NFL Week 2 Predictions: Picks and Analysis for Every Football Game

September 14, 2025

Free NFL betting picks for every Week 2 matchup in 2025. Expert analysis and predictions for NFL Week 2. Who should you bet in Week 2? Analysis for every game on the slate.

Football is back, ladies and gentlemen! We had an overall exciting Week 1, a slate that contained some drama and some surprises.

While we know a little more than we did as we head into Week 2, there are still lots of intriguing questions remaining on this slate, such as "Is Daniel Jones for real?", "Is everyone on the 49ers hurt?", and "Can Miami really be that bad"?

From the good to the bad and the ugly, we'll dive into those questions as we go through every Week 2 game in this article, offering picks, predictions, and analysis for each and every one. Thanks for joining us here at RotoBaller; let's dive into the slate!

Green Bay Packers 27, Washington Commanders 24 (Thursday)

In Micah Parsons' first game as a Packer, the Green Bay pass rush sacked Jared Goff four times in the opener. The Packers' interior lineman and linebackers also did their fair share in Week 1, holding the Lions running back combination of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to a paltry 2.2 yards per carry in their dominating win over Detroit.

A Thursday night matchup between two NFC teams with Super Bowl aspirations 🍿

WASvsGB– Thursday 8:15pm ET on Prime Video
Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/3Sjeh3a7DM

— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025

They'll face a much more dynamic quarterback in this Week 2 Thursday night matchup, as Jayden Daniels brings the sort of dual-threat electricity that gives defensive coordinators nightmares. Daniels and the Commanders took care of business in Week 1, soundly thumping the Giants 21-6.

The sledding will be much rougher for Washington in this one, as a short-week trip to Lambeau is a big ask, even for a quality team. These are two squads with very real NFC title aspirations and we can expect a tight, hard-fought game.

Los Angeles Rams 23, Tennessee Titans 17

The Rams handled the Houston Texans 14-9 in a Week 1 defensive battle, while the Titans and rookie quarterback Cam Ward made things interesting against the Broncos in a difficult Mile High environment.

Ward's final Week 1 stat line wasn't pretty, but he showed plenty of flashes as to why he was the first overall pick of the draft, while keeping Tennessee in the game until the fourth quarter. Things don't get much easier for the rookie this week, as he'll face a talented L.A. pass rush headlined by 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jared Verse.

As for the Rams, they had their own challenges in protecting Matthew Stafford in Week 1, allowing three sacks to the Texans. Despite L.A.'s injuries along the o-line, they should be able to keep Stafford upright long enough to pick apart the Tennessee secondary with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Seattle Seahawks 17

41-year-old Aaron Rodgers wasn't "Four-Time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers" in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut, but the veteran did throw for 244 yards and 4 TDs against the Jets in Week 1. Unfortunately for Steelers fans, he also took four sacks against New York, which means the protection will need to get better if Rodgers is going to stay on the field for the entire season.

Rodgers will face a rugged Seattle defense in Week 2 for Pittsburgh's home opener. The Seahawks held San Francisco to 17 points in a Week 1 loss, and should have some success both getting to Rodgers and slowing down this Steelers offense.

However, we shouldn't expect much from a Sam Darnold-led Seahawks offense that managed just 234 total yards against the Niners - the third-fewest yards in the NFL in Week 1. Take the under and look for lots of defense in this matchup.

Buffalo Bills 35, New York Jets 24

The Bills stole a win against Baltimore in a Week 1 classic with Josh Allen accounting for 494 total yards and 4 TDs. Those types of "Superman" outings have become commonplace for Allen in recent years, and there's little reason to believe a Jets defense that coughed up 34 points to Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers in Week 1 will find much success in slowing down the Buffalo offense.

Josh Allen 🤝 4th quarter

No team had ever overcome a 15-point deficit in the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter in their season opener prior to the Bills-Ravens game. pic.twitter.com/KpaEu3WA31

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) September 8, 2025

That said, Gang Green should be able to fight back, as their offense - led by Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson, and Breece Hall - looked far better than most expected in Week 1. Though they ultimately fell to Pittsburgh, the Jets racked up 400 total yards and 32 points in the opener. While the Bills defense struggled mightily to contain Baltimore last week, expect some improvement in Week 2.

