Week 1 featured excellent offensive performances as 10 teams scored at least 30 points. There were also some upsets, including the Cardinals defeating the Chargers in Los Angeles.
Injuries played a factor in the slate, too, some of which will impact Week 2 and beyond.
What matchups stand out this week? Below, we’ll dig into the schedule and discuss our best NFL Week 2 predictions, including picks for winners, spreads, over/under, team totals, and more on PrizePicks.
Make your NFL Week 2 predictions on PrizePicks now!
{{nfl_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New England Patriots Prediction on Over/Under for NFL Week 2
Game Time, How to Watch: 1 p.m. ET on CBS
The Patriots lost their Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks 13-10 last week despite Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (glute) going down in the first series. The Patriots were in a position to win the game behind their defense, but QB Drake Maye threw 3 INTs that ended up being the difference.
Seattle wasn’t the only team that emerged from the matchup with a significant injury. The Patriots lost prized offseason addition WR A.J. Brown, who is expected to miss about six weeks. After they traded WR Kayshon Boutte to the Texans during the preseason, their depth at the position will be tested right away.
It’s not all bad news for the Patriots on the injury front. RB TreVeyon Henderson, who missed Week 1 with an ankle ailment, is ready to return. His presence would be huge after RB Rhamondre Stevenson could only manage 51 yards on 18 rush attempts against the Seahawks.
Even with Henderson’s impending return, the Patriots might be hard-pressed to air things out in Week 2. Their top WRs are now Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and Mack Hollins.
None of those three has reached 725 receiving yards in a single season. As members of New England last season, Douglas and Hollins combined for 5 TDs.
The Patriots could try to minimize risk on offense and rely on their defense to win this matchup. They only allowed 18.8 points per game last season while also ranking 10th in dropback EPA allowed, per RBSDM.
The Steelers already don’t air things out on offense with QB Aaron Rodgers under center. Last season, he finished 40th among 43 QBs with his average depth of target (aDOT) of 6.4 yards, per PFF.
Pittsburgh was limited to 20 points in its season opener against the Falcons, who were 13th in dropback EPA allowed in 2025.
Make your Steelers vs. Patriots prediction on PrizePicks.
Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys Prediction on Spread for NFL Week 2
Game Time, How to Watch: 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX
The Commanders and Cowboys both lost to division rivals in Week 1. The Commanders fell 24-22 to the Eagles, while the Cowboys lost 28-20 to the Giants. Both games were on the road, which is always a difficult environment against a divisional opponent.
The Cowboys scored 20 points against the Giants despite losing the time of possession battle 36:40 to 23:20. They couldn’t stop the Giants on the ground, allowing 165 yards over 37 rush attempts.
This is a favorable matchup for QB Dak Prescott to get back on track, though. Last season, the Commanders were 31st in the league in dropback EPA allowed. Their 33 passing TDs allowed were tied for the third-most.
That weakness plagued Washington Sunday against the Eagles, with QB Jalen Hurts recording 3 TDs through the air despite only attempting 25 passes.
Hurts had plenty of success against the Commanders’ secondary last week, even with a lack of quality depth at WR. The same can’t be said about the Cowboys, who are led by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens at the position.
In two games against the Commanders last season, Lamb combined for 10 receptions, 156 yards, and 1 TD. Pickens had 8 receptions for 160 yards. Those two helped Prescott combine for 571 yards and 5 TDs.
The Cowboys have performed better at home than on the road. Over the last five seasons, they went 27-14-1 in Dallas. Over that same span, the Commanders were 19-23-1 on the road. Last year, Washington was 3-5 against the spread as a road underdog.
When these teams played each other in Dallas last year, the Cowboys pulled off a dominant 44-22 victory. Even when they played in Washington, the Cowboys won by 7 points.
Make your Commanders vs. Cowboys prediction on PrizePicks.
{{nfl_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Green Bay Packers vs. New York Jets Prediction on Spread for NFL Week 2
Game Time, How to Watch: 1 p.m. ET on FOX
The Jets exploited a favorable Week 1 matchup against the Titans, winning 23-10 in Tennessee. The Titans struggled on offense again after scoring just 16.7 PPG last year. Titans QB Cam Ward couldn’t get anything going, completing only 59.4% of his passes on his way to throwing for a paltry 140 yards.
