NFL Best Bets For Week 2: Back The Bengals vs. The Texans
Betting

NFL Best Bets For Week 2: Back The Bengals vs. The Texans

Matt LaMarca breaks down his best bets for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season.

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We ultimately got off to a solid start with our NFL Best Bets last week. We went 3-2, picking up covers with the Vikings, Saints, and Giants. Unfortunately, our two misses weren’t particularly close, with the Dolphins and Broncos both getting run basically off the field. Still, any week where we’re in the black is a good one, so I’ll gladly take the result.

Now, the focus shifts to Week 2. This is typically one of my favorite weeks to bet all season. It is prime “overreaction” territory. Some people will throw away everything they believed during the offseason after just one week of games, so there can be solid value if you’re willing to zig while others are zagging.

Let’s dive into five of my favorite sides for NFL Week 2.

Best Bets For NFL Week 2

Cincinnati Bengals (+2.5) at Houston Texans

  • Best Odds: +100; BetMGM
  • Play To: -110

Are the Bengals back? That remains to be seen. But they did at least get their season off on the right foot, which is not something that they’ve done very often. They’ve had some embarrassing Week 1 performances in the past under Joe Burrow and Zac Taylor, but they cruised to a victory over the Buccaneers. Their defense seemed improved over last year, forcing four fumbles while limiting Tampa Bay to just 282 yards of total offense.

The Bengals will face a much stiffer test this week vs. the Texans, who will be looking to avoid an 0-2 start after losing to the Bills in Week 1. While the Texans are undoubtedly a good team, their vaunted defense allowed 409 yards and 36 points against the Bills. The Bengals have an explosive offense of their own, and if the Texans’ defense struggles again, their offense is probably not going to be able to pick up the slack.

That’s particularly true if Nico Collins is out of the lineup. He suffered a hamstring injury, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that his status is “in jeopardy” vs. the Bengals. That would be a pretty huge blow, given that the Texans are already down Jayden Higgins and Tank Dell.

Still, this bet is primarily about the Bengals. It’s rare to be able to back a quarterback like Burrow as an underdog, and he has historically thrived in that spot. Including the playoffs, Burrow is an excellent 21-12 ATS when getting points throughout his career. We unfortunately missed the +3.0 that was available earlier this week, but I’m still pretty happy to scoop the Bengals at +2.5 (+100).

Dallas Cowboys (-4.0) vs. Washington Commanders

  • Best Odds: -110; Fanatics
  • Play To: -4.5 (-110)

Fading the Cowboys was the correct decision in Week 1. Divisional home underdogs have an elite track record in Week 1, and the Giants added to that tally on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys’ new-look defense did not look much better than last year’s awful unit, with the Giants recording 394 yards and 28 points.

That said, it’s possible the Giants are just actually good. They have plenty of blue-chip players on their roster, and head coach John Harbaugh has an outstanding track record. Jaxson Dart looked much improved as a passer in his second season, so the Giants could be a team that overperforms their preseason expectations.

I’m not willing to give up on the Cowboys after one subpar performance, and this is a spot where Dak Prescott has historically thrived. He has been one of the best in the league at covering as a divisional home favorite, posting a 16-5 ATS mark.

The Commanders managed to cover in a similar spot vs. the Eagles last week, but Philadelphia still has to prove that they can move the ball consistently. I have no such concerns with the Cowboys. They should be able to put up plenty of points in this matchup, and the defense should look significantly better in Week 2.

Tennessee Titans (+7.0) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

  • Best Odds: -105; BetMGM
  • Play To: -110

Speaking of the Eagles, I’m looking to fade them this week vs. the Titans. This bet 100% is not for everyone. I am completely aware that the Titans could be the worst team in football, and they certainly looked that way last week vs. the Jets.

That said, it’s at least possible that the Jets are a competent team this season. They have a phenomenal offensive line, while Geno Smith performed as well as any QB in football in Week 1:

They also had four of the 20 fastest ball-carriers in Week 1. I’m definitely not putting the Jets in the Super Bowl any time soon, but I think their performance is more indicative of their talent than the Titans’ deficiencies.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were far from dominant vs. the Commanders. They struggled to move the chains consistently, ranking 16th in EPA per play in Week 1. I’m not sure they deserve to be seven-point road favorites against basically anyone.

This bet is the epitome of overreaction dumpster diving. The Titans were just +4.5 when this line was first posted, so we’re getting 2.5 points for free. Our projected spread on this contest is closer to 4.5, so I’m willing to plug my nose and take the value with Tennessee.  

San Francisco 49ers (-13.5) vs. Miami Dolphins

  • Best Odds: -104; FanDuel
  • Play To: -115

The big question in this game is how the travel back from Australia will impact the 49ers. If this were a normal week, I would expect the 49ers to be even larger favorites vs. the Dolphins. And frankly, I don’t care if they’re coming back from outer space; they should be able to handle their business vs. the Dolphins.

The Dolphins were thoroughly outclassed by the Raiders in Week 1. They lost by two touchdowns, despite the fact that Las Vegas didn’t even have Brock Bowers in the lineup. Their offense was as bad as expected, netting just 259 yards with two turnovers in one of the easier matchups they’ll face this season.

Meanwhile, the 49ers looked awesome against the presumptive Super Bowl favorites in Week 1. Their defense was great with Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw back in the middle of the field, while their offense moved the ball at will. They were seventh in EPA per play and third in success rate, and with Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and George Kittle all healthy, they are undoubtedly one of the best units in the league.

As long as they’re not too jet-lagged, they should be able to score 30+ points in this matchup. I don’t know how the Dolphins keep up in that scenario.

Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals

  • Best Odds: -115; Fanatics
  • Play To: -3.5 (-120) or -4.0 (-110)

In my opinion, the Cardinals might be the biggest “overreaction” team after Week 1. All offseason, they were considered one of the worst teams in football. They had a preseason win total of just 3.5, and they were heavy favorites to finish with the worst record in the league.

But after upsetting the Chargers in Week 1, the Cardinals are now getting a ton of respect from bettors and talking heads alike. They’re down to just 3.5-point underdogs after being listed at +10.0 on the lookahead line.

While some spread adjustment was certainly warranted following the injury to Sam Darnold, that feels like an overcorrection. Darnold is better than Lock, but he’s certainly worth an additional 6.5 points towards the spread.

Drew Lock looked extremely competent in relief of Darnold vs. the Patriots, and that was with zero prep time. Now, he’ll get nearly two full weeks to prepare as the starter for Seattle. I love backing talented teams when they’re starting a backup QB, and the Seahawks definitely qualify. I expect them to take care of business.

Players Mentioned in this Article

  1. Joe Burrow
    JoeBurrow
    QBCINCIN
    PPG
    15.2
    Proj
    16.7

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