3 Underrated Week 2 NFL Favorites: 49ers, Saints Lead Way
Week 2 of the NFL’s regular season is set to kick off, and multiple favorites are underrated headed into their matchup.
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Below, we’ll dive into three favorites we believe are underrated heading into their Week 1 game.
Los Angeles Chargers (-3) vs. Tennessee Titans
Although the Los Angeles Chargers couldn’t come out on top in their Week 1 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, they still tallied 34 points, and their offense looked mighty. There are some concerns about the health of star running back Austin Ekeler, but Joshua Kelley proved in Week 1 that he has the skill set to take over if need be.
The Chargers opponent, the Tennessee Titans, also dropped their Week 1 matchup to New Orleans. LA wasn’t all that impressive in their opener on defense, but we expect that to change against the Titans in this matchup. Tennessee struggled to pass the ball against the Saints, and we expect similar trends here. With the Chargers boasting one of the highest tempo and most explosive offenses in football, don’t be surprised if they come out on top by a touchdown or more in this matchup against Tennessee.
San Francisco 49ers (-8) vs. Los Angeles Rams
The San Francisco 49ers made easy work of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 and blew them out on the road 30-7. San Francisco looked formidable on both sides of the ball, and when you look at their loaded roster, you can understand why. Whether it’s Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, or Deebo Samuel, the 49ers are loaded at skill positions on offense. That doesn’t factor in Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, or Fred Warner on defense. It’s hard to find a flaw on this football team, especially when quarterback Brock Purdy looks like he did against Pittsburgh.
The Rams put on a show in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, but the 49ers are quite simply a different beast. There’s a solid case to be made that the 49ers should be double-digit favorites in this matchup, even with the Rams looking good in Week 1.
New Orleans Saints (-3) vs. Carolina Panthers
It wasn’t a pretty victory for the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 over Tennessee, but their defense did steal the show and demonstrate why many expect them to be a force this season. On the other hand, the Carolina Panthers opened up against the Atlanta Falcons, and the game was closer than the final score of 24-10 made it seem.
The Panthers are a young team, and there will be some growing pains along the way. We expect some of those growing pains to transpire more in Week 2 than in Week 1.
The Saints’ defense can make life very difficult on rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Don’t be surprised if the Saints’ pressure forces Young to be uncomfortable and cause some inadvisable throws. In addition, we also expect the Saints to be more efficient offensively than they were against Tennessee in Week 1. Even though the line has the visiting Saints favored by just three points, it wouldn’t be a shock to us if they won by double-digits.
All odds courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.