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Free NFL 2021 Picks and Predictions – Week 2 Best Bets
Updated: | First published:
Written by Prospector Sam, Contributor
The NFL season is up and running and so is Prospector Sam, who is excited to deliver your free football picks for NFL Week 2!
NFL Football is back, and, in all honesty, nobody knows a goddamn thing about what’s happening. That isn’t a cop out by me (I went 3-3 and ended just shy of even last weekend), more of a statement of fact after underdogs ripped apart the league to the tune of 12 covers and NINE outright winners. For the books to be that far off says a lot (particularly in terms of upsets) and tells you that there was nothing easy about winning money this weekend. So, if you were down, don’t worry and keep your chin up. The good news is there’s 17 more weeks to make your way back to the promised land and sometimes you just need a little time to shake the cobwebs off.
As for the coming week, I think we have a lot of opportunities to make money. There’s going to be some major adjustments as books try to guess how telling those performances were, which will create value and variance across books. Take advantage of line shopping now more than ever, because you’ll find some spots to get a better price if you do. As for me, well, I’m just going to continue to plug along like the workhorse I am. Last week showed flashes of brilliance (my Steelers write up was a work of art) and moments of stupidity (I wrote that betting against the Chargers was a bad idea and I did it anyway). Time to make the proper adjustments and turn those mistakes into winners!
MORE: DimersBOT's most likely TD scorers
Without further ado, picks ⤵️
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Free NFL Picks For Week 2, 2021
Raiders vs. Steelers, Sun Sept 19, 1:00pm (EST)
Despite week 1 victories, both of these teams have some serious issues. The Steelers did well to come back from a pretty awful first half no-show to beat the Bills on the road, but they didn’t manage a ton on offense and that game ends a lot differently without a blocked punt for a touchdown. The Raiders, well, where to even begin. Not only is their passing game a dumpsterfire that consists entirely of Derek Carr trying to fit every pass to Darren Waller in triple coverage, but they’re so collectively stupid they didnt even think to look for their kicker in the place where kickers usually are. Words cannot describe how shocked I was that Gruden admitted to it on live air, but I suppose it also fits. Back to this game, I’m going with the under. As stated, both have some serious offensive issues and I expect that we’ll see a lot more field goals than effectively finished drives. The Steelers also have a strong defense which should put Carr’s brain in a pretzel pretty quickly (not that it takes a lot to get there). 47.5 is just too many points for these two, and I think this game ends in the 20-17 range rather than near 50.
⛏️ PICK: Total points UNDER 47.5
MORE: Raiders vs. Steelers simulator
Rams vs. Colts, Sun Sept 19, 1:00pm (EST)
I try not to take too much away from one game, but the Colts’ secondary could be a real problem. Indy’s defense looked like one of the best in the league for the first half of last year, then began slipping as the season went on before a first round playoff exit. From the looks of things on Sunday, that regression didn’t stop in the offseason. Wilson torched their secondary for 241 yards on 18-23 passing, and now they have to hold up against a Matt Stafford led Rams team that look like they could be dangerous. While LA beating up on Matt Nagy doesn’t say all that much (it’s probably going to be a theme for the Bears this season), we learned that Stafford is surely going to be an upgrade for this offence which means teams are going to have to learn how to defend them. That doesn’t bode well for early opponents, and the Rams should be able to take advantage of teams with defensive issues early in the year. To come full circle on this write up, the Colts fit the bill, and I think the Rams beat them with offense, regardless of how well Wentz plays. Lay the 3.5 points and take the Rams.
