NFL Week 2 Betting Favorites Dominate, Seahawks, Chiefs, Steelers Avoid Upsets

The second NFL Sunday of the 2020 season didn’t feature many surprising results as nearly every betting favorite was victorious.

Heading into “Monday Night Football,” Week 2 favorites are 9-6 against the spread and 14-1 straight up. The Los Angeles Rams were the only underdogs that won, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 37-19 on the road, though LA was favored earlier in the week.

The Cleveland Browns failed to cover the six-point spread but defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 35-30 to kick off Week 2 Thursday night.

That’s not to say Sunday wasn’t an exciting day of football. Plenty of top teams flirted with losses before pulling out dramatic victories.

The Seattle Seahawks stopped Cam Newton at the goal line as time expired to defeat the New England Patriots 35-30 in primetime and narrowly cover a four-point spread. Patrick Mahomes and the champion Kansas City Chiefs needed overtime and a 58-yard game-winning field goal to stave off an upset from the Los Angeles Chargers. It took three scores in the final five minutes and on onside kick for the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Atlanta Falcons 40-39.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were favored by a touchdown over the visiting Denver Broncos. After starting quarterback Drew Lock was lost for the game because of a first-quarter injury, the Broncos came up just short in a 26-21 loss.

The Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers both won by three scores as touchdown favorites.

The Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants all covered the spread but lost their respective games as underdogs. None of those teams were beaten by more than five points.

In the AFC, the top teams have picked up where they left off a season ago. Five of the conference’s six playoff teams are 2-0. The Houston Texans are the only exception. The Texans have been beaten by the Chiefs and Ravens, the two Super Bowl favorites.

Baltimore has outscored its opponents by a conference-leading 49 points through two weeks. The Ravens are early favorites for their highly anticipated game against the Chiefs in Week 3, according to odds compiled by OddsShark.

The Eagles and Minnesota Vikings are both winless after making the NFC playoffs last year. Minnesota has been an underdog in each of its first two games.

The New Orleans Saints are 5.5-point favorites against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Week 2 finale Monday night.