Week 2 NFL Picks: Panthers, Cards Poised To Bounce Back

We got the 2016 NFL betting season off to a great start last week, going 2-1 on our Week 1 picks for +0.8 units.

We’d take that every week if we can get it, but let’s shoot for 3-0 this week with our Week 2 NFL betting picks.

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1. Panthers -13.5

The defending NFC champion Panthers are coming off a loss in Week 1 and have had 10 days to prepare. The 49ers are on a short week after a dominant effort on Monday Night Football, whipping the Rams 28-0.

Oh, and we’ve got a west coast team playing an early game on the east coast.

It all spells trouble for a 49ers team that could be complacent here against a very motivated Carolina squad.

A lot was made of the headshots Cam Newton took in Week 1 (and the way medical staff handled them), but he says he feels great and will no doubt be raring to go. The Carolina defence thrives on turnovers, and Blaine Gabbert is an excellent candidate to serve some up.

And if that big point spread is scaring you, the Panthers are 19-7-1 against the spread in their last 27 games at home and whipped Tampa Bay 38-10 the last time they were double-digit favourites.

Just get this line soon, because it’ll probably be higher than 14 by Sunday. We grabbed -13.5 at Pinnacle Friday afternoon at -108 odds.

2. Raiders -4.5


We were on Oakland last week and were rewarded with an underdog victory in New Orleans as the Raiders gutsily went for the win on a two-point conversion in the final minute.

Oakland put up nearly 500 yards of offence in that game, and now they get to face a Falcons defence that allowed 31 points to the Bucs last week at home.

Atlanta had issues protecting Matt Ryan last week and also could not run the ball effectively, averaging less than 3 yards per attempt. We can’t say many good things about the Raiders defence last week, but the Falcons should help them look better on Sunday.

We don’t think the betting public has caught on to quite how bad the Falcons are now. Atlanta is 2-11 against the spread in its last 13 games, a mark that reflects an over-rated team.

Most sportsbooks had Oakland -4.5 as of Friday afternoon, but we found a discounted -105 line at Sports Interaction.

3. Bengals/Cardinals 6-Point Teaser

There will be much prettier football played elsewhere Sunday than in this game, but Bengals/Steelers should be the best matchup of Week 2.

These teams have hated each other for years, and the loathe-a-meter got cranked even higher after last winter’s playoff meeting in when the Bengals concussed Antonio Brown and the Steelers stunned Cincy in the dying minutes.

As much as Pittsburgh may want to avenge the Bengals’ cheap shots in that game, Cincy wants to get back at the Steelers for ending their season. All signs point to a tight game, and teasing Cincinnati +6 points gets the spread over a touchdown at +9.

The Arizona/Tampa matchup is similar to Carolina/San Francisco – a pissed off NFC powerhouse coming off a loss hosting a non-playoff team that won in Week 1.

Cardinals management has made no secret of its disappointment with Arizona’s Week 1 loss to the Tom Brady-less Patriots, and the Cards likely need a win to avoid falling 2 games behind the Seahawks (who visit the Rams) in the NFC West.

We actually like the Bucs this season, but this should be a tough spot for a young team that might not quite yet know how to handle its early success. By teasing Arizona 6 points, we get them down from -7 to -1, crossing the key NFL numbers of 7 and 3.

We recommend placing your 6-point NFL teaser bets at Pinnacle or Bodog, since they both offer -110 odds on 2-team, 6-point teasers. Bodog’s also currently offering signup and reload bonuses of up to $250, if you haven’t taken advantage of that yet.