Green Bay Packers

NFL betting line analysis: Pittsburgh Steelers are a lock hosting San Francisco 49ers

Published Sep. 16, 2015 10:57 a.m. ET

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James Hernandez has more than 10 years in the sports handicapping industry and will contribute his Look Between the Lines sports capping article weekly to FOXSports.com, as our pro football betting expert. Have comments or questions? Follow him on Twitter @jhern81 or email him at jameshernandez1981@gmail.com.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (under 43)

Both defenses combined to force four turnovers (three interceptions, one fumble recovery) in season-opening victories this past Sunday. Denver has one of the top secondaries in the league and the tandem of Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. should be able to match up favorably against Kansas City's wideouts. Take the under as two of the best pass-rushing units in the NFL wreak havoc and turn this game into a low-scoring defensive war.

SUNDAY

Houston Texans (+3.5) over Carolina Panthers

Before the Texans could blink they found themselves down 14-0 and taking a standing eight count after Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's second touchdown of the first quarter. It's tough to find the silver lining in a loss, but Houston showed some grit and mental toughness, hanging in the game until the end and shutting out the Chiefs offense in the second half. Carolina is offensively challenged to put it nicely, and if the Texans run defense could hold Jamaal Charles to 57 yards on 17 carries they should have no trouble keeping Jonathan Stewart bottled up. Take the points in a defensive struggle that could be decided by the team that steps up and makes a play late in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints (over 47)

Two NFC South rivals meet in the Big Easy looking to get on the winning track after both teams opened the season with a loss. Drew Brees and company must be licking their chops after watching Marcus Mariota carve up the Bucs secondary for four TDs, connecting on 13-of-16 passes. Look for Saints coach Sean Payton and Brees to make the necessary adjustments offensively to expose a very vulnerable Tampa Bay secondary, with the speedy Brandin Cooks and a well-balanced receiving corps.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5) over San Francisco 49ers

The popular theory of the West Coast team struggling when traveling East to play the 10 a.m. game is alive and well in this spot. When this game kicks off San Francisco will have had only five full days to rest and game plan, whereas Pittsburgh will be coming off of a 10-day rest, after its season-opening loss to the Pats. The Steelers have been money in home openers going 9-1 straight up and 7-3 against the spread since the 2005 season. Get this line before it goes up a point or two, being on the right side of the number in this game may be the difference between a win, push or even loss.

Minnesota Vikings (-3) over Detroit Lions

According to oddsshark.com, since the 2007 season, 66 teams have started 0-2 and only five of them have come back to make the playoffs. DeAndre Levy is likely to miss his second consecutive game for the Lions, and Philip Rivers was able to pass for 404 yards in Week 1 without much threat of a running game. Lay the small number here as Minnesota finds a way to gut out a tough win at home over an undermanned Lions team.

New England Patriots (-1) over Buffalo Bills

According to Pro Football Reference, Tom Brady is 23-3 lifetime vs. Buffalo, throwing for 58 touchdowns against just 19 interceptions. As well as the Bills played in Week 1, they are not ready to defeat Andrew Luck and Brady in consecutive weeks. Trust the track record of Brady and Bill Belichick as the Pats do what they usually do.

Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) over Chicago Bears

I am going against my "home dog" theory here, but this game appears to be a contest between two teams headed in opposite directions. The Bears coaching staff is in the process of implementing a new offensive and defensive philosophy while the Cards bring veteran, playoff tested units on both sides of the ball to the Windy City looking to start 2-0 for the second straight season. Carson Palmer shined in his first game since tearing his ACL last season with a three-touchdown opening game and you can expect him to experience similar success against a below-average Chicago secondary. Get this line before it moves up to 3 -- it may be the difference between a push and a win.

Tennessee Titans (+2.5) over Cleveland Browns

Whether it's Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel under center, they will be feeling the pressure from a defense that tallied four sacks, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions and one defensive touchdown. Cleveland will struggle all afternoon to move the ball and keeping up with this Titans offense will be nearly impossible. Jump on the bandwagon. Take the points here, but this should be an outright victory for the Titans as they start 2-0 for the first time since a guy named Jeff Fisher was coaching here during the 2008 season.

San Diego Chargers (+3.5) over Cincinnati Bengals

Last time these two teams matched up in the "Queen City" the Chargers were very inhospitable house guests, ending the Bengals' season in a 2014 AFC Wild Card game, 27-10. Both of these teams are well balanced offensively and look like they will be a factor in the AFC playoff race. This game should be nip and tuck the entire way through as both teams look for a 2-0 start out of the gate. It's no secret that today's NFL is a quarterback-driven league, so any opportunity you get to take the team with the better quarterback and 3.5 points it's a no-brainer.

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins (under 42)

New defensive coordinator Joe Barry has Washington's revamped defense playing very inspired, however the offense was nowhere to be found in a 17-10 Week 1 defeat to the Fins. DeSean Jackson is doubtful to suit up for the Redskins and that means the Rams can put eight in the box to make life miserable for Alfred Morris and force Kirk Cousins into some mistakes. This appears to be a letdown alert for the Rams after defeating the defending NFC champs in overtime last week, and that combined with a lackluster Redskins offense make the under a solid play here.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants (over 50)

Secondary play was suspect for both teams last week; they combined to surrender 692 passing yards and 53 points. Eli Manning and Matt Ryan are capable of putting up "Madden" numbers in a game where both offensive coordinators should look to air it out early and often. With two playmakers worthy of top billing on Broadway in Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr., they both look to outshine one another in a city that knows a few things about stars. Expect a track meet at Met Life Stadium as two solid offenses easily guide this total over.

Miami Dolphins (-5.5) over Jacksonville Jaguars

This game is a battle between two teams with a lot of similarities. The Jags remind me of the Dolphins three years ago when they were building a foundation around a raw, but athletic quarterback through the draft and free agency. The Dolphins have won three consecutive matchups in this series by a combined score of 65-26 and its last loss to Jacksonville came back during the 2006 season. Miami will crush an undermanned Jags team as the Fins defense continues to establish itself as one of the elite units in the entire league.

Dallas Cowboys (+6) over Philadelphia Eagles

A short-handed Cowboys team looks to win its fourth straight game in Philly and take the early lead in what appears will be a two-horse race for the NFC East Crown. Chip Kelly only managed to get 11 combined carries for 13 out of DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews in Week 1. The Eagles may take a month or so to figure things out and until they do it may be profitable to take advantage of some favorable lines like this one.

Green Bay Packers (-3) over Seattle Seahawks

There is no doubt the Seahawks missed All-Pro safety Kam Chancellor in an opening-week loss to the Rams and Aaron Rodgers and company have the tools to expose the holes in Seattle's once-vaunted defense. Roll with Green Bay as Aaron Rodgers begins his 2015 MVP campaign in front of a national audience and the Packers extract a bit of revenge for the "Fail Mary" and last season's crushing NFC title game loss.

MONDAY NIGHT

New York Jets (+7) over Indianapolis Colts

It is Super Bowl or bust for the Colts as Jim Irsay and general manager Ryan Grigson went "all in" for this 2015 season with some splashy free-agent acquisitions. Call me crazy, but there is a lot to like about this Jets team. The kiss of death for any team is the dreaded must-win game and those have been the whispers around Indy all week. Combine that along with the devastating loss of Luck's go-to wideout T.Y. Hilton and this game has all the makings of a trap game. Take the Jets and the points here in game that New York will be in the entire way and possibly even have the opportunity to steal late.