Heading into Week 2 of the NFL season, some games were seeing significant point-spread movement mere hours after Opening Weekend wrapped with an exciting and agonizing finish in Vegas. Not just at the betting windows, either.
The Raiders overcame a 14-point deficit to beat the Ravens 33-27 in overtime after a frenzied sequence of final events.
The Raiders received spread action from opening as five-point underdogs. They held at +4 for most of the week until a late move to +3 came in the final hours until kickoff.
Below are the current spreads listed at our two tiers of major sportsbooks with the opening number included for reference. THESE NUMBERS CHANGE. This chart highlights why it matters where and when you bet, which is covered in this article.
Tier 1 sportsbooks
| NFL WEEK 2 GAMES | OPENING FAVORITE | DRAFTKINGS | FANDUEL | BETMGM | CAESARS |
| TNF: Giants at Football Team | Football Team -3 | Football Team -3.5 | Football Team -3 | Football Team -3.5 | Football Team -3.5 |
| Broncos at Jaguars | Broncos -2.5 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 |
| Texans at Browns | Browns -13 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 |
| Bills at Dolphins | Bills -2.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 |
| L.A. Rams at Indianapolis | L.A. Rams -1.5 | L.A. Rams -3.5 | L.A. Rams -3.5 | L.A. Rams -4 | L.A. Rams -3.5 |
| 49ers at Eagles | 49ers -4 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 |
| Bengals at Bears | Bears -4 | Bears -2 | Bears -1.5 | Bears -2.5 | Bears -2 |
| Raiders at Steelers | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 |
| Patriots at Jets | Patriots -4 | Patriots -6 | Patriots -5.5 | Patriots -6 | Patriots -6 |
| Saints at Panthers | Saints -2 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 |
| Vikings at Cardinals | Cardinals -2.5 | Cardinals -4 | Cardinals -3.5 | Cardinals -4.5 | Cardinals -4 |
| Falcons at Buccaneers | Buccaneers -8.5 | Buccaneers -12 | Buccaneers -11.5 | Buccaneers -12 | Buccaneers -12.5 |
| Cowboys at L.A. Chargers | L.A. Chargers -1.5 | L.A. Chargers -3.5 | L.A. Chargers -3 | L.A. Chargers -3 | L.A. Chargers -3 |
| Titans at Seahawks | Seahawks -3.5 | Seahawks -5 | Seahawks -4.5 | Seahawks -5.5 | Seahawks -5.5 |
| SNF: Chiefs at Ravens | Chiefs -1 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 |
| MNF: Lions at Packers | Packers -10 | Packers -11.5 | Packers -11.5 | Packers -10.5 | Packers -11 |
Tier 2 sportsbooks
| NFL WEEK 2 GAMES | OPENING FAVORITE | BETRIVERS | BETFRED | FOX BET | POINTSBET |
| TNF: Giants at Football Team | Football Team -3 | Football Team -3 | Football Team -3.5 | Football Team -3 | Football Team -3 |
| Broncos at Jaguars | Broncos -2.5 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 | Broncos -6 |
| Texans at Browns | Browns -13 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 | Browns -12.5 |
| Bills at Dolphins | Bills -2.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 | Bills -3.5 |
| L.A. Rams at Indianapolis | L.A. Rams -1.5 | L.A. Rams -4 | L.A. Rams -4 | L.A. Rams -3.5 | L.A. Rams -4 |
| 49ers at Eagles | 49ers -4 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 | 49ers -3.5 |
| Bengals at Bears | Bears -4 | Bears -2.5 | Bears -2.5 | OFF | Bears -2.5 |
| Raiders at Steelers | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 | Steelers -5.5 |
| Patriots at Jets | Patriots -4 | Patriots -5.5 | Patriots -6 | Patriots -6 | Patriots -6 |
| Saints at Panthers | Saints -2 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 | Saints -3.5 |
| Vikings at Cardinals | Cardinals -2.5 | Cardinals -4.5 | Cardinals -4 | Cardinals -4 | Cardinals -4 |
| Falcons at Buccaneers | Buccaneers -8.5 | Buccaneers -12.5 | Buccaneers -12.5 | Buccaneers -12 | Buccaneers -12.5 |
| Cowboys at L.A. Chargers | L.A. Chargers -1.5 | L.A. Chargers -3 | L.A. Chargers -3 | L.A. Chargers -3.5 | L.A. Chargers -3 |
| Titans at Seahawks | Seahawks -3.5 | Seahawks -5.5 | Seahawks -5.5 | Seahawks -5 | Seahawks -5.5 |
| SNF: Chiefs at Ravens | Chiefs -1 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 | Chiefs -3.5 |
| MNF: Lions at Packers | Packers -10 | Packers -11 | Packers -11 | Packers -11.5 | Packers -11 |
From late Monday night into Tuesday morning, the favored Broncos and Buccaneers were the biggest movers early on for Week 2.
With a road win under their belt and a solid performance from their new quarterback, early bettors saw the Broncos covering a field goal during another road test in Jacksonville. The Jaguars were blown out in Houston by a team some pundits clamored could go 0-17. Parlay these two performances together and it’s evident why the Broncos have shot from a 2.5-point road favorite to six, approaching another key number in NFL betting. This spread has been holding at six points since reaching that number, providing value for Jags bettors to keep this game within a touchdown.
Brady’s Bucs, meanwhile, needed their 44 years young QB to orchestrate a late comeback to beat the Cowboys on Opening Night. The Bucs now host the division-rival Falcons, which scored six points in a 26-point home loss to the Eagles in Week 1. As evidenced by the spread movement, bettors weren’t deterred by Tampa being favored slightly over a key number of seven and have bet them up to almost two touchdowns. The Bucs have yet to move to -13, bouncing back and forth between 12 and 12.5 points since reaching that territory.
Other Notable Movers
Some teams are approaching and have passed through key numbers since Week 2 lines opened.
The Chargers have hovered around three points to beat the Cowboys after opening as a 1.5-point home favorite. DraftKings and FOX Bet recently bumped the Bolts to -3.5, giving more value to Cowboys backers.
The Saints, fresh off a 38-3 thrashing of the Packers in Jacksonville (yes, you read that entire sentence correctly) have gone through the first key number in NFL wagering: Three. The Saints-Panthers spread has steadied at a consistent 3.5 across the eight sportsbooks listed above.
Bengals backers saw Cincinnati getting four points at Chicago and have bet the spread through the key number of three. FanDuel has gone a tick further, currently listing the Bears at -1.5. With a spread that close to a pick ’em, bettors can begin considering the moneyline, which offers value on the underdog.
At FanDuel, for example, the Bengals spread has lost value since moving all the way from +4 to +1.5. The small spread now represents increased plus-money value on the Bengals winning this game outright. Instead of paying -105 to get 1.5 points, gamblers can bet the Bengals at +112 on the moneyline where a $100 wager will profit $112, plus your original $100 back.
On the flip side, Bears backers now have their best opportunity to get the home team at a small spread. These two dueling examples on Bengals-Bears illustrate why it matters where and when you bet.
Check back throughout the week to follow the movement up and down the NFL slate, including which spreads are receiving the most action, the best time to bet those numbers, and which books are offering the most value on either side of a game you like.
For additional in-depth coverage of NFL Week 2, check out our staff’s picks/nitpicks and early betting decisions.
Mario Sanelli writes about sports betting for BeerLife Sports. He previously was the editorial assistant and a general-assignment reporter at The Denver Post for five years after serving as chief editor of The Metropolitan at MSU Denver. Mario was a NFL and college football insider with Mile High Sports for six years.
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