Week two, here we go! Lots of crazy action in week one. After weeks two and three we start to get a better idea of who these teams are, but we’re still in that phase of the season where it’s difficult to say with much certainty what will happen.
GAME OF THE WEEK – Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0), PIT by 3.5 – The first of two meetings between these two teams this year, both of whom are favorites as Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. This should be a good one, pitting strength vs. strength (Steelers O vs. Bengals D). Key difference maker to watch for: AJ Green on those Steelers DBs. Pittsburgh’s success in shutting down Green could be what decides this game. But with the Bengals playing on the road, it’s going to be a tight one. I’m going to say homefield advantage is enough to give the Steelers the win, but expect to see the Bengals snag a game from the Steelers at home later this year. Steelers 27, Bengals 24
THURSDAY NIGHT – New York Jets (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1), PUSH – Not a super impressive opening for the Bills. The Jets, however, took the Bengals to their limit and nearly walked away with a victory. They played some impressive football at points in that game, but just had one too many mistakes. I like the Jets to win this one. The Bills, meanwhile, are going to have a difficult time crawling out of a 0-2 hole in that division. Jets 23, Bills 16
Tennessee Titans (0-1) at Detroit Lions (1-0), DET by 5.5 – The Titans’ offense sputtered over and over again against the Vikings, but Minnesota’s defense is in another league from Detroit’s. Still, the Lions have the kind of offense the Vikings do not, and the Titans STILL managed to lose last week. Doesn’t bode well for Tennessee on Sunday. Lions 27, Titans 14
Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0), HOU by 2.5 – Kansas City showed an incredible amount of heart in its opening week comeback against the Chargers. If Jamaal Charles returns this week, that’s just an added bonus for a team that looks poised to recapture last season’s run. The Texans are playing solid defense, and Brock played decent football after a quick INT to start things off. This could a troublesome team this season. But there’s just something about these Chiefs that makes me want to stick with them. UPSET! – Chiefs 24, Texans 20
Miami Dolphins (0-1) at New England Patriots (1-0), NE by 6.5 – The Patriots just beat one of the league’s best teams on the road without its two best players. Sure, Miami has historically given the Patriots some struggles from time to time, but this is a much more favorable matchup. Patriots 20, Dolphins 17
Baltimore Ravens (1-0) at Cleveland Browns (0-1), BAL by 6.5 – If it weren’t for the Rams, the Browns would be looking every part the league’s worst team. Ravens 23, Browns 10
Dallas Cowboys (0-1) at Washington Redskins (0-1), WAS by 3 – Tough to say what to expect here. The Cowboys had a good shot at beating the Giants but came up just empty-handed. The Redskins got embarrassed by the Steelers. I’m not a big believer in Kirk Cousins OR Washington, honestly, and the Cowboys put up a good enough fight for me to pick them this week. UPSET! – Cowboys 20, Redskins 19
New Orleans Saints (0-1) at New York Giants (1-0), NYG by 4.5 – The last time these two teams got together, they scored over 100 combined points. This could be another barn burner, as the Saints’ defense doesn’t look to be remotely improved, and the Giants have plenty of firepower to keep up with Drew Brees. With the Giants playing at home, having a slightly better defense and an equal offense, I’m going with them to take it. Giants 34, Saints 30
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-1), CAR by 13 – Not a bad way for the Panthers to rebound after a disheartening opening night loss to the Broncos. Coming off a mini-bye, they’ve had plenty of time to stew. Panthers 31, 49ers 13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-1), ARZ by 6.5 – I expect this to be a close one, as the Bucs are going to surprise a lot of people this year. But if Arizona is at all a contender, and I believe they are, this is the kind of game they absolutely have to win, coming off a devastating week one loss to a Gronkless, Bradyless Patriots team. Cardinals 27, Buccaneers 20
Seattle Seahawks (1-0) at Los Angeles Rams (0-1), SEA by 6 – The Seahawks looked rather bad in week one, but the Rams are far and away the league’s worst team at the moment. There was no sign of previous Rams teams that have given Seattle fits. Seahawks 20, Rams 6
Indianapolis Colts (0-1) at Denver Broncos (1-0), DEN by 6 – With Peyton Manning gone, this game lacks the same level of intrigue it once did. But it will still be interesting to see if the Colts’ offense is enough to get past the Broncos’ defense and overcome its own defensive woes. The Colts appear to be a dysfunctional mess once again, however, and I’d take that Broncos team to make mincemeat out of the Colts’ game plan any day. Broncos 27, Colts 13
Atlanta Falcons (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (1-0), OAK by 5 – Great start for Oakland, but they have to be concerned about their defense holding up. The Falcons pose another potential challenge, especially when it comes to guarding Julio Jones, but this is a Raiders team on the rise. Raiders 31, Falcons 20
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at San Diego Chargers (0-1), SD by 1 – This Jaguars team is looking good. They took the Packers to their limit, their whole offense is maturing together, and their defense is looking improved. Meanwhile, San Diego is coming off the worst kind of heartbreaking loss, AND just lost its best offensive player not named Laserface. Just feels like a chance for the Jaguars to make a statement. UPSET! – Jaguars 30, Chargers 20
Green Bay Packers (1-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-0), GB by 2 – The Vikings’ defense will give the Packers some troubles for sure, as it has the last couple of years. But without any semblance of an offense to be concerned about, the Packers should be able to slip away from Minneapolis with an unblemished record. Packers 23, Vikings 13
Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1), CHI by 3 – The Bears looked decent this past week, at least until the second half. Then suddenly everything went wrong. The Eagles shocked a lot of people with their performance, but then again, it was against the Browns. Hard to know what to expect here, so I’ll go with the home team. Bears 27, Eagles 20
