Week 2 NFL Predictions
What's up, y'all! It's ya boy Ryan, and I'm back for the second week of NFL predictions for the 2016 season!
Last week was a bit of a whirlwind for me, so I wasn't able to properly introduce the newest feature to Philly Sports Passion. This season, I will be posting a week-by week predictions piece for the upcoming slate of games. Since the week begins on a Thursday, this post will go live on Wednesday, and will NOT be altered. Also, during the year, I will be providing you all with updates of how I've done on the year. Before we get started on this week's prediction's, here's a recap of how I did last week.
Week One: 9-6
Season to Date: 9-6
With that now out of the way, let's focus on Week Two!
Week Two Predictions-
Thursday 9/15:
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (8:25 EST; NFL Network/CBS)
Analysis: This is an interesting one. Both teams are coming off of tough losses to begin the season, and could possibly consider this game as a "must-win." That said, this should be your stereotypical AFC East brawl. Anytime these teams face each other, it's never pretty. The Jets have lost five of their last six matchups with Buffalo dating back to 2013, including the final game of the year last season, that eliminated them from playoff contention. With the majority of their team returning, and the addition of Matt Forte, I expect the Jets to come out hungry in this game. Buffalo's coming into this game with a wounded top-target in Sammy Watkins. It won't be pretty, but "Gang Green" gets back to .500 with this win.
Prediction: Jets win 23-13
Sunday 9/18:
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (1:00 EST; CBS)
Analysis: Oh boy, this is going to be ugly. The most recent battle between these two AFC North juggernauts took place in the AFC Wild-Card Round, this past January. Many of you will remember that game, for the whole mess with Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict at the end of the game, which eventually resulted in a three-game suspension. Yeah, I don't think Pittsburgh's forgotten about that. The Bengals are coming off of draining victory over the Jets, while the Steelers are coming off of a short-week, having decimated the Redskins this past Monday. This will be your usual AFC North slugfest, that will likely go down to the wire.
Prediction: Steelers win 34-30
Tennessee Titans at Detroit Lions (1:00 EST; CBS)
Analysis: The Lions are coming off of a major victory over the Colts, albeit in dramatic fashion. Nonetheless, Detroit's going into this game with confidence. That being said, there is reason to be afraid of this game, if you're a Lions fan. Yes, the Titans lost to Minnesota. However, the Vikings didn't score a single offensive-touchdown. The Tennessee defense held the Vikings out of the end zone, and amazingly, held Adrian Peterson under 40 yards rushing. If Marcus Mariota can just work on the turnovers a bit, the Lions could be in trouble.
Prediction: Titans win 27-21
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (1:00 EST; CBS)
Analysis: Both teams are coming off of ugly, ugly games. The Ravens with a win, Cleveland with a loss. Joe Flacco returned, and led the Ravens to a 13-7 victory over Buffalo, while the Browns fell to the Eagles 29-10. Flacco didn't show any signs of rust, and looked like the Joe Flacco before his injury. Robert Griffin III, well, he didn't look spectacular. As it turns out, Griffin actually suffered an injury in last week's game, knocking him out of action for at least the next eight weeks. With Josh McCown stepping back into the starting lineup, I tend to believe that Cleveland may gel better as a team.
Prediction: Browns win 16-10
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins (1:00 EST; FOX)
Analysis: Oh, this is a fun one. As an Eagles fan, I love watching two teams from the NFC East beating the hell out of each other. Dallas didn't look good last week, and the 'Skins looked worse -- if that's even possible! Cousins was awful, the run game was horrendous, and the defense was absolutely scorched. This is a tough one to predict, but I'm gonna give the slight edge to Dallas.
Prediction: Cowboys win 22-13
New Orleans Saints at New York Giants (1:00 EST; FOX)
Analysis: I was once told by a wise man, that "You cannot stop Drew Brees. You can only hope to contain him." This saying holds true for the Giants. They can try, but it just won't work.
Prediction: Saints win 38-17
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers (1:00 EST; FOX)
Analysis: This is about as easy as it could get for the Panthers. I'm sorry, but I'm viewing this game as a cakewalk. So long as the Panthers don't play down to San Fran, this should be smooth sailing.
Prediction: Panthers win 41-17
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (1:00 EST; CBS)
Analysis: Week Two of the Jimmy Garoppalo, and it will end in the same fashion as week one -- a Patriots win. I don't know how they do it, but the Pats just continue to find ways to win games. It's actually quite impressive. The test this week won't be as stiff as last week's, and it'll show as Jimmy G carves through Miami's secondary with ease. Oh, and it doesn't hurt when you're likely getting Rob Gronkowski back from an injury.
