With Week 1 of the NFL Season officially in the history books, we have a lot to see going into Week 2 especially as there was some serious surprises. My previous predictions for Week 1 weren’t horrible but not spot-on. The Patriots vs Kansas City Chiefs shocked everybody and considering how the rest went, I consider all analysts got fooled by this result. My current picks are at 9-6 after Week 1. Now moving onto Week 2, we will have the following games and they are in order of the days they will be broadcast:
Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals: Winner - Bengals
Oh my goodness, this Thursday night game would be so much more entertaining if the Texans and Bengals didn’t get beat up hard in Week 1. I wonder how many football fans will be willing to tune in? But guessing numbers isn’t my best skill, but I am good at figuring what teams have that works and what doesn’t work. The Texans have a strong defense….their offense has virtually no answer right now at Quarterback and news of Deshun Watson starting over Tom Savage is good and bad news.
The kid is getting work under his belt but he still has so much he needs to fix still (ranging from footwork, read options, timing, accuracy etc.) despite his great athleticism. However, even though Andy Dalton threw for over 4 INTs last week, it was against the in-division rival Baltimore Ravens, who have always managed to play with an above average defense. Dalton will likely make a bounce back considering I currently still have some more faith in him as a QB then I would with a new hot rookie (who has already suffered through an ankle injury according to the latest reports) who is likely to become another part of Bill O’Brien’s QB misfortunes these last several years.
The main reason why their offense is always so poorly handled is BOB simply puts too much responsibility and reliance on his QBs and it ultimately makes the team fall apart. Despite the Houston defense likely to have a field day on the Bengals, there is no way I can see the Texans offense working when it’s starting Tight End is already injured (all three tight ends on the 53 man roster are already under concussion protocol) and JJ Watt is going to need to tackle tonight while his finger is basically jammed in. The Bengals can make a bounce back but this match up is honestly a coin flip. I would expect no less than a score of 16-14 for the Bengals to win.
Buffalo Bills @ Carolina Panthers: Winner - Panthers
Poor Bills. Despite winning in Week 1 to lead the AFC East, its very likely one of only few victories they will be celebrating. With the way that Carolina is bouncing back after their win against the 49ers, but the Buffalo Bills still have some fire power on offense in Running Back Lesean McCoy. With All-Pro Middle Linebacker Luke Kuechly, I feel more confident in Carolina’s run defense to stop the Bills’ running game. Based on overall talent, Cam Newton is far and away a better QB than Tyrod Taylor, and it should be 28-16 game win for the Panthers.
Chicago Bears @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Winner - Buccaneers
An interesting match up to say the least. Despite the Chicago Bears seeming to give the Atlanta Falcons headaches last week, its unlikely that this game will be quite that close. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team that is very well-rest after having to deal with Hurricane Irma postponed their game last week, and while the team will be explosive offensively, their defense will need to handle the Bears’ running game with combination of break-out player Jordan Howard and rookie Tarik Cohen. While I think Mitchell Trubisky could become the starter later on this season, for now Mike Glennon is the confirmed starter. I believe that the Bears still can improve further but right now the Bucs have too much going for them here (even with their 2x Pro Bowl Running Back, Doug Martin still being under suspension). I have the Bucs winning 24-18 against the Bears. With their offensive weapons like WRs Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson (formerly of the Washington Redskins) and new rookie Tight End O.J Howard, the Bucs have the firepower to get points on the board.
Minnesota Vikings @ Pittsburgh Steelers: Winner - Steelers
The Minnesota Vikings have proven that they have a strong defense however, the Steelers have the Killer Bs (Big Ben Roethlisburger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell). That right there will be a challenge. Despite the fact that the Vikings having an advantage in terms of defense. I feel that the Steelers defense can give Sam Bradford and his team problems. The Vikings running game with new rookie Dalvin Cook (who broke Adrian Peterson’s rookie debut record that he earned in 2007), shows that they have some serious play makers including receivers like Adam Thielen or Stefon Diggs. However, beating the Steelers at home will not be easy and considering how well they adjust to their competition, its unlikely they will be beaten by the Vikings unless they can show a repeat performance of Monday night’s game. I have the Steelers winning 24-21 against the Vikings.
Arizona Cardinals @ Indianapolis Colts: Winner - Cardinals
The Cardinals I bet on last week and lost badly against the Detriot Lions but that is pretty obvious when they have a QB who led the league in 4th quarter comebacks. Mean while, the Indianapolis Colts are quite possibly in the worst situation possible at the QB position. Andrew Luck is unlikely to make a return till October, the Colts offense won’t be able to function, its clear that Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett (traded from the New England Patriots) are not ready to handle the playbook and with how bad Head Coach Chuck Pagano was after his team lost against the LA Rams (and somehow managed to confuse them with the San Fransisco 49ers?). Just based on the situation here, I would have to go with the Cardinals even with the massive loss of David Johnson on offense and the regression of Carson Palmer. The Cardinals shortcomings and losses are significant but nowhere as significant as the absence of Andrew Luck, he literally is the glue that holds that offense together. I expect this to be an ugly 21-18 win for the Cardinals on the road.
