2026 NFL Week 2 Best Bets, Expert Picks: Back Commanders To Cover At Cowboys

The Commanders almost got the win against the Eagles in Week 1, but now they get another chance to prove their worth in the NFC East against Dallas. Find out why I'm backing Washington to cover against its division rival and check out how I'm wagering on Bengals-Texans. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. This is a huge NFC East division game and both teams are scrambling for a win after they both dropped their Week 1 tilts. I like the Commanders to keep this game close. Washington lost by two points to the Eagles last weekend and could have won the game. The Eagles only generated 10 first downs but hit multiple explosive plays to score. The Commanders' offense played well (at times) against one of the better defenses in the NFL. Now it faces a Dallas defense that was pathetic on Sunday night against the Giants. The Cowboys' defensive line got dominated by the Giants and the coverage unit got beat multiple times with the same concept. Those are not mistakes that are easily fixed in one week. I think the Commanders' offense should be able to exploit these issues. Daniels will have one week under his belt, after missing most of last season. And we often see big player improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. In this case, I'm banking on it. The Dallas offense was also a dud against the Giants. All that firepower and only three scoring drives. I do think the Cowboys will get it together and play more consistently on offense, but that doesn't mean they will find success. The Washington defense got little attention for its rebuild, but it paid off in Week 1. Yes, Washington lost, but again, it only allowed 10 first downs to Philly. I think the Commanders' D showed it can be good enough to allow the offense to spend more time on the field, and for me, that equals a cover. There was a lot of chatter after Week 1 that the Bengals' defense was fixed and that's all because they beat the Bucs 33-27. The Bucs scored late to make it a one-score game. It was a Bengals double-digit lead for most of the day. However, if you take a closer look, it's easy to see that the Bengals' defense did not play as well as reported. The Bucs fumbled the ball four times and the Bengals do get credit for forcing those turnovers. But the Bucs scored on every other drive. They had no punts and 50% on third down. The Texans' offense played well against the Bills on Sunday. It scored 31 points and more importantly, the run game was much improved. Houston spent resources on the offensive line and at running back. It looked much better than it did in 2025. Also, the pass protection looked better. CJ Stroud looked comfortable and more confident. I'd also look for the Texans to be aggressive in this game since they need a win. They cannot start 0-2 against two teams contending for the AFC. So I'd expect them to score points.