Pro Picks: 6 home teams are underdogs in Week 2

Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.

Home field is no advantage for six teams that are underdogs in Week 2.

The point spread doesn’t favor the Packers, Panthers, Vikings, Patriots, Titans and Broncos on their home turf. Two of those teams — Minnesota and New England — already opened the season with road victories.

Green Bay lost starting quarterback Jordan Love to a knee injury in the final minute of a 34-29 loss to Philadelphia in Brazil. Malik Willis, who was 0-3 as a starter in Tennessee, replaces Love. He only joined the Packers on Aug. 27.

They’ll host Anthony Richardson and the Indianapolis Colts, who lost 29-27 at home to Houston.

Avoiding 0-2 will be a tough task for Green Bay. The Colts are 3-point favorites, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

Pro Picks, coming off a 15-1 week straight up, sees a rout.

BEST BET: COLTS, 27-13

Line: Lions minus 7

The Lions turned to the run game for an overtime win against the Rams.

Baker Mayfield was excellent in the Buccaneers’ opener and now they aim for revenge against the team that ended their season in the divisional round last season.

UPSET SPECIAL: BUCCANEERS, 24-23

Line: Dolphins minus 2 1/2

Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins ended up victorious in an eventful opener. They’ve lost four in a row to Buffalo and 13 of the past 15. Josh Allen was spectacular last week but the Bills are traveling on short rest facing a team that’s rallied together around Hill.

DOLPHINS, 27-26

Line: Ravens minus 9 1/2

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens fell short by inches in an AFC championship rematch against the Chiefs. Their offensive line needs to be better, especially against Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. Baltimore is 7-1 against the spread in its past eight home games against the Raiders, who lost their opener.

RAVENS, 27-16

Line: Chargers minus 6 1/2

The Chargers and Jim Harbaugh aim for their first 2-0 start since 2012. Bryce Young’s struggles continued for Carolina in a 37-point loss in Dave Canales’ debut. The Panthers are 6-1 straight up and against the spread against the Chargers.

CHARGERS, 22-17

Line: Cowboys minus 6 1/2

Dak Prescott became the highest-paid player in NFL history and delivered an impressive road win against the Browns with major help from Micah Parsons and a smothering defense. Derek Carr excelled and the Saints’ defense throttled the Panthers. It’ll be much tougher in Dallas.

COWBOYS, 26-16

Line: Jaguars minus 3

The Jaguars try to bounce back after giving away a road win in Miami. Deshaun Watson looked awful on the field and has more troubles away from it. The small line is a sign of respect for the team the Browns have put around Watson.

JAGUARS, 22-20

Line: Seahawks minus 3 1/2

After beating a team with a rookie quarterback at home, the Seahawks go on the road to face a veteran QB who is a placeholder for another rookie. Jacoby Brissett led the Patriots to a major upset in Cincinnati with Rhamondre Stevenson providing a spark on offense. The Seahawks are 1-6-2 against the spread in their past nine games vs. AFC opponents. The Patriots are 4-1-1 against the spread in their past six games.

SEAHAWKS, 20-19

Line: 49ers minus 6

No Christian McCaffrey was no problem for the 49ers against the Jets thanks to Jordan Mason. Sam Darnold had a successful debut as Minnesota’s starting QB but he’s not facing the Giants this week. The Niners are 5-1 against the spread in their past six road games. The Vikings are 2-9 against it in their past 11 home games.

49ERS, 30-17

Line: Jets minus 3 1/2

Aaron Rodgers shook off the rust and finished his first game with the Jets. They stay on the road and have a shot at a first win. The Titans and Will Levis gave one away in Chicago with three fourth-quarter turnovers. That won’t cut it against New York.

JETS, 28-16

Line: Commanders minus 1 1/2

Jayden Daniels showed flashes in his debut against a tough Tampa Bay defense. Daniel Jones and the Giants looked atrocious in their opener. They played so poorly that they should be bigger underdogs.

COMMANDERS, 26-20

Line: Cardinals minus 1 1/2

The banged-up Rams missing several key players, including four offensive linemen, still took Detroit to overtime. Kyler Murray and the Cardinals blew a 17-3 lead at Buffalo. The Rams are 13-3 against Arizona since 2017.

RAMS, 24-20

Line: Chiefs minus 5 1/2

The three-peat quest started off with a victory for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Joe Burrow is 3-1 against Mahomes, including 2-0 in the regular season. The Bengals have to play way better to avoid starting 0-2 for the third straight season.

CHIEFS, 27-26

Line: Steelers minus 2 1/2

Russell Wilson’s return to Denver may end up with him watching from the sideline. The Steelers will need more from Justin Fields after Chris Boswell’s leg and their defense carried them in Atlanta. Bo Nix had a rough debut for the Broncos and T.J. Watt could make this week a nightmare for him.

BRONCOS, 19-17

Line: Texans minus 6

Defense and special teams helped Caleb Williams get his first win with the Bears. He has to play better to keep up with C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

TEXANS, 27-17

Line: Eagles minus 6 1/2

Saquon Barkley helped the Eagles survive an up-and-down effort from Jalen Hurts in Brazil. Kirk Cousins was shaky in his debut with Atlanta and now has to step up in a prime-time game in a hostile environment.

