Week 2 NFL underdog report

Three NFL teams have a chance to beat the odds in their Week 2 matchups, while one wide receiver hopes to get out of the proverbial doghouse.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders are 3.5-point underdogs in their Week 2 road matchup against the Broncos. Denver leads the all-time series 8-7, but with a little help, Washington has a chance to even things out.

Washington’s defense allowed just 210 yards of total offense against the Cardinals last week, the fourth-lowest number in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Broncos’ 260 yards gained against the Raiders were the 10th-fewest.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson still doesn’t look like the guy that led Seattle to two Super Bowls. His 5.2 yards per attempt against L.A. tied for eighth-lowest among starting quarterbacks. 

As far as Denver’s receivers are concerned, Tim Patrick is already out for the year, Jerry Jeudy should play after missing last week’s with a hamstring injury but tight end Greg Dulcich will miss the game with a hamstring injury of his own. 

Factor in a Commanders’ secondary that allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in Week 1 and Washington has a chance to open their season with two wins.

Carolina Panthers

Like the Commanders, the Panthers are a win away from pulling even with the Saints in head-to-head matchups. New Orleans leads the series 29-28 and are favored against the Panthers in Carolina.

The Saints will be without suspended running back Alvin Kamara for the second straight game. Jamaal Williams led the team in rushing in Week 1 with 45 yards but averaged just 2.5 yards per carry against the Titans.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young struggled in his NFL debut with two interceptions and 3.8 yards per attempt, but with wide receiver D.J. Chark sidelined, he spread the ball among eight different targets.

Chark could be back for this one and with first game jitters out of the way, Young could make things tough for his division rivals.

Seattle Seahawks

If not for five dropped passes by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seahawks’ next opponent could easily be 0-1. Detroit beat Kansas City 21-20 on Thursday night but didn’t play particularly well.

The underdog Seahawks only managed 180 yards of offense in a 30-13 loss to the Rams, but that’s out of the norm for Seattle’s wide receiver group. After the Lions gave up 266 passing yards to pass-catchers like Justin Watson and Noah Gray, Seahawks receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett should be looking forward to Sunday’s game.

Kadarius Toney

Three of Kansas City’s drops came off Toney’s hands. He dug himself quite a hole on Thursday with one catch for one yard, but head coach Andy Reid believes he’ll bounce back. 

"The only way we're going to get him back is by playing him,'' Reid told reporters. "I think you'll see better as we go down the road here from him.''

Toney missed training camp and preseason games with a torn meniscus. He was bound to be rusty. He can’t possibly play any worse than he did against the Lions, and he should have no problem bouncing back against a Bears team that gave up 38 points to Jordan Love and the Packers.