Week 2 is always interesting. We get to see if the surprise teams that looked great in their openers are for real and if the teams that looked terrible in their openers really are that bad. Teams also have a chance to make early statements in their divisions, and we've even got a matchup (Saints-Rams) that could have major playoff implications. You know what kind of state the league's in when Joe Buck kept referring to the Thursday night game as a "must-win." A "must-win" game in Week 2! Welcome to the NFL's 100th season!
Thursday Night: Carolina (Loss)
49ers (1-0) at Bengals (0-1): San Francisco-Impressive performances by both of these teams in their openers. San Francisco went into Tampa Bay and won last week. Cincinnati went to Seattle and almost did. So which one keeps the momentum going in Week 2? Frankly, I think the 49ers have more upside. And they know they need to stock up on wins outside the division if they have any hope of keeping pace with the Rams and Seahawks.
Chargers (1-0) at Lions (0-0-1): Chargers-Remember when the Chargers had that reputation for not being able to play 1:00 games? I think they're finally past it. They need to be. Otherwise, they'll be stuck playing on Wild Card Weekend again. As for their opponent on Sunday, what can I say? How do you blow a lead like that against the Cardinals? The Lions were lucky to end up with a tie in a game they should've won. And they really needed that win, seeing as this starts a five-game stretch of playoff teams from last year (Chargers, Eagles, Chiefs), followed by the Packers and Vikings.
Vikings (1-0) at Packers (1-0): Green Bay-It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. The Packers went into Chicago and opened the NFL season with a 10-3 victory over the defending division champs. Now they make their 2019 Lambeau debut against the other NFC North co-favorite. And I'm expecting a much better offensive showing. This game not only gives Green Bay a chance to make a statement, but, with a victory, they'll be all alone in first place with a pair of division wins already under their belt. That could loom large as the season progresses.
Colts (0-1) at Titans (1-0): Tennessee-Both of these teams deserve a ton of credit for their effort last week. The Titans went into Cleveland, dominated from the start, and dropped 43 points on a Browns team that was a popular preseason playoff pick. Indianapolis, meanwhile, almost found a way against the Chargers, sending the game into overtime before finally falling. Maybe they'll be OK without Andrew Luck after all. Is it enough to slow the Titans' roll, though? Don't count on it.
Patriots (1-0) at Dolphins (0-1): New England-Yeah, I think the less I say about this game the better. New England actually has a losing record in Miami during the Bradicheck Era. But that was against an actual NFL team. I don't know what that was last week. But if the Ravens and their powerhouse offense can score 59 points against the Dolphins, imagine what the Patriots will do!
Bills (1-0) at Giants (0-1): Giants-Why, oh why, did the NFL schedule the Buffalo Bills' first two games of the season at Met Life Stadium? It's not like they're a West Coast team that just spent the week in New York. It's a one-hour flight! Anyway, they had that nice second half comeback to beat the Jets, which might've had a little divine assistance (my brother-in-law's best man, who was a Bills fan, passed away last week). I don't think they make it two in a row, though. For some reason, I think the Giants will win.
Seahawks (1-0) at Steelers (0-1): Pittsburgh-All through the Thursday night game, Joe Buck kept saying how both teams needed a win. That sounds crazy in Week 2, but, in the Steelers' case, it actually rings true. New England/Seattle wasn't exactly the easiest way to start the season, but Pittsburgh needs to rebound from that miserable performance on Sunday night and show that it actually has an offense. Fortunately for them, they face a Seahawks team that barely beat Cincinnati and is flying cross country for an early kickoff.
Cowboys (1-0) at Redskins (0-1): Dallas-Most people think the NFC East will come down to Dallas and Philadelphia. So, it was an unfortunate draw for Washington, one of the worst teams in the entire league, to draw the Eagles and Cowboys as their first two opponents. Especially since Dallas did nothing to dispel its favorite status while winning its annual Week 1 matchup with the Giants. These two rivals usually produce competitive games. Don't expect this one to be that close, though. The Cowboys are a far superior team.
Cardinals (0-0-1) at Ravens (1-0): Baltimore-Talk about an easy schedule to start the season! After traveling to Miami for their fifth preseason game, the Ravens get to open their home schedule against another one of the league's bottom-feeders--Arizona. The Cardinals had an impressive rally to tie the game last week, but that was more the Lions letting them back in it than anything else. The Baltimore defense won't be nearly as accommodating.
Jaguars (0-1) at Texans (0-1): Houston-Nick Foles almost lasted an entire quarter as the Jaguars' starting quarterback. It was already setting up to be a long season in Jacksonville. With rookie Gardner Minshew under center, it's only going to get longer. J.J. Watt won't exactly give him a warm welcome to the AFC South, although he will provide him with a preview of what he's in for all season. As for the Texans, they can't afford to fall to 0-2 with the Chargers coming up next week.
Chiefs (1-0) at Raiders (1-0): Kansas City-New year, same Chiefs offense. They picked up right where they left off last week in Jacksonville. Now they travel cross country for their final trip to Oakland. The Raiders had one of the more impressive victories of anybody in Week 1. The Antonio Brown Saga clearly wasn't the distraction people thought it might be (or, they were just glad he's gone and were out to show they didn't need him to begin with). They were also playing Denver last week. The Chiefs are an entirely different animal. I'm not sure Oakland's defense can keep up.
Bears (0-1) at Broncos (0-1): Denver-Last season, Vic Fangio was the Bears' defensive coordinator. Now he's the Broncos' head coach, and his first game in Denver is against his old team. If Chicago could only manage three points at home against Green Bay, I wonder how bad it'll be against a guy who knows Matt Nagy's system backwards and forwards. Fangio and Joe Flacco both begin the Denver portion of their Broncos careers with a win.
Saints (1-0) at Rams (1-0): Rams-Is it just me, or should this game be on a Sunday night? I also feel it should be much later in the season than Week 2. Because, like last year, it could go a long way in deciding who gets home field for the NFC playoffs. It'll also be interesting to see how they both bounce back after surprisingly close victories last week (Saints-Texans is an early candidate for game of the year). I think both offenses click in the Southern California sunshine, but the Rams' being at home is enough to give them the slight edge.
Eagles (1-0) at Falcons (0-1): Philadelphia-On Sunday Night Football, we've got two of the last three NFC champions. I'm not exactly sure why (again, Saints-Rams should've been the Sunday night game). This is actually the third straight year they're meeting on NBC after that playoff game during Philly's Super Bowl run and the opener last season. Both of those games were Eagles wins. This should be another. If there's any consolation Atlanta can take from an 0-2 start, though, it's that they'd have lost to a pair of pretty good teams in Minnesota and Philadelphia.
Browns (0-1) at Jets (0-1): Cleveland-This year isn't just the NFL's 100th season. It's also the 50th season of Monday Night Football. This was the original matchup back in 1970, and this is as close to that anniversary as they could get. It's also a fun matchup, as OBJ returns to Met Life Stadium. Both teams are looking to rebound after disappointing losses last week. Cleveland, especially, needs to bounce back after getting thumped by the Titans. I originally picked the Jets in this one. Then I found out Sam Darnold has mono. The Browns won that initial Monday night game 31-20. That works for me. (We're also pretty close to the one-year anniversary of last year's Browns-Jets game where Baker Mayfield led that second half comeback to give Cleveland its first win since 2016.)
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 11-4-1
Overall: 11-5-1
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