NFL Week 2 Preview and Predictions
Week 2 Headlines
Zeke’s Suspension: The legal battle between Ezekiel Elliot and the league will likely continue throughout the season. Thanks to a federal judge’s injunction, the Cowboys running back’s suspension has been blocked. The NFL, however, are in the process of appealing that decision and are looking to accelerate the process.
Playoff Team’s Looking to Rebound: Week 1 saw a few playoff teams from last year take it on the chin. The Patriots were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter against the Chiefs. Tom Brady looked like a 40-year-old quarterback and the defense was shredded by Alex Smith. The Texans were manhandled by the Jaguars in their first game. And finally, the Giants and Seahawks had no offense worth mentioning. Each team will be looking to rebound in Week 2.
A Sunday in LA: The NFL’s Los Angeles Dream begins on Sunday as both the Rams and Chargers will both be playing home games at the same time. The Chargers will kick off their second run in LA playing at the StubHub Center in Carson, while the Rams will be playing at the LA Coliseum.
NFC Championship Game Rematch: The Packers will travel to Atlanta for the first time since the NFC title game to play the Falcons in their new nest. After an impressive defensive outing in Week 1, the Packers defense will be tasked with containing the league’s most loaded offense.
Fantasy Football Start Em/Sit Em
Starting Quarterbacks: Derek Carr, Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston
Sitting Quarterbacks: Jay Cutler, Blake Bortles, Trevor Siemian, Tyrod Taylor
Starting Running Backs: Marshawn Lynch, Todd Gurley, Ty Montgomery, Dalvin Cook
Sitting Running Backs: Frank Gore, Ameer Abdullah, Adrian Peterson, Matt Forte
Starting Receivers: Doug Baldwin, Larry Fitzgerald, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams
Sitting Receivers: Alshon Jeffery, Sammy Watkins, Pierre Garcon, Kenny Golladay
Starting Tight Ends: Kyle Rudolph, Jimmy Graham, Delanie Walker, Austin Hooper
Sitting Tight Ends: Jack Doyle, Julius Thomas, Hunter Henry, Jason Witten
Starting Defenses: Cardinals, Raiders, Ravens
Sitting Defenses: Packers, Eagles, Vikings
Game Picks
Texans vs. Bengals: Both of these teams have problems and a lot to prove on a short week. You knew the Texans were in trouble when the DeShaun Watson era had to start in the second half of Week 1. But the most telling thing I saw in their game against the Jaguars was the fact that Jacksonville was far and away the more physical team and the better executing team. Yes, the Jags punched the Texans for four quarters straight. Meanwhile, the Bengals offense was a non-starter given Andy Dalton’s poor performance and the lack of a running game. The o-line concerns are already rearing their ugly head for both teams. At least the Texans have two great pass rushers to take advantage of it. Look for a milquetoast/conservative offensive plan from the Texans and a grind it out the win on the road.
Bills vs. Panthers: The Carolina defense looked like their 2015 unit, but it was just the 49ers after all. Christian McCaffrey made an immediate impact on the offense as a playmaker as well, but it was just the 49ers. Fortunately, the Bills aren’t that much better. They’re one dimensional on offense and I’m sure Carolina can get to the end zone if the Jets were able to get four field goals. Look for an easy Panthers win.
Bears vs. Buccaneers: After an impromptu bye week, the Buccaneers now begin the process of playing 16 straight regular season games. So much for player safety. On paper, the Bears looked like an easy win before the season started. That was before the Bears came up a couple of drops short of beating the defending NFC champs last week. The combo of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen will be the focus for the Buccaneers defense. While on offense, I expect DeSean Jackson to have a big game as the Bears defense focuses on stopping Mike Evans. Either way, the Bucs will win the game.
Vikings vs. Steelers: Minnesota feasted on the Saints abysmal defense while their defense looked similar to the defense that led the team to a 5-0 start last season. And now is a good time to mention Sam Bradford set a record for completion percentage last season. So if he has the time to throw he can be a little dangerous. So the Steelers will have to get pressure on the Vikings QB. They’re coming off of a win over Browns that was probably closer than it should’ve been. Against a better defense, the Steelers cannot afford the mistakes they made in Cleveland. They’ll need to tighten up on offense and force pressure while on defense. I believe they do both and beat the Vikings.
Cardinals vs. Colts: Indianapolis was flat out embarrassed last week in Los Angeles. Let me repeat: they were destroyed by the Rams. And Andrew Luck is nowhere near coming back, so the bad times will continue. Jacoby Brissett can’t save them, and their defense can't save them either. Even Carson Palmer should be able to find success on Sunday. Look for the Cardinals to get on track with a win.
Patriots vs. Saints: So much for going 16-0. The Patriots were soundly defeated and the hallmarks that make them a great team seemed missing. The “bend but don’t break” defense was shattered late in the game against Kansas City and Tom Brady looked like he ran into father time in a back alley. The perfect remedy for Brady is to face the Saints defense. Speaking of the New Orleans defense, I can’t remember the last time they were actually good on that side of the ball. This year is no different than the status-quo we’ve grown accustomed to. So once again, it’s all on the Saints offense to get the job done. Alex Smith was able to find success against the Patriots, so I expect nothing less of Drew Brees. However, I expect the Patriots to carve up the Saint defense even worse en route to a win.
