Zoltar is my NFL prediction computer program. Here are Zoltar’s predictions for week 2 of the 2016 NFL season:

Zoltar:        jets  by    0  dog =       bills    Vegas:       bills  by    0
Zoltar:    redskins  by    7  dog =     cowboys    Vegas:    redskins  by  2.5
Zoltar:    patriots  by   10  dog =    dolphins    Vegas:    patriots  by  6.5
Zoltar:     bengals  by    0  dog =    steelers    Vegas:    steelers  by  3.5
Zoltar:    panthers  by   11  dog = fortyniners    Vegas:    panthers  by 13.5
Zoltar:       lions  by    8  dog =      titans    Vegas:       lions  by    6
Zoltar:      ravens  by    0  dog =      browns    Vegas:      ravens  by  6.5
Zoltar:      chiefs  by    0  dog =      texans    Vegas:      texans  by  2.5
Zoltar:      giants  by    4  dog =      saints    Vegas:      giants  by  4.5
Zoltar:    seahawks  by    0  dog =        rams    Vegas:    seahawks  by  6.5
Zoltar:   cardinals  by    7  dog =  buccaneers    Vegas:   cardinals  by  6.5
Zoltar:     broncos  by    8  dog =       colts    Vegas:     broncos  by    6
Zoltar:     raiders  by    4  dog =     falcons    Vegas:     raiders  by    5
Zoltar:    chargers  by    1  dog =     jaguars    Vegas:    chargers  by    3
Zoltar:     vikings  by    5  dog =     packers    Vegas:     packers  by  2.5
Zoltar:      eagles  by    0  dog =       bears    Vegas:       bears  by    3

Zoltar theoretically recommends betting when the Vegas line is more than 3 points different from Zoltar’s prediction. So for week 2:

1. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas favorite Redskins over the Cowboys. Zoltar believes the Redskins will cover the 2.5 point spread.

2. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas favorite Patriots over the Dolphins. Zoltar believes the Patriots will cover the 6.5 point spread.

3. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas underdog Bengals against the Steelers. Zoltar thinks the Steelers won’t cover the 3.5 point spread.

4. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas underdog Browns against the Ravens. Zoltar thinks the Ravens won’t cover the 6.5 point spread.

5. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas underdog Rams against the Seahawks. Zoltar thinks the Seahawks won’t cover the 6.5 point spread.

6. Zoltar recommends betting on the Vegas underdog Vikings against the Packers. Zoltar thinks the Vikings will win outright and easily cover the Packers -2.5 spread.

In week 1, Zoltar went 2-1 against the Vegas point spread.

Just for fun, I track how well Zoltar and Bing Predictions do when just trying to predict which team will win a game. This is a much easier problem than beating the Vegas point spread. In week 1, Zoltar was a poor 9-7 and Bing was also weak, going 8-8.

Zoltar sometimes predicts a 0-point margin of victory. In those situations, to pick a winner so I can compare against Bing, in the first four weeks of the season, Zoltar picks the home team to win. After week 4, Zoltar uses historical data.