NFL Week 2 Lookahead Lines & Odds: Bets to Make Before Week 1 Games

Week 1 of the NFL season is here! While we’re very excited to break down the full slate of games, it’s never too early to look ahead at the following week’s games to attempt to find value. Get Week 2 odds and lookahead lines.  In this weekly article, I’ll share the bets I have my eyes on ahead of schedule. These lines can move significantly in the week ahead of kickoff, so getting the early numbers can be crucial. Let’s take a look.

Week 2 Odds

Find the best NFL Week 2 odds and lines across the major sportsbooks. 

Jacksonville Jaguars +4.5

The Jaguars have quietly won three of their last five against the Colts, including the Week 18 game last year that kept Indianapolis out of the playoffs. That was the best performance of Trevor Lawrence’s rookie season as he threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns with a 72% completion rate.

The Colts are without green-dot defensive leader Shaquille Leonard this week, and he might miss this game against the Jaguars as well. If that’s the case, the Jaguars should be able to deploy their improved offense with Travis Etienne, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram finding success.

I have the Jaguars against the spread as one of my best bets of NFL Week 1 – you can check out my article for more analysis on that – and I believe Jacksonville could win their game this week. If Frank Reich brings his Week 1 record to 0-5 this week against the Texans, this line could shift drastically heading into next week.

Pittsburgh Steelers Moneyline

If you read my Week 1 best bets article, you’ll know I like the Dolphins to win and cover at home against the Patriots. I also like the Steelers to cover against the Bengals and possibly even pull off the upset. If the Patriots start slow and the Steelers look good in Week 1, you won’t get Pittsburgh at a plus-value Moneyline in Week 2.

There are notable concerns about quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, but it won’t take much for him to be a significant upgrade over Ben Roethlisberger’s production last season. With plenty of skill position talent on the roster, I expect the offense to be very capable of moving the ball this season.

Of course, Pittsburgh’s strength is on defense, in particular their defensive line. T.J. Watt and Cameron Hayward are among the best players in the league at their respective positions, and the Steelers are elite at putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Patriots’ offensive line is set to take a step back, and that makes this a very tough matchup for them.

New Orleans Saints +3

The Saints have had Tom Brady’s number since he joined the Buccaneers. They’ve beaten Tampa in four of their five games with Brady and seven of the last eight overall. New Orleans has developed an impressive defensive corps, and Dennis Allen has developed the perfect defensive scheme to bother Brady.

Entering this season, Brady is without three of his five offensive line starters from the Super Bowl run. Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski are no longer with the team while Chris Godwin will need some time before he’s at 100% in his recovery from an ACL tear.

Meanwhile, Jameis Winston has the most talent he’s had since arriving in New Orleans with rookie Chris Olave joining a healthy Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jarvis Landry. The Saints’ offense was solid with Winston last year as he led them to a 5-2 record prior to his injury.

FanDuel is already hanging a 2.5-point spread for this game, and I’d expect that to become the consensus line after the games this week. 3 points is a key number in the NFL, and I’m not waiting to bet this line to see if it gets back to 3.5 points. I’m locking this in prior to Sunday.

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I've been a huge sports fan for as long as I can remember and I've always loved writing. In 2020, I joined the Lineups team, and I've been producing written and video content on football and basketball ever since. In May 2021, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in sport management. My goal is to tell enthralling stories and provide meaningful insight on the sports I write about while helping you cash some bets along the way.

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