The NFL is back, and back with a bang! The league’s 32 teams tied the all-time record for most combined points in a Week 1 slate (791).

96 of those came in Charlotte, with the Chicago Bears putting up 59 (yes, 59) to the Carolina Panthers’ 37 in a box office clash between two of the most exciting up-and-coming teams of last season.

There were also shootouts in Houston - where the Buffalo Bills sent out a statement with a 36-31 win over the Texans and their elite defence - as well as in Detroit, Cincinnati and Minneapolis.

The Vikings scored 22 points in the fourth quarter to flip a 22-17 deficit against the Green Bay Packers, while the Lions survived a brave comeback from the New Orleans Saints in Motor City. The Arizona Cardinals pulled off the biggest upset - stunning the Los Angeles Chargers in their own back yard as an 8.5-point underdog.

Ahead of what is sure to be an equally dramatic Week 2, Midnite are throwing American Football fans the perfect pass - £30 in free bets when you bet £10 on any NFL market. Once again, you’ll be spoilt for choice - here’s the full schedule for the weekend and three 0-1 teams we’re backing to get into the win column.

💡 NFL Week 2 quick tips

🗓️ NFL week 2 schedule

Friday

  • Buffalo Bills vs Detroit Lions (1:15am)

Sunday - 6pm window

  • Atlanta Falcons vs Carolina Panthers
  • Baltimore Ravens vs New Orleans Saints
  • Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings
  • Houston Texans vs Cincinnati Bengals
  • New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers
  • New York Jets vs Green Bay Packers
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Cleveland Browns
  • Tennessee Titans vs Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday - late window

  • Denver Broncos vs Jacksonville Jaguars (9:05pm)
  • Los Angeles Chargers vs Las Vegas Raiders (9:05pm)
  • Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks (9:25pm)
  • Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders (9:25pm)
  • San Francisco 49ers vs Miami Dolphins (9:25pm)

Monday 

  • Kansas City Chiefs vs Indianapolis Colts (1:20am)

Tuesday

  • Los Angeles Rams vs New York Giants (1:15am)
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🪽 Falcons to prey on Panthers’ weakness

While they may have faced Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears offense at their absolute best on Sunday, the alarm bells should be ringing loudly for the Carolina Panthers - who invested heavily in their defence in the offseason. 

Not only did they allow 59 points but they also gave up 291 rushing yards (71 more than anyone else in Week 1) and 7.5 yards per carry (also the most of any team in the league by a wide margin). Two Bears players registered 100 or more rushing yards. Williams also threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns. 

They now go up against the electric Bijan Robinson, who has been one of the top picks in fantasy football since entering the league for a reason. With third-string quarterback Cooper Rush deputising, Robinson carried the offense for the Atlanta Falcons in their 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers - accounting for 173 of the team’s 238 total yards, and scoring their only touchdown.

As of right now, Rush is line to be named the signal caller once again - while we await news of whether Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix Jr are able to return - but the gameplan for Kevin Stefanski’s team should be obvious either way - feed Robinson in the ground game and the passing game as much as possible, and force Carolina to come up with answers.

Atlanta’s own rushing defence posted the most impressive Week 1 numbers - allowing a league lowest 58 yards on the ground (just 2.8 per carry). They only gave up 13 points to Pittsburgh’s offense - considering that the winning score came from a T.J. Watt pick six. 

I’m backing the Falcons to frustrate the Panthers’ offense, while exposing their soft underbelly when they are in possession.

🏈 Back the Atlanta Falcons as the underdog over the Carolina Panthers at 11/10 with Midnite 🏈

🤠 Texans to tame the tigers 

Another team who’d have expected more from their defence would have been the Houston Texans, who wreaked havoc in the postseason a few months ago and had two double-digit sack guys in Will Anderson Jr and Danielle Hunter throughout the 2025 season. The Buffalo Bills scored 36 points against them in what many deemed an early-season summit meeting in the AFC on Sunday.

