It’s Week 2 of the NFL, and we’re being treated to two Monday Night Football games. Both of these matchups are divisional games. The Panthers host the Saints in the first game. Shortly after they kick off, the Browns and Steelers get started in Pittsburgh. Let’s take a closer look at both of these matchups and some plays that I like.
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NFL Week 2 Monday Night Football Best Bets
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
The Bryce Young era in Carolina got off to a rough start in their loss to the Falcons in Week 1. Offensively, they struggled to move the ball against Atlanta. Young managed just 3.8 yards per pass attempt and threw two interceptions. He may have another rough outing against a Saints defense that shut down the Titans last week. Ryan Tannehill didn’t have much success and turned the ball over three times. Tennessee wasn’t able to score a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Derek Carr dazzled in his New Orleans debut. We weren’t really able to see what Carolina has on their pass defense, as they only attempted 18 passes but completed 15. Carolina’s CB Jaycee Horn is out for this matchup, and that will only help the Saints. New Orleans will likely rely on developing the passing game until RB Alvin Kamara returns from suspension. If Carolina allows Carr to get going, things could get ugly quickly.
Road division games are some of the most difficult games on a team’s schedule, and it’s rarely a good idea to back a road division favorite. In this case, however, it’s warranted. Carolina should get better throughout the season, but right now, the Saints are head and shoulders above them.
Pick: Saints -3 (-110)
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
This is a game between two teams that caused big reactions to their Week 1 performances. Few teams looked more impressive than the Browns in their total domination of the Bengals. On the opposite end, the Steelers were out of the game by halftime against the 49ers. Based on these performances, it feels like a free win to take Cleveland -2, but it’s never that easy.
There is no sugarcoating Pittsburgh’s performance, and they were awful in Week 1. They couldn’t run the ball with any success, and QB Kenny Pickett threw two back-breaking interceptions. He’s a young QB and should continue to grow with this receiving group, but this is another terrible matchup. The Cleveland defensive line is a menace and that could spell trouble for Pickett again. It should be another struggle for Pittsburgh on offense all night.
QB Deshaun Watson still hasn’t looked right since returning from his suspension last season. The weather was a factor, but Watson managed only 154 yards on 29 attempts and an interception thrown in there. Regardless of what they showed last week, Pittsburgh has a stout defense and should play better in this matchup. If Watson still isn’t sharp, the Browns can always rely on their elite running game. Pittsburgh let RB Christian McCaffrey run all over them in Week 1, but they were a top-five team in run defense DVOA in 2022, so they’re better than they showed last week. I fully expect Pittsburgh to bounce back and help slow down the Browns.
These are two teams with solid defenses and question marks on offense. Throw in that it’s a primetime divisional game, and you have to expect a tight, low-scoring game. The under is the best play for this Monday night game.
Pick: Under 39.5 (-110)
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