NFL 2020, Week 2

I have to admit, Week 1 surprised me.  I didn't expect the football to be as good as it was.  I thought the quality of play would be something like Week 3 of the preseason.  But I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't.  Despite not having a typical offseason or playing any preseason games (and some defenders having not tackled anybody since December), there were plenty of good, entertaining openers.

Some teams certainly surprised, too.  I was very impressed with the Chicago Bears, and the Arizona Cardinals sure looked like a team that, at the very least, no one will want to play.  Meanwhile, what happened to the Colts and Eagles?  Maybe it was a one-week glitch.  Or maybe they aren't as good as we thought they'd be.  We'll see how well they rebound in Week 2, and we'll also see if any of those teams that had surprise wins last week can keep that momentum. 

Also, a fun note about this week: every team that was home last week is home this week and vice versa.  This was done intentionally as a fail safe against pandemic-related delays, but I like it.  It's something the NFL might want to consider doing permanently (if possible).

Thursday Night: Cleveland (Win)

Giants (0-1) at Bears (1-0): Chicago-Even though they lost, the Giants really showed me something against the Steelers.  Like most people, I thought it would be a Pittsburgh blowout.  But the Giants played well and were in the game the whole way.  And the Bears looked good in their opener, too.  Granted they were playing the Lions, but a win's a win.  And following that up with a matchup against the Giants is a recipe for going 2-0 and gaining some confidence before the schedule gets tougher.

Falcons (0-1) at Cowboys (0-1): Dallas-Yes, they lost to the Rams.  But there's nothing that happened in that game to make me change my opinion about the Dallas Cowboys.  I still think they're the second-best team in the NFC.  And they'll get a chance to show it in their first game at Jerry's World this season.  Atlanta has the offense to hang with them, but the Falcons' defense simply isn't good enough.

Lions (0-1) at Packers (1-0): Green Bay-Green Bay's offense sure was ready for the season to start!  If the Packers can do that every week, they'll be very tough to beat (and you know their defense will come around).  Of course, they were in Minnesota's dome last week, while this week they'll be on the Frozen Tundra at Lambeau.  Not that it should matter much against Detroit.  They don't need to score 43 points to beat the Lions.

Jaguars (1-0) at Titans (1-0): Tennessee-Despite Stephen Gostkowski doing his best to give it away, the Titans held on to beat the Broncos on Monday night.  Now they take on a Jaguars team that had perhaps the most surprising result of Week 1.  It's not just that Jacksonville won.  It's that they made Indianapolis look so bad in doing so.  As a result, this is an early battle for first place in the AFC South.  That'll be a huge edge for the winner, especially since it could give them a two-game edge on the the Colts and Texans, who both have tough games this week.

Vikings (0-1) at Colts (0-1): Minnesota-Call me crazy, but I'm still high on the Vikings even after they gave up 43 points against the Packers.  Their offense had a ton of question marks entering season, but hung with Green Bay score for score.  Sure the defense couldn't stop anybody, but that's not going to be the case every week.  And after the Colts' performance against Jacksonville, I've got no confidence in them whatsoever.

Bills (1-0) at Dolphins (0-1): Buffalo-It was only one game, but the Bills looked every bit like the AFC East favorites after a dominant victory over the Jets to start the season.  As for Miami, I don't know what's going on there!  Against the Patriots, the Dolphins looked just as lost as they have over the past couple of seasons.  They just can't get it together!  I can only imagine how bad things will be for them this week.

49ers (0-1) at Jets (0-1): San Francisco-Evidently, as part of the COVID protocols, West Coast teams that have back-to-back games on the East Coast can't stay out there for that whole week like they normally would.  The 49ers are an exception to that rule, though.  Since they're playing the Jets and Giants in consecutive weeks, they can create their own bubble environment, which the NFL said was acceptable.  Last year, the Bills went 2-for-2 at MetLife.  The 49ers will be halfway there after this one.

Rams (1-0) at Eagles (0-1): Philadelphia-As expected, the Rams put on a pretty good show in the opener of their new stadium (although, what's with those white uniforms?  They're horrible!).  A cross country trip to Philadelphia will be tough test, even after the Eagles laid an absolute egg in their opener.  I'd expect we'll see a much better performance out of the Eagles in Week 2.

Broncos (0-1) at Steelers (1-0): Pittsburgh-What a difference a healthy Ben Roethlisberger makes!  The Steelers looked like the Steelers on Monday night, not the team that wore Steelers jerseys for most of last season.  Denver's Monday night game, meanwhile, followed a script that's become all too familiar to Broncos fans.  Have the lead late, only to give up a field goal in the final minute to lose a close one.  At least this week, they'll lose by more than a field goal.

Panthers (0-1) at Buccaneers (0-1): Tampa Bay-Brady and Gronk's Bucs debut wasn't their best performance ever.  But it's not like they were horrible either!  And let's not forget, they were playing the Saints.  Troy Aikman said at the end of the game that he could still see that being the NFC Championship Game.  While I'm not willing to go that far, I do think Tampa Bay will fare far better in its home opener against a Carolina team it's better than.

Washington (1-0) at Cardinals (1-0): Arizona-Raise your hand if you thought both of these teams would be 1-0 entering this matchup.  Anybody?  Didn't think so!  But here we are.  And not only did they both win, they both had impressive victories over playoff teams from last season.  Which one will move to 2-0?  I'm still not completely sold on Washington, so I think the Cardinals are the safer bet.

Chiefs (1-0) at Chargers (1-0): Kansas City-Doesn't it seem like forever since the Chiefs last played?  That always happens with the Thursday night teams, but it feels even longer between Weeks 1 & 2 for some reason.  Anyway, they're back in action for the Chargers' first home game at SoFi Stadium.  It won't get nearly as much fanfare as the Rams' opener (which it shouldn't, since it's the Rams owner who got the stadium built).  At least they won't be in a stadium full of the other team's fans anymore, though.  But, of course, that beats no fans at all.  As for how their first home game will go, I don't think it'll be as successful as their stadium mates'.  The Super Bowl champs go to 2-0.

Ravens (1-0) at Texans (0-1): Baltimore-Lamar Jackson picked up right where he left off, as the Ravens crushed the Browns in their opener.  They'll face a far tougher test against J.J. Watt and Co.  The Texans continue their brutal stretch to start the season (Kansas City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Minnesota) and would really like to show they deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Chiefs and Ravens.  I just think Baltimore will be too much for them, though.

Patriots (1-0) at Seahawks (1-0): Seattle-All week, I wondered if this game would even be played.  I'm still not sure it's smart.  Especially after the Mariners moved their series against the Padres to San Diego.  Seattle is literally ON FIRE!  The NFL is "monitoring the situation," but it appears that they're still planning on playing.  If they do, I've gotta give the nod to the Seahawks, who've had to deal with the air quality all week.

Saints (1-0) at Raiders (1-0): New Orleans-Monday Night Football's 50th anniversary will be celebrated with a three-network broadcast.  It'll be the first regular season game broadcast on ABC in 15 years, and it'll be historic for another reason, too.  The Raiders' opener is the first-ever NFL game in Las Vegas.  Although, like the Rams, they'll open their new football palace without the traditional fanfare that comes with a full house.  Once the game starts, that might be a good thing.  Because Drew Brees is usually good for at least three touchdowns every time he plays on Monday night.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 13-3
Season: 14-3