Week 2 NFL Trend Report: First Quarter Fireworks in Buffalo?

Week 1 of the NFL season is in the can, and we already have some league-wide trends developing.

Road teams cleaned up against the spread, covering in 12 of the 16 games, while low scores led to 12 of the 16 games going Under. Of course, these things tend to even out a bit as the season goes on, but it’s not rare to see a particular trend linger for a few weeks as the season gets going.

Before we get into my favorite trends for every game in Week 2, remember to avoid betting NFL trends blindly. I use trends as a starting point for a handicap and always try to find additional data points to support them before making my NFL picks and predictions.

Let’s get into the NFL odds action for Week 2!

Best NFL Week 2 betting trends

Vikings at Eagles

The trend: The Eagles have scored first in 17 of their last 21 games.

To no one’s surprise, Philly starts fast. If you like this trend to continue, most sportsbooks offer "team to score first" odds for every game.

It should be noted that the Vikings are coming off a season where they ranked dead-last in first-quarter points allowed, so the Eagles on the first quarter spread at -2.5 is also an appealing bet. For what it’s worth, when these teams met in Week 2 last season, the Eagles scored first and led 7-0 at the end of the opening quarter.

See all Vikings vs. Eagles trends for Week 2.

Packers at Falcons

The trend: Check back soon!

Check back soon!

See all Packers vs. Falcons trends for Week 2.

Chiefs at Jaguars

The trend: Jacksonville went 5-0 SU and ATS as a home underdog in 2022.

The time could be now for the Jaguars, and a statement win vs. the defending champs would go a long way to prove that they’re a legit contender.

This 5-0 streak as a home dog includes their playoff win vs the Chargers, while the offense has averaged an impressive 30 points per game during this mini-tear.

With the Chiefs already facing some early season adversity, this one sets up nicely for the kings of the AFC South.

See all Chiefs vs. Jaguars trends for Week 2.

Raiders at Bills

The trend: The first quarter OVER is 15-6 in the Bills’ last 21 games.

Buffalo’s offense starts fast. They ranked second in first quarter points last season and could come out flying after their shocking loss to the Jets on Monday Night.

The Bills’ defense did take a while to get going in 2022, as they ranked 26th in first quarter points allowed. To the Raiders' credit, they were able to manufacture a TD on their first drive of the season vs. the Broncos on Sunday.

The 1Q total is sitting at 7.5 at the time of this writing.

See all Raiders vs. Bills trends for Week 2.

Seahawks at Lions

The trend: Eight of the Lions’ nine home games in 2022 saw at least 51 combined points scored.

This one seems relevant with the total sitting at 47 at the time of this writing. Games in Detroit saw an average combined score of 58.4 last season. The highest-scoring Lions home game last season saw them combined for a ridiculous 93 points with… the Seahawks.

Neither offense impressed in Week 1, but perhaps they can shake the rust and pick up where they left off against each other last season.

See all Seahawks vs. Lions trends for Week 2.

Colts at Texans

The trend: The Colts are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 divisional matchups.

Indianapolis has been an ATS punching bag within the AFC South lately, while the Texans are on a respectable stretch that’s seen them go 10-4 ATS in their last 14 divisional games.

These are fun trends, but they don’t carry a whole lot of substance considering the overhauls each team has had over the past few seasons. That said, Houston did cover in both games vs. the Colts last season.

See all Colts vs. Texans trends for Week 2.

Bears at Buccaneers

The trend: The Bears are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 as a road underdog.

It was confirmed in Week 1 that the Bears still suck when they got manhandled by the Packers, losing by 18 points on their home field. They’ll take the show on the road as a 3-point dog vs. a Bucs team that was expected to be awful, and still could be, but at least they’ve got some momentum after a surprise Week 1 win.

The Bears have now lost 10 straight overall, and there could be no end in sight if they can’t compete with Tampa Bay.

See all Bears vs. Buccaneers trends for Week 2.

Ravens at Bengals

The trend: The Ravens are 18-3-1 ATS in their last 22 games as an underdog.

After seeing this number, I think it’s fair to say John Harbaugh’s squad makes a habit out of playing up to the competition.

