Bleacher Report's Expert Week 2 2026 NFL Picks and Predictions

In the first few weeks of the NFL season, we're all feeling out these teams, and even some head coaches are figuring out their clubs after resting starters in the preseason.

Regardless, Bleacher Report's expert crew can find the edge on the point spreads to make early profit. Analysts Gary Davenport, Brad Gagnon, Kris Knox, Moe Moton, and Brent Sobleski, along with editors Wes O'Donnell and Ian Hanford, made it out of Week 1 with a winning record on lone-wolf picks. There are two more this week.

As you can see in the Week 1 standings below, Moton leads the group, and our panel was mostly .500 or better.

Let's dive into Week 2, starting with a big-time matchup between the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills Thursday night. Our crew is nearly split on that game, and two analysts have strong opinions for their side.

ATS Standings

1. Moton: 11-5

T-2. Davenport: 9-7

T-2. Gagnon: 9-7

T-4. Hanford: 8-8

T-4. O'Donnell: 8-8

T-6. Knox: 6-10

T-6. Sobleski: 6-10

Lone Wolf Picks: 3-1

Lines are from FanDuel as of Wednesday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m. ET. Check FanDuel for the latest odds info. Information on public betting trends is courtesy of the Action Network. ATS records are provided by Team Rankings.

Detroit Lions (1-0) at Buffalo Bills (1-0)

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AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17)

Gagnon: Lions (+4.5)

I don't trust either defense to let either offense pull away here. This strikes me as a game that will come down to a last-minute or overtime field goal.

Moton: Bills (-4.5)

In Week 1, the Detroit Lions' passing attack struggled early. Based on Next Gen Stats via NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Jared Goff's disparity in pass efficiency between snaps under center (9-of-17 for 72 yards) and in shotgun formation (17-of-22 for 134 yards and two touchdowns) is worth noting going forward.

On a separate note, coming off a four-touchdown performance against the Houston Texans' vaunted defense, Josh Allen gets a matchup with the Lions secondary without its starting safeties, All-Pro Kerby Joseph and Pro Bowler Brian Branch. He should feast on Detroit's pass defense as the Bills get their first win at the new Highmark Stadium by a touchdown.

Predictions

Bills: Hanford, Knox, Moton, Sobleski

Lions: Davenport, Gagnon, O'Donnell

Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1)

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AP Photo/Scott Kinser

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young

Moton: Panthers (-1.5)

Lost in the Carolina Panthers' Week 1 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears, they played well offensively. Head coach Dave Canales' decision to hand off play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Brad Idzik could help Bryce Young's development.

Young threw for 361 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in defeat. If he posts half that stat line against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina can win the game. With Michael Penix Jr. still recovering from knee surgery, the Falcons will start a banged-up Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) or journeyman backup Cooper Rush at quarterback.

If the Panthers sell out to stop Bijan Robinson after giving up 291 rushing yards last week, they should be able to win this toss-up matchup. The Falcons aren't nearly as prolific offensively as the Bears.

O'Donnell: Falcons (+1.5)

It's probably safe to say the Panthers won't give up 59 points again this week, regardless of who is playing QB for the Falcons. It's hard to take too much away from the teams' opening games outside of saying "the Panthers' defense is gorydamn terrible" — "the Bears' offense looks really dangerous" — and/or "the Falcons were actually in that Week 1 game at Pittsburgh with Cooper Rush at QB... until that pick-six" — albeit against a Steelers team that played exactly how you'd expect the Steelers to play.

So something's gotta give in this divisional matchup, and I'll take the points home because I don't believe in either team right now.

Predictions

Panthers: Davenport, Hanford, Knox, Moton, Sobleski

Falcons: Gagnon, O'Donnell

New Orleans Saints (0-1) at Baltimore Ravens (1-0)

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AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave

Moton: Saints (+8.5)

This line is disrespectful to the New Orleans Saints, who erased a 21-point road deficit in Detroit and almost pulled off an outright upset in overtime. The Saints took some time to get going in the Motor City, but they have enough offensive firepower to keep the score margin within one possession.

The Saints' aerial attack will pose a legitimate threat. Tyler Shough can sling it; he threw for 410 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in Week 1. Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele and Juwan Johnson racked up 20 receptions for a combined 305 yards and two touchdowns.

