Vikings ride the wave, Ravens bounce back

There might not be a more harrowing experience than trying to make your NFL picks for Week 2. That’s probably just a smidge hyperbolic, but while we can ride our preseason knowledge into the season openers around the league, making predictions for Week 2 is all about deciding what lessons we should’ve learned from the first full slate of action, and which ones we need to discard. A great example: Was the J.J. McCarthy comeback the start of something special with the Minnesota Vikings?

Beyond just Skol Nation, though, are the Green Bay Packers just that good, or are the Detroit Lions taking that big of a step back after the coaching brain drain? There are other teams on every end of the spectrum, like the Miami Dolphins after a brutally ugly loss or the Dallas Cowboys after a spirited effort that came up short, that we’re also trying to figure out.

To keep our NFL picks record on the right track, though, that means we have to decipher all of this, figure out what we saw that can be trust, and where we need to stick to our guns. Take a deep breath, find your gumption, and let’s get into the NFL picks and predictions for Week 2, where we’re giving them out for all 16 games on the slate after a solid start to the 2025 season.

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2025 NFL Picks Straight-Up Record: 11-5 | ATS Record: 10-6

NFL Week 2 predictions: Picks straight-up and ATS for every game

If nothing else, the NFL Week 2 slate should be wildly entertaining with some of the matchups on deck. Whether you’re talking about matchups between two contenders, like Commanders-Packers or Eagles-Chiefs, or even prove-it matchups like Patriots-Dolphins, Seahawks-Steelers and Bears-Lions, there’s something for everyone this week. And there are a few underdogs that I worry about getting the win, but that should be capable of covering a spread that’s just a bit too high.

Toughest NFL Week 2 prediction to make

Eagles at Chiefs (-1.5)

The rematch of last year’s Super Bowl doesn’t feel like that game in New Orleans at all. Philadelphia got the win in Week 1 over the rival Cowboys, but you’d be lying to yourself if you said that it inspired a ton of confidence. The defense was, frankly, lucky to only allow 20 points, and the offense was good but certainly not great.

But on the flip side, the Chiefs aren’t in the best of spots. The Chargers absolutely picked apart their defense in Brazil, and now Patrick Mahomes comes into this game without Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy after the latter suffered a Week 1 injury.

At the same time, this is the home opener at Arrowhead, which I don’t think can be underrated. Furthermore, I have a bit more concern about the Eagles and the dreaded Super Bowl hangover. Neither team looked as if they were near operating at peak performance, though, so it’s hard to feel confident on either side of this game.

Easiest NFL Week 1 pick on the board

Falcons at Vikings (-4.5)

I’m all the way in on the J.J. McCarthy Vikings. Does that mean I’m going to be eating crow when next week rolls around? It’s entirely possible. However, the switch that flipped for the second-year quarterback late against the Bears felt quite real. Kevin O’Connell seemed to finally get in-sync with his young signal-caller, and we know how dangerous that can be based on what we’ve seen with Sam Darnold and McCarthy’s predecessors in Minnesota.

More importantly, though, I’m just not there after Week 1 with the Falcons. While I believe in Michael Penix Jr. and this offense, we saw against the Bucs that it’s not going to be consistent. That’s especially true against defensive minds like Todd Bowles last week and now Brian Flores this week. More importantly, though, the Atlanta defense just isn’t quite there for me, especially with the pass rush that allowed the Bears to have a lot of early success.

This probably shouldn’t be my easiest pick of Week 2, but I don’t care frankly. Stick with your guns until you’re out of bullets, and the Vikings have my full attention.

The pick that probably has you scratching your head

Browns (+11.5) at Ravens

Just to be clear, I have the Baltimore Ravens winning this football game. I don’t think that the Browns are going to pull off that big of an upset as a double-digit underdog. Just want to make sure no one is coming after me for that, because the Ravens are quite clearly the superior team in this matchup.

At the same time, 11.5 is simply too many points. Cleveland isn’t a good team — they’re starting Joe Flacco at quarterback, for pete’s sake. At the same time, we’re not going to see this group be a doormat, which the Bengals found out in Week 1. Myles Garrett and the defense made Joe Burrow and Co. look quite human, and there’s a real chance that they can do the same, at least at times, to Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. 

On the other side of the ball, while I don’t think the Browns offense offers a ton of upside, let’s not forget that Baltimore’s defense did just give up 41 points. Sure, that was the Bills, but that can’t be overlooked. Again, the Ravens probably win this one and relatively comfortably. At the same time, there’s still a very real chance that the Browns keep them from pushing that lead to more than a touchdown and a field goal.