NFL Week 2 Odds Have Patriots Flirting With Record Spread

After an exciting and eye-opening Week 1, bookmakers and bettors are looking at even more action for Week 2.

Technically, Week 2 kicked off last night, as two of the worst teams in the league played each other. But you’d hardly be blamed for not noticing.

In that contest, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent the uninspired (and uninspiring) Carolina Panthers to 0-2, and early fantasy players were dismayed at the drop-off in production from running back Christian McCaffrey, who followed up his 10-reception, 19-carry, 2-TD opener with a measly 53 yards on 16 carries and two catches.

With that slog out of the way, however, most of the weekend’s matchups look pretty good. Except, of course, for the Patriots-Dolphins tilt. If you’re a Miami fan, anyway.

Miami, coming off a 59-10 shellacking at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens to start the season, are historic underdogs as they take on New England at home. Which makes sense, given that – just like fish exposed to the Florida sun – the Dolphins stink out loud. Plus, the Pats trounced the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-3 last Sunday.

Still, a 19.5-point spread in an NFL game – and it could go even higher before kickoff Sunday – is far out of the ordinary. The Pats opened as -14.5 favorites, but bettors quickly moved the line into virtually uncharted territory.

In the last 53 years, only one team has been favored by 20 or more on an NFL point spread. That happened in 1968, when the New York Jets were -20 favorites over the Buffalo Bills. Another point or so of movement, and US sportsbook sites will be looking at one for the record books.

The scariest part? The Patriots should cover. Easily.

That said, there are some other potential blowouts acleat for Week 2.

These include the Ravens (-800) being favored by 13 at home against the Arizona Cardinals (+500), the Texans (-430) favored by 8.5 at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (+315), and the Kansas City Chiefs (-340) favored by 7.5 on the road against the Oakland Raiders (+270).

The Browns are big favorites, too. But they’re also the Browns, as the NFL betting public was reminded last week.

There are lots of compelling wagers besides the above, of course, and all the top offshore NFL betting sites always have tons of props and alternate lines to choose from, too.

You can check out Bovada’s Week 2 NFL betting boards for all the latest prices on your favorite players and teams. The main lines are listed below.