With the first weekend of the NFL regular season in the books, we have a better idea of what teams look like, at least for this week. NFL rosters are always fluid, mainly due to injuries, and we had a few whoppers last weekend that can and will impact the lines. The biggest took place in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers’ knee. He came back after the injury to post a historic comeback, but the line for the Packers’ Week 2 game with Minnesota remains off the board.
It was a fairly even opening weekend from a betting standpoint with the favorites going 7-6-1 with two toss ups. And we’re seeing plenty of movement on the lines for the upcoming games with nearly every one shifting. So, where is the Week 2 money going? We’ll examine some of the bigger line moves here, and remember you can wager on every NFL game at Bookmaker.eu.
Week 2 Major Line Moves
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
Opening Line: Rams -10
Current Line: Rams -13
The opening line was the biggest on the Week 2 board and we’ve already seen a 3-point spike. After a quiet first half in their Monday night opener, the Rams turned it on in the second half, getting an easy cover over the Raiders as a 6-point closing favorite. Their rebuilt defense shutout Oakland in the second half and the Rams went on a 23-0 run to spoil the return of Chucky to the Bay Area.
The championship window is wide open for the Rams and they’re going for it. The Cardinals, meanwhile, struggled in the opener of the Steve Wilks era, falling to the Redskins 24-6 as a 2-point favorite. Arizona got pushed around by a decent Washington club, but in no way are the Skins close to being in the same category as the Rams, and that doesn’t bode well for the Cards. Recent form favors the Rams as well, with a pair of covers last year while outscoring the Cards 65-16. Despite the nearly two-touchdown spread, the Rams are getting 70 percent of the action at the betting window.
Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers
Opening Line: 49ers -3.5
Current Line: 49ers -6
With the Niners getting close to 90 percent of the early action, the line for their home opener against the Lions spiked two-and-a-half points to Frisco -6. We have only one regular season game to go off, but the Lions rivaled the Bills for the worst performance in the first week. At least Buffalo was on the road, the Lions pissed on themselves in front of the home crowd. And there are rumblings out of MoTown that Matt Patricia has already lost the locker room.
If that is indeed the case, it explains a lot about that performance against the Jets and it could be a long season. Jimmy Garoppolo lost for the first time as a starter last week with the 49ers failing to cover as a 6-point pup in their 24-16 defeat. SF went toe-to-toe on the road with one of the NFC’s best, but Jimmy G’s three completions to the Vikings were the Niners undoing. Is he the most overhyped quarterback in the NFL or did he have a bad game? The Lions are hoping the former.
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars
Opening Line: Patriots -2.5
Current Line: Pick Em
This is one of just a few Week 2 games that saw the line shift the other way. And it was a significant move with the Pats going from a 2.5-point favorite to a pick em. The sharps are backing the Jags, who are looking to avenge a loss in the last AFC Championship Game. If not for a fourth quarter meltdown in that game the Jags would have been going to Minnesota to compete in their first Super Bowl.
They are who we thought they were, the spirit of Dennis Green was screaming after both clubs won their opener. It was a typical Jags performance against the Giants, one that got them within a game of the Super Bowl. The best defense slammed the door and the offense did just enough to get by. Tom Brady worked his magic last season bringing the Pats two fourth quarter touchdowns and another AFC title and betting public is backing the visitors in this one.
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