Despite the loss, there were plenty of positive signs from the Houston offense, which let the side down in the playoffs a few months ago. Quarterback C.J. Stroud completed 26 of 38 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns - and, crucially, no interceptions (he threw four in the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots in January). 

He has a chance to build on that against what has been a porous Cincinnati Bengals defence in the last few seasons - which has often forced Joe Burrow and the offense to score 30+ points (sometimes 40+) consistently to win games. Sunday’s game may, on the surface, have fallen into that category but in reality they held the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense to a respectable 20 points (7 of the 27 in their 33-27 win came from a pick six). They also sacked Baker Mayfield four times. 

This one could go either way, but I’m tipping the Texans to play the better complementary football of the two teams. Their defence should be able to unsettle Burrow - who has just battled back from another lengthy injury - and their offense should be able to put up enough points to get the job done.

🏈 Bet on the Houston Texans to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals at 8/13 with Midnite 🏈

🐴 Denver to shake off rocky start

The AFC West-winning Denver Broncos are already behind the eight ball this time around after an anaemic display on Monday Night Football, losing 31-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs and the returning Patrick Mahomes.

Kenneth Walker III, making his debut for the Chiefs, ran for 173 yards including a 60-yarder to the end zone. The Broncos, on the other hand, recorded just 176 yards in total.

The good news for Denver is that this is nothing new. In Week 1 a year ago, they scraped a 20-12 victory over the Tennessee Titans and quarterback Bo Nix posted a very similar QBR (quarterback ratings) - 60.0 in that game, to 69.2 a few nights ago. Sean Payton’s team went on to win 14 games, losing just three, and won the division.

Their opponents this week are the Jacksonville Jaguars who were one of the three teams to beat them, and they did so at Mile High - where this one will also be played. The Jags had a cushty opener however - dismantling the Cleveland Browns 34-10, and they were 31-0 up just minutes into the second half.

While we can probably take it with a pinch of salt given the ‘game state’, the Jacksonville defence did allow the seventh-highest completion rate (72.7%) to the much-maligned Deshaun Watson and also the joint-fifth most yards per attempt (9.3). They were, however, one of five teams to record five sacks last weekend.

It won’t be easy for Denver but, at home, I’m expecting them to look a lot better on offense and the visitors won’t be able to match their output on either side of the ball.

🏈 Take the Denver Broncos to overcome the Jacksonville Jaguars at 8/13 with Midnite 🏈


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🏈 Elsewhere in week 2 of the NFL

While neither of the opening two primetime matchups delivered the type of back-and-forth tussles that neutrals would’ve hoped for, this week’s Thursday Night Football should live up to the hype. The Buffalo Bills are playing host at their new Highmark Stadium for the first time, with the Detroit Lions hoping to crash the party. 

Dan Campbell’s team were among the most explosive offenses in football last season, despite finishing in last place in the NFC North. They were very true to form in their opener - leading 21-0 but gave up an eventual 410 passing yards (more than anyone else in Week 1) to Tyler Shough as the New Orleans Saints rallied to force overtime at 24-24. They won 31-30, having survived a game-winning two-point conversion attempt.

As for the Saints, their schedule doesn’t get any easier - they head to Baltimore next, who scored 41 points in an away win over the Indianapolis Colts in Jesse Minter’s debut as head coach. The Minnesota Vikings are involved in another NFC North rivalry bout - this time in Chicago, in a game that is sure to be played at 100mph. 

Having won on primetime, the Kansas City Chiefs and John Harbaugh’s New York Giants are playing in early hours (for us) once again this week. The Chiefs host the Colts, while the Giants - off the back of a massive win against the Dallas Cowboys - fly from East to West to take on the Los Angeles Rams, who faltered in the Melbourne game against the San Francisco 49ers and are now without Myles Garrett for a few weeks.


Nathan Hill

Nathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football - both the round ball and American kind - as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.

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