giants in Week 1. Horrific game management cost the Giants, but New York did still manage to cover. The Eagles looked inconsistent against the Atlanta Falcons, and I don’t think that is going away. Consider this betting against Sam Bradford more than anything else. Dallas is 8-1 ATS in its last nine road games, and 5-1 straight up in its last six at Philadelphia. I actually think the Cowboys win this one outright.

The Seahawks are coming off a tough loss in St. Louis, which they probably should have won late. The Packers managed a big divisional road win in Chicago. The Seahawks remain without Kam Chancellor, and the big-hitting strong safety will be sorely missed against Eddie Lacy. The Packers have won five straight at home against the Seahawks, and I think they win this one by a touchdown or so.

Here are all my picks for Week 2 (10-5-1 last week):