Detroit Lions 31, Chicago Bears 23

After losing both of their coordinators during the offseason, the Lions looked lethargic and out of sorts in a Week 1 blowout loss to Green Bay. Despite the ugliness of last week's outing, this is still a very talented Detroit roster, and I look for Dan Campbell to rally the troops for a Week 2 home meeting with the Bears.

The Lions are the kings of comebacks, as they stand 10-0 against the spread in their last 10 games following a loss. That doesn't look good for a Chicago squad that collapsed in the second half against the Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Following a hot start, Ben Johnson's offense went ice cold late, as the Bears defense coughed up 21 fourth-quarter points to Minnesota. They now must travel to face Johnson's old Detroit squad, who averaged 35.3 points at home in 2024.

Dallas Cowboys 27, New York Giants 17

After failing to score a touchdown in the season opener against Washington, Russell Wilson has already been named the Week 2 starter for the G-Men ahead of a trip to Dallas to face the Cowboys.

Despite dropping the season opener to Philly, Dak Prescott and company did show the ability to move the ball. The Cowboys made some costly mistakes in a 4-point loss to the Eagles, but we can look for lots of that to be cleaned up in Week 2.

This will be a strength vs. strength matchup for a talented group of Giants pass rushers against a rock-solid Cowboys offensive line who allowed zero sacks to Philadelphia last week. With New York's issues on offense, I don't expect them to be able to keep pace with this Dallas passing attack.

Baltimore Ravens 24, Cleveland Browns 17

Baltimore comes in off a heartbreaking Sunday night loss to Buffalo, a game which they led by 15 points with four minutes remaining. Lamar Jackson and company will be trying hard to avoid an 0-2 start to the season when they host the Cleveland Browns in Week 2.

On paper, this should be an easy bounce-back win for the Ravens, but Cleveland has not been a pushover in this divisional rivalry, going 4-2 ATS in their last six meeting against Baltimore. The Browns defense held the high-octane Bengals passing attack to just 113 yards in Week 1 and should pose more of a challenge to Derrick Henry than the Bills front did last week. Look for a low-scoring affair, that's closer than most expect.

San Francisco 49ers 21, New Orleans Saints 14

The Niners emerged with a win over Seattle in Week 1, but it came with a high cost, as San Francisco lost George Kittle to a hamstring injury that has landed him on IR. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy was also injured and is now expected to miss 2-5 weeks with a turf toe injury.

49ers QB Brock Purdy will miss 2-5 weeks with a form of turf toe. (via @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/CcuyQngF6H

— NFL (@NFL) September 11, 2025

Mac Jones will step into the San Fran starting lineup in place of Purdy this week, but this might be one of the few matchups in the league in which it might not matter, as the Saints pose little threat in this one. Sure, they kept things a bit closer than expected against Arizona in Week 1, but New Orleans simply doesn't have the firepower to consistently hang with quality opponents.

New England Patriots 21, Miami Dolphins 20

Shew...the Dolphins were disastrous in the season opener against the Colts, putting forth arguably the worst overall Week 1 performance in the NFL. Things likely aren't as bad as they appeared last week, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Miami show a little more fight when they host divisional foe New England at Hard Rock Stadium.

Even if Miami's performance improves, it might not be enough against a Patriots squad that we can expect to be competent on defense and an evolving team on offense.

A loss in the opener to Las Vegas wasn't what this New England franchise was looking for after an extensive offseason overhaul, but there were enough signs to think things can trend upward as the season progresses, something that can't currently be said for the Dolphins.

Cincinnati Bengals 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 27

Joe Burrow and the Bengals did everything they could to avoid a slow start to the season, yet still barely escaped Cleveland with a 17-16 victory over the Browns in Week 1. This potentially high-octane offense should find some more breathing room this week in their home opener against the Jaguars.

Liam Coen's group cruised to a victory over Carolina in his head-coaching debut, but the easy win appeared to be as much due to the Panthers' ineptitude as the Jags excellence. We'll see this offense continue to grow under Coen's tutelage, but the AFC South squad will be outgunned by a better version of themselves this week.

Arizona Cardinals 27, Carolina Panthers 20

Any optimism that was growing around Bryce Young and the Panthers offense will be put to the test following Carolina's putrid performance in the opener - a 26-10 drubbing at the hands of Jacksonville. Young looked like the player he was as a rookie, completing just 18 of 35 attempts for 154 yards and a pair of picks against a Jaguars defense that's less-than-ferocious.