New England Patriots @ New Orleans Saints: Winner - Patriots
Quite an interesting matchup. Both Tom Brady and Drew Brees are already locks to make their busts in Canton, Ohio but they both need to finish their careers before then. The New Orleans Saints got exposed on Monday night game, and while the Patriots can be said for the same thing, it can be argued that miscommunications especially on the defense caused that loss on Thursday. However, the New Orleans Saints had difficulties offensively especially with the three headed running back threat of Adrian Peterson, Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara in the mix. Despite their poor showing, I feel the Saints will show up to play at home (this will be the best way to test how the Patriots’ secondary has changed from Week 1) but the Patriots are masters at game planning and I feel that when it comes down to who will have their players on the same page, it will be a Bill-Belichick led team. The Patriots will win 31-24 against the Saints.
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens: Winner - Ravens
Man, people really slept on the Ravens (including myself) but they shut out the Bengals last week and I have a feeling the Browns will not be that much different here. Despite the Browns showing some promise, they are not a team that can get consistency on the offensive side of the ball (even with the rumors of Josh Gordan potentially being reinstated), but the Ravens defense will be key here. They have a solid front seven (led by OLB Terrell Suggs), but many of what the Ravens are capable of on offense ultimately comes down to Joe Flacco being able to get the ball down field and Kicker Justin Tucker being able to get his field goals in. (Considering he had nearly a perfect record scoring last year, with the exception of the Patriots blocked field goal) The Browns I like a lot but the reality is that the Ravens have always had their division rivals number and the Browns are no exception. I see the Ravens winning this 23-17.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Kansas City Chiefs: Winner - Chiefs
The Philadelphia Eagles are a team that has alot of potential to make some news in Kansas City but the fact is Arrowhead is one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. This will be a tough game to see them winning and with the Chiefs red hot after their historical beat down on the New England Patriots, I doubt they will stop here. While Wentz might have an easier time getting the ball down the field compared to Tom Brady as Chiefs’ top Safety Eric Berry is reported to be out for the entire 2017 season. The Chiefs are likely to not replicate the same performance they had in Week 1 but nonetheless home field advantage is a real thing (just look at the complaints that Seahawks fans had after the Green Bay game) and the Chiefs with the running game that Kareem Hunt had should be something to also watch out for (how well he will do against a front seven consisting of Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham or Derek Barnett can be difficult). The Eagles can generate a lot more pressure compared to the Patriots pass rush (which exclusively was on Trey Flowers). I see the Chiefs winning 30-24 against the Eagles come Sunday.
Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Winner - Titans
What a surprise the Jaguars were against the the Houston Texans last Sunday. While the Titans couldn’t manage to get over the hump like the Raiders did in their game, I feel that the Jaguars will struggle more against the Titans O-line then they did against the Houston Texans’ O-line (which led to Tom Savage getting sacked back-to-back). The Titans are still a team that has several key advantages (obviously Mariota vs Bortles goes to the Titans in this case). While I love the Jags young secondary consisting of Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye (both whom have missed practice for the 2nd straight time this week with ankle and illness). The Jags main offense is centered around new rookie Leonard Fournette who is seemingly a huge candidate for rookie of the year. At this point in time, I would say that the Jags have an advantage when it comes to their defense but the Titans have a solid running game in DeMarco Murray (who at one point was thought to be a Top 5 player in the NFL several seasons ago). Right now, I need to see more from the Jags to be completely sold on Tom Coughlin’s influence as the new executive vice president of the team. I will once again, ride with the Titans to make a win this week over the Jaguars 20-17.
New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders: Winner - Raiders
J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS! Oh man, this team is such a dumpster fire its not even funny. The Jets can play hard ball but the sad truth is that the Raiders have this game locked. I already have them winning this game 30-14. The Jets have quite possibly the worst roster in the NFL and their defensive line is their only real highlight and considering the Raiders offensive line is one of the most paid positions on their team, I will find it hard to see the Jets putting enough pressure on Derek Carr when he is passing off a TD pass to Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree or just handing it off to Marshawn Lynch to run it for a touchdown. This will be an ugly game to watch for any Jets fan, that much is a certainty.
