2023 Picks, Week 2

I'm going to admit something really bad.  I couldn't stop laughing when Aaron Rodgers went down on the fourth play of the Jets' first drive on Monday night.  It's not funny and you obviously never want to see anybody get injured, especially a star player.  But I couldn't help myself.  It was the Jettiest thing that could possibly happen, and it once again screwed the NFL for going all-in on a team and having it totally backfire on them.

That's not my only takeaway from Week 1.  The 49ers and Cowboys looked mighty impressive, and the Lions really sent a message with their win over the Chiefs.  I don't know what to make of the Bengals and Seahawks after their performances.  They weren't good, but they might've just had a bad game.  We'll find out more from both of them this week.

There are plenty of other teams that left us with questions--both good and bad--after Week 1 that we'll hope to get answered in Week 2.  And, I know it's still early, but this are big games for some teams.  Historically, your odds of making the playoffs are significantly worse if you start 0-2.  Which will add a sense of urgency to several games this week.

Thursday Night: Philadelphia (Win)

Packers (1-0) at Falcons (1-0): Atlanta-Aaron who?  The Packers sure didn't seem to miss their former quarterback in Week 1.  Although, they were playing the Bears, so how much of that was the opponent?  I could probably say the same thing about the Falcons after their win over Carolina, but one of these teams will be 2-0.  I think it'll be the team that's starting the season with two straight home games.

Raiders (1-0) at Bills (0-1): Buffalo-Let's be honest.  That was a bad loss for the Bills on Monday night.  The Jets losing Aaron Rodgers aside, what happened to Buffalo's offense in the second half?  I understand the Jets have a good defense, but there was absolutely no reason for that game to go to overtime.  Maybe Josh Allen and Co. will straighten things out against the Raiders in their home opener.

Ravens (1-0) at Bengals (0-1): Baltimore-Cincinnati could be in real big trouble here.  After that uninspired performance in Cleveland, they get set for another division game in their home opener.  So, a loss won't just make them 0-2.  It'll make them 0-2 in the division.  Unfortunately, I think that's exactly where the Bengals are headed.  Because they were a mess last week.

Seahawks (0-1) at Lions (1-0): Detroit-No team made a bigger statement in Week 1 than the Lions.  They entered the season with high expectations, but there weren't many people who thought they'd go into Kansas City and beat the defending champions.  Those expectations have only grown bigger as a result.  And they'll continue to grow bigger with each successive win.

Chargers (0-1) at Titans (0-1): Tennessee-These two lost by a combined three points last week, but they were very different games.  The Titans kicked five field goals, but didn't score a touchdown against New Orleans.  The Chargers scored plenty, but also gave up 36 points against Miami.  So, it'll be interesting to see if the Titans' offense and the Chargers' defense show up for Game #2.

Bears (0-1) at Buccaneers (1-0): Tampa Bay-Game 1 post-Brady went pretty well for the Bucs, who went into Minnesota and won.  If that game was any indication, it looks like they'll be relying on their defense a lot this season.  Which isn't a bad strategy.  Especially against a team like the Chicago Bears that has no offense.

Chiefs (0-1) at Jaguars (1-0): Kansas City-Mike Tirico sure got a lot of heat from Lions fans for saying their win in the season opener came with an asterisk because Travis Kelce and Chris Jones didn't play.  I get why they thought it was an unnecessary thing to say, but he also had a point.  The Chiefs aren't the same team without those two.  Fortunately, they're both back this week.  Jacksonville on the road is a tough test, but this will be the first time this season we'll see the real Chiefs.

Colts (0-1) at Texans (0-1): Indianapolis-Last season, these two tied in Houston in Week 1.  It was actually kind of a fitting result.  They were both so bad, they couldn't even beat each other.  Then when they met again in the season finale, it was a one-point game.  Fortunately, the Colts look like they're a little better this season.  The Texans, however, are still just as bad.  As a result, I say Indy beats them.

49ers (1-0) at Rams (1-0): San Francisco-If the 49ers now have an offense to with that elite defense, look out!  I know it was only one game, but it was on the road in an early game after a cross country trip.  The Rams, meanwhile, surprised me last week.  Not necessarily because they won, but because of how easy it was.  It probably won't be so easy this week against a team that usually beats them.

Giants (0-1) at Cardinals (0-1): Arizona-Well, things can't exactly go any worse for the Giants than they did last week!  And, I have more good news for them...they're playing the Cardinals this week!  It's silly to call a Week 2 game a "must win," but it does feel a little bit like that for the Giants.  Their early season schedule is so difficult that they can't afford to lose their only game in their first six that isn't against a playoff team from last season.

Jets (1-0) at Cowboys (1-0): Dallas-The winners of last week's Met Life Stadium semifinals meet in Dallas for the championship of that little tournament.  I kid, of course, but it is odd scheduling.  The Giants and Jets are both at home then, not just both on the road, but playing 4:00 games opposite each other.  Anyway, the Jets go back to life without Aaron Rodgers.  Although, they proved last week that their defense will keep them in any game, and for them to earn the win against Buffalo even after Rodgers went down says a lot about them.  With that being said, facing a Cowboys team that completely dominated the Giants in all phases last week, on the road, should be quite a challenge.

Commanders (1-0) at Broncos (0-1): Denver-Sean Payton's Denver debut didn't go quite as well as the Broncos hoped.  Not only did they lose to the Raiders, they struggled offensively.  Washington, meanwhile, had its own struggles before hanging on to beat Arizona.  Still, a win's a win, so they'll happily take it.  This week, they won't be so lucky.

Dolphins (1-0) at Patriots (0-1): New England-An interesting Sunday night selection to be sure.  Especially this early in the season.  But Miami made the playoffs last season, New England's always a draw, and this rivalry can get pretty intense.  So, I get it.  Starting the season with back-to-back road games.  On opposite coasts.  With the second one at night.  Against a division rival that's had two straight home games.  There's a lot working against the Dolphins here.

Saints (1-0) at Panthers (0-1): New Orleans-We've got two Monday night games this week, starting with an NFC South divisional matchup in Charlotte.  As Bryce Young showed last week, he'll go through a lot of growing pains this season.  Which is to be expected for a rookie.  His home debut should go slightly better than last week, but the Saints should seize the opportunity to go 2-0.

Browns (1-0) at Steelers (0-1): Pittsburgh-Cleveland's win over Cincinnati was perhaps the most surprising result of Week 1.  Now they get another division game against a rival--the Steelers.  Pittsburgh had trouble getting anything going against San Francisco, but the same could be said for every AFC team in an interconference matchup (the NFC went 4-0 against the AFC in Week 1).  They should be able to right the ship against a much more familiar foe.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 9-7
Overall: 10-7