On the other side of the matchup, Arizona didn't exactly impress, either. The Cardinals let the lowly Saints hang around all day before ultimately escaping the Big Easy with a ho-hum 20-13 win. We should've learned by now to never trust Kyler Murray, but he's more reliable than Bryce Young.

Denver Broncos 23, Indianapolis Colts 17

Daniel Jones and the Colts were one of the big stories of Week 1. The Giants castoff looked tremendous in his first start in Indy, completing 22 of 29 attempts for 272 yards and a score, while also running for a pair of touchdowns in a blowout win over Miami.

All the Colts needed was Daniel Jones pic.twitter.com/keWEb3ExS1

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 7, 2025

The rejuvenated Jones will face a much tougher test in Week against a Denver unit that's littered with playmakers. The Broncos stonewalled Tennessee for just 183 total yards in the opener, while Bo Nix and the offense sputtered a bit en route to 20 points. I look for the Colts and Jones to regress a bit from their impressive debut, while the Denver offense should show some growth in Week 2.

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Kansas City Chiefs 20

It's a Super Bowl rematch, as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will look to avenge a 40-22 blowout loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. It's fair to wonder how much has really changed since these teams last met?

KC worked to revamp its offensive line during the offseason, but protection for Mahomes looked shaky in their Week 1 loss to the Chargers. The Chiefs also failed to rediscover their ability to make explosive plays down the field in the opener, and with Xavier Worthy currently questionable, there might not be a KC receiver that can test this Philly secondary deep.

Jalen Hurts put forth a one-man domination of the Cowboys in Philly's opener, throwing for 152 yards, and rushing for 62 yards and two TDs. He should have plenty of time to pick apart the Chiefs, as Kansas City failed to get consistent pressure on Justin Herbert last week, and faces an even-better Eagles offensive line in this one.

Minnesota Vikings 28, Atlanta Falcons 27 (Sunday Night)

Crazy things can happen with the Falcons, with last week's gut-wrenching loss to the Bucs being just the latest example. They possess dangerous offensive weapons, but there hasn't been a real flow to an Atlanta offense since Kyle Shanahan left town.

Minnesota struggled to find their flow in Week 1, as the J.J. McCarthy era got off to a shaky start in Chicago, as the first-year starter made just about every rookie mistake in the book early.

However, McCarthy and the Vikings offense found its groove late, as they stormed back from a 17-6 deficit to defeat the Bears 27-24, largely due to their QB's inspired play. The Minnesota defense remains a capable unit, and the offense should keep progressing as the season moves on.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, Houston Texans 23 (Monday Night)

The Bucs squeaked out a dramatic win in Atlanta in the opener. The Bucs offense received a notable spark from rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, who finished the game with two TDs on four catches. It was a nice reminder that this Tampa Bay offense with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, and now, Egbuka, has multiple ways to beat a defense.

Speaking of defense, it appears as though that will be the 2025 calling card of the Houston Texans. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter helped hold the Rams to just 14 points in Week 1. Unfortunately for Houston, that wasn't enough, as C.J. Stroud and the offense couldn't muster a touchdown at any point of the 14-9 loss.

Despite making efforts to retool Stroud's offensive line during the offseason, the group still visibly struggled to protect him in the opener. To make matters worse, the Texans are now dealing with multiple injuries along the o-line. It's enough of a concern to lean towards the Bucs in this one.

Los Angeles Chargers 24, Las Vegas Raiders 20 (Monday Night)

We close out the massive Week 2 NFL slate with an AFC West clash between the Chargers and Raiders. Both of these squads impressed in Week 1. The Chargers logged a statement win over the Chiefs in Brazil, while the Pete Carroll era started out with a victory thanks to a sharp debut in Silver & Black from Geno Smith.

Chargers QB Justin Herbert on Greg Roman's play calling: "I think having a second year in the offense is only going to help us."

"Him and I have done a great job of communicating and talking through each play."

"I thought he did a fantastic job." pic.twitter.com/pYFrZoSUyD

— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 10, 2025

Both of these teams have legends manning the sidelines who believe in tough, hard-nosed football. Despite those tendencies, I look for the Bolts to establish their supremacy through the air and on the arm of Justin Herbert. The sixth-year QB played arguably the best game of his career against the Chiefs last week, and I don't know that the Raiders yet have the defensive weapons needed to slow down the L.A. passing attack.

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