Week 2 NFL Predictions

By Jacob Sanders

Week 1 came and went. Some wild season-defining events have already happened like Nick Foles injury and Sam Darnold being out for a couple weeks. Other crazy summer stories like the Browns being Super Bowl contenders have crashed down to earth. Meanwhile, you have to wonder if the Steelers and Chargers are going to be okay with their injuries and/or exodus of talent in the offseason. It’s only been one week, but there is a LOT to unpack when you think about what has happened in the last seven days in the NFL. I’ll leave all that to you guys though. I’m just your friendly game picks writer :)

Sanders went 11-4-1 last week and is 0-1 this week after picking the Panthers to win two night’s ago (they lost 20-14 to the Bucs). This puts him at 11-5-1 on the season.

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Redskins

How bout them Cowboys?!? Okay okay. So it was just against the Giants, sure. I think while most people expected the Cowboys to beat the Giants, I don’t think anyone expected Prescott to look as crisp as he did last week. It’s probably my No. 1 overreaction of Week 1, but I honestly believe we will continue to see this kind of Prescott. New OC Kellen Moore knows his quarterback and the zone reads with a couple of design run-plays thrown in are exactly what Prescott needs to have success. As for the Redskins, well….last week happened. After a massive 17-0 lead, they just let Carson Wentz carve them up to a 32-27 comeback victory. What concerns me, is that the Redskins defense was supposed to be the strength of this team and they faltered heavily when it mattered most. Don’t think they’ll be stopping this Dallas offense either.

Cowboys 27 Redskins 20

Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans

Both of those teams have solid showing last week. While the score was impressive, I think the Titans victory was skewed a bit due to the fact they benefited from the Browns committing 18 penalties. The Colts on the other hand, fought tooth and nail to the bitter end in OT losing to the injury-prone LA Chargers. What we learned from these teams is they probably won’t be an easy out this season in any game. And while I do love me some Jacoby Brissett, I think I like more of what I saw from Mariota and Co. If they can continue that, the Titans could be a dangerous threat to the Texans for the AFC South. This matchup is exciting and should go down to the wire.

Colts 26 Titans 27

Seattle Seahawks vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Both of these teams were, for lack of better words, disappointing last week. Yes, Seattle came away with a win, but I expect much more from a Seattle team who’s last game was a hard fought playoff game. The Steelers didn’t even put in an effort last week. Dreadful doesn’t even begin to describe the debacle that happened last Sunday night. That being said, look for the Steelers to try and bounceback in their opener. With that ALSO being said, their home opener is against the Seahawks who have a game-wrecker in Jadaveon Clowney. Ouch. Expecting them to roll on offense after a terrible output last Sunday, may or may not be appropriate here.

Seahawks 17 Steelers 13

Buffalo Bills vs NY Giants

Quite honestly, I don’t think it’s harsh to say that Eli Manning has weeks before Daniel Jones takes over. There were times last week when Manning looked like his old self and other times when it looked like he doesn’t belong on a football field anymore. Truth is, Manning shouldn’t be the starter anymore. Nearly everyone in the world but the NY Giants know that. Enough about the Giants though, what about the Bills who had a nice comeback last week? They have plenty of talent. I expect their defense to absolutely maul this Giants offense. Outside of Barkley, who’s gonna make plays for them? Well, with Shephard out, the answer is Evan Engram But that’s not enough.

Bills 20 Giants 14

New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins

There’s a lot of ballyhoo about the Dolphins being Brady’s kryptonite when they play in Miami. This is actually true. Brady struggles the most in Miami. However, this is a Miami team is giving away talent left and right. While I don’t like to deal in absolutes, it would be really hard to convince me that this Miami team, which looked so awful last week, is going to beat a Patriots team that looked like the best team in the NFL last week.

Patriots 30 Dolphins 6

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Houston Texans

I’m keeping this one short. This game is being played in Houston. The Texans looked like real playoff contenders in the Superdome and nearly won last Monday. The Jaguars? Well, their defense got demo’d by Chiefs and their starting QB is out. You tell me what’s gonna happen.

Jaguars 14 Texans 31

Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers

This matchup is the bane of my game-picking existence every week. It feels impossible to pick every year and it never gets easy. The Packers defense was stellar last week as was the Vikings defense last week. So, going into this week, you gotta ask yourself which offense you think will do better. Problem is, neither offense gave a very good read of who they are last week. So, this one’s a toss of the dice, and I’ll give it to the home team this time around. Although, you could flip a coin and your guess would be as could as mine.