Miami Dolphins @ Los Angeles Chargers: Winner - Dolphins
What a game to watch I must say. While I normally side with Philip Rivers over Jay Cutler in most cases, I need to look at the rest of the team to see who to pick. This can almost a coin flip game for me but I am taking the Dolphins do to the same reasons as the Bucs. Have had extra time to get their roster healthy, plenty of time to get their defense ready (the Dolphins defensive line is one of the best in the NFL) with Nadmukong Suh, Kiko Alonso and Cameron Wake all set to play. I like the Chargers defense alot to and that is where this game will ultimately decide the winner. I love Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on the defensive line but the problem is that they rely on turnovers and I just can’t see Adam Gase willing to let Jay Cutler fly loose with this offense while he has a running back like Jay Ajayi in his backfield. I see the Dolphins winning this game close with 24-23.
Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos: Winner - Cowboys
I said the same thing last week, the Broncos need help on the offensive side of the ball. While, I went with the Chargers (which was a missed flied goal away from going straight into OT, I think the Dallas Cowboys will have a much better time handling the Broncos No Fly Zone defense better than the Chargers. The Cowboys have the best O-line in football and Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot are likely to make some serious noise at Mile High. I still think that Sean Lee will have a much easier time keeping his eyes on Trevor Siemian than he did with Eli Manning and will have the defense locking down the Broncos offense but the game will be held for a low scoring game. I have the Cowboys going 27-24 against the Broncos.
San Fransisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks: Winner - Seahawks
Time for a bounce back for the Seahawks after last week’s game against the Green Bay Packers where they made the Seattle O-line look…well no different then it was last year. Some thought that with more time and experience the O-line would get somewhat better but based on that game, I found it doubtful. The 49ers got smashed big time last week and I foresee a repeat performance coming. The 49ers are still in need of help on several key positions and Brian Hoyer got sacked five times against the Carolina Panthers….how many sacks can the Seahawks create on Sunday (I wouldn’t want to find out). While Russell Wilson will have some difficulties with the defense, he will put up more points then I expect the 49ers offense too. I see the Seahawks going 28-14 against the 49ers for Week 2.
Washington Redskins @ Los Angeles Rams: Winner - Rams
I would normally say that the Redskins should have something of change up going into this game but the Rams looked shockingly good. And right now, Kirk Cousins confidence levels are quite low after that miserable performance from last week against the Eagles defense. I know the Rams don’t have as good a front seven as the Eagles, but they have the best Defensive Tackle in the NFL, in Aaron Donald. While I think that Kirk Cousins and Terrle Pryor’s connection should become something, I think that the Skins are going through some more growing pains right now. I think with the new Head Coach, new offensive line, Todd Gurley finally getting back to his rookie year form and his improved wideouts like Sammy Watkins and Cooper Kupp, Jared Goff should make a good showing and add a 2-0 to the Rams record for the NFC West. I have the Rams winning 24-21.
Green Bay Packers @ Atlanta Falcons: Winner - Packers
I would normally say that the Falcons should win this with the new stadium, upbeat crowd that want to see a comeback after the most humiliating loss in Super Bowl history. However, Green Bay has had the NFC under his thumb for a long time and while Aaron Rodgers is one of the best in the league, he is going against a team led by the reigning league MVP. The Packers defense looked great last week but of course they were against arguably the worst offensive line league (shockingly, there was A LOT of bad o-line play this past week). People will have questions about whether or not the Packers defense is legitimate and this will be the best way to test it. The Falcons played very close with the Chicago Bears but I felt it was them playing down to their competition, this will be the game that shows us whether the Super Bowl hangover is real with this team. However, I have the Packers winning this game close 30-27 against the Falcons.
Detriot Lions @ New York Giants: Winner - Lions
This is honestly a very risky pick. Normally, I would say that the Giants should make a comeback here because Eli is a veteran on this team and is their leader, but he looked absolutely lost out on the field without ODB. (oh man, I can’t wait to see how ridiculously huge his contract is going to be after this season) He will defienitly do better than last week but I am not betting on him making anything more than 2 TDs at best. His defense with a firecracker like Jason Pierre-Paul on the defensive line but even he and the jackrabbit Janorius Jenkins and Landon Collins in the backfield will give any QB problems and Matthew Stafford has shown he is worth the highest paid contract in the NFL. (Heck, I didn’t bet on him stomping a team like the Arizona Cardinals with their secondary) As of right now, Manning is still trying to find his connections with his receiving core (especially Brandon Marshall). I don’t have alot of confidence in the Giants making this work without ODB being on the field and I am taking the risk and picking the Lions to win 23-20.
Quite a few picks here are very likely to be wrong but that is what makes the NFL so much fun. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. The first game of Week 2 will be the Houston Texans at the Cincinnati Bengals tonight at 8:25 PM EST and broadcasted on NFL Network.
