NFL Week 2: AFC lines
Going into the second week of the NFL season, the AFC has some very lopsided divisions. The Houston Texans and New England Patriots are the only winners from Week 1 in the AFC South and East, respectively. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers were the only teams to come away with defeats in their divisions.
Let’s look at the lines for the AFC games in Week 2 and see where each team stands:
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-6.5)
Even with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, it’s tough to see Miami winning this game outright. However, after only losing by two points on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, it is also difficult to see them not covering.
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans (-2)
Houston is going to want some serious revenge after being blown out by Kansas City, 30-0, in the AFC Wild Card round last year. That said, it won’t be easy against a team that just pulled off the largest comeback in franchise history, overcoming a 21-point deficit in Week 1. This game could really go either way.
Baltimore Ravens (-6) at Cleveland Browns
Most would look at this game and immediately assume that Cleveland is going to be blown out, but these two always play each other tough. Baltimore should win the game, but laying a touchdown might be too much to cover on the road.
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)
Cincinnati gets no respect this week from the oddsmakers. The Bengals are a good team and perhaps a very good one, that went into Pittsburgh last year and won. The Steelers have a great offense, but do they have enough to shut down the Bengals on the other side of the ball. Take Cincinnati to cover.
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers (-3)
This is going to be a very interesting game. San Diego blew a 21-point lead against the Chiefs last week and with the news that receiver Keenan Allen is out for the season with a torn ACL, could be reeling. Meanwhile, Jacksonville has to come across the country after losing a hard-fought game to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. This is a stayaway, with the loser being in deep trouble.
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (-6)
This line has jumped two points since coming out on Monday, and for good reason. The Colts will be without Vontae Davis in this contest, along with T.J. Green and Patrick Robinson. Indianapolis already can’t cover and going against Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, that’s a problem. Still, take the Colts to cover. Indianapolis has never lost to the Broncos with Andrew Luck at the helm, and while that stat probably changes, this should be a tight contest.
