Underdogs ruled the roost again in Week 2, and the Patriots and Saints face double-digit spreads in Week 3 NFL opening lines.
After opening the season 2-0 both straight up and against the spread, the Buffalo Bills have impressed the sportsbooks enough to sit as a pick'em early in the week for their game on Sunday against the team that just knocked off the defending Super Bowl champs - the San Diego Chargers.
The Bills vs. Chargers matchup at Ralph Wilson Stadium early on Sunday afternoon was listed as a pick'em at sports books monitored by OddsShark.com. Buffalo followed up its 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears as 6.5-point underdogs in Week 1 with a 29-10 thumping of the Miami Dolphins as 1.5-point favorites in Week 2.
Both of those games turned out to be UNDER results on the NFL betting totals. The 2-0 start for the Bills sharply increases the odds that they will break their playoff slump in 2014.
And that has Buffalo alone atop the AFC East standings heading into Week 3, as the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots are sitting at 1-1 on the season.
The Chargers are also 1-1 after bouncing back in a big way from their 18-17 loss to the Cardinals in Week 1 with a 30-21 win over the Seahawks in Week 2 as 4.5-point underdogs on the betting lines. San Diego and Buffalo last met in December 2011, when the Chargers won SU (straight up) and ATS by a 37-10 score.
The Patriots are accustomed to being in first place in the AFC East standings, but their Week 1 loss to the Dolphins has them still trailing the Bills despite their easy 30-7 win over the Vikings in Week 2, a Vikings team that didn't have Adrian Peterson on the field.
New England is a huge favorite in Week 3, giving up 16 points at home to the Oakland Raiders. Oakland is 0-2 on the season, and they're sitting at 0-3 both SU and ATS in their last three games vs, the Patriots since 2005.
But beware the Pats when they lay more than two TDs. Since 2007, they are 3-11 ATS in this role, according to the NFL database.
The Vikings are expected to have Peterson back on the field this weekend as they play on the road against the Saints, who got upset in Cleveland in Week 2. The sportsbooks have the Saints pegged as 10.5-point home favorites for that matchup in early betting this week.
The three primetime games on the NFL's Week 3 schedule are Tampa Bay at Atlanta on Thursday night, Pittsburgh at Carolina on Sunday night, and Chicago at the Jets on Monday night.
Early lines on those contests at the sportsbooks had the Falcons favored by 7 seven points, the Panthers favored by three, and the Jets and Bears as a pick'em at MetLife Stadium.