The Baltimore Ravens could be down two receivers. Ja'Kobi Lane will undergo wrist surgery, per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. Zay Flowers sat out the second half of the previous week because of a hamstring injury. As of Wednesday, he's questionable at best. After an 18-point win over the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore has to edge out the Saints in a more competitive one-possession game.

Sobleski: Ravens (-8.5)

The second-half surge the Saints provided in Week 1 does make this spread worrisome. Tyler Shough and Co. are going to be difficult to deal with all season. However, the Baltimore Ravens were among the most impressive teams to open the season, particularly on offense where new coordinator Declan Doyle seemingly found the right recipe to unlock Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and the talented group. Even with injuries at wide receiver, the Ravens should be able to execute at a high level and keep rolling.

Predictions

Saints: Davenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton

Ravens: O'Donnell, Sobleski

Green Bay Packers (0-1) at New York Jets (1-0)

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AP Photo/Abbie Parr

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9)

Davenport: Packers (-3.5)

The Packers admittedly looked, um, yeah in blowing a big lead to a backup quarterback in Minnesota. The Jets, on the other hand, like won a game—on purpose and everything. But this spread isn't as big as the gap between the two teams. Order is restored to the universe Sunday at MetLife.

Gagnon: Jets (+3.5)

By no means do I trust the Jets, but I'll take that hook for a team feeling good in its home opener against an opponent that didn't look close to right in Week 1. Green Bay is hurting right now. The Jets will eventually hit a wall but I'm not convinced that happens here.

Predictions

Packers: Davenport, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell

Jets: Gagnon, Sobleski

Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at Chicago Bears (1-0)

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AP Photo/Scott Kinser

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams

Davenport: Vikings (+5.5)

The Bears dropped 59 points on the Panthers last week. The Vikings will probably be starting Carson Wentz under center. So why take the points? Two reasons. The first is that Minnesota's defense is a fair bit better than Carolina's. The second is that Chicago's defense was turrible in Week 1. Not terrible. Turrible.

Knox: Bears (-5.5)

In Week 1, the Bears reminded me a lot of the 2024 Bengals. They feel like a team that can score almost at will, but one that may need to score at a high clip to win games. I don't trust Chicago's defense at this point in the season, but what I trust even less is Carson Wentz in a back-and-forth battle with Caleb Williams.

Predictions

Vikings: Davenport, Moton

Bears: Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Houston Texans (0-1)

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AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7)

Hanford: Texans (-3)

The Texans defense got lit up by Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 1, but I think the more important takeaway is C.J. Stroud looking sharp to go along with a strong run game. The Bengals scored 33 points against Tampa Bay in Week 1, but I think that was more about their defense forcing four turnovers than a prolific offense. I like the Texans' pass-rush to make Joe Burrow uncomfortable while the secondary locks up Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as Houston gets a bounce-back win.

Sobleski: Bengals (+3)

The Texans defense surrendering over 400 yards ranked among the most surprising outcomes in Week 1. Obviously, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a lot to say in that matter. Still, Joe Burrow is no slouch, and the Cincinnati Bengals are far more talented at wide receiver.

Even if Houston does a better job slowing Cincinnati's offense, the Bengals' defense came to play this season by creating four turnovers and four sacks in the opener. This contest is an early litmus test to find out whether the Bengals can propel themselves into the AFC's elite, and they should do so.

Predictions

Bengals: Davenport, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Texans: Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton

Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at New England Patriots (0-1)

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AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt

Hanford: Steelers (+4.5)

The Steelers offense remained a mostly dismal watch in Mike McCarthy's first game at the helm, but this is about the defense for me. The Patriots' offensive line still has issues, and the offense just lost its top playmaker in A.J. Brown for an extended period of time. New England is getting the favorable nod as the home team here, but I think T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh defense make life difficult for Maye and make this game ugly enough that it stays within a field goal in the end.

O'Donnell: Patriots (-4.5)

Nothing has really changed for the Steelers despite Mike McCarthy replacing Mike Tomlin after 19 seasons. That's both good and bad. We know who the Steelers are right now. The Patriots, meanwhile, imploded in the opening-night Super Bowl rematch. More specifically, Drake Maye imploded.

The Pats' Bowl run a year ago was aided by a well-documented cupcake schedule, sure, but they still had to play and win the football games. This is a risk, but I'm backing the home favorites to rebound against a Steelers team that was 3-5 ATS in road games a year ago.

