Heading into the second week of the NFL season, there is a little more clarity, in theory, on the 2026 versions of each team. The first reads of the year for the Against the Spread series were not perfect, but they did yield a winning record.
With a better idea of where teams are at early on, it is time to turn that knowledge into more locks.
These odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook at the time this is being written and are always subject to change. Without any further delay, here is the Week 2 edition of Aaron Burriesci Against the Spread.
Against The Spread: 7-PT Teaser, Eagles @ Titans (PHI -7 -> PK)
The first bet on tap will be a two-team seven-point teaser, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at the Tennessee Titans. The teaser takes the -7 point spread and turns it into Eagles (PK). For those unfamiliar, PK stands for “pick’em”, which means that there is no point spread and the team being bet on just needs to win the game by any margin.
This choice is a case of trusting a clearly superior team to take care of business and win a game they’re supposed to. The Titans have no business making this a competitive contest. Cam Ward’s play is already having people around the league throw around the “B word” (bust), and the Eagles are not exactly a defense to have a get-right performance against.
Breece Hall ran all over Tennessee last Sunday, and Saquon Barkley and the Philly rushing attack should be able to take full advantage as well. The Birds are already a run-first offense, and this game plan will be extremely effective in this spot. Going against an anemic offense, all they’ll need to do is be smart, possess the ball, and not hurt themselves. Barkley only had 15 carries in Week 1 and will be ready for an even larger workload in Music City.
This is a game that, perhaps if it were later in the season, could be one where Philadelphia overlooks a lesser opponent. Luckily, with this only being the second contest, that should not be the case. Plus, the Titans’ All-Pro Jeffery Simmons already provided some bulletin board material, saying, “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB.” Ouch, not too sure the Eagles are going to take too kindly to their leader being blatantly disrespected like that.
As a head coach, Nick Sirianni has a 19-6 record against AFC teams. It isn’t going to be a masterpiece, but the trend will continue. Philadelphia gets the job done on the road and takes this one 27-13.
Against The Spread: 7-PT Teaser, Vikings @ Bears (CHI -4.5 -> +2.5)
The second team on the teaser is the Chicago Bears (-4.5) when they welcome the Minnesota Vikings to town. With the seven-point teaser in place, the point spread then becomes Bears (+2.5). Chicago was included as one of last week’s single bets, and they were so impressive that they’ve been invited back as a teaser play.
It remains to be seen whether Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz will be under center for the Vikings on Sunday, but frankly, neither changes the outlook much. Wentz actually performed better than Murray, who was knocked out with a concussion in Week 1, but regardless of who the QB is in this matchup, bettors shouldn’t be deterred.
The Bears’ offense has come out of the gates firing on all cylinders and will be raring to get back out there for the home opener against a division rival. The defense is a bit of a concern after being lit up for 478 yards and 37 points by the Panthers, but playing at home against a familiar opponent should give the unit a needed boost.
There is a healthy respect for Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell and DC Brian Flores as two of the best in their fields, but they have a beatable team. O’Connell is possibly already without his starting QB and lead RB, as Jordan Mason was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday. That is not an ideal situation when trying to keep up with a high-powered Bears offense.
Flores’ defense is known to be incredibly aggressive and well-disguised. While effective, that aggressiveness can leave them vulnerable to big plays. Forgotten in last week’s win is the fact that the Vikings gave up over 400 yards to a Packers offense that is far less talented than that of the Bears.
Chicago will need to continue its lethal rushing attack to prevent Flores from dialing up blitzes all day and teeing off on Caleb Williams. Ben Johnson’s offense can expose a team by land or by air, but with potential rain in the forecast, the run game could prove to be especially crucial.
The Bears’ offense stays hot and leads them to a 2-0 start. Chicago wins 31-21.
Against The Spread: Bengals @ Texans (HOU -2.5)
The first single bet of the week will be the Houston Texans (-2.5) at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. Texans’ star receiver, Nico Collins, is in danger of missing this matchup after injuring his hamstring in practice on Wednesday. This is an important injury worth tracking leading up to game time, but should he miss this one, his team should still be able to win and, more importantly, cover.
This pick is a bit of putting faith in Houston to not start the season off 0-2, and a bit of not believing that Cincinnati will start 2-0. There’s nothing wrong with mixing positivity and negativity if it leads to a lock.
The two teams were somewhat on opposite ends of the spectrum in Week 1. The Texans lost to the Bills because they turned the ball over too many times. Meanwhile, the Bengals beat the Buccaneers because they turned the ball over less. It was more of TB beating themselves than Cincy going above and beyond to win.
Despite the loss, Houston went toe to toe with the Bills, who, after Week 2 TNF, are clearly on another level so far. If CJ Stroud could have held onto the ball a little better, it could have been a whole different story, and they likely would have won the game. After a humbling first outing, the defense should be playing angry and looking to reestablish themselves as a unit to be feared.
The Bengals have an offense full of playmakers, but they were relatively limited by an average to below-average Bucs defense. Tampa’s four lost fumbles completely altered the game, and still Cincinnati only won by six points. With Joe Burrow already dealing with back tightness and going up against a disgruntled Texans defense, it’s not exactly an ideal situation for the former first overall pick.
The Houston defense gets back on track and makes a statement. H-Town wins 27-13.
Against The Spread: Jaguars @ Broncos (JAX +2.5)
The other single play will be the Jacksonville Jaguars (+2.5) when they head to Mile High City and take on the Denver Broncos. This spread seems to indicate the oddsmakers’ faith in the Broncos’ home-field advantage and ability to bounce back from a demoralizing defeat. Do they deserve that, though?
Denver was a shell of last year’s iteration on Monday Night Football in Kansas City. Maybe it was just a case of first-game jitters on the road, but they looked like a bad team. Bo Nix couldn’t find a rhythm all night and posted the second-worst QBR of the week. The defense was equally as awful, getting shredded by Kenneth Walker and racking up a ridiculous 28 missed tackles.
The Jaguars cruised to an easy Week 1 win at home against the pitiful Cleveland Browns, but they have been on a roll dating back to last season. In their last 12 games, the Jags have won 10 of them and scored 23 points or more each time. That includes a 34-20 victory in Denver, which ended up being the Broncos’ only home defeat of the regular season.
Jacksonville is a young, confident bunch who know what they are capable of. HC Liam Coen is a rising star, and his partnership with Trevor Lawrence only seems to be growing stronger. Bettors should side with this duo plus the points, rather than Nix and first-year OC Davis Webb, who are still clearly feeling each other out.
The Jaguars roar in the mountains and send the Broncos spiraling even further downhill. Jax covers the spread and wins outright, 24-20.
Only three wagers this week, but all feel like strong options. Gamblers should never place bets just for the sake of placing them. It is much more effective to be smart and stick to a few well-researched games rather than simply spraying and praying. Quality over quantity 100% of the time.
Cheers to a lock-filled Week 2!
