‘Monday Night Football’ NFL Week 2 odds, pick

NFL Week 2 brings an exciting “Monday Night Football” doubleheader that starts with Buccaneers vs. Texans at 7 p.m. ET. 

The Texans are 2.5-point favorites over the Bucs despite losing their season opener on the road against the Rams.

The Buccaneers won a tightly contested contest in Atlanta against the Falcons and look to pull off back-to-back road wins to start their year.

Both teams played subpar football in Week 1.

The Texans committed 11 penalties last week and were plagued by terrible starting field position all game.

Injuries along the Texans’ offensive line made things difficult for Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who finished with no touchdowns and an interception in the 14-9 loss.

The Texans were shut out in a second half they would like to forget.

On their four second-half drives, the Texans had an interception, two punts, and a fumble. That last turnover was the most crucial one of the game as Houston was driving down the field with a chance to take the lead.

On the other side, the Buccaneers were in a tight game against the Falcons, who had a chance to tie the game at 23 with six seconds left in the game but missed a field goal.

If you’re taking an optimistic view of the Bucs, you would point out that their own kicker, Chase McLaughlin, cost them four points with a missed field goal and a missed extra point attempt. Those points would have meant the Falcons needed to score a touchdown on the final drive. 

Despite the win, I didn’t come away impressed with the Buccaneers’ offense, which was dealing with its own injuries.

Baker Mayfield didn’t look like the rejuvenated version of himself from last season. He completed just 53 percent of his passes in Week 1, and his Expected Completion Percentage was 56.5 percent, according to NFL Stats. 

The one thing I can feel confident about in this game is Houston’s defense. The unit has among the best in the NFL under head coach DeMeco Ryans and were the bright spot of last week’s loss.

If Mayfield struggled with accuracy against the Texans, this week will be even tougher.

Betting on the NFL?

Even if the Texans have issues moving the ball on offense as they did last week, I expect the defense to make plays and give the Texans opportunities to attack a vulnerable Buccaneers pass defense. 

This line opened at -1.5 for the Texans and has moved to -2.5, but the public has so far been on the Buccaneers with 58% of betting tickets landing on the road team at BetMGM. The money has roughly been split, though, with the Texans garnering 51 percent of the dollars wagered. 

I think the Texans are the right side of this matchup as the home team coming off a loss and with the spread under three points. I expect to see a much more motivated team at NRG Stadium on Monday.

But there’s another reason why I’m buying the Texans in this spot. For whatever reason, Mayfield has struggled on “Monday Night Football” throughout his career, going 1-7 straight up in eight starts.

I’m rolling with the Texans to cover the 2.5-point spread.

THE PLAY: Texans -2.5 (-115, BetMGM)