Week 1 Recap
After an exhilarating opening week of NFL football we now enter into week 2 of the season with even more analysis and picks for this slate. In an absurd turn of events Daniel Jones was the biggest winner of week 1 with bigger names like Josh Allen and Jalen Ramsey sealing huge wins for their teams as well. While Tua Tagovailoa and Russell Wilson looked absolutely washed up for their teams in blowout losses. Elsewhere around the league, the Bengals defense looked the polar opposite from last season and top pick Cam Ward struggled against a vaunted Broncos defense. The Falcons lost a heart breaker to the Bucs on a missed field goal and the Packers looked like the best team in football in a blowout win against the Lions. The theme of the week was come from behind wins with Josh Allen’s Bills and the Vikings erasing massive deficits on primetime television late in the game before their comeback victories. There is still plenty more action in store with only 1 week down and a jam packed slate of competitive games this Sunday let’s take a deeper look at the best bets and player props for this week.
Patriots @ Dolphins
Are the Dolphins Really This Bad?
Coach Mike Vrabel and the New England Patriots travel to Miami Gardens, FL to take on Tua and the Dolphins with both teams fresh off week 1 losses. The Dolphins have been an absolute mess ever since Tua went out with a concussion in week 2 of last season and week 1 of 2025 was no different. The offense repeatedly looked out of sorts against the Colts amassing a measly 211 yards of total offense and turning the ball over 3 times. The lone bright spot was RB Devon Achane, but because the Dolphins were down by so much they were forced to pass and finished with only 12 rushing attempts. The Patriots had a more competitive outing with the Raiders, but were taken down by Geno Smith’s 362 yards passing. The Patriots offensive line was shaky allowing 4 sacks in week 1 and will look for a bounce back performance against a Dolphins defense that managed just 1 sack against the Colts. Star receiver Tyreek Hill is also under investigation for domestic violence accusations that will be a major distraction for the Dolphins. Both these teams project to miss out on the playoffs, but I like Vrabel’s Patriots here who showed fight against an underrated Raiders unit. The Dolphins are a circus right now and should be looked at as one of the NFL’s worst teams until further notice.
Best Bet: Patriots ML (+120)
Bears @ Lions
Ben Johnson Returns to Detroit
The Lions are coming off the team’s lowest scoring performance since 2023 when they lost to the Packers in week 1 27-13. The architect behind those offenses and now head coach for the Chicago Bears, Ben Johnson, makes his return after a heart breaking loss in week 1 to the Vikings on Monday night. The Bears led by as much as 11 points with 12 minutes remaining before JJ McCarthy caught fire and torched the Bears defense in the 4th quarter. QB Caleb Williams looked solid early, but in the end 12 penalties for 127 yards and a defense that looked gassed in the 4th quarter would be the Bears’ undoing. A visit to Ford Field in Detroit against a hungry Lions team looking to make amends for last week’s loss is a tough ask for Johnson and the Bears. I like the Lions to cover the -6 point spread in this matchup of 0-1 NFC North Foes, putting their week 1 loss to the Packers behind them.
Best Bet: Lions -6 (-110)
Giants @ Cowboys
How Long Till Dart-y Time?
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has an absurd 13 game winning streak against the Giants and performed well in their week 1 and his first game back from injury. Prescott’s streak is the 2nd longest such run in NFL history and there is no end in sight. For the Giants QB Russell Wilson was one of the biggest duds of week 1 only rivaled by Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. Wilson looked uncomfortable all game against a Commander’s defense that held him to just 168 yards of passing on 37 attempts. The Giants picked Ole Miss product Jaxson Dart in the 1st round of this year’s draft and impatient fans have already seen enough from an aging Wilson. There are also some key injuries in this game with Cowboys missing CB DaRon Bland who just signed a 4 year $92 million contract. The Giants will be without LT Andrew Thomas who is still working his way back from foot surgery and LB Micah McFadden who they placed on IR after an injury in week 1. Cowboys RB Javonte Williams was a big surprise in week 1 after he played 80% of the offensive snaps and scored 2 touchdowns in his debut. I’ll take Dak and the Cowboys to cover the -5.5 point spread and make it 14 in a row against the Giants. Also look out for Javonte Williams to have a solid day after a good showing against the Eagles in week 1, with the Giants run defense allowing big chunks to the Commanders last week.
Best Bet: Cowboys -5 (-110)
Player Prop: Javonte Williams Over 53.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Seahawks @ Steelers
DK Metcalf Faces Old Team
The Seattle Seahawks couldn’t move the ball down the field a week ago against the 49ers with new QB Sam Darnold finishing with just 150 yards passing. Darnold could’ve used a deep weapon like DK Metcalf in that game, but instead the now Pittsburgh Steeler will line up against the team he spent years with. Metcalf was sent to the Steelers in exchange for a 2nd round pick before signing a 5 year deal worth over $130 million with the black and gold. The Steelers offense was flying in week 1 as 41 year old QB Aaron Rodgers turned back the clock with a 4 touchdown performance in a thrilling win over the Jets. With the Steelers putting up 30+ points last week and Darnold rebounding from a poor week 1 I lkke the over of 40.5 points in this contest.
Best Bet: Over 40.5
Broncos @ Colts
Danny Dimes Faces Tough Denver Test
The Colts won their first season opener in 12 years and have not started 2-0 since the 2009 season. New starting QB Daniel Jones was the biggest winner of week 1 with an unexpected 33-8 beatdown of the Dolphins. Jones made a habit of targeting rookie tight end Tyler Warren who caught 7 passes for 76 yards in his first NFL game. The Colts won’t have the luxury of facing the Dolphins this week, instead the Denver Broncos travel to Indianapolis fresh off a win over the Titans where they finished with 6 sacks. Reigning NFL DPOY Patrick Surtain II will look to shutdown Warren and company. Quarterback Bo Nix is coming off a 3 turnover performance in week 1 and head coach Sean Payton will be emphasizing the need to take care of the ball in this matchup. This is a back to reality game for the Colts with Daniel Jones struggling against constant pressure from a swarming Broncos defense.
Best Bet: Broncos -1 (-110)
Eagles @ Chiefs
Super Bowl Rematch
A rematch of last year’s Super Bowl takes place in week 2 when the champion Philadelphia Eagles travel to Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Chiefs were on the wrong end of a lopsided defeat in that game trailing by as much as 34 points in the 3rd quarter.A few garbage time scores made the final margin 40-22 for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in the end. The Chiefs flopped in last weeks 27-21 loss to the Chargers in Brazil last week and an injury to top receiver Xavier Worthy to a dislocated shoulder made matters even worse. The Eagles took care of business in their opener taking down the Cowboys 24-20 and return star defensive lineman Jalen Carter who returns from a 1 game suspension for spitting. Hurts and the Eagles have been rolling since last season winning 17 of their last 18 games straight up. The Chiefs haven’t lost their first 2 games since Any Reid’s 2nd season in charge in 2014, but I like the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles to cover the -1 point spread with AJ Brown bouncing back from a pedestrian 1 catch 8 yard effort in week 1 as well.
The Bookie of Eli 
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