Predictions

Steelers: Davenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Moton, Sobleski

Patriots: Knox, O'Donnell

Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)

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AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield

Hanford: Buccaneers (-8.5)

Baker Mayfield has only faced the Browns once in his career, losing as QB of the Panthers in 2022. I'm not expecting the same result this time. The Browns were listless in every way against the Jaguars in Week 1. Trevor Lawrence shredded the defense, and the Cleveland offense struggled to find any rhythm. I think Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense bounce back from a turnover-prone Week 1 and coast to an easy win here.

Sobleski: Buccaneers (-8.5)

It's revenge SZN for Baker Mayfield. Not only does the Buccaneers quarterback need to redeem himself after a three-turnover performance in Week 1, he now gets to face the team that jettisoned him aside for the struggling quarterback the Cleveland Browns plan to start.

Mayfield is going to do everything in his power to bury his old team and prove it made the wrong decision—even if everyone already knows the franchise did. An exclamation point is necessary considering the bad blood between these two parties.

Predictions

Buccaneers: Davenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Tennessee Titans (0-1)

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AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts

Davenport: Eagles (-7)

To be fair, while the Eagles won in Week 1, they didn't look especially good doing it—on either side of the ball. But while Philly was grinding out a win, the Titans were getting dusted. At home. By the New York Jets. Saquon goes nuts. Cam Ward flees for his life for four quarters. Fly Eagles Fly and whatnot.

Knox: Eagles (-7)

It doesn't look like any of us are backing the Titans, and I can understand why. In Week 1, Tennessee looked like a team that could be picking at the top of the draft again this year.

That said, I could see a path to a Titans cover here. Philly's defense looked average at best against the run on Sunday, and its offense looked a lot like the uneven unit we saw in 2025. If first-time coordinator Sean Mannion doesn't find an early groove calling plays, I could see Tennessee keeping it close at home.

Predictions

Eagles: Davenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0) at Denver Broncos (0-1)

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AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence

Davenport: Jaguars (+2.5)

They say you shouldn't overreact to what happens in Week 1, but the difference in the level of execution between the Jaguars and Broncos in their respective openers was jarring. The Broncos were sloppy as can be on both sides of the ball, while the last time Jacksonville lost in the regular season was November 9. The Jaguars win outright—and what we thought we knew about the AFC gets snowglobed.

Hanford: Broncos (-2.5)

This is a tough one, but I'm riding with the home team. Bo Nix is 14-3 in his regular-season career at Mile High, and I'm expecting a motivated team after a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. The Jaguars defense was dominant in its opener, but Denver isn't Cleveland, and I expect the Broncos to bring them back down to Earth. This will be a close one, but Denver hangs on by a field goal.

Predictions

Jaguars: Davenport, Knox, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Broncos: Gagnon, Hanford, Moton

Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) at Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)

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AP Photo/Caroline Brehman

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert

Gagnon: Raiders (+7)

I'm not about to back the Chargers and hand away a touchdown considering what we saw from that team in Week 1. Could they bounce back? Absolutely, but this Raiders team looked very prepared for Week 1 under Klink Kubiak. Las Vegas has a lot more talent than people realize, and very little to lose. I think the Silver and Black keep this close. Laying a full touchdown with a Jim Harbaugh offense that posted 14 points and held the ball for under 23 minutes in Week 1 is asking for trouble.

Moton: Chargers (-7)

It's easy to rationalize a Raiders cover here. In Week 1, they beat the Miami Dolphins by 14, and the Los Angeles Chargers looked dreadful in a 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

However, Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions along with three touchdowns, and if All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers (meniscus trim) isn't back for this game, he won't have a reliable downfield threat to minimize those mistakes.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh believes resting his starters during the preseason hurt his team in the season opener. Even if wideout Ladd McConkey sits out with a rib injury, Los Angeles should be more prepared to play regular-season football against an offensively limited Raiders squad.

Also, under Harbaugh, the Chargers have cleared this point spread in all four matchups against the Raiders, winning by an average of 13 points.

