What an unreal Week 1 we had for the NFL season. There were some major upsets, none bigger than the New Orleans Saints completely dominating the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. What can we expect for the upcoming week of action? In this piece, we have NFL picks for Week 2 of the 2021 season. Will the Packers and Rodgers be able to bounce back?
Indeed, folks still can’t get over the awful showing from the Packers on Sunday going up against Jameis Winston and the Saints. New Orleans owned this one, as they went on to record a 38-3 win. Winston, who just won the starting QB job for Sean Payton in late August, was downright brilliant, as he managed the game perfectly. Now, the Packers are monster favorites against the Lions. Can AR12 forget about his terrible start to the campaign?
For Rodgers, it was a day to forget for him at the office. The future Hall-of-Famer ended things throwing for only 133 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. His first interception came in the red zone, as he tried to force the ball to Davante Adams. Instead, Rodgers was picked and New Orleans took full advantage of that mistake. It really was strange to see Rodgers play so bad.
| NFL Week 2 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers to cover | -105 | -105 | -105 | -105 |
| Lions to cover | -114 | -114 | -114 | -114 |
| Chiefs to win | -168 | -168 | -168 | -168 |
| Ravens to win | +142 | +142 | +142 | +142 |
Come Week 2, though, he has the perfect opportunity to bounce back going up against a terrible Detroit defense. The Lions lost 41-33 to San Francisco in Week 1. That score tells you that the defense will be ready to give up a ton of points. It’s going to be a great opportunity for Green Bay to get themselves back on track and showcase the elite offense they hold.
According to the Las Vegas Sportsbooks, the Packers are 11.5-point favorites over the Lions. The NFL odds of Green Bay covering has been placed at -105. Our pick is for the Packers to win and also cover that spread. Rodgers was humbled going up against New Orleans. He’s going to want to remind everyone that he’s still one of the best QBs in the game. He’ll do just that against Detroit. Agree? Place a wager with one of our NFL betting sites.
Over in the AFC, the Ravens vs. Chiefs showdown will be one to remember. Kansas City entered 2021 as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, but they looked pretty inconsistent in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland had Kansas City on the ropes and nearly pulled off quite the upset. In the end, though, Kansas City was able to escape with a 33-29 win.
If the Chiefs want to improve to 2-0, they’ll need to beat a strong Baltimore Ravens squad. What will really hurt Baltimore to start the season are all the injuries the team faced during the preseason. Running backs JK Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hall all suffered season-ending injuries. On defense, Marcus Peters, one of the best cornerbacks in the game, is also sidelined for 2021 with a torn ACL.
These are all massive blows for head coach John Harbaugh. Even with that, though, the Ravens are led offensively by Lamar Jackson. With his dual-threat abilities, Jackson really is a tier-1 quarterback in the game. He’ll look to try and make some big-time plays against a stingy Kansas City defense. It won’t be easy, but thanks to his wheels, Jackson should keep Baltimore close.
The oddsmakers have given Kansas City -168 odds to win this one, while Baltimore has been listed at +142. We think this should be a back-and-forth affair, with it coming down to the wire late in the fourth quarter. With that said, we think Kansas City will be able to make enough plays late, similar to what they did against Cleveland, to pull out a close win. The Chiefs are our pick.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, the Seahawks will keep things rolling against the Titans when they meet at Lumen Field on Sunday. In Week 1, Seattle was downright fantastic, with QB Russell Wilson leading the charge. Wilson torched up the Indianapolis Colts defense, finishing with four touchdowns. Two of those went to star wide receiver Tyler Lockett, while DK Metcalf also had a strong second half.
When the Seattle offense plays like this, they really are a tough unit to try and stop. Defensively, Seattle’s pressure is always going to rattle the opposition. We saw that for Carson Wentz and the Colts from start to finish in Week 1. This is of course bad news for Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans, as they’ll have their hands full when these two teams meet.
According to Vegas, Seattle has -250 odds and Tennessee has been set at +205. The Titans really looked rough against the Cardinals in Week 1. Our prediction is that trend will continue in Week 1. Mike Vrabel’s seat could be getting even hotter should the Seahawks dominate this one. We think Seattle will improve to 2-0 with another win. The Hawks are our pick in this one.