It’s worth noting that despite not having Lamar Jackson, Odell Beckham Jr, and flashy new toy Zay Flowers, Baltimore was very competitive in the Week 18 and Wild Card game vs. the Bengals last season. The Ravens lost each game, but they won the yards per play battle in each.

See all Ravens vs. Bengals trends for Week 2.

Chargers at Titans

The trend: The Titans have gone Under the 4Q total in 17 of their last 18 games.

I’ll go back to the well on this one and will continue to do so if it keeps hitting. These teams are coming off seasons where they ranked dead-last and 25th, respectively, in points scored in the fourth quarter. Another trend has seen the Chargers go Under the fourth quarter total in six of their last eight on the road.

See all Chargers vs. Titans trends for Week 2.

Giants at Cardinals

The trend: The Giants went 6-0 ATS after a loss last season.

New York is coming off one of the more humiliating losses in recent memory, but things set up nicely for a bounce-back in Week 2 vs. a Cardinals team that didn’t score an offensive touchdown in Week 1.

Bettors often fall into the trap of overreacting after an outlier performance in the opening week of the season, and that could be the case here. The Giants might not be good, but they’re not as bad as that Week 1 loss.

See all Giants vs. Cardinals trends for Week 2.

49ers at Rams

The trend: Kyle Shanahan is 9-3 SU and ATS when going head-to-head vs. Sean McVay.

The media builds it as such, but can we even call this a rivalry?

There’s no doubt that these are two of the top coaches in the league with decades of coaching still ahead of them, but Shanahan has had McVay’s number. He kept his foot on McVay’s throat last season, picking up wins of 16 and 15 in the two matchups between the teams, and will look to crush him once again with the 49ers favored by eight on Sunday.

See all 49ers vs. Rams trends for Week 2.

Commanders at Broncos

The trend: The Broncos are 3-13 ATS in their last 16 games as a favorite.

Sean Payton certainly didn’t make a difference in Week 1 with his offense still stuck in the mud from last season, but his team is still favored by 3.5. The Commanders are a hard team to build a case for, but this game could come down to the strength of their defense vs. the weakness of the Broncos' offense, which could lead to a low scoring, close game.

This one goes through a few different regimes, but another trend has seen Denver go 6-16-1 ATS in its last 23 games as a home favorite.

See all Commanders vs. Broncos trends for Week 2.

Jets at Cowboys

The trend: The Over is 15-6 in Dallas’ last 21 home games.

This certainly profiles as a low-scoring matchup and the game has one of the lower totals of the week, but any seasoned bettor knows that it’s not always as easy as it looks on paper.

While the defensive performances from each team in Week 1 and Jets QB Zach Wilson being on the field makes an Over wager a scary one, we should consider that this Cowboys offense has a recent history of being a beast at home, as they’ve averaged over 29 PPG on their homefield for four straight seasons.

See all Jets vs. Cowboys trends for Week 2.

Dolphins at Patriots

The trend: The Patriots are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games as an underdog.

I think this is an important one to consider. I guarantee this week you’ll hear someone pick the Patriots using logic along the lines of “I love Bill Belichick catching points at home!” That person will fail to provide much context and probably doesn’t realize New England is 0-5 ATS in its last five as a home dog. The Dolphins have also had their number lately, covering in five straight.

See all Dolphins vs. Patriots trends for Week 2.

Saints at Panthers

The trend: The Saints have gone Under in 10 of their last 11 games.

Everything about this matchup shouts UNDER! The teams combined for just 26 points in Week 1, while they’ve also gone below the total in five straight games against each other.

Specific to the trend above, these games have been extremely low-scoring, seeing an average combined score of just 30.18.

See all Saints vs. Panthers trends for Week 2.

Browns at Steelers

The trend: The Browns have lost 19 straight regular season games in Pittsburgh.

In fairness to the Browns, they did win a playoff game in Pittsburgh in 2020, but the Steelers beating up on the Browns in the Steel City has been like clockwork for nearly two decades. The Steelers will be a home dog for just the second time in this matchup since the streak began 19 games ago, and could be a good bounce-back candidate after a letdown performance in Week 1.

See all Browns vs. Steelers trends for Week 2.

That does it for my look at my favorite trends for Week 2. Best of luck with your bets, hopefully they’ll be trending in a positive direction by the time Week 2 wraps up! 

Pages related to this topic