The Kansas City Chiefs were the biggest story in Week 1 of the NFL season, as Andy Reid’s team went into Foxborough, Massachusetts, and whipped the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots shortly after they raised their fifth Super Bowl championship banner.

The Chiefs demonstrated a surprising efficiency and explosiveness on offense and harassed Patriots quarterback Tom Brady with their aggressive defense. What can the Chiefs do for an encore in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles?

The Chiefs are 5.5-point favorites to beat the Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, according to OddsShark.

While the win over the Patriots was impressive, the Chiefs still have many issues to contend with this season, and the biggest may involve quarterback Alex Smith.

While he was razor-sharp against the Patriots, Smith is regularly considered a game manager who will take what the defense gives him and tends not to take chances. While he usually does not make a lot of mistakes, big plays are not his signature, either.

He threw 75-plus-yard touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt against New England, but it doesn’t seem likely that this will be a regular occurrence for the Chiefs.

Hill has shocking speed and Hunt looked quick against the Patriots, but putting together explosive plays on a regular basis is a turnaround from the way the Chiefs have played in recent years.

The Eagles appear to be an up-and-coming team with second-year quarterback Carson Wentz under center alongside former Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and ex-Patriot power back LeGarrette Blount. Philly may have enough talent to make a push for respectability in the NFC East.

The Eagles will become a stronger team in the second half of the season once their talents mesh together.

However, look for the Chiefs to win this game and cover the spread.

           

Week 2 Point Spreads and Predictions 

Matchup, Point Spread, Over/Under, Prediction

Philadelphia at Kansas City (KC -5.5/47), Kansas City/Over

New England at New Orleans (+6/57), New England/Over

Cleveland at Baltimore (-7.5/39), Cleveland*/Under

Buffalo at Carolina (-7/43), Carolina/Under

Arizona at Indianapolis (+7/44), Arizona/Over

Tennessee at Jacksonville (Even/41.5), Tennessee/Over

Minnesota at Pittsburgh (-7/45.5), Pittsburgh/Over

Chicago at Tampa Bay (-7/43.5), Chicago*/Under

Miami at Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5/45.5), Miami/Under

New York Jets at Oakland (-13.5/43.5), Oakland/Under

Washington at Los Angeles Rams (-3/45.5), Washington/Over

San Francisco at Seattle (-14/41.5), Seattle/Under

Dallas at Denver (+2.5/43), Dallas/Under

Green Bay at Atlanta (-3/56.5), Atlanta/Over

Detroit at New York Giants (-3/42), New York/Over

*Will cover the spread but fail to win.

Point spreads according to OddsShark.

          

Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Minnesota Vikings put on a strong showing in their Week 1 Monday night victory at home over the New Orleans Saints, while the Pittsburgh Steelers were somewhat shaky in edging the Cleveland Browns on the road in Week 1.

In the NFL, one week’s results rarely translate into a logical assumption that teams will continue along the same pattern the following week.

Minnesota quarterback Sam Bradford was efficient against the New Orleans Saints, and while there is a chance the Vikings attack will be quite a bit better than it was last year, it would be folly to assume Bradford, rookie running back Dalvin Cook and wideout Stefon Diggs will turn the team into an offensive juggernaut.

In addition to having to prove their consistency, putting on an impressive offensive show against New Orleans is not a major achievement. The Saints have been among the worst defensive teams in the league in the last two seasons. That does not seem likely to change in 2017.

On the other hand, the Steelers should show quite a bit of improvement in their home opener. Running back Le’Veon Bell will have had one more week to get ready after his training-camp holdout, and the combination of Ben Roethlisberger passing to Antonio Brown is always dangerous.

The Steelers are seven-point favorites at home, and we are anticipating a powerful effort by one of the strongest AFC teams.

Pittsburgh will cover against Minnesota, a team still trying to forge an identity and playing with five new starting offensive linemen. They still have much to prove.

        

N.Y. Jets at Oakland

The Oakland Raiders are on the verge of joining the NFL’s elite teams after a strong 2016 season.

The New York Jets appear to be among the least talented teams in the NFL, and this game may not be competitive. The Raiders are 13.5-point favorites in their home opener.

The key for Oakland this year is the efficiency and leadership of Derek Carr, who has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Carr had the Raiders in first place in the AFC West last year, but a broken leg suffered in Week 16 allowed the Chiefs to take the division title away from them and force the Raiders to settle for a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

Marshawn Lynch has taken a key leadership role as the team’s go-to running back, and he also gives them a toughness they did not have in previous years.

Wideouts Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are both playmakers.

While the Jets have a solid defense, the offense does not have the talent to compete most weeks. Veteran Josh McCown is a smart quarterback and a leader, but he is limited in his ability to throw the ball downfield, and New York’s skill-position players are not threatening.

Running back Matt Forte has lost a half-step, and he would be much better off if he were plying his trade for a contending team and not one that may be in contention for the No. 1 draft pick in 2018.

Look for the Raiders to get the cover as they take charge before halftime.

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