⛏️ PICK: Rams -3.5
MORE: Rams vs. Colts simulator
49ers vs. Eagles, Sun Sept 19, 1:00pm (EST)
Are the Eagles magically going to become Super Bowl contenders after a week one beatdown of Atlanta? No, of course not. But it’s hard not to be impressed with how this offense, and particularly Jalen Hurtz, looked. His speed and agility were always going to be an asset, but if he can make throws like he did on Sunday then this team should be able to win the NFC East comfortably. As for the 49ers, it’s hard to figure out what the hell they are after that performance in Detroit. They looked like Super Bowl contenders for 30+ minutes, then regressed to being almost worse than the Lions, which is nearly an impossible distance to fall without dying. Call me crazy, but I think the second half was more telling. San Francisco got carved up by Jared Goff and a band of misfit receivers, and their offensive spree in the first half was largely handed to them by Detroit’s own mistakes. I think the Eagles can hang with the 49ers, and getting 3.5 at home is enough to make me feel comfortable here. This game could very well come down to the last drive, and I want the points if that’s the case.
⛏️ PICK: Eagles +3.5
MORE: 49ers vs. Eagles simulator
Saints vs. Panthers, Sun Sept 19, 1:00pm (EST)
The Panthers scared the ever loving piss out of me on Sunday. They did everything in their power to let the Jets backdoor me on the -4.5 spread and only by the grace of the Great Pickaxe in the Sky did we survive on the missed 2 pt. conversion. Needless to say, they aren’t my favorite team at the moment. More importantly, though, I think it’s hard to dismiss how good the Saints looked last week. Sure, Aaron Rodgers has basically rotted this team from the inside with his “me first” attitude, but New Orleans was dominant in every aspect of the game and Jameis, the hero we don’t deserve, looks ready to lead this team to glory. The Saints have one of the few RBs in the league who can compare to McCaffrey and I’m willing to ride Jameis over Sam Darnold every day of the week, even on the road. 3.5 is a bit of a scary number because it eclipses that field goal mark, but I think the Saints are a much better team and I’m willing to take on that risk here.
⛏️ PICK: Saints -3.5
MORE: Saints vs. Panthers simulator
Vikings vs. Cardinals, Sun Sept 19, 4:05pm (EST)
Say a quick prayer for these defenses, ‘cause they’ll need it. The Cardinals looked like an offensive juggernaut last weekend against the Titans and absolutely carved them up through the air, which is bad fucking news for a Vikings defense whose secondary is about as solid as a chain link fence. On the other side, the Cardinals held up fairly well defensively but that was largely due to a completely inept Titans O-Line that allowed Chandler Jones to beat Tannehill within an inch of his life and couldn’t get Derek Henry any running room. For all of his faults (and there are MANY), Cousins should be able to do more with his offensive weapons so long as his line holds up slightly better, especially with the versatility of Cook in the passing game to help get the ball out faster. I think this one turns into a track meet, and a high 50.5 point total isn’t enough to scare me off. Look for this game to blow up for a big number, possibly the highest of the weekend.
⛏️ PICK: Total points OVER 50.5
MORE: Vikings vs. Cardinals simulator
Cowboys vs. Chargers, Sun Sept 19, 4:25pm (EST)
Justin Herbert is going to be a superstar. I’m not making some bold or outlandish assertion by saying that any more, but I honestly believe he could win multiple Super Bowls. After only putting up 20 points last weekend that may sound crazy, but this guy has all the throws, great game management instincts, and can scare defenses with his legs. It may take another year for the organization to get its shit together, but I think he’s ready right now. And, since it’s probably obvious to you, I’m going to skip to the punchline and take San Diego here. The Cowboys looked decent against the Bucs last Thursday, but their defense is still a huge problem and they can’t afford to be fighting back from large deficits every week. This receiving corps will cause issues for most secondaries, but the running game/Zeke doesn’t look solid enough to force teams to stack the box (which helps create space for Dak to throw to those receivers). This game probably sees a lot of points (though the total is too high for me to touch), and I think the Chargers are a more complete team right now. I like them to cover at home.
⛏️ PICK: Chargers -3
MORE: Cowboys vs. Chargers simulator
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Prospector Sam is a cartoon man that handicaps as well as anyone on the planet. No one knows exactly who The Prospector is, but what is known is how well he does from sports betting.
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