Top 3 Things Sports Bettors Learned From NFL Week 2 (2024)
The 2024 NFL regular season has now gone through two full weekends, and we’re starting to get some good information. A few of the teams we expected to be good have been playing well, and a few teams are playing well below expectations. In fact, not a lot of people had both the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals sitting at 0-2 straight up (SU) through two games. As always, injuries will play a major part in making decisions for us when betting, too. And we have a TON of injuries changing the betting landscape across the NFL.
I don’t mean to whine, but man, if you had the Over in Thursday’s Buffalo-Miami game, I feel your pain. The total was 49, and at halftime, we had 34 points on the board. Early in the third, we had a touchdown for Buffalo, and things were going well. Then, someone turned off the offensive spigot. Yes, QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion, but that injury showed how valuable he is. When just one player exited, it changed the entire complexion of the game on both sides, and that’s something we’ll focus on here.
So, what else did we learn from Week 2? Let’s take a look at a handful of the biggest takeaways.
What We Learned From Week 2 of the 2024 NFL Season
The New Orleans Saints Are A Juggernaut
What is going on in the Big Easy? Thumping the Carolina Panthers (who might not even become bowl-eligible if they were a college team) is one thing. However, the New Orleans Saints went to Jerry World and pounded the Dallas Cowboys 44-19. QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys were so bad, it looked like it was a playoff game.
The Saints got off to a quick 14-3 start, including a 70-yard pass play from QB Derek Carr to WR Rashid Shaheed. It’s the second straight week that pass-catch combo has connected for a scoring play of 59 or more yards in the first quarter. It’s just two games, so we can’t get too carried away, but the Saints are averaging 15.5 points per game (PPG) in the first quarter, and 17.0 PPG in the second quarter. The Saints tied a franchise record by scoring 35 points in the first half Sunday, and they’re the only team that has yet to trail in a game this season. The 91 points is the second-most through two games in franchise history, and the sixth-most in NFL history, so this indeed, has been a treat or a rarity.
If you’re considering an Over play in Week 3, the Saints are averaging a gaudy 45.5 PPG. Obviously that is not going to be sustainable for an entire season, and there will be a regression to the mean. But, the Saints host the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, and that figures to be another shootout.
The books haven’t jacked things up too high…yet. That game opened with a total of 49.5, but we likely get our first third closing total of 50 or more points. Two of those games have included the Detroit Lions, and both of those games went Under, so that’s something to think about.
It’s a stark departure from 2023, though, as the Saints cashed the Under in each of the first six games, going for 20 or fewer points on offense in five of those games. The Saints might be the biggest surprise in the NFL through two weeks, but again, it’s still just two weeks.
Are The Panthers Worse In 2024?
We picked on the Carolina Panthers, and rightly so, as they were “hot garbage†in Week 1. After getting plowed 26-3 by the Los Angeles Chargers in the home opener in Week 2, it’s hard to believe, but they were actually worse than against the Saints in the opener.
The time has come to pull the plug on QB Bryce Young and let the young man learn from the bench. He is putting up JaMarcus Russell-type numbers, and that’s never a good thing. QB Andy Dalton has been named the starter for Week 3. From all accounts, he is a great guy and was a very fun quarterback to watch in college. But it’s funny how a majority of regular fans wanted a taller quarterback like C.J. Stroud, and even some in Carolina management wanted to go that route. And, you’ve seen the success Stroud, and even to some degree, QB Anthony Richardson, have had. Yet, here we are with Young and the Panthers offense, averaging just 6.5 points per game through two outings, with one meaningless rushing score from Young in a blowout game as the lone touchdown of the season.
The Carolina offense had a paltry 90 rushing yards and 69 passing yards in Week 2. Factor in nine penalties for 90 yards, while holding the ball for just 23:42, and it was a complete and utter disaster all around. What is this team doing? Where are they going?
The Panthers were bad last season, going 2-15, but they were somewhat competitive, losing six of those games by one score. So far in 2024, Carolina has lost by at least 23 points in both games, and it’s a good idea to continue fading them until they show any signs of life. The Panthers travel to meet the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3, and the Silver and Black are favored by a touchdown after their exciting road win at Baltimore in Week 2.
NFC Black and Blue Division
All four NFC North Division teams have played two games through Sunday, and we’ve had seven Under results. The lone exception was the Green Bay Packers, with an Over result down in South America in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
So, the Under is 7-0 for the NFC North Division on North American soil, and in games played on a Sunday. The Under is 2-0 in Sunday Night Football games involving NFC North teams, too. Thanks, NFL, for the scheduling!
Injuries have played a bit of a factor, especially in this past week. Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson left this weekend’s win against the San Francisco 49ers in the second half due to a quadriceps injury, and the team is listing him as day-to-day. It’s something to watch closely as we head into Week 3. The Vikings managed just three points on offense in the final 21:49 of Sunday’s game, as it’s no surprise that taking an All-Pro receiver out of your lineup changes things dramatically.
In Chicago, it’s not so much injuries, but a change under center that has the team hitting Unders, as well as a suffocating defense. QB Caleb Williams has yet to throw for a touchdown, and he was picked off twice in Houston. He’ll get better, or at least he should, but it also doesn’t help matters that his offensive line is a joke, and he was missing oft-injured WR Keenan Allen (heel). But a combination of green quarterbacking, defense and injuries have led to two Unders in Chi-Town.
And for the Packers, they cashed low against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, relying upon the defense to get the job done. QB Malik Willis was thrust into a starting role because QB Jordan Love suffered a knee injury on the shoddy turf at Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo last Friday. The offense was watered down significantly because Willis was just acquired at the end of training camp from the Tennessee Titans. They did little on offense, running plenty, and relied on the defense to shut things down. A run game and a strong D is a good recipe for an Under every time.
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Daniel E. Dobish is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Daniel, check out his archive and follow him @danieledobish.