NFL Survivor Pool Picks Week 2: Opening Line Report

Week 1 is always very tricky for NFL Survivor Pool players. And while there were some close calls on Sunday, and in the Texans/Saints game on Monday Night Football, things mostly went according to plan with only five of the 16 games resulting in an upset. Four of those underdogs that won did so as getting a minimal amount of points, and there was only one upset that would have shaken up Survivor Pools was the Titans blowing out the Browns as a six-point underdog in Cleveland.

Every week I will go over the opening NFL lines and give my opinion on each game and the favorite’s viability as a Survivor Pool pick for that week. For Week 2, there are several big favorites on the board. This looks like a much easier week to come up with a solid pick than Week 1. But some of these lines are for sure shaded, or purposely inflated, because bettors always overreact to Week 1 results.

We will go down the list starting with the largest spread and work our way through all the games.

New England (-19) at Miami: This game was opened at 14.5 in Las Vegas and sharp bettors jumped all over New England and now this line is one of the biggest we will see all season (could we see around 25 when these teams play in New England???). The Pats made it look easy in their blowout win against the Steelers on Sunday night. Miami made a decent Baltimore team look like.. well… the Patriots. Word is some Dolphins players asked to be traded after the game. The Dolphins are probably the worst team in the NFL this season. We never like to use the word “Lock” as there is no such thing, but this probably gets about as close as possible.

Baltimore (-13.5) vs. Arizona: This is one of those lines that I think is an overreaction. Not sure how good the Ravens are, although they seem dangerous now that QB Lamar Jackson has some speed around him. But how much of their result on Sunday was because of how bad the Dolphins are? Arizona looked awful for three quarters then something clicked, and they came back to tie the Lions with a big fourth quarter. Don’t think they have much of a chance to win here but also think they could keep things close. Those who like to “save” teams like the Chiefs and Pats will likely use the Ravens this week. I would rather go with a team that looks like more of a sure thing.

Houston (-8.5) vs. Jacksonville: Houston comes in with a short week of preparation after playing in Monday Night Football. They played what will come down to one of the best games, from an entertainment perspective, of the season. There might be a bit of a hangover from that game. But I also think that game proved that Houston is a very solid playoff contender. Nick Foles is out at QB for the Jags, and that is another advantage for the Texans.

Kansas City (-8) at Oakland: Oakland looked great during their Monday Night Football win over the Broncos. This line was 9.5 when I started this article on Monday before the game. Not sure if the Raiders are that good, however. Their players probably gave extra effort on primetime and in response to the Antonio Brown situation. And Denver is a lousy team. I would feel very confident taking Kansas City here, but I think the Pats are one of the strongest picks of the season.

Carolina (-6.5) vs. Tampa Bay: I rarely use Thursday night games for Survivor Pool picks. The short week of preparation evens the discrepancy of talent between the favorite and underdog, in my opinion. And both of these teams looked shaky in Week 1. The Panthers definitely looked better, but Carolina has some issues and I would want to see them starting to play well before I put my faith in them.

Dallas (-5) at Washington: The Redskins looked great for a while against the Eagles, but Philly turned it on in the second half and rallied for the comfortable win.  This is a divisional game and one of the best rivalries in the NFL. The Cowboys are clearly the better team. But they are on the road here and in a rivalry game, and we didn’t learn much about this team in their Week 1 win since it was against a team that is probably much worse than the Redskins.

Pittsburgh (-3.5) vs. Seattle: Both of these teams underwhelmed in Week 1. The Seahawks let the horrible Bengals hang around for way too long in a one-point win in Seattle. The Steelers played an absolute stinker of a game in New England in a blowout loss to the Super Bowl champs. The Steelers could be without JuJu Smith-Schuster in this one for an offense that wasn’t productive at all in Week 1. The Steelers are at home and should win, but there are just too many question marks here for a gamble on Pittsburgh.

Tennessee (-3) vs. Indianapolis: The Titans looked great in their blowout win in Cleveland. But maybe, as I stated in this spot last week, the Browns are too overhyped entering the season. Indianapolis performed admirably in a road loss to the LA Chargers. This one is too close to call, and an upset wouldn’t be at all surprising.

Green Bay (-3) vs. Minnesota: I think this is a very public line. I had this game handicapped as a pick’em, and I think the Vikings are the better team here even though they are on the road. The Packers do have the advantage of longer preparation/rest off their Thursday game.

LA Rams (-3) vs. New Orleans: Another situation where the road team looks like the stronger squad and has a great chance for the upset. The Saints might be in a letdown situation off a short week because of their wild Monday Night Football game.

LA Chargers (-2.5) at Detroit: The Chargers intrigue me in this spot. Detroit blew the game on Sunday in what might have been their only chance for a win in the early part of the season as they have a brutal schedule. I don’t see the Chargers losing this game, and I like them against the spread with this small number despite the long travel and early start time.

Buffalo (-2.5) at NY Giants: Can Buffalo become the kings of New York after the first two weeks of the season? They squeaked out a win over the Jets on Sunday. They are the better team here, but nothing would surprise me as a result for this one.

Cleveland (-2.5) at NY Jets: Monday Night Football comes to New York in Week 2. I thought the Browns were overrated coming into the season, and nothing they did on Sunday made me change my mind.

Chicago (-2) at Denver: Neither team looked good in Week 1 as both offenses had lots of problems, but the defenses looked in mid-season form. Will take a wait-and-see approach with both of these clubs.

Cincinnati (PK) vs. San Francisco: The oddsmakers have no idea who will win this one, hence the PK line, and both teams can be found as a one-point favorite at some sportsbooks. I don’t have much of a better insight into this game than the bookies!

Atlanta (PK) vs. Philadelphia: The betting action looks to be leaning towards Philly, who will probably be a solid favorite by Sunday night. Should be a solid game that either team could win.