If Week 2 of the NFL season is known for anything, it’s overreaction.
Football bettors can get a little trigger happy with one week of results, which means there is line value either jumping on the openers or waiting for the market to make those moves. We plan out our point spread and Over/Under NFL bets for Week 2 with our first “Bet Now, Bet Later” of the 2022 season.
Week 2 bet now, bet later picks
- Miami Dolphins (+4.5) at Baltimore Ravens: Bet Now
- Los Angeles Chargers (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs: Bet Later
- Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (Over 45.5): Bet Now
- Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders (Over 51.5): Bet Later
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Miami Dolphins (+4.5) at Baltimore Ravens: Bet Now
The new-look Dolphins made a splash in their debut with a 20-7 win over New England at home in Week 1. Miami’s offense was effective but not overwhelming, and seven of those points did come from a defensive scoop-and-score.
The look-ahead lines before the start of the season had Miami +4 and the official opener hit the board at Dolphins +4.5, which immediately took action and is getting walked down as low as +3.5 at some offshores.
The Baltimore Ravens back into Week 2 with a growing injury list. Baltimore was already playing without LT Ronnie Stanley, and his replacement in the starting lineup — Ja'Wuan James — is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The Ravens rushing attack is already without Gus Edwards, and J.K. Dobbins sat out the opener versus the Jets. Bettors should keep a close eye on the team’s activity this week.
Baltimore bashed poor Gang Green 24-9 but did give up 295 passing yards to Joe Flacco, with the bulk of that coming late in the game. Tough to take much away from a hollow win over the Jets, but it’s not impressing bettors enough to keep this spread from shrinking.
If you like the Dolphins, go get those remaining +4.5.
Los Angeles Chargers (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs: Bet Later
The AFC West takes the Thursday night stage when the Chiefs welcome the Bolts to Arrowhead in a game that could go a long way in deciding how this division shakes out.
Kansas City, which blasted Arizona 44-21 in Week 1, opened at -3 and has risen to -3.5 at some shops on Sunday night. And why not? Patrick Mahomes put a cork in all those doubters over the offseason and the Chiefs defense looked very disruptive.
Los Angeles appeared to be on the same path against the rival Raiders in Week 1, jumping out to a quick 17-3 lead before the half. Things went sideways in the second half and Las Vegas made Bolts bettors sweat out a 24-19 win despite the L.A. defense recording six sacks and three interceptions.
The Chargers have a better defense than the Chiefs and while Mahomes did shine, he did so against a soft secondary and a Cardinals defense missing bodies. Look-ahead lines in the summer had the Bolts as field goal dogs and many books are hanging +3 out of the gate with that number climbing at other shops. The half-point hook is worth the wait if you’re taking the Chargers on Thursday.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (Over 45.5): Bet Now
Neither of these AFC South franchises looked great in Week 1.
Indianapolis walked out with a 20-20 tie as a 7-point road favorite in Houston, despite amassing a league-high 517 yards of offense. The Colts went 2-for-5 inside the red zone and turned the ball over twice (lost one of five fumbles).
The Jaguars scored 22 points on Washington — with the help of two turnovers — but left points on the table with bad drops in the end zone and oh-so-close calls near the goal line that left Jacksonville to go 2 of 5 inside the Commanders’ 20-yard line.
These teams played in Indianapolis last November with the total closing at 48 points. The Colts had Carson Wentz under center in that game and Trevor Lawrence was in the midst of rookie QB hell under then head coach Urban Meyer. Their infamous Week 18 game — in which the Jags upset the Colts and their playoff hopes — closed with a total of 43.5.
Both offenses are substantially better in 2022 with Matt Ryan as Indianapolis’ QB and Lawrence now in Year 2 working under Doug Pederson alongside solid skill players. This total opened at 45.5 points around the industry, but some sharper books are already climbing to 46.5 points. Get the Over now.
Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders (Over 51.5): Bet Later
This Over/Under number hit the board at 52 points and immediately slimmed to 51.5 points, with some books pricing Under 51.5 at -120.
The Cardinals defense was absolutely gashed by the Chiefs and this pass defense was pegged as one of the league's worst secondaries before the season began. Arizona still has pop on offense, putting up 21 points on just 282 yards in only 25:18 minutes of possession in Week 1 (going 3-for-3 in RZ). Total bettors will want to keep an eye on the status of WR Rondale Moore (hamstring) in Week 2.
Las Vegas stiffened in the second half of its 24-19 loss to the Chargers and its offense sputtered thanks to three INTs from QB Derek Carr. However, Josh McDaniels’ new playbook started clicking in the final 30 minutes and Davante Adams lived up to the hype with 141 yards and a touchdown.
We have two capable scoring attacks with electric quarterbacks as well as a pair of porous pass defenses. If the early market move is going down, wait to see if you can get the Over at a better number.