Browns vs. Ravens: Last week was a case of the rookie blues for the Browns and their rookie quarterback. While he did some things well, he was sacked a lot due to his lack of experience. He didn’t trust his reads and was contained by the Steelers defense. Expect a similar strategy to be employed by the Baltimore defense, which just shut out the Bengals last week. Speaking of the Ravens, Joe Flacco didn’t complete a pass in the second half last week, but he didn’t really need to. Offensively, they still have some things to figure out especially with the injury to Danny Woodhead. This game will be close, but ultimately the Ravens will pull it out.
Eagles vs. Chiefs: Kansas City is a capable team and a player in the AFC title picture, but no one expected them to win the way they did last week. Alex Smith made big passes down the field instead of just checking down. Smith outplayed Brady at New England. A sentence that no one thought they’d ever utter. So with KC riding high, they’ll now have to prove consistency. Can Smith do what he did last week every week? Was Kareem Hunt a flash in the pan or the real deal? The Eagles will help us find out. Philly’s pressure was key in their win against Washington. While the Patriots seemed to lack pass rushers, the Eagles don’t. And offensively, we know the Eagles aren’t afraid to let it fly. I think the Chiefs will be out to prove they’re the real deal and pull off a win over the Eagles.
Titans vs. Jaguars: After dominating the Texans last week, the Jaguars have a chance to take an early two game lead in the division. Their front seven looked like an all-world unit against Houston and Blake Bortles didn’t do anything rash or reckless to cost his team momentum. Leonard Fournette looked great as well. The Titans, on the other hand, fought well against the Raiders before falling short. To combat the Jags front seven, I expect Tennessee to run right at them. Marcus Mariota is good at not turning the ball over and that will be key. And let’s see if Bortles can keep it together back to back weeks. In the end, I expect a Titans victory.
Jets vs. Raiders: The tank is on for the Jets and there’s no need to stop now. This should be an easy win for Oakland.
Dolphins vs. Chargers: It wouldn’t be a Chargers Monday Night game if it didn’t end in a gut punch of a loss. Now the Chargers will head back home to Carson to play a Dolphins team coming off of an unscheduled bye week. Like the Bucs, the Dolphins will have to play 16 straight games. Unlike the Bucs, the Dolphins won’t play a game in Miami until October 8th. That seems fair. Jay Cutler will make his Dolphins debut and Jay Ajayi should be able to produce against the Chargers defense. But if the Chargers play like they did in the second half of their game against Denver, they will be tough to beat. They have to figure out how to close games first. I’ll pick them to win, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a way to blow it in the end.
Cowboys vs. Broncos: For a little over a half of football, Trevor Siemian looked like the answer to the Broncos quarterback problem and the defense looked like it’s normal elite self. They held on to victory in the end and will now have to deal with Dallas. The Cowboys line against the Broncos defense will be the matchup to watch. Denver is one of the few teams that can provide a challenge to the Dallas line. but even then it won’t be easy. If the Dallas defense can make some plays, that may prove to be the difference. And that’s what I believe will happen along with a Cowboys win.
49ers vs. Seahawks: The Seahawks offense looked pathetic last week at Green Bay, and will now get a chance to find a rhythm against the Niners. If their defense shows up the way they did last week, the Seahawks will be dangerous. After all, they’re not playing Aaron Rodgers every week. But once again, this game will be about the offense getting into form. As for the Niners, all indications are that they’re playing with next year in mind. We’ll see them then. Until then, Seattle will be winning this game.
Redskins vs. Rams: The Rams led the Colts to slaughter last week in their blowout victory. Everything was working for them and they looked like a playoff team. But it was just the Colts they were playing. Now they get to face Head Coach Sean McVay’s old team. The Redskins failed to protect Kirk Cousins and failed to stop the Eagles offense. Also, they’ve struggled recently when teams run heavy on them. If the Rams can get their ground game going, it could lead to more success on offense for Jared Goff (who looked pretty good throwing the ball last week). And with Aaron Donald back, I’m sure Wade Phillips will have the Rams defense dialed up. Look for the Rams to win this one.
Packers vs. Falcons: The last time we saw the Packers in Atlanta, the Falcons were blitzing up and down the field on their defense. And speaking of defense, the Falcons unit got the best of Aaron Rodgers. The Packers defense looked near incompetent during that playoff matchup. Last week they looked much improved, but Seattle doesn’t have the weapons Atlanta has. Speaking of weapons, the Packers will have more at their disposal this time around. So the Falcons will have to prove their defense is indeed the real deal. As it stands now, I consider both teams equal. But this game will come down to who makes the plays on defense. As of now, I can’t bring myself to trust the Packers defense. So in a high scoring game, I’m picking the Falcons.
Lions vs. Giants: With Odell Beckham back in the fold, it’s easy to assume the Giants offense gets back on track. The problem is New York has real problems on their offensive line. And without consistent blocking, you’ll get the worst version of Eli Manning. The pass happy Lions have a problem of their own entering this game. They’ll be throwing against a good Giants secondary. But then again, that has never deterred Matthew Stafford. I expect them to try and mix in some more running plays with mixed results. But if Eli does get the time he needs to make plays in the pocket, I can’t see the Giants losing this game. With a sense of urgency from the o-linemen, look for the Giants to pull off the win.
