Week 2 of the NFL season continues on Monday morning in Australia with 14 games across a loaded slate. The opening week produced 49.4 points per game, tied for the highest-scoring Week 1 since the AFL-NFL merger, but it is now time to work out which performances were genuine indicators and which were classic Week 1 noise.
Our three feature games begin with Pittsburgh travelling to New England before a huge NFC East meeting between the Commanders and Cowboys. Sunday Night Football then sees Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs host the Colts at Arrowhead.
NFL Week 2 Monday Betting Tips
Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots
3:00am AEST
Pittsburgh started its season with a 20-13 road victory over Atlanta, getting the job done despite an offence that hardly blew the doors off the Falcons. The Steelers now get another road assignment against a New England side that managed only 10 points in its opener, and this shapes as another game where Pittsburgh will be comfortable keeping things tight and relying on its defence.
The Patriots suffered a 13-10 defeat in Seattle in Week 1 and return to Foxborough searching for their first victory. New England enters as a surprisingly significant favourite, with the market moving out to around Patriots -5.5 and a low total of 41.5 points. Drake Maye's mobility could be particularly important after he struggled to get the passing game going against Seattle, with the quarterback having rushed for more than 25 yards in eight of his previous 10 games.
Prediction: There wasn't enough from New England offensively in Week 1 to justify laying more than a field goal against a Steelers team that has already demonstrated it can win an ugly game on the road. Pittsburgh's defence should keep this close even if the offence again struggles to generate explosive plays, and getting more than five points looks generous.
Steelers +5.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys
6:25am AEST
Washington came agonisingly close to stealing a divisional road win in Week 1, falling 24-22 to Philadelphia. Jayden Daniels struggled early in his return from a dislocated elbow but improved considerably after half-time, finishing with 164 passing yards, 31 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Washington's new offence looked disjointed early, but the second-half improvement from Daniels provides some encouragement heading into another NFC East matchup.
Dallas also enters at 0-1 after suffering a 28-20 loss to the Giants. Dak Prescott threw for 175 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and the Cowboys now face the prospect of starting 0-2 for the first time since 2010. Dallas has dominated this matchup historically, winning eight of its past 10 against Washington, and enters as approximately a 3.5-point favourite.
Prediction: Both teams showed enough offensive vulnerability in Week 1 to be wary, but this looks like a much better matchup for Dallas than its opener. Washington gave Philadelphia opportunities for explosive plays and Daniels may still need time to completely settle into the new offence. Back at AT&T Stadium and facing an 0-2 start, we'll side with Prescott and the Cowboys to cover the relatively modest number.
Cowboys -3.5
$1.90 (2 Units)
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
10:20am AEST
Indianapolis had a rough start to the campaign, conceding 41 points in a 41-23 defeat to Baltimore. The Colts allowed 202 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground, immediately putting the spotlight on Lou Anarumo's defence. Jonathan Taylor was one of the positives with almost 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but Indianapolis now faces an even tougher road assignment at Arrowhead.
Kansas City looked far more convincing in its opener, cruising past Denver 31-10. Offseason addition Kenneth Walker III made an immediate impact with 173 rushing yards, the fourth-most ever by a player making his debut for a new team. That is particularly concerning for a Colts defence that was just carved apart on the ground, while Patrick Mahomes provides an entirely different problem if Indianapolis commits extra resources to stopping the run.
Prediction: This matchup looks tailor-made for Kansas City. Baltimore exposed major problems in the Indianapolis run defence and Walker now gets an opportunity to attack the same weakness after a monster Chiefs debut. Kansas City can establish the run and allow Mahomes to pick his moments, while the Colts will likely need to chase points against one of the AFC's strongest teams. We'll lay the points at Arrowhead.
Chiefs -6
$1.90 (2 Units)
NFL Week 2 – Other Tips
Our best bets from the rest of Monday's NFL action.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Tennessee Titans
Eagles -7.5 $1.90
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
Over 45.5 Points $1.90
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Falcons +2.5 $1.90
Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets
Jets +3.5 $1.90
New Orleans Saints @ Baltimore Ravens
Ravens -8.5 $1.90
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
Texans -2.5 $1.90
Cleveland Browns @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers -5.5 $1.90
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos
Jaguars +2.5 $1.90
Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers -6.5 $1.90
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
Seahawks -3.5 $1.90
Miami Dolphins @ San Francisco 49ers
49ers -13.5 $1.90