Prediction: Patriots win 27-14
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans (1:00 EST; CBS)
Analysis: A rematch of the AFC Wild-Card game. This won't be like the last meeting between these two. The Texans secured major upgrades in the offseason, by way of Lamar Miller, Brock Osweiler, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller. They're deeper, faster, and more talented. I'm expecting a much closer game than the WC game, although with the Chiefs coming off of an emotionally-draining comeback OT win against the Chargers, I'm not gonna entirely rule out Houston dominating.
Prediction: Texans win 23-21
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (4:05 EST; FOX)
Analysis: Man, it feels strange to say the Los Angeles Rams. I wasn't around during their first incarnation, so this is pretty cool for me, personally. That said, this game is pretty close to a slaughtering, as it can get. The Rams were shut out by the 49ers on MNF. They got shut out by the 49ers, of all teams. If they can't score against San Fran, what makes anyone think they could beat Seattle? Regardless of if Russell Wilson sits out or not, the 'Hawks will take this one, with ease.
Prediction: Seahawks win 34-13
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 EST; FOX)
Analysis: The Cardinals took a shot to the jaw on Sunday Night Football, courtesy of Bill Belichick. Tampa Bay pulled out the win against the Atlanta Falcons. It's a tale-of-two-teams, here. Arizona's coming in hungry for a win, while the Bucs are looking for that marquee win. Having seen both teams play last week, I'm excited for this one. Both teams are solid, and have bright futures. If Tampa can shut down David Johnson, -- a tough task to ask of any team -- then I'm confident in them pulling out the win.
Prediction: Bucs win 24-20
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers (4:25 EST; CBS)
Analysis: Both teams came super close to a big-time victory last week. Unfortunately for San Diego, things get even more difficult with Jacksonville. The Jags can be dangerous on both sides of the ball, keeping teams on edge. After nearly knocking off Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers last week, the Jags are gonna come into Qualcolm Stadium looking to make a statement.
Prediction: Jaguars win 31-17
Atlanta Falcons at Oakland Raiders (4:25 EST; CBS)
Analysis: Two weeks in, two different NFC South opponents. Last week, the Falcons came up just short, while the Raiders were able to outduel Drew Brees. With Oakland riding back home on a high-horse, I'm putting them on UPSET ALERT. They're gonna be flying so high off their win over the Saints, that Julio Jones and the Falcons will come in and slam them back to Earth. Oakland will keep it competitive, but Julio will be the deciding factor.
Prediction: Falcons win 31-21
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (4:25 EST; CBS)
Analysis: This is going to be a great test for the Broncos. They pulled out last week's game against Carolina, thanks to the defense. Can the defense do it once again, against an elite QB in Andrew Luck? I have a hard time believing that Denver can shut down two elite QBs in consecutive weeks. Luck looked to return to form against the Lions last week, even though the Colts ultimately came up just short. Luck ensures that doesn't happen this time, and brings the Colts to 1-1.
Prediction: Colts win 21-13
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (8:30 EST; NBC)
Analysis: Minnesota really needs to hope that their offense shows up for this game, or it'll be a long night. Last week, Tennessee held Adrian Peterson to 31 yards. Only 31 yards. I'm aware of their good defense, but defenses can only take you so far. They're not going to constantly be able to win your games. Green Bay looked good last week, as Rodgers seemed to be clicking with his trio of wide receivers. If they can get Lacy back on track, look out.
Prediction: Packers win 17-13
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears (8:30 EST; ESPN)
Analysis: This is a tough one for me to predict, being an Eagles fan. However, I will do my best to remain bias-free. Last week, Carson Wentz looked great. He seemed NFL-ready, made good decisions, and learned from the few bad ones he made. Although, that was against Cleveland. This week, they travel to the not-so-friendly confines of Soldier Field, where they'll do battle with the Chicago Bears (Da Burrs!). To make matters worse, the Birds may also be without one of their top receivers in Zach Ertz. Chicago's defense isn't much better than Cleveland's, if we're being honest. What worries me though, is the Eagles defense against Chicago's offense. Alshon Jeffrey's better than practically anything the Browns have, and Jeremy Langford is better than Isaiah Crowell. The wild-card in this, is Kevin White. Simply put, this could be a scary game, if you're an Eagles fan.
Prediction: Bears win 31-27
Well, there they are -- my week two predictions. I encourage you all to tune back in next week, for my week two recap, in addition to my week three predictions. Until then...
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!
