We’re still 3 ½ months away from the start of the 2023 NFL regular season, and so you can take advantage of imbalances that you see in some of the opening lines. As the season gets closer, those imbalances can go away as NFL betting lines move in response to incoming action. This article looks at three games from Week 2, as teams are still sorting out issues on both sides of the ball and new rosters continue to build chemistry.
NFL Betting News: Must-Bet Games for Week 2
Seattle Seahawks (+2) at Detroit Lions / Seattle +110 / Detroit -130
When: Sunday, September 17, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Ford Field, DetroiT, MI
TV: FOX
Detroit lost early to Seattle last year, a game that ended up costing them a shot at the postseason when they knocked off Green Bay at Lambeau in Week 18. This time, the Seahawks come to Detroit, and the Lions have a much better secondary waiting for them. They added cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Cameron Sutton and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and they drafted Brian Branch out of Alabama. Last year, the Lions permitted 82 plays of at least 20 yards through the air, worst in the NFL.
Seattle also gave the secondary a boost, adding safety Julian Love via free agency and drafting corner Devon Witherspoon in the first round. Witherspoon joins Tariq Woolen to make a terrific cornerback pair, and Love might let them play with three safeties in case Jamal Adams, who blew a quadriceps tendon in Week 1 last year, isn’t quite set to start the season. But both of these teams can grind out the running game, and the Lions finished 2022 a lot stronger than the Seahawks did. Lions to win and cover.
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Baltimore Ravens (+3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals / Baltimore +155 / Cincinnati -180
When: Sunday, September 17, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
TV/Streaming: CBS, Paramount+
It wasn’t that long ago that the Baltimore Ravens had a starting quarterback asking for a trade and a wide receiver corps that was, at best, substandard. Now, though, the Ravens have extended Lamar Jackson and added Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr via free agency while also drafting Zay Flowers. Rashod Bateman returns after missing the second half of 2022 with a foot injury. Jackson will have four first-round draftees running routes for him this year.
Cincinnati already has an elite group running routes, but their area of need was on the offensive line. The Bengals added Orlando Brown Jr at left tackle via free agency, in the hope that Jonah Williams will move to right tackle and improve the team’s pass blocking. The more time Joe Burrow has in the pocket, the more damage he can do down the field. Bengals to win and cover.
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N.Y. Jets (+2) at Dallas Cowboys / New York +105 / Dallas -125
When: Sunday, September 17, 4:25 pm ET
Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
TV/Streaming: CBS, Paramount+
The Jets went 7-10 last year, but that record masks a 6-3 start that had the Jets looking like a potential playoff team. The offense fell off the table, scoring just 15 points combined in their last three games and scoring more than 12 points just three times in that 1-7 free fall that ended their campaign. This is a team with a lot of talent on defense, a young running back in Breece Hall who has elite speed and tackle-breaking ability – and, now, an elite quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. The Jets’ QBR last season was 35.5, good for 29th of 32 teams, and they were 31st in touchdown passes with 15. Both of those numbers will change radically with Rodgers at the helm.
The Dallas defense played well last year, but they lost to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, 31-28, in overtime. Rodgers has a 6-3 lifetime record against Dallas, and the talent he has around him with the Jets might be even better than what he had in Green Bay – remember, the Packers missed the playoffs last year. Until Dak Prescott shows that he can lead the Cowboys to wins against elite quarterbacks, it’s hard to pick them here. Jets to cover.
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