NFL picks against the spread: Dolphins move to 2-0 with surprise win against Ravens

NFL picks against the spread are back with a look ahead to Week 2 in the 2022 NFL regular season.

After a wild and wooly week that delivered some robust ratings for the league, the NFL is back in action with a full slate in the second week of the season. After an impressive debut, Carson Wentz makes his first start on the road for the Washington Commanders and battles a rare favorite in the Detroit Lions. NFC East rivals the New York Giants look to move to 2-0 with their home opener against Baker Mayfield and the Carolina Panthers.

Other top games this week see the Dallas Cowboys battle Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals without Dak Prescott. The Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders faceoff to get their first victory of the season, and the New England Patriots look to get their offense rolling in a road matchup against the surprise 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Also Read: Everything you need to know about the NFL Sunday Ticket

In this latest edition of the column, we will focus on five specific games and make some bold NFL picks against the spread.

Dolphins move to 2-0 with surprise win over Ravens

The Miami Dolphins were one of the big winners from Week 1 after they beat up on the Patriots en route to a 20-7 victory. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was effective despite a lack of a running game and his new superstar wideout Tyreek Hill displayed a glimpse of what he will bring to Miami in 2022. They will face off with another team who got off to a good start in Week 1, the Baltimore Ravens. While it took Lamar Jackson some time to get rolling last week, in the end, they dominated the Jets as expected.

However, the ‘Fins are not the softball the Jets are. Currently, the Ravens are the favorite to win on Sunday but expect the Dolphins to put up far more of a fight than Gang Green and surprise by overcoming their +3.5 betting line and beat Baltimore.

Lions earn first W and upend Commanders

For the first time in 24 weeks, the Lions are actually betting favorites ahead of an NFL game. That is saying something considering the fact that they lost their season opener and their opponents, the Commanders, looked strong in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s evidence of the upside oddsmakers see in Detroit following a close loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that could win the NFC East with Dallas losing Prescott for at least a month.

While Wentz was very good at times in Week 1, he still had typical moments that led to his two interceptions. Making it hard to be believers in Washington just yet. After showing there is far more talent there than maybe originally expected, look for the Lions to cover the -1.5 spread and blow passed that number en route to a win on Sept. 18.

Giants maintain strong start, get second win versus Panthers

Like the Dolphins and several other teams, the Giants were a surprise squad in Week 1 with a big win in Tennessee over the Titans. Despite being without two key rushers, the defense kept Derrick Henry in check, for the most part. Daniel Jones was efficient and Saquon Barkley was dominant. Their opponents this week, the Carolina Panthers, had a favorable pairing at home against the Cleveland Browns, sans Deshaun Watson. Yet they couldn’t slow down Nick Chubb and he ran all over them in Week 1.

Expect Barkley to do the same and the G-Men to move to 2-0 and overcome their -2 betting line.

Seahawks keep it close against 49ers

The Seahawks ruined Russell Wilson’s homecoming in Seattle with a darn solid showing. Their final stats weren’t spectacular, but a win, is a win and they were rock solid last week. On Sunday they get a less fearsome offensive force in Trey Lance and the San Francisco 49ers off of a horrid showing in Chicago against the Bears.

The 49ers should be able to bounce back and get their first win of the season, but the current betting line of +9.5 is just way too high considering how Lance has looked thus far. Expect the ‘Hawks to put up a fight and lose by less than the betting line.

Packers take Week 1 frustrations out on Bears in Week 2

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers got pushed around by the upstart Minnesota Vikings last week. That is definitely not going to happen for the second week in a row with the richest QB in football. While the Bears scored an upset win last week against the 49ers, they needed horrid weather and an even worse game from the San Fran’ offense to barely eek one out. The Packers are a -10 favorite, and they will crush that number with a dominant win in their home opener in Green Bay.

This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.com and is republished here with permission.