NFL Week 2 Picks: Experts Back Bills, Split on Broncos-Jaguars — SkimNews
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- Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin both pick the Bills (-4.5) to win Thursday's home opener at new Highmark Stadium over the Lions, with the over/under at 54.5 (the week's highest total by 4 points); Dubin takes Detroit +4.5 (35-31) while Dajani lays the points (36-30).
- Both experts back the Patriots (-4.5) at home over Pittsburgh despite New England's ugly Week 1 loss to Seattle, with Dubin forecasting 21-13 and Dajani predicting a closer 16-13 game — even though the Steelers have covered as 4-point underdogs in three straight games.
- The Ravens are consensus straight-up winners over the Saints, but both writers take New Orleans (+7.5) against the spread — Dajani flags rookie QB Tyler Shough's 8-2 ATS record as a starter since 1970, tied for the best mark in that span, after his 410-yard, 3-TD comeback against Detroit in Week 1.
- The Texans (-2.5) are backed by both experts at home against Cincinnati, where both teams are coming off Week 1 defensive collapses — Houston allowed 36 points to Josh Allen's Bills while the Bengals' defense forced three Tampa Bay fumbles in a narrow win.
- The only outright split comes at Jaguars-Broncos, where Dajani takes the Jaguars (+3), calling Denver "the worst team in the NFL" after its Week 1 blowout in Kansas City, while Dubin predicts a Broncos rebound and pushes against the spread (Broncos 24-21).
- The Colts-Chiefs Sunday night finale closes the slate, with Dajani taking Kansas City -6.5 — Indianapolis is one of four teams with a winning regular-season record vs. Patrick Mahomes, but the new-look Chiefs ground game (Kenneth Walker: 173 rushing yards in Week 1) tests a Colts defense that allowed 202 rush yards to Baltimore.
Why it matters: Bills-Lions carries the week's highest total (54.5) and the Thursday night spotlight, with both experts backing Buffalo straight-up; the lone outright pick split comes at Jaguars-Broncos, where Dajani called Denver "the worst team in the NFL" off one Week 1 loss.
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