Patrick Everson
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
In a quick scan of NFL Week 2 odds, it’s pretty easy to find the marquee matchup: Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch between the Eagles and Chiefs.
Bookmakers couldn’t be happier with such a high-profile game, and the public betting masses will be all over America’s Game of the Week on FOX.
“It’s gonna be that really prime kickoff,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “These are two teams everybody watched last week in prime time, and they watched these two teams in the Super Bowl.
“It’ll be a great game and will drive heavy betting handle.”
Oddsmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on that marquee matchup and other intriguing games, as we dive into NFL Week 2 betting nuggets.
NFL Rocks On FOX
When we last saw K.C. and Philly square off, the Eagles were hammering the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Philadelphia built a 34-0 third-quarter lead en route to a 40-22 victory as a 1.5-point underdog.
Then last Friday, the Chiefs lost to the Chargers 27-21 as 3-point favorites in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A night earlier, the Eagles got all they could handle from the Cowboys, but notched a 24-20 home win as 8-point favorites.
All that entered oddsmakers’ minds. Caesars Sports opened the Eagles as 1-point favorites for Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff vs. the Chiefs.
“We’re currently Eagles -1, bouncing back from pick ‘em,” Feazel said Wednesday afternoon. “But we’re still seeing a steady stream of Eagles money. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up Eagles -1 or even a little big higher.”
That said, the Chiefs at home in this spot could be attractive.
“I think revenge is on the Chiefs’ mind, after being embarrassed in the Super Bowl,” Feazel said.
Herd Hierarchy for Week 2: Packers & Rams rise, Eagles & Chiefs fall
Thursday Theater
For the second straight week, the Thursday night game is actually a really good one: Washington vs. Green Bay.
Both teams are coming off wins, though Green Bay’s 27-13 victory over Detroit was more impressive than Washington’s 21-6 win over the New York Giants. Both teams also made the playoffs last season.
Caesars opened the Packers -3.5 and got to -4 early in the week. The line is now Green Bay -3.5 (-105).
“There are always overreactions and underreactions after Week 1. The Packers are on the side of getting the overreaction,” Feazel said. “We’ve seen one-way traffic here on the Packers and the Over. The Packers are really that team that the public is focusing on.
“Still, the line is trending toward the Commanders. The sharp side is the Commanders. But I don’t see it going to 3.”
Feazel noted the Packers have injury issues ahead of this 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff Thursday. Wideouts Jayden Reed (foot) and Dontayvion Wicks (calf) are questionable, and Christian Watson remains out while continuing to recover from a torn ACL last season.
Further, Packers offensive linemen Aaron Banks (ankle) and Zach Tom (oblique) are questionable. Green Bay’s defense is dinged up, as well, most notably newly acquired edge rusher Micah Parsons (back).
Which leads us nicely into …
NFL Sharp Side
Professional bettor Randy McKay likes the road team Thursday night, on a short week for both sides.
“I’m on Washington +3.5. I usually don’t like the road team on Thursday. But I feel like we are getting a little extra value with +3.5,” McKay said. “This game was lower in last week’s lookahead lines (Packers -3).
“Plus, Green Bay has potentially two offensive line starters out against an improved Washington defense.”
NFL Rocks On FOX, Part II
FOX drew a few intriguing Week 2 matchups, including a 1 p.m. ET clash between two teams coming off losses: Chicago vs. Detroit.
Ben Johnson is in his first year as Chicago coach, leaving his role as Detroit offensive coordinator. The Bears seemed in control against Minnesota in Week 1, leading 17-6 entering the fourth quarter. But Chicago ultimately lost 27-24 on Monday night.
More surprisingly, Detroit didn’t have much answer for Green Bay on Sunday. Through three quarters, the Lions had just two field goals, on the way to a 27-13 road loss as 1.5-point underdogs.
Still, Caesars opened Detroit as 4.5-point home favorites this week, and the pros jumped on it.
“We saw some sharper Lions money coming in, and we went all the way up to -6 briefly. Now we’re at Lions -5.5,” Feazel said, while noting sharp Bears money hit at +6. “It’s a rivalry game, and it now adds a little more with Ben Johnson leading the Bears against Dan Campbell.
“There’s not a lot of action thus far, but it’s really leaning toward what the public thinks: That the Lions are good.”
Indeed, over the past 2.5 seasons, Detroit has not only gone a solid 37-12 straight up (SU), but a stout 35-13-1 against the spread (ATS). The Lions have been a veritable ATM for bettors.
I Like Big Bets And I Cannot Lie
Midweek, there aren’t a lot of major wagers yet in Week 2 NFL odds. So let’s rewind to a couple of noteworthy plays from a wild Monday night game.
The largest reported bet of Week 1 was on the Vikings-Bears tilt: a whopping $275,000 on Bears +1.5 at Caesars Sports.
That bettor likely felt pretty good going into the fourth quarter, with Chicago up 17-6. But J.J. McCarthy and Minnesota put up three touchdowns in the final frame to win 27-24.
That was a healthy six-figure donation to the house. Also a loser: the $75,000 Bears moneyline +102 bet noted in the above post on X.
But a small bet got there in a big way with the Vikings’ victory. As you can see in the above X post, and as noted in our Big Bets Report, a Hard Rock Bet customer put together a $100, 16-team moneyline parlay, correctly picking all 16 Week 1 winners.
That bet cashed for a whopping $382,000.
The only notable big bet on NFL Week 2 odds is a rather off-beat one. A Caesars Sports customer put $16,430.50 — yes, 50 cents, too — on Packers alternate spread +10.5, at odds of -1108.
So, instead of needing the Packers to cover -3.5, this bettor needs Green Bay to win or at least not lose by more than 10 points. It’s a seemingly safe bet, as those odds indicate. The potential profit is just $1,482.90, for a total payout of $17,913.40.
But in the NFL, nothing is necessarily safe. Bear that in mind with your wagers this week. Keep it reasonable.
Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.
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