Predictions

Raiders: Gagnon, Sobleski

Chargers: Davenport, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell

Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (1-0)

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AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Gagnon: Cardinals (+4.5)

This is an indictment on Drew Lock, who will now match up with a team that is feeling good and will have actually fully prepared for him to start in place of the injured Sam Darnold. That's a lot of points for a divisional matchup with a backup quarterback involved, especially considering that these teams split the season series in 2025. The Cards are not void of offensive talent, and it's entirely possible new head coach Mike LaFleur has tapped into something.

O'Donnell: Seahawks (-4.5)

Do the Cardinals have something special going on in Mike LaFleur's first season as head coach or were the Chargers just not ready to play football last week? I'm going to lean on the latter. Seattle has had over a week to prep for life without Sam Darnold at QB, and the defending champions laying less than a touchdown in Arizona against a Cardinals team that was 1-7 ATS at home last season is too enticing to pass up.

Predictions

Seahawks: Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell

Cardinals: Davenport, Gagnon, Sobleski

Miami Dolphins (0-1) at San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

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AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23)

Gagnon: Dolphins (+13.5)

The 49ers haven't won a home game by two touchdowns since December 2024. Now they're arriving back from a trip across the world. They're lucky to be playing a weak opponent, and I do think they'll get out to a nice lead. That said, this has backdoor cover written all over it.

Knox: 49ers (-13.5)

This is a lot of points to cover, even for a team that looked like the class of the NFC in Week 1. However, I just can't envision Miami putting up many points against a healthy 49ers defense. If the 49ers don't run away with this one, it'll be due to jet lag, not the Dolphins.

Predictions

Dolphins: Gagnon

49ers: Davenport, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Washington Commanders (0-1) at Dallas Cowboys (0-1)

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AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

Moton: Cowboys (-3.5)

The Dallas Cowboys offense is more potent at home than on the road. Last year, they averaged 29.9 points at AT&T Stadium compared to 25.8 points elsewhere, per Team Rankings.

With the same offensive core, the Cowboys will be much sharper offensively against the Washington Commanders than they were at MetLife Stadium in a Week 1 28-20 loss to the New York Giants.

Keep in mind that Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had a rough season-opening outing in first-year play-caller David Blough's offense. Washington didn't engineer a touchdown drive until the fourth quarter of that game. Cowboys win this one by at least a touchdown.

O'Donnell: Commanders (+3.5)

The Cowboys had it coming in Week 1, at least in a historical aspect. Their dominance over the New York Giants for the past five, 10 and 20 years was well-documented, and that wasn't the same Giants team they were accustomed to roping like cattle. Now the Commanders come to town, a team that got shafted with two straight divisional road games to open the season.

The bad news for Dallas is the things the Commanders do well, like keeping drives alive and eating clock, not turning the ball over and just being annoying enough to frustrate opposing fan bases, is basically what the Cowboys just experienced against the Giants in Week 1. The Cowboys will probably win this game, but they were 1-3 as home favorites ATS a year ago, and I'm not passing up a field goal with a hook in this scenario.

Predictions

Commanders: Gagnon, O'Donnell

Cowboys: Davenport, Hanford, Knox, Moton, Sobleski

New York Giants (1-0) at Los Angeles Rams (0-1)

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AP Photo/Rusty Jones

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart

Knox: Rams (-7.5)

The Giants and Rams are both coming off of emotional divisional battles in prime time. I think that will benefit the home team in this matchup, even if Los Angeles doesn't have much of a home-field advantage.

I think we may see some overconfidence from New York following Sunday night's big win over the rival Cowboys. I think we'll see some anger from the Rams after their blunder down under put them at the bottom of the NFC West. With extra time to prepare, I think Sean McVay will push his team to a statement win to cap Week 2.

O'Donnell: Giants (+7.5)

The Rams could absolutely explode in this game. Sean McVay's team scored only seven points in Australia, lost Myles Garrett for a while, and probably wish they simply missed their flight in the first place. They return home on MNF with a lot to prove. They're better than the Giants across the board, and most dangerously, in the passing game against a New York secondary that is still starting Deonte Banks.

But this is a prove-it game for New York, too. Can it retain any momentum after the most complete victory the franchise has experienced since, probably, the 2011 season? This is a risk, but I'll roll the dice with Big Blue at least covering and proving it'll be a tough out all season.

Predictions

Giants: Davenport, Hanford, O'Donnell, Sobleski

Rams: Gagnon, Knox, Moton

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