EAGLES, 25-23

Last week:

Overall: Straight up: 15-1. Against spread: 9-6-1

Thursday: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

Monday: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 0-1.

Best Bet: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

Upset Special: Straight up: 1-0. Against spread: 1-0.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) runs during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Graphic shows NFL team matchups and predicts the winners in Week 1 action; 3c x 4 inches; with related stories

Pro Picks: 6 home teams are underdogs in Week 2

Pro Picks: 6 home teams are underdogs in Week 2

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) in helped off the field after getting hurt during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Soldiers dropped sandbags from military helicopters to reinforce river embankments and evacuated residents as the worst flooding in years spread Tuesday to a broad swath of Central Europe, taking lives and destroying homes.

Heavy flooding has affected a large part of the region in recent days, including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. There have been at least 17 deaths reported in the flooding, which follow heavy rainfall across the region.

Other places are now bracing for the flood waves, including two Central European gems: Budapest, the Hungarian capital on the Danube River, and Wroclaw, a city in southwestern Poland on the Oder River, its old town filled with architectural treasures.

Hungary's government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán deployed soldiers to reinforce barriers along the Danube, and thousands of volunteers assisted in filling sandbags in dozens of riverside settlements.

In Budapest, authorities closed the city’s lower quays, which are expected to be breached by rising waters later Tuesday. The lower half of the city’s iconic Margaret Island was also closed.

In Wroclaw, firefighters and soldiers spent the night using sandbags to reinforce river embankments. The city zoo, located along the Oder, appealed for volunteers to fill sandbags on Tuesday morning.

“We and our animals will be extremely grateful for your help,” the zoo said in its appeal.

The city said it expected the flood wave to peak there around Friday, though some had predicted that would happen sooner. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk met with a crisis team early Tuesday and said there are contradictory forecasts from meteorologists.

Tusk's government has declared a state of natural disaster across southern Poland.

To the south of Wroclaw, residents spent the night fighting to save Nysa, a town of 44,000 people, after the Nysa Klodzka River broke its banks the day before. Mayor Kordian Kolbiarz said 2,000 “women, men, children, the elderly” came out to try to save their town from the rising waters, forming a human chain that passed sandbags to the river bank.

“We simply … did everything we could," Kolbiarz wrote on Facebook. "This chain of people fighting for our Nysa was incredible. Thank you. We fought for Nysa. Our home. Our families. Our future.”

Later on Tuesday, authorities in Nysa said the city center had been saved from the flooding.

In Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, the deputy mayor for the environment, Jakub Mrva, said the level of the Danube had peaked and would slowly decrease. He said that mobile barriers had saved the historic center, but that there was still damage, including to tram lines.

“We also observed major damage at the zoo, which is flooded, and there is relatively high damage in the city forests of Bratislava, where many trees have perished,” Mrva told The Associated Press in an interview, speaking next to the flooded banks of the Danube in Bratislava.

In the Czech Republic, waters have been receding in the two hardest-hit northeast regions. The government approved the deployment of 2,000 troops to help with clean-up efforts. The damage is expected to reach billions of euros.

The Czech government also scrambled to help local authorities organize regional elections on Friday and Saturday as several schools and other buildings serving as polling stations have been badly damaged. However, a planned evacuation of some 1,000 in the town of Veseli nad Luznici could be postponed as the waters had not reached critical levels so far.

Associated Press writers Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, Karel Janicek in Prague, and photographer Tomas Hrivnak in Bratislava, Slovakia contributed to this report.

Soldiers who help strengthen the embankments and to prevent floodings walk by sandbags near the city of Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

Firemen deliver aid to residents whose homes are flooded in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Soldiers fill and arrange sandbags to help strengthen the embankments and to prevent flooding near the city of Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows firefighters removing piles of debris dumped in the streets by high flood wave that is passing through southwestern Poland, in Glucholazy, Poland, on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. ( Marcin Muskala/KG PSP via AP)

A cyclist pushes his bicycle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Residents paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A resident carries his bicycle as others paddle through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

A resident paddles through a flooded street in Bohumin, Czech Republic, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Residents use sandbags to strengthen the embankment of the Oder River on its way to Wroclaw, southwestern Poland, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Krzysztof Zatycki)

View of the Bratislava castle as the water level of the Danube river rises during recent floods in Slovakia, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Tomas Hrivnak)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)

The Elbe floods against the backdrop of the old town at dawn Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Saxony, Dresden, Germany. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)

People fill sandbags to reinforce the dam due to the flooding of the Danube river at Tahitotfalu, Hungary, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

A fireman and residents look at flooding waters in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

Vehicles are partially covered by water during floods in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

An aerial view of a flooded neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czech Republic, Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)

This handout photo provided by the Polish fire department, shows a flooded area near the Nysa Klodzka river in Nysa, Poland on Monday, Sept. 16, 2024. (KG PSP Photo via AP)