The Packers lost in Week 1, but unlike the Titans, their offense wasn't the main problem. They lost 39-22 to the Vikings despite QB Jordan Love throwing for 387 yards and 2 TDs. However, he did have 2 turnovers and only completed 50% of his attempts.
With RB Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, Love attempted 42 passes. He tried at least 40 in a game only twice in 2025.
The Packers deploying a more pass-heavy offense isn't good news for the Jets, who gave up the most passing TDs in the league last season (36) on their way to ranking last in dropback EPA allowed.
The Jets playing at home in Week 2 isn’t exactly a significant advantage; they were 3-5 ATS at home last year and have posted a losing record ATS at home in each of the last five campaigns.
With the Packers likely deploying a pass-heavy offense in their attempt to avoid an 0-2 start, the Jets might be fighting an uphill battle to keep this matchup close.
Make your Packers vs. Jets prediction on PrizePicks.
Cleveland Browns vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction on Spread for NFL Week 2
Game Time, How to Watch: 1 p.m. ET on CBS
The Buccaneers lost a shootout against the Bengals last Sunday, falling 33-27. Cincinnati scored 33 points while QB Joe Burrow had only 1 TD and WR Ja’Marr Chase logged 2 receptions for 12 yards. Even RB Chase Brown was held to just 56 rushing yards.
The problem for the Buccaneers was that they lost 4 fumbles, 3 of which were attributed to QB Baker Mayfield. The Bengals scored 24 of their points off turnovers, including a fumble return for a score in the first quarter.
The Buccaneers have a dangerous offense when they can hold on to the ball. Despite a litany of injuries last year, they averaged 22.4 PPG. WR Chris Godwin is finally healthy, forming a potent duo with second-year WR Emeka Egbuka, who had 5 receptions for 63 yards in their opener.
They also added RB Kenneth Gainwell, who had 73 receptions for the Steelers last year.
Points shouldn’t be a problem for the Buccaneers in this matchup. In their first game since they traded away DE Myles Garrett, the Browns allowed 34 points to the Jaguars in Week 1. QB Trevor Lawrence posted 4 TDs across just 23 pass attempts, with each score going to a different receiver.
Cleveland didn’t get much pressure on him, recording just 1 sack.
As if their defense wasn’t enough of a problem, the Browns’ offense was a disaster. QB Deshaun Watson threw an early INT and was sacked 5 times. The Browns only scored 10 points, yet Watson will remain under center for this matchup.
Watson missed all of 2025 and has 20 TDs and 13 INTs over 20 career games in Cleveland.
One of the bright spots on the Browns’ offense is RB Quinshon Judkins. However, if Watson is going to be a disaster, teams can focus on shutting down Judkins. The Jaguars did that Sunday, limiting him to 33 yards on 12 carries.
Defending the run was a strength of the Bucs last year, leaving them to finish fifth in rush EPA allowed. If they shut down Judkins early and put up points on the Browns’ lackluster defense, it’s difficult to envision a path in which Watson can help keep this game close.
Make your Browns vs. Buccaneers prediction on PrizePicks.
Make NFL Week 2 Picks on PrizePicks
The Patriots and Steelers could produce a low-scoring battle in New England, while the Cowboys aim to right the ship at home and level their record at 1-1 when they face the Commanders.
The Jets and Browns, who were two of the worst teams in the NFL last season, face tall tasks to keep their respective Week 2 matchups close.
Don’t wait until kickoff — make your NFL picks on PrizePicks now for Week 2 and earn real money if you’re right.
Pick players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in if you’re right. With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.
Stay locked in on Playbook for daily NFL predictions, picks, and news every day all the way through the 2026 NFL season.
Team Picks and Culture Picks are event contracts offered by Performance Predictions II, LLC d/b/a PrizePicks Predict, a CFTC-registered FCM and NFA Member. All event contract customers must be U.S. residents and 18+. Some event contracts may not be available in every state.Event contract trading carries significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. No guarantee against loss is offered. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.Void where prohibited by law. Restrictions apply. For full terms of service see prizepicks.com/predict-regulatory. Team and Culture Pick Early Payouts subject to market liquidity. The content provided is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, or a recommendation to trade any commodity interest.
