I went 8-7-1 against the spread in the opening week.

Week 2 can be tricky for those who react too swiftly to the first week outcomes. You do need to be flexible, but there are always Week 1 aberrations. I would suggest that you look back at your preseason rankings and decide which teams impressed you enough to adjust their ranking and which ones you need to double-down this week and hope for a bounce-back performance

Can the Packers forget last week’s blowout loss and cover a double-digit point spread at home against the Lions?

Can the Ravens avenge last season’s loss to the Chiefs?

We pick every NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season.

New York Giants at Washington Football Team (-3.5) – My pick is New York Giants

The Giants suffered a 27-13 loss to the Broncos in Week 1. Denver was able to pound the running game with enough success to win the time of possession game by ten minutes. They forced Giants QB Daniel Jones into some long third downs. The Giants also struggled to run the ball since RB Saquon Barkley is still working his way back from a major injury. Washington suffered their own major injury in Week 1 when they saw starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick go down with a hip injury that will keep him out for close to two months. The Footballers backup QB Taylor Heinicke had some success last week, but couldn’t get it together to beat the Chargers. Heinicke will need a big game from RB Antonio Gibson on Thursday to be competitive. I don’t quite trust his arm and the feel for the passing game. I think the Giants will bounce back on Thursday, so I’m taking the points.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (+3) – My pick is Buffalo Bills

The Bills are coming off a loss to the Steelers that saw them collapse in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh lit a fire under their asses after blocking a punt and played great the rest of the game. Buffalo is still a very good team, but the Steelers were just better last week. Buffalo’s defense played great in that game, but they were just backed up into a hole after some bad field position late in the game. The Dolphins squeaked by with a win over the Patriots last week. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa didn’t have a big game, but winning a close game like this is a big step in his development. He has a tough task ahead of him as Buffalo’s defense is fast and will come after him. I’m taking the Bills to cover as I think their defense will get the better of Tua on Sunday.

Los Angeles Rams at Indianapolis Colts (+4) – My pick is Los Angeles Rams

The Rams dominated the Bears on Sunday Night Football. New Rams QB Matthew Stafford turned back the clock and played like he did back when he had WR Calvin Johnson. He also has a great defense to bail him out and give him great field position. The Rams’ Achilles heel could their running game as they lost talent due to injury early in the preseason. The Colts struggled to stop the pass against the Seahawks in Week 1. The Colts also struggled to protect QB Carson Wentz. I would argue that their offensive line played as expected, but Wentz held the ball too long a few times. I wasn’t impressed with them and as a Colts fan, I think it could be a long season. The Rams are the far superior team right now and should cover in Indy.

New England Patriots at New York Jets (+5.5) – My pick is New England Patriots

The Patriots didn’t get the win against the Dolphins last week, but there were a ton of positives to come from that game. Rookie QB Mac Jones outplayed the other rookie quarterbacks in the opening week. He was accurate and didn’t throw any interceptions against a good Dolphins secondary. New England defense even stepped up with their star CB Stephon Gilmore (quad) out for the first handful of games. The Jets made a late push in their loss the Panthers, but ran out of time. Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson didn’t play as well in his first game as he barely completed 50% of his passes. His receiving corps isn’t as talented as the Patriots, and you can say that about a number of positions, so he will have these types of games this year. I’m rolling the dice with the Patriots defense and think they will cover in Week 2.

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5) – My pick is Philadelphia Eagles

The Niners racked up a 41-17 lead on the Lions last week, but gave up 16 unanswered points late in the game. They only won the game by eight points. San Francisco may have some problems in their secondary. It wasn’t a huge problem against a team like the Lions, but it could be an issue against a good-to-great passing offense. The Eagles outclassed the Falcons last week and cruised to a 32-6 win. They had success across the board. Their offensive line played great and were able to give QB Jalen Hurts time in the pocket. They also opened up holes in the running game against a below-average Falcons defense. If the Eagles can pass the ball well against the Niners, I think they keep this one close. I’m taking the points.

Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears (-3) – My pick is Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals were able to get the win against the Vikings in overtime. Cincinnati did have a sizeable win early in the fourth quarter, but they gave up ten unanswered points in regulation. Bengals QB Joe Burrow reignited his fondness for former college teammate WR Ja’Marr Chase. He was also helped by RB Joe Mixon, who had a big game. The Bears had a few moments that looked like they may stay close with the Rams last week, but they fell apart late and lost 34-14. They had a poor outing from CB Eddie Jackson, who struggled to tackle and was burned a few times in coverage. If he doesn’t show up this week, the Bengals talented, young receivers could take advantage of him. I don’t have much faith in Bears QB Andy Dalton. He’s the main reason I’m taking the points, but I also saw too many mistakes from their defense last week. I think the Bengals keep this close as they are underrated on defense.

Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars (+6) – My pick is Denver Broncos

The Broncos played pretty darn well in their 27-13 win over the Giants. New Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater was accurate and got a lot of help from his running backs. Also, their defense was helped greatly by the returning LB Von Miller, who got two sacks last week. Jaguars rookie QB Trevor Lawrence’s career got off to a rocky start in their 37-21 upset loss to the Texans. He did play much better in the second-half, but his three interceptions was too much to overcome. The Jaguars defense also struggled against the run, which could come into play in this game. I went back and forth with my pick, but the Broncos defense is underrated. Bridgewater is also an effective quarterback when his defense gives him good field position. I’m taking the Broncos to cover on Sunday.

Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns (-12.5) – My pick is Houston Texans

Did everyone underestimate the talent level of the Texans? They owned the Jaguars last week and forced four turnovers in that game. Texans QB Tyrod Taylor is an underrated quarterback against the spread. The reason I add that caveat is because he doesn’t wow anyone with his arm or overall play on paper, but his teams are often outperform expectations, so they get wins against the spread. I also think the additions of running backs Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay could end up being viewed as great signings by the end of the year. The Browns had a 22-10 lead at halftime against the Chiefs. They had a rough second-half and ending up losing the game 33-29. Cleveland has all kinds of talent and should still be a playoff team, but a double-digit point spread is extremely hard to cover in the NFL. I think Taylor will be efficient enough to keep this point within the margin, so I’m taking the points.

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers (+3.5) – My pick is New Orleans Saints

The Saints unexpectedly blew out the Packers 38-3 in Week 1. Saints QB Jameis Winston threw five touchdowns, but only needed 142 yards to do so. They got great field position all game and was helped by a productive running game. The Panthers found the win column last week, but failed to cover due to a late touchdown from the Jets. The Panthers had a solid outing from new QB Sam Darnold and saw the returning RB Christian McCaffrey nearly rack up 200 combined yards. The Panthers defense pressured Jets rookie QB Zach Wilson and sacked him six times. I don’t think they will have the same success against the Saints offensive line. I was too impressed by the Saints in the rout of the Packers to bet against them this week. I just think they are a complete team.

Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5) – My pick is Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders are coming off an upset win in overtime over the Ravens. They had a lot of success through the air and QB Derek Carr helped cement his job as the starter. He will need to keep that up if he hopes to convince his team to not draft his future replacement in the next draft. It helps that he has TE Darren Waller playing out of his mind. The Steelers needed a near-perfect fourth quarter to complete their comeback against the Bills. I wasn’t impressed with QB Ben Roethlisberger in the first-half, but he did make a few clutch passes in the fourth quarter. I think this Steelers offense would be better if they had a quarterback with a stronger arm. I don’t think the Steelers are better than the Raiders. Playing at home could be the key here to an outright win here, but I’m taking the points.

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-12) – My pick is Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Falcons were smoked by the Eagles last week. Atlanta could be in the bottom-five in the league. Their offense will live or die through the air. They just won’t have much success running the ball with their offensive line. The Bucs were victorious over the Cowboys 31-29 in the NFL Kick-off game on Thursday. The Bucs couldn’t stretch out a lead and failed to cover the ten-point spread. Also, the Cowboys are a much better offense with a healthy QB Dak Prescott, so you can’t discount the Bucs much here. The Falcons could struggle to block the Bucs front-seven in this game. If Tampa Bay gets good field position in this game, QB Tom Brady could make this game out of reach by halftime.

Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals (-4) – My pick is Arizona Cardinals

The Vikings nearly pulled off a tie against the Bengals, but they allowed a field goal as the overtime period expired. They struggled to do much damage in the running game and the Vikings defense struggled on third down. The Bengals were the better team last Sunday. The Cardinals made a huge statement last week when they dominated the Titans 38-13. They stymied RB Derrick Henry and Cardinals LB Chandler Jones sacked QB Ryan Tannehill five times. If Arizona can get that kind of pass rush every week, they will be a playoff team this year. I don’t expect the Cardinals to repeat the kind of dominating performance this week, but they are the better overall team. I’m taking the Cardinals to cover at home.

Tennessee Titans at Seattle Seahawks (-5.5) – My pick is Seattle Seahawks

The Titans were tore up by the Cardinals last week. Their free agent acquisitions were unimpressive and RB Derrick Henry took way too long to start getting positive gains. Also, the Titans could have issues with pass protection until their offensive line is fully healthy. I expect a better outing this week, but that’s not really saying much. The Seahawks were in control the entire game in their win against the Colts. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson was automatic and wide receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf looked like one of the better pairs of receivers in the NFL. The Titans should keep this game closer than last week, but the Titans could have some issues against the pass this year. If Wilson can replicate the success he had last week, I think the Seahawks will cover at home.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) – My pick is Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys nearly pulled off the win against the defending champions on Thursday. The Bucs needed a field goal in the final seconds to win 31-29. The Cowboys may have some issues running the ball until their offensive line is back and healthy. QB Dak Prescott looks great and may be needed to carry the entire offense for awhile. The Chargers scored a touchdown late in their game against the Footballers and went on to win 20-16. I honestly don’t know if they would have pulled off the win if Washington QB Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t leave with a hip injury. Backup QB Taylor Heinicke isn’t a strong passer, so WFT became more of a one-dimensional offense. I think the Cowboys are a tad underrated in this game. Dallas may need to win some shootouts this year to make the playoffs and this could be one of those shootouts. I’m taking the points.

Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (+3.5) – My pick is Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs beat the Browns with a comeback victory in Week 1. The Chiefs made some adjustments at half-time and outscored the Browns 20-7 in the second-half. Kansas City abandoned the running game that did them no favors in the first-half and QB Patrick Mahomes carried the offense on his back. The Ravens lost in overtime to the Raiders on Monday Night Football. It was a fun game, but a QB Lamar Jackson fumble in overtime was the final blow to the Ravens. They suffered three major season-ending injuries to their running backs, so Jackson will need to create yards on the ground. I did like what I saw from RB Ty’Son Williams, so I could see the Ravens using him more in this game. I expect this game will be a fun watch, but the Chiefs did beat the Ravens by 14 points last year. I would argue that the talent disparity between the teams grew this offseason. I expect the Chiefs will cover on Sunday night Football.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (-10.5) – My pick is Green Bay Packers

The Lions were getting destroyed by the Niners last week, but they caught some breaks in the fourth quarter and only lost by eight points. New Lions QB Jared Goff played pretty well in his debut. The Lions wide receivers aren’t great, but they do have a talented tight end and some running backs who have good hands. The Packers are coming off an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Saints. They had to play the game in Jacksonville due to the hurricane damage in New Orleans. It looked like the team couldn’t handle the Florida humidity. The Packers had a great 2020 season, but they did have a couple games that saw them get behind early in the game…and then wave the white flag. They did bounce-back after those losses and I expect them to do that against the Lions. I had picking double-digit point spreads in the NFL, but I do think they will cover this one against their divisional foe.

*These picks are for entertainment purposes

Sweetbob’s NFL picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 133-95-10
2014: 131-114-9
2015: 150-108-9
2016: 143-120-13
2017: 144-115-16
2018: 141-118-13
2019: 159-119-7
2020: 152-121-8
20210: 8-7-1

Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!

About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob