NFL odds: Highlighting Sunday's key divisional matchups and more
Two key divisional matchups highlight the NFL betting slate in Week 2, with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Miami Dolphins in an AFC East battle, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Denver Broncos in an AFC West showdown. Oddsmakers say one of the games should be much closer than the other, as the Broncos are double-digit favorites, while bettors are also favoring the road team Miami in early action.
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The Bills opened as one-point home favorites, but the public has shown a strong opinion on the Dolphins, making them a small road favorite at -1 according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Buffalo has covered the spread in three of the last four meetings with Miami and blanked the Dolphins 19-0 at home in Week 16 of last season.
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Miami turned in one of the most impressive performances of Week 1, defeating favorite New England 33-20 behind 134 rushing yards and a touchdown from RB Knowshon Moreno, who signed with the Dolphins in the offseason. Closing as a 3.5-point home underdog, Miami had failed to win straight-up or against the spread against its previous two divisional opponents dating back to last year, including that loss to the Bills in the previous meeting.
Buffalo is coming off a huge road win in overtime at Chicago, beating the Bears 23-20 as a 6.5-point road underdog. Bills quarterback EJ Manuel finished with 173 passing yards and one touchdown along with 19 rushing yards and another score on the ground. Buffalo is 7-3 ATS in its last 10 games against AFC East opponents.
Denver has won the last four meetings with Kansas City, covering the last three, including two dominant victories last season. The Chiefs continued their tailspin from the end of last year in a 26-10 loss to Tennessee last week, failing to cover as 3-point home favorites, and now visit the Broncos as 13-point road underdogs according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Kansas City is 4-8 ATS in its last 12 games against AFC West foes and rides a four-game losing streak into Denver, including a 45-44 loss to Indianapolis in the playoffs last season after the team blew a 38-10 lead.
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The Broncos topped the Colts 31-24 on Sunday Night Football, but fell just short of covering the 8.5-point spread. Denver QB Peyton Manning connected with tight end Julius Thomas on three second-quarter touchdown passes to help the team build a 24-7 halftime lead before Indianapolis rallied back to make it close. The Broncos have won five of their last six games, including their run to the Super Bowl, but have gone just 1-3 ATS in the past four.
Other notable games: The Green Bay Packers (-9.5) host the New York Jets while the New England Patriots (-3) and New Orleans Saints (-7) hit the road for the second consecutive week against the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, respectively. Defending champion Seattle Seahawks, coming off a 36-16 rout of the Packers in Week 1, head to San Diego as 7-point road favorites against the San Diego Chargers.
