NFL 2021 Week #2 Predictions

Welcome to the “Commish predictions” for the start of the 2021 season.    Let’s jump right into it with our NFL 2021 Week #2 Predictions.  We always pass on week #1 to get at least one week of observation under our belts before we start making picks.    And now that we are into Week #2, it’s time to start pulling the trigger.  Every week the Commish will release five games against the spread and I will keep track of my season record here.   So let’s get started.

Cleveland -12.5 over Houston

The Browns are an elite team in the AFC.  Houston, is a cellar dweller.  And we are capturing value here by laying less than the look-ahead number of 13 because the Browns blew the lead against the best team in the AFC on the road and because Houston found a way to beat the hapless Jags, who have a rookie coach and a rookie QB.  The Browns are at least 21 points better than Houston and they will lay the wood in the home opener and get the easy win.

New Orleans -3.5 over Carolina

Carolina has some fundamental problems on offense and on the sidelines.  The combination of Sam Darnold and Matt Ruhle (among others) is not a recipe for success and won’t end well whenever it does.  The fact that they couldn’t pull away from the Jets, who arguably have one of the worst defenses in the league, does not bode well for them in this matchup against the division rival Saints.  McCaffrey is a stud, I’ll give them that, but he’ll be on an island on this one and Darnold will be running for his life.  Everyone is beating up the Packers for losing to New Orleans last week but not enough are giving the Saints credit for coming out of the gate with guns a blazin.   The Packers will likely win the NFC North and are a good team on paper.   But the point is, if the Saints can trash the Packers, imagine what they’ll do to this team?

Pittsburgh – 5.5 over Las Vegas Raiders

The Steelers are going to have a great first half of the season.  That’s when Ben will have the remainder of his strength before melting down the stretch like he did last year.  And so there is value in backing them in a spot like this.  The Raiders are coming off a Monday night game on the west coast and have to travel to Pittsburgh and play a game at 8:00 AM their time and this will not bode well for them.  David Carr will be running for his life with these TJ Watt led top three defense.

Vikings +4.5 over Arizona

Wow, I can’t believe I’m getting this many points in this game!  Zona is over valued because they beat the Titans, who can’t stop anyone but they will meet a much tougher defense from the Vikings this week.  The Vikings were robbed by a few bad calls against Cincy and they will be more than focused for this one to avoid going 0-2.   The Titans don’t have a pass rush so Kyler running all over the place was bound to happen and I’ll give him credit, he looked great.  Chandler Jones, great job last week.  But once again the offensive line for Minnesota is among the top in the league and does not compare to Tennessee in the least.  Bottom line, this is just way too many points, at most this should be -3 but one team off a win and a road team off a loss opens the door here and a possible outright win by the Vikings.

NFL 2021 Week #2 Predictions

New England -5.5 over Jets

The more things change the more they stay the same.  Matt Jones has been given the ball and will now operate under the tight leash of the Grand Maester.  And the Patriots never lose the Jets.  And the Jets find ways to lose games even in the best of times.  And so that brings us to yet another matchup between these two division rivals but does anyone doubt this will end the same way that 90% of the previous matchups in recent memory have ended?  I don’t.  Pats win easy and score at will against one of the worst defenses in the league (if not the worst) and an offense that is clearly trying to find any kind of footing, which they couldn’t do last week against a week D in Carolina.

NFL 2021 Week #2 Predictions