Vikigns 17 Packers 20

LA Chargers vs Detroit Lions

So the Lions gave up a 24-6 lead to the Cardinals last week and ended their game in a tie. Not good. The Chargers on the other hand, sealed the deal in their OT game and beat the Colts in one swift attempt. While it’s hard to ignore the talent-drainage on the Chargers due to injuries, it’s even harder to imagine the Lions pulling out a win here after collapsing to the Arizona Cardinals. You know, the team with a rookie QB and rookie HC. Anthony Lynn and Co. take care of business here.

Chargers 24 Lions 14

San Francisco 49ers vs Cincinnati Bengals

I really liked what the Bengals showed last week. If the Bengals offense continues to grow under Zac Stacy’s direction, there will be some mid-season talk about the Bengals as a potential cinderella team. For now though, let’s focus on the now. They’re facing a 49ers team that took advantage of two pick sixes against the Buccaneers. That’s not happening against the Bengals. If the 49ers want to win here, they gotta get some more production out of Jimmy G. This 49ers team has the defensive talent to handle the Bengals. I wonder if they have the offensive talent to produce.

49ers 16 Bengals 21

Arizona Cardinals vs Baltimore Ravens

Much is being made of the fact that this matchup faces off two young QBs who have matching styles. Both are mobile and both can throw the ball deep (both proved this last week). However, in my opinion, this story is overblown and there’s not enough focus on the defenses. This Arizona secondary has a lot to worry about (see last week) without Patrick Peterson and, if Baltimore’s offense showed anything last week, it’s that they have a ton of potential playmakers. That being said, so do the Cardinals with Fitz, Kirk, and Johnson all being able to run down the field in multiple directions. Last time these two defenses faced off, it was a defensive game that came down to the wire. This time? I’m expecting some offensive firepower on both sides.

Cardinals 20 Ravens 27

Kansas City Chiefs vs Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr had an impressive season debut in his second year under Jon Gruden. He looked precise, accurate, and knew what he wanted in his offense last week. That should actually continue against a relatively weak Chiefs defense this Sunday. Problem is, the Chiefs have way more firepower on offense than I think the Raiders can keep up with. If the Chiefs weren’t as explosive as they are offensively, I just may have ended up picking the Raiders here. But I’m not. Long live Patrick Mahomes reign in Chiefs Kingdom.

Chiefs 33 Raiders 24

New Orleans Saints vs LA Rams

Look. You know it. I know it. Rams and Saints fans know it. We aren’t gonna hear the end of the controversial call this coming Sunday. But, for the sake of my sanity, let’s ignore it, and choose to look at the matchup here. Despite scoring 30 points, I don’t think the Rams looked fantastic last week. Part of me believe they took advantage of a bad Cam Newton. But part of me also believes they had to shake off some rust. The Saints, on the other hand, were amazing last week and pulled off a great win for their home-opener on Monday night. It’s a tough call here, but I’m thinking the Rams may have a little more to prove here than the Saints i.e. they wanna show they can beat the Saints fair and square on their home turf.

Saints 27 Rams 28

Chicago Bears vs Denver Broncos

A nightmare game if you’re looking for an offense to perform well. Both the Bears and Broncos couldn’t get anything done offensively. The difference here though, is the Bears defense actually showed up last week and the Broncos defense did not. That being said, it’s hard to imagine the this Broncos defense performing so poorly again, especially at home. That, and Vic Fangio probably, maybe, just a tiny bit, has some extra motivation to beat his former team and knows what needs to be done to force mistakes out of Trubisky.

Bears 10 Broncos 13

Philadelphia Eagles vs Atlanta Falcons

This matchup has become a classic in the last couple seasons and certainly deserves it’s spot on SNF. However, in each matchup, the Eagles have come out victorious with defensive stops in the redzone. While I don’t predict that to happen again, if last week was any indication of how these two teams will perform, it certainly feels like the Eagles have the upper-hand. The Eagles offense was on fire last week after a rusty start and the Falcons offense barely created any smoke. Considering the talet difference here as well, it seems like Philly will be starting their season 2-0

Eagles 30 Falcons 27

NY Jets vs Cleveland Browns

Ugh. This matchup got bad REAL quick. Weird how this was a game I highly anticipated to be fun. But with injuries galore in New York, and penalties abound in Cleveland, is anyone excited for this game? I’m certainly not. In any case, the Jets made their team better with Sam Darnold growing into his sophomore year, signing Bell, and signing CJ Mosley. All three of them are hurt and only one (Bell) will be playing on Monday. Signs point to the Browns getting their first win of the season, frankly, by default. If you want any positive notes on the Browns though, let me say this. They can’t commit more penalties than they did last week, right?

Jets 10 Browns 20