Sam Farmer’s Week 2 NFL picks
Los Angeles Times’ NFL writer, Sam Farmer, examines the matchups this week. Lines according to FanDuel Sportsbook (O/U = over/under).
L.A. Chargers (1-0) at Caroina (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Chargers by 6½. O/U: 38½.
Tough to travel across the country, but the Chargers aren’t going to turn it over and they’re going to feed J.K. Dobbins. The Panthers are awful and they just lost their best player, DT Derrick Brown, for the season.
Pick: Chargers 27, Panthers 13
New Orleans (1-0) at Dallas (1-0)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Cowboys by 6½. O/U: 46½.
The Saints look solid, maybe a little better on offense than they’ve been. Dallas was impressive in the opener, and there’s no dropoff with Dan Quinn leaving and Mike Zimmer coming in as defensive coordinator.
Pick: Cowboys 28, Saints 23
Tampa Bay (1-0) at Detroit (1-0)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Lions by 7. O/U: 51½
Playoff rematch. The Lions are a complete team and they’re going to continue to improve. It hurts Buccaneers that safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is out. Watch for Amon-Ra St. Brown to have a big game.
Pick: Lions 30, Buccaneers 23
Indianapolis (0-1) at Green Bay (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Colts by 3½. O/U: 40½.
Lots of people are excited about Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, mostly because of his flashy plays, but he was 9 for 19. Packers will run it well, but Jordan Love being out makes all the difference.
Pick: Colts 24, Packers 20
Cleveland (0-1) at Jacksonville (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Jaguars by 3½. O/U: 41½.
One of these two “Super Bowl contenders” is going to drop to 0-2. Looks like it’s the Browns and they might have the best defense in the league. Deshaun Watson looked really bad in opener.
Pick: Jaguars 24, Browns 21
San Francisco (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: 49ers by 6½. O/U: 45½
Christian McCaffrey or not, the 49ers are legit. They just grind out the yards on the ground whenever they need them. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold had an impressive opener against the Giants.
Pick: 49ers 30, Vikings 21
Seattle (1-0) at New England (1-0)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Seahawks by 3½. O/U: 37½.
Seattle started slowly and got a scare against Denver. New England had a forehead-slapping upset of Cincinnati. Seattle has too much firepower in this matchup and Patriots come back to earth.
Pick: Seahawks 26, Patriots 17
N.Y. Jets (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Jets by 3½. O/U: 40½.
That was the Aaron Rodgers we’re used to seeing, and the Jets’ defense is far better than Chicago’s (Bears held Titans to 17 in the opener.) Home team will struggle to get the offense going.
Pick: Jets 27, Titans 16
N.Y. Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Commanders by 1½. O/U: 44½.
As long as he can stay healthy, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is going to be a problem for defenses. This week, he discovers Terry McLaurin against the wobbly Giants.
Pick: Commanders 24, Giants 20
Las Vegas (0-1) at Baltimore (0-1)
Sunday, 10 a.m.
Line: Ravens by 9½. O/U: 41½.
Raiders are not a good team, but their defense isn’t terrible. Baltimore is rested after a near comeback at Kansas City. Baltimore wins at home, but it’s a closer game than many think.
Pick: Ravens 24, Raiders 18
L.A. Rams (0-1) at Arizona (0-1)
Sunday, 1:05 p.m.
Line: Cardinals by 1½. O/U: 49½.
Rams are hurting, with Puka Nacua out and patchwork offensive line, and the Cardinals looked stronger than many anticipated in their opener. Rams Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp make the difference.
Pick: Rams 24, Cardinals 21
Cincinatti (0-1) at Kansas City (1-0)
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
Line: Chiefs by 5½. O/U: 47½.
The Chiefs are rolling, and let’s see what rookie Xavier Worthy will do this week. Patrick Mahomes has so many weapons. How on earth did the Bengals lose that opener against the Patriots?
Pick: Chiefs 34, Bengals 21
Pittsburgh (1-0) at Denver (0-1)
Sunday, 1:25 p.m.
Line: Steelers by 3. O/U: 36½.
Steelers are the only team in the AFC North with a win – and the only team in the division without a touchdown. Justin Fields gets them into the end zone Sunday in Russell Wilson’s would-be revenge game.
Pick: Steelers 21, Broncos 13
Chicago (1-0) at Houston (1-0)
Sunday, 5:20 p.m.
Line: Texans by 6½. O/U: 45½.
Caleb Williams is the first quarterback picked No. 1 in the draft to win an opener since David Carr in 2002 – yet didn’t throw for 100 yards. C.J. Stroud was no fluke as a rookie, and Joe Mixon was a huge addition for Houston.
Pick: Texans 28, Bears 20
Atlanta (0-1) at Philadelphia (1-0)
Monday, 5:15 p.m.
Line: Eagles by 6½. O/U: 47½.
With Kellen Moore drawing up the offense, and Saquon Barkley powering out those yards, the Eagles are going to be tough to beat. Kirk Cousins has to have the Falcons worried with how he looked in opener.
Pick: Eagles 31, Falcons 21