Week 2 Picks

It's Wednesday, the day before the start of Week 2! Check out TRO's picks against the spread for the upcoming Week!

via Mark Lomoglio / AP

Each Wednesday, TRO will be making picks against the spread. While we will make picks for every game, we will place emphasis on our "First Four Downs" which will the four picks we feel most confident about. Our record against the spread will be kept on the Green Zone page, be sure to check it out each week!

Last week, TRO finished .500 in its picks. While there's certainly room for improvement, if you allocated your funds like we did then you broke even. Stick around with us as we climb up that hill.

TRO'S FIRST FOUR DOWNS:

1st Down: Buffalo Bills (-3.5) @ Miami Dolphins

via Jason Vinlove / USA Today Sports

After putting up a poor offensive performance at home, and failing to close out the Pittsburgh Steelers, we would not want to be the team in the way of the Buffalo Bills' bounce back week. Good football teams move on from a poor showing the week before and take out their frustrations on the opponent the following week, especially if it is one that is not as good as they are. The Bills are a good football team, and the Miami Dolphins, while they are a competitive team, are not on the Bills' level. The Bills will not start the season 0-2, they will hit hard in a big way in Week 2. There's no way they lose this game by less than 4 points. TRO is predicting a 7-10 point win at a minimum.

2nd Down: Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5) @ Baltimore Ravens

via Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun

If Monday night taught us anything, it is that the Ravens have a difficult time generating pressure on opposing quarterbacks without elaborate blitz packages. This will not bode in their favor when facing Patrick Mahomes and the score-at-will Chiefs offense. Factor that in with all of the injuries Baltimore has faced, this one seems like a sure-fired win for Kansas City. This one might make you sweat for a little while, but the Chiefs will ultimately win by a touchdown.

3rd Down: Dallas Cowboys @ Los Angeles Chargers (-3.0)

via Wesley Hitt / Getty Images

This one should be fun. A Dak Prescott v. Justin Herbert shootout is in store for all of us. The Cowboys against the defending champs looked a lot better than the Chargers did against the Washington Football team and their second quarterback. Washington struggled to get off the field on third down. Dallas should make a few extra plays and look to get Ezekiel Elliott more involved running the ball to cover and win.

4th Down: Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) @ Indianapolis Colts

via Los Angeles Times

Matt Stafford appears to be having a ton of fun in Los Angeles. He has given Sean McVay more than he's ever had to work with in his young coaching career. Russell Wilson just left Indy after posting his second highest quarterback rating of his career, torching the Colts for a big win. Carson Wentz struggled against an unimpressive Seahawks defense. It seems like a no brainer that Stafford will continue to let it fly with ease, while Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey make Carson Wentz's head spin.

THE FIELD:

New York Giants @ Washington Football Team (-3.5)

Washington might squeak away with a win, but we are expecting the Giants to at least keep it close. New York can't afford to put forth another pitiful showing following Week 1's performance, and they'll catch Washington in the midst of a quarterback change on a short week.

New Orleans Saints (-3.0) @ Carolina Panthers

This one smells like a trap. Vegas is begging you to over-analyze the Saints' dominant performance over the Packers to pick them to win by more than a field goal over the Panthers in Carolina. The Saints certainly look like the better team, but the Panthers have a knack for keeping these games extremely close when they are underdogs. Also, the Saints are dealing with some additional injuries and COVID. If the Panthers can't win, they'll lose 1 or 2.

Denver Broncos (-6.0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Broncos defense and run game will prove too much to handle for Jacksonville. The Jags will look better in Week 2 than they did last week, but it will still take them some time.

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns (-12.5)

We understand that 12.5 is A LOT of points, but Cleveland should pull this one out by two touchdowns. Despite Houston's Week 1 performance, they should regress back down to the mean just a bit, and Cleveland will be extra motivated to show their home crowd what they can do after letting last week's game against Kansas City slip through their [punter's] fingers.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Chicago Bears (-2.5)

Until Chicago decides to wise up and start Justin Fields, the Chicago Bears will not win many games. An Andy Dalton revenge game does not strike the fear in us, and it won't in Joe Burrow and company. Even if the Bengals find a way to lose this game, they will still find a way to cover.

San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles won't be playing the Atlanta Falcons this week. They will have a much tougher time pressuring the quarterback against San Fran's offensive line, and Jalen Hurts won't have as much time to dissect this secondary, a secondary which is better in its own right as well. The Niners should have control of this game from start to finish.

Las Vegas Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5)

Pittsburgh's defense won't be as forgiving as Baltimores was against the Raiders. Look for Najee Harris to have his coming out party as he takes advantage of this porous run defense.

New England Patriots (-6.0) @ New York Jets

While the Patriots couldn't pull out a win in Week 1 despite holding the Dolphins to just 17 points, the game plan allowed for Mac Jones to play mistake-free football. The Patriots will follow the Panthers' game plan from Week 1, throw the kitchen sink at Wilson, and force him to make a mistake or two leading to a 7-10 point win.

Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals (-4.5)

We think Arizona will pull out a W, but Minnesota will cover the spread. The Vikings have more to offer than Tennessee does, and Arizona will come back down to Earth a little bit, but Kyler Murray will make enough plays to pull away a 1-4 point win.

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-12.5)

The Falcons took possibly the second ugliest loss of Week 1. They will put forth a better offensive effort against a Tampa Bay pass defense that allowed the Cowboys to air it out to at least keep the game within 12 points or less, but they won't have the firepower to win.

Tennessee Titans @ Seattle Seahawks (-5.0)

Seattle might still win this game, but Tennessee will keep it close leading to them covering the spread. Derek Henry won't be kept at bay 2 weeks in a row, and the Titans will play a much more complete game following an embarrassing outing in Week 1.

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers (-11)

Aaron Rodgers will be itching to have the Packers come out in Week 2 and make up for their 35-point loss in Week 1. The Packers won't have much trouble winning the game, but the Lions will continue to show grit and fight, leading to a backdoor cover.

Come back next Wednesday for Week 3's picks!